BusinessDay 31 Mar 2019 by BusinessDay

Court order: GTB debunks claims of Innoson Motor’s bank takeover Iniobong Iwok

he management of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) has said that the general public, particularly its customers, should disregard the purported enforcement of a judgment of

the Federal High Court, Ibadan, Oyo State, at one of its branches in Anambra State. In a statement issued Saturday, signed by Erhi Obebeduo, company secretary, a copy of which was made available to BDSUNDAY, GTB stated that

“The attention of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc has been drawn to statements circulating in the news and social media in respect of a purported enforcement of a judgment of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, Oyo State, at Continues on page 3

9th NASS leadership: Support Lawan, Gbajabiamila or quit APC

…Tinubu tells lawmakers

Iniobong Iwok With Agency Report

ola Tinubu, national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has said that the party’s decision to choose Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gba-

jabiamila for the positions of the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively must be respected and that any lawmaker who is against the party’s decision should Continues on page 3

BDSUNDAY BUSINESS DAY

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Who becomes the next Senate President? p.12

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Tier 2 banks rake in N228bn to account for 29% industry profits

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Vol 1, No. 258 N300

?? Tax holiday: Appeal Court nullifies NLNG’s $55 million judgment against NIMASA

p.31

p. 45- 46

Market & Commodities Monitor Brent Oil

5yr Bond

$68.39

0.00 14.47%

Gold

10yr Bond

$ 1,297.60

0.22 14.36% 20yr Bond

Cocoa

0.02 14.18%

$2,280.00

inside Oba Akiolu owns the throne, court declares

p.7

High optimism as BDC operators look to brighter future on back of Travelex support

P. 18

BDLife Sunday 31 March 2019

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GANVIE: Livelihood on Africa’s largest lake village

P. 21

Intrigues, fireworks, protests, shadow-boxing becloud collation in Rivers’ hanging guber election p. 43-44

R-L: Godwin Komone (aka Gordons), a popular comedian; Oluwakemi Akinyele of Globacom; Ejembi Simon Inass, grand finale winner, Gloin60Seconds contest, and Olufolahan Faseyitan, regional manager, Lagos Island and Ogun, Globacom, during the presentation of prizes to winners at Mike Adenuga Towers in Lagos.

Schools everywhere, but little learning

Competition, quest for quick wealth, parents’ pressure, governance failure, lack of supervision, students’ lousy attitude to learning, high cost/registration procedures killing education

Zebulon Agomuo, Chuka Uroko, Obinna Emelike, Ikechukwu Onyekwere, Kelechi Ewuzie and Amaka Anagor-Ewuzie

t the wake of the Chibok girls’ abduction, the public outcry was for the safety of the students. Sadly, the public barely took note that the

abducted students who were about taking the Senior School Certificate Examination could hardly speak English. An Al-Jazeera reporter, who rode in the same bus with them (those who escaped) from Abuja where they were received by the Presidency then and back

to Chibok, was so disappointed that none of the girls could speak sufficient English to narrate their days in captivity. In the same vein, Anthony Anwuka, a professor and minister of state for education, who was disappointed with the decline in the quality of education,

especially among university graduates, recently proposed an additional year of post-graduation internship for doctors and lawyers to improve quality. While many argued that such recommendation amounted to additional burden on parents Continues on page 2

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Schools everywhere... Continued from page 1

and sponsors, the university don insisted that the extra year after graduation would account for more solid standing of graduates of the two professions. Then, if the quality of law and medical graduates is fast declining, what about the quality of graduates in other disciplines considered less demanding, if one may ask. The worse hit are employers of labour who spend so much resources and time to train and retrain lots of Nigerian graduates that join their organisations in order to equip them with the skills required to perform their duties in their workplace. Disappointed over the poor quality of new recruits in the bank, a human resources manager in a tier-1 Nigerian bank lamented that, “nowadays, the universities just don’t care about the students, all they care is to give them certificates at the end of their degree courses. But I think the certificate should have been for attendance and not graduation”. In his column in one of the national dailies last Wednesday on ‘Education! Education! Education!’ Ray Morphy, lamenting the falling standard of the nation’s education, said: “We cannot continue to churn out pupils who are taught by teachers who have no interest either in education or in the pupils. We cannot continue to allow education policies that are designed to award certificates rather than award skills.” It is even more disheartening that despite the poor output, more schools and universities are springing up every day. According to the National Universities Commission (NUC), Nigeria presently has 43 federal universities, 48 state universities, and 79 private Universities, which combine to a total of 170 universities, yet quality is in doubt. In the lower cadre- nursery, primary and secondary- the number is legion! The worry for many who are concerned about the decline in the quality of education is that the NUC seems to care more about approving new universities and does not look the way of the institution again, thereafter, even when quality is in doubt. There have been cases of lowering the procedure of accredit-

ing courses across universities now, especially private ones, and this has encouraged mediocre in charge, while lecturers keep moving from public universities to private ones all because of the money the private institutions are offering. “These days, every PhD holder wants to become a professor after five years of lecturing, while professors are jostling around their rich relations and friends to open universities where they will become vice chancellors. That is how ambitious people are and how the ambition is ruining the quality of education in the country”, Echeozo Utah, a university lecturer-turned preacher, lamented. The decline, according to Utah, is also fueled by the proliferation of private universities that do everything, including awarding unmerited first class degrees to attract more students, and of course, make their money in the process. “A parent once told me that his son made first class and he wants him to continue till PhD and to become a lecturer, but the son insisted on relocating abroad to pursue business. After extensive discussion with the young man, I discovered that he truly did not earn the first class. The father virtually paid for everything the young man did while in school”, Mike Ikpeme, head of Guidance and Counselling in a private college in Lagos, said. He thinks the emphasis on certificate is the result of the decline. “Everybody must not attend university. If you are technically inclined or businessminded, you should rather attend a technical school and entrepreneurial coaching, but all the technical institutions are almost dead because of the fad for degree certificate. Any child you ask to forget university and acquire technical skill will hate you,” he said. While the universities are taking the hit, many people think that the primary and secondary schools are worse. They lamented that the foundation has been faulty for a long time and is impacting negatively on the quality we have today. In most private nursery and primary schools, the teachers are ordinary school leavers who are in the class because of lack of job. They are not trained or

L-R: Oluremi Hamzat, wife of Lagos State deputy governor-elect, Obafemi Hamzat, deputy governor-elect; Bola Ahmed Tinubu, national leader, All Progressives Congress (APC); Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governorelect, his wife, Ibijoke, and Senator Oluremi Tinubu, after the collection of certificate of return by the Lagos State governor-elect and his deputy, in Lagos, on Friday.

even passionate about teaching, hence cannot impart knowledge. The worse is that they are paid ridiculous salaries that cannot take anybody home. Most proprietors have no passion for education, but purely driven by money they make from the business. Moreover, supervision by relevant regulatory authorities is either non-existent of largely poor. With all these, quality cannot be guaranteed. The situation often results in mass failure and mass promotion of the pupils to the next class, until graduation. “We have not taken time to review our primary school curriculum and activities. If you are sad over the proliferation of universities, what about primary schools that open per minute and do not need government approval again. We have to go back to the root of the problem, which is primary and secondary school levels”, Samson Omoregbe, a university lecturer, said. It is sad that public schools are inadequately funded and private schools are taking advantage of the learning infrastructure deficit to woo pupils and students to their so-called better option, but government, who should be the regulator, is

not helping the matter, according to Omoregbe. “If as a government, I cannot build good schools, I have to verify that the private entity can build a good one or see the good one they have built, the quality and management before giving approval. The mistake is that approval comes before the building. I think, government should insist on seeing quality before approval and should close down schools that do not meet standard to ensure quality output”, he said. While government cannot do it alone, it can engage in more collaborations and offer private businesses incentives to see reasons beyond corporate social responsibilities to partner in improving quality of education across the country. Overseas, most companies that engage in charity are given tax incentives and wavers by the government. Government can do same here. Decrying the many rickety places that are used as schools and even schools under trees due to lack of roof over the exiting school, Ademola Okenla, a parent, thinks that government should insist on stiffer conditions for approving private schools,

especially the primary level, while people should go back to communal efforts that built great institutions in those days. “We keep saying public schools, but most of them were built by community efforts and handed over to government to run. Communities can still do that again and even hand over to competent private hands to run them if they guarantee better quality”, Okenla said. Morphy believes that something drastic has to be done. “As a nation, we ought to reconfigure our value system and put education on top. But first, government must move seriously towards the recommended minimum of 25 percent budgetary allocation for education alone,” he said. According to him, “When education is given its pride of place in our national scheme of values, then and only then will we begin to take our rightful place in the comity of civilized nations. Until that is done, we continue to be number one among the group of unserious and under-developing nations.”

its colleges through introduction of new programmes and collaborations in line with the national agricultural extension services and its value addition to the farmers. Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim Garba tasked the graduands to be good ambassadors of the Division and of the Ahmadu Bello University at all times. “I urge you to use the skills, knowledge and training you acquired in meeting the new chal-

lenges you are going to face in the larger society”, he said. According to him, the institution has continued to discharge its mandate of teaching, research and community service. While declaring the ceremony open, Garba said the 1, 165 graduands were made up of 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 academic sessions with 38 distinctions, 354 upper credits, 473 lower credits and 300 passes.

Read ‘Tortuous path to school registration’ and other stories on Pages 38-42.

ABU calls for improved funding of institution Abdulwaheed Olayinka Adubi, Kaduna

ivision of Agricultural Colleges (DAC) of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria has identified inadequate release of funds as a major challenge to the progress and completion of projects in the institution. The institution calls for remarkable improvement on the release and upward review of the amount for

running of academic, non-academic and other programmes. The Director DAC, ABU, Zaria, Najume Ibrahim Giginya made the call during the 33rd joint convocation ceremony of the institution in Kaduna at the weekend. Giginya, who requested for adequate funding disclosed that the funding is mainly from Federal budgetary appropriation, especially personnel, capital and overhead of the Division.

He added that the division is still following up on re-engagement of its Colleges and other monotechnics into the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Tetfund) grant. He also urged the National Assembly to fast-track approval for re-engagement of the monotechnics to be among the beneficiaries of the fund. The Director explained that efforts are being made in the Division to address evolving needs of

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NewsXtra Bayelsa youths set agenda for next governor Samuel Ese, Yenagoa

ouths in Bayelsa have set agenda for the next governor of the state at the 1st Orange Movement Youth Convocation with the theme: ‘Building Bayelsa State Together through Participatory Democracy: The Youth Perspective’. Over 600 youths from tertiary institutions and youth groups across the state participated at the event which took place on Friday in Yenagoa. The event was organised by a nongovernmental organisation, the Coalition for Development and Democracy in Bayelsa (CDDB). The occasion also had in attendance, spiritual fathers, traditional rulers, aides to Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, politicians, civil society groups and other stakeholders in the Bayelsa Project. It is the first time that youths have attended such an event in their numbers as they search for inclusion in the democratic process at a time that the issues of vote-buying and violence undermine democratic values. In a communiqué issued at the end of the programme and signed by CDDB Executive Director, Ekiyor Welson, the youth stressed the need for a declaration of a campaign against the

twin challenges of ignorance and poverty. They agreed to build a consensus and use their large population to lead a revolution against bad leaders in order to right the wrongs in the education system which is skewed against students from poor background. They called on youth across the state to “shun all inducements in electing the best can-

didates during elections” and “make electoral choices for the growth and development of the state.” The communiqué also called on legislators to hold consultations with their constituents in order to entrench a bottomtop approach to the issue of development while the evil of imposition of candidates on the electorate should cease in the state.

Pastor Ogenyi Andrew Ejah, coordinator, Nigeria Military Christian Fellowship (NMCF) FCT Chapter, presenting some books to Uja Tor Uja, the executive secretary, Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), during the Military Christian Fellowship courtesy visit to the ES NCPC at the Commission’s corporate headquarters in Abuja.

Dickson signs N299bn 2019 Appropriation Bill into law Samuel Ese, Yenagoa

o v e r n o r He n r y Se riake Dickson of Bayelsa State on Friday in Yenagoa signed the 2019 Appropriation Bill of N299 billion and Administration of Criminal Justice Bill into law. Dickson had presented budget estimates of N275 billion tagged Budget of Completion to the state House of Assembly who raised it up to N299 billion, an increase of 8.73percent. A Government House statement signed by Fidelis

Soriwei, special adviser, Media Relations, quoted the governor as saying that he was convinced that the budget would complete a lot of ongoing projects. According to the statement, the projects that are at advanced stages of completion would be completed in view of the medium term expenditure framework of the state government. Governor Dickson assured that his administration’s investments in every sector were in a bid to turn around a lot of critical areas, but noted that investments are still

needed in the areas of education, healthcare and other infrastructure. He promised to drive on Ye n a g o a - Op o r o m a Ro a d within the next two weeks in the company of the leadership of the Central Senatorial District comprising Yenagoa, Southern Ijaw and Kolokuma/ Opokuma Local Government Areas. The governor urged the House Committee on Works to carry out more oversight functions towards ensuring that contractors handling projects are held accountable to agreed timelines.

‘DSS not under instructions to work against election process in Rivers’ Innocent Odoh, Abuja

he Department of Security Services (DSS) has debunked insinuations that the agency has received instructions to work against the conclusion of the election process in Rivers State, describing the insinuations as “fake news”. A statement issued at the weekend by the Public Relations Officer of the secret police, Peter Afunanya, said that

On drug abuse, the youth were advised to desist and pursue the best education while calling on the government to ensure that scholarships are awarded to indigent students on merit and not patronage. They called for an uncompromising stance to exterminate negative effects of poor leadership, and urged government to provide adequate opportunities for the youth.

the agency never received such instructions and will continue to abide by its professional ethics and adhere to the principles of justice and fairness. “The attention of the Department of State Services (DSS) has been drawn to the fake news that it was instructed to work against the completion of the electoral process in Rivers State. “The Service hereby categorically states that it has never received such instruc-

tions from any quarters. As a professional agency, it will continue to adhere to the principles of justice and fairness. This is in line with Mr. President’s stance on non interference in the electoral process. “Accordingly, the Service will partner with sister security agencies and other stakeholders to ensure a level playing ground for all the contestants in the interest of peace and stability of the country,” the statement said.

Court order: GTB debunks claims of Innoson Motor... Continued from page 1

one of its branches in Anambra State.” It further stated that the bank “As a law-abiding corporate citizen is taking all necessary legal steps to address this situation and ensure that no illegal or fraudulent execution is carried out.” According to the release, “It is important to state that the judgment allegedly in issue is in respect of Garnishee Proceedings against the account of the Nigerian Customs Service Board domiciled with the bank and not against the bank as an entity.” It further stated that “The bank remains committed to providing best-in-class customer experience to all its valued customers.” Recall that some statements circulated in some sections of the news media and social media Friday, which claimed that Innoson Motors, a Nigerian automobile company, had obtained the nod of a court of competent jurisdiction to take over Guaranty Trust Bank, one of the largest deposit money banks in Nigeria.??

9th NASS leadership... Continued from page 1

quit. Addressing journalists in Lagos weekend, Tinubu said that party discipline would be upheld in addressing the leadership tussle of the 9th National Assembly. The APC leader warned against a repeat of what the APC suffered in 2015 when some of its lawmakers “connived” with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) which was the minority, and elected those against the party’s choice as principal officers. The ruling party is expected to produce the next principal officers after emerging majority in both chambers of the National Assembly; it has 25 seats more than the PDP in the Senate and is clearly ahead of PDP by 100 seats in the House of Representatives. Tinubu further stated that the party will not tolerate what happened in 2015, while adding that party discipline was important. “We were a little careless in 2015. We created the opportunity for serpent to get into our party and that did

not allow Nigeria to make the desired progress. You have seen the result of it and we are not going to allow that to happen again. We are going to respect our party and we are going to apply the whip,” he said. According to him, “It is either you stay with us or you follow us or you leave. You have the freedom to choose but the freedom does not give you as a minority to go and collaborate and protrude our mandate given to you to another party who was our opposition and who is still our opposition. “We would not take that mistake this time, no matter who you think you are. That is how it is built. Why do you want to deviate from what has been structured? We look at our reward system equally, zone by zone.” The former governor of Lagos State further said that the party had gone through a lot of processes and must remain as one against all odds. He also recalled his journey as a politician, saying there were lots of struggles “but my concern is about people and the future of my country”.

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News Sanwo-Olu receives certificate of return, pledges to run inclusive government Iniobong Iwok

abajide Sanwo-Olu, governor-elect of Lagos State, has pledges to run an inclusive government where every resident of the state, irrespective of party affiliation, would have a stake. Sanwo-Olu who was elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), stated this on Friday while receiving his certificate of return at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Lagos office in Yaba, noting that his administration would deliver good governance and make life better for residents of the state. According to him, “The government would be for everybody, there would be positive development, and everybody would have a stake in this administration. We thank everyone, members and party leaders for this victory. “Our victory is for everybody, we would strive to run an

inclusive government because we know if you get it right in Lagos, you get it right in the whole country”. The governor-elect, who companied by Femi Hamzat, his deputy, who also received his certificate of return, thanked Lagosian and members of the party for the support towards his electoral victory, while seeking support of candidates of other political parties who took part in the governorship election towards the success of his administration. Sanwo-Olu, who was a former commissioner in the Raji Fashola administration, commended INEC for conducting a free and fair governorship election, adding that his administration would not disappoint Lagosians. “Today is a day that will stand tall in our career; the honour goes to the entire candidates who took part in the governorship election. I extend a hand of followership to the 44 candidates who stand with us in this victory. “I want to thank the leadership of the party, the election was

free and I want to say that INEC did it best, and I am sure they can do more”, Sanwo-Olu added. Sanwo-Olu scored 739,445

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has presented Certificates of Return to Governor Aminu Bello Masari, his Deputy, Mannir Yakubu and 34 members of the State’s House of Assembly all from the All Progressives

Congress APC. The INEC National Commissioner in charge of Katsina, Kano and Jigawa states, Abubakar Nahuche handed over the certificate of return to winners of the Katsina State gubernatorial and State Assembly Elections conducted on the 9th of March 2019 and won by candidates of the All Progressives Congress APC.

sults declared by the electoral commission, INEC. He won in all the local government areas in the state.

L-R: Cornelius Adebayo, a former minister for Communications; Emmanuel Oladipo, a former international director of Scripture Union International and author, and General Yakubu Gowon, a former head of state of Nigeria, at the launch of ‘Exemplary Christians in the Nigerian Public Square’ held in Abuja.

Tears of joy as Masari, others receive certificates of return Ahmad Ibrahim, Katsina

votes to defeat Jimi Agbaje candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 206,141 votes, according to official re-

In his remarks after receiving the certificate, Governor Masari, who was re-elected for a second term in office, could not hold back his tears of joy as he thanked people in Katsina State for what he called a historic victory. He promised to consolidate on his previous achievements in the state, and called for more support and cooperation from people in the state towards its development.

R-L: Governor Masari, his Deputy, Mannir Yakubu, and the Director General of his Campaign, Muntari Lawal.

Abia monarch warns on danger of chemically-induced ripen fruits UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

ze Cyril Ogbenna, the traditional ruler of UziAm i z i Au t o n o m o u s Community, Olokoro, Umuahia South L.G.A, of Abia State, has posited that consumption of chemically-induced ripen fruits poses health hazards to the body. He attributed the quest to satisfy the high demands of consumers, hunger, invasion of adulterated goods, misplaced priorities (on the aspect of technical knowhow/professionalism) and get-rich-quick syndrome as the major factors that lead to widespread of adulterated goods, which have also culminated in widespread of diseases/sicknesses. He alleged that the NAFDEC, CPC and SON have failed in their responsibilities while some unscrupulous and greedy traders use calcium carbide on edible items like banana to ripe by

force. “As a matter of urgency, health personnel should see to the case of banana, because banana has its God-given natural taste but it has been adulterated. Personally, I have stopped eating banana but the health officers are doing nothing and everybody is eager to eat banana because there is hunger in the land,” he said. Eze Ogbenna recalled that “in those good old days, people bought banana and kept it for days to ripe before bringing it to the market”, but he lamented that such does not exist presently, which also has contributed to avoidable deaths. The Royal father called on community health officers, NAFDAC, CPC, SON to wake up from their slumber by going in search of those that use chemicals to ripen fruits and confiscate such goods, adding that they should equally sensitise the people on the dangers of using carbide on edible items like banana”.

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News Gloin60seconds: Grand finale winners receive multi-million naira prizes

t was excitement all the way on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 at the Mike Adenuga Towers’ headquarters of national telecommunications company, Globacom, as six grand finale winners of its online talent hunt competition, GLOIN60SECONDS received their prizes. Th e w i n n e r s w h o emerged from thousands of Glo subscribers that participated in the eight-week contest include 29-year-old Ejembi Simon Inass, an actor and musician from Benue State who won the grand prize of N1million. Five others, who won the consolation prize of N200,000 each, included Nwogwugwu Brainie, a Law graduate of Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka; he currently manages ‘Jimmy’s Play House’, a dance, photo and music studio in Owerri, Imo State and Doyin Hafeezah Salau, a 400-Level female Law student of the University of Lagos who hails from Kwara State. Others are 23-year-old Biochemistry graduate of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State, Emeh Emmanuel Okwun; 17-year-old Ehimare Aaleeyah Shaka, an aspiring music star from Edo State and John Sunday Peter, a graduate of Apa College of Education, Benue State.

Th e l u c k y w i n n e r s thronged the venue of the presentation ceremony with their friends and relatives as early as 9am, bursting with vivacious enthusiasm, to claim their prize monies. The grand prize winner, Ejembi, in an emotion-laden voice, thanked Globacom for providing the platform for him to win one million naira with his musical skit titled “Grandmaster”. He said “I am grateful to God, my friends and family. I will go on tour to promote talents in my area and also take relief materials to an orphanage. I will pay tithe and use part of the money to promote my radio and television shows. I am very grateful to God and to Glo”. Also commenting, Doyin Hafeezah Salau who won N200,000 consolation prize, said: “I have saved the N50,000 which I won during the weekly shows and will add it to this N200,000 to buy video recording camera for my skit productions. Glo has really helped me and I am very happy that my career is taking shape”. Another winner, John Sunday Peter said: “I will use the prize money to get accommodation in Lakowe, in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos where I stay and promote my music career. I have been sourcing for funds and Glo has provided it at the right time.”

Delta 7th Assembly: 23 elected lawmakers get INEC’s certificate of return Mercy Enoch, Asaba

wenty-three elected lawmakers in the recently held House of Assembly elections in Delta State have been given Certificate of Returns by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The 23 legislators who are all members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) will now be part of the 29 legislators to constitute the seventh assembly of the state. Ten of them are returning members of the house while 13 are freshmen. The returning legislators are Sheriff Oborevwori (Okpe), Tim Owhefere (Isoko North), Pat Ajudua, (Oshimili North), Preyor Oboro (Bomadi), Emeke Elekeokwuri (Ika North East), Festus Okoh (Ika South), Emeka Nwaobi (Aniocha North), Peter Uviejitobor (Udu), Rueben Izeze (Ughelli South) and Solomon Ighrakpata (Uvwie). The 13 new lawmakers include Austine Chikezie

(Aniocha South), Shedrack Rapu (Oshimili South), Charles Emetulu (Ndokwa West), Felix Anirah (Sapele), Kenneth Ogba (Isoko south 1), Ferguson Onwo (Isoko South 2) and Augustine Uroye (Warri South 1). Others are Matthew Opuoru (Warri South 2), Guwor Emomotimi (Warri South West), Alfred Martins, (Warri North), Emmanuel Sinebe (Patani), Asupa Forteta (Burutu 1) and Pullah Ekpotuayerin (Burutu 2). The electoral umpire, on Wednesday, March 27, presented the Certification of Return to them at its state headquarters in Asaba. The INEC at the brief ceremony also presented Certificate of Return to the state governor and governor-elect, Ifeanyi Okowa, and his deputy, Kingsley Otuaro who was his running mate in the gubernatorial election held in the state. The commission however, announced that it withheld the certificates of three elected lawmakers due to pending court cases.

Succour to Makoko residents as foundation donates items, offers scholarships Odinaka Anudu

aturday, March 16, 2019 will remain evergreen in the lives of the people of Makoko community, Lagos State, when Caregiva Foundation feted them with gift items and scholarships in its maiden charity event. About 500 people, including women and children, benefitted from the charity work. Caregiva Foundation, which was founded earlier this year, is born out of the initiative of giving back to the society by providing care, love and support for the lessprivileged who are financially, mentally, and physically challenged. The event, which witnessed the feeding of over 300 children, also recorded the donation of rice, salt, vegetable oil, noodles, slippers, clothes, among others, for orphans and those who were going through difficult times as a result of the biting economic recession. Children received their fathers back home after a long sojourn. Some held on to the visitors calling them ‘Daddy,’ ‘Mummy’ while waiting for the next move from them. They are familiar with such visits, usually from wellspirited individuals as well as groups who come to donate food items, toiletries and sundry items to the community. Bunmi Banjo, president of Caregiva Foundation, while addressing the beneficiaries at the community, said

the gesture was their little way of reaching out to the less-privileged as part of the foundation’s social responsibilities. She described Makoko as the largest slum community in West Africa with over 200,000 inhabitants, adding that thousands of children living there needed help. Speaking on her Foundation and what it aimed to achieve, Bunmi said it was geared toward putting smiles on the faces of the less-privileged and the orphans in society by showing them love, care and support . “We sincerely hope that other well-to-do members of the society will support a cause like this and show the children love,” she admonished. She, however, disclosed that the foundation would

sponsor at least, five children on their education and 20 others for vocational training. Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Aisha Ademola, a young widow and mother of one, was full of thanks to the group for finding them worthy of the gift, pointing out that the food items would go a long way to alleviating their hunger. Ezekiel Iroko, a sevenyear-old boy, who aspires to be a medical doctor, commended the kind gesture of the foundation, adding that it would relieve the suffering of his mother since he lost his father at a tender age and it had been a challenge for his mother to take care of him and his siblings. Also, Olanike Adeniyi, 13, raised in Makoko, a slum in the centre of Lagos State,

could not hide her happiness as she praised the efforts of the group for extending their hands of fellowship to them at a time they needed it most. “I am thankful for protecting us here in Makoko. I lost my mother when I was only nine months old and was abandoned by my father. I was raised by my grandmother who feels that after my secondary education, I should either be married off or just learn a trade,” Olanike said. She also said that she hoped to be part of the people that would be assisted in furthering their education in order to become an important person in society. Meanwhile, Chief Aide Albert Jeje, Baale of the community, noted that the children were really suffering and urgently needed help from concerned individuals. “Most of the children living in this community don’t have access to good and basic education since there is no money to send them to school. Some of them are orphans. They hardly eat three square meals a day,” he said. He also used the opportunity to solicit the assistance of the foundation in solving the water problem that has bedevilled the community. “We are so happy to receive Caregiva Foundation here today and to see all the great gifts that they brought for us. “I am speechless and so grateful. We are also praying that God will continue to bless the good work that they have started,” he prayed.

Over-centralised fiscal federation cause of states’ weak economic base – Varsity don UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

ingdom Eke Orji, a professor of African History at the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has identified Nigeria’s over-centralised fiscal federation as the cause of the weak economic base of most states in the country. Orji also noted that the paltry fiscal allocation to states as compared to the huge funds allocated to the Federal Government is responsible for the sluggish development of the nation. He made this known at his Inaugural Lecture titled, ‘Signature in the Sands of Time: A Legacy for Humans’ Survival Strategy in Nigerian Society’, which was the 14th in the

Inaugural Lecture series of the University. The University Don called for a reversal of the current lopsided sharing formula which is heavily tilted to the Federal Government which receives as much as 87 percent while the remaining 13 percent are allocated to the host communities as derivation funds. He tasked Nigeria’s policy makers to appropriately address the revenue sharing formula while citing the example of the First Republic [between 1960 and 1966] when the Regions were semiautonomous and competed with one another while the centre was not so attractive. Orji pointed out that it was for that reason that some regional leaders like the late Obafemi Awolowo, for the West and the late Sardauna

of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello the Premier of the defunct Northern Region of Nigeria sent their deputies to the centre while preferring to remain in their regional capitals. Orji challenged current Nigerian politicians to shun the trend of turning politics into private gain. “Politics is now public business for private gain,” adding that this trend was responsible for vote buying, electoral violence, thuggery as well as the ‘do or die’ mentality, coupled with “stomach infrastructure” which has become a common expression in our political lexicon. The erudite professor sounded the alarm that as many as 100million Nigerians might be engulfed by abject poverty by the year 2030 if our leaders did not work hard to redress the

trend while citing the Brooking Report on World Poverty Index for 2018 which reveals that Nigeria with an estimated population of 198 million persons has beaten India with about 1.3 billion persons as the new world poverty headquarters. While citing the Brooking Report, Orji notes that the number of Nigerians in extreme poverty increases by six persons every minute and “by this rate it means an increase by 144 per hour, 3,456 per day, 103,680 per month and 1.2 million per annum. By the set target of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2030, the number of Nigerians in abject poverty, if not checked, will increase by 15 million. This will be in addition to the more than 84 million poor persons living in the country.”

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Sunday 31 March 2019

News

Imo guber: Group pledges support for Ihedioha

ourt of Appeal sitting in Benin, Edo State capital on Friday dismissed an exparte motion filed by Ovie Omo-Agege, the All Progressives Congress (APC), senator representing Delta Central senatorial district, praying to be joined as party to the suit challenging the sacking of Jones Erue-led faction of the party in the state. Justice Philomena Mbua Ekpe in her ruling, also dismissed the application filed by Francis Ejiroghene Waive, lawmaker-elect for Ughelli North/South/Udu federal constituency to be joined as a party to the suit. Ekpe, who dismissed the applications of the duo for lack of merit, said the appellants cannot claim to be unaware of the case and thus could not seek to be joined or challenge the judgment at this moment.

WANEP Nigeria Board, Abiola Akiyode Afolabi and the National Network Coordinator of the organisation, Bridget Osakwe, also stressed the need for the leadership of WANEP to renew commitment toward sustaining the organisation beyond its 20th anniversary; consider opening space for membership of the Network to include government agencies, corporate entities in the private sector and individuals for enhanced utilisation of resources and opportunities; and re-design processes to ensure that those who become WANEP members can significantly add value to the mission of the Network.

The communiqué however, made the following observations, that WANEP is contributing to conflict prevention and peace-building in the sub-region with strong evidence of collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN) systems, and other well-known development partners; that issues of violent conflict in the country including killings and activities of armed bandits in the north west zone, particularly in Kaduna, Kastina and Zamfara states require the prompt intervention of WANEP Nigeria.”

Group partners media on negative effects of fake news Ihedioha

of our state which is generally believed to have been largely run aground by the outgoing government.” The group further congratulated Imolites for choosing a man who was service-driven, while praying for the success of the administration. “Please, rest assured of our support in any area you deem necessary in the interest of our beloved state and for the success of your

administration. “As a critical stakeholder in Imo State, Ahiara Pillars joins other well-meaning groups and individuals in Imo to pray for the success of your tenure and to wish you God’s protection and guidance as you pilot the ship of our beloved state to anchor where all Imolites will be proud to say they have a governor who is serviceoriented.”

Delta APC crisis: Appeal Court dismisses Omo-Agege suit against Ogodo IDRIS UMAR MOMOH / CHURCHILL OKORO, Benin

Ngozi Okpalakunne

he Federal Government has been urged to utilise peace keeping institutions in the country to achieve conflict prevention and peace-building benefits in Nigeria and the West African sub-region. This was contained in a communiqué issued by the West African Network for Peace building (WANEP) Nigeria at the end of its annual general assembly and the 20th anniversary which held recently in Lagos. The communiqué, cosigned by Chairperson

Iniobong Iwok

group, Ahiara Pillars, has hailed the election of Emeka Ihedioha as the governor-elect of Imo State in the Match 9 gubernatorial election, pledging to support the administration’s effort to turn around the state. Ihedioha, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and candidate of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), defeated several other candidates to emerge the winner of the gubernatorial election. In a statement to journalists weekend, signed by Iyke Nwanaeche, the group’s national president, it noted that based on his vast political experience the governor-elect has the requisite capacity to transform the state which had witnessed several years of maladministration. According to the statement, “Having monitored your political journey, we are confident that you have the requisite experience and competence as well as intellectual and mental capacity to turn around the fortunes

Govt urged to use peace-keeping institutions for conflict prevention

She however, awarded N300,000 fine against each of the plaintiff. Th e a p p e l l a n t s h a d filed applications, praying the leave of the court to be joined as parties to the suit in which the Federal High Court, sitting in Asaba sacked the Jones Erue-led APC state executive committee which conducted primary elections where the duo had emerged as candidates of the party for the 2019 National Assembly election. It was gathered that only Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) that is party to the case that can bring an

application to appeal the Asaba Federal High Court judgment that sacked the APC state executive. The Federal High Court 1, Asaba had on March 18, 2019, in a judgment delivered by Justice Toyin Adegoke sacked the Jones Erueled factional State Executive Committee of the party, thereby upholding the Cyril Ogodo-led faction as the authentic party’s State Executive Committee. The court also in the judgment annulled all actions taken by the sacked Jones Erue-led executive committee, including party primaries and the list of candidates which emerged from the factional primary elections. Dissatisfied with the Federal High Court judgment the embattled senator and the House of Representatives members-elect through their counsel, Alex Iziyon, SAN, filed an exparte motion seeking the leave of the court to appeal the judgment.

Abdulwaheed Olayinka Adubi, Kaduna

Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Generation for Peace, has called for more advocacy to be able to curb the rising tide of fake news and violence in Kaduna State Speaking at a workshop organised for media practitioners in Kaduna State on Friday, the Assistant Administrative Officer of the

organisation, Jelilat Abidoye said that the workshop was to identify the root causes of fake news and how to curb it’s dissemination as well as take strategic actions in stopping ugly trend. “It is our utmost hope that at the end of this engagement, together, we will be able to identify the causes of fake news, how to curb the dissemination of fake new and strategic action to take in addressing the spread of fake news,” she said.

She added that the organisation had equipped many communities with peace building measures even as they had used sports for peace initiatives especially in schools in Kaduna state. She further added that they are bringing people from different backgrounds to compete in a level playing field adding that the organisation had sponsored various activities in Kaduna state in the past two years.

India’s antisatellite missile test successful - Prime Minister Innocent Odoh, Abuja

ndian Prime Minister, Neranda Modi, has said that India’s AntiSatellite Missile test conducted on Wednesday 27 March, 2019, was a resounding success. Modi said that the ‘Mission Shakti,’ an anti-satellite missile test, was conducted from the Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Island launch complex. He said that this was a technological mission carried out by DRDO adding that the satellite used in the mission was one of India’s existing satellites operating in lower orbit. “The test was fully successful and achieved all parameters as per plans. The test required an extremely high degree of precision and technical capability,” Modi said in a speech in New Delhi on Wednesday, March 27. The Prime Minister noted that the significance of the test is that India has tested and successfully demonstrated its capability to interdict and intercept

a satellite in outer space based on complete indigenous technology. “With this test, India joins an exclusive group of space faring nations consisting of USA, Russia and China,” Modi said. He pointed out that the satellite used was an Indian satellite, stressing that the DRDO’s Ballistic Missile Defence interceptor was used, which is part of the ongoing ballistic missile defence programme. “ There are other ways to demonstrate ASAT capabilities such as &quot;fly-by tests and Jamming. “This is a technology where we have developed capability. Space technologies are constantly evolving. We have used the technology that is appropriate to achieve the objectives set out in this mission. “The test was done in the lower atmosphere to ensure that there is no space debris. “Whatever debris that is generated will decay and fall back onto the earth within weeks,” he said.

He noted that India has a long standing and rapidly growing space programme, which has expanded rapidly in the last five years. “The Mangalyaan Mission to Mars was successfully launched. Thereafter, the government has sanctioned the Gaganyaan Mission which will take Indians to outer space,” he said. He disclosed that India has undertaken 102 spacecraft missions consisting of communication satellites, earth observation satellites, experimental satellites, navigation satellites, apart from satellites meant for scientific research and exploration, academic studies and other small satellites. India’s space programme is a critical backbone of India’s security, economic and social infrastructure, he added. “The test was done to verify that India has the capability to safeguard our space assets. It is the Government of India’s responsibility to defend the country’s interests in outer space,” he said.

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Inside Lagos

Canals as dwelling places JONATHAN ADEROJU

he extent to which Nigerians, especially those resident in major cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt etc, go in search of accommodation can be really amazing. It is common sight in these cities to find residents in makeshift buildings by the canals that run through these coastal states, to which they retire at the close of everyday’s work. Living by the canals is becoming the order of the day in Lagos, a city with an estimated population of 21 million people, occupying a land size of 3, 345 square kilometres, which makes it the smallest of the 36 states. In the 1990s, the concern was about people living under the bridges. But it would seem that has given way to living by the canals, as the population continues to grow, with available spaces shrinking by the day. Lagos is also currently estimated to have housing deficit of about four million, yet receives some 68 migrants every minute, with many of these having no

Makeshift homes by the canal behind Ajao Estate, Lagos.

intention to leave. While the unsavoury story of Makoko, a sprawling ‘village’

on a canal in Ebute Metta area of the Lagos, had been told in various ways by the local and

Oba Akiolu owns the throne, court declares

ven before the declaration of the Ikeja High Court on Friday, Rilwan Akiolu, the Oba of Lagos, had never betrayed any emotion that the throne of the ‘Obaship’ of Lagos, which he mounted in 2003, belongs to him. Everywhere his royal majesty goes; he has carried himself with dignity and talked firmly, showing he is the rightful person to occupy the throne. With the ruling of the court, Akiolu, who is the permanent chairman, Council of Lagos Obas, has been switched into greater ease to perform the tasks demanded of him by the traditions of his people. Justice Adebowale CandideJohnson of an Ikeja High Court, declared Rilwan Akiolu the bona fide Oba of Lagos, on Friday. CandideJohnson in a two-hour judgment held that considering the totality of the evidence before the court, Akiolu had a rightful claim to the throne. According to the judge, after about 16 years of trial, the challengers (claimants) of Akiolu failed to convince the court that he is not the rightful person to have mounted the throne. “The claimants alleged that the Solanke Tribunal submitted a report in 1976 stated that the Obaship stool is by rotation. None of the claimants produced a copy of the report in court. “The claimants failed to provide concrete of credible evidence of the alleged rotation of the two ruling houses. The claimants claimed

the Akiolu branch of the Ologun Kutere line has gone into extinction. The third defendant (Akiolu) in his evidence was able to trace the lineage of his stool. “The evidence of the claimant’s witnesses was full of contradictions. From the totality of the evidence before the court, I hereby pronounce His Royal Majesty Oba Rilwan Akiolu, is the valid legitimate Oba of Lagos. “The case of the claimants is hereby dismissed,” CandideJohnson held. Candide-Johnson noted that it had been 233 to 239-years since a lineage of Oba Akinsemoyin has been able to become Oba of Lagos. “For 200 years all the Obas of Lagos trace their lineage to Oba Ado and not Akinsemoyin. “A burden of the the Akinsemoyin descendants has been to succeed the throne of the Oba of Lagos and this suit is reflective of that,” he said. Candide-Johnson also noted that his court had no original jurisdiction to hear the suit and that the case should have been heard like a similar suit was heard in the 1975 Solanke Commission of Enquiry and 1978 Kazeem Commission of Enquiry. The judge invalidated the claimant’s claim of an alleged customary 90-day waiting period before a new Oba can be enthroned after the demise of the former Oba which they alleged was not practiced during Akiolu’s enthronement. “I hold that the customs and tra-

ditions represent the legal, credible customary law of succession to the throne of the Oba of Lagos. “In his evidence, Oba Akiolu eloquently quoted and gave examples of three previous Obas who were installed as Obas with no 90-day rule. “The 90-day waiting period is not the custom of the people of Lagos and not a binding rule in the installation of the Oba of Lagos. “The claimants have failed to prove the authenticity of the 90day rule,” Candide-Johnson said. Recall that Adedoyin Adebiyi and Rasheed Modile, both of the Akinsemoyin ruling house of Lagos had on May 30, 2003 challenged the Akiolu’s claim to the throne. Adebiyi and Modile were candidates chosen by the Akinsemoyin ruling house to contest the throne of Lagos in 2003 after the demise of Oba Adeyinka Oyekan, in March 7, 2003. They lost the race to Akiolu, who they alleged had no rightful claim to the throne. During the trial, three witnesses testified for the claimants while four witnesses including Akiolu testified on behalf of the respondents. While giving evidence during the trial on May 22, 2017, Akiolu accompanied by 10 white cap chiefs had said that he was the rightful king of Lagos. “I am here to justify my appointment, you cannot build something on nothing, it will be broken. By native law and customs and by law, I am the bona fide Oba of Lagos,”

foreign media, what many may not be aware of is that there are small ‘Makokos’ everywhere, with thousands of people living amid daunting health and social challenges. One of such is the canal behind Ajao Estate, in Ejigbo area of Lagos. Behind the sprawling Ajao Estate is a slum that shelters homeless and vulnerable Nigerians. Inside Lagos visited the canal and discovered that people live there in a pitiable condition. It is a dangerous site to find refuge, as it raises concern about the health status of the dwellers. But the dwellers, although unhappy, say they find the canal an alternative to the high cost of living and the ‘unrelenting desire of landlords to milk their tenants and prospective ones dry’. One of the dwellers, a female in her 30s, narrates her regular experiences anytime there is heavy rainfall. “We’re always forced to leave whenever there is a heavy rainfall because the canal gets full; the water floods the rooms and chases us out. Every time this happens, we’re left with no choice but to stay away until the

rooms are dried again.” Curiously, investigation by Inside Lagos reveals that the canal dwellers, in spite of the environment, pay a rent of N18, 000 yearly to stay there. Another dweller, Yakubu Ayodeji explains his reasons for residing by the canal. “Take for example, renting a room and parlour self-contain in Ajao Estate costs N450,000 including the agreement which is like N100,000, commission and damages. “How much am I making monthly? House rent is a big issue in Lagos. I would be happy if government can regulate house rent in Lagos. People like me would not have reason to live in canal areas.” Ayodeji says “this environment is surrounded by luxury homes, but the landlords have refused to do something about the environment. Some residents here cook food and sell to people, imagine the amount of health issue involved.” He laments that there is no source of fresh water, as the residents are forced to get water from the canal to do their cooking, bathing and laundry.

Road blockade hampering evacuation of waste from Apapa

JOSHUA BASSEY

agos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) is pained by the blockade of access road to Apapa due to the occupation of the roads by trucks, saying it is impacting negatively on the ability of its staff to collect waste from the port environment. LAWMA has also decried defecation and bathing on the roads and bridges leading into Apapa and its environs by articulated vehicle operators. The last one week had seen the full return of petroleum tankers and container laden trucks to the roads inward and outbound Apapa, resulting to heavy congestion, with many having business transactions in the area finding it difficult to keep their appointments. The latest activities of the truck operators on the roads has been blamed, among others, on the collapse of the call-up system recently introduced into the port operations, which allows only trucks having genuine business in the ports to enter Apapa. There is also an allegation of corruption involving security personnel, especially soldiers and policemen deployed on the roads, as they are said to be receiving bribes and allowing

trucks outside of the call-up system to drive into Apapa. Ob i n n a On y e n a l i , h e a d , public affairs department of LAWMA, laments the situation, saying the activities of the truck operators are adding to degrade the environment and wearing out the asphalt on the roads. “The heavy presence of articulated trucks along the Apapa axis has made the road impassable. Truck operators bath and defecate on the road, thus wearing out the asphalt. “The roads have also been turned into mechanic workshops where major repairs of heavy trucks are carried out, spilling engine oil and diesel on same road,” said Onyenali on Friday. He believes something must be done urgently to avert an outbreak of epidemic in the area. According to him, the situation has made it difficult for LAWMA vehicles to collect and dispose refuse from residences in Apapa. Onyenali also notes that LAWMA sweepers are not able to work efficiently in Apapa because the trucks are packed indiscriminately on the roads. He wants the residents of Apapa to join the authorities in Apapa on urgent steps to address this critical issue for the sake of the environment.

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Ita Faji episode and imperative of blood donation

Frank Aigbogun editor Zebulon Agomuo DEPUTY EDITOR John Osadolor, Abuja

Tayo Ogunbiyi

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STRATEGY, INNOVATION & PARTNERSHIPS Oghenevwoke Ighure GENERAL MANAGER, ADVERT Adeola Ajewole ADVERT MANAGER Ijeoma Ude FINANCE MANAGER Emeka Ifeanyi MANAGER, CONFERENCES & EVENTS Obiora Onyeaso BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER (South East, South South) Patrick Ijegbai CIRCULATION MANAGER John Okpaire DIGITAL SALES MANAGER Linda Ochugbua ASSIST. SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Florence Kadiri GM, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (North)

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

ecent tragic incidence of building collapse at Ita Faji, Lagos Island, has once again brought to fore the need to sensitize Nigerians on the essence of blood of donation. One of the major highlights of the awful episode was the appeal made by individuals and organizations for blood donations to victims of the collapsed building. Unsurprisingly, the Nigerian Red Cross Society was in the forefront of this request. The main objective of the drive is to ensure that the Lagos Island General Hospital, where victims of the building collapse were recuperating have enough blood in the bank. Universally, when an incident like that happens, blood donation is always required to meet the demand of those in need of urgent blood transfusion. Cheerfully, according to the Executive Secretary of Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service, Modupe Olaiya, the donor turn out has been huge and quite astounding. The most impressive

development about the whole episode is that some of the donors had to travel quite a distance to get to the hospital, with the sole aim of donating blood for the survivors. Perhaps, more intriguing is the fact those who could not make it physically to the various centers opened for the purpose of the exercise demanded that special arrangements be made for them. As inspiring as the attitude of our compatriots to the call to donate blood to victims of the recent building collapse in Ita Faji is, it is important to stress that blood donation is really yet to be a way of life for us in this clime. From every human perspective, the essentiality of blood to the human life cannot be overemphasized. Indeed, it could be said that blood is the life of man. The circulating blood is what keeps our immune system healthy and our heart pumping. In contemporary medical science, blood transfusions are used for various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood. According to the United States National Library of Medicine, Blood transfusion is generally the process of receiving blood products into one’s circulation intravenously. Early transfusions used whole blood, but modern medical practice commonly uses only components of the blood, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, clotting factors, and platelets. Swift transfusion of blood and blood products can help patients

suffering from life-threatening conditions live longer and with higher quality of life. Access to safe and sufficient blood and blood products can help reduce rates of death and disability due to severe bleeding during delivery and after childbirth. Voluntary donation of blood is the most common source of blood. Many countries have blood bank at which any healthy person can donate blood. WHO and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies developed a global framework for action to achieve 100% voluntary blood donation around the world. The vision embodied in this framework is the achievement of 100% voluntary non-remunerated blood donation in every country of the world. In the 2010 WHO report, Nigeria recorded 50,000 maternal deaths a year, thus placing it as having the second highest rate after India. And with every maternal death, there are more child deaths. The mortality ratio for children under -five years in Nigeria is 230 per one thousand births, 16 children less than five years die every 10 minutes. New born deaths account for more than a quarter of these deaths especially within the first week of life due to pregnancy and delivery related complications. Nigeria, as a member of The World Health Organization has made little progress with voluntary donor enrollment. Only about 5% of donor bloods used

in Nigeria come from voluntary donors; family replacements and paid donors are still the major sources of donor blood procurement. The blood banking system in Nigeria is still poorly developed as a number of centers depend on paid donors whose hematological and infectious status may not determined often times prior to blood donations. A critical obstacle to achieving adequate supply of safe blood in Nigeria is insufficient consciousness among the citizenry on the health benefits of such exercise. Generally, understanding about blood donation is still not properly enhanced. This is why many still erroneously hold the view that blood donation can be injurious to them. This, indeed, is far from the truth. In view of this, it is essential that major stakeholders in the health sector must evolve a more pragmatic approach towards sensitizing the public to the need for voluntarily blood donation. The objective is to encourage regular blood donors to continue giving blood and motivate healthy people who have never donated blood to begin to embrace the practice. As it is often said, prevention is better than cure. Hence, it is better for us as a people to evolve a culture of blood donation, rather than running from pillar to poll in search of blood in time of emergencies. Ogunbiyi is of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

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TheWorshippers Success in ministry depends on foundation in Christ, says Kumuyi

SEYI JOHN SALAU he General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM), Pastor William F. Kumuyi, has called on church leaders and pastors to revisit the foundation of their salvation and ministry in ensuring that it is deeply rooted in Christ, stating that success in ministry is dependent on a solid foundation in Christ. Kumuyi, who made the call at a recent Ministers’ Development and Networking Summit, which was organised by the DCLM, in collaboration with Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), charged the participants to evaluate themselves, saying, “Our success in ministry depends on our foundation in Christ; there must be stability. Many people have defied their foundations, others have deceptive foundation, some have destroyed or diminished foundation, examine whether your foundation is still standing because after you are built you build others.” It was a maiden one-day ministers’ summit tagged ‘Building the Builders’, which saw Christian faithful and church leaders converge on the Deeper Life Bible Church, headquarters in Gbagada for strategic church development. According to Kumuyi, many preachers have constituted stumbling blocks to the church and the nation because of their deceptive and faulty foundations. He however, opined that the success of any nation or ministry depends

I Bishop Stephen Adegbite, Chairman, Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), Lagos State chapter; Baba Aladura, Israel Akinadewo, Secretary, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Lagos chapter; Apostle Alexander Bamgbola, Chairman, CAN, Lagos; Pastor William F. Kumuyi, General Superintendent, Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) and Bishop Olusola Ore, Chairman, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) Lagos State and Pilgrim Welfare Board, at the Ministers’ Development and Networking Summit in Lagos

on the value placed on righteous living. Alexander Bamgbola , the chairman Lagos CAN, in his welcome address urged participants, and other church leaders to discharge their duties with the fear of God in order to build a better Nigeria. According to Bamgbola, Nigeria started well at independence in 1960. However, the nation is reaping from what it sowed in the past. “The election of 1959 – I am old enough to say this because I was part of it; was a rotten election. So, every subsequent election since then has been rotten, and that is why we are still complaining,” he said.

Speaking further on the rot in the system, Bamgbola said: “This nation has a rotten foundation, a foundation of corruption. And so what the church is doing here today is what we have to do in politics, in business and then in all areas of human endeavour in our nation.” However, in charting the way forward for the nation amidst the current socio-economic challenges in Nigeria, the chairman Lagos State CAN said the nation need to have a new beginning away from its rotten past. “The way forward is to change. We leaders in the church to have the fear of God; then politicians and the rulers should have the fear of God. What will anybody do with a billion

Dollars? What do you want to do with the kind of wealth they steal in this nation? They have been bleeding this nation since independent and they can’t still finish it because God has a plan for this nation,” said Bamgbola. Bamgbola however, opined that the one-day Ministers’ Development summit will positively impart the church in Lagos, and Nigeria at large. According to him, church ministry is one of the most challenging ministries. “Church leadership is the highest calling; being called to be the servant of God is higher than being the president of any nation because you are responsible for the souls created by God – so, it is a very serious responsibility,” he said.

House on the Rock to equip believers with richer concepts of God’s Grace …at 6th edition of Word conference Modestus Anaesoronye

word Conference, leadership of the church has announced.

elievers will be better equipped with the richer concepts of God Grace at the 6th edition of the House on the Rock 2019 Annual

The Conference with theme: ‘The Glory of His Grace’ will hold from Wednesday, 3rd to Sunday, 7th April 2019 at The Rock Cathedral, Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria.

CAN mobilises Christian faithful to unite in prayers for Nigeria

The Conference, said to be designed to equip Believers with the richer concepts of God’s Grace, is renowned for its insightful teachings of the Bible precepts delivered by a prominent roster of International and Nigerian Ministers.

L-R: Ifeanyi Adefarasin, co-pastor of House on The Rock Church; Creflo Dollar, founder & snr. pastor of World Changers Church International, Atlanta; and Paul Adefarasin, Snr. Pastor of House on The Rock Church at the last Word Conference at the Rock Cathedral, Lagos

This year’s Conference will feature Creflo Dollar of World Changers Church International, Atlanta, USA; Mensa Otabil of International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) in Accra, Ghana; Bishop Wayne Malcom of the International Coaching Achievers Network (iCAN), UK; Bishop Ransom Bello, presiding Bishop of Calvary Life Assembly, Kano and Host, Paul Adefarasin, senior pastor of all House On the Rock Churches. Keeping with the Church’s penchant for great music that glorifies God, the Word Conference will feature musical performances by award-winning international and indigenous Artistes .These include the critically-acclaimed Director of Youthful Praise, JJ Hairston; chart-topping singersongwriter, Phil Thompson; award winning worship leader Onos, multi-talented singer-songwriterinstrumentalist, Nathaniel Bassey and the Church choir, The Lagos Metropolitan Gospel Choir among others. All five dates of the Conference are holding at the magnificent Rock Cathedral. The conference is free to attend by all.

t was a delight to behold last weekend at the ShepherdHill Baptist Church Obanikoro, Lagos as the body of Christ in Lagos led by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the other five blocs (CSN, CCN, CPFN/PFN, OAIC, TEKAN/ ECWA) of the body gathered to pray for the unity of Nigeria. Alexander Bamgbola, chairman CAN, Lagos State chapter, in his welcome address at the 2019 Lagos Inter-Denominational Divine Service (IDDS), themed, ‘Walking in the Perfect Image of God’ said the IDDS has remained a unifying factor for all Christians in Lagos. “As true Christians, emulating Jesus Christ our lord and saviour should be our utmost desire and priority in this life. Hence, our theme, ‘walking in the perfect image of God’ should not end at this wonderful IDDS. We should let it be our prophetic declaration and must be alive in our consciousness in all areas of our personal, social, political, family and religious lives,” said Bamgbola. According to Bamgbola, the IDDS is apt and relevant to every Christian, as he urged Nigerians to embrace peace and harmony among the various ethnic and religious groups in the country. Ad e w a l e Ma r t i n s , t h e Catholic Archbishop of Lagos urgedNigerians to love and accommodate one another to attain meaningful development in the country. “We have few individuals who are gaining so much from the impunity in the land. We cannot move forward as a nation unless we learn to love and accommodate one another. Martins, who was represented by Rev. Fr. Stephen Akinsowon, in his sermon said when there is true love, those in public offices would not steal and loot our collective wealth. “Tell our politicians that Nigerians sleep in motor parks and petrol stations. Our streets are lined up with young people who are idle. We are experiencing outbreak of child labour, child prostitution; politicians should not sleep until they do something. “When we oppress others or take for ourselves and family what is meant for all, it is called greed and selfishness,” Martins stated. According to the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Christian leaders should preach to tackle inflation, poor infrastructure and the evil in our society. “All hands must be on deck so that our nation and Christian faith be elevated. We are aware that our country is going through turbulent times, but the truth of the matter is that we are where we are today because we fail to love our neighbours as ourselves,” Martins said.

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Sunday 31 March 2019

Politics Meet the 15 contenders for House of Reps Speaker: Chances, challenges ...No zoning yet, South/South not in the contest James Kwen, Abuja

head of the June date for the proclamation of the 9th session of the House of Representatives, the race for the House Speakership has began in earnest with no fewer than 15 jostling for the country’s number fourth position. Those interested in taking over from Yakub Dogara, the incumbent Speaker are Femi Gbajabiamila(Lagos), Abdulrahman Sumaila( Kano) Ahmed Wase (Plateau) Mohamad Monguno (Borno), Olusegun Odebunmi (Oyo), Abdulrazak Namdas (Adamawa), Khajidat Bukar-Ibrahim (Yobe) and Yakub Buba (Adamawa). Others include, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa (Kano), Umar Bago (Niger), Babangida Ibrahim-Mahuta (Katsina), Nkiruka Onyejeocha (Abia), Suleiman Aminu (Kano), Abubakar Lado (Niger) and Muhammed Kazaure (Jigawa). Though the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC with majority in the House of Representatives has not formally zoned the position of the Speaker to any of the six geopolitical zones, reports that the party has anointed Gbajabiamila, House Leader for the office indicated that APC intends zoning the position to South West as it did in 2015. This is just as the party presented Ahmad Lawan, Senate Leader from North East for the office of the Senate President as it also did in 2015. But as it stands now, there are aspirants for the office of the Speaker from five out of the six geopolitical zones while there is no contender from the South South zone. Out of the 15 aspirants, South West has two, South East one, North West four, North East five and North Central three. Even before APC tilted towards South East for the position of the Speaker, the North Central geopolitical zone has called on the party to zone the position to it for inclusion, fairness and reward for working for the success of APC at the general elections. North Central Caucus of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC in the House of Representatives led by John Dyegh (Benue) demanded that for justice and fair play, the position should be zoned to the Central to make it have sense of belonging. “We the members of the North Central Caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the House of Representatives called this briefing to express our position with respect to the leadership position of the 9th assembly. “It is in this regard that we humbly wish to appeal to our great party, the APC, to strongly consider the North Central geopolitical zone for the position of Speaker

Femi Gbajabiamila

Ahmed Wase

Olusegun Dokun Odebunmi

of the House of Representatives in the 9th assembly. Our position is based on the following reasons: “Zoning the position of speaker to the North Central will satisfy and advance the cause of equity since the North-west and South-west already have the presidency and vice presidency respectively. “We note that apart from the North West and North-East, the North Central zone delivered handsomely for the party in the general elections and as such needs to be rewarded for the hard Work and loyalty. “The need to ensure balance and spread between and among the six geopolitical zones has made it imperative to give prime consideration to the North Central zone to produce the position of speaker”, said. Also, reliable sources in APC had revealed that, “the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives, which was initially expected to go to the Southwest, may now be conceded to North Central and probably to a Christian. “The consideration is that Buhari is from Northwest and is a Muslim while there is the possibility that the incoming Senate President, may also be a Muslim and probably from North East. In order to keep the present status quo where the president and the senate president are Muslims and the Speaker a Christian, the party will consider a Christian from the North Central as speaker”. All contenders for the position of Speaker have their chances and challenges, thus:

Federal Constituency of Lagos State from Southwest. He is a consummate Legislator who by the end of his second tenure in 2007 had sponsored the highest number of Bills in the National Assembly amongst all the legislators. Gbajabiamila was Minority Leader in House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015 and was credited to be instrumental this the merger of political parties into the present APC. He contested for office of the Speaker in 2015 but was defeated by the incumbent, Dogara. Gbajabiamila is again into the contest for the office of the Speaker and has been reportedly endorsed by his party. By all standards, Gbaja as fondly called is the best man for the job and he enjoys the support of his colleagues across party lines. However, the same issue of party endorsement that worked against him in 2015 has reared its ugly head again. Also, the permutations of the Southwest having the Vice President and Speaker of the House at the same time and the need to maintain the status quo of having Christian Speaker with Muslim Senate President is definitely would constitute an obstacle for him.

In a country like Nigeria where religion underpins the socio -political consideration Wase’s ambition may suffer set back based on the argument of having a Christian Speaker from the North Central.

Ahmed Wase Ahmed Wase, Deputy Majority Leader, House of Representatives is also in the contest for the office of the Speaker and currently represents Wase Federal Constituency in Plateau State - North Central. The third term Member of the House of Representatives was before Deputy majority Leader, Chairman House Committee on Federal Character. Wase stands good chances of becoming the next Speaker of the House of Representatives being a ranking Member, a principal Officer and from North Central geopolitical zone that is seriously agitating for the office for equity and balance.

Olusegun Dokun Odebunmi He is a third term Member of the Federal House of Representative representing Ogo-Oluwa/Surulere Federal Constituency from South West. Odebunmi was elected two times on the platform of PDP and for the third time under APC. He is presently the Chairman at Information and National Orientation, Ethics & Values Committee (Reps) from June 2015 to May 2019. Odebunmi has fulfilled all the requirements of been elected Speaker, however the endorsement of his only contender from Southwest by APC would seriously work against him even if the position is

Femi Gbajabiamila Gbajabiamila, House of Representatives Majority Leader who has been re -elected for the fifth term to represent Surulere 1

Abdulrahman Sumaila He is the immediate past Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives) who had served three terms in the House of Representatives and was elected again at the general elections. Sumaila is from the Nigerian North West State of Kano who was Deputy Minority Leader between 2007 and 2015 served as a member of constitutional amendment committee between 2007-2011 and was member Governing Council of National Institute of Legislative Studies (NILS). He is a good material for Speaker of the House of Representatives with the above legislative and general leadership acumen but according to the Nigerian political culture, Sumaila from the same geopolitical zone (Northwest) with President Muhammadu Buhari would find it difficult becoming the Speaker.

Sunday 31 March 2019

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Politics eventually zoned to his region. Abdulrazak Namdas Abdulrazak Saad Namdas is a member of the Federal House of Representatives, representing Jada/Ganye/MayoBelwa/ Toungo Federal Constituency of Adamawa State under the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and currently the Chairman of the House Committee on Public Affairs. The second term Lawmaker has declared his intention of taking over from Dogara and is eminently qualified to be same based on experience and contacts but his ambition remains threatened following the endorsement of Lawn also from North East for the position of Senate President, hence having presiding officers for the two legislative chambers from the same geopolitical zone may not be feasible at this stage of the country democracy. Alhassan Ado Garba Alhassan Ado Garba was first elected to the Nigerian National Assembly’s House of Representatives under the defunct SDP in 1992. Alhassan Ado succeeded in returning to the House of Representatives in 2007 where he became the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The people of Tudun Wada/Doguwa Federal Constituency re-elected Doguwa in 2011 and was made House Committee chairman on MDGs. He also served as the African Network of Parliamentarians on MDGs Chairman. In 2015, Garba was elected to serve for the fourth term in the Lower Chamber where he was overwhelmingly elected as the 8th Assembly’s Chief Whip and was recently re-elected to the House under the platform of APC. He met the requirements of becoming the Speaker of the House of Representatives. However, realizing his dream with Buhari as President from Northwest is a herculaneum task. Garo Musa Umar Garo was elected as a Member of the House of Representatives from 1992 to 1993 under the platform of the National Republican Convention N.R.C. and from 1995 to 1996, under the United Nigeria Congress Party, U.N.C.P. representing the Kabo/Gwarzo constituency of Kano, Northwest. He bounced back to the House of Representatives from May 2011 to date and presently the Chairman of Tertiary Education & Services Committee. As a ranking Member with rich political background in the legislature, Garo can make it to the Office of the Speaker but coming from the same geopolitical zone of Northwest with Buhari could be a stumbling block for him. Mohammed Mongunu Mohammed Mongunu (APC, Borno) is a ranking member who has just been re-elected for the fifth term just as Gbajabiamila. In 2015, the APC had presented the duo of Gbajabiamila and Monguno as Speaker and Deputy Speaker, respectively. He has been Chairman of Agricultural Production and Services Committee (Reps) from 2011 to 2019. Mongunu’s aspiration to become Speaker of the House is not out of place based on experience,

Abdulrazak Namdas

Alhassan Ado Garba

Ibrahim Babangida Mahuta

Abubakar Abdullahi Lado

Mohammed Kazaure

Nkiruka Onyejoka

exposure and contacts but the endorsement of Lawan from Northeast where he also hailed from is a major set back for him.

of the Speaker to and if that happens, he would be on advantage. But then, the religious undertone of the demand for a Christian Speaker is a factor against him.

At the National Assembly, Onyejeocha became Chairman of women in parliament and is currently the Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation. Onyejeocha who dumped PDP for APC 2018 is eyeing the office of the Speaker. As a ranking member who has build bridges across party, gender and regional divides, she is in a good position to emerge the next Speaker also that she is the only contender from the Southeast. Be that as it may, Onyejeocha is constrained by her new Membership in the APC and indications that Uzor Orji Kalu from Abia is been considered for the position of Deputy Senate President.

Yusuf Buba Yakubu Yusuf Buba Yakubu, the House of Representative Member representing Hong/ Gombi Federal Constituency of Adamawa - Northeast. Yusuf Buba has declared the intention to contest for speaker of the 9th Assembly. This ranking member is the only Christian from the ‘North’ vying for this position and if the crave for maintaining the status quo of a Christian Speaker is considered by APC, Buba is on the verge of clinging the number four position in Nigeria. Nonetheless, the endorsement of Lawan from Northeast would work against him. Ibrahim Babangida Mahuta Ibrahim Babangida Mahuta represents Malumfashi/Kafur Federal Constituency of Katsina State where he has been since 2011 to date. He has been the Chairman of Finance Committee (Reps) from 2015 to 2019. Babangida Mahuta by ranking and Committee headship experience is eminently qualified to the Speaker more so that he generally enjoys the goodwill of his colleagues across party divides. However, following Nigeria’s political calculus he cannot be Speaker at the same time that Buhari is the President as they are all from Katsina State and Northwest Zone. Mohammed Umar Bago Mohammed Umar Bago is the Member representing Chanchaga Federal Constituency of Niger State He has been in the House of Representatives from 2011 to date and is currently the Chairman of Marine Safety, Education & Administration Committee (Reps). Apart from being a ranking member of three terms, Bago is from Niger State of North Central where there are serious agitations for the zoning

Abubakar Abdullahi Lado Abubakar Abdullahi is a member of the Federal House of Representatives representing Gurara/Suleja/Tafa Federal Constituency of Niger State. Between the 2011 and 2015, he was a member of the Niger State House Of Assembly. In the 2015 elections, he contested for the Federal House of Representative under APC and was re-elected during last general elections. By the virtue of been a second term Lawmaker, Lado is due for Speakership and as someone from North Central where the position is been considered to be zoned to, he stands chances of realizing his ambition except that the religious sentiment of a Christian Speaker does not favour him. Mohammed Kazaure Muhammed Kazaure Gudaji is a member of the House of Representatives representing the Kazaure/Roni/Gwiwa Constituency of Jigawa State. He was first elected in 2015 re-elected 2019. Even as first timer in 2015, Kazaure aspired to be the Speaker and he is in the race again in 2019. Unlike 2015, he is now a ranking Member who could be elected Speaker but his coming from Northwest with Buhari is not to his advantage. Nkiruka Onyejoka Nkeiruka Onyejeocha represents the Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency of Abia State - Southeast. She was first elected member of the Federal House of Representatives in 2007 and later re-elected in 2015 as well as 2019.

Khadijah Bukar-Abba Khadijah Bukar-Abba was a three time member of the House of Representatives, representing Damaturu, Gujba, Gulani and Tarmuwa Federal Constituency of Yobe State from 2007 to 2015 when she appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. While in the House of Representative, she served in different capacities. From 2007 to 2008, she was the Deputy Chairman,House Committee on Rural Development; between 2008 and 2010, she was the Deputy Chairman,House Committee on Communications; from 2010 to 2011, she served as the Chairman,House Committee on Rural Privatisation and Commercialisation.She was also a member of House Committees on Power,Water Resources, interior, Women affairs, Appropriation. Following her recent election in the last general elections, Khadijah is in the race for the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Her legislative and political trajectory placed her on the good pedestal of the House leadership but coming from the same State and zone with Lawan, endorsed for Senate President by APC is not heathy to her ambition.

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Sunday 31 March 2019

Politics Who becomes the next Senate President? this huge success of APC. And I have no doubt that the party will find us complaint and very supportive of the programmes of our party and our administration under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari”.

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja

ntrigue, conspiracy, machination, collusion, allegations, counter-allegations, political horse-trading have trailed the battle for the leadership of the Ninth Senate. BDSUNDAY reports that the Ninth National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives) will be inaugurated in June this year after a Proclamation by President Muhammadu Buhari is read on the floor of the current Senate. Although the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) is in control of the incoming Senate, observers say if the APC national leadership and the party’s Senate Caucus fail to forge a common front on its choice of Senate President, the party could repeat the mistakes of 2015 where Bukola Saraki emerged as Senate President, against its preference for Ahmed Lawan. BDSUNDAY reports that out of the 106 senatorial positions declared so far by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC controls 65 seats, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 41 lawmakers. The remaining three senatorial seats of Imo North, Imo West and Plateau South are yet to be issued certificates of return by the Commission. Lawan Ahmed Lawan, lawmaker representing Yobe North Senatorial District, and Senate Majority Leader (APC, Yobe) is a top contender for the position. The APC lawmaker is unarguably one of the most experienced lawmaker returning to the Ninth Senate, having been at the two legislative chambers. As one of the longest serving federal lawmakers, he was first elected into the National Assembly in 1999 alongside immediate past Senate President, David Mark. The 60-year-old Geography graduate of the University of Maiduguri, was first elected a member of the House of Representatives where he chaired the Committees on Education and Agriculture at different times. After eight years in the lower legislative chamber, Lawan took a shot at the Senate in 2007 and was elected. The ranking senator enjoys the backing of the APC national leadership and the Presidency, as he was recently endorsed by the governing party. To avoid a repeat of the 2015 scenario when it favoured Lawan for Senate President only

Ahmed Lawan

Ali Ndume

Danjuma Goje

Abdullahi Adamu

for Bukola Saraki, then of the APC to emerge after trading-off with PDP senators, the APC has already met with lawmakers elected on its platform. At a dinner held in Presidential Villa with APC senators-elect, National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, told them in unequivocal terms that Lawan had been adopted for the position of President of the Ninth Senate. It appears the senator is already aware of the daunting task ahead including fifth columnists within the APC Senate Caucus,

block votes from PDP senators, court judgements in Zamfara and Anambra States that could see the reduction of its numbers from 65 to 61 and increase in PDP control from 41 to 45. Addressing a press conference in Abuja recently, Lawan disclosed that he is already in touch not only with senatorselect from his own political party but has also reached out to opposition members in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He said: “We need the cooperation and support of everybody. I also believe that if we want to

work with the Executive in such a manner that we can deliver good governance, first we need to achieve unity amongst ourselves”. Flanked by other lawmakers, he added: “We are senators who believe in party supremacy. We believe in the leadership of our party. But the leadership we are seeking is leadership of the Senate and the National Assembly. So, it is very critical and crucial that we talk to our colleagues, convince them that we are the right people to lead the Senate and the National Assembly. We take nobody for granted. We believe that the crop of senators elected this time will be such a crop that we can achieve much more in terms of uniting ourselves and focusing on the real issues of development of making Nigerians experience very rapid and sustainable changes and transformation. “We are not in any way thinking that we will start having some crisis. We are not even praying that that happens but our party, the All Progressives Congress, must have learnt its lessons. Therefore, I am sure the leadership of the party will do something differently. I am sure our leaders will try to manage

Ndume Ali Ndume will be serving his third time in the Senate when the Ninth Senate would be inaugurated in June this year. The immediate past Senate Majority Leader was first elected a member of the House of Representatives in 2003. After eight years at the upper legislative chamber, the lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District, took a shot at the Senate in 2011 and was elected. Despite the APC’s endorsement of Lawan as Senate President in the Ninth Assembly, the senator has refused to back down. He described Lawan’s ‘unilateral’ adoption by APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole as unconstitutional, adding that the right to elect Presiding Officers in the National Assembly rests with senators-elect and not with a political party. Political commentators say his chances of emerging as Senate President remain slim considering the fact that the 41 PDP senators will not give him the necessary block votes. “PDP senators don’t trust him, especially after he became a fierce critic of Saraki after his removal as Senate President. Remember Saraki still wields a lot of influence from both PDP and APC senators,” a source told BDSUNDAY. Adamu Two-term governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Adamu, has also been tipped as possible candidate for the plum job. He currently chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture. Like Ndume, the senator who represents Nasarawa West is not trusted by PDP lawmakers. In addition, he comes from the North Central geopolitical zone where the current Senate President, Saraki, comes from and this could be his undoing. Goje Although an APC senator, Danjuma Goje enjoys the support of his colleagues across the two major political parties. Unlike other candidates, the former Gombe State governor is seen as amenable and loved by his colleagues in his former party - the PDP. Observers say if the APC fails to put its house in order, Goje could be the joker, as the 2015 scenario could repeat itself.

Sunday 31 March 2019

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Politics INEC, APC making mockery of our democracy - Eholor Patrick Eholor, Edo-based social critic and human rights activist, is the founder of One Love Foundation. The foundation is into empowerment and protecting the rights of the less-privileged in society. In this interview with some journalists, he spoke on topical national issues. IDRIS UMAR MOMOH, who was at the session, brings you the excerpts: As a social critic, what is your takes on the just concluded general election in Nigeria. Are we getting it right democratically? e are still very far away from conducting credible, free and fair elections in Nigeria. However, the people came out in their numbers to vote the candidates of their choice but I am disappointed at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for not allowing electorate’s votes count. It is unfortunate that we are still playing money politics, the result is very clear and there is a need for a change. However, the powers that be, the ruling party headed by President Muhammadu Buhari want to govern by every means necessary and I think it is undemocratic. We have learnt some lessons, and I have no doubt and I am also optimistic that future elections will be better than the one we just had.

surrounded by corrupt politicians and I owe nobody apology for that. Look at what happened in the elections, especially in the Edo State House of Assembly elections. Oshiomhole was said to have written all the results. If it is true, it is a shame. Also, in the Presidential elections, people voted and their votes never counted; that’s to tell you that we are just making mockery of democracy,

At the end of the election, President Buhari was re-elected for another four years; what is your agenda or suggestion as he takes the country to the next level? For me, I don’t know if we have a government in place because its legitimacy is being questioned at the courts. Not until all the litigations and cases are concluded, I cannot recognise any government. It is only when courts complete its work that we will determine if we are going to support the government or not. However, it is difficult to support a government that

Patrick Eholor

is talking about corruption and the same government is surrounded by corrupt people. Yes, Buhari is a man of high integrity but integrity does not give good governance, Buhari has no idea about good governance. Look at Edo State for example, just imagine how many lives the abandoned new wing of the Central Hospital would have saved? Oshiomhole probably deceived Buhari to commission the edifice. Imagine, during the just concluded general election campaigns, Oshiomhole, in Benin here said when you decamp to APC your sins are forgiven; today politicians that defected to the party are now free. That is why I said Buhari is

Let’s come back home; what is your take on the administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki in the state? I have not been around for some time now but with what I have seen so far I think am very satisfied because combined the eight years administration of Adams Oshiomhole, he did practically nothing. He just spent the time making a noise about and I am surprised that nobody is even talking about the multi-billion Naira Benin Water Storm Projects. The same Oshiomhole who embarked on campaigns against godfatherism is today the only godfather. Though, you didn’t ask me anything about Oshiomhole, am just saying it as an emphasis. However, Obaseki’s roads construction, rehabilitation and restoration projects are laudable. He has been able to restrain professional politicians. Today, there is no more touting, people no more harass market women as before. As a social critic, I can testify that Governor Godwin Obaseki is doing amazing job in the state. What he is doing is setting precedence that politics is purely service to the people.

As a bridge between the old and young; what can you say about the upsurge in cult-related killings in Edo State? Again, this is where we need our religious leaders to mentor our youths. The problem we have is that our youths have lost direction and focus owing to bad governance. Today, our youths are hooked on to all kinds of drugs. Drugs are coming in our inner cities unchecked. Parents no longer have time to check the activities of their children. Internet and television are where they get their education from and that is where they are negatively influenced. No parental guardian and that is why they are killing themselves. I think what can really put an end to the incessant cultrelated crimes in the state is by enacting a law at the state house assembly. There should be strict law to punish any cultist caught. However, I am afraid if such law or legislation will work because even some lawmakers in the state and National Assembly, pastors, top security personnel, among others are suspected cult leaders and lords. If you are part of a robbery gang, how do you catch a thief? It is time for us all to sit down and have a social dialogue to curb cultism. Sir, you have been out of the media space for some time now; what must have been responsible for that? Well, when you continue to do things in a particular way and you continue to get the same results common sense suggests that you change tactics. I just decided to take a break and do things differently.

‘We were almost overwhelmed by opposition forces’ ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

overnor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State says the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the State was almost overwhelmed by the opposition during this year’s general election, but for God’s mercy. Speaking in Uyo during the Victory Thanksgiving Service for the success of the PDP in the 2019 elections with the theme, ‘The Dangers of Ingratitude’, Emmanuel said God redeemed the state by giving him and the party victory. Against the widely held view that former governor, Godswill Akpabio discovered him and made him governor, Governor Emmanuel said it was God that discovered him, as such, no man can cover him. He pledged to serve the people of the state with all his might, strength, intellect and connection, and make them his priority, adding that God has given the state a new beginning and launched it into a new path. He commended all the Christian leaders in the state, and the people for voting for him and all the elected PDP representatives at the National Assembly and State House of Assembly, noting that he would not disappoint them. “At a point it seemed that we were

almost overwhelmed but God showed forth. God raised a standard that was above man. Let me appreciate Akwa Ibom people because God used you to honour his name. God used you as an instrument to defend the gospel. “I have never seen Akwa Ibom people coming out to show such love to any leader as the love you showed to me in this journey. I stand here to appreciate the Akwa Ibom people in all the villages, in all the units, in all the wards, in all the local government areas and in the entire state. “I want to pledge that we will continue to serve God Almighty beyond any measurable doubt. I also pledge that we will render selfless service to humanity. We will not place our interest above the interest of the common man. I want to pledge to God Almighty that God will give us the grace to really work. “We want to say with everything God will give us; every might, every wisdom, every intellect, every strength, every capacity, every connection that God has given to us; we will deploy it to serve Akwa Ibom people and God Almighty for not putting the Christians, for not putting us to shame. “The battle that we have won today is not about Udom Emmanuel, the battle is not about one man, the battle is about the soul of Akwa Ibom state. I want to say, God has redeemed the Akwa Ibom state,

God has given light, a new beginning, and that new beginning will launched us as a state into the path of righteousness, into the path of greatness, into the path that God has destined for us. “No man shall be able to stop what God has destined for us. As a man we are not limited by our circumstances, we are limited by our faith in God. As a man, whoever God discovers, no man can cover. God discovered Udom Emmanuel, no man can cover Udom Emmanuel, no stranger can cover Udom Emmanuel. On righteousness we will build this state,” he said.

I have never seen Akwa Ibom people coming out to show such love to any leader as the love you showed to me in this journey

Also speaking, the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus said it was only God who enabled the governor and the state to be victorious. He said despite the use of the military against the people of the state, the Niger Delta regions and other parts of the country, the PDP has emerged victorious. “I am convinced that beyond doubt, the Akwa Ibom government represented by Governor Udom Emmanuel has touched the heart of God. They invaded here with the army but they met with the armies of God. “The entire Niger Delta was taken over by the military but God was on our side. He fought for us and had delivered Akwa Ibom and other states in the Niger Delta and He has also delivered other parts of the country,” he stated. Bassey Akpan, a senator who led other elected PDP members in the National Assembly to thank God for their victory at the elections, promised that they would donate the sum of N60 million to support the building of the International Worship Centre in Uyo Bishop David Oyedepo of Winners Chapel, who preached on the need to thank God, said thanking God for what he has done will make him do more for you. He, alongside Pastor Paul Enenche, prayed for the governor, his wife and the deputy governor, Moses Ekpo during the service.

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Sunday 31 March 2019

Politics

Why PDP recorded resounding victory in Akwa Ibom, by Ini Ememobong Ini Ememobong is the publicity secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State. Before his election to that position, he had served as the president of the National Association of Nigerian Students. ‘ In this interview with ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK on the sidelines of a two-day workshop for elected councilors in Uyo, he speaks on how the PDP was able to secure victory in the just concluded elections in the state; steps being taken by the party to consolidate power and how the party intends to respond to litigations at the election petition tribunal. Excerpts: How was the PDP able to win so massively in the just concluded elections? he People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won massively because they put their hope and trust in God and not man. Having put their hope and trust in God, they also used Biblical principles which say that faith without work is dead. So they went to work. PDP was working in the units, working door-to-door, working in wards, working in chapters, was doing massive campaigns and talking to the people in all the things they wanted to do, answering questions, touching hearts and receiving hugs. Keeping God in front and keeping hard work behind created a complete cart. God pulled the cart and granted success.

senatorial district, the speaker is from Akwa Ibom North East. The constitution frowns against the discrimination of people on the basis of where they come from. That is why zoning is not based on ethnic consideration but on political units. You cannot use tribe to check delineation. If you go there, you will be talking about the many tribes in Akwa Ibom and how governorship should rotate among those many tribes.

Did the party anticipate it was going to win with such a wide margin? Yes, we believed that the party was going to win because the indices were there. Immediately the opposition hinged all their strategies on men, I knew that the elections were won. Immediately they promoted people beyond human capacity and began to deify them, I knew clearly that it was a struggle between humanity and God and therefore, when divinity confronts humanity, humanity will be consumed by divinity. So, I knew that the PDP was going to win because of the level of work, we did the comparative analysis based on the level of work my party was doing side by side with what other parties were doing and we saw that we were miles ahead and there were clear cut indications. The people who manned units, majority of the people were with us. We continued to give the assurances that all will be well. After the elections, much is expected from the PDP-led government. What role will the party play in ensuring that the expectations of the people are met? We know that the governor will do everything humanly possible to fulfill his campaign promises. We saw him doing that in his first term even in the midst of the recession. We are trusting God that he will meet his obligations. The governor is also a person who thinks out of the box to find alternative

Ini Ememobong

resources. That is why you can find out that we are using alternative funding to construct roads in the state. If we were depending only on federal allocations, it would not have been possible to construct even one kilometer of road in the state. I am sure that the governor will find alternative means to meet his campaign promises. The opposition party is heading to the tribunal to challenge the result of the elections, how prepared is the PDP for the fireworks at the tribunal? The tribunal is meant for those who do not feel okay with the result. It is their constitutional right to do so. Evidence cannot be evidence until admitted by court. It must be admitted and marked by the court of competent jurisdiction. Let them gather the evidence, we will meet them at the tribunal and we are also prepared, whatever they call evidence, we are there. The evidence they claim they have will pass through the funnel of evidence as currently enforceable in the country. As a party, ours is to say thank you to a lot of people who were part of the processes. People have already started agitation about which federal constitu-

ency in Akwa Ibom North East senatorial district will take a shot at the governorship in 2023, is it not too early? My party has issued a statement on this issue. It is too early to talk about 2023. We have not even finished 2019. The governor has not even entered 2019 politically. This discussion on 2023 is diversionary. It is divisive. Those are tactics by people who ply their trade in supporting people. And this has become an occupation for them. They think that if the system runs without actively supporting a particular candidate or aspirant, they cannot make money out of it. Therefore, you begin to say ‘I stand with this,’ you have discriminated against the other people. People have just received mandate for 2019 to 2023 and are yet to be sworn -in, why would you not allow people to get the benefit of the present mandate rather than talking about 2023. It is terrible and divisive. It is also an indication of lack of work and lack of political awareness. It is an indication of a dubious mindset of the proponents. The year 2023 is too far to be a distraction. Does this not show lack of cohesion within your party? No it is not. It is not the party’s posi-

tion. People are trying to push the idea. It is not the party that is asking people to start the discussion on 2023. It is from people who feel they will benefit from the position of supporting the aspiration of a particular person. The people think that if they cannot stand on someone, they cannot stand on their own, so they must permanently look for someone to stand with. Now that your party has won, is it thinking of taking another look at the political configuration in terms of where the key elected officers are drawn from? Your register in journalism is not the same in the aviation sector. For example, the same type of thing that you call road, in the airport is called taxi way or run way. Therefore, you cannot be using airport register for land transportation. You cannot be using cultural tribe register to discuss politics. Politics knows wards, it knows units, it knows local government, it knows state constituency, federal constituency, senatorial districts, states and the nation. So you cannot be telling me tribe in politics. It does not make sense. The governor is from Akwa Ibom South senatorial district. The deputy is from Akwa Ibom North West

So what is the party going to do to assuage the feelings of some people in Akwa Ibom South senatorial district? In Akwa Ibom South senatorial district, the governor is from there, the senator is from there, newly elected, Akong Eyakenyi. In Akwa Ibom South, the South-South publicity secretary of the party is from there. When the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was under the PDP, the commissioner of the NDDC was from there. We have tried our best. When last was an Oron person secretary to the state government? We run a party as an all-inclusive movement. Every local government has a state officer. When we meet, we meet as state officers of the party. My one vote as the publicity secretary of the party is the same vote as that of ex-officio officer. What next for the party having won the elections? After the elections, we still have post-elections management which is largely media and perception work. That is a huge responsibility for the party. You also have the consolidation of government. Government must be consolidated because the party must remain the shock absorber for government and governance. So in the party, what we are doing is to open up the space for a lot of intelligent young men to come in. What we are doing is to continue to give them room for expression of their thoughts and thinking and this will further bring back other young people who will find our party as a safe haven. We are running an open front door and a closed back door policy. We are welcoming back people who had strayed and who have realised that the game is up. The party is still involved in a lot of strategic thinking.

Sunday 31 March 2019

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BDSUNDAY 15

Interview Abia Estate Agency will grow to greater heights under my watch - GM Okechukwu Ndukwe is the general manager, Abia State Estate Development Agency (ABSEDA). In this interview with UDOKA AGWU in Umuahia, he talked about how the victory of Ikpeazu will fast-track further growth of the Agency, his message to losers and his commitment to staff welfare among others. Excerpts:

ow will Ikpeazu’s victory motivate you to achieve more having been commended by his administration as one of the heads of government agencies/parastatals that are up to date in payment of workers’ salaries? Well, without being told, his victory will really motivate me to go extra miles in taking the Abia State Estate Development Agency (ABSEDA) to greater heights because all along, the governor has been supportive of the agency. This time around, he will support us more since he has been appreciative of the happenings in the Agency which almost became moribund before the governor in his magnanimity appointed me in November 2017 to head the agency which is now lively. Moreover, since the governor is a performing executive, we his disciples should emulate him to take the state to another level of development. In terms of prompt payment of staff salaries, it is a known axiom that a labourer deserves his wages at the end of the month. So, the onus lies on me, as the Head to ensure that staff welfare is given priority so

Udoka Agwu

that their morale will be high while performing their legitimate duties. For one to give priority to the welfare of his staff is self determination and the will to do so. I will continue to prioritise payment of salaries and other wel-

fare packages of workers in my Agency with a view to releasing the 2017/2018 promotion exercise coupled with consistent marathon training that will improve workers’ performance in the Agency. I therefore, urge them to always be

punctual and dutiful at all times as well as eschew rancour and bitterness which is the bane to any organisational growth and development. I hereby congratulate the Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, the people’s Senator, T. A. Orji, distinguished member representing Abia Central Senatorial district in the National Assembly and the indefatigable leader, Engr. Chinedum Orji (Ikuku Abia) member representing the good people of Umuahia Central State Constituency in the State House of Assembly for their victories at the polls which were divinely orchestrated by God because they are men of integrity and of good heart. As the General Manager, I pledge my unalloyed loyalty and support to the governor at all times in moving the state forward through ABSEDA. How do you feel about Governor Ikpeazu’s re-election? I am really excited for what happened. What happened is destined by God. His re-election for a second term will enable him to complete the good works he has been doing and also embark on more to take Abia State to the next level of development. It has really shown the wishes and aspirations of Abians and also demonstrated the spirit of

equity and fair play. The Abia North zone has taken their turn of eight years under Orji Uzor Kalu while the central got theirs through T.A. Orji. Equitydemandsthatthesouthshould also complete eight-year tenure. What is your advice to those who lost in the governorship polls? Myadvicetothosewholostoutat the just concluded elections particularly the All Progressives Congress (APC) and All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidates, Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah and Dr. Alex Otti, respectively is that they should accept the outcome of the results of the election. Politics is like a game of football match where at the end of ninety(90)minutesofplay,oneteam must emerge the winner. I further advise them to accept and embrace the olive branch extended to them by the Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu. They should come together so as to cross-fertilize ideas and their wealth of experience and support him in building a strong, united, prosperous and all inclusive government that will foster the overall development of Abia State, the God’s Own State. They should not indulge in unnecessary litigations that may derail the speedy development of the state.

VOX POP

Can PDP re-enact Osun’s guber tribunal victory at presidential tribunal? JONATHAN ADEROJU

n the 25th of March 2019 the tribunal upheld the victory of Senator Adeleke of the PDP as the true winner of the 2918 governorship election in Osun state. Recall that this is not the first time the tribunal has upheld similar cases, in 2016, about 81 elections, conducted during the 2015 general election, were upturned by the courts; the highest number since the 2007 elections. Of significance is the nullification of the Rivers State governorship election, of which Nyesom Wike was declared winner by an election petition tribunal. The Appeal Court upheld the decision of the tribunal sacking Wike, and when it seemed doom was certain for him, the Supreme Court affirmed his election. In the 2019 general election, the PDP has rejected the result that made the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari emerge winner in the election. The PDP has filed a case at the Tribunal with evidence of electoral malpractices. Our correspondent here presents the views of some Nigerians on whether the main opposition party can emerge victorious at the tribunal. David Timilehin No. I don’t think so, this has never happened at the presidential level. Buhari isn’t looking like someone who will be willing to let go the position over an accusation of a rigged election. Atiku pushing towards

Senator Ademola Adeleke

justifying his victory may create some tension in the country and this isn’t a good atmosphere for the Nigerian economy. We have seen the equities market struggle to pick up because of low confidence of investors in the current government; with more issues in the political space arising, the economy will continue to take a hit. Enwerem Prince In as much as we truly believe in the independence of our judiciary we must first of all ask whether PDP have been a fan of judicial process after presidential elections since 1999. Adeleke has won at the tribunal but it may be difficult for the PDP presidential candidate to unseat an incumbent President through that process because every available arsenal will be pulled by the ruling APC to retain their mandate. Dr Chubuike Amah Atiku has a chance at the tribu-

nal. Why? The authenticity of his evidence is quite huge and when verifiable, a court of competent jurisdiction would give a favourable verdict. Jeremiah Mbata I believe Atiku has a chance at the Election Petitions Tribunal just like Ademola Adeleke, the proclaimed winner of the Osun State election. It was obvious that the election was rigged and was definitely not free and fair as acclaimed. Felix Eniogeru Yes, Atiku has a chance, all things being equal. But, it is only if the Nigerian Judiciary is ready to fight for its freedom from the stranglehold of the Executive arm of government. This they can only do by giving rightful judgment based on evidential facts as presented by both warring parties, rather than succumb to intimidation and suppression by the Federal Government.

Now that the tribunal favoured Adeleke, I believe the Appeal Court judges will be under intense pressure to upturn the tribunal’s verdict. And, if that happens, then Atiku’s chances get slimmer, because in all fairness, Adeleke truly won the election and their verdict is based on facts and evidence. Damilare The case in Osun is quite different from that of the PDP presidential candidate. First, we must be careful saying Adeleke has been declared governor. No, the tribunal only removed the figure of the re-run election based on the case filed by the PDP candidate that the re-run shouldn’t have held since there was election. However, the APC candidate in Osun has gone to Appeal Court to argue the fact that election never took place in those locations due to INEC inefficiencies. Hence, the justification for the rerun... But of course, it’s a case in court already; we have to allow the Appeal Court to decide the next phase. I’m sure that Osun case will get to Supreme Court. For Atiku, he needs to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the election was rigged in favour of Buhari by presenting evidence of all the states and polling units’ results. He cannot win at the tribunal on the argument that INEC server or so had shown him that he won. Nigeria’s laws don’t accept electronic result. Secondly, he could also be accused of hacking the INEC server, which could lead to serious litigation against him. However, I don’t want to doubt that he has a good case to push. I don’t know the evidences he has gotten

and that may be good enough to earn him the victory or not. In a nut shell, PDP can win both Osun and Presidential election litigations if they have adequate evidences. But both situations are different. Don’t forget, Adeleke won the initial election that was declared inconclusive due to the low margin between him and Oyetola, but Atiku “did not” win Buhari going by INEC declared result. So, Atiku is to challenge the result announced by INEC as false with convincing evidence while Adeleke just need to challenge the legality of the re-run election. Omobola Adu The declaration of Senator Adeleke as the winner of Osun State election is a signal of hope to Atiku and the PDP camp that the judicial system can deliver justice. However, beyond that I don’t really think the decision will be overturned. For Atiku to achieve this feat, he will have to indeed prove that the results he obtained that showed he had 1.3 million votes are accurate. The question is then, how will his lawyers prove that? The odds are stacked against him as they are relying on the results provided by an anonymous INEC official. Omotayo Mercy I really don’t have an answer yet, because the judiciary system is kind of epileptic to say, even the so-called victory given to Adeleke of Osun state is still unsure because the incumbent governor has since appealed. So, for the presidency, it’s still under probability that the tribunal will favour the People’s Democratic Party candidate. This is Nigeria, anything can happen.

16 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 31 March 2019

Interview

My 100 days scorecard is challenging - Provost The newly appointed Provost of College of Education Katsina-ala, Tsav-wua Gborigo, in an exclusive interview with BENJAMIN AGESAN in his office at the college in Katsina-ala Local Government Area of Benue State, gave his scorecard of achievements recorded by him within his first hundred days in office. Excerpts:

ir, what have been your achievements in the first one hundred days in office? On behalf of myself, College Management, the Academic Board, staff and students of the college, I heartily welcome you to this great institution. Permit me to state few of my achievements in the first one hundred working days of my administration. Restoration of Peace in the college was my first achievement; before the advent of my administration, peace had eluded the college. The working relationship amongst the staff was not cordial. The college-host community relationship was also fragile. On assumption of duty on 24th September 2018, several meetings were held and thorny issues thrashed out with the help of Tor Sankera1, the chairman, Katsina-ala Local Government Council, various traditional rulers, youths, renowned politicians and the clergy. And there is now relative peace on the campus and environs. Efforts are still in place to ensure that peace and tranquility continue to reign and be sustained. Completion and handover of the School of Science Academic Office Complex as well as Resuscitation of Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) programme are my second achievements. On assumption of office, some projects emanating from the Tetfund were yet to be completed, including the School of Science Academic Office Complex which were identified and completed. The college was running a professional Diploma in Education (PDE) course, at a point it became moribund. My administration has reactivated the programme and it is now fully in operation. Also, renovation of female hostel at Inikpi was done under my watch. The Inikpi female hostel constructed as a temporary measure in 1976 has been in a dilapidated condition. It has been renovated and put to use with the college meager internally generated revenue (IGR). Our students are now staying happily there. My administration ensured completion of the Gari and Maize processing industry, this is an initiated Tetfund special intervention project in 2013 which was not put to use for some reasons. In line with the Governor’s love for agriculture and cottage industries, I

Tsav-wua Gborigo

picked it up and completed it. It is hoped that the Gari and Maize industry will not only help the farmers in processing their products but will also go a long way to boosting the college IGR. Moreso, procurement of a 30-seater Toyota coaster Bus is among my achievements. Upon assumption of office, the process for the procurement of a thirty-seater Toyota coaster Bus was on-going. We pursued this to the end. Today, we have a brand new Bus supplied to us-courtesy of the Tetfund. Construction of Twin lecture Theatre is on-going at the second campus of the college and would soon be completed, it’s also Tetfund courtesy. The declaration of NCE 2016/2017 results is a famous achievement of my administration with the first one hundred days in office. Our students who graduated in 2016/2017 academic session can smile now as their results have been declared. Due to one problem or the other, these results were not declared but my administration worked assiduously to make this possible. We have structured the system in such a way that result would be declared as soon as students complete their course work.

Do you encounter any challenge in the course of your administration within this period? In spite of the above achievements, the college is facing one challenge or the other and I consider it worthwhile, acquainting you with a few. The college perimeter fence, this has been pulled down by hoodlums who are hell bent on rendering the college unsecured. Damage is done to the fence at not less than five (5) different locations. This has resulted in theft, vandalism of electrical cables and fittings in lecture halls and Students’ Union Government’s apartment. They have also removed essential parts of two motorised boreholes. These make learning very un-conducive. To worsen the situation, your college has been taken to court of law over the perimeter fence issue. The staff and students are kept in suspense. Another challenge is accreditation; accreditation of our NCE programmes by the National Commission for colleges of education (NCCE) is a routine quality assurance technique and is long overdue. The last time it was conducted in as in 2010, where three (3) departments were denied ac-

creditation; fifteen (15) has interim accreditation and only eight (8) had full accreditation. Our major feat now is that, at any moment, NCCE will come for accreditation. We are however, grossly understaffed, both academic and non-academic personnel. We are seeking for the governor’s permission to employ more hands to enable us meet accreditation requirements expected soon. We mounted the special education and rehabilitation Science Department on the governor’s directive in the 2016/2017 session. We are the only institution in the state offering this programme. The students are now on the verge of passing out but the Department is yet to be accredited. We have made a request for procurement of equipment and teaching aids which we have been waiting patiently for the governor’s kind approval. Administrative Block has also been our challenge, since the inferno that razed down the administrative Block on the 19th January 2019; we are temporarily housed by the school of sciences. We very much appreciate the Governor for delegating a high powered

“

In line with the Governor’s love for agriculture and cottage industries, I picked it up and completed it. It is hoped that the Gari and Maize industry will not only help the farmers in processing their products

team who came, saw and reported back to him of the ugly incident. We know his concern for educational development. We are much aware of his tight schedules, anti-grazing hurdles, political campaigns, elections and lots more. God having granted him victory at the polls for second term, he will graciously construct us ultra modern administrative block. Another challenge has been low student intake, the college is now experiencing low students in-take. Our carrying capacity is 4,500 per session. This is drastically decreasing. Last academic session, we admitted 1,414 students and this year 2018/2019, Jamb has admitted 54 students only. This stemmed from: (a) proliferation of college of education; (b) affiliation to our college; (c) issuance of certificate of college of education, Katsinaala after graduation and, (d) above all, their relative low school fees compared to ours. The College Management intends to review the affiliated MoU fees; stoppage of issuance of our certificate to unaffordable colleges; and if the governor uses his executive powers to bring the current fees downwards that can be affordable to peasant farmers. What is your message to the government? First of all, want to express my heartfelt appreciation to his Excellency, who has chosen me, the least privileged like King David and decided I should steer the affairs of this great institution. I implore you to please help me appreciate our amiable Visitor, who also commissioned two projects in the college during his August visit. We owe it a duty to appreciate the Federal Government of Nigeria for creating an enabling environment for the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Tetfund) to operate which has been of immense benefit to the educational industry in the country at large and the college in particular. What is your advice to the staff and students of the college? Firstly, my advice to the students is to shun vices such as, examination malpractice, cultism, drug abuse, homosexualism, alcoholism, among others. Any student caught in any of these will be duly punished. To the staff, I urge them to maintain that spirit of oneness so that the college can be taken to its greater heights.

Sunday 31 March 2019

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SundayInterview

Ninth Senate: APC won’t repeat mistakes of 2015 - Lawan Senate Majority Leader in the current Eighth Senate, Ahmed Lawan, is the preferred candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for office of the Senate President in the incoming Ninth Assembly. In this interview with select journalists in Abuja, the ranking lawmaker, who was flanked by other senators-elect, speaks on his aspiration to become the nation’s Number Three citizen in the Ninth Senate. OWEDE AGBAJILEKE was there. Excerpts:

What informed your decision to contest for the office of Senate President? fter the general election the Presidential and National Assembly elections this year, by the grace of God, we emerged as winners having been returned as elected. We thank God the All Progressives Congress (APC) remains the majority party in the Senate and indeed in the House of Representatives today for 2019-2023 session. In fact, we have even achieved a better feat than 2015, having gotten 65 and hope to get even more. So, just like in 2015 when we sought to lead the Senate and the National Assembly, this time around, having consulted very widely with my colleagues, and talking to many of our colleagues from both APC and other political parties, we have come to the conclusion that we have something to offer in leadership to lead the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the National Assembly in the Ninth session of the Assembly by the grace of God. We are not under any illusion that this requires a lot in terms of the significant work that we have to do to make Nigeria better through legislative intervention and working in concert with other arms of the National Assembly. By the grace of God, we are going to make very positive difference in governance in Nigeria because we believe that Nigerians voted for positive change. They have renewed their commitment this year and that goes to tell us that they have faith in the President and us the legislators. In 2015 we witnessed what happened when your party was unable to put its house in order, leading to the emergence of candidates not endorsed by the party. Is that scenario not going to play itself out this time around? Let me start with the senators-elect you see here. Certainly, this is just a representative of what number we have. And we are not talking about numbers alone. It is not the time yet for that kind of conversation. What we are doing at the moment is to reach out to our colleagues senators-elect, talk with them, tell them our mission and why we are contending to take the leadership of the Senate and the National Assembly. We also need to tell them why we need to make the Legislature in Nigeria, particularly the National Assembly more productive, focused and the need for all of us to work together. APC senators in this respect are so critical because that is our focus. But we will also reach out to other senators-elect from other political parties. So, this is a representation. This is not the number of senators that are supporting this cause. This is just introducing ourselves to you. But let me say that we are senators who believe in party supremacy. We believe in the leadership of our party. But the leadership we are seeking is leadership of the Senate and the National Assembly. So, it is very critical and crucial that we talk to our colleagues, convince them that we are the right people to lead the Senate and the National Assembly. We take nobody for granted. We believe that the crop of senators elected this time will be such a crop that we can achieve much more in terms of uniting ourselves and focusing on the real issues of development, of making Nigeri-

believe that we should be proactive. Can we amend laws to make it difficult for people to embezzle in public office and even in the private sector? Why can’t we have special anti-corruption courts to support the fight against corruption in Nigeria? Because we need to fast track the legal processes to ensure that whoever is found guilty is prosecuted in a time that is reasonable. Also, why can’t we reform the educational sector? This is 21st Century. So that those who graduate from our institutions are able to contribute meaningfully whether they are in government employment or in the private sector. On the whole, we should be looking at law reforms also. Those laws that are obsolete - there are many of them. Those that require total overhaul or we come up with others to complement what we already have.

Ahmed Lawan

ans experience very rapid and sustainable changes and transformation. We are not in any way thinking that we will start having some crisis. We are not even praying that that happens but our party, the All Progressives Congress, must have learnt its lessons. Therefore, I am sure the leadership of the party will do something differently. I am sure our leaders will try to manage this huge success of APC. And I have no doubt that the party will find us very supportive of the programmes of our party and our administration under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari. If you become the Senate President, what should Nigerians expect from you in the Ninth Senate? Let me say that I believe in what my party does. This party campaigned on three issues in 2015: security, anti-corruption and revamping the economy. So, we have remained consistent as a political party and as an administration. Our main task - if and when we make it - is to ensure that we support the President, the party to implement our campaign promises. Let us start with the economy: we want an economy that will engender sustained, all inclusive growth. Our main constituency as a progressive party is the most ordinary people. That is not to say that those who are up there at the highest ladder of the economy are not with us. But majority of Nigerians who voted for APC are those very ordinary people in the villages and hamlets. It is therefore very critical and crucial for our administration to come up with sustained programmes that will make life better for this set of people. And also support those who build the economy; that is those in the private sector so that they are able to create and sustain jobs. On employment, we have worked so hard in the last three-and-half years as a government to ensure that there is employment. But we want to work harder to see that more Nigerians, especially the youth, get good jobs that will grow this economy, create wealth. We have social investment programmes. I want to see some reforms

in the social investment programme, to improve it and make it more profound in terms of effect and efficiency. Agriculture has been one area that our administration has been working hard on. And today, we are happy to say that Nigeria doesn’t even import rice; something that we were spending so much of our foreign reserves to import. What that means is that the billions of dollars that we were spending to import rice, are now within this country. People know that in so many states from Kebbi, Ebonyi, so much rice today is produced, processed and sold within Nigeria. That is wealth creation in addition to job creation. Even though we have some challenges in that area; that is to say that we have to fight smuggling. We have some areas of concern in terms of security. We need to support the Executive arm of government to continue to address the security concerns. But we have achieved so much, knowing full well that by 2015 when this administration came into office, so many parts of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa were under the control of Boko Haram insurgents. And they infiltrated up to Abuja here including the Force Headquarters. We have achieved so much in that area but we want to see a situation where the security architecture of this country is reformed. In fact, some of you here will recall that I headed a Security Committee on the Review of the Security Architecture in Nigeria. And we presented our report which recommended reforms in our Armed Forces, Police. It is not only giving money to the security agencies, you need to have such a structure that when you put in money, it will be utilised in a very productive, prudent, efficient and effective manner. On the anti-corruption fight, it is our mission to ensure that the President and this administration continue to fight against corruption. I can tell you that most of the ills that we are suffering today in this country; they are because people have stolen public funds. So when you are able to contain the excesses in that regard, you could have resources deployed properly. But I also

What are your plans to carry all senators along to make sure that you achieve all the expectations you just mentioned? That is the secret of success for any legislative chamber to deliver meaningfully. We need to have a bipartisan chamber. We definitely will disagree from time to time because of party perspectives or something. But generally, because we are senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, when we legislate, we do so for the entire country. And therefore, we need to remain united and focused. I was in the opposition for 16 years from 1999 to 2015. Even as an opposition, we knew where we would oppose and cooperate with the government. Take for example, the security of the country. Could there be any legislator who would oppose any legislation that would enhance the performance of our Armed Forces or Police to provide security? The answer is no. Whether you are APC or PDP or YPP, we have the same people to serve. So, we will work to ensure that we achieve and attain that desired unity within the chamber. There will be equity and fairness in our affairs. I am sure that once we are able to unite around national interest, we will contribute meaningfully to governance. Have you reached out to other senators from your zone who are also vying for the same position? We will do what I have just said. We need the cooperation and support of everybody. I also believe that if we want to work with the Executive in such a manner that we can deliver good governance, first we need to achieve that unity amongst ourselves. Secondly, that we have a relationship with the Executive arm of government that is characterised by consultations, coordination, partnership amongst the two arms of government. I always say that the 1999 Constitution provides for separation of powers. It does not amount to independence of arms of government. It is specialisations or functions of the arms of government. The Executive cannot function without the Legislature. The Legislature too needs to work with the Executive in a cordial manner. But that does not take away that special function of oversight. By the way, who said we will never disagree with the Executive? By design, we are meant to disagree, hold different perspective from time to time on issues. But when we disagree, we should sit down and look at the issues and take a decision that is in national interest.

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Sunday 31 March 2019

Feature

High optimism as BDC operators look to brighter future on back of Travelex support

AGOMUO ZEBULON ith brightened faces and air of optimism, members of the Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) left the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja Tuesday, March 26, 2019, after receiving assurances of brighter days ahead. The assurances poured in from Travelex Nigeria, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU). Travelex Nigeria, organiser of the one-day sensitisation seminar for BDC proprietors in Nigeria, had given the local operators the assurance that it was not in any competition with them, but was out to bring them to speed with international best practices. From the regulatory authorities, the BDCs were reminded that CBN, EFCC and NFIU are just partners in progress and not antagonists, so long as the operators play by the rules. Specifically, the CBN had pledged to continue to support the operators through strengthening regulatory framework for their operations. In his keynote address, Godwin Emefiele, governor of the apex bank represented by Priscilla Eleje, director, Currency Operations, CBN, said that the BDC sector was vital and strategic in delivering good economic reforms and good governance in Nigeria, while assuring that the bank would continue its support to ensure exchange rate stability. According to the governor, the current policy of delivering forex through BDCs has largely achieved the apex bank’s reach of achieving a stable exchange rate in the long term. Emefiele further assured that, “The CBN would continue to strengthen the existing framework in encouraging modern technologies and systems to enable BDCs function in line with international best practices. On our part, the CBN would continue to support efforts such as this towards enhancing the capacity of the BDC sector in delivering more efficient services to the public.” In a paper, ‘Policies, Operational Guidelines and Compliance for BDC Operations in Nigeria’, delivered by Aisha Ahmed, deputy governor, Financial Systems Stability Directorate, CBN, represented by Mustapha Haruna, head, BDC in CBN, she emphasised that, “generally, a BDC or Forex Bureau is an entity that provides a platform for customers to exchange one currency for another. The BDC charges a commission for the service.” According to her, “A BDC shall be construed as any company that is licensed to carry on small scale foreign exchange business in Nigeria and whose sole object is the carrying on of such business on a stand-alone basis - (S. 1.4 Revised BDC Guidelines)”. Ahmed noted that the BDC sub-sector is a critical segment of the foreign exchange market which has served as veritable tool for contemporary exchange rate management in Nigeria. She said that the “CBN will continue to play its statutory and interventionist role to promote the orderly growth, development and sustainability of the sector through effective regulation, supervision and robust enforcement of compliance with applicable extant laws and regulations.” She also reminded the BDC operators that “In line with its zero-tolerance policy, the CBN will continue to impose appropriate sanctions against regulatory breaches including the revocation of the licenses of errant BDCs.” Earlier,‎ Anthony Enwereji, general manager, Travelex Nigeria,‎ said the seminar was part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) designed to contribute to the general reforms in Nigeria’s financial system. He lauded the efforts of the apex bank in ensuring stability in the nation’s foreign exchange market, while also expressing belief that the CBN’s policies would benefit Nigerians if BDCs are carried along because of their direct contact with the public as end users. Enwereji further noted that, “The BDC is the first contact international travellers have with the country’s financial system. Therefore, the Nige-

L-R: Ayo Teriba, CEO, Economic Associates; Anthony Enwereji, general manager, Travelex Nigeria; Pricilla Eneje, director, Currency Operations, CBN, and Aminu Gwadabe, president, Association of Bureau De Change Operations of Nigeria (ABCON), at the event.

L-R: Benjamin Ndego, senior compliance and risk manager, Africa, Travelex; Patrick Matangira, head, finance and planning, Africa, Travelex, and Pricilla Eleje

rian BDC sector must be in a hurry to embrace best global best practices that deploy the latest technology in its service delivery.” Aminu Gwadabe, ABCON president, expressed gratitude to Travelex for the interface, saying that Travelex and his group will be looking at the possibility of ABCON riding on the Travelex high-tech for BDCs to become direct agents of International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs). He told his members that ABCON would leverage the robust relationship with Travelex to access over $20 billion annual Diaspora remittances into Nigeria. He said the digitisation of the BDCs operations through the launch of ABCON Live Run Automation Portal, which has the backing of the CBN, showed the BDCs’ readiness and commitment to full digitisation of their operations to provide seamless services to forex end-users and become direct agents of IMTOs. According to Gwadabe, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) captures only 6 percent of the Diaspora remittances and the rest goes under the counter without any trace. He said riding on the Travelex high-tech would enable the BDCs address the reoccurring complaints of poor infrastructure, which had kept the operators away from accessing the Diaspora remittances for years. Speaking on ‘ABCON’s Plans and Proposals for Strengthening and Improving the BDC Sector in the Future’, Gwadabe said the BDC operators were obligated by law to render daily, monthly and annual returns to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). According to him, DTR 315 tells BDCs’ opening balance, amount purchased in forex, the equivalent in naira and the rate of purchase, amount sold in forex, the equivalent in naira and the selling rate as well as the closing balance. Any organisation seeking a license for the operation of BDC in Nigeria shall apply in writing to the CBN Governor and pay a minimum of N35 million share capital, among other requirements,

he said. The BDCs, he said, also send suspicious transaction report to the Financial Policy and Regulatory Department in CBN. “For the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU)/Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the BDCs are expected to report weekly on STR and CTR and if none, a nil report is sent on weekly basis. BDC are expected to open accounts with the NFIU at www.goaml.nfiu.gov.ng. We also render audited accounts to Federal Inland Revenue Service,” he said. Besides, BDCs also access Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) portal for verification and Validation of clients Bank Verification Number. In his lead paper, ‘Strengthening Nigeria’s Foreign Exchange Policy’, Ayo Teriba, CEO Economic Associates, decried Nigeria’s missed opportunities in attracting huge foreign exchange. He also noted that Nigeria lags its peers on this score. “Since we pulled out of recession, growth has been very sluggish. Government must target diasporean remittances to improve forex inflows while also preparing foreign investors to buy into equity in our joint venture oil assets so that we could make up for the huge loss in forex shortfall,” he said. According to him, “Our shortfall is more than $50 billion and we must do wholesale deals that close that short supply by strategising in diaspora remittances and foreign direct investment inflows.” He further said: “Foreign resource inflows into Nigeria have remained a one-track affair as exports account for the bulk of inflows into the country, while non-trade inflows are small and stagnant. Globalisation is a two-track affair: real globalisation involving trade flows (export and import of goods and services); and, financial globalisation involving capital flows (independent of trade). Non-trade inflows, such as Remittances and FDI inflows, into Nigeria have remained small and stagnant in the face of huge and growing opportunities presented by global liquidity

glut,” Teriba said. He noted that “By not taking the steps needed to unleash massive inflows of FDI and Diaspora funds as our peers are doing, the country is being needlessly exposed to liquidity shortages inflicted by trade deficits. Such liquidity shortages are to blame for recession, stagnation, negative per capita real GDP growth since 2015, devaluation, weak currency, rising unemployment and rising incidence of poverty. We must put an end to these setbacks by taking steps to embrace financial globalisation now.” The expert further noted that “A global commodity supply glut since mid-2014 has depressed global commodity prices and eroded Nigeria’s export earnings. The slump in export revenues inflicted a shortage of foreign exchange liquidity that meant businesses could not get enough foreign exchange to fund vital imports. This triggered a recession, and precipitated a devaluation, which in turn created inflationary pressures. Dim commodity price outlook implies continued pressures on foreign exchange liquidity, with concomitant growth and stability challenges for Nigeria.” Comparing Nigeria with some of her peers, that have since left her behind, Teriba said: “Leading emerging markets have recognised the role of the Diaspora as catalysts for financial globalisation, with governments issuing diaspora bonds to attract record levels of private-to-government remittances from non-resident citizens. Nigeria has been left out of this wave as remittances have remained a private-to-private affair. China and India each attracted only US$ 7 billion more than Nigeria in 2006, but each now attracts US$50 billion more than Nigeria. The Nigerian Government seemingly heeded calls to join this race by issuing its first ever diaspora bonds in early 2018. But it issued a paltry US$300 million, in a country that has recorded US$20 billion private-to-private remittances annually for the past decade. Nigeria must join the race for massive private-togovernment remittances from her non-resident citizens and narrow the gaps between her and China and India!” He pointed out that many of Nigeria’s peers recognise the benefits of financial globalisation and have implemented reforms to attract record inflows of Greenfield and Brownfield Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), typically by liberalising infrastructure, and privatising a growing share of government ownership in infrastructure assets. “With its Liberalisation, Privatisation, and Globalisation (LPG) policies since 1992, India exemplates this, but Saudi Arabia, with its National Transformation Plan (NTP) announced in 2016 and the 16-sector privatisation programme announced in 2017 is fast becoming another exemplar. Nigeria has been left out of this race as the government maintains its 100 percent ownership of key infrastructure, including rail transport, pipelines, power transmission, stadiums, government-owned universities and tertiary hospitals across the country. “Up to 1998, Nigeria had a larger stock of FDI than India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa or the United Arab Emirates, but they have since overtaken Nigeria, with India now having more than triple, and Saudi Arabia having more than double, Nigeria’s FDI stock. Nigeria must join the liquidity race and regain its place among peers,” he said. He believes that the only way for Nigeria to move back to the top of the FDI League table is to privatise-“Convert Corporate Assets to Financial Assets by partially privatising majority-owned or wholly-owned Government Enterprises to Unlock Brownfield FDI. Attracting Brownfield FDI is about proactively offering to sell part of state-owned assets corporate assets to foreign investors, like Saudi Arabia is currently doing, and liberalise- “Open new spaces for foreign investors to Unlock Greenfield FDI, like India is currently doing.” According to him, “Since the early eighties, Nigeria has struggled with growth because of domestic illiquidity, and struggled with exchange rate stability because of external illiquidity. Nigeria must ensure adequate internal and external liquidity to restore growth and stability, and the Continues on page 19

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BDSUNDAY 19

The Sunday magazine ‘As far as WAEC is concerned, there is nothing like special examination centre’ Olu Adenipekun, head of National Office, WAEC Nigeria, in an interview with KELECHI EWUZIE gives insight into conditions secondary schools must meet before getting accreditation to serve as WAEC centres. Excerpts:

hat is your take on the so-called special centres for examination? I will like to say that there are schools that are recognised by the state government because they have fulfilled all the conditions. Such schools will be presented to WAEC as ready to present students for examination. On our part, WAEC will go to such schools for inspection before they can be recognised by the council. On the other, we have some schools that are not recognised by the state government and WAEC has nothing to do with such schools. There are some schools that are recognised by the state government, WAEC has inspected the schools, but some of them have not met the standard required of them to be able to present candidates to write WAEC examinations. In the event that some schools do not meet the requirement, WAEC will draw the attention of such schools to the state government. We direct them on what they should do in the areas of providing security; providing examination hall; to improve in the quality and quantity of teachers that they have. For the schools that have been recognised by both the state government and WAEC, they are then qualified to present their students as candidates for the examination. We have no special centre as far as WAEC is concerned. All schools that meet the requirements to be called a centre for WAEC examination, we just go there and conduct our examinations. There is nothing special with such schools. If you have a school that is not recognised

by the state government and not definitely recognised by WAEC, putting up posters to call them special, that is left for them. I am sure there is an arm of the ministry of education that will attend to that. As far as WAEC is concerned, there is nothing like special centre. What are the requirements for a private school to qualify to present candidate for WAEC For any school to be recognised by the council to present their students to WAEC as candidates there are lots of requirements they must fulfill. Such school must have structure, students, and teachers. These three things must

be met. Once these three things are met, such school will approach the state government through the state ministry of education who will now take the necessary steps to inspect the school to be sure that they have met all the things they need to meet as far as the physical facilities are concerned. The ministry must state that they have met all they need to meet as far as teachers requirement are concerned and that they have met the requirement as far as number of students in the school are concern. When they have completed this, we can be talking about other things like the reagents, the laboratories, the examination halls, the perimeter fencing, the signpost an-

nouncing the existence of that school in that location. All these must be provided. Once these ones are met, the state ministry of education will now approach WAEC to tell the council that the school has been recognised by the state, then subject to the approval of WAEC, they can present students as candidates for WAEC examination in the year of the examination. It is only when all these are done, that WAEC can go to the school to conduct examinations. Some schools struggle to meet the stringent requirements while others resort to short-cut. What is WAEC position of this action? If any school engages in short cut practices, this will only amount to self-deceit. As far as WAEC is concerned, we can decide to come for inspection to school without notice to inspect the laboratories and other equipment. When we come for inspection, we equally interact with students. The aim is to ascertain that the students themselves can identify certain laboratory equipment and be sure that they have actually been using them. This approach is to make sure that the students are not just being prepared for examination, but to also prepare them as leaders in Nigeria as far as Mathematics and Technical Sciences are concerned. We are doing all these to ensure that students are better prepared as engineers, scientists, medical doctors of tomorrow by exposing them to laboratory and activities required in such environment. It is important to note that these inspections are carried out to make sure that students are not just prepared for examination practical alone, but rather to prepare them for tomorrow’s challenges.

High optimism as BDC operators... Continued from page 18 sequencing is very important: External liquidity is required for Stability; Stability is required

for Domestic Liquidity, and Domestic Liquidity is required for Growth. Unlock Liquidity to Restore Growth and Stability.” He lamented that “Over the years, Nigeria’s peers have learnt to grow the economy, deepen domestic liquidity, stabilise exchange rate, and deepen external liquidity.” He insists that “Nigeria must learn from peers.” Ibrahim Magu, Ag. Chairman of EFCC, in his presentation on ‘Anti-corruption and antimoney laundering laws and regulations as they concern BDCs in Nigeria’, made on his behalf by Chidi Chukwuka, said that “Corruption is an illegal activity and as such, proceeds deriving from corruption can be laundered. It goes without saying that Money Laundering and Corruption are interrelated in the sense that every corrupt government official will conceal the origin of the proceeds of his corrupt activity. The prevalence of corruption in Nigeria created the need for more drastic steps to be taken in dealing with the menace.” Magu, who reminded the operators of the basic operational tenets of doing business in Nigeria as enshrined in Sections (7) and (8) of CBN’s guideline on BDC, urged them to always stay within that boundary, as anything to the contrary will always attract a frown from the Commission. He reminded the operators that the EFCC remains a partner in progress that must not be

seen as an antagonist, emphasising that if the operators imbibe the compliance culture, they would have no reason to dread any government agency. Compliance, he insists, is key. “While we remain committed in the ongoing war against corruption and money laundering in Nigeria we continue to solicit for your cooperation by ensuring that your respective institutions operate within the ambit of Nigerian legislation,” he said. Modibbo Haman Tukur, director, Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), represented by Haliru Ibrahim, in his presentation on ‘Proposals for future tracking of illicit financial flows’, said: “Illicit financial flows (IFFs) may be defined as illegal movements of funds or capital from one country to another. These movements are classified as illicit flows when the funds are illegally earned, transferred, and/ or utilised. It generally refers to cross-border movement of funds associated with illegal activity or more explicitly, money that is illegally earned, transferred or used that crosses borders.” According to him, “These funds may have arisen from Illegal or corrupt practices such as corruption, drug trafficking, embezzlement of public funds, tax evasion, bribery, trafficking in persons, fraud, smuggling or counterfeiting.” Tukur noted that “Every year huge sums of money are transferred out of developing countries like Nigeria, illegally. While such practices occur in all countries and are damaging everywhere – the social and economic impact on developing countries like Nigeria is more severe given their smaller resource base and markets. Estimates vary greatly and are heavily

debated, but there is a general consensus that illicit financial flows likely exceed aid flows and investments in volume.” He listed the negative impacts of illicit financial flows (IFFs) to include reduction in domestic expenditure and investment, both public and private; which means fewer hospitals and schools, fewer police officers on the street, fewer roads and bridges; unemployment due to capital flight; distortion of the financial sector; scarce foreign exchange, and financial crimes; tax evasion, corruption, bribery and embezzlement of public funds.” On measures to track illicit financial flows, he said there’s the need to strengthen AntiMoney laundering regime; which may include strengthening implementation of KYC/CDD/ EDD procedures; filing of STRs to the NFIU; filing of appropriate regulatory returns to the NFIU; ensuring effective supervision and regulation for BDCs; effective sanction regime; compliance with regulatory requirements; exchange of information; enforcing greater transparency of beneficial ownership, among others. He noted that “Ultimately, the fight against illicit flows from developing countries, like Nigeria, must focus on building responsive, effective institutions which deliver services to their citizens. This will encourage citizens and companies to engage in legal activities, report their earnings and pay their taxes and dues in accordance with national laws.” Patrick Matangira, head of finance and planning, Africa, Travelex, in his paper on ‘International best practices for BDCs’ noted that the BDC sector of the Nigerian economy

has made a good progress over the years, but there’s still more room for greater progress. Comparing the BDC industry in Nigeria with those of South Africa and Zambia, Matangira said Nigeria is not doing well, but must improve on the use of information technology (IT), which he emphasised would enhance efficiency. He said for Nigeria BDC industry to continue to meet customers and the regulators’ changing needs it has to constantly operate within the ambit of compliance as according to him, “non-compliance is costly and ruins reputations.” Although there are many challenges to BDC industry in Nigeria, which he listed to include “lack of stock, low margins, limited products/services, inability to acquire USD for electronic settlement, increasing compliance and automation costs, unable to expand network, too many players, and parallel market activity”, Matangira believes operators can work around such limitations by employing good ideas. He reminded operators that they “need systems and IT to stay in business and grow; compliance/regulatory requirements will become more and more demanding; good systems provide improved reporting, governance and the confidence the regulator needs to approve new products and services; new disruptive technologies have the potential to lead the market and can threaten today’s business model; you need reliable infrastructure to manage and operate systems/IT; IT and change come at a cost challenging existing BDC business model.”

20 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 31 March 2019

Feature

PIND’s technological drive in fish smoking in Niger Delta YOMI AYELESO, Akure

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he majority of people in the Niger Delta area of the country are farmers. They practise farming for both family consumption and commercial purposes. Being in the riverine area, fish farming is predominantly the major aspect of farming they are into. These people, mostly women, involve in this type of farming to earn their living and pay for their children educational. Before the final output of the fish for commercial scale, a number of demanding processes might have been undergone, among which is fish smoking through oven. This locally made oven takes a lot of time to smoke fish and it is expensive to use. Looking at these women in the local areas, the amount of money spent on firewood is on the high side, thereby constituting a huge challenge in the business. Also, the level of smoke coming out from the oven is dangerous to health. Disturbed by these and many other problems encountered by women in the business, the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), a nonprofit organisation, comes to aid in the area of fish smoking. As part of its mandate in building partnership and equitable development in the Niger Delta, PIND Foundation introduced technology-driven Chorkor Oven and Smoking Kiln in fish processing for women in the riverine communities. This, the foundation said would enhance efficiency, productivity and impacts. A visit by BDSUNDAY to Awoye, a riverine community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State confirmed the usage of this new method of fish smoking by the farmers as provided by PIND Foundation. Our correspondent travelled for an hour on water ways from Ugbo land to Awoye community in the local government area. Speaking on the usage, a farmer in the community, Ajosanmi Ebinuyi commended PIND for the new initiative, adding that her business of fish smoking had improved with the new innovation. Ebinuyi, 48, and a mother of two, explained that she spent as much as thirty thousand naira (N30,000) on firewood using the former oven. According to her, the new innovation in fish smoking has brought more economic viability to the business. “I have been in the business of fish smoking for 10 years and I can say that this new oven has brought more life into this our business. As you know, this is the only business we do here in the riverine communities.

Accessing fund is a vital issue in those things women do and what we have done is to help women increase their awareness on how to access fund

A farmer using the smoking kiln “Unlike before that it used to take over an hour to smoke fish, we don’t use even up to 20 minutes to smoke fish. Besides, Chorkor oven and smoking kiln is affordable in terms of the money spent in procuring firewood. Before now, we used like N30,000 worth firewood but now hardly we use up to N10,000 worth. “Don’t forget this is more convenient and spacious which can take far more fish at a time than what we use in the past. In all, this new method is efficient and economically advantageous,” she said. Conducting our correspondent round the processes in her kitchen, she noted that smoke always gave them hectic time using the former oven, adding “we can’t stay here in the kitchen when we have fish on the oven because everywhere will be

The smoking kiln

covered with smoke, which you know is dangerous to health, but we can’t leave here; we still have to look after the fish in spite of the disturbing smoke.” Another farmer in the fish smoking business, Omowumi Omoyele revealed that she has been using the new oven in the last two years which she said has contributed in no small measure to her fish business. She said that the Chorkor and smoking kiln could take four times more of fish compared to the former oven. The 26-year old Omoyele said: “This new oven does not waste much of firewood compared to the one I used to use. It is faster and it takes just 6 minutes to smoke fish. They urged government and other stakeholders to support them with enough capital to-

wards advancing their fish smoking business. Speaking on the new development, Bose Eitokpah, PIND Capacity Building Program manager, said the foundation was poised to empower women in the Niger Delta to have a positive mind-set irrespective of problems faced. Eitokpah, who spoke in Akure, the Ondo State capital, during an event marking this year’s International Women’s Day, noted that women were potent factor in driving change in the society, saying women must be introduced to technology in agriculture that would enhance their efficiency and productivity. “To innovate for change means understanding inconveniences, learn from successes and failures, process and act on lessons that call for improve-

ment and work to convert such strengths.” She recounted that “we saw this happen in the case of the introduction of Chorkor oven, where centrally located models of the oven did not work for women in the riverine communities, who would rather own and operate individual fish processing ovens within the households. We learnt our lesson, understood the challenges and converted the knowledge into promoting individually owned Chorkor oven. Now, over 150 Chorkor ovens are in use in the riverine communities of the Niger Delta. We are concern with women in the Niger Delta because the majority of them are into fish smoking. “Accessing fund is a vital issue in those things women do and what we have done is to help women increase their awareness on how to access fund. We are also looking at how they can add value to their agricultural produce. On his part, the Chairman of Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), Gbenga Edema, alongside other state government representatives, lauded PIND for the Chorkor oven and smoking kiln. Edema said the special interventions of PIND in the five agricultural value chains, aquaculture, cassava, cocoa, palm oil and poultry have yielded much impact on employment, profitability and peace in the state. He assured that the state government would continue to partner the organisation for more sustainable development across the 18 local government areas of the state, especially the Niger Delta councils.

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GANVIE: Livelihood on Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest lake village

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Sunday 31 March 2019

Arts It’s Diffusion at Temple Muse …as two young artists set to interpret theme with works

OBINNA EMELIKE nce again, there is a reason to visit Temple Muse. The lifestyle concept store located in Amodu Tijani Close, Victoria Island, Lagos, is opening its doors to art lovers, collectors and the general public to its first exhibition of the year. Themed,’ Diffusion’, it is an exhibition of paintings and mixed media works by Promise Onali and Chibuike Uzoma; two young and ambitious visual artists who are keen on doing things boldly and differently. The exhibition, which is curated by SMO Contemporary Art, consists of 45 works and opens on March 30, 2019 in Lagos. As expected, Diffusion takes a critical look at the evolution of consciousness and how our individual and communal identity is affected by history and socio-cultural evolution. Both artists are from Nigeria and explore these fundamental questions from different ends of the artistic spectrum, employing diverse painting techniques and use of materials. Uzoma and Onali question our collective journey of emotional, spiritual and physical diffusion through time and space. Onali’s remarkable linear style and experimentation with wood, paper, fiber, metal, wire, fabrics, polystyrene and paint on canvas are a striking counterpoint to Uzoma’s deft, almost irreverent slashes and splashes of color creating abstract scenes and portraits heavy with sub-text reflecting complex emotional mindscapes. Promise Onali (born 1982) studied fine art at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he graduated

Artists, Chibuike Uzoma and Promise Onali

with a degree in painting in 2007. His use of diverse media to explore scientific questions such as the origin of evolution is grounded in strong linearity and embryonic metaphors. Onali’s fascination with the expansion of individual and collective consciousness is evident in the subtle layers of his mixed media works. Chibuike Uzoma (born 1992), a multidisciplinary artist, adept at painting, photography, drawing, and text, graduated from the University of Benin in 2013 with a major in painting, and is heading to Yale University for a Masters of Fine Arts degree later this year. Uzoma references contemporary politics in Africa and the Diaspora and questions popular culture against the backdrop of global conflict. By asking “maybe we know nothing?” Uzoma creates visual poetry which reflects our universal struggle with identity in a fast changing universe. “I try to make images that express the basic and necessary elements of human experience: freedom, love, joy, pos-

sibility, hope, and even tragedy,” Uzoma explained during a media briefing at Temple Muse recently. In his artist statement, Onali noted that his capacity rests in part, on his signature style, which manifests as embryos, cells, skins and tissues in his artworks. “I use mixed-media to explore the concept of neo-evolution and how it affects socio-political, cultural, economic and social relationships”, he explained. His creative dexterity is hinged on a combination of paper, fibre, wood, metal, wire, fabrics, polystyrene and a careful expressive rendition of colours. As well, his technique is an ambiguous interplay of colours, fabrics, wire gauze, wood and a host of other unconventional materials, which tell the stories of the human experience, using Africa’s consciousness evolution as a point of departure. Speaking on his works for the exhibition, Onali said, “As Nigeria passes through a drastic phase of economic and socio-political turmoil, my recent works interrogate how

Code of Dharma by Promise Onali, acrylic on canvas, 5ft x 5 ft, 2019

this new wind of change has affected the community in ways like emotions, passion, empathy, spirituality as well as other aspects of modern interpersonal relationships. These recent mixed media works, pull the observer into a world of lineal complexity comprised of careful rendition of lines and swirls that evoke a certain sense of ambiguity”. “Diffusion comes against a backdrop of contemporary social consciousness and how it connects to history as certainty lived out” commented art critic, Prof. Frank Ugiomoh, Professor of Art History and Theory, formerly at the University of Port-Harcourt. “What is evident in the body of work here is the overwhelming import of the place of con-

sciousness, and the cerebral aspects of the human family symbolised in thought processes,” he explained. “Uzoma and Onali’s friendship and professional appreciation of each others’ different approaches to art is quite rare and refreshing”, Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, the exhibition curator, said. “Onali’s exact, clinically scientific approach to painting and his commitment to the environment and scientific discovery is a wonderful contrast to Uzoma’s fluid, impulsive and exuberant style, which stems from an intellectual curiosity influenced by thought leaders like Franz Fanon and Chinua Achebe.” Diffusion runs from March 30 to May 17, 2019 and is supported by Veuve Clicquot.

Art meets music, at AAF’s maker lab exhibition

t was a tiger uncage expression of arts, music and fashion as Tiger Beer hosted the 2019 edition of African Artists Foundation (AAF) Maker Lab Exhibition in Lagos on March 16, 2019. Borne out of a growing desire to provide a platform where alternative and creative artists can showcase their talents, network and celebrate the dynamism of the African sound, the Maker Lab exhibition is a signature event that has been pivotal in starting and supporting the careers of several young artists since its inception. Themed “Yanga”, the exhibition celebrates and promotes young talented visual artists, by allowing them to display their craft, interact with other talents and build a fanbase for their art. One would even be right to

call it a career springboard for emerging artists as the Maker Lab exhibition on Saturday showcased exhibitors like visual artist Ruby Okoro, documentary photographer, Neec Nonso, emerging singer and music producer, Yinka Bernie, and hyper-realistic painter, Amobi Abeeb Akin. Ruby Okoro who is a visual artist born in Nigeria expresses his emotions and the subconscious through conceptual and vibrant photography which is intrinsic to his practice. He often shoots on the move, taking portraits in transit while documenting projections. Ruby firmly believes in minimalism and portrays this conviction in his work. Documentary photographer, Neec Nonso captures everyday life and its nuances. Working predominantly in digital format, he travels extensively around

Nigeria to capture the country’s beauty and diversity, in a bid to challenge stereotypical narratives about Nigeria and the continent at large. Yinka Bernie, who is an emerging singer and music producer, explores sound as a tool of social engagement using a sound co-

coon, while Amobi Abeeb Akin who is a hyper-realistic painter created a wall installation, using white chalk on a black wall. Speaking on the success of the event, Chinwe Greg-Egu, Brand Manager, International brands, Nigerian Breweries Plc, said, “We are truly excited to sponsor

this year’s Maker Lab exhibition, themed “Yanga”. It’s a great time in the art industry as creatives are steadily challenging societal norms, transforming fashion and truly being appreciated on a large scale. “As a brand, we remain steadfast in our commitment to provide a creative center where variants of art can truly be expressed, provide professional and non-professional artists and youths a place to celebrate their own talent and artistry.” Tiger Beer was launched in Nigeria back in April 2018 and has already made giant strides in the Nigerian beer market. Its unveiling was part of a captivating initiative which saw Nigerian celebrities face and conquer their fears, as the brand sought to communicate its unique brand messaging “Uncage”.

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Arts Patty Chidiac Mastrogiannis gives all to the arts OBINNA EMELIKE

f you drive or walk along Akin Olugbade Street in Victoria Island, Lagos, you may not take note of number 282 on that street, yet it houses treasures worth beholding and acquiring. From a homestore, art café, gallery and studio, Alexis Gallery is worth visiting anytime you are in Victoria Island. The outfit, which started in 2011 with a small shop, has grown into a one-stop-shop outfit for lovers of beautiful home pieces, quality unwinding, artwork, and recently artists on art residency. However, credit goes to Patty Chidiac Mastrogiannis who against all odds grew the business from nothing to an enviable gallery it is today. Patty, who is the founder/ director of Alexis Gallery, is unarguably an art entrepreneur per excellence and most importantly, a woman who gives all to the arts. Explaining how the gallery, which she described as a small place with a big heart, started, she says, “Alexis Gallery started in 2011. It started like a joke. It was a small gallery, but very effective. We always had more than eight exhibitions in a year. We are not well talked about or very well seen because we are hidden. But at the same time, we want to be hidden because we want to be able to deal on one-on-one bases with the artists or with the customers”. Moreover, Patty, a wife and mother, is so passionate about arts that she dedicated her gallery space, and studio to the development of budding Nigerian visual artists. Yet, she goes the extra mile

Patty with guests during an exhibition

to donate part of the proceeds from her art business to charity. She has enough to show for the eight years she has been in the business of art. Since opening Alexis Gallery on October 1, 2011, Patty has hosted between 40-50 exhibitions by Nigerian and West African artists. Of course, she often donates her studio and gallery space to the promotion of budding artists. At the moment, she is promoting about 13 Nigerian artists and pushing their works to art lovers and collectors across the country and worldwide. Reviewing the eight years in the business, she remembers her most incredible exhibition with nostalgia. “It is always your first love. It is my first exhibition and opening in October 1, 2011 tagged ‘Meet the Artists’, with all my artists including; Ibe Ananaba, Yemike, Uche

Patty with Down Syndrome inmates

Edochie and a lot of artists who had one work each. It was fun and we had in attendance about 400 people who were going in and out and the place was bubbling”. For her, that exhibition was the best because it was the opening of Alexis Gallery. But since then, she has had excellent sellout and wellattended exhibitions. In 2018, she added artists’ residency to her already burgeoning profile and plethora of exhibitions. The maiden edition of the one-month artist-in-residence programme at the Gallery II, which doubles as a studio for the artists, hosted six artists selected across generational gaps, from emerging to established artists, to build a sustainable relationship that will inspire innovative thinking. At the end, the artists, which included; Oluwole Omofemi (painter from

Ib a d a n) , S a m u e l Te t e Katchan (sculptor/painter from Ghana), Sunday Effiong Isaac (metal sculptor), Olorunyemi Kolapo Obadiah (painter from Abuja), Oyelusi Olusunkanmi (painter) and Dr. John Oyedemi (painter), were happy to encounter Patty and impacted by her generosity. Explaining her passion for the arts and commitment to grow the arts, she says, “I am passionate about arts. I have always been an art collector from that time I decided to open this place. I am a philanthropist, I like to help people. I am a giver too. So, helping artists to go up is a passion of mine. Since I like to collect, I opened this place and I started helping people that I

Patty Chidiac Mastrogiannis

thought needed my help, this is how the art came to be. I get even more excited when the artists soar, then I know that I was able to contribute to that success”. On a visit to the gallery, you will marvel at the quality and volume of artworks. “A lot of artists come to me; especially the young ones and I look for them as well. They reach out to me on Facebook, Instagram among other platforms and I look for a lot of them as well. But I am not into poaching artists from other galleries because I literally started signing on artists, and when artists are signed on, it is good for them, and I do not poach them”. Instead of poaching the artists, she encourages them

to aim higher, further develop their creative ingenuity and excel at global stage. One of such artists, who she says is her best so far since opening shop, is Domnic Zinkpe, a Beninese. “One artist that has really touched my heart and has really grown and I am so proud of mentioning all the time is Dominic Zimpe, a Beninese. He started giving me works here and we started working in 2011 and today he is the King of Morocco’s favorite. He goes to Morocco at least four times in a year and he spends a month producing there for the king. He has grown to the extent that I supply his works to Bonhams”, she says. When she promotes artists, all she wants is, “When they become big, they come to me to stay, they recognize the fact that I was there. This is where I am a winner because I am able to negotiate their prices, able sell their works to collectors and I am able to be the person who was able to bring up that artist”. However, Patty’s philanthropy side is amazing. She has never stopped from giving to charity even during the Ebola crisis and economic recession. “Well I decided to associate my exhibitions with different NGOs and in January we covered cancer, in February we had the Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF) and in March, we did the Down syndrome because as you know, Nigerians are in denial of Down syndrome. The next will be for the blind. We have a whole list of charity to do”, she says. But the intrigue is that she has lived in Nigeria long enough to become a citizen, though Lebanese. “I have been in Nigeria for 43 years, I came on January 21, 1975 when I was nine years old, I grew up here, passed through Nigerian schools and was made to kneel in the sun and spread my arms for two to three hours. I wasn’t treated differently”. Patty, who is a giver and has also taught her daughter how to give, loves every single experience here in Nigeria and notes that, “Nigeria has been good to me for the past 43 years”. But she will not cease from giving because, “When someone buys a painting from me, part of the proceeds goes to charity and anybody can do that because 10 percent of the proceeds will not make you poorer”, she concludes.

24 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 31 March 2019

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BDSUNDAY 25

Travel

Ganvie: Livelihood on Africa’s largest lake village

A visit to Ganvie is a trail of remarkable history, appreciation of a people’s survival instincts, and originality of their architecture, writes OBINNA EMELIKE who visited this unique village entirely built on the waters of Lake Nakoue.

t is a sunny Thursday afternoon and the Calavi Jetty is a beehive of activity. From market women and hawkers with big trays balanced upon their heads and jam-packed with fishes, fruits and sundries for sale, to commuters dressed in bright print dresses, as well as colourfully designed wooden boats or pirogues whose riders care for nothing but their money, the jetty is bustling to say the least. Out of curiosity, I ask why the jetty is so busy. A man standing close to me on the jetty platform, who doubles as a tour guide, says the jetty is the gateway to Ganvie, the largest lake village in Africa. What catches my attention most is the confidence with which he says that the village in Lake Nokoué, near Cotonou in Benin Republic, is the adventure that awaits any tourist any time. Explaining further why Ganvie is an adventure, the tour guide says the lake is about 20 km (12 mi) wide, 11 km (6.8 mi) long, its covers an area of 4,900 ha (12,000 acres), and is partly fed by the Ouémé River and the Sô River, both of which deposit sediments from throughout the region in the lake. While still wondering on the thrills that could possible make the lake village a true adventure, the tour guide says Calavi jetty is the first or last taste of dry land for people going to and fro Ganvie. At that point, I feel that I have had enough of the land and need to see the length and breadth of Ganvie on water. We approach one of the boat riders, and try to negotiate the fare, but he insists on getting other passengers, collect the normal fare or we charter and pay handsomely for a tour. We settle for a 2h30-minute tour at CFA15,000 (about $25) per passenger. But averagely the fare is CFA3,000 per passenger on the commercial boat. The sight of other passengers jampacked in some commercial boats gives one reason to fear, despite the life jacket, as the boats slowly leave the jetty, increase their speed and disturb the tranquillity of the lake. While on the boat with a few passengers and the orange life vest on, my tour guide commences his trade, offering all details he knows about the village, especially the history and prowess of the founders. Ganvie, according to him, is a stilt village situated far out into and precariously above Lake Nokoué in Benin Republic. The village was first built in 16th century by the Tofinu people, as they tried to escape marauding Fon warriors, who kidnapped men and women for sale to European traders. But while the Tofinu people used the lake as a fortress about 500 years ago, today, it is home to over 30,000 people trying to escape the madness of metropolitan living, especially in Cotonou and Port Novo, the major cities in Benin Republic. As the boat sails further on the lake, the tour guide continues in his sermon, but the land keeps fading away, leaving you with a large body of endless lake water dotted

‘‘ with sailing and fishing boats. It is also amusing to see wooden boats of varying sizes passing in the opposite direction amid the many passengers that look squeezed on the boats. As well, fear grips one when a boat overtakes another with great speed, causing waves that almost capsize smaller boats, especially paddled fishing boats. Our boat rider could not hold his anger when one of such fast boats splashes the salty lake water on our boat, almost drenching us. I recall him saying something in French, which the tour operator interprets as “Reckless man, who is pursuing you?”

Aside the seeming boat race by the commercial operators, the sight of several fishing boats with occupants throwing their nets with age-long skills amuses too. Beyond the fishing boats, the lake also parades several nets laid by the locals to catch special fish species and crayfish. As you ride further, you will also appreciate the dexterity of the local fishermen who maintain great balance while standing in their narrow boats to cast nets into the waters. There were also fences on water made from dry leaves and stems as ambush for big fishes. Some of the fishing nets, hidden stumps of dead wood and relics of capsized boats

and even plastic wastes are among the dangers all the boat riders must avert in order to safeguard the boats’ blades, avoid capsizing and sail safely. It is also fun watching the boat riders manoeuvre green lilies or water hyacinth, which cover a good portion of the navigable waters of the lake. The skill is great because they need precision in order to save the boat engine’s fan blade from being entangled with the lilies and break eventually. About 15 minutes ride on the lake, sights of buildings start emerging. At that point I feel a little relieved because most of the faces I see on the many boats that overtake or approach us were gloomy and make me wondering what the issue is. The tour guide says it is normal as most of them do not want their pictures to be taken without their permission; hence they sit low on the boat and often frown to deny you permission to take photographs. On our arrival, there is no point alighting from the boat as we do not have a place to stay, rather we keep sailing and touring to discover the lake village; moreover, it is about water. The village is truly magical. It glows even on water and offers streets, avenues and square that only boats navigate. Though I have not visited Venice before, but with what I read about Venice, I think, Ganvie is Venice of Africa because the whole of the 30,000 inhabitants are hosted on stilt houses on the lake. Everything, from taking a walk, visiting friends, going to school, market and even sleeping, is on water.

As we continue our tour on boat, we see several stilt houses on the lake; some big, small, rickety, many full of humans, among others. Surprisingly, there were many modern ones amid the rickety ones. But the uniqueness of some of them tells they are of different use, while the signposts on some others say what they are. There are several shops, barbing salons, fashion outfits, many churches, a mosque, a beautifully designed hotel, day-care homes among other business concerns. But they all float on water. Again, some of the stilt houses offer verandas where children play, just by the edge of the lake. But there is no fear as all the inhabitants of the lake community are taught swimming at tender age. It amazes to see food vendors, majorly women, ferry their food on boat and sell to

homes and individuals on water. The sight is better experienced than told; it is awesome with nothing even a grain of rice being served falling into the lake. The precision and mastery of many skills for survival on water leave one appreciating the Tofinu people. We have to also spend to impact the village, so we ride to an ice cream vendor to buy too, and water on an adjoining street on the lake. But the intrigue is the farther you ride on the lake the more you see things that will amaze you. One of them is the school. It is huge and built on dry land amid the lake. Surprising! I shout on hearing that. The villagers filled the area, once full of water, with sand from Calavi to ensure their children have a conducive place to study. “Imagine the tons of sand,

the many boats involved, the time and sacrifice. I salute their communal effort,” the tour guide says. I see it the other way round. The lake community is seeing future from different eyes. While their forefathers used the lake as a hideout from slave hunters, and could not mix with the world, they want their children to step out of the lake through education and probably bring better development to their community in the nearest future. “The youths will leave the lake community if there are no incentives to living. We need them and have to keep them by bringing what they see on land to the lake,” Aboude, a community leader, says while cheering us and offering permission to take his picture from his boat. Another wonder is the borehole where fresh water is supplied to the lake community; while the lake water is not potable, beneath it is fresh water. When we ride across a street, a hotel catches our attention. It is one of the biggest edifices on the lake and we see guests enjoying at the open bar. I also see a few domesticated land animals and ask how they survive on water. The boat rider, who is a local, says the animals maintain live on plots

of grass that spring up from the water. He explains further that the lake community does not have a good supply of domesticated animals hence relies on a complicated network of underwater fencing to corral and farm various fish populations. Sadly and inevitably, people die. In Ganvie, the leaders are making effort to sand fill an additional portion on the water near the school for use as cemetery because Ganvie also buries her dead. The over-hours ride on the lake is a pleasurable experience, as well as, gives a glimpse of vibrant and colourful lives of the local people. At the end of the tour, the most unique souvenir to buy is fish; whether dry or fresh, it tells that you truly visited Ganvie and also impacted the local economy. Moreover, photographs taken during the tour of the village are good souvenirs as well, but should be used to convince friends to visit the lake village. Looking at the future, the village, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on October 31, 1996 in the Cultural category, hopes to receive double the number of tourists it hosts now by the time it is listed among World Heritage Sites.

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Sunday 31 March 2019

Travel

Respite for passengers as Aero commences flight to Yola at reduced fares

Stories By IFEOMA OKEKE

n a bid to respond to the yearnings to Nigerians who had difficulties getting a direct flight to Yola, Nigeria’s foremost airline, Aero Contractors has reduced airfare to Yola as it begins flight operations to the capital of Adamawa state. The airline, which is repositioning its scheduled and fixed wing operations as it increases aircraft in its fleet, marked its inaugural flight to Yola via Abuja on Tuesday with high load factor. The airline’s Boeing 737-500 aircraft touched down at the Yola International Airport at exactly 6:00 pm to a ceremonial water salute by the airport fire fighters and excited passengers who lauded the efficiency of the nation’s oldest carrier, known for its goodwill and safety record. The aircraft had departed Lagos to Yola enroute Abuja on the flight commanded by Imoleayo Adebunle, the airline’s chief pilot. The airline said its Yola flight departs Lagos 3:20 p.m daily, arrives Abuja 4:35 before departing for Yola at 5 pm and arriving at 6:10 according to the Lagos-Yola schedule. According to passengers who

travelled with the flight, the coming of Aero has deepened flight options to travellers desirous of seamless connectivity from Lagos or Abuja to the North Eastern state. To attract potential passengers who travel regularly on the route, the airline has also started with a promo fare of N18,500 from Yola to Abuja and N20,000 for Yola to Lagos which is a twohour flight. AbdulMalik Musa, Interim Station Manager for the airline, said the airline has decided to make it a night stop in Yola and early morning departure to enable business people meet their morning schedule in Abuja and Lagos.

He said it was a deliberate business strategy as Aero is the only airline out of the three other carriers operating to Yola doing night stop in Yola and morning departure. The station manager assured that the airline would continue to provide on-time and excellent inflight service on the route. “We are fully prepared for this service. As you can see the aircraft is on ground on schedule from Lagos down to Abuja. That is how we want to keep it. The schedule is morning departure. We commence boarding at 7 am and by 7:30, we are out of this place. “We decided to pick this time for

the numerous passengers in Yola because some of them are business people and working class people. They can be able to be in Abuja at 8:30 a.m to meet the office hours and their business schedule as well as in Lagos at 10:30 a.m and be able to come back if they wish,” Musa said. “There are four airlines operating into Yola including us. So the competition is there. We have to come into the market with a new strategy. So we decided to make it a night stop. We started with a promo fare of N18,500 to Abuja and N20,000 to Lagos. I’m sure no airline can beat that. It is an opening for the youths,” he added.

Delta celebrate one year nonstop flight from Lagos to New York-JFK

elta Air Lines made a successful first 12 months of flying between Lagos and New York-JFK. The nonstop flight started on March 26, 2018 and operates three times a week. Delta also flies nonstop between Lagos and Atlanta four times a week, meaning Nigerians have a daily connection to the United States. Over the past year, Delta’s Lagos-New York-JFK service has had an average load factor of 84 percent, welcomed almost 60,000 customers on-board and seen the most popular onward connections to Baltimore, Dallas, Chicago and Boston “Nigeria is an important market for Delta and offering the choice of flying to either New York or Atlanta enables us to better serve our customers. Flying nonstop to these hubs offers a wealth of connecting options across the United States and beyond,” Bobby Bryan, Delta’s Commercial Director East and West Africa said. “Delta has served Nigeria for 11 years and we’re proud to continue

Air Peace decorates two new captains, insists on high safety standards

being the only U.S. carrier flying between our nations.” Delta’s flights from New York and Atlanta are conveniently timed to depart at the end of the day enabling customers to maximise their time in the United States. The flights are operated using Delta’s Airbus A330 fleet with upgraded interiors, including flat-bed seats in the Delta One business class cabin. The airline also offers premium customers complimentary lounge access, plus the ability to choose their meal in advance of their flight. Throughout the aircraft, Delta serves regional cuisine and a variety of complimentary beverages. There’s also free in-flight entertainment including Nollywood movies, plus on-demand Wi-Fi connectivity through which customers have access to free mobile messaging via iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Delta is the largest carrier in both Atlanta and New York-JFK, with customers travelling on Delta’s services from Nigeria able to conveniently connect the same day to more than 200 destinations in the United States and beyond.

Emirates offers Nigerian travellers special offer including hotel stay

mirates is enhancing the travel experience of Nigerian travellers by offering complimentary hotel stay with the new special offer across its First, Business and Economy Class cabins, the offer also includes Skywards bonus miles. The special offer will commence March 26th till April 3rd 2019, while travel dates is scheduled for April 1st till June 30th 2019. Nigerian Travellers departing from Lagos to Dubai can avail a round-trip ticket for 8,963dollars on First Class, 3,229 dollars on Business Class, and 799dollars on Economy class; and for travellers departing from Abuja to Dubai the round-trip ticket is 8,963 dollars on First Class, 3,229 dollars on business Class, and 629 dollars on Economy class. Nigerian Economy Class travellers will enjoy one first night accommodation in a Rover Room at the Rove Downtown, Rove City Centre or Rove Healthcare City, including bed and breakfast, while First and Business Class travellers

will enjoy a first night accommodation at the 5 star JW Marriott Marquis, Dubai, including bed and breakfast. The First class travellers will enjoy an Executive room, while the Business class travellers will enjoy a Deluxe room. “Whether it is celebrating a special occasion, taking the family on a holiday, making that trip of a lifetime, or attending a reunion with family or friends, there is never a better time to turn those travel resolutions into travel plans, said, Afzal Parambil, regional manager West Africa. “Emirates is offering the chance to explore Dubai at great value, while ensuring that the journey itself is a great experience.” Emirates offers all its customer, across all classes an unmatched choice of the latest movies, TV shows and music on-board from 4,000 channels of on-demand entertainment, up to 20MB complimentary on-board Wi-Fi, as well as regionally-inspired meals prepared by award-winning chefs.

est Africa’s biggest carrier, Air Peace last week elevated two members of its flight crew to the rank of captain, urging them to sustain the high safety standards the carrier is reputed for. Speaking during the decoration of Oluwasegun Fatonade and William Devine as captains at Air Peace Corporate Headquarters in Lagos, Allen Onyema, the carrier’s chairman/ chief executive officer, said he was proud that they scaled the tough tests for donning the fourbar epaulette. The rigorous requirements the new captains were subjected to, he insisted, were necessary to ensure they were qualified for the high quality of the airline’s flight operations. He assured that Air Peace would continue to reward excellence as a pro-staff organisation and ensure that its workers were promoted without regard to ethnicity and favouritism. “I’m one of the happiest persons today. I take pride in seeing people grow. We are pro-staff. In our own little way, we try to ensure that staff enjoy their time here. Anyone can become anything they want to be here without discrimination. “I don’t meddle in matters involving selection and elevation of our flight crew. It is strictly on merit. For the flight crew training team to have adjudged the new captains worthy of flying for Air Peace, they really must be good. It says a lot about their quality. The tough tests they passed through before being selected for elevation as captains was necessary to ensure the sustenance of the high standards of our flight operations. “It’s not everyone that was tested that made it. I urge the new captains to continue to work hard to sustain the high quality of our flight operations. The position of a captain is one that comes with huge responsibility, but I have no doubt they will excel in their new roles,” Onyema said. For his part, Ndubisi Ekwempu, Air Peace head of training, who presented the new captains to Onyema for decoration, described them as hardworking and dedicated members of the flight crew. Their elevation to the left seat, he said, was well deserved. He, however, urged Captains Fatonade and Devine not to rest on their oars.

Sunday 31 March 2019

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Life&Living Why there’s no gender division in homemaking

Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson

omemaking is defined in the English dictionary as the creation and management of a home, especially as a pleasant place in which to live. So who says homemaking is the job of a woman? Culture, society and maybe religion has lead us to think for longest time that the role of a wife, mother or woman is to care for the home while the man should have no business in the making and management of the home. It is somewhere in our subconscious that a woman’s place is in the kitchen. Everything around us reminds us that it’s the woman’s duty to cook, clean and care for the home. Even cook books, home management magazines and housekeeping journals are published with pictures of women in apron’s or brooms of the cover page. The role of a man, as we were taught was to be the provider. Traditionally, a husband or man of the house was expected to make sure that he provides for the family to be cared for as the head of the home. Today, however, the world has evolved and traditional roles have been swapped in many households where the woman has become the provider and the man

cares for the home and children as the house husband. There goes the equality in humanity that women have always fought for. “Today’s mum is everything encompassed; she wears the cap of a home maker and also a working / career woman. It is very unfair to seclude a woman’s role to solely being a home maker, as a I know a lot of women today who provide for their families, raise their children and work hard in their

businesses or work place,” Tolu Oyebamiji, a female top management staff at a reputable company told BusinessDay. According to ‘Focus on the Family’, an online lifestyle magazine, homemaking happens when we fully understand the value of home in our lives. Homemaking happens when we intentionally make home a safe house, a trauma unit, a pep rally, a playground, a school and more. Somebody has

to have the time and energy to bring those roles alive in a family’s life. Somebody has to make a house a home. Homemaking is majoring in family relationships. Therefore, it is only right to say that homemaking is the duty of the whole family including both parents. Although there is a stigma in the society, most modern women find peace when they stop aiming toward what society expects

from them, and instead, simply act on what the desire for their lives. The internet is also making it easier to work and rear children at the same time, so working from home while caring for the children may also be an option for both men and women. A lot of Nigerian men say they cannot marry a woman who cannot cook, clean and care for the home and children, but what if reverse was the case? What if women say they can only marry men who can change baby diapers? “Of course all women will want their husbands to provide for the family which is traditionally his role but that doesn’t happen as often as we would want it to. The income of most Nigerian men is barely enough to cater for the family and that is why women also have to work to contribute to the upkeep of the family. Hence, roles should be shared, there is no one size fits all for all families,” Chidinma Obi, a business women told BDSunday. Choosing what is best for your unique circumstances, whatever society says; is the difficult but wiser path where this decision as to who is the homemaker and who is the provider or whether to be both is concerned. And sometimes it’s not just general society, but a friend, parent, boyfriend or spouse who is pressuring you in one direction or another.

How Baileys delight will bring African twist to drink, Liquor lifestyle IFEOMA OKEKE

ouldn’t it be nice to have a drink unique t o Af r i c a n t a s t e , probably with a splash of honey, a few African roots and spices or maybe even chilli. Something we can call our own, just like the British and Chinese are known for their different types of teas and the French are known for their wine. Africans, especially Nigerians have continued to crave for drinks that have variety of African mixtures and flavour that just make them feel at home. Although alcoholic beverages and social attitudes toward drinking vary around the world, nearly every civilization has independently discovered the processes of brewing beer, fermenting wine and distilling spirits that appeals to their own people and cultures. Africa is an amazing continent, and so are its drinks! It is with this in mind that Guinness Nigeria launched Baileys Delight on Friday 29th March. Baileys Delight is light and lush cream liquor which blends

the luscious taste of African honey with real dairy cream, from the makers of Baileys Original Irish cream. A new fusion of flavours with an African twist, Baileys Delight is perfect for that pause at the

end of the day – a moment of pure pleasure in the busyness and buzz of modern life. To celebrate the launch of Baileys Delight, Baileys collaborated with renowned artist; Emma Umoren who brought a moment

of delight to the everyday hustle and bustle, through a spectacular live painting performance at Ikeja City Mall Car Park in Lagos which was followed by a launch event in Lagos at the Ikeja City Mall, Park. Speaking on the launch, Ad-

enike Adebola, marketing director Guinness Nigeria, said “We are so excited to introduce a light and lush cream liquor made in Nigeria, for Nigeria, offering moments of delight to everyday life. We have a series of activities across Nigeria with the goal of infusing moments of delight into the lives of Nigerians. We invite those who work hard for themselves and others to take a moment to pause and indulge just a little bit at the end of each day.” Baileys Delight with 13percent ABV is best served chilled, No Ice for a silky, smooth and delicious treat. It is available nationwide in 750ml for N1600 and 187.5ml for N500 PET bottles in bars, restaurants and shops. Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits, beer and wine categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan’s, Windsor, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness. Diageo is a global company, and its products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world.

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Aishah Ahmad marks two scores as a banker!

he has blazed many trails since her foray into the banking world and she does not appear to wane any time soon. The peak of her career came when against all odds she was appointed a Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Recently, vivacious and hardworking Aishah completed her twenty years in the banking sector, two sparkling decades of her life where she had the opportunity to learn, achieve, connect, support and give back to the community. Without any doubt, these two decades have defined her professional and personal life. Aishah Ahmad’s 20 years experience in banking has taken her through foremost banks like First Interstate Bank (Nigeria) Plc, Sterling Bank Plc, NAL Bank Plc, Zenith Bank, Stanbic IBTC and

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Diamond Bank, where she held very plum and sensitive posts up to executive directorship cadre. With a BSc, Second Class Upper in Accounting from University of Abuja; MBA, Business Administration & Finance from Unilag; and an MSc in Finance and Management from the ivy

league Cranfield School of Management in the UK, amongst many of her certifications as a prolific banker and manager of human resources, the lady has every cause to excel in her career endeavours. She is also a former chairperson of Women in Management, Business and Public

Service of WIMBIZ, a position that really boosted her career and gender in professional banking. Recall that her appointment as a CBN Deputy Governor back then was greeted with some dissenting voices, but since assuming this office, Aishah has proved her critics and cynics wrong through her efficiency, diligence and officiousness at her duty post. Little wonder she had every cause to celebrate her two uninterrupted decades in career banking and astute professionalism. Niger State-born 41-year-old, a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA,) still has much up her sleeves to offer the industry. A mother of two, Aishah is happily married to Abdallah A. Ahmad, a retired Brigadier General of the Nigerian Army.

Bella Adenuga shines again!

ne of Dr. Mike Adenuga’s promising and enterprising children, Bella Disu , is living up to the billing and stealthily stepping into the high-flying entrepreneurial shoes of her father. At the just concluded Africa CEO Forum which held in Kigali, Rwanda, Bella, being the incumbent chairperson of the Forum, she delivered a keynote speech at the Women in Business Initiative session, where she discussed her personal story as a young woman who started her career at the age of 18, the gender and age biases she faced, and the assumption that she had an easy ride because she was working in a company founded by her father. Bella affirmed that the truth is the exact opposite; saying her pushed her and gave her rigorous tutelage, with the discipline to embrace her individuality and a constant rebellion against stagnation, all of which have been rudiments that have contributed

to her steady rise. Her stern charge to women is to keep climbing the career ladder, anxiously and confidently, an address that accorded Bella thunderous applause from the audience. Bella sat on the same front row with world leaders like Ethiopian President, Sahle-Work Zewde, Togolese President, Faure Gnassingbé, Africa CEO Forum President, Amir Ben Yahmed, Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, Congolese President, Felix Tshisekedi, France President, Emmanuel Macron, while Nigerian billionaires like Aliko Dangote and Tony Elumelu were also in attendance.

PR mogul, Toks Modupe, hits the Golden Age!

Osinbajo, others honour FirstBank T at 125th Gala Night in Lagos

ctivities marking the landmark 125th anniversary of Nigeria’s first commercial bank will today come to a climax with a Xtian thanksgiving service, having held the Islamic version with a Jumat service last Friday. But the highpoint of the month-long celebration was a gala night last Tuesday in Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, where a rare gathering of the crème de la crème of high profile personalities that cut across politics, business, royalty, legal, captains of industry and those that matter in the financial sector of the country, all came together to celebrate with the country’s oldest financial house, FirstBank Nigeria Plc in celebration of the bank’s 125 years anniversary. The roll call at the auspicious Gala Night is, to say the least very impressive as everyone that matters in the industry simply wanted to identify withthesuccessstoryofthe bankwiththeelephantlogo. From the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, billionaire oil mogul, Femi Otedola, Ogun governorelect, Dapo Abiodun, DG, NSE,Mr.OscarN.Onyema,

wife of Minister for Power, Works and Housing, Dame Abimbola Fashola, former President Lagos Chamber of Commerce, Chief (Dr.) Nike Onikepo Akande, Publisher of The Guardian

Newspapers, Mrs. Maden Ibru, billionaire industrialist Rasaq Okoya and wife, Shade, Jim Ovia, Chief Sunny Nwosu, Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, among others who were

UBA’s Dupe Olusola soars

he has an unusual approach to work ethics and fastidiousness to her duties, despite her gender. Dupe Olushola is the Group Head Marketing at foremost Pan African financial powerhouse, United Bank for Africa, UBA Plc. She was recently listed among 100 most-inspiring women in Nigeria, 2019. The genuine and inspirational list, in its fifth compilation, annually features 100 Nigerian

women drawn from a diverse range of backgrounds and sectors, all of whom are standing out and most importantly deliberately impacting their world and local communities through the power and strength of their ideas, accomplishments and achievements. These virtuous women, according to Leading Ladies Africa, compilers of the list, are making great strides in the world of business, politics, advocacy,

all gracefully welcomed and honored by the senior management team of the bank, led by its Chairman, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, MD/ CEO, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan and other key members of the board. It was indeed a defining moment for Nigeria’s numero uno bank as it enters another phase of a ground-breaking provision of good services and customer-friendly products in the volatile banking sector.

o add a year in good health, fortune and sound mind is always a thing of joy, and such days are never left unmarked or uncelebrated by those who are privileged to witness this unique day. This is exactly how mercurial and blaze-trailing marketing and corporate communications guru, Adetokunbo Modupe has been feeling since he turned 50 days back. Toks, as he is fondly called, is a stickler for excellence, and the head honcho of TPT, a soaring Public Relations firm in Nigeria. In all his dealings, he comes across as a perfectionist. Also, in the eyes of many, he is a restless soul, who is always in quest of knowledge to make him stand out in his chosen profession. Little wonder, the Ondo State-born PR expert once attended a course at the prestigious Harvard University, USA, as one of the few top CEOs across the world to have been admitted for the General Management Program, GMP, of the institution. His wave-making company has over the years introduced

a lot of innovations into PR practice in Nigeria. Very creative, he often ‘shocks’ his clients with his professionalism and attention to details. Today, he controls many mouthwatering and juicy accounts, both local and international. In the eyes of many, he was simply a loafer. But he was unperturbed because he had a clear vision of what he wanted to do in life. With great zest and determination, fortune smiled on him after a few years as he was able to turn his beautiful ideas into good money. At 50 and still breaking more grounds, Toks, a consummate corporate player, deserves a golden celebration having worked for it.

governance and enterprise. According to Francesca Uriri, Founder, Leading Ladies Africa, the current list is the most derisive yet; and one of the leading lights among the exceptional 100 hundred women who have made huge impact in their respective endeavours is Dupe Olushola, who in her capacity as the Group Head Marketing, UBA, has been providing visionary leadership with the aim of developing and delivering integrated strategies for all UBA Group outlets and non-Bank subsidiaries. She

is passionate about Women Affairs and Empowerment, Economic Development of under-developed countries and Financial Inclusion for the disadvantaged in the society. Prior to her appointment at UBA Group, Dupe was CEO of Teragro, where she spearheaded a partnership with Coca-Cola to produce Five Alive Pulpy Orange Juice, making Teragro the sole local material source for the juice. The sky is definitely Dupe Olushola’s starting point as she is still trudging on unrelentingly.

Sunday 31 March 2019

Bliss with Nonye Ben-Nwankwo

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Email: chiwuagwu@yahoo.com Phone number (SMS only) 08057511893

Adesua celebrates husband Banky on birthday Kemi Lala Akindoju

ward winning actress, Adesua Etomi, endeared more fans to her hearts as she celebrated her husband Banky W, during his birthday few days ago. The actress, on her social media handle, wrote a poem to celebrate the singer who marked another year. In her post, the actress said, “I shudder to think of how life would have been, If God didn’t show me, if I hadn’t seen, that you are ALL I ever prayed for, My knight in shining armour, my thor. Your love is one I’ve never seen before. My heart you cherish, my being you adore. Olubankole, you were worth waiting for. This love I feel, really is hardcore. “Your heart is so pure, your love is like gold. So precious, so valuable, a beauty to behold. I’ll tell everybody, both young and old. And I’ll love you in return, a thousandfold. Thank you for being the man you are. Mama raised a game changer, an absolute star. When I count my blessings, I don’t look too far. Cause I turn to my side and there you always are.

becomes director K

“May the lord increase you on every side. And with you, may he always abide. May favour in your life be multiplied. And all your needs, may he provide. My lover, my baby, Happy birthday. Remember God’s goodness, especially today. May you look at this wonderful life and say. Thank you Lord Jesus, keep hav-

emi Lala Akindoju is one of the talented budding actresss in the country at the moment. And ollowing the success of her one-woman show ’NAKED’, which premiered at the Lagos Theatre last year, the daring starlet will be making her directorial debut at the same festival this year with ’LAVENDER’. LAVENDER is a stage play presented by The Make It Happen Productions, which is owned and run by Kemi Lala Akindoju. The play stars Kehinde Bankole, Deyemi Okanlawon, Oludara Egerton-Shyngle & Rita Edward. In the past, Kemi Lala Akindoju has produced brilliant plays such as ’The V Monologues’ and the critically acclaimed one-woman ing your way. ww“I love you very much. show ‘Naked’. The award-winning Always and forever, your Shug.” producer also has credits as associReacting to the post, Banky ate producer on Ndani TV’s ‘Gidi went emotional as he said, “Who Up’, as well as being a co-producer is cutting onions here ohhhh. on Akin Omotoso’s ‘The Ghost Thank you so much Shuga, you’re the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I’m grateful for you. I love you SCATTER.”

Fans, friends congratulate Bobrisky on new acquisition

ince self acclaimed Nigeria’s Barbie, Bobrisky, treated himself to a brand new 2016 Mercedes Benz AMG, his friends and fans have been showering him with accolades and wishing him well over his latest acquisition. While congratulating him on her social media handle, actress, Anita Joseph said, “My Own Bobbi, I am addicted to good news“, and fellow actress Uche Ogbodo added, “Wow, very nice”, in the comment section. Also, his best buddy, Tonto Dike, also celebrated the crossdresser on her page saying, “Congratulations my friend! Much more to come! (I) am happy for you Honey. This is the only kind of noise I want to be hearing this year”. His friend and actress, Liz Anjorin, also celebrated him via her page saying, “Congrats Idris the baddest”. Also, Lola Omotayo Okoye, wife of Peter (of P Square fame) congratulated Bobrisky saying, “Wow! You are giving some diva’s a run for their money. Too cute.” Meanwhile, some foes of the crossdresser have been flooding his page with hate comments, wondering how he

got the money to purchase the wonder on wheels. Not being deterred, Bobrisky posted a video on his page where he was cruising in

his car saying, “There is nothing as sweet when you roll down your glass and also open the roof of your car so you can enjoy the cruise. Benz gang.”

and The House Of Truth’ & Ishaya Bako’s soon to be released ‘4th Republic’ The Lagos Theatre holds from the 8th to 14th of April, 2019. ’Lavender’ will show three times during the festival.

Stephanie Coker, Dare Art Alade grace Heineken® Unveil

t was an evening of extraordinary fun and more fun as some Nigerian stars including Stephanie Coker, Dare Art Alade and Folu Storms joined Heineken® as it announced plans to host Puyol. The football Legend will be leading the prestigious UEFA Champions League Tour as presented by Heineken® in Nigeria between the 16th-18th of April, 2019. The tour will be a three- day experience that will feature exclusive encounters in Lagos and Uyo and an unmissable match to be played by select consumers and the Spanish superstar, Puyol. The news of Puyol’s involvement in the UEFA Champions League Tour as presented by Heineken® has excited football fans across the country, with many fans praising Heineken®’s continual commitment to providing premium football experiences to consumers across the world. Speaking on the news, music superstar, Stephanie said “Everyone knows I’m a big football fan and as such, I was more than elated when I heard Puyol will be coming to Nigeria. I can’t wait to meet him. Plus, I hear the UEFA Champions League Tour will stop in Lagos too! I really can’t wait!” Reiterating on why the premium lager decided to host the UEFA Champions League Tour and Puyol in Nigeria for the first time, the Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Emmanuel Oriakhi said, “It’s always exciting when football fans get to enjoy the fantastic games of the UEFA Champions League with us at our

premium experience centres but when they also get a big surprise like the world’s greatest defender, Puyol coming to Nigeria for the first time and leading the UEFA Champions League Tour? That’s a big deal and I know they will be beyond elated. We’re happy we get to give our consumers and football fans exciting opportunities like this and we can’t wait to share other unmissable experiences with them.” In the coming weeks, Puyol will be leading the UEFA Champions League Tour as presented by Heineken® from the 16th-18th of April, 2019. The tour will give fans the opportunity to get up close and personal with Puyol. With UEFA Champions League already in full swing as we approach the finals, Heineken®’s surprising announcement has got fans even more excited at the prospect of not only enjoying the games on TV but also with a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet one of the tournament’s biggest stars.

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Kiddies ngnwaogu@yahoo.co.uk

POEM The stick-together families

Standing in the middle from left is Remy Shittu and John Nwaeze with students of Okota Central High School.

Female mentors, teachers with girls of Okota Central High School

IVLP alumni equip students with leadership skills NGOZI OKPALAKUNNE

n order to equip students with leadership skills through structured mentorship, alumni of the International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) recently commenced a mentoring programme in some selected public schools in Lagos state. The three-day mentoring programme which spread across three weeks came to a close last week and it aimed to conduct sensitisation campaigns in public schools in Lagos state to increase knowledge of students on leadership and life skills. Another objective of the programme is to build support network for IVLP mentorship mentees by creating an alumni body that would provide continued access to mentors and programme resources after the mentorship programme. Besides, it also hoped to strengthen support structures for mentees within secondary schools by working with school administration and teachers to incorporate the mentee programme in school extracurricular activities and provide oversight. About 250 male and female students aged between 14 and 19 years from different public schools which include; Central High School Okota, Agidingbi High School, Eric Moore High School, Ajigbeda Girls School Yaba and a host of them participated in the programme. At Central High School Okota, there were two classes; the male and that of female. The female

Riddles and brain teasers Q: A cowboy rode into town on Friday. He stayed in town for three days and rode out on Friday. How was that possible? Friday was the name of his horse. Q: One night, a king and a queen went into a castle. There was nobody in the castle, and no one came out of the castle. In the morning, three people came out of the castle. Who were they? The knight (night), the king, and the queen! Q: Railroad crossing, watch out of cars. Can you spell that without any “r’s”? T-H-A-T Q: What has a face and two hands, but no arms or legs? A clock. Q: What has to be broken before you can use it? An egg.

class was moderated by former Features Editor of the National Mirror Newspaper, Ngozi Okpalakunne and former African Television (AIT), On –Air Personal, Adetoun Tade. While the male class was coordinated by the leader of Isolo Local Council Development Area, Hon. Remmy Shittu and a former Banker, John Nwaeze. The teachings were divided in to three sessions. The first session centered on career development which enabled the students to think clearly about what their future goals are and what they want to be in life. The second session which came under the theme, ‘’Personal development’’ enabled the participants to identify who their circle of impact is and how the people they relate with affect their decisions. The session also challenged the participants to start thinking about working with the right people to help them achieve their goals and resist peer pressure. The last session which also centered on personal development made the students to understand the impact their choices influence their lives and those of the people around them. According to the pioneer of the programme, Remy Shittu, “This programme has to do with the terms of getting it right from every child’s future career, in terms of building and following the course that they wish to read in the university. Many of these children are talented, but have no one to follow their dreams. Apart from encouraging them, with this programme, they stand the chance to

gain scholarship and opportunity to have an exchange programme with their counterparts in the United States, ‘’ he said. Also, he explained that in April this year the United States Consulate in Lagos would visit all the schools that participated in the mentoring programme and that certificates would be awarded to the participants. Some of the students who spoke in an interview com mended the organisers of the programme and added that the mentoring had impacted them positively. “The programme is an eye opener. We are now well enlightened on the need to chose our future career and work hard towards achieving it. We have also realised the need to do away with people who will hinder us from achieving our set goal in life,’’ they added. It is interesting to note that the International Visitor Leadership Programme is the United States Department of State’s premier professional exchange programme. Through short- term visits to the United States, current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields experience this country firsthand cultivate lasting relationships with their American counterparts. It is also worthy to note that the IVLP association was established for the purpose of developing and promoting good leadership, national development, good democratic values, rule of law, and expand public knowledge, conflict resolution and peaceful co-existence.

Q: Lives in winter, dies in summer, and grows with its roots upward. What is it? An icicle.

declared that the date on it was 150 B.C. This could not be true. Why? Because B.C. is counting backwards from the birth of Christ. If Christ hadn’t been born yet, there were no dates in B.C. yet!

Q: It starts out tall, but the longer it stands, the shorter it grows. What is it? A candle. Q: What belongs to you but is used more by others? Your name. Q: What goes up and never comes down? Your age. Q: How can a man go 8 days without sleep? He only sleeps at night. Q: I’m full of keys but I can’t open any door. What am I? A piano. Q: What has a thumb and four fingers but is not alive? A glove. Q: A man found an old coin and

Q: Which is heavier, a pound of bricks or a pound of feathers? The same – a pound is a pound! Q: Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday? Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Q: Timmy’s mother had three children. The first was named April, the next was named May. What was the name of the third child? Timmy of course! Q: What kind of coat can only be put on when wet? A coat of paint. https://frugalfun4boys.com/30-riddles-brain-teasers-for-kids/

he stick-together families are happier by far Than the brothers and the sisters who take separate highways are. The gladdest people living are the wholesome folks who make. A circle at the fireside that no power but death can break. And the finest of conventions ever held beneath the sun Are the little family gatherings when the busy day is done. There are rich folk, there are poor folk, who imagine they are wise. And they’re very quick to shatter all the little family ties. Each goes searching after pleasure in his own selected way, Each with strangers likes to wander, and with strangers likes to play. But it’s bitterness they harvest, and it’s empty joy they find, For the children that are wisest are the stick-together kind. There are some who seem to

fancy that for gladness they must roam, That for smiles that are the brightest they must wander far from home. That the strange friend is the true friend, and they travel far astray they waste their lives in striving for a joy that’s far away, But the gladdest sort of people, when the busy day is done, Are the brothers and the sisters who together share their fun. It’s the stick-together family that wins the joys of earth, That hears the sweetest music and that finds the finest mirth; It’s the old home roof that shelters all the charm that life can give; There you find the gladdest play-ground, there the happiest spot to live. And, O weary, wandering brother, if contentment you would win, Come you back unto the fireside and be comrade with your kin By Edgar Guest

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EquityMarket Tier 2 banks rake in N228bn to account for 29% industry profits Stories by TELIAT SULE

even tier 2 banks in the country realised N228.32 billion profits after tax (PAT) in 2018 as against N140.11 billion in 2017 thus leading to an increase in their share of the banking industry profits last year. Their portion of the banking industry profits rose to 29 percent in 2018 up from 23 percent in 2017. The tier 2 banks in the focus include Unity Bank, Wema, Sterling, Fidelity, FCMB, Ecobank Nigeria and Stanbic IBTC. The implication of this is that for every 100 kobo profit made by Nigerian banks in 2018, the tier two banks accounted for 29 kobo last year as against 23 kobo in 2017, the analysis of their audited financial statements of 11 banks comprising four tier 1 banks and seven tier 2 banks has shown. On the contrary, the share of the banking industry profits by the tier 1 banks shrank to 71 percent in 2018 from 77 percent in 2017. The four tier 1 banks which have so far announced their audited financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2018 are Access Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Zenith Bank and the United Bank for Africa (UBA). The combined PAT for the four tier one banks increased by 15 percent from N479.4 billion in 2017 to N551.6 billion in 2018. The total banking industry profit after tax for

both the tier 1 and 2 banks rose by 26 percent to N779.9 billion in 2018 from N619.45 billion in 2017. The two groups of banks realised N1.51 trillion as net interest income, which was slightly a decline of about 0.69 percent when compared with N1.52 trillion industry net interest income made in 2017. From this, the tier 1banks accounted for N902.3 billion in 2018 representing 60 percent of the industry net interest income as against N875.7 billion made in 2017, which amounted to 58 percent of the industry net interest income. The seven tier two banks earned N605.7 billion net interest income in 2018, which translated to 40 percent of the industry net interest income whereas in 2017, the tier 2 banks made N642.7 billion which amounted to 42 percent of the industry net interest income. From the view point of net interest income, tier 1 banks increased their share in the industry from 58 percent in 2017 to 60 percent in 2018 while tier 2 banks had their portion reduced to 40 percent in 2018 down from 42 percent in 2017. Meanwhile, for the first time after a hiatus, Unity Bank made a profit after tax of N1.27 billion last year compared with a loss after tax of N14.9 billion in the previous year. This as its net interest income for 2018 fell by 72.70 percent from N51.2 billion in 2017 to just N13.9 billion in 2018. Wema Bank posted N3.32 billion PAT in 2018, which led to an increase of 47 percent over N2.26 billion made as PAT in 2017. Following the same trend, Wema’s net interest income rose by 36.6 percent from N19.8 billion in 2017 to N26.9 billion in 2018. Sterling Bank recorded 10.18 percent rise in net interest income which moved from N50.2 billion in 2017 to N55.3 billion in 2018, and a 15 percent increase in profit after tax from N8.02 billion in 2017 to N9.2 billion in 2018. With the tier 1 banks dominating the banking space, analysts are ruling out the likelihood of mergers and acquisitions as it was in the case of Access Bank and Diamond Bank which has scaled the final hurdle with the court of competent jurisdiction endorsing the merger. “For mergers, I doubt any will consider such move for now. You need to consider the perception it builds for the industry and the regulators. Also, most tier 2 banks have a threshold of 10 percent which is safer to keep. “For those that may have had capital constraint, most have gone to the bond market to raise subordinated debt to boost their capital adequacy ratio (CAR)”, said Chinonye Nnewuihe, senior analyst with

Meristem Securities. In Germany recently, Bloomberg reported that the German government was making efforts to help fix Deutsche Bank AG’s merger with Commerzbank AG. “The high-level discussions,which have included Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and Deutsche Bank Chief Executive Officer Christian Sewing-- are looking at concrete ways the government can assist in a potential combination of the country’s two largest lenders, said the people, asking not to be identified discussing the private deliberations. The talks include potentially changing existing laws to make the steps necessary for a merger less costly”, Bllomberg stated. Further, Wema Bank is to pay shareholders whose names appear in the register of members N0.03 per share final dividend. “On May 3, 2019, dividends will be paid electronically to shareholders whose names appear on the Register of Members as at April 26, 2019 and who have completed the e-dividend registration and mandated the Registrar to pay their dividends directly

into their banks’ accounts”, Wema Bank stated in a notice sent to all the stakeholders through the Nigerian Stock Exchange last week. At the close of business in the first quarter of the year, Sterling Bank led the banking stocks that gained the most during the period. Its share price closed at N2.40 per share representing 26.3 percent year to date gain. Wema Bank closed at 77 kobo to record 22.2 percent year to date price appreciation while Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN) closed the quarter at N6.65 per share to record 18.8 percent share price appreciation in the first three months of the year. GTB ended Q1 2018 at N36.05 per share , amounting to 4.6 percent YTD gain; First Bank of Nigeria Holdings closed at N8.20 per share representing 3.1 percent YTD gain; Fidelity Bank closed at N2.06 per share to end the first quarter at 1.5 percent YTD gain. On the flip side, the worst performing banking stocks are ETI whose share price was down by 5.7 percent YTD; NPF Microfinance Bank at -9.7 percent and Unity Bank at -25.2 percent year to date.

On the downside are the NSE Consumer Goods Index depreciated by -5.01 percent; NSE Oil and Gas that lost by -3.87 percent and the newly introduced NSE AFR Div Yield Index which shed -2.76 percent. C & I Leasing led the gainers’ chart appreciating by 348.9 percent to close at N7.99 per share. ABC

Transport appreciated by 82.8 percent to close at N0.53 per share; Dangote Flour rose by 48.9 percent to end the quarter at N10.20 per share; Julius Berger appreciated by 36.8 percent to end the quarter at N27.50 per share while Royal Exchange rose by 31.8 percent to end the first quarter of 2019 at N0.29 per share.

Equities shed N49 bn in first quarter 2019

isted stocks on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange shed N48.6 billion at the end the first quarter of 2019, indicating that investors are not significantly impressed by the mouth watering dividends companies have announced in the last few weeks for the period ended December 31, 2018.

The market capitalisation of listed equities closed at N11.67 trillion on March 29, 2019 as against N11.72 trillion on the last trading day of 2018. This amounted to a marginal 0.41 percent decline in market capitalisation. The All Share Index (ASI) fell by a wider margin during the period as it closed the first quarter at 31,041.42 points

on March 29, 2019 in contrast to 31,430.50 basis points on 31 December 2018, representing -1.24 percent decline in ASI. The best performing sectoral indexes are NSE ASeM Index which appreciated by 1.69 percent; NSE Lotus II Index that gained 1.51 percent; NSE Banking Index that rose by 1.26 percent.

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BrandsOnSunday SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE

Access Bank underscores 5-year Transformation Strategy with Diamond Bank merger Daniel Obi

“A

goalwithoutaplan is just a wish” says a French writer, Antoine de SaintExupery who later became successful commercial pilot before World War II. Seven years ago, precisely July 2013, Access Bank Plc, a Nigerian tier-one bank, launched an ambitious 5-year transformation strategy. It wasn’t just a wish as it followed through with the plan. With this strategy, the Bank regarded as a leader in Corporate Banking as at 2013 aimed to grow from this position of corporate bank leader to “World’s Most Respected African Bank” by 2018. Th e B a n k m a n a g e m e n t team then led by Aigboje AigImoukhuede which acquired Intercontinental Bank the previous year, 2012 was resolute in its mission. It was however not deterred by any socio-economic difficulties, but it focused on its ambition. The Bank established in 1989, which has grown from a humble beginning into banking giant with admirable reputation that transcends the local market, had continued to implement its strategies. In December 2018 the Bank announced a merger plan with Diamond Bank. The merger has been concluded and a new entity would emerge tomorrow, April 1, 2019. The new Access Bank is ultimately Nigeria’s tier-one bank and the largest bank in Africa by number of customers of over 29 million spanning three continents and 12 countries. “The Access-Diamond merger will birth Nigeria’s biggest lender with a total asset base of about

Herbert Wigwe, group managing director/CEO, Access Bank

N6.11 trillion, accounting for 24 percent of total aggregate value of N18.9 trillion assets owned by all tier-one banks. “The Access-Diamond merger means stronger player, more power, more scope, more reach and more coverage, combining their assets together”, experts commented in a BusinessDay report recently. On his comments on the merger, Herbert Wigwe, Group Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank, said the Bank has a strong acquisition and integration track record. The Bank had also in 2005, acquired Marina Bank and Capital

Bank (formerly commercial bank Crédit Lyonnais Nigeria) by merger to expand its frontiers. Delighted, Wigwe who assisted to ensure that the deal pulled through said the two banks involved have complementary operations that will ensure benefits for customers of Access and Diamond Bank. “Access Bank has a strong track record of acquisition and integration and has a clear growth strategy,” Wigwe said in a joint statement with Diamond Bank. “Access Bank and Diamond Bank have complementary operations and similar values, and a

merger with Diamond Bank, with its leadership in digital and mobile-led retail banking, could accelerate our strategy as a significant corporate and retail bank in Nigeria and a PanAfrican financial services champion. “Access Bank has a strong financial profile with attractive returns and a robust capital position with 20.1% CAR as at 30 September 2018. We believe that this platform, together with the two banks’ shared focus on innovation, financial inclusion, and sustainability, can bring benefits to Access Bank and Diamond Bank customers, staff and shareholders,” Wigwe stated. The world appears to be taking notice as Access Bank began is transformation strategy in 2013. “The accolades, the awards, the recognitions that have been bestowed on the Bank since 2014 have been of such global significance that they are serving as an endorsement of the push towards the target set in 2013”, an analyst said. In 2015 the Bank started clinching many awards which indicated that the management of Access Bank led by Herbert Wigwe was on the right track of its transformation agenda. It clinched Euromoney Magazine as the Best Flow House (Africa) that year. Other international awards followed immediately. The Banker, a publication of the Financial Times Group of London, named the bank, ‘Bank of the Year – Nigeria 2016’. BusinessDay, had earlier in the same year named Access Bank ‘Best Bank of Year’ and its CEO, Wigwe, ‘Best Bank CEO’ at its own banking awards. In 2016 it clinched over six awards including EuroMoney Africa’s Best Bank Transformation Award; winner of the 2016 Karlsruhe Outstanding Business Sus-

Consumers applaud innovativeness of Hollandia Yoghurt mixology

hi Limited has said that a recent visit to several lounges and bars across Nigeria has shown an increasing use of yoghurt, either enjoyed directly, or as a tasteenhancing mixer. “Hollandia Yoghurt Mixology has become a mainstay for consumers who are increasingly embracing yoghurt and drink-mixing culture as their taste evolve”. According to the company, since its launch in 2016, consumers have commended Hollandia Yoghurt mixology for its novel taste and smooth texture. The brand has been consolidating the yoghurt and drink-mixing culture among Nigerian consumers who are thrilled to get the nourishing goodness of yoghurt mixed with a variety of beverages. “In its 315ml pack size, Hollandia Yoghurt Mixology is conve-

nient and handy, with a specially designed prismatic shape and an attractive screw cap that consumers can feel proud to be seen with”, the statement said. It quoted Chijioke Silva, a bar manager in Rivers State, who acknowledged the growing demand for Hollandia Yoghurt Mixology at his bar, adding that from the onset of its launch on the shelf, the brand quickly established a strong connection with consumers because

of its attractive packaging, great taste, smooth texture and its ability to bring out that satisfying taste when mixed with other beverages of consumer choice. “We all know that Nigerians love drink mixes, so it is commendable for a brand to see that gap and respond with a truly innovative product. I can tell you that Hollandia Yoghurt Mixology has been a runaway success at my bar in Port Harcourt and that loyalty has been sustained till date,” Silva said in the statement. “This sentiment was also echoed by Dele Yusuf, a fun loving IT executive based in Ikoyi, Lagos. Yusuf said he was introduced to Hollandia Yoghurt Mixology by his friends during a hangout in Ikoyi. “Since then I have fallen in love with it. So now, whenever I am hanging out at the lounge with my friends, I simply mix my malt drink

with a pack of Hollandia Yoghurt Mixology to achieve my desired taste. For me, nothing can be better than this,” he stated. Speaking on the success of the Hollandia Yoghurt Mixology, the Managing Director Chi Limited, Deepanjan Roy said further said in the statement that the company is tirelessly inspired by the desire to satisfy consumer expectation by churning out value adding and innovative dairy products like Hollandia Yoghurt Mixology. “We are excited about the great value and level of satisfaction consumers have expressed in their feedback on this product. We believe that as the positive word on the brand spreads, more consumers would be encouraged to try their favourite beverage mixes with Hollandia Yoghurt Mixology to derive their preferred taste,” he said.

tainability Award; winner of the 2016 EMEA Finance Best Bank Corporate Social Responsibility Award and winner of the 2016 Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria Best Bank Academy Award. Receiving the Euromoney award in London in 2018, Wigwe was quoted as alluding to the five-year transformation strategy again, when he said: “It is a testimonial to the hard work we have done in line with our five-year strategy to become Africa’s gateway to the world,” adding, “It also confirms the transformation of the Bank into a large diversified enterprise with enhanced retail structure as well as fast digital banking platform”. Re-branding to reflect new status Today, Sunday, Access Bank will be unveiling its new look to reflect the birth of a new institution. It will surely use the opportunity to assure customers from both institutions about the safety of their funds as the brands take on a new look. It is expected that customers of both banks will enjoy more services from the combined entity than the hitherto individual banks. With the new development and new status, Access Bank is likely to continue to maintain leading position in the yearly top 500 Global Banking Brands ranking by The Banker Magazine of the Financial Times and Brand Finance, London, United Kingdom. Access Bank entered the 500 top banking brands in 2017 on relatively stronger position of 476 after it made 496 position in 2015. This, according to analysts, underscores the Bank’s resilience, determination and focus principally born out of its desire to achieve its objective of being ‘The world’s most respected African bank”

DStv launches 24/7 WhatsApp self-service

ultiChoice, Af r i c a ’s l e a d i n g entertainment company has announced the launch of its WhatsApp self-service. With this, the twenty-five-year-old company has shown once again that it understands the role of technology and it is embracing it to provide the best service for its subscribers. With the WhatsApp selfservice, DStv subscribers can now upgrade their subscriptions, fix error codes, make payments and even rent Box Office movies, all by themselves. The WhatsApp selfservice guarantees minimal wait time and low hassle as it provides an easy to use, convenient way of communicating in a format, customers are already comfortable with.

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Women’sWorld When Facebook hosted female entrepreneurs at #SheMeansBusiness dinner No better feeling than walking into a beautifully decorated room of lush petals and candles, filled with successful, hardworking and inspiring female entrepreneurs who are willing and ready to hold each-others hands while climbing the success ladder. JUMOKE AKIYODE-LAWANSON

his is a summary of exactly what I thought and how I felt at the #SheMeansBusiness dinner and networking session hosted by Facebook in partnership with She Leads Africa on Thursday 28 March 2018 at the Wings building, Ozumba Mbadiwe, Victoria Island Lagos. #SheMeansBusiness is an initiative designed to inspire, empower and train female entrepreneurs across the country to build, grow and start their own businesses. A recent Future of Business Study, found that in Nigeria, over 8 in 10 female business owners on Facebook say that social media helps their business. During a brief panel session moderated by Adaora Ikenze, head of public policy, West Africa, Facebook, female panel members who are all successful business women were able to share experiences and lessons from their entrepreneurship journey. Tara Fela-Durotoye, founder/ CEO of House of Tara makeup said; “As a business woman, what keeps you grounded are your values and your authenticity. I cannot run a business where people are not being empowered. I didn’t go into business because I wanted to make money, but because I wanted to impact and the only way to do that is to share. As women in business we need to make sure that we are holding other people and bringing them along on the journey.” Tosin Oshinowo, founder/CEO of CMdesign Atelier was as real as real can get on a panel. Tosin who said she stumbled on business as a means of survival to take care of herself and her child, believes that everyone can be successful. “Listen to your gut instincts and be wise to know that sometimes the journey might not be straight. But even when it’s a bit bent, keep your eyes on the ball,” she said. Speaking on the impact of social media to businesses today, Kemi Lewis, CEO, KL’s natural, a pioneer all natural hair salon that now has three store locations in Lagos, said the online platform is very instrumental in her business. “Starting a business with specific focus on natural hair, especially at a time when it wasn’t popular to leave out your natural hair without a perm was tasking but social media and my focus helped me a lot,” Lewis said. In furtherance to the dinner and networking session, the Facebook and SheLeadsAfrica (SLA) #SheMeansBusiness will bring together thousands of female entrepreneurs with a personalised and community based series of day workshops and training sessions under the banner of ‘Building Your Dream Business’ for entrepreneurs - focused on using platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and

L-R: Adora Ikenze, head, public policy, West and Central Africa, Facebook ; Kemi Lewis, founder & CEO, KL’s Naturals; Tosin Oshinowo, founder & CEO, CMDesign Atelier, and Tara Fela-Durotoye, founder and CEO, House of Tara.

Lehle Balde, strategy &partnerships,BusinessDay and Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson, ICT editor, BusinessDay

Afua Osei, Founder SheLeadsAfrica and Nelly Agbogu of Nellies and NaijaBrandChick

WhatsApp to help achieve business goals. The 2019 program will include; access to finance, a networking component that will highlight the importance of mentorship and female role models and a #She Means Business university tour that will take place across 10 uni-

versity cities in Nigeria, bringing an interactive business and networking experience to campus, whilst focusing on learning digital marketing skills, creative content development on mobile, and using Instagram and WhatsApp to help drive and build their business in school.

Busola Dakolo, founder SkillsKitchen and Ink Eze.

Chidinma Lawanson, consultant, International Finance Corporation and Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson Tara Fela-Durotoye and Adaora Ikenze

Afua Osei, Founder SLA and Phil Oduor, Programmes Manager Facebook.

Adaora Ikenze and Anino Emuwa MD, Avandis Consulting.

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Sunday 31 March 2019

SundayBusiness CBN and the oil palm rescucitation Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

he empirical evidence of the persistent, gross leadership deficit that Nigeria has suffered over the decades is characterized by an incomedependent economy that has both the public and private sectors refusing to add the needed technological value to the immense raw materials available to the country. Instead, there has been an undue focus on the importation of their processed, finished products. Amongst these are oil and gas, solid minerals and several agricultural products. These include cocoa beans, groundnut, cotton, cashew nuts, soybeans, coffee, cassava and of course, palm oil. Kudos therefore, goes to the Buhari-led administration for exhibiting the political will to reverse this drift to economic en s l a v e m e n t t h r o u gh ne w

initiativesonpragmaticintervention for local farmers of tomatoes, yam, groundnut, cotton and the recent fillip by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to resuscitate the longneglected palm oil sector. The noble aim is to generate employment and eventually generate more foreign exchange as the economy diversifies from the oil sector. It is good enough that the out going CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has had a robust interaction with the governors of the South-South and South-East states, where the oil palms grow more towards breathing a new lease of life to the oil palm sector. He said: “We are determined to change this narrative. We intend to support improved production of palm oil to meet not only the domestic needs of the market, but to also increase our exports in order to improve our forex earnings”. According to Peter Kilby, then the assistant professor of economics at Wesleyan University, who carried out field work in Nigeria during 1959-62 and 1964 the processing of palm fruit was the most important processing activity carried out back then in the country. The end products, palm oil and palm kernels, were responsible for 15 to 20 per cent of Nigeria’s exports in 1965 with their combined value put at £40 million. In its heyday, West Africa produced up to 75 percent of all the palm oil consumed worldwide.. But that was then, when countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia came to Nigeria, to obtain palm oil seedlings with the assistance of the British colonialists.

While in the early 1960s, Nigeria’s palm oil production accounted for 43% of the world production, it currently only stands at 7% of total global output. As at 2012, Angola’s production of 57,000 metric tones compared with Nigeria’s production of 1,0800,000 mt but its consumption of 129,00mt was outstripped by Nigeria’s consumption of 1,865,000mt. In fact, as at March 2017 about 450,000 tonnes of palm oil worth N116.3 billion was imported into the country in 2017. And in 2018, statistics from the CBN revealed the import scandal that has Nigeria spending (or worse still, wasting) humungous sum of about $500 million annually on the importation of palm oil! What a paradox of penury in the midst of plenty as statistics show the huge sums the top five producers make. For instance, Indonesia: makes US$18.5 billion (55.5percent of exported palm oil), Malaysia: $9.7 billion (29%), Netherlands: $1.4 billion (4.1%), Papua New Guinea: $512.8 million (1.5%), Guatemala: $446.5 million (1.3%),Colombia: $381.7 million (1.1%). Notably, although West Africa is privileged to be located right in the center of the world’s oil palm belt, it produces less than 5 percent of the palm oil consumed worldwide. Malaysia and Indonesia have become the dominant powers in palm oil production and presently supply more than 70 percent of the palm oil consumed worldwide. Currently, no African country, except Cote D’Ivoire, produces enough palm oil to meet

Over 3000 exhibitors from 60 countries to participate in 2019 K trade fair IFEOMA OKEKE

ver 3,000 exhibitors from more than 60 countries including Nigeria, Italy, China, Switzerland and the USA, will gather at K Fair to present and experience innovative developments, discuss current trends and set the course for the future. K Fair 2019 is the leading international trade fair for plastics and rubber, which will bring again leaders in the sector from the 16th to the 23rd of October 2019 at Messe Dusseldorf, Germany. K is held at tri-annual intervals and represents the plastics and rubber industry’s production chain in unparalleled depth and breadth. At the last K fair in 2016, 3,293 exhibitors gathered at Messe Dusseldorf, Germany, for 8 activity-filled days of insights into the newest developments and technologies of the industry. This year, the focus at K will be on plastics for sustainable development and circular economies, and will feature topics such as water management and renewable energy. In addition to this, K Fair 2019

will also focus on the digitalisation of the value added chain, system integration and promotion of young professionals for the industry. According to Petra Cullmann, the global portfolio director for Plastics and Rubber at Messe Dusseldorf, who spoke at the K 2019 press briefing, held in Lagos, said: “This year’s K trade fair will show an increased responsibility from the plastics and rubber industry’s dedication to designing machines that create products that are easily recyclable.” She also described the importance of “educating people around the globe about the value of plastics and how it should be used and reused.” Sarsoli Industries, a Nigerianbased plastics additive manufacturer, will be exhibiting at the K Fair

for the third time. Speaking on Sarsoli Industries’ continuous exhibition at K, Jaiprakash Changrani, managing director of Sarsoli Industries, said: “K is a trade fair that attracts a high caliber of visitors and exhibitionists in the plastics and rubber industry. It is an honour to be placed within that category of the best.” He also hopes to see a rise in the number of African exhibitors at K, stating that Africa has a largely “untapped but valued market potential for plastics and rubber.” Visitors at K 2019 can expect an extensive line up of exhibitors and specially curated sections, such as the “Bioplastics Business Breakfast”, which focuses on the role and market potential for biopolymers, and the Science Campus, which encourages discourse between research and industry. They will also be able to visit one of the rubber hot spots at K 2019, the “Rubberstreet”, which is a window into the world of rubber and elastomers. K is the performance barometer for the entire plastics and rubber industry, and remains at the forefront for global innovations. It provides and indispensable networking community of industry leaders, producers and consumers.

the demand of its local market. The challenge for Nigeria therefore, is to become more inward looking as the oil palm sector stands tall to change the economic narrative. Its uses are compelling. Palm oil is “a hugely versatile vegetable oil” and an important item in the Nigerian diet (as part of the traditional soup or sauce) and based on its consistency and ability to resist high temperatures, it is commonly used as cooking oil and is considered one of the best oils for frying. It is also an essential ingredient for the food industry, used as a cooking oil or in the production of processed foods (such as many types of chocolates, biscuits, chewing gum). In food, palm oil is used as a substitute for fat in making condensed milk, coffee cream, ice cream and margarine. As a non-food product, palm oil makes an important raw material in the production of soaps, detergents, greases, lubricants and candles. used as an illuminant, and soap ingredient. With the growing profile of the biofuels market, palm oil has also proven to be valuable as a lubricant in industrial production or for the energy sector for the production of biodiesel. It is used for the manufacture of cosmetic and hygiene products (soaps, lipstick, washing powder). It is also a valuable feedstock for biodieselandservesasanalternative to mineral oils used in power stations. Palm oil derivatives are widely used in the pharmaceuticals and cosmetics industry. It is also used in the production of printing ink, drilling fluids and water-

treatment products. All these amazing qualities make palm oil a highly sought after commodity in homes, restaurants and food processing industries. According to experts, the business opportunities in red palm oil production, especially in Africa are truly enormous. It is estimated to make up nearly 50 percent of edible oils consumed worldwide. The global palm oil market is worth hundreds of millions of dollars every year. So, Nigeria has to borrow a fresh leaf from Indonesia and Malaysia that have built giant and productive refineries including PT Astra Agro Lestari Terbuka (150,000 tpa biodiesel refinery), PT Bakrie Group (a biodiesel factory and new plantations), Surya Dumai Group (biodiesel refinery). Also, Cargill (sometimes operating through CTP Holdings of Singapore) is building new refineries and mills in Malaysia and Indonesia, expanding its Rotterdam refinery to handle 300,000 tpa of palm oil, acquiring plantations in Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Papua New Guinea. To succeed, there should be the full involvement of the relevant stakeholders including the research institutes, the Export Promotion Council, Association of Oil Palm producers, the private sector and it must not be politicized. It is a right step taken in the right direction that should be allowed to succeed.

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

Tecno Mobile celebrates international women’s day with students

frica’s biggest smartphone manufacturer; TECNO MOBILE recognizes women across the globe and the struggles they face in balancing work and personal life. This is why in commemoration of the 2019 International Women’s Day, TECNO lent its voice to a special program for young girls aimed at improving the quality of life of the girl child. International Women’s Day, is an annual celebration of women’s rights all over the world that is held on the 8th of March. This special day originated more than 100 years ago and started from a march of 15,000 women demanding for equal rights in 1909. That key moment started a chain reaction that has cumulated in better awareness, treatment and liberation of women worldwide. As is tradition, each year has a unique theme with this year’s being – Balance for Better, which seeks to encourage gender balance around the world. It also seeks to put in place social innovations to achieve gender equality as a focal point, and aims to achieve this through different means like- community safety, affordable childcare centers, and mobile classrooms for women and girls.

Held in conjunction with The University of Lagos’s Radio Station, Unilag 103.1 FM and the Mass Communication Department of the University of Lagos, the event which took place at the Afe Babalola Hall, University of Lagos, Akoka Yaba featured various activities and highlights. In her speech, Temitope Akinniyi, HR, Employee Relations at TECNO Mobile thanked the organizers for putting together the event. She highlighted how the smartphone giant supports women. In her words ‘As Africa’s biggest smartphone manufacturer; we at TECNO Mobile recognize women across the globe and acknowledge the struggles they face in balancing work and personal life. We do whatever we can to ease these struggles by ensuring that we provide a working environment free of discrimination against women. An environment that powers our women to work smart and come up with innovations that spark a positive change in our world while laying the foundation for the younger generation of women’. Our products also focus on the 21st century woman, giving her soft and hard tools to balance career, personal life and capture beautiful experiences while doing both.

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SundayBusiness FMBN: Looking ahead from an encouraging past

rguably, the federal mortgage bank of Nigeria (FMBN) seems to have turned the corner, especially with its performance in the last couple of years. 2018 was particularly encouraging and it is from this standpoint that the bank is looking into the future with optimism. For the 27-year apex mortgage bank, the launch of the FMBN Digital Mobile Platforms, which now provide real-time access to information by contributors to the National Housing Fund (NHF), was a defining moment in its efforts at repositioning the contributory mortgage scheme. The massive downward reduction of equity for accessing NHF loans from 10 to zero percent for N5 million and below and 10 percent for loans of between N5 million and N15 million was also a watershed in the out-gone year when many companies were still smarting from the impact of the recession that ravaged the Nigerian economy for 15 months. Within the year too, the bank also posted strong numbers. These include loan disbursements totaling N40.9 billion that created about 2000 mortgages. It also provided home renovation loans totaling N14 billion to 16,031 Nigerian workers. Furthermore, the bank processed refunds totaling N12.4 billion to 97,215 retirees and significantly expanded the pool of contributors to the NHF scheme. About 224,752 new contributors were added to the scheme. On the strength of these foot-

prints, 2019 promises to be the year that might witness the consolidation of the long-awaited major structural and financial transformation of the bank. Housing industry experts see the FMBN boasting a robust capitalization of up to N500billion that it could leverage severally to unlock trillions of investible funds from the Capital Market, institutional investors and development financial institutions to power its social housing mandate. This optimistic view of the country’s foremost mortgage institution in 2019 and possibly beyond is not far-fetched. Serious work has been underway, and a historic milestone recorded in the long-standing plan to revamp the bank. Specifically, in December last year, both houses of the National Assembly passed the amendments of the extant FMBN Act before the National Assembly. A notable feature of the bill is the provision for the recapitalization of the FMBN by N500billion. Other aspects include the comprehensive overhaul of the bank and strengthening of its board to make it more effective by including stakeholders such as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) and others. Although efforts to review the Acts establishing the FMBN and the NHF have been on for about twelve years, most of the progress was recorded within the past two years due largely to stakeholder-rally, political push and personal industry of the current executive management led by Ahmed Dangiwa and cooperation

of the National Assembly. As it stands, the bill is awaiting the assent of the President and there are many reasons he is likely to sign it into law, not least because, a stronger FMBN is essential for the realization of the goal of his administration to provide social housing and tackle the huge housing deficit as a part of the Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP). Second, signing the bill, which has massive potential to revolutionize the structure and operations of the bank, impact of the over threedecades old FMBN would rank as a major housing policy legacy for the Buhari administration.It is a solid opportunity for the president to unleash the potential of the housing and construction industry to spur overall economic growth in his second term. Experts project that leveraging the N500billion capitalization of the FMBN would lead to the creation of about 100,000 affordable mortgages per annum which is far more than the number of mortgages that the bank has created over the three decades of its existence. Creating such number of mortgages on an annual basis will, no doubt, have substantial positive impact on the housing, mortgage and construction industry. The surge in housing finance will empower developers to ramp construction activities nationwide, housing stock will increase, and a greater number of Nigerian workers in the low-medium income brackets will have a better chance of accessing longer-term, low-cost housing loans to purchase or build their

Talking Mortgage with CHUKA UROKO (08037156969, chukuroko@yahoo.com) own homes. The economy will also benefit as thousands of skilled and unskilled jobs would be created and the flow of housing finance would boost economic activities within the industry. Tackling the problem of inadequate finance is key to growing the mortgage market. The implication is that government-backed institutions with the mandate to develop the mortgage market and drive delivery of affordable housing need to be properly empowered. This, in many ways, is the story of the FMBN. While a lot has been written about how much the bank should have done in tackling the housing deficit, not much has been said about the required capacity to do much. Critics have often cited statistics which show that the FMBN has delivered less than 50,000 houses since it was established in 1977 to buttress their arguments. But at the heart of this often-cited performance is the weak financial capitalization of the FMBN. At the moment, the equity base of the FMBN is only a paltry N5 billion. This

is far less than the requirement for even primary mortgage banks that the FMBN on-lends to. Even at this, only a little over 50 per cent of it is paid-up. Equity in the bank is split between the Federal Ministry of Finance (FMF) and the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN). This gap, in many ways, explains the bank’s inability to make a serious dent in the nation’s housing deficit, which is currently estimated at 20 million units and rising. Over the years, the FMBN has largely relied on the NHF’s pool of long-term funds mobilized from statutory deductions and contributions of self-employed and organized private and public service workers, to drive a suite of low interest housing loans to workers and developers. Weak implementation and enforcement of provisions of the NHF Act has also watered down its potential for generating substantial longer term, low cost funds that the FMBN can leverage to drive extensive housing development at the scale and pace that will create the required impact.

· Paying incentives on the basis of notional, rather than actual, performance targets should be avoided. It is also important to decide how to deal with the supplier if it does not achieve them · To ensure a successful incentivization process it is important to develop and set

effective measurements and targets for both parties · Effectivecontractmanagement is essential to ensure successful incentivization

Procurement and Supply Chain

with Gob-Agundu Uche Branch chair (CIPS), Nigeria

Supplier Incentivization (…Culled from CIPS Positions on Practice)

Introduction ncentivizationasatechniquecan be applied to achieve superior or improved performance for both supplier and buyer and leads to benefits such as lower cost, early delivery, inventory reduction, increased sales, reduced costs, improved labour utilization, better technical solutions, safer product, and higher quality product. This can be achieved through introducing rewards and mutually agreeing on targets in relation to cost, schedule, quality, safety, inventory reduction, increased sales, reduced cost, improved labour utilization, or better technical solutions. Supplier Relationship Managers are usually responsible for drafting clauses associated with supplier performance improvement incentivization and mal-

performance dis-incentivization, that is, risk/reward mechanisms. The reward sharing contracts differ from a normal fixed-price or unit-cost contract where there may be little incentive for the supplier to improve their performance. Despite its benefits, incentivization should only be used where appropriate. For example, it is important that (1) the cultures within both the supplier and client organizations are compatible; (2) there is wide acceptance across organizations, stakeholders, and all management levels; and (3) the buyer has the ability to pay. The latter point highlights the importance for buyers to carefully assess all steps and the likely cost of incentivization. If incentivization is open-ended and does not have some form of cap, there is a risk of exceeding the funds allocated for incentivization purposes. This could have negative consequences, particularly if

incentivization is associated with budget constraints. Definition Incentivization is the term used to align the motivations of the client with the supplier and viceversa by and stimulating supplier’s performance improvement in return forenhancedreward.Incentivization can lead to a purchasing partnering relationship. Successful Application Successful incentivization implementation requires a detailed dialogue with the supplier and greater attention to performance and contract management than for traditional contracts. The higher investment in incentivization must be balanced against the additional benefits and savings to be achieved. Steps to Successful Application Se t c l e a r o b j e c t i v e s a n d deliverables when incentivizing a contract. Baseline setting: get the buyer to establish the total cost of the existing service. Identify whether the improvement in quality and/or cost reduction can be achieved without incentivizing the contract. Establish expected benefits. Decide whether incentives will be financial (e.g. those which have a monetary value) or related to some contractual benefit (e.g. a longer contract with larger scope) Post award monitoring: manage contract and conduct post implementation reviews. Hints and Tips

…to be continued next week when we shall examine Pre requisites of supplier development among others.

Below is the remaining (unpublished) text for last Sunday: should be used to determine when Supplier Development the process of developing a supplier Concluding part can be brought to an end as the Supplier positioning objectives and targets have been In many cases, the development measured and delivered. In many of the supplier will be of benefit cases, the results of the development to the supplier’s other customers, may be simply a ‘quick fix’ or, at some of which may be the buying the other extreme, it may involve organization’s competition. continual improvement or a step This may be an incentive for the change. supplier to participate in a supplier Conclusion development project (i.e. they can CIPS believes that whatever improve relationships with all their approach to supplier development customers as a consequence). This i s e m p l o y e d , Pr o c u r e m e n t may not matter if the development professionals should ensure is in terms of improved service, quantifiable and measurable results greater quality, value add and that lead to business benefits. management information, for Supplier development is, therefore, instance. a significant opportunity to raise However, where the supplier’s the profile of Procurement and producthasbeendevelopedtomeet Supply Chain in an organization and a particular competitive advantage should be utilized by all Procurement of the buying organization the professionals where appropriate. Procurement professional should Input into a supplier development consider the implications of this at programme is required from the outset. many different stakeholders, but CIPS believes that Procurement CIPS believes that Procurement professionals should always keep professionals are best qualified the starting objectives of developing to lead and manage the overall a supplier in mind. This information programme.

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Sunday 31 March 2019

SundayBusiness Canon’s imaging redefined: Why digital cameras Why extractive sector needs to engage work better than smartphone cameras women – Finance Minister Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson

onsidering the statistics on the number of consumers with smartphones versus digital cameras in Nigeria – it is safe to say that the imaging market is segmented to cater to several types of consumers. Smartphones have become a staple for the Nigerian market because of its functionality (in terms of telephony, messaging, and internet services), availability and the ability to take and share images in quick time. Even though consumers want to share their photos and videos directly from the device that takes them, without needing to upload them to a PC and process them first – image quality remains a major factor why they consider dedicated Digital Cameras. Some of the factors driving consumer preference is over the years is convenience and connectivity. Since the introduction of smartphones, digital imaging companies have upgraded their device to fit consumer preference while retaining one of the most important elements that make their range superior – image quality. A lot of smartphones still struggle with dynamic range, poor

focusing, over processing incamera, poor noise control, little creative optical effects, poor colour fidelity, white balance control, and a lack of ergonomics. Digital cameras however stepped up their range – they now have the capability of uploading images directly to photo sharing and social media sites as time passes; thanks to the inclusion of Wi-Fi. There are new and improved image storage apps and infrastructure, there are cross platform photo editing platforms compatible with each and every new device. Devices have become lighter, sleeker, mirrorless and adaptive to several lens categories regardless of size. Canon continues to lead the market by providing multiple options for budding and

professional photographers, bloggers and social media content creators to express their creativity. This year, the global leader in imagery and printing technology has introduced three new innovative products to the Nigerian market. The new products are the Canon EOS R, Zoe Mini and Pixma TS9540. The new set of products appeal to both the seasoned professional and the everyday user - with advantages such as durability and versatility. Below is a breakdown of the pro. It is pretty much common knowledge that your smartphone is not going to be able to snap pictures that are as good as those from a dedicated digital camera. According to tech expert, David Nield of T3 smarter living, “Smartphones do a fantastic job of packing some high-end electronics into a very small space, but when it comes to the camera - as with the internal processor and storage - manufacturers have to sacrifice some power as a result. Both the sensor (inside a camera) and the lens (fitted in front of the sensor) have to be shrunk to fit inside a smartphone. Smaller camera sensors lead to more noise in the image, a problem that’s exacerbated when there isn’t much light to play with (that’s why a digital camera becomes even more useful in a dark-

ened room). A larger sensor is able to let in more light, but the size of these components are severely restricted in the smartphones of today.” What you get from Canon EOSR Canon’s new addition to the EOS system, the EOS R provides the ultimate shooting - it features an all-new RF lens mount that has been completely reengineered. EOS R is designed with lenses at its core – lenses which expand the boundaries of optical possibility. Versatility is key with the EOS R; a 30.3 Megapixel Fullframe CMOS sensor and the DIGIC 8 Image Processor deliver stellar low-light performance. In daylight or in the dark, in the studio or on the street, the EOS R’s lightweight, intuitive and durable

design means strong performance and gorgeous results. Pairing a redeveloped lens mount and updated fullframe image sensor the EOS R is an exciting camera that unlocks creativity. Perfect for users of all levels Canon EOS R offers the ultimate shooting experience to take your storytelling further. For photographers and filmmakers who already own a range of EF and EF-S lenses, the Canon EOS R offers full compatibility via an adapter with no loss of performance or quality. Canon’s Speedlite flash range offers flexible and creative lighting possibilities while EOS accessories open the door to greater creativity. Canon ZOE Mini Despite most images existing exclusively in digital format these days, the ZOE MINI is Canon’s smallest and lightest Mini Photo Printer - the perfect accessory for those who enjoy snapping and sharing treasured moments with family and friends. Weighing in at just 160g and measuring only 118 x 82 x 19mm the Zoe mini is conveniently portable, convenient chic, slim and light weight pocket-sized printer. Anywhere you go It features ZINK™ technology, meaning zero ink is required. The rechargeable battery-powered portable printer comes with a starter pack of 10 x Canon ZINK™ photo paper (peel-and-stick back, smudge-free, water and tear resistant), with additional paper available for purchase in packs of 20 or 50. With customisation at its foundation, this printer, through the Canon Mini Print app, offers the option to print not only individual smudge-free and waterresistant 2” x 3” prints or stickers, but also a tile print that is made up of four or nine prints, as well as over ten unique collage templates that print on one 2x3 photo. Make your photos stand out with on-trend filters, AR, frames and doodles. Get connected with Bluetooth connectivity compatible with both tablets and mobile phones for seamless printing of your social media snaps, unleash your inner creative, peel off the backing of your photos and stick your photos on your wall, laptops or cases to keep your memories closer than ever. Canon Pixma TS9540 Th e Ca n o n P I X M A TS9540/TS9541C is a compact All-In-One inkjet printer that is capable of A3 printing, with a comparable A4 printer footprint. It delivers professional results with the help of Canon’s class leading FINE print head technology and its five individual inks give photos a rich gradation and up to a 100-year[1] album life.

Obinna Emelike

he extractive sector plays a key role in ensuring the longterm viability of Nigeria’s economy. It leads to the discovery and development of mineral deposits, creates jobs – often in remote communities – and attracts significant investment. But there is often the question about the role of women in the management of the affairs of the sector. Against the backdrop of a general lack of policies and regulatory frameworks aimed at identifying and protecting the rights of women and ensuring equal representation, Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, has sought for quality engagement of women in the sector. Studies suggest that while the benefits of extractive industry projects are enjoyed primarily by men, it is women who bear a disproportionate share of the negative social, economic and environmental impacts. Highlighting the many challenges in an interview media executives, the minister posits: “The extractive sector has been particularly susceptible to gender bias and systematic discrimination across its value chain,” in spite of the fact that extractive companies with women in leadership positions make 5-20 percent more profit and more robust corporate governance and transparency, as stated by the World Bank. According to her, the views and interests of women are not considered in shaping the sector and they are less likely to benefit economically. She added: “There is also an insufficient pipeline of women and girls with the necessary educational background and work experience to enter the sector. At the project level, women are often not consulted by governments and companies during community engagements, in part due to structural barriers such as lack of information.” Considering also the challenge posed by the lack of credible and readily available data – particularly disaggregated data – she is of the opinion that governments, companies and other stakeholders are by the challenge limited in their ability to make informed decisions and develop gender-responsive policies, programmes and budgets to tackle inequalities. Her take on how data disclosure could help to

Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance

improve gender inclusion is that data disclosure is critical to necessary interventions and improving gender inclusion because it provides governments, companies and other stakeholders with information needed to identify areas where women are disproportionately underrepresented or marginalised. Apart from ensuring transparency and accountability, data disclosure, according to her, also allows for citizens to engage with issues affecting the inclusion of women and other vulnerable communities. In her words: “Requiring companies to disclose employment statistics disaggregated by gender, for example, would help inform more inclusive hiring practices. As we consider the importance of data disclosure, we must also ensure that women are given equal opportunities to access data, and that data is disaggregated along gender lines where possible. This will ensure greater transparency and accountability in line with the principles of the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI).” Speaking on what actions could be taken to make the extractive sector more inclusive for women, since the gender-neutral policies are often applied in ways that exclude and disenfranchise women stakeholders, Ahmed says the Nigerian Government has to develop policies, regulatory frameworks and programmes that target women, so as to remove the socio-economic and cultural barriers that prevent women from participating fully and benefiting economically from the extractive sector. She urges that women must have a seat at the table to participate in decision-making in the sector more generally, as well as contribute to the development of genderinclusive strategies more specifically. Her view is that women

must also be given the support and tools with which to participate in the management of the sector, and also that the views of the women must be taken into account at the project and community levels. In her opinion, it is important to develop programmes that encourage women and girls to study engineering and other fields related to the extractive industry, with mentorship and support to ensure their advancement in the field. Speaking further, she says companies should also take responsibility for the status quo by developing strategies and programmes aimed at hiring, promoting and retaining women. Her position is that it is important to promote the participation of women-owned smallmedium enterprises (SMEs) in the extractive industry through inclusive financing structures and improved access to information and opportunity across the industry value chain. Speaking further on how supporting women could benefit the sector as a whole, Ahmed states that, “By empowering women and ensuring their full participation in leadership and decisionmaking roles, we can ensure increased transparency and accountability at all levels; more inclusive partnerships at the community level, leading to better protection for the most vulnerable; and stronger emphasis on addressing the industry’s environmental impact.” A gender-balanced and inclusive approach to the extractive sector, as she succinctly states, will empower women economically, resulting in stronger economy overall. She asserts that supporting women in the extractive sector will lead to improve and more sustainable economic, social and environmental outcomes, in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals.

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LifestyleHomes&Suites

BDSUNDAY 37 Paul Ojenagbon pauloje2000@yahoo.com

Relax at Eastend Estate in Owerri

he residential outlook at Owerri, Imo State capital would be wearing new garbs in days ahead following the entrepreneurial drive of Afriprops Development Company Limited to situate Eastend Estate in the city. In conjunction with Imo Housing Corporation, Afriprops proposes to build 135 beautifully crafted and distinctive houses on 13 hectares of prime land. Eastend is conceived as a private residential community with an admixture of a shopping complex that would offer spaces for sale on the newly built Egbu-Naze Road, off Owerri-Aba Expressway, near Federal Polytechnic, Nekede.It is within the neighbourhood of Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport. When commissioned, the “peaceful hideaway” is expected to offer the ultimate in luxury living with full access to modern amenities. The property is covered with a global Certificate of Occupancy. The project which will commence very soon is currently selling off plan. The building types, attached with a maid’s room include 5- Bedroom detached duplex, 4-Bedroom detached duplex, 3-Bedroom detached bungalow with extra land and the option of standard area. The shopping space is specified type 1 on the ground floor, type 2 on the first floor also with office space while the supermarket space is on the ground floor. The 5-bedroom duplex which provides 327 square metres of accommodation lies on 864 square metres of land, the 4-bedroom duplex is on540

square metres of land with built up area of 302 square metres while the 3-bedroom bungalow has a built area of 247 square metres and lies on 540square metres and 640 square metres of land for the regular and that with extra land respectively. The building schedule includes 16 units of 5-bedroom duplex, 59 units of 4-bedroom duplex and 60 units of 3-bedroom bungalows. Although special attention is given to the 5-bedroom duplex in the aspect of finishing, other types would also be superbly finished. Ceiling finishes are generally contemporary POP design with shadow lines in the living area and POP

with cornices in the bedrooms. There are generally two living areas. Floors are high quality vitrified tiles in the living rooms and ceramic tiles in the bedrooms with skimmed wall finish. In addition for the 5-bedroom duplex, granite floor finish is in the living areas and combination of high quality emulsion paints on the walls. Doors are bullet proof security doors. Like others, it has large master bedroom but with a neutral air pallet to keep room open and walk-in closet, detailed finishing with inviting ambience. It has in the toilets, bath cubicles in the bedrooms and Jacuzzi in the master bedroom. The kitchens are fitted electric and gas burners, extractor

hood, oven while the premium range also has fridge and refrigerators. Estate facilities include standby generators complementing mains supply on 24/7 backed up with dedicated transformers and high tension supply lines, potable water from industrial borehole with treatment plant and water reticulation. Estate roads are paved with storm water drainage and lined with streetlights. Security is enhanced with close circuit television (CCTV) device and access control system, aiding manned police post at the gate. The recreational facilities include exotic parks, gardens, recreational areas, and club house with restaurant, bar and lounge. Others include gymnasium, basket ball court, lawn tennis court and jogging track. The 5-Bedroom duplex sells for N70m, the 4-Bedroom for N60m, the 3-Bedroom bungalow plus extra land for N50m, the 3-Bedroom bungalow on regular space for N45m. Shop space type 1 measuring 37.2 square metres sells for N15m, type 2 measuring 28 square metres for N12m, office space for N12m and the supermarket space measuring 85 square metres for N30m respectively. An initial deposit of 25 % is required and the balance spread out over convenient plan period of 12months, 24 months and 36 months respectively. A discount of 15% is given, provided a buyer does not break the stream of payments over the elected payment period. Upon completion, the estate and its facilities would be managed by a structure put in place by the developers.

Trinity Towers hugs the skyline in Oniru

ptly described as “three towers, one elegant building”, the Trinity Towers, as the name suggests is a unity of three towers combined into structural beauty and functionality which offers a great environment for business and leisure. It is a multi- storey commercial development of high magnitude. Trinity Towers offers twelve floors of prime commercial space totaling 13,320 square metres of contemporary real estate. A floor plate provides approximately 425 square metres. Space, light and aesthetics make this exciting development a functional work of art. It is situated along City Of David Church Road, Oniru Estate in Victoria Island. It shares neighbourhood with Four Points by Sheraton, Oriental Hotel, Exxon Mobil Headquarters, The Palms Shopping Mall among others. Oniru is a fast growing extension of VI. The development which is being undertaken under the auspices of City Of David Church comes on the marketing stable of Messrs Gbenga Olaniyan & Company. The project currently on the fifth floor and going at a fast pace is planned for completion and delivery in the last quarter of 2019. The development is intended to set the next bench mark for temporary real estate in VI well into the future. It is a unique and innovative masterpiece; a meticulously put together mixed development of commercial and leisure space located at the heart of fast developing

commercial district. Arising from the elegant lobby, through to the concert halls and roof top terraces, every detail has been dili-

gently put in to ensure the highest level quality standard attainable. It boasts of indoor amusement for children, retail therapy for the shopaholic and cinema

experience for all the family from the two cinema halls, recreational theme parks and shopping centre. Trinity Towers is positioned to become the destination for Lagos residents in no distant time. Major features in Trinity Towers include 5000- seater concert hall, rooftop terrace and ATM gallery. Others are 2 cinema halls, conference and multipurpose Halls, retail area and Restaurant, 2 Banking halls and a food court. There is multi-level car park on split levels for approximately 670 cars. There are 12 passenger lifts and 1 goods lift, automated and integrated lighting, sound and video system. Leisure is provided for in the gymnasium and wellness centre. There are also Tenant-dedicated external garden terraces protected by a lattice framework. Simple rental terms are available as well as long leases. A great opportunity also exists for any savvy investors to hold a floor and make long term rental streams. Office spaces in Trinity Towers are letting at the rate of N125,000.00 per square metre in available sizes between 250-500 square metres. Shopping space on the ground floor for available sizes of between 70-140 square metres is letting at N160,000.00 per square metre while shopping space on the Entertainment Level on the 7th floor is letting at the rate of N140,000.00 per square metre for available sizes between 50-200 square metres respectively.

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Sunday 31 March 2019

The Sunday Magazine

Torturous path to private school registration AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE

ince the early 90s, the standard of education in Nigeria, especially in government-owned (public) schools, has continued to fall. Today, it is difficult to say that quality teaching and learning is going on in many public schools. This development has become very alarming as students are forced to learn under poor environmentdilapidated classrooms and without necessary facilities. The situation has also affected the quality of students churned out of such schools as it has become very difficult for many Nigerian schools to raise a “total child”, who is very fluent in spoken English, ability to comprehend or possesses sound numeracy and logical reasoning skills. In many public schools today, students study in classrooms where half of the roofs are pulled off, there are no desks, no chalkboards, and teachers are underpaid. For the above reasons, private sector individuals started devising means of bridging the existing gap in Nigeria’s education system by investing in ownership of Nursery, Primary and Secondary schools as well as Universities. Today, the number of private-owned schools especially nursery; primary and secondary levels, have surpassed the number established by government. Though, individuals were allowed to own school, but such must be done under strict monitoring and supervision of government. Here, the state government through its Ministry of Education must validate and license Nursery, Primary and Secondary schools before such school can be certified as legal entity. However, investigation by BDSUNDAY has revealed that registering a school irrespective of the level, has become very cumbersome and tough procedure that is usually very difficult for most school owners to meet. This discourages schoolownersfromregisteringtheir schools, and this, perhaps, explains why over 50 percent of private schools in Nigeria today, operate as illegal entities. Private school owners deal with customers, who are the parents of their students. Today, many parents believe that their children can only get quality education from schools that are duly registered and approved by the government. This is why many parents are always conscious of the status of the school their wards attend. By implication, if a secondary school is not approved by the government, it automatically means that such school will also not be approved by West African Examina-

tions Council (WAEC), an examination board that conducts the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), for University and JAMB entry examination in West African countries, neither will such school be recognised by the National Examinations Council (NECO). This means that students of such schools will not be allowed to write their JSSCE and SSCE exams within the school premises. Alternatively, school proprietors of such “illegal schools” have to make an extra effort to register their students with a government or private-owned secondary school that is government approved, to enable the students participate in such exams. Many secondary schools have existed for close to 20 years without taking the bold step to go for

state government approval due the huge financial requirements and the cumbersome procedures involved in the registration, Helen Akhigbe (not real name), principal of one of the big schools in Lagos, told BDSUNDAY. The visioner of the school, according to Akhigbe, must start from day one to put the required facilities in place bearing in mind that “Rome was not built in one day”. By so doing, she said, one day the school may be able to satisfy the entire requirements as stipulated by government. Processes of registering secondary school in Nigeria Are you a prospective or secondary school proprietor? Do you have the vision of establishing a legally validated secondary school, someday? Here are the requirements: First, the government must ap-

prove the foundation of the school and the building plan to certify that the school building is good enough for the students to learn. Secondly, the school must go for name search in the State Ministry of Education to ensure that no other school is making use of the same name. However, if the name is already in use, you will be advised to change the name. Thirdly, after the name search, the school owner will write for site inspection of the school facility. The ministry will send its officials to come and see the topography and location of the school in order to ensure that all the special rooms are in order. “When you write a letter requestingforapprovalofyourschool, the ministry will advise you on what to do and there are different units

and committees under the ministry handling different segments of the registration,” Akhigbe said. School special rooms Special rooms include standard hall, sick bay, well ventilated classrooms and required number of toilets. For instance, if you run a mixed school, it is expected that boys will have separate toilets while the girls will have theirs. Teachers must have toilets and visitors must also have separate toilets, all amounting to about 15 toilets. The school must have three laboratories for Physics, Chemistry and Biology. It must also have Home Economics room and Fine Art Studio. The Fine Art Studio must have about 20 donkey chairs where students will put their drawing papers to draw. There must be open cupboard, display charts and curtains made of Kampala material as well as display of students work. “By the time the school owner finishes with the Fine Art Studio alone, he or she must have spent a minimum of N500,000 to N1million to set up standard Fine Art Studio,” Akhigbe said. In the Technical Drawing/Basic Tech Workshop: it is expected that the room must be cross-ventilated, must have five working tools in the areas of metal, plumbing, carpentry and painting, among others. The idea, BDSUNDAY understands is to enable students that cannot further their education to learn how to be self-reliant or self employed by learning handiwork. The Food and Nutrition/Home Economics room: must have gas cooker, cupboard and plates, local and foreign kitchens. It will also have the textile angle that must be equipped with a minimum of five sewing machines and other sewing accessories as well as display of students work such as already sewn clothes. Laboratories: research has shown that it will cost nothing less than N10 million to set up a standard laboratory. For instance, the labs must have sinks with two-way taps, gas, preparatory room and all the needed chemicals and apparatus, which must be inspected one after the other by the ministry’s supervisors during the site inspection. The Biology Lab must have all the models of the parts of the body and the special organs of the body to be used by the Biology teacher as teaching aids for students. The classroom must have display chart on various subjects, while the Computer room must have a minimum of 30 functional computers with truncated cables to avert the danger of students playing with naked wires. Also, the need to be ready for emergency situation is why it has

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BDSUNDAY 39

The Sunday Magazine

become essential and very compulsory to have fire extinguishers mounted in all the special rooms and other strategic places in the school. Akhigbe says, “My school bought about 20 fire extinguishers but the ministry officials said it was not enough and insisted that we must buy another five to make it 25. And sand buckets were placed under them. The Admin office The principal office must have a display of the school organogram showing structural hierarchies of the school, starting from the Principal - vice Principal- HODs - Subject teachers - Guardian/Counselor - Teaching staff and non teaching staff - Students Representatives Council (SRC) – Prefects - Class captains – students. In addition, there must be a display board inside the Principal office as back up to the general display board outside where information can be made public. There must be shelf and standard table in the office. It is expected that the office must have cross ventilation with comfortable waiting room that has functional fans and good seats. The Principal must have a statutory record for both the teachers and the students. Teachers must have dairy to record day-to-day work. The teachers must have lesson note and lesson plan, time table, mark book (test book), record book, class attendance register (for students presence) and subject attendance register, which is different from class register, for those students present during the class. Thereafter, it is expected that the ministry officials must see the learners’ record of work, which is the students’ notes. They must see whether the teachers are following the scheme of work week-by-week, and whether the students understand the teaching because the students will also be assessed by the officials based on the topics taught. There must be statutory records that include log book, visitors’ book, recommendation books and outward/inward books; nominal roll of the students; teachers’ attendance register and movement book that state teachers’ movement within school hours including the purpose of going outside the school premises within school hours. Also, there must be curricular activities (learning work) and extracurricular activities that include

sports, debates, quiz, dance troupe, drama and others. The students’ files must be readily available in the Principal’s office and the ministry has committees such as food, time table and examination committees that will assess these facilities and records one by one. The Principal must have plan for each terms, which he/she must evaluate at the end of every term to know whether it was achieved or not. “For instance, my school has mapped out the plan for next term. As expected, we have studentteacher schedule for impromptu speeches, drama or casting of news, among others,” Akhigbe added. The spiritual aspect of learning must also be there. For instance, some schools usually have 1 hour programme after school on Fridays where moral instructions and Bible teachings are taught. This is to ensure that a total child is brought out in the students. These mentioned aspects of schooling would be handled by different groups of inspectors coming at intervals in numbers of two or five to inspect. On the site inspection, the school will be informed on the final day the different committees from the ministry will come to the school together to do the final checking. Here, about 20 officials will come to do the final checking of all the required facilities. This will help them to know if the school owner borrowed or hired the facilities that were approved during the site inspection. Special Recognition Inspection At the end of site inspection, the school will be asked to move to the next stage, which is Special Recognition Inspection (SRI) that comes after you must have paid for approval form and inspection fee. Before coming for the SRI, those facilities seen during the site inspection stage will be requested for all over by the ministry officials. The school would be given a form that will contain about 32 items and one must not miss out. They will also request for photographs showing the front, inside and all the school special rooms. These facilities must be documented in pictures and sent to the ministry in order for the commissioner, who did not come in person to see evidence of those items in pictures. The school will be expected to carry the entire detail file to the

ministry including the files of the teachers to ensure that the teachers are teaching the subjects they specialise in and if it was discovered that any of the teachers is not teaching their subject of specialisation the approval will not be granted until the school employ the right teacher to take up that singular subject. On the day of Special Recognition Inspection, all the directors heading different units in the ministry will come to the school to check areas such as building plan, education, curricular and others. On that day, about six directors will assess the Principal alone to know if he or she knows the job. Other directors will go to the classes to watch the teachers teach the students. After this exercise, the inspectors will call the teachers and Principal to give their report one after the other in the presence of the school proprietor and also give their recommendations. Approval stage After this, the directors will report back to the ministry. They will seat for a minimum of two to three weeks before coming up with the final report. If the final report certifies the school fit, the ministry will call the school owner to come to the ministry for their approval letter. This is when you will know that your school has been approved. This does not mean that the process is over because when the school writes to WAEC or NECO

for the approval to become an examination centre. The managements of each of will come to inspect the school allover. Registration cost Schools run away from the process of registration because each of these mentioned stages cost the school owner a huge sum of money. For instance, the approval letter may cost over N200,000 to obtain. On that day about 25 directors from the ministry will come for the final site inspection, you must spend a minimum of N500,000 to host them. It will be the responsibility of the school to host them because they are expected to stay from morning till night. Therefore, you must provide good breakfast, lunch and supper for about 25 directors. Akhigbe told BDSUNDAY that the time frame it takes a school to register depends on how prepared the school is, because, “all the facilities required must be provided; the school must be painted and the outward decor such as flowers must be in place. There must be indoor games as well.” Akindele Obafemi, owner of one of the big nursery and primary schools in Ota, Ogun State, told BDSUNDAY that in other countries of the world, education is given priority such that in some cases, government gives tax holiday or tax rebate to school owners. According to Obafemi, government in other countries of the world increases the infrastructural support given to schools to enable them operate well and give their citizens good education. “In Nigeria, the reverse seems to be the case. Private sector started investing in the education in order to help government to develop the education system but it has not been easy for us school owners. The difficulty as well as the huge financial burden imposed on schools that strive to validate with the government, is unimaginable. Government needs to help the private sector people to rescue the nation’s education system,” Obafemi said. Processes of registering nursery and primary school Firstly, just like secondary, the school owners have to get the

name of the school searched and approved to ensure that no other school is using the same name in that state. The school must be registered with corporate affairs commission (CAC) as a business entity. Secondly, there should be a building that can accommodate the students comfortably. The building must have the number of classes that are required, good toilet facilities, sick bay, library, premises to serve as playground for the pupils; canteen or food vendor etc. In addition, there should be documentation for the school building like the survey and approved building plan, etc. Afterwards, the ministry officials will come to the school for site inspection. Here, the building plan will be inspected including other facilities that need to be put in place. After that, the ministry officials will tell the school owner of the things to do. “Those things do not come easy except you go to the ministry to graze people’s palm. This is why you hardly see upcoming schools that are government approved because it is difficult for their owners to muster the financial muscle to pay the legal and the uncounted-for fees for the registration, and also put the needed facilities in place,” Obafemi stated. Ironically, he said, these ministry officials are paid by government to do this but school owners are being arm-twisted to also give them money, packaged in envelopes, as freebies. “School business is capital intensive and most of the people into the business raise the capital by themselves because it is difficult to go to banks due to high interest rate that will be near impossible for school proprietors to pay back. This is why many are not coping and if the school fees are too high, the parents will also revolt,” he added. For school owners like Obafemi, government needs to digitalise the system to enable people do the registration process online but that does not mean that the officials should not come to the school for inspection because it is also very important to inspect the school to ensure that things are in order. “Digitalising the process can shorten the time for the registration, which takes about five to six months due to the cumbersome procedure. Obafemi told BDSUNDAY that running an illegal nursery and primary school, means that the school owner must take the pupils to a government-owned school or an already registered school, for the pupils to write State Common Entrance Examination. “We used to take our pupils to a school that is registered with the government and our pupils wrote the exam under the umbrella of that school. Most parents believe that their children do not need that Common Entrance because most of the pupils leave primary to private secondary schools. “So, only those going to public schools write the exam while others go to the school of interest to write entrance exams. This is why many are comfortable to run ‘illegal schools’ for years without making any effort to register the school with the government,” he added.

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The Sunday Magazine Crisis in the ivory towers

KELECHI EWUZIE

he rate at which Universities are being established in Nigeria without a proportionate translation of knowledge to the students is alarming. It is shocking to note that at a time when developed countries pay attention to university education through infrastructure development, funding and research, the federal government of Nigeria, through the ministry of education, is paying lip service to university education. In the early 60s, 70s and 80s, the focus of university education was giving the best education to university students who were prepared to contribute to national development. However the case is different now as the focus in the last two decades has shifted to giving the ‘worst’ education to students as they are prepared for local markets which have much fewer jobs than the number of graduates being produced. Public universities in this country used to rank alongside any standard university anywhere in the world. There was massive investment in them, coupled with the dedication and commitment of the academics working in the institutions. BDSUNDAY’s finding shows that the peak of public investments in education was in the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. It was not very difficult to see first generation campuses producing an array of academics and researchers from across the world, milling around and pursuing their varied interests in science, medicine, social science and humanities. Back then standard was high enough to attract students from around the world, but the universities are now overcrowded; the best graduates seek employment in the private sector or abroad, leaving the ivory tower with average or mediocre scholars, while universities continue to spring up amid problems of underfunding, teaching staff and standards. According to the organised private sector, most Nigerian university graduates are not fit for employment. Statistics show that from only six universities in 1970, the National Universities Commission (NUC) lists 170 today – 43 owned by the Federal Government, 48 by state governmentswhile79areprivatelyowned – with a number of distance learning centres and affiliated colleges. These institutions, in total, have the capacity to absorb only 500,000 students yearly. In the latest World’s universities ranking, no Nigerian university was listed within the top 1000 in the world. This is, no doubt, a true reflection of the quality of the Nigerian education system. The certificates issued in Nigerian tertiary institutions paints another worrying picture as these certificates continue to face quality test due to a mirage of problems facing the entire educational sector in the country. In today’s competitive world

of employment, it is routine by employers to recruit candidates that parade not just a certificates that bears first class or second class upper division, but seek candidates with the right working skills that can contribute to the development of their companies. Employers want their recruits to be competent technically in their chosen field. They also want them to come of school well equipped with complementary life skills such as problem solving, reflective and critical thinking, interpersonal and teaming skills, effective communication, organising skills and ability to translate ideas to action. However with the growing unemployment rate in the country and employment companies finding it difficult to get the right candidates as a result of poor quality of graduates from our tertiary institutions, education experts and stakeholders have been wondering at the worth of Nigeria degree certificate today; who needs it and what those saddled with the responsibility of managing the educational system are doing to address this issue. Often, employers of labour have complained about the lack of relevant skills by the so-called graduates from the country’s institution of higher learning while other institutions running post graduate programmes have introduced internal examinations to test the aptitude of the graduates before admission. This, experts say, points to the doubt that exist about the quality of the

degree certificates obtained from the tertiary institutions. The experts believe that the only way out is for tertiary institutions to work more closely with organisations. The debate arises from empirical evidences which reveal that many Nigerian graduates are not empowered with the requisite skills needed to perform effectively on the job. Peter Okebukola, a professor at Lagos State University and a former executive secretary, National Universities Commission, while commenting on the issue, revealed that the worth of a university degree is the depth of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values associated with that degree which the graduate bears as a consequence of his/her training. He disclosed that any degree earned through sloppy training cannot endow the holder with respectable knowledge and skills for the world of work or for postgraduate studies. According to him, “the absorptive capacity of the labour market in Nigeria has shrunk significantly in the last 10 years, making it increasingly difficult for graduates to secure public and private sector employment. This, he said, has translated into about 30 per cent of graduates of Nigerian universities being unemployed or underemployed. Isaac Adeyemi, a professor at Bells University, Otta, Ogun State noted that this standard problem

started during the military era when the education sector faced a serious problem which has continued till date. He listed some of the problems as poor funding, brain drain due to poor welfare package for lecturers, poor students/lecturers ratio where institutions admit more than their carrying capacity, as well as the corruption which bedevils the entire society. “If you want to pursue a graduate course abroad after your first degree here, they make you go through an internal examination which is a kind of creating doubt on the quality of the certificate you have come with. Of course, the Nigerian university system has begun to copy that even when students are coming for graduate programmes; they send them through an aptitude test which is an indication of doubt about the quality of the certificate that people are carrying,” Peterside noted. While noting that government has started doing something to address the problem by granting autonomy to universities, the don pointed out that the country was not yet compliant with international standard in terms of funding for education. Chinedu Duru, a human resources manager, while reacting to the issue, pointed out that human capital development is bedevilled with the neglect of the present and past governments concerning their promises to the citizens in the area

Sunday 31 March 2019

of investment in education, which has remained largely undelivered.. Duru noted that the universities should work more closely with the industries, try to understand their needs, have a forum where there could be an exchange of ideas as to the challenges the industries are facing and how they can develop a proper curriculum to address these challenges. Apparently disenchanted with the poor quality of university graduates, Duru informed BDSunday that a country like the USA has strategically provided for the needs that would become very predominant in the next 50 years for professionals and have made strategic moves to fill the gap, wondering why Nigeria should not follow suit. He says the problem of skill gap was increasingly becoming a multifaceted one, noting that organisations were looking for certain skills to help their business improve. Nigerian universities lack four major indicators of quality education, accounting for the present sorry state of the sector. First, while the world’s top universities operate with sizable budgets, Nigerian universities lack adequate and regular funding, not just to pay staff salaries but also to fund research and provide cutting-edge facilities and an environment conducive to teaching and learning. Save for a few private universities into which their proprietors pumped huge resources, often for take-off, Nigerian university campuses and research facilities leave much to be desired. On his part, Ayanlaja Ogunde, an educationist stressed that the Nigerian degree was not worthless in terms of academic but worth very little in practice. Ogunde whose institution is involved in filling the skill gap in Nigerian graduates to position them better for the actual work environment, was worried that the academic contents in the country’s institutions often do not address the real needs of the society. “Academically, the Nigerian degree is not worthless because it is the basis of determination of students’ ability to think; it is also relevant for admission into institutions of higher learning abroad, but in practical relevance it is worth little. Often, academic contents are not relevant to the needs of the society, especially to the employers. Graduates from these institutions are usually theoretically baked but half-baked for the business/practical world,” the educationist stated. He lamented that these graduates are not groomed for successful living because they passed through a system that encouraged dishonesty, corruption, mediocrity and other vices, while calling on other stakeholders, especially the policy drivers who are more in position, to address the problem. In order to raise the competiveness and relevance of Nigerian graduates, Ogunde said it had become more pressing to managers of the education sector to engage in steady upgrade of its present curriculum to meet the needs of the ever-changing world of today.

Sunday 31 March 2019

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BDSUNDAY 41

The Sunday Magazine In education, Nigeria still lags peers

STEPHEN ONYEKWELU

rom crèche to tertiary education, a countless number of school are springing up but Nigeria still lags peers such as South Korea and Malaysia, judging by relevance of curriculum design, delivery, learning outcomes and future readiness. With a derelict school system devastated by corruption, a lack of investment and the flight of qualified instructors abroad and to private sector jobs. Nigeria’s education system is failing to arm its children with the skills they need to work in the banking, manufacturing and petroleum industries that drive the economy, in an age of artificial intelligence and 5G networks. Basic education is in tatters but the universities are even worse off. “Nigerian universities at this point are struggling to modernise and equip their computer science laboratories. Some of the universities are still not able to introduce and use basic technology in the classroom,” Terae Onyeje, managing director, Wowbii Limited a technology company that produces interactive board and classroom teleconference facilities. So with up to half of white and blue collar jobs expected to disappear due to artificial intelligence, Nigerian students, will lack the skills needed to compete with their peers in a rapidly changing world. Emmanuel Mkporjiogu, head of computer science department, Veritas University, Abuja said curriculum is a big problem because Nigerian university curriculum mentions artificial intelligence only at introductory levels. “Artificial intelligence comprises natural language, voice and text processing. It also includes robotics, machine learning and big data analytics. These things are not taught in our universities,” said Mkporjiogu. But South Korea’s performance in education in the last four years has been masterful in execution. Their results in standardised testing and their student’s ability to advance towards college graduation is the model over 200 nations, are chasing to be the best in education. But this was not always the case. Nigeria and South Korea had similar social and economic characteristics in the 1960s. Both were underdeveloped and were recovering from both colonial rule and civil war. The Korean Peninsula went from being under a heavy Japanese rule from 1910–1945 to a defining war five years later (between 1950–1953). Then, the watershed moment at the 38th Parallel in June 1953 divided the Korean Peninsula into the two diametrical nations that we now know as South and North Korea. Due to this division in 1953, South Korea had all those characteristics of an underdeveloped economy because many of its manufacturing and industrial facilities were concentrated in North Korea. Being cut off from the sup-

plies of North Korea also meant that South Korea’s economy was no longer self-sustaining as more than 90 percent of electricity was generated inside North Korea. Forward to 66 years after. South Korea’s human capital and economic development has grown in leaps and bounds. Member of the United Nation’s Department of Economic and Social Council, the New Jersey Minority Educational Development’s (NJ MED) 2017, World Top 20 Education Poll that ranks the world’s best education systems captured South Korea in the number one spot for the fourth consecutive year. Even, with Japan closing the gap by seven points, it looks like South Korea will still be number one in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. The only hope other nations can catch-up or even keep up, is by improving their early childhood education system. This means improvement in enrolments, teaching quality, and parent involvement. With that, said, what if South Korea, also improves their earlychildhood education system? Given Nigeria’s current annual population growth rate of about 3 percent and the deteriorating state of early childhood education, there is probably no chance that Nigeria will improve its childhood education enough to match South Korea’s. Nigeria does not usually rank high in many global indices. But considering its fast-growing population, the Global Human Capital

rating by the World Economic Forum (WEF) is one index where the country’s low ranking has significant negative implications for its future viability. According to WEF, the Global Human Capital rating seeks to measure the skills people possess that enable them to create value in the global economic system. The report rates 130 countries on how well they are developing their human capital and sadly Nigeria ranks 114, just 16 places from the bottom. This basically means Nigeria’s huge human capital, often presented to the world as our greatest asset, is not being prepared to compete effectively in a fast-changing world. It is estimated that about 45 percent of Nigerians are currently under the age of 15. In another 33 years, most of these children and teenagers of today will be the young adults and teenagers of tomorrow that will be living in the third largest most populated country in the world. Sadly, about 70 percent of today’s youths are in public schools that are ill-equipped to train them for the future. Even more worrisome is the number of children that are said to be out of school. The Federal Ministry of Education recently disclosed that about 10.5 million children are out of school, roaming the streets as hawkers or Almajiris. Some are also kept as farmhands by their parents. These children are not being given any chance of getting prepared for

”

Nigerian universities at this point are struggling to modernise and equip their computer science laboratories. Some of the universities are still not able to introduce and use basic technology in the classroom

a fundamentally different world that they will grow up to live in. Basically, Nigeria is building the low-income population of the future and risks becoming the end of the world where the highly skilled part of the world will come looking for those to do the dirty jobs and consume the products of the highly skilled world, which is not much different from our situation today. But with increasing advances in robotics and artificial intelligence, robots could even be trained to do the physical and dirty jobs of the future. That will mean even the low paying jobs will not be easily available for those without the skills to compete for the high paying jobs. Cheap labour is not expected to be a competitive edge in future because most jobs will be automated anyway, and machines can introduce efficiencies that make cheap labour uncompetitive.

Nigeria’s population has risen by 43 million in the last ten years; figures from the National Bureau of Statistics show. The figures captured in a report, “Demographic Statistics Report 2015” available on the website of the NBS, shows that the country’s population which stood at 140 million in 2006, had swelled to 183 million by 2015. The data means Africa’s largest economy and most populous country has 43 million children between ages 0 and 10, to cater for. In another ten years, these children are going to be the country’s labour force in an age that will be dominated by technology in a knowledge driven economy. But educationists have noted that the country is not adequately preparing its children for the challenges ahead. Figures from the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) show that 40 per cent of Nigerian children aged 6-11 do not attend any primary school, with the Northern region recording the lowest school attendance rate, particularly for girls. “Despite a significant increase in net enrollment rates in recent years, it is estimated that about 4.7 million children of primary school age are still not in school” according to UNICEF on its website. This means these children who are out of school are not being given a chance to compete in the future. “Even when children enrol in schools, many do not complete the primary cycle. According to current data, 30 percent of pupils drop out of primary school and only 54 percent transit to Junior Secondary Schools. Reasons for this low completion rate include child labour, economic hardship and early marriage for girls,” says UNICEF. Nigeria passed the Universal Basic Educational (UBE) Act in 2004 to improve education for children but the result has not been impressive. To assess the efficiency and performance of the UBE school system, the Monitoring Learning Achievement (MLA) project, an international consultative forum, in collaboration with the Federal Government, measured pupils’ performance in three domains of knowledge: literacy (English language), numeracy (mathematics) and life skills (social studies, health education, basic science, home economics,) across some states of the federation. The mean percent scores on the literacy was 25.1 percent, numeracy stood at 32.2 percent, while life skills tests was 32.6 percent. Some educationists say a major reason for this low score is the stalling of the Universal Basic Education, which is meant to provide ‘free’ tuition for children between ages 5 to 12 backed by 20 percent of the Federal Government’s Consolidated Revenue as counterpart funding to all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for its implementation. The management of some State Universal Basic Education Boards stalled this policy.

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Sunday 31 March 2019

The Sunday Magazine Many schools, low knowledge base

CHUKA UROKO

he educational system in Nigeria is a huge paradox. It tells the story of Nigeria, a country where numbers don’t translate into advantage and quantity runs on parallel lines with quality. Nigeria boasts a large number of schools at all levels—primary, secondary and tertiary. Yet the knowledge base, especially of the products of this army of schools in particular, is very low. The liberalization of the education sector by the federal government about two decades ago, allowing private sector operators to provide, own and run schools within the ambit of the enabling law has led to the proliferation of primary and secondary schools of all shades and sizes. And, to some extent, universities. Though these schools which come in different sizes, giant and mushroom inclusive, are almost in every corner of Nigeria, they are more predominant in the southern part of the country where demand and craze for education is higher. The northern part of the country is only playing a catch up. Within the southern part of the country, Lagos, which is many things rolled into one in terms of commerce, industrialization and agglomeration of other economic activities, is way ahead of other states and cities with the number of schools in its fold. Lagos is said to have an estimated 30,000 public and private schools put together. Out of this number, about 18,000 are privately owned. It is estimated too that 76 percent of this number, representing 11,000 schools are not registered, meaning that this staggering number of schools are operating illegally, yet on yearly basis, they churn out people who will form the country’s skill base for offices, industries and other fields of economic activity tomorrow. In other economies of the world, economic growth is driven largely by private enterprise even as the public sector plays its regulatory role and enabling the environment for the private sector to flourish. In such societies, large numbers are always assets that could be exploited for growth. That also applies to their school system which explains why majority of Nigerians who leave the shores of the country for studies abroad, end up in well established, well organised and well run private schools. “Our case is always different and that is why we are where we are even as a country richly blessed with all that we need to move far away from this sorry

passé. Government’s liberalization of the education sector was a good idea. I want to believe that government had good intentions in doing what it did. But what we see is like throwing a piece of meat to the dogs and caring little about what they do with it”, Samuel Uroko Odoabuchi, an educationist, explained to BDSUNDAY in an interview. The oligopolistic tendencies in a free market economy where everybody is selling basically the same product, in this case, knowledge, push operators develop competitive spirits that, most times, are taken out of the ordinary, sacrificing efficiency and commitment to quality on the altar of filthy lucre. In the good old ways, public schools were more preferred destinations than private ones which were considered then as receiving centres for never-dowells who have failed to secure places in public schools. Today, public schools are known as places where education has become a mere formality. Students who pass through public schools, especially at primary and secondary levels, are half-baked and, in some cases, not baked at all because they can’t offer any value. “Government is the cause of what has become of public schools today and it is the same whether you are talking of primary or secondary schools”, Uroko explained further. Continuing, he said, “funding is a big issue here. Government does not carter for the teachers and that is why they are not serious with their job. Many of the teachers do whatever pleases them. As a principal of a school, you don’t have anything in terms of imprest account to run your school. The necessary things you need to make teaching and learning a re-

warding experience are lacking”. The educationist, who ended his service to the education sector as a school principal, noted that both morality and discipline no longer exist in the school system because, according to him, “we now have a situation where a child misbehaves in school, a teacher disciplines the child by way of flogging him or her and the next thing you see is the parents coming to school to take revenge” . Though the private schools are relatively better in terms of structure and administrative convenience, Evelyn Onoja, an educationist and head of a private school, says the products of the two sectors present a good case of the pot and the kettle. “Yes, we have schools everywhere today, especially in cities like Lagos. But what we get in return from all the schools is nothing to write home about. The quality of the products of these schools leave nothing to be desired”, Onoja said, listing some of the causes as competition, quest for quick wealth by owners of these schools, pressure from parents and influence of technology on the school children. In other jurisdictions, competition is good because it enhances efficiency and quality of the production process, but not in the education system where, Onoja says, competition has done more harm than good to the education and upbringing of the students. Every school wants to be a reference point in terms of good performance in external examinations. According to Onoja, “this is the major driver of the competition we are talking about. School owners go to any length to ensure that their schools come tops in WEAC, NECO or JAMB examinations and so, engage in unwholesome acts ranging from

buying exam questions, aiding students in examination halls with the connivance of examiners, to conniving with examination bodies to influence results, etc”. Unconfirmed report has it that some school proprietors go diabolical in order to increase the population of their schools. In some cases, neighbouring schools are remotely-controlled and forced out of business. This is because schools are now regarded as business enterprises and not knowledge centres. “The quest for quick wealth is as high as it is deep; some school owners are more interested in the money they get from their ‘business’ than the welfare of the teachers or the quality of the knowledge imparted on the students. They hardly plough back or make fresh investment in the school to raise standard”, Omobola Adewunmi, a schools inspector, confirmed to BDSUNDAY. Many of these school owners, she added, employ incompetent teachers and pay them next to nothing as salaries, adding that why they don’t employ highly qualified and professional teachers is because they want the whole money for themselves and their families while the teachers work and die on the job. Adewunmi has her blame for parents and the students for the situation in schools today. According to her, parents are not only over-indulging their children, but also pile too much pressure on the school to tolerate and make the best of an indolent and uninspiring child. “The idea of special centres for external exams comes from parents of lazy students who are ready to offer anything to make their children pass exams they never prepared for. Sometimes, such parents hire and pay people,

mostly university students, to write WAEC or JAMB examinations for their children. From there, they move on to buy university admissions for those children. The end products of these unwholesome activities can only be left to the imagination”, Adewunmi posited. Aggregating these activities readily paints a picture of a country whose present and future are already compromised. Nations grow on the back of its human capital and the quality of any nation’s human capital is a corollary of the quality of its educational system. Government in Nigeria seems to be a spectator in a system that shapes the country’s future. Any discourse on education in the country, especially on what has held the system down, must mention poor funding. Contrary to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recommendation that 26 percent of the nation’s budget should be allocated to the educational sector, education in Nigeria is poorly funded, with budgetary allocation ranking among the least. Onoja noted that the quality of education in any country was one of the major keys to national development, pointing out that the decline in the quality and standard of education in Nigeria was a major cause for concern. To get it right, Nigeria must rethink its education policy and funding should be a priority. Experts are of the opinion that if education is well funded to a point where teachers are well remunerated for the job they do, adequate infrastructure is provided to make quality teaching and learning possible, emphasis on private schools will be reduced and all the fraud and unethical practices around them will die. Legit, an online news and entertainment platform, says the first step forward towards reviving the educational system in Nigeria lies in the hands of the government. “Necessary steps need to be taken in order to restructure and save the sector. The government at all levels needs to commit to the delivering of a competitive standard of education across the country and with other countries”, the platform says All in all, adequate funding with good management will provide high-quality education in Nigeria. There used to be education inspectors in this country and these inspectors helped to check the excesses of school administrators and sanction lazy teachers. More than ever before, the system needs such inspectors, especially for private schools some of which have become business centres operated by shylock investors.

Sunday 31 March 2019

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Focus Intrigues, fireworks, protests, shadow-boxing becloud collation in Rivers’ hanging guber election * Women now better protesters: ‘INEC’s Effanga must go’; ‘No, Effanga must stay’ * N3bn? AAC ticket tears into two: Amaechi holds candidate, Wike hold running mate * Blackmail and counter accusations trail INEC from Abuja to Port Harcourt

Ignatius Chukwu

ntrigue has grown to a new proportion in the Rivers endless political imbroglio where nothing seems possible anymore. Just like the British Parliament cannot reach a verdict on Brexit, so has the Rivers political class lost any idea how the political quagmire and the jammed governorship elections could be resolved. Whereas some groups (especially the Peoples Democratic Party- PDP) want the collation to continue as proposed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) hoping the outcome will favour Gov Nyesom Wike, the African Action Congress (AAC) want the collation to stop, fearing it might not favour it. The PDP is supported by 85 political parties and their candidates (though many believe they are fingers of one hand), the AAC is heavily backed by the Federally controlled All Progressives Congress (APC) led in the state by former governor and now Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. The AAC has rather called for total cancellation and a fresh election. Many believe the state can hardly go through another full election without full scale war. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by Victor Fingesi has joined the fray and went to a Port Harcourt High Court to ask for cancellation, but he seems to experience a lull as close friends especially those sympathetic to the PDP have scolded him, seeing that position as pro-Amaechi. The other anti-collation groups went to courts in Abuja to ask for stop to collation. News shook the state when it was said that the motion was granted. Soon after, news came again that it was not granted. That seems to be the nature of Rivers State socio-political life where nothing seems to be certain. Politics of protests: ‘Effanga Must Go’; ‘No, Effanga Must Stay’ Apparently to make the world believe that its position has the support of the masses in the state, each group has gone far to mobilize protesters on the streets of Port Harcourt to press home its point. In this new approach, women seem to be more fancied

Akpo Bomba Yeeh; AAC running mate who just decamped to Wike’s PDP

Awara Biokpomabo, AAC guber candidate who says he tuned down N3bn offer to stand down

over the youths that usually carried the day. This may be because women groups were used to stop uniformed men believed to be soldiers in Okrika areas during the collation when attempts were allegedly made to jump into the collation centre from the back area. Women formed a shield. Now, the AAC/APC moved women to Aba Road to protest against any collation and also press for transfer of INEC’s Resident Electoral Commission (REC), Obo Effanga, who has been painted as a PDP member, or sympathizer. The political class in the state was one large united family years ago. Despite their division into parties and opposing camps, they know each other closely. Thus, plans easily leak. As soon as the PDP learnt of the planned protests by women, the party mobilized too and soon, the roads leading to the GRA1 were filled up by women led by a serving commissioner to send a protest letter to the Commissioner of Police on Moscow Road. So, the city exploded with protests in two major areas of the city. Aba Road where INEC is situated was occupied by antiEffanga protesters while GRA was occupied by pro-Effanga protestors, all women. One group took their protest to the INEC office along Aba Road where they threatened to

remain and possibly go naked should the REC not be removed. The other marched to the state headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) at Forces Avenue and Moscow Road. Former Commissioner for Women Affairs, Joeba West, said the women were demanding for liberation, justice, and security which desire they expressed through the ballot during the governorship polls but which realization was now being threatened by the actions of INEC. She said the women of the state insist that only seven local government results were collated and announced as at the time of suspension of the process and wondered where INEC got its acclaimed 17 LGAs’ results. West stated that what the women want was for INEC to stick to the seven LGAs’ results, cancellation of the already compromised results and conduct a fresh election across the affected LGAs. But at the DSS and Police headquarters, the State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Ukel Oyaghiri, said Rivers women were worried that other states that participated in the elections have had the process concluded while that of Rivers State was yet to be concluded. The state government followed by banning any form of protests in Port Harcourt Thursday evening after concluding its own protests and as if to stop the AAC groups that said they would remain at INEC endlessly. This action brought another explosion on Friday from the APC. The blame game Before the protests, the REC has come under heavy condemnation from the APC/ AAC. The APC had adopted the AAC for governorship election because the courts stopped the party. Now, the APC continues to accuse the REC, Effanga, of being a Muhammadu Buhari hater, a PDP sympathizer, and many more. The party unveiled list of PDP members that passed as returning and electoral officers in many places and said Effanga knew the details. The REC has not responded to the accusations. The APC also accused the national chairman of INEC, the professor, Mahmoud Yaku-

Chibuike Amaechi, Lion of the Delta: he sang war song at APC rally and it has been turbulence ever since

bu, saying he was working for the PDP. The party sited the case of INEC swiftly obeying court orders to remove the APC from the ballot but when higher courts ruled for a stay of execution, INEC remained dumb. An APC chieftain took out contempt proceedings in Abuja against Yakubu. The AC/APC is also asking how INEC suddenly said they had results in 17 local council areas whereas as the time of stoppage of collation in PH, only seven local councils had submitted collated results. Of the places collated, both PDP and AAC claim victory. INEC has not responded to the question of how 17 LGA results are ready instead of seven known to AAC/APC. N3Bn vs N200m? AAC’s broken ticket as Bomba bombs Amaechi Amaechi may not be the only leader who worked on the AAC to create upset. While Wike placed an eye on the second generation political parties to avoid the APC penetrating any of them especially Dumo Lulu-Briggs’ Accord Party, Amaechi sneaked to the littleknown AAC whose guber candidate is from Kula, an oceanic island town. Just when Amaechi thought he had built a solid opposition axe to attack Wike, and when that plot actually rattled the incumbent by stalemating the elections, Wike pulled a fast one on Amaechi. Bomba! News broke penultimate weekend that Bomba Yeeh was kidnapped by government forces and that his phones were no longer going. Soon, hints came that Bomba was offered N200m to ditch his guber ticket to which he is running mate. By Monday, part of the rumour became real as Bomba addressed a press briefing with a prepared speech saying he was decamping to Wike’s PDP. He said: “After due consultations with my immediate family, friends and supporters, I Chief Akpo Bomba Yeeh, the Deputy Governorship (candidate) of the AAC for the 2019 Governorship election hereby resign my membership of the AAC and announce my defection to the PDP to join hands with Governor Wike to move the Continues on page 44

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Sunday 31 March 2019

Focus Intrigues, fireworks, protests, shadow-boxing becloud... Continued from page 43

state forward “. He went on: “The March 9 , Governorship election in Rivers State has been lost and won; lost by my party, AAC and its candidate, Biokpomabo Awara and undoubtedly and overwhelmingly won by the Gov Wike of the PDP”. He said that despite the interference of the security agencies, Rivers people stood their ground and voted for Gov Wike. He said: “The collated results further showed that contrary to the false claim of fictitious lead by my party, the AAC/APC alliance, the PDP overwhelmingly won all the elections in 18 out of the 19 LGAs, culminating in the declaration and return of the party 26 House of Assembly Constituencies by the Constituency Returning Officers. He threw pebbles at Amaechi, saying the minister made him to sign a slavish bond at gun point and it required him to resign after victory for an APC man to take over as deputy and also allowed Amaechi to appoint 90 per cent of commissioners. I turned down N3Bn to decamp – AAC’s Awara Awara however addressed the pres in Abuja and made explosive revelations too. He said he turned down a whopping N3Bn carrot few days before his deputy’s defection to chicken out of the partnership with Amaechi’s APC. He said he told his running mate about the offer and his reason to turn it down but that he (running mate) did not object to his decision. He said he was surprised to start hearing about N200m being offered to his running mate, and soon after, the man’s telephone number stopped going through. The next thing Biokpomabo said he heard was that his running mate has jumped ship. He insisted that he and his running mate did not sign any deal and that the alliance with the APC was unconditional. He expressed disappointment over the purported resignation of his running mate and his reported defection to the Peoples’ Democratic Party PDP. Awara debunked claims by his erstwhile deputy candidate that the Minister of Transportation had made

Running mate in AAC (Bomba), shaking hand with Gov Wike after decamping; did N200m exchange hands?

them sign resignation letters. He dismissed all of the allegations against the minister as false, stating that Amaechi and the APC offered him and his party unconditional support, owing to their shared ideology and love for Rivers State and Rivers people. He also dismissed his running mate’s ‘compromising’ actions as pathetic, claiming that he had himself been offered N3 billion naira to drop his ambition, but he rejected it and his deputy was aware. His words, “When the story of his resignation first came out as a rumour, that Rivers State Governor have offered him 200m naira to abandon me, I had no reason to believe it because that Elder Yeeh was aware I had earlier turned down an offer of N3b, Gov. Wike offered to me some days ago through his associates. I discussed this with my running mate and outlined why we must not succumb to the lure from the governor or any interest group. I was convinced that we were in agreement because he neither expressed nor alluded to a difference in opinion on the matter. “When the rumour became rife by Sunday, I made several attempts to reach my

deputy without success. I started developing some strange feelings pointing to a possible sell-out by him. “I am aware that a key component of their plot is to attempt to smear the towering image and figure of the Honourable Minister of Transportation Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. I want to state categorically that all the accusations made by my running mate against the Honourable Minister are blatant lies poorly crafted by his paymaster, Governor Wike and associates, and you could see how tough it was for him to read the script handed to him. “Let me be clear. I was never asked to and did not sign any letter of resignation. I am aware that my deputy also was not asked to or signed any letter of resignation. My deputy, Elder Akpo Bomba Yeeh is believed to be under tremendous financial pressure based on his statements. PDP fires back at Awara: You lie a lot’ Rivers State PDP Campaign Council says the Governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) Biokpomabo Awara, lies a lot. May be, the saying that politics is all about dishonesty and lying may be getting on the younger generation of politicians. The PDP says Awara has mastered the art of telling lies since the APC adopted his party in the state. In a reaction to the press conference by Awara, the Director of Information and Communications of the State PDP Campaign Council Emma Okah denied that the Governor of Rivers State HE Nyesom Ezenwo Wike offered Awara the sum of N3B or any sum to drop his governorship ambition. “The allegation is childish and ridiculous. Does he know the weight of N3BN? Where will the governor get such money to give anybody as bribe to win an election that he has already won? What did Awara do or will do that will make the governor offer him such money? Is it for the lies he tells or the election he contested and failed? Okah querried, nothing that eventhough lying is part of the APC, Awara is running faster than his masters in learning the art of falsehood. According to Okah, Awara stands before history to elect between darkness and light and whichever course he choses will have political implication for the rest of his life. Okah urged Awara to tow the line of honour mapped by his deputy Elder Akpo Bomba Yeeh and free himself from the yoke of standing before history to answer questions which his inordinate ambition has inflicted on the state. “How will Awara explain to God and

men of goodwill that he does not care about those that died during the governorship elections; robbing Rivers people their right to choose the governor they like and indeed, the huge economic toll the state has to bear as a result of his recklessness in wanting to serve the wrong master at the wrong time and at all cost?”he said. Okah further assured Awara that unless he responds in full to the weighty issues raised in the press conference by Elder Akpo Bomba Yeeh, a huge burden will contiue to hover over his head. If politics is the art of brazen lies, Rivers people are swimming in it. Awara’s running mate just threw a bombshell, the Amaechi forced him at gunpoint to sign a resignation letter and a slavis deal. His critics said he collected N200m from the state governor to lie. Now, Awara has said his own, mentioning N3Bn, and the PDP said its all lies. APC’s Chukwuemeka Eze bombs Bomba back An APC chieftain in the state, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has described the alleged bribing and eventual defection Bomba Yeeh as an act of mischief and desperation. He said the desperation to destroy the AAC candidature was indication that Gov Wike saw the results and found it did not favour him. Eze, a chief, said Wike had thus entered the panic mode. Eze mentioned alleged testimony of Bomba’s son who allegedly detailed how Rivers State government officials stormed his father’s hotel and whisked him away, saying “my father was taken away from his hotel in a black jeep to an unknown place last night and all his phones have been switched off”. He said Bomba merely reappeared on Monday to announce his resignation from the AAC, withdrawal from the governorship race, and his decampment to the PDP. However, in his statement, Eze said intelligence reports available had shown that Bomba was not kidnapped, but was only drawn into a plot mid-wifed by a serving senator from the state on behalf of the governor. He linked the plot that saw Bomba out with N200m. Eze insisted that Awara won the elections because militants and cultists were neutralized and that the PDP saw the handwriting on the wall and now acted by tearing the AAC ticket into two. He argued that if the PDP was comfortable in victory, the party would not be pumping billions of naira into the AAC if what remained was just to announce results and declare him re-elected. He went on: “A man that refused to pay pensioners, create any employment and promote any civil servant, a man that cancelled free education, increased tuition fees, abandoned all the institutions created by his mentor and predecessor in education, health, agriculture sectors, has chosen to fund miscreants, hoodlums, cultism etc in the state. “Town planning is zero peace zero, skill acquisition zero. These and many more reasons was why it easy for Engr. B. Awara of AAC to defeat him.” Conclusion: Collation may take place in chaos This is the stage waiting for collation to start on Tuesday, April 2, 2019. INEC said it is after the final collation they would determine if they would conduct elections in the cancelled polling units or not. It is not clear whether the rancorous and chaotic atmosphere would allow collation to progress to a successful end. What is not in dispute that Rivers people do not seem in any mood to go back to the polls, and the people do not believe that such an exercise would end in any successful outcome.

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Court Watch Court jails 7 yahoo boys, school principal, convicts company

INNOCENT ODOH, Abuja

he Uyo Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Tuesday March 26, 2019, secured the conviction of seven internet fraudsters, popularly called ‘Yahoo yahoo boys’ before Justice S. A. Amobeda of the Federal High Court, Calabar, the Cross River State capital. Th i s w a s d i s c l o s e d in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Acting Head of the Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Tony Orilade. The convicts namely: Unamba Maxmillian Chukwubueze; Kingsley Isaacs, Ikenna Madagascar, Obioha Ikenna, David Okpere, Kanu Uchechukwu and Clement Okeke, all indigenes of Imo state with the exception of Okeke who hails from Enugu state were arrested on Friday, February 8, 2019, fol-

lowing intelligence reports, which led to a raid on their apartment on N15a Old Ring Road, off Atiku Abubakar Road, Uyo Akwa Ibom State, which also doubles as their office. Justice Amobeda convicted the internet fraudsters after they pleaded guilty to the one count charge preferred against them by the EFCC and subsequently sentenced them to six months imprisonment each with an option of N100,000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) fine each. The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the computers, laptops and all other instruments they used in committing fraud to the Federal Government of Nigeria. The convicts had earlier entered into a plea bargain agreement with the Commission in its Uyo Zonal Office, the statement said. In a related development, Justice Okon A. Okon of the State High Court 7, Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital on

Monday, March 25, 2019, convicted and sentenced a company, CMD Remediation Nigeria Limited, owned by one Mr. Chikelue Ezechukwu for issuance of dud cheque to the tune of N16, 000,000 (Sixteen million naira). A two countcount charge was preferred against the company. The conviction was also based on a plea bargain agreement. The sentence against the company was a fine of N30, 000 (Thirty Thousand Naira only) on count one, and N20, 000 (Twenty Thousand Naira only) on count two, and a full restitution of the said sum to the complainant.

“In line with the plea agreement, the accused has been convicted having restituted the nominal complainant the entire sum being N16, 000,000” Justice Okon stated. Also, Justice Joy I. Uwana of Akwa-Ibom State High Court One, sitting in Ikot Ekpene has convicted the principal of Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene, Mr. Festus Enyima Dappa on a two-count charge levelled against him by the EFCC. The Commission had dragged Dappa to court on March 7, 2019 for illegally diverting into his personal account, funds meant for construction work in the school and for production of students’ year book, amounting to N4. 460million and N2.619million respectively into his personal account. Dappa was sentenced to one year imprisonment each on the two-count charge without an option of fine, the statement added.

EFCC docks man for land scam, forgery INNOCENT ODOH, Abuja

$9.8m fraud: Ex-NNPC GMD Andrew Yakubu knows faith, April 4 INNOCENT ODOH, Abuja

ustice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, will on April 4, 2019 decide whether the former Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Andrew Yakubu, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on a six-count charge of non declaration of assets and money laundering to the tune of $9, 800, 000 (Nine Million Eight Hundred Thousand Dollars) has a case to answer. The EFCC had, on February 3, 2017, raided Yakubu’s house, located on Chikun Road, Sabon Tasha area of Kaduna South Local Government Area of Kaduna State, from where the sum of $9,772, 800 and £74,000 was recovered, a statement issued on Wednesday by the Acting Spokesman of the EFCC, Tony Orilade, said. The judge will also decide on April 1, 2019, whether to allow Yakubu travel for medical trip to United Kingdom (UK). At the resumed hearing of the case on Wednesday,

March 27, 2019, the defendant, through his counsel, Ahmed Raji (SAN), along with five other colleagues informed the court of a ‘no case submission’ filed on November 6, 2018. Andrew, through his counsel, Raji also applied for foreign medical treatment in the United Kingdom (UK). But responding, prosecuting counsels led by M.S Abubakar, opposed the application, on the ground that the earlier date scheduled for the medical treatment being March 11, 2019, had elapsed, the statement said. The defence counsel argued that the appointment was rescheduled to April 2, 2019. The prosecution counsel, Abubakar said the defense counsel did not provide the court with a valid document or exhibit, to show that the medical appointment was rescheduled for April 2, 2019, and in view of that, Abubakar asked the court not to allow the prayers of the defendant. Justice Mohammed adjourned to April 1, 2019, for rulingon whether or not grant the prayers for the medical trip. The judge also adjourned till April 4, 2019, to rule on the ‘no case submission’.

h e Ec o n o m i c and Financial Crimes Com mission, EFCC Kaduna Zonal Office has arraigned one Suleiman Ibrahim Ka’ida before Justice Mohammed Tukur of the state high court, sitting in Kaduna , the Kaduna State capital, on a four-count charge bordering on forgery and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N3, 700, 000 (Three Million Seven Hundred Thousand naira) only. The defendant was arrested by the Commission following a complaint by one Abdulrrahman A. Gumi of No.11 Modibo Adama Road, Kaduna , a statement issued on Wednesday by the Acting Spokesman of the EFCC, Tony Orilade said. Gumi alleged that he was introduced to Ka’ida by one Abdulrasheed Baba Ahmed Kankaba to buy a piece of land in Malali Layout, Kaduna at the

sum of N3,700.000 (Three Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Naira only), for which he paid cash, and only to realise afterwards that someone else was claiming ownership of the said piece of land and had even begun developing the land. Gumi made several efforts to get back his money to no avail. One of the charges reads: “That you Suleiman Ibrahim Ka’ida, sometime in 2012 in Kaduna within the judicial division of the High Court of Kaduna State, fraudulently used as genuine, a forged document titled, “Certificate of Statutory Right of Occupancy No: 9937,” which you used in selling a plot of land at No.6 Road ‘J’ TPO 462B Malali, Kaduna to one Abdulrahman A. Gumi at the cost of N3.7000,000.00 (Three Million Seven Hundred Thousand Naira, only) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 366 of the Penal Code Law CAP89 Laws of Northern Nigeria and punishable under Section 364 of the same law.” The defendant pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Following the not guilty plea, prosecuting counsel, P.C. Onyeneho urged the court to fix a date for commencement of trial and prayed that the defendant be remanded in prison custody, while the defence counsel, Abdulkareem Audu pleaded with the court to grant his client on bail, the statement said.

Court to rule on preliminary objections on suit to compel EFCC to investigate Oshiomhole May 13 FELIX OMOHOMHION, Abuja

Fe d e r a l H i g h Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, adjourned ruling till May 13, 2019 on the preliminary objections raised by former governor of Edo state and now the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, on the suit seeking to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to commence criminal investigation against him. At yesterday’s sitting Oshiomhol asked the court to dismiss the suit for lacking in merit. The plaintiff, Bishop Osadolor Ochei, had dragged EFCC and Oshiomhole to court, praying the court to order the EFCC to investigate different petitions that contained allegations of financial recklessness against Oshiomhole. The plaintiff told the court that Oshiomhole, while in office as Edo state governor, procured properties far in excess of his legitimate income. The Bishop, who is Edo based activist, told the court that he sent a petition to the EFCC on November 4, 2016, where he detailed the alleged corrupt practices he said the ex-governor was allegedly involved in. He maintained that EFCC’s refusal to act on petitions containing “weighty allegations” against Oshiomhole, ran contrary to Section 15(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). However, Oshiomhole, in a preliminary objection to the suit said the plaintiff lacked the locus standi (legal right) to institute the action. Oshiomhole argued through his counsel, Terhemba Gbashima of Damian Dodo’s chambers, that the suit filed by the plaintiff is statute-barred, as it was filed18 months after the cause of action. According to him, the plaintiff, who he described as a meddlesome interloper,

ought to have filed the suit three months after the cause of action. Gbashima, who prayed the court to dismiss the suit or in alternative strike it out, also submitted that Bishop Osadolor has not shown how the alleged cause of action has affected him more than other indigenes of the state and asked the court to dismiss the suit for being incompetent. In her response, counsel to the plaintiff, Uju Chukwurah, asked the trial Judge, Justice Anwuli Chikere to discountenance the preliminary objection of Oshiomhole, who is the second respondent in the suit. She said the EFCC, which was represented in court yesterday by Best Ojukwu, is empowered to investigate financial crimes against anybody and as such, it is under a statutory duty to examine the petition brought before it by the petitioner. She asked the court to ignore the preliminary objections of the EFCC and Oshiomhole. Chukwurah said there is a continuous damage, since the subject matter of the plaintiff’s petition has not been addressed, adding that, until the petition is death with, the plaintiff’s matter cannot be said to be statutebarred. She said the the plaintiff, being a indigene of Edo state, has the legal right to file the suit. The anti-graft agency in its preliminary objections by its counsel, Ojukwu challenged the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel it to arrest and prosecute Oshiomhole, over allegation that he diverted public funds to his personal use while in office as governor. The EFCC admitted that it received petitions accusing Oshiomhole of complicity in acts of corruption, but added that it was not under any obligation to report or give account of its investigations to any individual or under a timeline within which to carry out its functions.

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Sunday 31 March 2019

Court Watch Tax holiday: Appeal court nullifies NLNG’s $55 million judgment against NIMASA AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE

he Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, on Friday, has set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court, which exempted the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) from levies payable to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). These levies were payable under the NIMASA Act, Cabotage Act, Marine Environment (Sea Protection Levy) Regulations, and other laws of the federation. The Appeal court ruling was based on the fact that NIMASA, the country’s Maritime Regulatory Agency, was not given fair hearing at the lower court. Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, who delivered the judgement, ordered the return of the case to the Federal High Court for fresh trial under a different judge. The ruling restores the status quo, reaffirming NIMASA’s powers to continue to collect the levies due to government from NLNG. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), lead counsel of NIMASA, who spoke to newsmen after the judgment, said we need to know that the judgment of the Federal High court was to the effect that NIMASA should pay a whooping sum of $55 million in two tranches of $21 million first and another $34

million to the NLNG. “The judgment of today is that the Federal High court was wrong because the process at which it arrived at its decision was fault with a breach of the fundamental principles of fair hearing. And because of the fundamental nature of that fair hearing, the judgment was set aside and remitted back to the trial court to be tried before another judge,” Fagbemi said. According to him, the immediate implication is that ‘my client’, which is NIMASA, would not pay the $55 million, which has been set aside along the other judgment of the High court. Recall that the dispute between NLNG and NIMASA is based on the refusal by NLNG to pay 3 percent of the gross freight on all international outbound and inbound cargo carried by ships chartered by NLNG and its whollyowned subsidiary company as contained in the NIMASA Act 2007. Also, the dispute was due to the refusal by NLNG to pay the 2 percent surcharge on Cabotage trade undertaken by its vessels within 200 nautical miles of the baselines and Nigerian coastal and inland waters as contained in the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act 2003; the refusal by NLNG to comply with the Marine Environment (Sea Protection Levy) Regulations of

2012 and the Merchant Shipping (Ship Generated Marine Waste Reception Facilities) Regulations 2012. NIMASA had in 2010 commenced an action against NLNG, wherein it sought for an interpretation of relevant provisions of the Nigerian LNG, which include fiscal incentives, guarantees and assurances Act, CAP N87, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990, and the NIMASA Act of 2007. In January 2013, the action by NIMASA was withdrawn in a bid to ami-

cably settle the dispute out of court. Following the continued disregard of the provisions of the NIMASA Act and other relevant laws by the NLNG, in May 2013, NIMASA sought to enforce the provisions of the Acts by demanding payment of the respective 3 percent and 2 percent charges due from the NLNG, consequent upon which NLNG vessels were detained for noncompliance. Upon intervention by the Federal Government, through the office of the National Security Adviser

(NSA), an agreement in principle was adopted, with NLNG undertaking to pay up all outstanding levies and comply with all NIMASA empowering Acts and other relevant Regulations. NLNG made a payment of $20,000,000.00 and the blockade was lifted. In a surprising twist, NIMASA received a preaction Notice on the 18 June 2013 from Counsel to NLNG, giving 30 days’ notice of their intention to commence legal action in accordance with Sections 53(2) of the NIMASA Act. This resulted in another

blockade on 21 June 2013, during which various issues were canvassed in Court by the parties. Meanwhile, there was a truce by the parties under which the following were agreed: that NLNG must effect payment of all outstanding sums owed to the Agency and all its vessels, including FOB cargoes, will pay NIMASA levies as and when due. Also, it was agreed under protest that NIMASA will lift the detention orders placed on NLNG vessels for as long as due payments are effected promptly and NLNG vessels will not be detained. It was also agreed that NLNG will ensure that all outstanding FOB payments are made within four months from the date of the agreement failing which NLNG will assume responsibility for the payments. The outstanding due payments were made by NLNG on the 6 July 2013 and the blockade was lifted on Saturday, 7 July 2013. Hearing of the substantive issues continued after which the Federal High Court sometime in 2016 entered judgment in favour of NLNG. NIMASA, which was not satisfied with the judgment, engaged the services of Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) and Mike Igbokwe (SAN) to file an appeal against the said judgment of the Federal High Court, which gave rise to the new ruling.

Man bags 97 years over N5.6m fraud

EFCC arraigns man for forgery in Lagos

FELIX OMOHOMHION, Abuja

INNOCENT ODOH, Abuja

ustice A.O. Otaluka of the FCT High Court, sitting in Apo on Wednesday, sentenced one Clement Joseph, a.k.a Dr Omale to 97 years prison term with no option of fine. He was first arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on March 7, 2017, on a seven-count charge, bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence. He was said to have defrauded his victim to the tune of N5.6m. He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment on the conspiracy charge and 15 years each on the rest of the six charges, totalling 97 years. The prison terms run concurrently,

and he will, however, serve only 13 years, having been in custody for two years. The convict is also make N5.6m restitution to his victim, one Bola Akintola, following a plea by the prosecuting counsel Elizabeth Joseph. The convict had defrauded Akintola of the

said sum on the false pretence of having mystical power to deliver her from untimely death. The offence runs contrary to Section 8(a) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006, and punishiable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.

he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal office, on Wednesday, March 27, 2019, arraigned one David Adeosun before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja on a 23-count charge bordering on possession of false documents and forgery. This was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday by the Acting Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Tony Orilade. One of the counts reads: “That you, David Adeosun (alias Dominica Dennis), on or about the 21st December, 2018 at Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, had in your possession a document containing false pretence captioned ‘Union

Bank of Nigeria Plc, Payment Schedule’, purported to have been made by Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, when you knew or ought to know, having regard to the circumstances of the case, that the document contains false pretence.” The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him. In view of his plea, the prosecution counsel, Ahmed Yerima, asked for a trial date and prayed the court to remand the defendant in

prison custody pending the determination of the case. Counsel to the defendant, Olayemi Bamidele, informed the court that both the prosecution and defence had been meeting over a plea bargain arrangement. He, therefore, prayed for a short date to enable him file necessary documents. Justice Dada adjourned the case to April 1, 2019 and remanded the defendant in Ikoyi prison custody, the stateme

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BDSUNDAY 47

Sports FIFA Sec. Gen. football superstars top list for AITEO-NFF football awards Stories By ANTHONY NLEBEM

ll is now set for the second edition of the AITEO-NFF Football Awards ceremony which will take place at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos on Monday evening. The AITEO-NFF Football Awards is an annual event that rewards the best performers in the Nigerian Football industry over a period of 12 months, and debuted to much applause and accolades last year. Speaking at a press conference in Lagos on Friday, Taye Eyewuoma, General Manager, Finance, Aiteo Group, the official premium partner of the NFF expressed Aiteo’s commitment in taking Nigerian football to greater heights. “ Football is one of the unifying sports in Nigeria and Aiteo is happy to bring the joy of football to Nigerians, ” Eyewuoma said. He further expressed Aiteo’s satisfaction with partnering with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in revampingNigerianfootballand “We are happy with what the NFF has done with the Super Eagles and Aiteo is committed that the partnership continues.” Chairman of the Awards Committee and NFF 1st Vice President, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi, confirmed that the Secretary –General of world football –governing

body, FIFA, Ms Fatma Samoura has confirmed her arrival in Nigeria for the big event. Sources also informed that about 20 Presidents of Member Associations of FIFA and CAF have been invited from across the African continent. Chieftains of sponsors AITEO (Nigeria’s leading energy solution company) led by Deputy Managing Director, Francis Peters, will grace Monday’s showpiece. Already, about six State Governors have been invited, alongside Nigeria’s Sports Minister Solomon Dalung. The occasion will also be graced by Board Members of the NFF, Members of the NFF Congress, Members of NFF Management, representatives of NFF sponsors and partners, chairmen of various football Clubs, members of the diplomatic corps, past NFF Presidents and General Secretaries, award nominees and their friends. A number of renown stakeholders and oaks of the entertainment industry will also be in the auditorium on Monday night. Leading television stations, SuperSport and Africa Independent Television (AIT) will broadcast the event live. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State and FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura (the first woman holder of that exalted position and a proud daughter of the African continent) will receive special awards at the occasion. When it debuted last year, it marked the first time that

the nation’s football –governing body was organizing an Awards ceremony to reward and inspire the major actors and actresses in the Nigerian Football space. On Monday, gongs will be presented to winners in Player of the Year (men), Player of the Year (women), Coach of the Year (men), Coach of the Year (women), Young Player of the Year (men), Young Player of the Year (women), Team of the Season, Fairplay Award, Goal of the Season, Fans of the Season, NFF Development Award, NFF Order of Merit Award, Lifetime Achievement Award and Platinum Award categories. Also, there will be special

recognition of a ‘Legends Eleven,’ a squad of outstanding former Nigeria international players. Last year’s gong went to the 1973 set of Green Eagles that won Nigeria’s first major honour – the gold medal of the football event of the 2nd All-Africa Games that held in Lagos. Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Barrister Akinwunmi also confirmed that this year’s honour will go to the Super Eagles’ Class of 1994 – the team that qualified Nigeria for her first –ever FIFA World Cup finals, won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time on away ground and spectacularly reached the Round of 16 at the FIFA

Axxela boosts grassroots football developments in Lagos … commissions newly renovated Elegbata sports complex

ootball fans in Lagos are in for more exciting sporting activities as Axxela Limited, sub-Saharan Africa’s preferred fast-growing gas & power portfolio company officially commissioned the newly renovated Elegbata Sports complex Speaking at the event, Dr. Kweku Adedayo Tandoh, the Lagos Sports Commission Chairman, representing the Lagos State Governor, His Excellency, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode applauded Axxela for the initiative and its role in boosting economic development in the state. He said: “I would like to thank Axxela for developing this sports facility which indicates its firm commitment to the welfare of its host communities. This project is a welcome development for denizens of Elegbata which signifies the many possibilities that abound from public

and private partnerships and the significance of sports in the community. The Lagos State Government is steadfast in the provision of world class facilities under the umbrella of tourism, entertainment, hospitality, and sports excellence together.” The event also saw the commissioning of the Greater Lagos IV (GLIV) is Axxela’s gas pipeline network, developed by its Gaslink Nigeria Limited subsidiary in partnership with the Nigerian Gas Marketing Company (“NGMC”). Spanning from

Ijora through Lagos Island’s Marina axis, the $30 million pipeline will supply gas to commercial and industrial off-takers along its route, and already has First Power and Island Power amongst its customers. I n h i s r e m a r k s , Ra sheed Olaoluwa , Axxela Chief Operating Officer r e m a r k e d , “ Th i s o c c a sion demonstrates our continued contribution to the growth of Lagos State’s burgeoning socioeconomic landscape, and also reinforces Axxela’s

commitment as trailblazers in the distribution of natural gas to industries, and we are immensely proud of this pioneering effort. There remains a considerable demand for power generation, and this pipeline extension project will revitalize industrial development across the metropolis. We are also delighted to commission the sports complex, affirming our promise and always-on engagement of host communities in our areas of operation.” As part of its sustainability efforts, Axxela also recently renovated Olowogbowo Methodist Primary School located within the neighborhood, in a bid to improve the quality of education available. Olowogbowo Primary School also defeated Dele Ajomale Primary school 1-0 in the first ever match held at the new facility.

World Cup finals in USA. LAST YEAR’S AWARD WINNERS Young Player of the Year ( Wo m e n) : Ra s h e e d a t Ajibade YoungPlayeroftheYear(Men): Ikouwem Udoh FairPlayAward:RemoStarsFC Fans of the Season: El-Kanemi Warriors FC Fans Coach of the Year (Women): Ann Chiejine Coach of the Year (Men): Kennedy Boboye Goal of the Year: Sikiru Olatubosun (MFM FC)

Team of the Season: Plateau United FC NFF Development Award: Channels Television (Channels Kids’ Cup) Le g e n d s El e v e n : An n Chiejine, Austin Eguavoen, Felix Owolabi, Nwankwo Kanu, Christian Chukwu, Uche Okechukwu, Segun Odegbami, Mercy AkideUdoh, Thompson Usiyen, Augustine ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, Adokiye Amiesimaka Special Recognition: Nigeria’s 1973 All-Africa Games Gold Medallists Platinum Award: Gianni Infantino

Ever wanted to meet a football legend? Now’s the time

he buzz is out! One of football’s greatest stars, Puyol, is coming to Nigeria, leading the iconic UEFA Champions League Tour as presented by Heineken in Nigeria between April 16th-18th, 2019. Carles Puyol as the Legend leading the UEFA Champions League Tour comes as a huge surprise to fans who have taken to social media to express their unbridled joy. He is undoubtedly one of the most loved football superstars to have ever graced the game. With an illustrious career that saw him earn legendary status at Barcelona, he also picked up the UEFA Champions League title three times. Heineken is one of the biggest brand supporters of the UEFA Champions League and the 25-year relationship between them has made the brand one of the most recognizable in the world of sports, particularly in European football. Back in 2018, the brand brought Argentine football Legend, Hernan Crespo to the heart of Lagos, to experience UEFA Champions League with Nigeria’s pas-

sionate football lovers. Football Legend Ruud Gullit has also made the trip to Nigeria, courtesy of Heineken. However, Heineken’s latest endeavors are set to top these already impressive achievements during the three-day experience that will feature exclusive encounters in Lagos and Uyo with an unmissable match to be played by select consumers and the Spanish superstar, Puyol. With a commitment to giving fans truly premium experiences and the brand’s keen interest in continually exciting its consumers, it’s easy to see why Heineken is one of the most likeable brands in the world. For fans however, the countdown to when Nigeria will stand still and welcome one of football’s most iconic personality begins.

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SUNDAY 31MARCH 2019

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Encounter with the ‘Lions’ that truly care “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile” -Albert Einstein

earning lasting lessons from the hands of history, over the centuries, it becomes patently obvious that the rare act of giving to the less-privileged members of the society is noble, altruistic and ultimately healing to the mind, spirit and soul. Years back, after a moment of sober reflection, yours truly asked himself the critical question: “who are the people most loved, cherished and in fact, still idolized even decades after their death?” The answer came in a spontaneous stream of thought. Name them: Jesus the Christ, Prophet Muhammed, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jnr., Steve Biko and of course, Nelson Mandela; all lived their lives in the service of others. They sacrificed their priceless time, money, intellectual and physical energy, treasures and freedom so that others could have a taste of a quality of life, deserving of human beings. These are the avatars, the icons and the sages. Few of them are still here with us. Like the tireless termite they build structures for the comfort and convenience of others, most times at their own peril. But while the great gestures of the aforementioned were largely known and commended to the public, there are others who go literally unsung. For instance, one Richard Rescorla

was instrumental to the evacuation of thousands of people during the 9/11 attacks in the United States. As the director of security at Morgan Stanley, Rescorla was a stickler for his building’s safety and held twice-yearly evacuation drills to get people out. When the attacks happened and the tower next to Rescorla’s was hit, he put his plan into action and calmly instructed people to leave, right up until the moment he was killed. Rescorla’s actions were considered instrumental in the successful evacuation of over 2,500 people! This is not only touching but most inspiring. It is against this backdrop that we look at the essence of giving back to society by individuals, groups, religious groups, private organisations and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). This is underscored by a recent motivating experience one had with the esteemed members of the Lion’s Club International, specifically in the Lagos/Ogun axis. Led by the distinguished District Governor (DG), Lion Modupe Oba (the first female member to rise to that enviable post) they moved across three local government councils to lend a helping hand where most needed. At the Healthcare Centre located at Kola-Agbado in Ojokoro LGA of Lagos State, it was the donation of environmental cleaning materials including moping machines, hand gloves, waste paper baskets and floor scrapers. Still on environmental protection, the team moved to the nation’s

premier private citadel of technology, Bells University, Ota for the tree planting campaign. Next was the donation of a yellow-painted ‘Children Crossing’ signage at the St. Saviour’s Anglican Primary School, Ijoko in Ogun State, which had similarly benefited a bore-hole and generator from the same Club, a year earlier. Not far from there was the Ijoko Primary Health care Centre which got a brand new generator and cartons of drugs. For an NGO working assiduously to uplift the quality of education and healthcare delivery of children and adults, protecting our fragile environment from near collapse and feeding the hungry, sustaining the vision is imperative. For instance, here in Nigeria it has been contributing immensely to the Diabetes Centre at Ekiti State University and the Eye Centre at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH. As clearly exhibited by Lion Oba and her able team, including the likes of Lion Ishaq Oshinaga, Lion Egbewunmi Olatunji and Lion Ademola Agiri one must have the passion to give; to add value to the lives of others. Only this would assist to lift billions of people from the ignoble pits of poverty, ignorance and diseases. Interestingly, their choice of which institutions or people to lend a helping hand to is evidence- based, on researches carried out on the beneficiaries’ areas of need. That perhaps, explains why the Vice Chancellor of Bells

University, Ota, Prof. Jeremiah Ojediran fully appreciated the Reforestation Campaign embarked upon by the Club as both timely and thematically relevant. More so, when Nigeria is currently facing the fast–spreading menace. According to statistics about 580,841 km2 accounting for 63.83percent of total land is impinged on by desertification. The planting of 10 palm seedlings in the campus and a promise of ten others every other month is therefore, commendable. He promised that the university will go beyond planting to nurturing the seedlings. Similar appreciation from the Head Teachers 1 and 2 at the school in Ijoko, Mrs. Oladoja Oluyemi and Mrs. Alamutu Oybimpe, respectively and Matron Olaewe Abosede of Ijoko Heath Centre shows the positive impact the intervention in both education and health have had on the people. And in responding to the call by Oba for more women membership of the Club, Ojediran, unable to hide his admiration stated that: “Wherever there is a woman, there will always be a difference”. That was as the DG insisted that they (the women) can do the job better. He added too that God will surely reward the givers. The lessons from these laudable gestures are for all to glean from. As the DG rightly noted, Lion’s Club International remains the world’s largest service organisation. Its moving mantra is “Service to Humanity. It was “found-

AYO OYOZEBAJE Baje is Nigerian first food technologist in the media and author of ‘DRUMBEATS OF DEMOCRACY’

ed in Evansville, Indiana on 24 October 1916 by Dr. William Perry Woods and subsequently evolved as an international service organization under the guidance and supervision of its Secretary”. It boasts of over 1.7 million members worldwide (as of June 2018). Notably, theirs is not the lion that parades itself as the king of the jungle, instilling fear to intimidate weaker predators or preys, but those imbued with the lion heart to give to the needy. Their actions are in line with the biblical injunctions that the needy will always be amongst us so we have to stretch out our hands to give. And as Palm 41 verses 1-2 clearly state, “Those who give to the needy are always protected from their enemies”. Similarly, in the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. Also, from the wise counsel from Winston Churchill: “We make a living by what we get. But we make a life by what we give”. That should be food-for-thought for all.

The West is betraying Nigeria

DAN HANNAN

n 2015, for the first time in 55 years, Nigerians changed their rulers through a democratic election. The then incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party accepted defeat at the polls and handed over graciously to Muhammadu Buhari, who had earlier headed a military junta. It was a moment of joyous optimism, and not only in Nigeria. That oil-rich country has Africa’s largest economy and its largest population. If Nigeria could embrace the rule of law and free elections, the future for Africa seemed much brighter. Sadly, it was not to last. In the subsequent election held last month, Buhari refused to return the courtesy. His government had pursued a kind of throwback 1970s African socialism, complete with import substitution, credit controls, crazy banking restrictions and, in consequence, widespread nepotism. Nigerians wanted a new government, and they had reason to expect one. Opinion

polls showed the PDP under its new presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar comfortably ahead. When the moment came, though, the Buhari regime engaged in a degree of falsification and voter intimidation that caught everyone by surprise. We are not talking about the odd disputed count or about quarrels over who was registered to vote. Such things happen in many elections, not just in Africa. We are talking, rather, about the massive and systematic repression of the vote in opposition areas and its artificial inflation in government areas. To give a sense of the scale, consider these numbers. In the southern state of Akwa Ibom, a PDP stronghold where there had been a large increase in voter registration since 2015, we are asked to believe there was a 62 percent drop in turnout. By contrast, in the northern state of Borno, which backed by Buhari, the participation rate increased by 82 percent. That figure would be implausible enough at any time. But when

we bear in mind that Borno is where the Boko Haram violence has been concentrated, it looks downright preposterous. You might shrug your shoulders at all this. Nigeria is hardly the first country to rig an election. At the end of last year, for example, the Democratic Republic of Congo held an even more flagrantly bogus election. Although international observers agreed that the election had been stolen, and other countries initially held off from recognizing the new DRC government, South Africa eventually decided to go along with the outcome, followed by the United States and the rest of the international community. Tough on the denizens of that wretched kleptocracy, but there we are. In Nigeria, the situation is more nuanced. Although election observers recorded spectacular violations, including instances of intimidation by soldiers, the African Union declared that the result was probably accurate, as did the EU. In terms of the ballots physically

cast on the day, this may be true, though the PDP disputes it. But when we consider the voter coercion in advance of the poll — to say nothing of the last-minute switch in the date, which prevented many from voting — it is unbelievable. Why should we care? Because democracy is a boon in itself. Allowing people to replace their rulers peacefully is the surest guarantee against tyranny, misery, and the organised looting of a state by its elites. If the largest election in Africa can be stolen with the acceptance of the outside world, it sets back the cause of representative government everywhere. To put it another way, if we don’t stand by due process in Nigeria, what will the leaders of Russia and Turkey conclude? The United States is hardly going to blockade Nigeria over a dodgy election. So what, practically, could make a difference? One thing above all: The United States, and the international community in general, can defend the integrity of the Nigerian judiciary. A few weeks

before the poll, Nigeria’s chief justice was sacked and replaced with someone thought to be more amenable to Buhari. This is the most dangerous aspect of the whole business, and it is here that friendly countries should take their stand. The opposition is challenging the election in court hoping that, as in Kenya in 2017, the violations will be overturned by judicial process. The United States and its allies should not take sides between Nigeria’s factions, but they should side unhesitatingly with the rule of law. They should make clear that they regard the intimidation of judges as unacceptable and that politicians and officials involved in flouting judicial independence will face travel bans and personal sanctions, the same way corrupt Venezuelans and Russians do. Nigerians deserve as much support as the peoples of those unhappy countries. The world should not let them down. Culled from: Washington Examiner

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