DTN-19-4-19

Buhari signs N30,000 Minimum Wage bill Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to the Minimum Wage Repel and Enactment Act 2019 for workers in both public and private sector.

The Act, which takes effect from Thursday April 18, 2019, mandates employers of labour in Nigeria to pay their employees a minimum wage of N30,000 monthly. https://plus.google.com/+DailytimesNgr/posts

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The Senior Special Adviser to thePresident on National Assembly (Senate) Matters, Senator Ita Enang, disclosed this on Thursday while speaking to State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Enang, however, explained that the Act excludes persons who are employing less than 25 workers; persons who work in a ship which sails out of jurisdiction; Continued on page 3

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2019

VOL. 3

NO. 927

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Finally, CCT finds Onnoghen guilty of misconduct g 5

Sacks him as CJN & chairman NJC

Bars him from holding public office for 10 years

Onnoghen appeals against tribunal’s decision

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (2nd R); Deputy Governor, Ipalibo Harry Banigo (r); Pro-Chancellor of the Rivers State University, Justice Iche Ndu (m); Vice Chancellor, Rivers State University, Prof Blessing Didia (2nd L) and Deputy Vice Chancellor, Rivers State University, Prof Boma Oruwari, during a congratulatory visit by the Governing Council of the Rivers State University at the Government House, Port Harcourt ...on Wednesday.

Alleged money g 3 laundering: Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia re-arraigned, granted bail

N702m fraud: EFCC presents another witness against Okupe g

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Agbonayinma g 6 resigns as chair of House c’ttee probing N6trn PENCOM funds

Court adjourns suit seeking sack of Saraki, Dogara, 52 others to April 30 6 g

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Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

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Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

Buhari signs N30,000 Minimum Wage bill Continued from page 1 and other persons who are in other kinds of regulated employment which are accepted by the Act. He said that the Act also gives the workers the right if they are compelled by any circumstance to accept salary that is less than N30,000, to sue their employer to recover the balance.

The Presidential aide said that the Act authorises the minister of labour and any person nominated by the minister of labour, or any person designated by the minister of labour in any ministry, department or agency to “on your behalf take action in your name against such employer to recover the balance of your wages.”

“It also ensures and

mandates National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission and the Minister or Labour, to be the chief and principal enforcers of the provisions of this law. And this law applies to all agencies, persons and bodies throughout the Nigeria.”

On when the Act comes into effect, Enang said, “the effective date is 18th of April, 2019, as Mr. President has assented to. It has been assented to today and it takes effect today, except such other provisions as are contained in the Act. “But the enforcement and the right to start the implementation of the provisions commences today (Thursday), including such steps that are to be taken gradually under the provisions of the

Act,” he said.

On what is expected of the workers, the presidential aide said: “I want Nigerian workers to celebrate President Muhammadu Buhari, to support this administration, support his policies and of course we will as a government go out and match together along with Nigerian workers on workers’ day.

“Mr. President will celebrate with workers and the federal government will celebrate. This is Mr. President showing workers the lover he has for them and we are matching as we will match with the Nigerian workers.

Asked if it the new minimum wage covers the National Youth Service Corps, Enang said: “It covers all persons covered by the Act.”

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PHOTO TIMES

L-R: Chairman Steering Committee on Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialization Programme, Mr. Rabiu Suleiman;Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu; representative of Director of Department of Petroleum Recourse, Mr. Musa Zagia and Programme Manager, Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialization Programme, office of the Minister state for petroleum Resources, Mr. Opelamina Derefaka, during a press conference on the journey so far and the next line of action on Gas Flare in Abuja... on Thursday

Photo: Temitope Balogun

Alleged money laundering: Justice OfiliAjumogobia re-arraigned, granted bail Andrew Orolua, Abuja The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal Office, on Thursday rearraigned Justice Rita OfiliAjumogobia before Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos on 18-count charge, bordering on breach of trust, false statement and unlawful enrichment.

Ofili-Ajumogobia was charged alongside Godwin Obla (SAN). Both defendants were on Monday discharged by a Lagos State High Court.

The defendant allegedly received a sum of $655, 000 and N35million in several tranches from different sources between 2012 and 2015.

One of the charges reads: “That you, Hon. Justice Rita Ngozi Ofili-Ajumogobia, on or about the 11th day of July, 2014 in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, indirectly concealed the total sum of N12, 000, 000.00 (Twelve Million Naira) in the Diamond Bank account of Nigel and Colive Ltd, opened and operated by you, which sum you reasonably ought to have known, forms parts proceeds of unlawful act to wit: criminal breach of trust.”

Ofili-Ajumogobia pleaded not guilty to charge when it was read to her.

In view of her plea, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, asked the court for a trial date and prayed the court to remand the defendant in prison custody pending the determination of the case before the court.

However, the defence counsel, O. Akoni, SAN, told the court that “the defence filed a bail application this morning due to the fact that the defendant was served with the charge on Wednesday, April 17, 2019”.

He, therefore, urged the court to admit his client to bail.

In his response, the prosecution counsel, Oyedepo, who said he was served with the copy of the bail application in court this morning, said he would need time to peruse the affidavit in support of the motion for bail, since the defence relied on the motion.

The defence counsel Akoni, then withdrew the bail application and opted to make an oral application.

Akoni, in his oral application, urged the court to take “judicial notice of the fact that the defendant is a judicial officer.

“The defendant is presumed innocent and the offences are bailable,” Akoni said.

Oyedepo, however, urged the court to take a further judicial notice on the decision of the NJC on the defendant. (It could be recalled that the NJC has made a recommendation to the president for Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia’s sack).

Justice Aikawa, after listening to both parties, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N10million, with one surety in like sum.

The surety must be a civil servant not below Grade Level 16 or a person with a landed property within the jurisdiction of the court.

The court also directed the defendant to deposit her international passport

with the court’s registrar.

The judge also held that the bail conditions must be perfected within 10 days.

Akoni, the defence counsel informed the court that the international passport of the defendant had been with a State High Court in Ikeja, Lagos and that application had been made to retrieve the passport. He assured the court that the passport would be provided before the close of work today. He further prayed the court to release the defendant to the defence, pending the perfection of the bail conditions.

Justice Aikawa, consequently, ordered the defence to produce the international passport on or before 6. 00p.m today and also ordered the release of the defendant to the defence counsel.

The Judge further ordered the second defendant, Obla, to appear before the court on May 15, 2019 and adjourned the case to May 15, 2019 for commencement of trial.

The first defendant, Ofili-Ajumogobia, was rearrested by the operatives of the EFCC to enable the Commission prefer fresh criminal charges against her after a State High Court said it had no jurisdiction to hear the same suit, which she was being arraigned for today.

The Commission had, sometime last year, presented Justice OfiliAjumogobia before the National Judicial Council, NJC, for disciplinary action and the NJC had taken a position, recommending her dismissal.

L-R: Afolasade Alonge, Divisional Head, Corporate & Specialised Banking, Heritage Bank Plc; Kikanwa Akpenyi, Group Head, Customer Experience & Analytics; Amb. Soline Niyirahabimana, Hon. Minister of Gender & Family Promotion; Mother Dan-Egwu, Group Head, Experience Centre Coordination and Rev. (Dr.) Uche Juliet Ajirison, Port Harcourt Coordinator of African Women in Leadership Conference (AWLO), during the African Women in Leadership Organisation Conference held in Kigali Rwanda.

Egor Local Government Area (LGA) Chairman, Hon. (Mrs.) Eghe Ogbemudia (right) with other participants at the one-day workshop on Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and budget processes for local government officers in Edo State...on Thursday.

L-R: Vice President, Sales, 9mobile, Ken Ogujiofor; CEO, Seaman Ventures, Ifezue Gloria and Acting Managing Director, 9mobile, Stephane Beuvelet at the 2019 9mobile Channel Partners Conference held on Wednesday at Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos.

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Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

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Finally, CCT finds Onnoghen guilty of misconduct Andrew Orolua, Abuja Hammer of justice on Thursday fell on the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, as the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), in Abuja, convicted him on all the six count for misconduct and removed him from office as well as chairman of the National Judicial Council, (NJC).

The tribunal also ordered the forfeiture of his money found in his five accounts with the Standard Chartered Bank Abuja that did not declared as his asset.

It also barred Justice Onnoghen from holding any public office for a period of ten years starting from Thursday, April 18, 2019.for ten years for contravening the Code of Conduct Bureau act.

Delivering judgement in a six count false asset declaration and non-assets declaration brought against Onnoghen, Chairman of the Tribunal, Danladi Yakubu Umar held that the admission

by Onnoghen that he forgot to declare the bank accounts in the form CCB001 was a clear contravention of Section 23 of the CCB and CCT Act. Umar held that the prosecution through the witnesses and exhibits tendered and admitted had established beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant (CJN)was in grave error by his failure to declare the bank accounts as required by law.

By the pronouncement of the Tribunal, Onnoghen has forfeited to the federal government the sum of N26.8 million, $137, 700 and 13, 730 pounds sterling found in his domiciliary accounts with the Standard Chartered Bank which were said to have been maintained since 2009.

Umar, in the unanimous

judgment said that the Tribunal ordered the forfeiture of the various currencies in the accounts because Onnoghen did not disclose or explain the sources of the money during the trial.

The federal government had, in January 10, 2019 filed a six-count charge bordering on false declaration of assets against Justice Onnoghen and called three witnesses during trial to prove its case against the defendant.

The tribunal overruled the claim of Onnoghen that he could not be tried by the tribunal on the account of his being a serving judicial officer, who’s misconduct, if any can only be investigated by the National Judicial Council (NJC) and punished before he can be tried.

The tribunal chairman contended that Onnoghen was arraigned before him as a public officer and not as a judicial officer and as such, the Tribunal is not under the obligation of the NJC. The tribunal reversed itself on its earlier decision on justice Sylvester Ngwuta on the ground the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria cannot be subject to any law or rules of the NJC. Although, Onnoghen had prayed the chairman of the tribunal to excuse himself from participating in the proceedings on account of being bias and having issues with the EFCC on the N10 million bribery allegation by one Taiwo Owolabi, Umar said that he could not step down from the trial because the EFCC has in two separate letters exonerated him from the bribery issue after its thorough investigation.

The CCT boss also said the issue of bias raised by Onnoghen against him was not established as required by law.

“The admission by the defendant in his own

Onnoghen

handwriting that he forgot to declare the five bank accounts in his asset declaration form CCB001 amounts to a partial confession that the defendant has breached the provision of the CCB/CCT Act as it amounts to refusal to declare assets.

“In the present case, hard facts have been adduced by the prosecution to establish that the defendant is in crystal clear of breach if the CCB provisions and the prosecution has there for discharged the burden placed on it by law.

“Having examined the case of the prosecution against the defendant, this Tribunal has come to a conclusion that the defendant falsely declared his assets as is hereby found guilty of contravention of Section 23 of the CCB/CCT Act. “It is hereby ordered that the defendant be removed as the Chief Justice of Nigeria and as chairman of the National Judicial Council.

“He is also barred for ten years from holding public office while the money in the

five undeclared bank accounts is hereby seized, confisticated and forfeited to the federal government, having been illegally acquired, since the defendant did not disclose their sources”, Umar said.

However, in a sharp reaction to the Tribunal’s decision, Onnoghen counsel, Okon Nkanu (SAN) faulted the judgment in its entirety, while accusing the Tribunal of bias and convicting his client on a non-existing offence.

According to him, “Today, we have heard that the CJN has been convicted and sentenced. The conviction is out of order, unconstitutional and a breach of fair hearing because before this day, on the 23rd of January, the same judgment has been passed.

“Removing the CJN without a fair hearing was premeditated. Judgment has been passed before today. So, today’s judgment was just a formality and we hold a view that the tribunal has not only breached the constitution of Nigeria, it has also breached the fundamental principles of natural justice, equity and fair

N702m fraud: EFCC presents another witness against Okupe Andrew Orolua, Abuja The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) on Thursday, April 18, 2019 at the hearing of the money laundering and criminal diversion of funds involving a Senior Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Doyin Okupe

presented the fifth prosecution witness (PW5) against him.

Okupe and two companies: Value Trust Investment Ltd and Abrahams Telecoms Ltd are facing a 59-count charge of money laundering and criminal diversion of funds to the tune N702million, before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Maitama Abuja.

The fifth prosecution witness, Mr Remigius Ugor, a Compliance Officer with Zenith Bank PLC, having sworn to an oath before Justice Ojukwu, told the court how N50million was transferred into Value Trust Investment Ltd on April 3, 2012, account which Okupe was a signatory to.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Ibrahim

Audu, the witness stated that there was no payment to any media organisation by the defendant as at then.

After listening to arguments from both the prosecution and defence counsels over the new witness, Justice Ojukwu adjourned the case to May 14 and 15, 2019 for crossexamination of the witness and continuation of the trial.

hearing and good conscience.

“He has been convicted for an offense that was never charged. This is an erosion of the fundamental principle of our constitution and until some questions are answered, for instance, why is that a due course of justice was not allowed to flow?

“Why was judgment passed on January 23 before today Removing the CJN? Why is it that today, even after he has tendered his notice of retirement voluntarily and NJC has taken position, why is it that the tribunal has gone ahead to pass judgment in total disregard of the independence of the NJC and in total disregard to the power of the Senate in this matter.

“We hold a view that the tribunal, having reversed even itself in the case of Justice Ngwuta has breached the principles that hold us together.

“It is a sad day in our nation’s democracy, and we know that all is not over with this matter.

The wheel of justice grinds slowly but surely, this is not the matter that will end here, we shall avail ourselves of all the process and hierarchy of the judiciary and we know that the judiciary will redeem itself, even though seriously battered and bruised.

“The judiciary will do justice. Justice has not been done today but surely, it would be done tomorrow, if not by our court, justice would be done by God. That is our position in this matter,” Nkanu said.

Also in his reaction, counsel to the federal government, Musa Ibrahim Umar said, “judgement has been given and we are okay with it. That is all I can say for now.”

Meanwhile, former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, has filed a notice of appeal at Court of Appeal Abuja challenging the judgment and rulings of Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), delivered on Thursday .

The said rulings and judgment found Justice Onnoghen guilty on six count charge for misconduct and non assets declaration and convicted him.

The tribunal also removed him from office , confiscated his money in five undeclared account with Standard Chartered Bank and barred him from holding public office for ten years In the notice of Appeal filed on Thursday, Onnoghen stated that the tribunal members erred in law when they held that it has jurisdiction to entertain the suit against him.

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Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

Agbonayinma resigns as chair of House c’ttee probing N6trn PENCOM funds Accuses Rep. Oke, PENCOM of blackmail, subversion

Henry Omunu, Abuja Chairman, House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the N6 trillion pension funds and activities of the Pension Commission (PENCOM) from 2017 – till date, Rep. Ehiozuwa Johnson Agbonayinma has resigned, accusing another House member and the PENCOM of blackmail and subversion.

Announcing his stepping aside as the committee’s chairman on Thursday, Rep. Agbonayinma right from the day the House passed the resolution to probe the N6 trillion pension funds and the activities of PENCOM, there have been an orchestrated move to frustrate the committee’s work by some vested interests.

The House member while addressing those summoned by the ad hoc committee and other stakeholders, said that uncomplimentary and savage tactics were deployed to ensure the committee becomes a still birth.

Specifically, he pointed accusing fingers at Rep. Oluwole Oke of throwing decorum and parliamentary ethics to the wind by taking it upon himself to deliberately derail the activities of the ad hoc committee.

“His conduct is morally and parliamentarily unacceptable.

From inception of the investigation, his actions were infamous and uncomplimentary befitting of a lawmaker which is to walk in the path of justice.

Atiku

“He made overtures in subverting the mandate of the ad hoc committee which was disregarded.

On March 20, he brought the acting director general and the director

operations to my office to request to know what it will take for me to scuttle the investigation.

“My reply was that, PENCOM should submit requested

documents and that the committee intends to work judiciously as directed in the resolution of the House. From our findings, the body language of the House member is that of a commissioned agent and with a directive to stifle the investigation and subvert the report of the ad hoc committee.

“It’s very sad that a ranking parliamentarian is involved in these unwholesome acts. This is the hand of Esau, but the voice of Jacob,” he stated.

Agbonayinma further alleged that his integrity and image has been impugned upon by smearing him in the social media, with insinuations that he was bent on carrying out a hatchet job on PENCOM because of his daughter’s

Court adjourns suit seeking sack of Saraki, Dogara, 52 others to April 30 Doosuur Iwambe, Abuja Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court Abuja sitting in Abuja has adjourned till April 30, a suit seeking the sack of Senate President, Bukola Saraki , Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and 52 other lawmakers.

When the matter came up for hearing on Thursday, counsel Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), Mr Jubrin Okutepa (SAN) told the court that the S court had already decided on whether a politician who defected to another party should retain his seat.

Okutepa while urging the court to note that the defendants had hinged their defection on divisions and crises in their political parties however urged the court to note that the fact of the defection had been admitted and what remained was for the court to determine if the defection was justified in line with decisions of the Supreme Court.

“There is nothing before this court to show that the respective parties upon which the 2nd to 55th defendants were elected before they jumped ship to other

political parties, were infested with the virus of division known to law for them to retain their seats at the National Assembly.”

Okutepa maintained that the defendants said they defected because there were divisions and crises in their political parties.

He, however, urged the court to note that the fact of the defection had been admitted and what remained was for the court to determine if the defection was justified in line with decisions of the Supreme Court.

“There is nothing before this court to show that the respective parties upon which the 2nd to 55th defendants were elected before they jumped ship to other political parties, were infested with the virus of division known to law for them to retain their seats at the National Assembly.”

On the defendants’ claim that the plaintiff lacked the locus standi to institute the suit, Okutepa held that LEDAP was incorporated to promote constitutionality and rule of law and was therefore a juristic person and had the locus to file the motion.

Counsel to Saraki and the other senators, Mahmud Magaji (SAN), argued that LEDAP was

not part of the persons referred to in Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution and so, they lacked the locus standi to file the suit.

“They are not a registered political party so they are not protected by the section and there is nothing before the court to show otherwise.” It is also clear that they did not sponsor anyone for any election and they have not exhibited their membership card of any political party or evidence of voter card.”

He maintained that the plaintiffs were only advocates of public interest rights and had not placed sufficient evidence before the court to enable the court entertain the matter.

Also, Josh Amupitan, (SAN), counsel to Dogara and other members of the House of Representatives submitted that the plaintiff had failed to prove its case.

He argued that according to Section 68(2) of the constitution which the plaintiff premised its case on, it was only the Senate President and the Speaker that could declare seats at the National Assembly vacant.

He added that where powers had been given an institution, the only reason one could involve

the court was where such an institution had been asked to exercise the powers but refused to.

The trial judge, Justice Okon Abang stopped the proceedings at this point since it had been on for over four hours.

The judge adjourned the matter until April 30 for counsel to conclude arguments and assured that justice will be served and timely too since it was a constitutional matter of national importance.

Daily Times recalls that an advocacy group, Legal Defence and Assistance Project, (LEDAP) dragged the lawmakers to court seeking a declaration that they were no longer members of the National Assembly having defected to other political parties before the expiration of their tenure.

The defendants comprise 17 Senators, 37 members of the House of Representatives, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and the clerks to both houses.

LEDAP in the suit, also prayed the presiding members of the National Assembly to declare vacant, the seats of the defectors.

sack from the same agency.

“The management of PENCOM is on a path of war because of the ongoing investigations by the ad hoc committee, using public funds to blackmail threaten the committee by saying l am hard on the commission because of the sack of my daughter.

“It’s germane to note that the commission sacked her on February 27, 2019 and the ad hoc committee started its investigations on December 12, 2018.

It’s scandalous to link PENCOM probe to my daughter’s sack,” the lawmaker added.

He however, vowed that the truth about PENCOM funds must out. The real issues are clearly spelt out in the motion and the mandate given to the ad hoc committee by the resolution of the House.

“There have been a systematic and orchestrated attempt to frustrate the patriotic and determined effort of this ad hoc committee.

This fight is not against EJ or my daughter, this is a fight against the cohesive sanctity of this House, as government is a continuum,” said Agbonayinma.

When contacted Rep. Wole Oke, who allegedly accompanied the acting PENCOM boss to committee chairman’s office denied ever having any links with PENCOM, insisting that “how and in what way.

Let him substantiate his allegations with facts, such allegation is false and untrue.

“He should not drag me into his woes and that of his daughter over their allegations of certificate forgery. The committee has constitutional powers to do their job and bring their report to the floor.

“I have no business with PENCOM. I don’t owe any PFA nor am l a director in any. If there is any lawmaker that PENCOM hates, it’s me because of my legislative activities sponsoring bills that exited the armed forces and intelligence communities.”

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Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

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Claim to performance not visible Short News in lives of Nigerians, FG told Patrick Okohue The All Progressives Congress (APC) led federal government has been told to stop laying claims to ground breaking achievements in the last four years if it cannot work on translating those performances to better life for the ordinary Nigerian.

Giving the advice at the second annual lecture of Freedom Online, a Senior Research Fellow-in programme-Centre for West African Studies, University of Birmingham, UK, Prof. Akinyemi Onigbinde and the Aare Onakankanfo of Yoruba Land, Iba Gani Adams said Nigerians are suffering and that the government should prove its claims to good performance in bettering lives of the people, instead of the government always laying claims to high level performance that the people cannot see or feel.

The duo were reacting to claims of high performance by the federal government as made by the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adeshina, who had spoken earlier.

Prof. Onigbinde wondered how the government has done so much and yet so little is visible for the people to see.

Specifically, he took a swipe at the government on its claims to reducing the high importation of rice and even generating foreign exchange for the country through the importation of rice, wondering where the rice that the government claims is so abundant is being sold.

“I hear of some of these land breaking achievements of the government, how locally produced rice has flooded every market in the country, but it appears to me that such rice is only available on air and in the news media because I live in Abeokuta and Ibadan and I don’t see these rice in any of the markets.

“Just as we have been eating the Ogun state produced Mitros rice in the news,” he declared, asserting that besides rice, many of the acclaimed performances of the government are not visible and urged the government to draw these things down to the level of the ordinary citizen.

Also wondering where the many achievements of the government can be seen, Adams urged Adeshina to tell President Buhari that Nigerians are hungry

and suffering and that he needs to do more for the people.

Adams said he has travelled to over 45 countries across the world, noting that everywhere he went there is nowhere the government will come out to be talking about its invisible performances, but rather the people see what the government is doing as it reflects on their lives.

He added “besides the issue of availability of food, the issue of electricity is very important. When you take care of electricity and security in any country, you have already taken care of the enabling environment for any investor in that environment.

“You have tried in the last four years, now you have another opportunity to serve another four years and we have no option. The president has come into power, so we need drastic change in terms of development to cushion the effects of the hard times on the masses and all Nigerians.”

Earlier, Adeshina had reeled out a list of areas that the federal government was making ground breaking achievements, which he said many Nigerians will choose not to see because they play politics with everything.

Wike suspends 12 local government council chairmen Amaka Agbu, Port Harcourt

Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike, has suspended 12 local government council chairmen. The suspension of the council chairmen takes immediate effect.

The suspended council chairmen include those of Okrika, Emohua, Abua/Odual, Degema, Khana, Gokana, Ahoada East, Ikwerre, Eleme, Andoni, Omuma and Ogu/Bolo Local Government Areas.

The affected council chairmen were suspended for failure to participate in state official functions, according to a press statement issued in Port Harcourt on Thursday by the Special Assistant to the state governor, Mr. Simeon Nwakaudu.

Accountant general decries low implementation of audit reports Joseph Inokotong, Abuja

The Auditor-General for the Federation, Anthony Mkpe Ayine, has expressed worry over the poor implementation of audit recommendations contained in the auditorgeneral’s inspections and annual audit reports, saying it remains a clog in the wheel of efforts to rid the country’s public sector of corruption.

The auditor general made this known when a high-level delegation from the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) led by its Executive Secretary, Sharon Ikeazor, paid a courtesy visit to his office at the Audit House in Abuja.

Ayine said implementing the recommendations contained in the audit inspection report to management of MDAs and annual audit report would serve as deterrent and promote a more transparent and accountable system, but noted sadly that audit findings are largely not acted upon to enable it add the required value which it potentially can, to the public service.

“The impact of audit work is in the value it adds by creating improvement in the system and to re-echo President Muhammadu Buhari’s words, if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill us. The fight against corruption cannot be won by any single individual or organisation; we must collaborate,” he said.

Minister woos investors, says economic outlook positive Tom Okpe, Abuja

L-R:MD/CEO, GE Nigeria and Grid Solutions Sub Saharan Africa, Dr Lazarus Angbazo; MD/CEO, Transmission Company of Nigeria, Usman Gur Mohammed; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Louis Edozien and Deputy Ambassador of France to Nigeria, Audren De Kerdrel Guillaume during the official ground-breaking ceremony of the Abuja Feeding Scheme held in Abuja.

Easter: Don’t lose hope for brighter, greater future, Buhari tells Nigerians Mathew Dadiya, Abuja As Christians all over the country celebrate the feast of Easter, President Muhammadu Buhari has called on all people in Nigeria not to lose hope for a brighter and greater future for the country.

This, President Buhari said, can be achieved “when we do the right things in love.” In his Easter message personally signed by himself on Thursday, the President enjoined all Nigerians to intensify prayers for peace and security to return to all parts of the country.

President Buhari said that he did not take the import of his re-election for granted, “especially the expectations of the majority of Nigerians towards providing adequate security, fixing the economy and

fighting corruption.

“The obligation of this administration as we prepare to take governance to the Next Level is to continue to provide dedicated and honest leadership, where every citizen, irrespective of religion or ethnic origin, feels secure to live, invest and prosper; where public office holders are accountable; and law breakers are brought to justice.

“I rejoice with all Nigerians, especially our Christian brethren on the glorious occasion of the celebration of Easter 2019.

Easter is the most important feast in the Christian calendar and represents God’s redemptive mission over humanity, the triumph of light over darkness, hope over despair and good over evil.

“The Christian festival commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ is also a time to emulate the virtues of love,

sacrifice, forgiveness, humility, courage and endurance, which Christ embodied and remarkably demonstrated during His earthly ministry.”

The President called on the Christians and everyone in the country to use this auspicious season to show love to their neighbours and cater to the needs of the less-privileged.

“Our nation is currently gripped with gloom over unfortunate killings, kidnappings and violence, as seen in the recent tragic incidents in some states of the federation. This should not be. We must reinforce the bond of brotherhood and good neighbourliness that citizens of a cohesive country must share.

“We must not allow the few bad elements in our communities to put asunder our communal tendencies and chords of unity.”

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the Buhari administration has laid the necessary groundwork for the growth of the nation’s economy, urging investors to take advantage of the government’s efforts by investing massively in Nigeria.

The minister, who made the call in London on Thursday, at a breakfast meeting with investors, lawyers, the business community and diplomats with ties to Nigeria, said the country, as the largest economy and a political powerhouse in Africa, represents a highly attractive market and investment partner.

A statement signed by the minister’s Senior Special Adviser on Media, Segun Adeyemi in Abuja on Thursday said: ‘’Not only is our administration positive about our economy’s outlook, but the $5 billion in foreign investment that we have secured after the recent elections signals that you, the international community, share our positive outlook and confidence in the administration’s policy.’’

Alhaji Mohammed said in the past four years, President Muhammadu Buhari has led the nation’s economy from recession to growth through his Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) in addition to diversifying the economy.

NSCDC boss assures of hitch free Easter celebration Ukpono Ukpong, Abuja

Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abdullahi Gana Muhammadu has assured of hitch- free and peaceful Easter celebrations.

According to a statement signed by the Corps PRO, Emmanuel Okeh, the commandant general made the call at the corps national headquarters in Abuja, where he charged all state commands to ensure the massive deployment of personnel to all nooks and crannies, especially churches, markets, shopping malls, super markets, playing grounds and places that are perceived to be soft targets of attack by insurgents and dissidents.

He celebrated with Christians and charged them to be Christ like in all their activities by tolerating one another and preaching the gospel of peace and love, noting that fasting and praying should be seen as a spiritual rebirth meant to promote peace and unity among all and sundry.

He cautioned that Easter celebration is not for merry making alone, but should be seen as a season when Christians humble themselves by emulating the qualities of Jesus Christ by going the extra mile in carrying out their obligations in line with the scriptures.

Gana also seized the opportunity to inform all those that believed that festive periods are times to carry out their nefarious activities to desist and stay away from trouble as extra deployment of personnel has been made and whoever is caught, will face the wrath of the law.

He admonished the corps personnel to work in synergy with other sister agencies and to be diplomatic and law abiding when dealing with the public.

Opinion 8

Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

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Regulating Anambra’s obituary economy Anambra, the mercurial pearl of Igbo nation nestling River Niger, is in the news again.

Louis Odion

We are not about to revisit the ferment of executive intemperance that led the sitting governor into allegedly calling the whole leader of the pan-Igbo organization, Ohanaeze, “an idiot” for endorsing the presidential candidate of the main opposition party ahead of the just-concluded general elections.

Rather, we are confronted by the audacity of a new piece of legislation by the Anambra State Assembly seeking to smash through cultural barriers into some dark necromantic alley.

Unambiguously named “A Law To Control Burial/ Funeral Ceremonial Activities” and passed by a majority of the legislature, the act expressly seeks to abolish ostentation and impose a new culture of modesty. All thanks to its sponsor, the iconoclastic Charles Ezeani (representing Anaocha II constituency), who says it “is aimed at cutting down the cost of burial activities in the state”.

Should Governor Willy Obiano assent with his golden fountain pen, it then becomes a grave felony “to deposit any corpse in the mortuary or any place beyond two months from the date of the death, while burial ceremonies in the state shall be for one day.”

No person, it further forewarns grimly, shall subject any relation of the deceased person to a mourning period of more than one week from the date of the burial ceremony.

To confer the sobriety thought appropriate in the circumstance, the law also forbids traditional gunshot salute, praise-singing, blocking of roads/ streets during obsequies or assumed ritual destruction of property.

In what could only be targeted at relieving the bereaved of financial burden or unreasonable expectations, another clause states specifically that the family of the deceased “shall provide food for their kindred, relatives and other sympathizers at their own discretion.”

Taken together, these proposals are, to say the least, quite earth-shaking indeed. Before arriving at this historic juncture, the report however did not state how much of public buy-in had been secured through the agency of public hearing facilitated by the state assembly over a potentially explosive

proposition.

While Ezeani’s motive could hardly be faulted in nobility and public-spiritedness, however, considering that key provisions are framed by a thinking that tends to suggest extremism of sorts, one is persuaded to assume that not much consultation took place with the stakeholders. It is very doubtful if the vested interests in the obituary value chain would have just sat by and allowed an arrangement that seeks to dim their lights or simply take bread away from their tables without raising a voice of dissent.

By that single law, a whole universe of professionals will undoubtedly be facing existential threat, if not extinction already. A more austere burial means bearish market for mortuaries and the morticians, for instance. So, how are caterers, “Aso Ebi” (fabric) merchants, event planners, vintners, lessor of marquee/canopy/plastic chairs expected to survive now?

What then happens to the familiar hawkers of white handkerchiefs or hand fans? To say nothing about traffickers of mint-fresh banknotes for “spraying”. Or those who thought they had struck gold by stocking milllion units of the rave-of-themoment – the pistol-like cash-spraying machine fabricated in – where else? – China.

We have not even considered “professional mourners” on hire to wail louder than the bereaved when the latter become too tired or had lost their voices to too much sorrow.

Moreover, big or elaborate funerals also create brisk business for the masters of the two contrasting realms – the cosmic and the secular: rainmakers and alchemists who solemnly prime the canon for traditional gun-salute on the one hand; and native drummers who fall over each other in the driveway to usher you into the party venues with soliciting crescendo.

Well, we were also not told whether Ezeani had contemplated a ceiling to the cost of a coffin permissible in Anambra soil henceforth. That may, in fact, drag us into a corpus of morbid details like the apocryphal tale of a thrifty coffin-maker who, upon being pressed for a concession, promised the customer a discount the next time. Or the theatrics of the hyperactive curator of the communal hearse, gleaming from meticulous preservation probably by generations, its utility yet creatively extended by the

current custodian to double as family car to church service on Sundays.

And lo, the king of them all – the musician who makes a fortune from performing at the big parties which the new Anambra law seeks to outlaw.

At a time piracy has virtually made album sale unprofitable, who does not know that most artistes now hustle for live performances for subsistence, aside endorsement deals with rich corporate bodies.

Of course, praise-singing is the short-cut.

As an editor some fifteen years ago, I remember being approached by one of our star reporters (Emeka Eyinnaya) saying a famous Igbo musician was aghast at the headline given his interview we had published the previous week.

While responding to a specific question, the iconic entertainer had stated rather casually that he was not in a position to know whether the provenance of money sprayed on him by those he usually eulogized at soirées was tainted or not.

I cast the said headline to reflect such selfacquittal from possible complicity on account of a murky source.

Apparently, a good number of his big spenders – most probably bigtime conmen or money ritualists – had rang him up to express bitterness at his impudence to speak so uncomplimentarily of the hands feeding him.

But note, the respondent didn’t disown or dispute any portion of the transcript which could have been cited as basis to fault the “offending” title, but was simply unhappy that the interview he was reluctant to grant in the first place was now going to pour sand in his garri.

Such is the sensitivity that sometimes underlines the rendition of eulogy at social parties and the tightrope musicians have to walk thereafter to remain in business.

But while all the foregoing merely pertains to the consequences, the new Anambra funeral act would also appear to be in cold contempt of something more substantial – cultural sensibilities or habits.

While it is much easier to fix damage at the material level, altering things at the cultural realm is never an easy task. Those already thinking the proposed law will suddenly usher the desired change in social behavior in that jurisdiction will, therefore, need some reality check by simply recalling the anti-spraying law similarly pushed by the Obasanjo

administration in 2007.

Despite that section 21 subsection 1-4 of the CBN bill passed by the sixth National Assembly prescribes heavy penalties beginning with arrest and a prison term of six months or N50,000 fine, Nigerians have not stopped spraying crisp Naira notes at social parties.

Let us face it: the Igbo in Anambra are certainly not alone in turning burial to carnival of sorts. In most African societies, loud funerals are not only deemed fitting finale to an illustrious life but also considered one last debt owed the dead.

Therefore, the common prayer among folks is not just the grace to die not faraway from one’s wardrobe only but also in the arms of one’s offspring who should be in material position to meet often high expectations of the community.

So, whereas the bereaved in, say, western societies might consider as parting gift memorializing the departed by instituting a foundation to propagate the idea they cherished while alive, the average African would rather preserve the memory of their dead by hosting a shindig to be remembered as the grandest in a generation.

In Yorubaland, such jollification falls under the rubric of “Owambe”. In Edo, it is called “Obito”.

It is, therefore, doubtful if this age-old lifestyle can be legislated out of existence overnight like the Anambra’s funeral act envisages. The “Owambe” industry in Lagos is reportedly worth a whopping N26b, for instance. While the culture of ostentation must be seen as constituting ready normative offence, one would rather suggest the adoption of a civic engagement approach to wean the society off such hang-over. The underling mindset speaks to what psychologists call the edifice complex. It partly explains the obsession for bogus things – big cars, big houses, long convoys.

We also see this showoffishness manifesting in the knack for titles that make many insist that their names be prefixed with “Sir, Chief, Dr, Engineer…”

There is an urgent need for a re-orientation of the society to begin to see the nobility in simplicity.

The crusade is not for government alone but also the traditional and religious institutions as well.

Meanwhile, rather than prohibit loud parties, what stops the authorities from imposing punitive taxes on those who choose to exceed the threshold considered modest?

Nigeria: How not to fight corruption

Godwin Onyeacholem

Between fighting corruption with bare knuckles in an inspired manner and wearing wellpadded gloves to do half-hearted battle with a monster that has literally crippled the country, the Buhari administration has to make up its mind on which style to adopt. And because time is not on its side, it had better do so now.

Although Buhari says he is fighting corruption, the question to ask is, how is he fighting it? It is true that waging war against corruption was at the top of his agenda in 2015 and he set up a thinktank of seasoned eggheads as well as introduced a couple of novel anti-corruption strategies to match the resolve. But it is also true that in spite of these supposedly virtuous schemes, corruption in various shades, propelled by its more virulent evil partner, impunity, is still rampaging through the land.

A more dispassionate scrutiny of the ongoing anti-corruption campaign would undoubtedly reveal a huge gap between the performance of government and perception. Such awkward disproportions should not be the case in this matter of prosecuting the anti-graft war. What ought to be happening—at least as an enduring index of the promised change—is that citizen perception would largely correspond with the government’s side of the story. That is, government should be seen to be genuinely dealing hard blows on corrupt people and corrupt practices in the country. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Government says it is winning the war, but a large segment of the populace doubts this assertion.

The problem is that the political will mobilized to fight corruption is itself severely enfeebled by the corruption it is summoned to confront. There is no way corruption can be defeated when Buhari seems to be engaging with it wearing blinkers.

In all honesty, his fight is puerile; lacking all the firmness, decisiveness and, more importantly, the even-handedness required to secure confidence and belief.

Given Buhari’s reputation for toughness, who could have thought that reports of investigation of alleged corruption would be lying on the desk of whosoever in the presidency or outside of it for ages, gathering dust in a Buhari presidency? Has he, all of a sudden, forgotten that his lead campaign

promise to fight corruption to the bitterest end, not to mention his acclaimed integrity, is the major reason the people elected him in 2015?

Sometime in October 2017, Abdulrasheed Maina, the civil servant who absconded after being declared wanted for corruption, suddenly surfaced and was reinstated and promoted to a higher position in the civil service. The news of the recall reverberated across the country and was accompanied by widespread condemnation.

Seemingly furious, Buhari, on October 23,directed Winifred Oyo-Ita, Head of Service of the Federation, to submit a report of the circumstances of Maina’s recall to the office of Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff to the President, before the end of that day. That report indeed got to the table of Abba Kyari before the end of that day.

In another six months, it will be two years since the report of that investigation was received at the presidency. But, up till now, no word has come from the presidency regarding the report. It must be on somebody’s desk or shelf, submerged in cobwebs perhaps. No one needs be told that this sends a wrong message about the fight against corruption.

The fury of what the media aptly dubbed “Mainagate” promptly spread to the National Assembly where the House of Representatives launched its own investigation by setting up a 10-man adhoc committee headed by Aliyu Sani Madaki, a member of the ruling APC from Kano State. At the end of two weeks, the committee laid a report at the plenary which indicted Abubakar Malami, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. The report said Maina’s recall was “fraudulently masterminded” and that Malami “pressured all that mattered” to force Maina back into the service. s the Senate was also plunging into an investigation of the scandal, Malami rushed to court to stop the probe, showing clearly that he had something to hide. But what do you make of Attorney General, the chief law officer of a country who held secret meetings with a wanted citizen outside the country? Ordinarily, anyone would think this is a fugitive whose extradition Malami should be working hard to perfect.

Even ItseSagay, professor of law and chairman

of Presidential Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), was horrified by Malami’s action and urged Buhari to do something about it. Nothing happened. Not one person among all those found culpable by the House of Reps probe in the reinstatement of a fugitive into the civil service has been punished by this government. From the AGF, to officials of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, and the permanent secretary, all are still sitting pretty in their cozy positions, none visited with the consequences of such grievous wrongdoing. Again, a wrong signal in the fight against corruption.

And there is yet another. Also in six months’ time, it will be the first anniversary of the presidency’s announcement of investigation into allegations of infraction and financial malfeasance levelled against Usman Yusuf, professor and head of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), by the governing council. Yusuf, according to a statement by the presidency, was directed to proceed on administrative leave November 5, 2018, to make way for an investigation by a 7-man panel headed

by Hassan Bukar.

Although the panel had two weeks to submit its report to the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the report was not turned in until seven and a half weeks later on December 24, 2018. It is about four months now since that report was submitted but nothing has been heard about it. Recently, one top official of the office of the SGF said government was unable to release the report because of the general election that was just concluded. Pray, what does election have to do with making public the report of an investigation into allegations of corruption against the NHIS boss?

There are many allegations of corruption involving top government officials, including those very close to the presidency, among them a serving governor and even Buhari’s chief of staff, where the president blatantly refused to take action, or reluctantly did so after intense public outrage, as in the case a former secretary to the federal government, Babachir Lawal.This, certainly, is not how citizens expect that corruption would be fought anywhere in the world, least of all in Nigeria under

a Buhari presidency.

Only recently, at the request of Ade Ipaye, deputy chief of staff in the presidency, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) sent to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo a preliminary report of its findings on allegation of corruption against Marilyn Amobi, MD/CEO of Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc. (NBET).Limited as it was in its findings and conclusion, the report dated March 6, 2019 indicted the NBET boss and said the Commission would prosecute her and others for violating the ProcurementAct 2007 and ICPC Act, 2000. Significantly, the report stated that two whistleblowers who reported Amobi’s corrupt practices—Waziri Bintube, former head of finance and Abdullahi Sambo, former head of audit, were wrongfully dismissed.

Since December 2017 these officers have not been paid their salaries and entitlements even after Raji Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing whose office supervises NBET, had directed Amobi to reinstate the officers and pay their salaries and entitlements. That is just one of the many instances of insubordination she had shown to Fashola.

It is more than five weeks since the presidency received the Commission’s report on the NBET boss but nothing has been done. You would wonder why the presidency is still sitting on the damning report. With it, a government that is really committed to fighting corruption would promptly direct Amobi to step aside as MD/ CEO and encourage the Commission to begin prosecution. In addition, that government would also immediately direct that the whistleblowers (Sambo and Waziri) return to work and all their outstanding salaries paid without any further delay.

Clearly, this government realised, and rightly so, that it can never make meaningful headway in the fight against corruption without the input of the citizens. That must have informed the introduction of the whistleblower policy in December 2016. Yet, it cannot claim to be seriously fighting corruption when whistleblowers are not protected; and so far, there is no demonstrable political will to hold wrongdoers accountable.

Daily Times Nigeria Friday, Arpil 19, 2019

Read more on: www.dailytimes.ng

9

Editorial Commentary

Buhari Must Stop NNPC Digging Our Grave

Times Guest Columnist Azu Ishiekwene

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar made an unpopular statement during the campaign worth a second thought. He said if he was elected president, he would sell off the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), even if it would cost him his life.

It didn’t seem anyone was interested in his life, really. Or the point he was trying to make; namely, that NNPC is killing Nigeria. Atiku, being Atiku, his remark was overshadowed by suspicion that the PDP presidential candidate was planning another bazaar for his friends.

But the long petrol lines that resurfaced in some parts of the country last week, followed by panic buying that had NNPC swearing by the barrel that it had enough petrol in reserves, raised again the question of NNPC’s future.

What will Nigeria do with NNPC? Every NNPC chief executive or petroleum minister said they were running the place in the country’s best interest. That may have been true in the days of Festus Marinho, Aret Adams or Rilwan Lukman. But God knows that the place has since become the ATM of a few.

Between Dan Etete and Diezani Allison-Madueke (two ministers who ran the show within roughly a decade of each other) for example, billions of dollars disappeared, most of it into their private pockets. Etete awarded an oil block to himself, after transferring about $1.1billion into his own account; while conservative estimates put Allison-Madueke’s theft at $6billion.

In popular culture, NNPC is the place people go to if they want to steal, and not work.

The NNPC ATM took an innovative turn under former Group Managing Director, Andrew Yakubu.

Like his bosses, he also claimed to be running the place in the public interest. Unlike them, however, he brought something new to the office.

To ensure that the ATM was never out of money, Yakubu modified a block of houses in rural Kaduna, and stocked them with $9.8million cash. Some of the cash was lifted in private jets and personally delivered by top bank managers for whom Yakubu had used his position to facilitate concessionary placement of government funds.

When anyone says that NNPC is working in the country’s best interest, you must ask, how? Subsidy, that’s one way, isn’t it? The language has changed though. Subsidy has become a dirty word after multiple petrol price increases failed to deliver government’s promise of regular, unimpeded supply or improved alternative infrastructure.

It’s now officially called “under-recovery” – different words, same difference. Whatever assurances NNPC may give about supply, the public would be foolish to assume that the current price for a litre of petrol is sustainable at N145 per litre. Whether it is subsidy or under-recovery, at current market prices, consumers are paying at least 55kobo less than the actual price per litre. But NNPC, the current NNPC, cannot look at consumers in the face and say it.

Of course, there have been muted noises from the corporation that it spends N774million daily (for 50million litres of petrol consumed locally) or N1.4trillion yearly. Never mind that. The reason why NNPC would be unable to speak plainly about its misery is that in Buhari’s first term, his government mismanaged the opportunity to follow through the steepest hike in petrol prices in the country’s history with a fundamental restructuring of NNPC. I’m not just talking about NNPC still being outside the reach of TSA. Or the turf war and self-interest that often leave senior officials working at cross purposes.

That’s bad enough. I’m saying that any change in the price of petrol, however slight or steep, that does not follow through with fundamental changes in the way the NNPC is currently being run, will fail.

The restructuring of the downstream sector started two decades ago with government divestment from the major oil marketing companies. Downstream deregulation continued until 2007 when the refineries were put up for sale. But in what amounted to throwing away the baby with the bath water, the government of President Umaru Yar’Adua reversed the process.

And it’s been downhill since, with NNPC not just getting back in play, but actually becoming a Leviathan.

Cheap government funds were funneled into building mega petrol stations, in direct competition with private investors who sourced funds at a premium for the same business.

Instead of cutting back, NNPC became even more deeply involved in the value chain. It has now become the sole importer of petroleum products, determining volume – including which distributor gets what – price, and assignment of jetty. Sometimes buyers even pre-pay for products only to be supplied at NNPC’s discretion.

Since discretion is the cousin of corruption, part of the cost of the so-called subsidy is the toll that beneficiaries have to pay for doing business with NNPC. The oil majors have either scaled back or left the field altogether.

On paper, PPMC, a subsidiary of NNPC, has been “unbundled” into three companies. In practice, however, it maintains tight control over depots and a monopoly over pipelines.

These inefficiencies cannot, and will not, be addressed by simply topping up the price of petrol or promising to remove “subsidy gradually”, whatever that means.

Just attempting to follow NNPC’s refined products management account (one of its two main accounts) reveals, in the starkest terms, Anthony Sampson’s immortal words: “All oil business is greasy.” When NEITI, the country’s extractive industry transparency watchdog, laments year after year that it has difficulties reconciling NNPC’s receipts with payments, this, for example, is what it means.

We assume that NNPC has statutory allocation of 450,000 barrels of oil daily. But we don’t know and cannot even assume what quantity of this crude oil is refined in the country, what is consumed locally or what is refined abroad. Our refineries are virtually dead.

So, NNPC determines which refiners abroad take the crude, and exercises a malicious lack of transparency on the volume exported, the price of refining, the cost of importing back the refined products, and how much really goes into the refined products management account. It’s secrecy, uber alles.

When NEITI said crude oil swaps between 2005 and 2012 led to losses of $11.63bn, for example, this is what it means: the more you look into the refined products management account, the less you see. It was here that Diezani made her kill; it’s here that those who came after her and those who will come after those who came after her will make their kill. It’s here that NNPC is digging Nigeria’s grave.

All the talk about subsidy or under-recovery cannot make sense until NNPC comes clean about its accounts and NNPC will not come clean on its accounts unless it is restructured.

The reputational risk that Buhari bears is that he is the Petroleum Minister. By the end of his second term, if he retains the portfolio, he would have been petroleum minister for eight years – the longest since President Olusegun Obasanjo. If, for lack of political will to do the right thing, the NNPC fails as it will under the present arrangement, then Buhari will take the blame squarely.

There is still a window of opportunity for change. Before Dangote’s refinery comes on stream to compound NNPC’s misery, the government should hands-off the downstream. It should sell off the refineries, reorganize DPR, and break up PPMC’s depot and pipeline units by rearranging the assets into regional clusters, with open access.

With some of the lessons learnt from the restructuring of the power sector and changes to make the system fit for purpose, Buhari urgently needs a roadmap to make NNPC work for the country.

For too long, the place has worked for a few who never quite lack big grammar or the political clout to make the public believe that we’re living on subsidy.

Maybe. But the evidence suggests that these same elite are the bigger beneficiaries of subsidy. They’re digging our grave.

Our POSITION Containing rising deaths from sickle cell anaemia

S

ickle cell disease affects an increasing number of people but is still unknown to the general public.

More than 66% of the 120 million people in the world with sickle cell disease live in Africa. In Nigeria, about 150, 000 children are said to be born yearly with the debilitating disease, heightening the need for all hands to be on deck to checkmate the disease.

The condition can cause extreme pain, life-threatening infections and other complications such as stroke or loss of vision. The disease can interfere with many aspects of the patient’s life, including education, employment and psychosocial development. Despite the disastrous consequences, they do not receive adequate attention.

In particular, the sources of funding for the fight against these diseases and the technical partners involved are insufficient.

The burden of blood-related diseases could be considerably reduced if cost-effective preventive and curative measures and interventions are implemented in a balanced and coordinated manner.

In 2008, Ministers of Health from the WHO African region adopted a regional strategy to combat sickle cell disease and in some countries where sickle cell disease is a major public health concern, control programmes do exist. However, these have neither the national coverage nor basic facilities to manage patients. Systematic screening for SCD using a simple blood test is not a common practice, and diagnosis is usually made when a severe complication occurs.

Counselling and prevention of causes and infections are simple measures not readily accessible to most patients. As a result, the majority of children with the most severe form of the disease die before the age of five, usually from an infection or severe anaemia.

We are of the opinion that there is an urgent need to tackle the disease.

We must continue to make an effort so that together with our brothers and sisters from other continents, we can win the noble fight against blood diseases in Nigeria and Africa.

Our States alone, without the precious support of partners, will not be able to cope with information, communication, education, screening, case management and also basic research in this field.

SCA is a significant and underrecognized global health problem, and with new SDG efforts focused on ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under the age of 5 it is essential to specifically include SCA in that effort. With increased availability of POC diagnostics and inexpensive and highly effective treatments, such as hydroxyurea, simple efforts can result in millions of lives saved.

Pediatricians have the unique opportunity to be leaders in improving the health of children not only in our local practices, but also across the world. Increasing the visibility and advocacy for less commonly recognised childhood health conditions, such as SCA, can lead to important changes and provides an opportunity to save millions of lives.

S i g n at u r e Publisher

Folio Communications Plc

Acting News Editor Henry Omunu 08033047507 The opinions expressed in the articles published in this newspaper are solely those of the authors. Articles may be reproduced, provided that the original source is indicated.

Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

Read more on: www.dailytimes.ng

10 News

Workers disrupt inauguration of NSITF board Short News Accuse Ngige of shortchanging Kokori as chairman You have no right to question President’s appointment – Ngige

Ukpono Ukpong, Abuja There was drama Thursday at the inauguration of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) board as workers under the aegis of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) stormed the venue of the inauguration protesting against the replacement of renowned labour leader, Comrade Ovie Kokori as chairman of the board.

The inauguration which was billed to take place yesterday at 10:30am was later cancelled when all means to resolve the matter by the ministry proved abortive as the workers vowed to disrupt the event except Comrade Kokori is restored as the chairman of the board.

According to a statement issued late Wednesday by the ministry, Kokori was replaced

by Mr. Austin Enajemo-Isire, a chartered accountant as chairman of the NSITF board.

NLC President, Ayuba Wabba while addressing journalists on the issue, accused the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige of spearheading the replacement of the

labour leader for personal gains.

He noted that the replacement was in clear violation of all known laws as even the Act which created the NSITF recommended consultations with the NLC before the constitution of the board.

Wabba insisted that NLC was not carried along and as such, the inauguration cannot stand.

Some labour leaders also alleged that the minister was planning to hold a secret inauguration in a hotel somewhere around the Central Business District, Abuja, as against the conference room of the ministry, which was the initial venue of the inauguration.

“Why is he (Ngige) scared of coming out to address his constituency? Let him come out if he did the right thing. If he likes himself, he should forget about going to a secret venue for the inauguration because we are going to tail him. We will go as far as going to protest in his house if he tries it,” a labour activist said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labour and Employment has explained that the inauguration of the NSITF board scheduled for yesterday was postponed because of security breach occasioned

by the siege of the venue of the inauguration by violent thugs imported by the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba and Comrade Frank Kokori.

A statement by the Assistant Director, Press in the Ministry, Rhoda Iliya said the postponement was to avoid the degeneration of the situation, where thugs were already manhandling some officers of the ministry and the policemen attached to the office of the minister.

The statement further said the replacement of Comrade Frank Kokori with Mr. Austine Enajemo-Isere and his transfer to the board of the Micheal Imodu National Institute of Labour Studies (MINLS), Ilorin, as chairman followed due process and has the necessary presidential approval.

“The approval for this exercise was given by the appropriate approving authority which is the President and duly communicated to the Ministry of Labour and Employment. This is also in line with the Act establishing the NSITF which confers such powers on the President on the recommendation of the minister,” the ministry explained.

BPE explains why BoA must be restructured Joseph Inokotong, Abuja

Director General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex A. Okoh has said that it has become imperative to restructure the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) to substantially improve its operating framework and governance structure with a view to enhancing its efficiency, Speaking at the kick-off meeting for the recapitalization of the bank on Thursday, in Abuja, Okoh said the bank had performed sub-optimally due to the myriad of challenges it faced since inception in 1972.

According to him, the process will lead to the privatization of equity of the bank and it’s envisaged that the Central Bank equity will be reduced to 20 per cent while the Federal Ministry of Finance (incorporated) will be reduced to 20 per cent.

“The government agencies equity in the new bank will be a minority of 40 per cent. We will then invite private sector investors who will own 20 per cent and the remaining 40 per cent equity will be owned by farmers and farmers’ cooperatives,” he added.

Okoh stated that the new strategy envisages that BoA will be transformed into a truly agriculture finance bank modeled along the lines of Agriculture Bank of China and Rabobank of the Netherlands, adding that upon its establishment in 1972 to serve as an agricultural and cooperative bank to provide services of a development finance institution, it was vested with the responsibility of providing low cost credit to small holder and commercial farmers.

140-yr-old school building set for demolition Esther Taiwo Methodist Girls High Schools Old Girls Association, (MGHSOGA), Yaba Lagos is set to pull down the old building within the school premises and build a new structure.

This was made known by the President, Methodist Girls High School Old Girls Association, Mrs. Yomi Afolabi in a press statement.

According to Afolabi, the time has come for the old to give way to the new structure.

“This coming Saturday, the old structure will be pulled down and the construction of the new building begins. We thank God that no life was lost since the old structure was set up many years back. Though we have memories of the old building, but it has to go down because we are building a modern facilities here,” said Afolabi.

While thanking God for divine helpers, Afolabi expressed gratitude for the experience and privilege to be a proud student of the school.

“We are proud to have received undiluted training and nurturing in the hands of great teachers. Indeed the old order changes, giving way to new building,” she said.

LASTMA has powers to arrest erring motorists – Olakpe Benjamin Omoike, Lagos

From right; DG-NOTAP Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim, DG-NCC, Mr. John Asien and Director Legal, Barr. Mike Akpan.

Lalong vows to rebuild Jos Market with or without funds Denies budgeting N1bn for demolition

Mathew Dadiya, Abuja Plateau state Governor, Simon Lalong has vowed that he would not renege on his promise to rebuild the Jos Main Market, irrespective of the financial status of the state.

The governor who gave the assurance when spoke to State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday at the Presidential Billa, Abuja, said “with or without money, I will rebuild the market.”

Lalong said that whatever he promised the people of Plateau state, he had always fulfilled it.

Reacting to news making the rounds that he budgeted N1 billion for the demolition of the market, the governor denied the allegation, saying that the report was “not very fair.

“If you understand the history of the Jos Main Market, you will understand my passion for rebuilding that market. That market was blown off years ago and has remained like that.

“The market was our main source of revenue and I saw it as very necessary to rebuild the main market in other to address the challenges of the state, including that of minimum wage.

“What somebody saw was the presentation before the budget committee and when he saw N1.1 billion, he said it is for demolition. N1.1 billion cannot be for demolition. There are four components of demolition and reconstruction of the market. The person saw one aspect and jumped into conclusion.

“I just got back from London this morning and I also read the report and I was worried. I called to ask what happened and I was told that he saw an aspect of the budget presentation and he said it was for demolition of the market.

“We have two proposals, either to bring down the entire market and start building a new one or carry out the special demolition and reconstruction and the overhaul of the market.

There is the technical aspect, the consultancy aspect and the contract itself.

“So, I have asked them to make everything public so that people will not jump to conclusions that we are demolishing the market. It is not everyone that can do that type of special demolition, in Nigeria it has only been done either twice or thrice.

“I had to travel to South Africa to ensure that if we are going to carry out the demolition, it must be a very special demolition. Otherwise, the next option was to bring down the entire

market and start rebuilding. The sum of N1 billion can build a new market.

When asked if more money was going to be budgeted for the actual rebuilding of the market, the governor said, “first, we are starting with the demolition before we move to other things. Without technical drawing you will not understand what I am saying. If you have seen Jos Main Market, it is a choked up area and if you have to rebuild you must put security outpost there, even the parking space has to be changed.

“But, I have had to face serious opposition as regards that market because good things don’t come easy. You don’t get gold on the surface, you must dig. That is why I said, during my time I must rebuild the market. Plateau people know that whatever I say I will do; I always do it.”

On how soon the market will be ready to contribute to paying the minimum wage, Lalong said, “It will not take us long to rebuild the market. As for the minimum wage, when I inherited nine months’ salary arrears and what was left in the treasury was N95 million, I was asked if I was going to pay, I said by God’s grace. Each time you use that phrase, God’s grace, God will always provide.”

The Lagos state Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) on Thursday reiterated its powers under the relevant provisions of the Lagos State Traffic Laws of 2012 (as amended) to impound any vehicle and apprehend recalcitrant motorists who contravene traffic regulations.

Speaking while receiving the executive and members of the Humanitarian Voluntary Association for Community Development, who came to express solidarity over the death of 18 traffic officials of the agency who died in the line of duty in 2018, LASTMA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Chris Olakpe, said contrary to misinformation in sections of the media, the agency was fully empowered by law to make arrests where and when necessary.

Olakpe, who is a retired assistant inspector general of police, said the state traffic laws equipped officials of the agency with powers to arrest where appropriate and allow the alleged offender to pay the fine stipulated for the offence.

In addition, the LASTMA boss said the law allows for penalties for neglect of traffic directions, while disobeying traffic control personnel also attracts fines and impounding of vehicles.

“One thing the people must know is that the purpose of laws in any state is to regulate human conduct and punish violators, to ensure safety and sanity on the roads and at the same time regulate the function and authority of traffic personnel,” stated.

Jega was right on March 9 Kano guber election, says group The Vanguard for Democracy and Good Governance, a civil society group has aligned with the position of former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof.

Attahiru Jega on the March 9 governorship election in Kano state.

Jega was earlier reported to have berated some lecturers of Bayero University, Kano (BUK) for allowing themselves to be used to cause electoral violence in the state during the March 9 exercise.

Chairman of the group, Comrade Ahmed Ali in corroborating Jega’s position, said it was true that some top politicians of the Kwankwassiyya movement and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwarts used the BUK lecturers to mastermind massive rigging and electoral irregularities that characterized the election.

In a statement Thursday which was made available to Daily Times, the group said that Senator, Rabiu Kwankwaso, used the former Executive Secretary of TETFUND, Dr. Abdullahi Baffa Bichi, who was a former lecturer in BUK to mobilize lecturers who made efforts to compromise the election in favour of the PDP and its candidate.

News 11

Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

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APC won’t punish Oni for filing Short News NITDA trains South East youth on ICT skills, suit against Fayemi offers start-up packs Gbenga sodeinde, Ado Ekiti

The Ekiti state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has appealed to former Governor Segun Oni to accept the verdict of the Supreme Court and embrace the olive branch extended to him

by Governor Kayode Fayemi.

The party through its state Chairman, Paul Omotoso, said the duo of Fayemi and Oni are eminent members of the party and Ekiti citizens, who should be united in spirit to make the state develop in all facets.

APC said it perceived the apex court judgment as no victor, no vanquished, just like Governor Fayemi felt about the ruling, saying the party must be focused to be able to deliver on its promises to Ekiti populace.

The apex court had on Wednesday

dismissed the eligibility suit filed

by Oni against Fayemi, where he prayed the court to nullify the governor’s participation in the state APC governorship primary.

Oni, in the suit said he won the May 26, 2018 primary since Fayemi was not qualified on the basis of his alleged refusal to resign 30 days before the primary as stipulated by the party’s constitution.

In a statement by the party in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, Omotoso saluted the resilience and dogged determination of some members of the party to think of legitimate ways of challenging the party’s primary, rather than resorting to self-help.

Omotoso added that court remains the best democratic channel to challenge the outcome of any election, saying the party won’t victimize Oni and his supporters over the action they took.

He said: “The judgment by the highest court in the land affirming and authenticating the victory of Fayemi at the primary was a welcome development.

“At this point, I want to remind all members of APC in Ekiti state that this victory belongs to us all. We should now put this behind us and join hands with the administration of Fayemi to move the state forward.

“Rather than divide us, the Supreme Court’s judgment should further make us stronger as one family of APC. Gov. Fayemi is already forming an all-inclusive administration and will continue to seek advice from all the leaders of the party as well as consult them on matters that are aimed at moving the state forward.

“Let us all rise above personal sentiments and work as a team to make APC stronger and a party to emulate in Ekiti state,” he said.

Joseph Inokotong, Abuja National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) said the agency is set to empower youth within Enugu and the South East region with Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills through its Start-Up SUF programme, Friday.

SUF programme is a technology entrepreneurs’ gathering designed by NITDA and implemented by its subsidiary, the Office for ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIIE).

National Coordinator of OIIE, Dr. Amina Sambo-Magaji, in a statement in Abuja, noted that “the SUF in Enugu, would be the last round of igniting the six geo-political regions across the country.”

Sambo-Magaji said that the SUF being the 12th edition in a series, would ensure that ICT start-ups within the region were encouraged and supported by government.

She added that SUF was part of the agency’s activities aimed at developing the technology ecosystem across the country.

“The programme is not just for Enugu but also Abia, Anambra, Aba, Ebonyi and Imo states. This completes the first round of our regional technology ecosystem ignition,’’ the coordinator said.

SON deploys technology for seamless operational delivery Joseph Inokotong, Abuja Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) has commenced the process of implementing electronic demand notes, receipts as well as ports and borders operations clearing processes.

This is part of efforts to enhance seamless service delivery to stakeholders through improved synergy within its operational units.

In a statement from the media unit of SON, the Director-General, Osita Aboloma, stated this in Lagos at a strategic meeting on the deployment of the solutions.

The statement hinted that the transitioning to the electronic demand note and receipt as well electronic ports and border operations would mitigate challenges faced by customers and clients of SON and promote greater efficiency in service delivery.

Represented by Mr. Kabir Mohammed, director in the director-general’s office, the SON chief executive posited that the electronic platforms would create a business solution tailored around SON services, aimed at achieving the organization’s strategic goals.

Introducing the proposed solution, Mr. Mike Aigbe, deputy managing director, Vatebra Limited, said the organization had helped in creating similar solutions for organizations in Nigeria and other African countries in the last 15years.

Delta monarch denies installing Iyase of Ogwashi Uku Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

L-R: Keynote speaker, Prof. Akin Onigbinde; Mananging Director, New Telegraph newspaper, Mrs. funke Egbemode; Chairman of occasion/Senator-elect, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu; Special guest of honor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; and representative of Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Akin Oyebode, during the Freedom Online 2nd annual lecture in Lagos...on Thursday. Photo: Olawale Rotimi

Crisis looms in Ogun community over installation of monarch Abiodun Taiwo, Abeokuta

The Council of Chiefs in Owo Kingdom in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun state has petitioned the state government, law enforcement agencies over the installation of a new monarch for Owo Kingdom.

The chiefs and other residents of the town also on Thursday stormed Abeokuta, the state capital, calling on Governor Ibikunle Amosun, to stop the planned installation of a new traditional ruler for the community.

The indigenes who took their protest to the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ogun state council, in Okelewo, also called on the state Commissioner of Police, Bashir Makama, not to allow the installation of a new monarch in the community to avert “chaos, bloodshed and anarchy.”

The last Oba of the agrarian community, Olowo of Owo, Oba Patrick Oyeniran Fasinu, was reportedly assassinated on July 27, 2017 while returning to his domain after attending a meeting of the Yewa Traditional Council in Ilaro, the headquarters of the Yewa South Local Government.

Over 12 suspects, including retired Col. Alao Akala, were arrested in connection with the alleged brutal murder of Oba Fasinu and the matter is still pending in court, even though Alao has also been granted bail on health ground.

But, Prince Fasinu Matthew Olaonipekun, brother of the slain monarch, who addressed reporters, said the community wants the installation of a new monarch put on hold, claiming due process was not followed to arrive at who becomes the next Olowo of Owo Kingdom.

Prince Fasinu said it is a great insult

to the people of Owo that a new king is about to be installed when suspects in the killing of his brother are standing trial and the matter is still pending before the court.

He lamented that the Gov. Amosun – led government has not done anything about the killing of Oba Fasinu, saying it would amount to dishonor if the proper thing was not done for the late monarch before installing a successor.

Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of the Owo Forum, Mrs. Aghelegin Comfort Olayinka, lamented that a prime suspect in the alleged murder of Oba Fasinu is rooting for the installation of his relation as the next king of the community.

According to her, one Mojeed Rufai Alao, who is being put forward as the next ruler of the community hails from the Alao family which also doubles as the family of the alleged prime suspect in the murder of Oba Fasinu, Col. Alao Akala.

The Obi of Ogwashi Uku in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta state, Prof. Chukwuka Okonjo on Thursday said that the issuance of the certificate of gazette by the Delta State Directorate of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to one Chief Mike Nwaukoni is wrong as he was never installed by him as the Iyase of Ogwashi uku.

While appealing to the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to order the withdrawal of the certificate issued to Nwaukoni, Obi Okonjo who spoke to journalists in his palace,alleged that the certificate was issued in breach of the rule of law, given the fact that Olinze Uche Collins Afuwah is the person he conferred the title of Iyase on having been installed as such by him.

In a protest letter addressed to the governor, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent and signed by Obi Okonjo, the monarch added that “in the certificate, the chieftaincy title is said to have been conferred on Mike Nwaukoni by Felix Ogo Chukwuka Izediunnor 11, the Obi Of Ogwashi Uku in June 29, 2004.

“In the history of Ogwashi uku and in government records, there is no traditional ruler of Ogwashi Uku known as Felix Izediunnor Ogochukwuka.”

The letter further adds that “I have never recognized, treated or accepted Mike Nwaukoni as the Iyase of Ogwashi Uku. Given my refusal to recognize him as Iyase of Ogwashi Uku, he filed a suit in which the attorney general of Delta state, the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs and I are the fourth, third and second defendants respectively.”

Buhari condoles with Ondo, family over Oba’s death Mathew Dadiya, Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has extended his heartfelt condolences to the family of Oba Folagbade Olateru-Olagbegi, the Olowo of Owo and the people of Owo in Ondo state on the death of the highly revered traditional ruler.

President Buhari also commiserates with the government and people of Ondo state on the demise of Oba Olateru-Olagbegi, the former chairman of the Ondo state Council of Obas.

Buhari affirmed that the late royal father was recognized as an accomplished legal luminary and tutor who played an exemplary role in the training and development of lawyers in the country during his days as a teacher in the Nigeria Law School.

The president believes that the departed monarch will be fondly remembered and honoured for his numerous social, economic, educational, peace building and community development initiatives which greatly endeared him to people in his domain and other admirers across the country.

As the people of Owo and Ondo state prepare for the burial rites of the Olowo, the president assured that his thoughts and prayers are with them during the mourning period.

He prayed that the almighty God will receive the soul of Oba OlateruOlagbegi and grant his people a worthy successor.

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China to partner Nigeria on industrialisation Short News Henry Omonu, Abuja Chinese government has expressed its willingness to partner with Nigeria in her efforts to become one of the most industrialized countries in the world.

This was disclosed by the Deputy Managing Director of a Chinese firm, Sinoria FABCOM, Mr. Jackie Dai Hui while speaking with journalists in Abuja at the weekend shortly after unveiling the company’s new line of product known as fibre cement board.

He said apart from establishing industries in Nigeria as part of the industrialization process, Chinese engineers also train Nigerian artisans in fabrication of various types of machine spare parts as well

as encouraging them to establish cottage industries.

According to Mr. Hui, Chinese experts are excited by the brilliant show of most of the artisans in their factories across the country noting that it would not be long before Nigerians head most of the factories technical departments.

In a brief history of Sinoria FABCOM, the Managing Director explained that the company has been in Nigeria for almost a decade and that it is a recognised brand in the manufacture of stone coated roofing sheets.

According to him, Sinoria FABCOM is the only manufacturers of stone coated roofing tiles in West Africa sourcing almost 70% of its raw materials locally and that their investment in Nigeria is an eye opener because according to him,

they have seen firsthand the huge potentials of Nigeria in terms of human and raw material resources.

“Sinoria follows the core philosophy of ‘focusing on both process and success’ working in a practical and innovative way and emphasizing on integrity”, he stated.

While appealing to the federal government to put more efforts in establishment of cottage industries to fast track the industrialization process, Mr. Hui also advised that the power sector must be given priority attention if Nigeria’s quest for industrial revolution would be successful.

He observed that most investors are scared to establish industries in Nigeria because of unsteady power supply regretting that in their factories they run generator for almost 24 hours every day.

Buhari approves appointment of NSITF board Ukpono Ukpong, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday approved the appointment of members of the Board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), a parastatal under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

According to a statement signed by the Assistant Director (Press) in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Rhoda Iliya the Board is to be headed by Mr Austin Enajemo-Isire, a Chartered Accountant, professional Insurance Executive and Banker.

The names of the Board members are as follows: Mr. Austin Enajemo-Isire as Chairman; Olawale, Osuolale Timothy, Dr. Mohammed, J. Yinusa, Comrade Waheed Adewale Adeyanju, Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel, Dr. Ifeoma Anyanwutaku, Dutse, Umma Aminu (Mrs.) as members, Jasper Azutalam as Executive Director, Finance, Tijani Suleiman, Executive director admin, Chief (Mrs.) Kemi Nelson, Executive Director, Operations, Ade Bayo Somefun, Managing Director and Chief Executive, Mrs. Ijeoma Orji Okoronkwo, board secretary.

Furthermore, the statement disclosed that the Board will be inaugurated toady Thursday 18th April, 2019 by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Nwabueze Ngige, in Abuja.

2019 Easter celebrations: IGP tasks Christians to emulate the selfless lifestyle of Christ Directs zonal AIGs, command CPs to ensure crime, crisis free celebration Doosuur Iwambe, Abuja As part of measures to ensure a peaceful and incident free Easter Celebration, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has directed Assistant Inspector General’s of Police, Commissioners of Police in Zonal and State Commands across the country to deploy adequate intelligence in-order to ensure a hitch-free Easter celebration.

In a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, the IGP also directed them to ensure that they conduct themselves in most professional manner in line with extant laws and standard best practices before, during and after the festival.

Meanwhile, the IGP has tasked Christians nationwide to emulate and adopt the selfless lifestyle of Christ as they join other Christians around the globe to celebrate the remembrance of the victorious death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as price for the redemption of mankind.

The IGP sues for peaceful co-existence among Nigerians irrespective of their religious, political and socio-cultural leaning in consonance with the principles and teachings of Christ.

Delta NUJ decries multiple police road blocks, cautions against harassment of Journalists Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed (middle), fielding questions from participants at the Breakfast Meeting with investors, business community, lawyers and diplomats with ties to Nigeria in London on Thursday.

Korea rewards Nigerian poets at 100th Independence Day anniversary Ukpono Ukpong, Abuja As part of events to mark the 100thanniversary of the Korean Independence Day Celebration, the Korean Cultural Centre Nigeria (KCCN), took time out to celebrate some Nigerian poets for their contributions towards the development of the poetry in Nigeria.

The 9th Korea-Nigeria poetry feast, which took place in Abuja, featured many performances of poetry, drama and exhibitions of which winning poems were awarded with cash prizes.

Speaking at the event, themed, ‘Independence’, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, represented by the Deputy Head Mission, Kim Do Hwan, said the purpose of the event was to mark the 100 years of the Korean Independence movement since 1919, when Koreans rose up in unity against the colonialist Japanese government oppression, that the movement provided a crucial momentum He noted for Korea’s independence to be later achieved in 1945, including the establishment of the Provisional Government of Korea, PGK in Shanghai, China on April 11, 1919.

To mark the 100th anniversary of PGK, the country hosted a national celebration held in Seoul at 11:19 pm, where there was a display of the Korean struggle, amongst which the case of Yu Gwan-sun, a young female martyr who was arrested for leading a demonstration but kept the ‘long live independent Korea’ mantra even while in prison where she died from injuries caused by torture.

The poetry award which was in three categories featured the adult, student and ambassador’s prize in which the winners received prizes which ranged from hundred to twenty thousand naira.

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Delta State Council on Thursday raised the alarm over the return of roadblocks mounted across the State, Particularly in Benin Warri expressway, Benin Asaba expressway and Ughelli Asaba expressway by officers of the Nigeria Police force.

The Union in a statement jointly signed by the chairman Michael Ikechukwu and the Secretary Churchill Oyowe on Thursday called on the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu to clarify if Delta State is exempted from the ban on roadblocks on Nigerian highways.

While noting that the Situation Showcased the state as unsafe to visitors and would be investors, the NUJ leaders added that the roadblocks portend instrument of extortion and harassment hence the practice has subjected the poor masses plying roads in the State to untold hardship, Intimidation, unwarranted delays and unlawful arrest.

Part of the Statement reads:” We are at a crossroad as to whether Delta State is exempted from the ban on roadblocks, we cannot see why the police personnel under Delta command will flagrantly flout the order of the IGP pretending to be staging nipping points for routine checks whereas what we see on ground is full blown roadblocks, disrupting smooth flow of traffic, intimidation, extortion and unwarranted arrests”.

‘Take salt moderately for healthy living’

The Commercial Executive Director, Tropical General Investment Group, Dr Onyekachi Onubogu, has called on Nigerians to reduce their salt intake, saying too much of salt could contribute to liver damage.

Onubogu said this in Lagos during the inauguration of a new seasoning cube known as Terra Cube, adding that seasoning and salt must be consumed moderately to avoid kidney disease, as well as high blood pressure.

“I do not think the rise in kidney diseases has anything to do with seasoning, but one of the things Nigerians told us during our research is that they want less salt in their food. We have made sure that the salt content present in the new seasoning is minimal compared to what we already have in the market.

“It is not about flavouring your food; it is about bringing out the best in it, health-wise and quality wise,” he said.

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AMCON takes over Micmerah International Agency Limited Temitope Adebayo A Federal High Court sitting in Awka, Anambra State in Suits No. FHC/ AWK/CS/101/2018 and No. FHC/AWK/ CS/102/2018, has ordered the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) to take over the business and assets of Micmerah International Agency Limited.

AMCON had appointed Chief Tagbo Anieto as Receiver/Manager over the assets of Micmerah International Agency Limited, which owe it over N1billion.

The company is located at Onitsha, the commercial hub of Anambra State.

In compliance with the court order, AMCON earlier today through the Receiver/Manager took over the business and assets of Micmerah International Agency Limited. Justice I.B. Gafai, who presided over the matter granted AMCON the full possession as well as the power of sale over the assets of Micmerah International Agency Limited now in the custody of AMCON. AMCON had taken over the NonPerforming Loans (NPLs) of Micmerah International Agency Limited from various banks in line with its mandate under the AMCON Act. All efforts to peacefully resolve the loan were frustrated by Chief Mike Emerah, the prime promoter of the company, which left AMCON with no other choice than to seek justice in the court of competent jurisdiction.

Facebook admits scraping 1.5m email contacts of users Ladesope Ladelokun In what appears to be another addition to the growing list of data privacy breaches, Facebook has admitted it “unintentionally” uploaded the email contacts of 1.5 million users without their consent.

The data harvesting happened via a system used to verify the identity of new members.

Facebook asked new users to supply the password for their email account and took a copy of their contacts.

Facebook has, however, said it had now changed the way it handled new users to stop contacts from being uploaded. The company had told Business Insider that contacts were taken without consent as far back as May 2016.

Before this date, new users were asked if they wanted to verify their identity via their email account. They were also asked if they wanted to upload their address book voluntarily. Facebook confirmed that this option and the text specifying that contacts were being grabbed were changed in May 2016 but the code that scraped contacts was left intact.

In late March, Facebook found that the passwords of about 600 million users were stored internally in plain text for months. According to a source familiar with the matter, users affected by the incident were not limited to the United States.

Meanwhile, a company spokesperson said the contacts were not shared with anyone and Facebook is deleting them.

“We’ve fixed the underlying issue and are notifying people whose contacts were imported.

People can also review and manage contacts they share with Facebook in their settings,” the spokesperson said

L-R: Head, Personal Banking, Wema Bank Plc - Mr Abiola Afolayan; Chairman, Mojec International Limited, Mrs Mojisola Abdul; Managing Director, Mojec International Limited, Ms Chantelle Abdul; Executive Director, Corporate Bank & South Directorate, Keystone Bank Limited, Yemi Odusanya and Group Head, Retail & SME, Unity Bank Plc, Mr Olufunwa Olugbenga Akinmade at a press conference and signing of the Memorandum of Understanding ceremony between Mojec and the partner banks on the rollout of prepaid meters, held in Lagos on Monday, April 15, 2019.

FG to privatise BoA as BPE calls for structural improvement Mathew Dadiya, Abuja The Director-General of Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr Alex A. Okoh said that it has become imperative to restructure the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) to substantially improve its operating framework and governance structure with a view to enhancing its efficiency.

Head, Public Communications of BPE, Amina Othman, on Thursday, stated that Okoh raised the issue at the kick-off meeting for the recapitalisation of the Bank on Tuesday, in Abuja.

She quoted Okoh as observing that the Bank had performed sub-optimally due to the myriad of challenges it faced since inception in 1972.

According to him, the process will lead to the privatisation of equity of the bank.

He said, “We envisage that the Central Bank equity will be reduced to 20 per cent, Federal Ministry of Finance (incorporated) will be reduced to 20 per cent.

“The government agencies equity in the new bank will be a minority of 40 per cent. We will then invite private sector investors who will own 20 per cent and the remaining 40 per cent equity will be owned by farmers and farmers’ cooperatives”.

The BPE boss stated that the new strategy envisages that BoA will be transformed into a truly agriculture finance bank modelled along the lines of Agriculture Bank of China and Rabobank of the Netherlands.

He added that upon its establishment in 1972 to serve as an agricultural and cooperative bank to provide services of a development finance institution, it was vested with the responsibility of providing low-cost credit to smallholder

and commercial farmers.

However, the BPE director general lamented that the Bank had been unable to realise its responsibilities due to its current structure.

Okoh stressed that the proposed restructuring and recapitalisation of the Bank seek to transform it strictly into an agricultural finance bank with functional branches in all the local government areas and major towns in Nigeria.

He said that the model was sure to encourage farmers to form clusters of cooperatives and thrift societies throughout the six geopolitical zones for the purpose of participating in the ownership of the Bank.

The model would fundamentally ensure that the BOA becomes a farmers’ bank owned by farmers, he said.

On the sustainability of the strategy and attracting investment, the DG, further explained that measures would

be put in place to take non-performing credit facilities off the balance sheet and books of the Bank and possibly sold off to a factoring agent.

According to him, the measure is to make the Bank attractive to investors and also attract cheap funding from multilateral development institutions and other institutional investors with a focus on agricultural financing.

Okoh commended the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh who doubles as the Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Project for his passion and commitment to the development of agriculture in Nigeria.

He congratulated Lead Consortiumthe Adviser for the transaction and said that upon conclusion, BoA would be placed on a platform to optimise its potential to make positive impacts on the nation’s natural endowments for arable farming.

Afreximbank gives Mota-Engil €100m facility for economic integration Motolani Oseni The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has announced the disbursement of £100 million revolving global credit facility to Mota-Engil Engenharia e Construçáo África, S.A. (Mota-Engil Africa) to support the company to implement key developmental projects in Africa.

Obi Emekekwue, Afreximbank’s Global Director, Communications and Branding, disclosed this on Thursday, stating that such projects include the construction of trade-carrying and tradesupporting infrastructure required for the acceleration of the integration process in the continent, said Afreximbank in the

announcement released in Cairo.

According to the Bank, the facility will strengthen Mota-Engil Africa’s capacity to carry out projects critical to reducing transaction costs for businesses, growing intra-regional trade, easing movement of goods, services and people, boosting employment and stimulating economic activity in Africa.

The transaction is expected to lead to increased activity in a number of economic sectors, including petroleum and petrochemicals, heavy equipment supplies, spare parts supplies, architectural services, and to increased public revenues from an expansion in economic activity in various countries.

Mota-Engil Africa is a significant player in intra-African trade as

evidenced by the volumes of goods and services it procures from and distributes to, African countries where it executes contracts.

Some of the infrastructure developed by the company, including ports and railways, serve multiple countries.

The company has a robust backlog of strategic projects in Africa in excess of EUR3 billion, covering such sectors as construction, mining, power, medical, infrastructure management, waste management and other concession businesses.

Speaking on the transaction, Prof. Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank, said that with the easing of mobility of goods, services and people across African borders foreseen

under the transaction, there would be an increase in intra-regional trade, leading to creation of jobs, increase in foreign exchange earnings and growth in government revenues.

Apart from enabling African governments to improve the quality of life of their citizens in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, the expected developmental outcomes will contribute to the implementation of the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area, he added.

Also participating in a ceremony to mark the transaction were Kanayo Awani, Managing Director, IntraAfrican Trade Initiative, Afreximbank, and Manuel Mota, Chief Executive Officer, Mota-Engil Africa.

Business Times 14

Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

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Easter: Air Peace deploys B777 to domestic operations Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

L-R: Business Manager, Landover Aviation Business School (LABS), Mr. Mobolaji Durojaiye, Executive Director, Landover Company Limited, Mrs. Aduke Atiba; 2018 IATA Best Performer in Nigeria and graduate of LABS, Ms. Adeola Alade, Manager, Corporate Services, Landover Company Limited, Mrs. Aderonke Emmanuel-James and Business Manager, Operations, Landover Company Limited, Mr. Tunde Adeniyi at the presentation of the 2018 IATA Best Performer Award in Nigeria, at the School in Lagos

Mouka lights up 2019 London Stock Exchange report Joy Obakeye Mouka Limited, Nigeria’s indigenous mattress and foam products manufacturer has become one among a few African companies to be recognised twice by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), in the group’s Companies, to inspire Africa report.

The company was listed in the - LSEG’s companies to Inspire Africa2019 report after it made 2017 inaugural edition.

Mouka was recognised alongside 360 companies from 32 countries across the continent represented in this year’s report, boasting an incredibly impressive average compound annual growth rate of 46 per cent, up from 16 per cent in 2017.

Companies to Inspire Africa is a pioneering report, compiled by the LSEG, identifying the continent’s most inspirational and dynamic private high growth companies to a global market.

Companies to Inspire Africa 2019 was produced in partnership with African Development Bank Group, CDC Group, PWC and Asoko Insight who contributed their insight and expertise to select the featured companies, and the report is sponsored by Instinctif Partners and Stephenson Harwood.

To be included in the list, companies need to be privately held and show an excellent rate of growth and the potential to power African development.

The double honours from LSEG has set the bedding industry giant apart

from not just its competitors within its Nigerian operation base, but among other companies on the continent that have only made one appearance in the Companies to Inspire Africa report since its inaugural edition.

After Mouka’s mention in the inaugural edition of the report, the company made remarkable progress by consolidating its previous achievement, by earning the enviable recognition for second time in 2019, by the world’s leading financial centre’s stock exchange group.

Established in 1959, Mouka Limited manufactures foam and spring mattresses, as well as other bedding products at its three production facilities across Nigeria.

The company has also developed an extensive distribution network with more than 1,000 branded sales outlets and over 300 third-party distributors

Naira gains as CBN lifts Forex market with $254.8m, CNY 35.8m Motolani Oseni The Nigerian currency, Naira, appreciated on Thursday at the Investors and Exporters (I&E FX) window by 0.04 per cent to close at N360.29 per US Dollar, even as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) lifted the retail Secondary Market Intervention Sales (SMIS) market with total injections of $254.8million and CNY 34.8million.

The Naira, at the I&E FX window, opened flat at N360.25 to the dollar, traded high at N361.50 before closing at an appreciable rate of N360.29.

At the end of yesterday trading activities, the special FX window, however, recorded total transactions turnover of $265.59 million.

But the local currency at the Bureau de Change (BDC) segment of the foreign exchange market, exchanged for N360 to the dollar, while CNY1 exchanged for N55.

Commenting on the apex bank intervention

in the forex market, the CBN spokesperson, Isaac Okorafor, said that the bank injected CNY 34.8million in the spot and short-tenored forwards segment of the inter-bank foreign market deals.

Mr Okorafor said this followed the injection of about $210 million into the wholesale segment of the Inter-Bank Foreign Exchange market by the bank on Tuesday.

He said the intervention, as in previous sales, was to meet requests in the agricultural and raw materials sectors of the economy.

On the other hand, the Chinese Yuan was for Renminbi-denominated Letters of Credit (LCs).

Mr Okorafor said the CBN is pleased with the performance of the Naira against other major international currencies.

He said the stability in the market had continued to attract genuine investors and boost trade in the country.

He assured that the CBN management would remain committed to ensuring that all the sectors of the foreign exchange market enjoyed access to the needed foreign exchange.

across the country.

“One of the biggest opportunities over the past year has been to use the challenging operating environment to demonstrate the strength of our operations, by ensuring product availability in a marketplace where our competitors are struggling to do the same… As a result, we have been able to gain market share,” explains Mouka’s Chief Executive Officer, Raymond Murphy.

Back in Nigeria in 2017, the same year it made the inaugural list of the Group’s Companies to Inspire Africa, Mouka was also awarded the Mattress Manufacturing Company of the Year at that year’s edition of The Guardian Manufacturing Excellence Award. The mattress manufacturer also earned recognition by the African Brand Congress as the Mattress Brand of the Year.

Unilever deepens market share with acquisition of P&G’s Oral Care brands Godwin Anyebe In a fresh attempt to deepen market share, Unilever has announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire the Fluocaril and Parogencyl oral care brands from its competitor, P&G (The Procter & Gamble Company), a major boost to its strategic growth plans across key markets.

Fluocaril and Parogencyl are well-known therapeutics brands sold in the Pharmacy channel, primarily in France and Spain, with a product portfolio that enjoys strong endorsement from health professionals. Fluocaril offers oral care solutions specialising in protection against cavities. Parogencyl tackles gum issues.

The acquisition will give Unilever a leading position in oral care within the French pharmacy channel as well as strong positions in Spain.

With their powerful brand heritage, high awareness and

sound reputation amongst dentists, these brands are a great complement to Unilever’s existing oral care portfolio.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed and the acquisition is expected to close in Q2 2019.

These acquisitions underline Unilever’s expansion strategy into key global markets that are crucial to its growth plan.

Recall that the multinational FMCG brand launched a campaign called “Lift Africa” to drive strategic investments on the continent. In line with this expansion drive, the company a couple of years back revealed that it intends to invest 10 million euros (N4.3billion) in a new plant in Nigeria.

The Unilever Executive President/CEO, Mr. Luc-Olivier Marquet recently in Lagos said; the new plant was to involve the manufacturing of Blue Band, its flagship margarine brand, which is in high demands in the country. The move will also help the company to further deepen its presence.

West and Central Africa’s biggest airline, Air Peace, on Thursday, deployed its widebody Boeing 777 aircraft for its domestic operations on the Port Harcourt-Abuja and Abuja-Port Harcourt routes on Easter Friday and Monday.

Air Peace recently acquired four Boeing 777 aircraft for its long-haul operations to Sharjah, Dubai, Johannesburg, London, Houston, Guangzhou and Mumbai. Three of the wide-body aircraft have so far been delivered to the airline in readiness for its soon-to-start international operations.

A statement issued

by Air Peace Corporate Communications Manager, Mr Chris Iwarah said the carrier decided to deploy its Boeing 777 aircraft at Easter to “give Nigerians and the travelling public a taste of the luxury to expect on our international routes starting soon. The deployment of our beautiful big birds, the Boeing 777 on our domestic routes, this Easter begins with our Port HarcourtAbuja and Abuja-Port Harcourt services on Easter Friday and Monday.

“Although our decision to deploy our wide-body aircraft on the domestic routes has huge financial implications for us, we are pleased to honour our pledge never to spare anything in giving our esteemed customers an exceptional feel of air travel experience.

“In the next few days, we will be announcing a firm date for the commencement of our international operations.

We plan to operate long-haul flight services to Sharjah, Dubai, Johannesburg, London, Houston, Guangzhou and Mumbai. We are set and ready to give Nigerians, Africans and the flying public a reliable alternative on our chosen international routes. But we are pleased to give our loyal customers on the domestic routes a foretaste of our longhaul offering. It sure will be a memorable experience starting with our Port Harcourt-Abuja and Abuja-Port Harcourt services on Easter Friday and Monday.”

The airline said the flight departs Port Harcourt for Abuja at 10.45 a.m. and returns to Port Harcourt at 12.30 p.m. on Easter Friday. The Easter Monday operations, it added, would take off from Port Harcourt at 8.30 a.m., with a return flight at 10.45 a.m.

POLITICS TIMES g Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

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Osun toughened me, changed my orientation about life, career - Asiwaju George High Chief Ihe Onunekwu OkwudiriChukwu George is a Guidance and Counseling Practitioner.

But that is not what made him popular. His popularity stems from the significant contribution he makes to the development of Ndigbo in South –West, Nigeria and in the Diaspora. The multitalented George was recently installed Asiwaju Ndigbo (HH Onyedu Ijede Chinaemeze Chimamanda) of Oluponna Kingdom, a community in Ayedire South Local Council Development Area of Osun State, by his Royal Majesty, Oba Emmanuel Oyeleso Oyebamiji Fadare II. He Spoke with JIDE AKINTUNDE OKE on his life, career and contributions to the development of Oluponna.

Who is Okwudirichukwu George?

I am in my early 50s. I hail from Umuomieze Na Omi autonomous community of Ikeduru, Imo Sate. I am a Guidance and Counseling Practitioner.

I went to the Ekiti State University, where I graduated with the Bachelor of Education Degree. I am currently a post graduate student of Criminology and Security Studies with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

I am a special correspondent with the Limelight News, Ohanaeze Magazine, Lagos, and a freelance writer with many articles published in different newspapers, chief executive officer of Geovera Counseling Clinic and Geovera Travel Agency, registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria and manager Scorpio Hotels, Osogbo. Chairman and the pioneer member of the Association of Imo State Indigenes in Iwo for 10 years, President of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo (the apex Igbo Organisation Worldwide) Osun State branch from 2010 to 2018, pioneer secretary – general of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo (Africa) from inception in 2009 till date and currently, the vice president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo South-West diaspora. I am married to Mrs. Veronica Iheonunekwu from Eziamalkeduru, Imo State and the marriage is blessed with children.

What was your early life like?

I happened to be a child that believed discipline shaped one for leadership.

So, I was okay. We were taught values, we were taught humility, we were taught the fear of God, we were taught to be patriotic. These values were inculcated into us. All these helped me greatly to be where I’ m today.

For how long have you been staying in Osun State?

This year 2019 makes it my 20 years in Iwo and Oluponna, Osun State.

How would you describe your stay in Osun State in the last 20 years?

Quite interesting. I moved into Iwo, in Osun State, when I was about 30 years old as a motor driver after graduating from the secondary school.

Then, I discovered I have to be a man to survive. Some believed, especially my people that I will end up to no good, because of my condition then.

But I believe, I moved over to Osun to continue my struggle, and then I discovered that Osun is a hard place

other West Africa countries. I was the head of the delegation to the Republic of Guinea, Conakry to resolve a 10 year crisis involving Ndigbo which I successfully achieved, and earned a chieftaincy title as an honour for the crisis resolution. Presently, I am in touch with the founder of spirit of His Word Church International, Bishop Chuks Emereighini JP with branches in the USA and Nigeria, they organize medical check-up and treatments. I have succeeded in enlisting Oluponna land for the next round of free medical check- up coming up in Nigeria in June 2020. As part of efforts to ensure the rapid development of Oluponna land, I am also in touch with the Ohanaeze Europe and other chapters towards assisting in having a ZOBIA International Market in Ayedire, a project which its architectural design is already in place and I am convinced that we will have the blessings and support of His Royal Majesty, Oba Emmanuel Oyebamiji, in making the dream a reality. All these and many more have been my contributions to Oluponna land.

Asiwaju

to thrive. I learnt and later agreed with what my Igbo ethnic group termed the city a long time ago “Osunsi Kwalu Ike, meaning literally that” Osun is hard”. I remained unperturbed in my progression for a successful odyssey in the city that welcomes visitors no matter the nationality, tribes or language. It was hard at the onset.

Osun toughened me and changed my orientation about my career and life generally as there was no one to turn to for help. I ran through the experience, working so hard, but despite the boredom that set in, Osun has really changed my life and I thank God for his blessings.

What has been your contributions to Oluponna to merit the Asiwaju Ndigbo title?

After about 10 years of my coming to Iwo, I introduced an NGO (Prolabore Dei) in aid of destitute 2010, with their structure at the back of Iwo Medical Centre, Odori, which has been feeding the poor, giving them drugs and cloths for the past seven years, I also organised the first Ohanaeze Diaspora Congress in Iwo land that witnessed delegates from Kenya, Guinea, South Africa, Ghana and

How do you combine in juggling career with your marital life?

It is the grace of God for one to have a successful career and a good marriage.

It requires the fear of God, patience, commitment and devotion. It is an onerous task. Here you are, you’ve got to be there for your family and for your wife and children, their problems are your problems. You must be seen to perform your role as a father which is as a loving helper who is there to assist his wife. At the same time, because of the privilege of your education, the opportunities that abound, you also try to strike a balance. So, it is quite telling on the man to balance it, but with the grace of God and the strength that He gives us; one is able to keep both under balance.

How has marriage been?

I thank God, I’m very fortunate to have a complementing wife, a doting and understanding woman. She encourages me to be myself. She assists and she’s there for me. Of course, with that quality in her, that has robbed on our children. The children have also played a good role in my life. They help me; they are there for me all the time.

We do things together. A problem for one is for everybody. I thank God for their lives, and that has been keeping

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We didn’t endorse Lawan, APC youth leaders cry out The All Progressives Congress (APC) Zonal Youth Leaders Forum has dissociated itself from the purported endorsement of Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan as sole candidate for the Senate presidency position, insisting that the idea of micro-zoning of National Assembly leadership positions was not in the best interest of the party.

The reaction came on the heels of media reports claiming endorsement for Senator Lawan by some APC youths in Abuja, on Tuesday.

In a statement issued by the spokesman of the Forum, Terver Aginde, on Wednesday, the zonal youth leaders expressed concern that micro-zoning the Senate Presidency and Speakership positions will not only erode the independence of legislature but would also alienate genuine party members and senators-elect unjustifiably.

“We are the constitutionally recognised Youth Leaders of the party and we are members of the National Executive Committee (NEC). We are

worried about the future of this party. So, the purported endorsement of a particular candidate by some youths is certainly not from us.

“Our position is clear; we do not want a repeat of the 2015 incidence. And again, we maintain that no zone is less important than the others.

“Like we stated in our communiqué yesterday, we are not against zoning, but micro-zoning. We considered it anomalous to make a pronouncement on the Senate presidency and Speakership to the exclusion of other zones.

“We are yet to receive answers to the questions: How did we get to this avoidable crisis point? How did we arrive at the purported decision on micro-zoning? Who seconded the motion for such a divisive plot?

“Mr. President in his right wisdom has maintained that he is for everyone and the wisdom in that is to give every legitimate party member a sense of belonging. We think that is the route to go,” the youth leaders maintained.

Easter: Saraki, Atiku felicitate with Nigerians, Call for sacrifices in national development Tunde Opalana As today, Good Friday marks the beginning of this year’s Easter celebration, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has called on all Nigerians to imbibe the value of sacrificing in the interest of the country as demonstrated by Jesus Christ whose selfless service to humanity is being commemorated across the world at this Easter period.

Saraki in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, congratulated Christian faithful in Nigeria and across the world as they celebrate the Easter festivities.

He expressed appreciation to Nigerians for their steadfastness and prayers which have had immense impact on the peace, unity and continued survival of the nation.

He noted that the successful conduct of the 2019 general elections was a direct testament to the sincere efforts and prayers of all Nigerians.

The President of the Senate stated that the Easter period was again a reminder that we have to imbibe the spirit of making sacrifices in the interest of Nigerians as exemplified

by Jesus Christ whose birth, life, passion, death and resurrection brought salvation to mankind.

Saraki said: “I believe that our country will become better if we all commit ourselves to selfless service and making sacrifices, both at the individual and collective level. I also believe that Christians, like their counterparts in other faiths, have spent the Lenten Season to stand in the gap for Nigeria in particular and humanity in general. The prayers and fasting of Nigerians have been the bulwark against all the centrifugal and centripetal forces

threatening to pull our nation down.

We must no relent but only need to add discipline, obedience to law and more intense patriotism to our attitude.

“I congratulate Christians and all Nigerians for the demonstration of faith in our common heritage through fasting, prayer, sober reflection and sacrifices in the interest of the country for which we now commemorate the death and resurrection of Christ,” he stated.

While acknowledging that the country is still confronted by developmental, economic and social challenges, he insisted that all the obstacles are surmountable if we all play our roles patriotically and commit to being our brother’s keeper.

He urged Christians not to relent in their prayers for God’s positive intervention in the affairs of the country at all times.

Also, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last General election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar said Nigeria, as a nation is going through difficult times.

He said raised hope that as Easter gives us hope that, as a nation, Nigerians will die to challenges and live to their potentials, die to extreme poverty and live to extra and prosperity, die to strife and be united in life.

As Nigerians celebrate Easter the former vice president, urged all to remember the men and women of the armed forces, who are even right now in ditches and trenches in order to keep felliw countrymen safe.

He also asked people to spare a thought to those who have suffered at the hands of terrorists, marauders and criminals.

“A new Nigeria is being birthed.

A Nigeria of possibilities instead of impossibilities.

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Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

ARTS & CULTURE TIMES

Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

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Women in politics should replicate Moremi’s legacy – Olugbon of Orileigbon I am the Olugbon of Orileigbon in Ogbomoso, an ancient town in Oyo. Olugbon was the second in command during Oyo Empire. Olugbon dynasty has been from 11th century. We came from Ile-ife as a prince and history reveals us as Olugbon Orisa Arugbon, as part of the people that migrated from Oyo Empire. We are the fourth generation set of Obas in Yoruba land.

What was your upbringing like?

My upbringing was such a funny one. My father was a pastor in a Christ Apostolic Church for 50 years. His name is Pastor Amos Olakunle Alao. I was a chorister in the church for almost 18 during my growing up years. I lived and studied in the northern part of Nigeria before I relocated to Lagos to run my chain of businesses. When I was called upon by my family members to take up the throne as a king, that our family is eligible, I was kind of suprise and said, ‘okay, I can, if God permits.’

Before that, I told my wife who happens to be a pastor in Redeemed Church. I asked her opinion of what she thinks about the throne with all the traditional paraphernalia involved.

How did she take it?

She was initially hesitant. As a Christian, she said she will pray over it, which she did and approved of it through a divine encounter and revelations. I also consulted my pastors who sought the will of God to intervene on my behalf. For me I vehemently believed in Gods accord as the final say in my life.

We are all children of God and I believe that we cannot leave the business of traditional leadership to pagans thinking that it is only meant for idol worshippers and people in the darkness. No! Being a traditional king does not mean you are in the darkness.

They only thing is that there are certain rites they perform in preserving the culture of the tradition which has became a way of life. It is culturally based and not fetish.

If you look at Moremi’s deeds that merited her position as a legend, there was nothing fetish in it. Coming to become a king, I prayed and called upon God to decide for me. I see it as a calling to serve my people. Obaship is a calling and people should look at it from that angle. They way pastors have a calling, so do traditional rulers as a calling to exercise leadership right upon people. The calling of a king is a life time thing to make sure that you bring your people closer to government. It is saddled with programmes in synergy with state and local government to develop the community. So that’s the kind of calling I see Obaship as. For me, that’s what I believe in and God has been helping me since I came on the throne.

But you know when you get to the throne, you will begin to have some issues and challenges. I do see those things as inevitable you get on the throne. I believe that what I am today or doing, takes the grace of God who sustains it.

You have been on the throne for

His Royal Majesty, Oba Olushola Alao is the Olugbon of Orileigbon in Ogbomoso, Oyo State. He came into the throne of his forefathers barely a year ago. The monarch who was the chairman at the book launch “Queen Moremi Ajasoro” at Obafemi Awolowo University OAU, Ile-Ife, Osun state spoke to CHRIS ONUOHA of The Daily Times among many issues: Christianity and traditional belief, Nigerian politics and women’s role plus Queen Moremi’s legacy. more than a year now, how has it been?

15th of July 2018 marks it a year on the throne. At this time last year, I was endorsed as the Olugbon of Orileigbo in Ogbomosho, Oyo State and for me; well I have been a very good businessman prior to my kingship positions. As I mount the throne, first of all, I tried to build a befitting palace for the Olugbon status. Also I have been trying to work with all my community heads for us to woo investors into our domain. In Ogbomosho area, we pride to be the best cashew producing zone in the whole of western Nigeria. We boast of the best in the world. But unfortunately, there’s no facility for processing this cash crop.

You know these are one of the things that can turn a community or entire country into economic hub. Oyo State government is currently talking with us and we are taking steps to actualize such project. We are also in discussion with the local government. I have close to 50 community heads in my domain and about 300 villages under my control. What I have to do is to be close to local and state government to come up with things that will be laudable in terms of economic development, social infrastructure that people can benefit from because there’s no way an Oba can perform credibly well without synergy with both local government, community and State in other to bring meaningful development to the people.

What legacy would you leave behind?

Previously I was a contractor with the military and I have been in the telecommunications business. I also own a dredging firm and property managemnent outfit still operational.

My Christian life is still intact.

Talking about legacy as a king, I will be there for life, mind you. My prayers is for God to sustain me with long life, peace of mind. The legacies I want to leave behind is to preserve our culture and tradition. To also make sure that I guide my people to see Obaship as a special calling and not something that involves fetish practice. The world is evolving and things like tradition and way of life moves with it. They most important thing is to bring development to the people, peacefully coexistence with neighbours and make people feel the impact of traditional governance.

You are the chairman at the book, “Queen Moremi Ajasoro” dedicated to Her Excellency, Nrs Olufunso Amuson by the Ooni of Ife. What’s your cultural attachment to tha legacy and how do you define what she stood for?

We all know the history of Moremi and what she actually stood for is what we are propagating in this celebration through book launch in her name.

That’s what we want people to replicate and reflect both in governance, families, organizations and in our corporate lives.

She stood for peace, justice, liberty,

Olugbon of OrileIgbon Oba Olushola Alao and Ooni of Ife, Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi

submission, love and selfless services and she was a kind of woman who made a vow at the expense of her life.

Moremi’s legacy is a strong one in the Yoruba cultural heritage, and Ooni, being the custodian of Yoruba heritage, is leaving no stone unturned to sustain it as a legacy. Good leadership by example, society that is well organized and peaceful coexistence are the qualities and attributes in her.

Does Mrs Amosun posses this attributes to really deserve the honour?

She is a fantastic woman. It’s a well deserved honour and the position given to her merits it. Very loving, humble.

She is the type that loves justice and also a kind that does things without looking back. These are things we need in a person because it is some of the challenges facing our social and economic life today.

She took this book launch as her project. She is also involved in selfless projects that announce her out. It’s a clarion call to women to begin to take the mantle of leadership, governance in the country.

In my speech, I advocated that women should have at least 45% position in governance. Women are more compassionate. If you look at the lifestyle of Mrs. Amosun, you wouldn’t know that she is a First Lady of a State.

She so free with everybody, so humble and does so many things on behalf of the government, and for her husband the governor. She believes that only God can give and take power.

As far as I am concerned, men have not done much in terms of governance in this country. Virtually, 95% of leadership positions are controlled by men and at the end of each administration, it turns out a failure. So why don’t we try women this time. In this regard, Queen Moremi did what many men could not do and Mrs. Amosun stood in for this quality.

Can you throw more light on men’s failure in governance?

I am of the opinion that men have

failed in this country. Looking at what is going on today, there is a need to restructure the political class. We don’t even have political class. Politics in the country is class-less including the economy. What we have is either you are poor or extremely rich.

In this assumed patriarchal society, do you think women will be given the chance to take over leadership?

Why not. It will be a collective effort by those that believe in good governance. By nature, women are very compassionate, and very motherly and i beleive that when they apply this attribute ti governace, we can achieve success.

Moremi Ajasoro had that attribute and her legacy will continue to propagate through the likes of Mrs Amosun. In the country, I have not seen any political party that have supported women to be their presidential candidate. Although, we have had few deputy governors, but that’s not enough.

Going by statistical survey, women are more involved into politics at the grassroot than men. The voting ratio proves it, but when they vote and do the necessary, men takes over the leadership. Its not right. They should also be given a fair share of their political right.

How would you access the upcoming 2019 election outcome?

In my candid opinion, it will be a revolutionary election. It will be a contest between the masses against the elites. I can see it coming. I pray for God to give us spirit to be united and co-exist. I don’t pray for disintegration.

The mind set of people are changing. By this, I mean mental and psychological revolution.

I studied in the northern part of Nigeria I speak Hausa fluently. Without been bias, I can approve my daughter to marry a man from the north if she loves him, so also I can allow my sons to marry from there too or any other part of Nigeria they found love. By my nature, I am detribalized person. I don’t

pray for Nigeria to break up. We should live in peace co-exist. People should avoid all these hate-speech going on in the country. We have abused the use of internet and social media.

What was applicable ten years ago may not work now. Politics in the country will involve more of a person than a Party. This will go across ethnic and religious barriers. If you are a woman and people knew your integrity, and worth, people will vote for you irrespective of your political party.

That’s the kind of politics we should clamour for. When we decide to see and appreciate things like this, then we can say we are beginning to move into the advance stage in the country. Sentiment of religion, ethnicity should be put aside.

We have to look for somebody credible that will drive us to a promise land.

That’s my dream from Nigeria.

But women are always shortchanged when selection in picking who represents is done? Can it change?

What was applicable in our culture about 20 years ago is not what it is today. It’s a gradual process. The world is changing. Geographically scientifically, economically socially and what have you. So definitively, by the propagation of women’s right into the limelight in governance, things will change. In Scandinavian countries, about 70% of people in governance are women. There’s always peace in that part of the world. We have tried so many areas to bring good system of governance and have failed. If the men have failed, then we can try women.

Let Nigerians support the women.

As it stands, now, all the political parties are looking for men to fill up the positions while the majority of the vote comes from women. If we should have a lot of women in governance, the corruption will not be as much as we witness, because women usually think twice before they even pinch their own money, not to talk about national fund.

Meanwhile women are not perfect, but they still stands out in accountability than men.

As a community leader, how would you sensitise the grassroot about the importance of your views?

In my capacity as a ruler, I do counsel my chiefs to consider giving women opportunity to take up leadership positions. We should treat them with fairness and embrace gender equality in its right manner to propagate justice, equity, freedom love and peace in Nigeria.

As a first class king in Oyo State, I am the Vice Chairman of Oyo State Council of Obas. For me I believe we should start seeing things in another direction. We have tried many platforms and want to use another model which is giving our women a chance and opportunity to rule. They are honourable by nature and never actively involved in thuggery and election manipulations.

DISCOURSE

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Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

A sober analysis of Ganduje’s victory Mustapha Aminu After a palpating, energy -sapping and, unarguably, one of the most excruciating and expensive electioneering campaigns in the annals of democratic contests in the historically politically volatile Kano state, the election held on the 9th of March, 2019, anti climaxed in a verdict of “inconclusive” by the Independence National Electorate Commission, INEC. That was following the electoral umpire announcement of the scores for APC’s flag bearer, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s at 987,819 votes against that of Abba Yusuf of the PDP with 1,014,474votes. In the re-run election held two weeks later, 23rd of March, 2019, the PDP candidate slipped to scoring below his APC rival with 1,024,713 to 1,033,695votes.

Not unexpectedly, a few have gone to town assailing the victory of the governor as flawed on the ground of rigging through ballot box snatching and stuffing, vote allotment and violence by APC agents in cahoots with security personnel against supporters of the opposition PDP. Even before proving the legion of allegations on the basis of which the opposition are claiming that Ganduje’s ultimate victory failed the test of probity, they have also been playing up the card of morality as a reason why majority of the electorate could not have given him a mandate for a second term As it turned out last Saturday however, not only did Ganduje leveled up by erasing the 26,000 vote deficit, he went on to trounce PDP’s Alhaji Abba Yusuf by polling 8,982 votes over as margin of victory. The outcome of the polls literally translates to mean that, in spite of all the campaign by his traducers, the greater majority of people in Kano have not been convinced to go against their incumbent governor.

The message implicit in the people’s disposition would be something like: the benefits of having the man are far more than the benefits of losing him.

The fact is, unlike those before him, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is a silent achiever, in fact, a workaholic, who would rather that his records should speak for him. He is not one that regales in the practice of thumbing his chest or in rolling

out the drums in celebration of every bit of his achievements.

Otherwise, in concrete terms, his administration has in less than four years, a myriad of tangible, meaningful landmarks in the facets of the social, economic and infrastructure developments of the state, that, arguably, surpass the records of any of his predecessors.

In the social aspects of governance and development for example, it is to the credit of Ganduje’s administration’s deft social engineering that, the usually combustible state has been experiencing unprecedented peace and tranquility in the last three years. Kano state under him has been able to ward off the menace of banditry, cattle rustling and the Boko Haram insurgency pervading the neighbouring states. This is by no means insignificant if cognizance is given to the very huge human population and cosmopolitan nature of the state. At a time of receding fund allocations from the federation account compounded by general economic downturn which saw the country going into a recession, it is remarkable that Ganduje’s government has been one of the few in the federation where workers’ salaries and pensioner’s allowances are being paid regularly. That is, just as the government has not only maintained the state’s scholarship schemes for its students in local and foreign tertiary institutions, it has sanitized the scheme by ridding it of waste and other forms of corruption as well as, boosting it by expanding number of beneficiaries.

Essentially a state whose economy thrives on commerce and agriculture, a yardstick for measuring records of any administration in Kano is logically, one that takes stock of its tracks in those two sectors.

In this regard, the creation of a conducive environment that makes for investment and related commercial activities, the robust rural transformation programs that have given rise to a meshwork of rural road construction and electrification projects across the state are a few of the scorecard of governor Ganduje since he mounted the mantle of leadership.

The people of Kano state, one must give it to them, come as simply the most politically conscious, discerning, articulate and radical in the

Gov Danduje

country. Go down the lane of history, from the first Republic when majority of the electorate there went out for the NEPU, against the NPC which was the mainstream political vanguard of the then Northern Region through the Second Republic when again, they queued behind the PRP instead of the NPN, the reincarnated NPC. In 1983, Kano people showed their political stuff of the radicalism and independence by going for late Sani Bakinzuwo, an otherwise political underdog of Nupe extraction, against the choice of incumbent Abubakar Rimi, now also late.

Similarly benefiting from Kano people’s political sagacity and freewill was Senator-elect, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau when, against all permutations, he was voted against incumbent RabiuMusa Kwankwaso.

Against the backdrop of their historical antecedents on

matters of the elections, Alhaji Umar Abdullahi Ganduje would have been preferred by majority of Kano voters therefore, due to some of the multiple reasons highlighted above.

The intelligent electorate would have refused to be hoodwinked by the orchestrated cacophony of propaganda mounted by the opposition because of their perception of victimization or, political vendetta against him. The discerning Kanawa would also have pitched their tents with Ganduje because they are convinced that, with him as their pilot, they are sure to soar to the Next Level.

By the way, some pundits have retorted to opposition’s accusation of describing election as falling short of the standards of transparency as hypocritical because, in truth, the election in Kano State as in most other places in country was, more or less, a rigging

competition between all the political parties. In which case, the winners were those most capable to rigging and therefore, if the APC is guilty of rigging the governorship election in Kano State, to that extent, it was simply because Ganduje was victorious in the rigging competition in which the PDP’s candidate was a participant. On a final note, even if the Kano people had shown signs of disaffection against Ganduje, the opposition parties were just not in good stead to build on the sentiments to advantage. Fraught with infighting and resultant weakening of ranks, they were not properly articulated for what was a Titanic battle.

Thus, the inevitability of the epochal victory of Ganduje in his second term bid.

Mustapha Aminu wrote from Kura, Kano State.

Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

19 FOR THE RECORD

‘For Imo, a new dawn’

and sundry resources in our collective basket of goodwill in productive cooperation as Imo is indeed a land of peace, known for the political sagacity of its people.

12.Our priority will be the reclaiming of the dignity of our people. We shall no longer be the laughing stock of Nigeria as only positive, productive and progressive stories will be told of the new Imo. Imo has always been known for the right things, with a huge reservoir of human capital waiting to be exploited for the great leap forward.

13.The elections are over. What remains is the fulfillment of the promises we made to our people. We entered into a social contract with you with our manifesto and we shall remain faithful to our obligations in that contract. This contract seeks to substantially improve the welfare, security, property rights, economic and social advancement of our people.

We shall find creative ways of funding our ambitious infrastructural projects and give Imo the quality education, healthcare and general good governance that you desire.

Ihedioha Protocols: 1. On Monday, March 11, 2019, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the results of the governorship election held in Imo State on March 9, 2019 and I was declared Governor-elect of Imo State.

2.It was a resounding victory for the good people of our State. I thank all those who contributed in one way or the other through prayers, voluntary service and hard work of staying in the queue and voting. Yes, this victory belongs to the ordinary men and women in Imo – the traders, artisans, clergy, labourer, farmers, teachers, students, youth and women of all ages.

3.I thank you for the great honour of electing me the Governor of the state and Hon. Gerald Irona, the Deputy Governor, for the next four years.

Though you have collectively given us your mandate, this victory belongs to all of you who not only bought into our vision of a great renaissance but also toiled endlessly to ensure that the dream for our dear state is realised.

With utmost humility, on behalf of the Deputy Governor-elect, we accept this call to service.

4. I am humbled by your trust in my leadership. For me the mandate which you have bestowed on me is sacred and I shall do all in my capacity to uphold that thrust. For your trust, we owe you unalloyed service.

5.This election is as epochal as its outcome is momentous. It is a fervent protest against impunity and the celebrations in all the nooks and crannies of the state is a testimony to your belief in the rightness and wisdom of our vision for Imo state and the new path to progress which we shared with you during the campaigns.

6.To our indefatigable team, men, women and youth who worked tirelessly, and gave their time, talents and resources freely in furtherance of the greater Imo dream, we say thank you.

7.My gratitude also goes to the leaders, faithful members of the PDP who not only found me worthy of the governorship ticket, but worked assiduously to realise this dream.

Without your incomparable sense of duty, this moment would have been but a mirage. And to my darling wife, Ebere, your sacrifices and prayers have been my staying power. For being my pillar of support, I say, thank you. My dear mother, children, siblings and family members and friends I say thank you for all your sacrifices. To officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the security agencies as well as other officials who conducted, observed or monitored the election, I say a big thank you, for conducting a credible election.

To fellow contestants, I salute your sportsmanship. You fought gallantly but like in every contest, a winner must emerge. I extend my hand of

fellowship to all of you as the urgent and gargantuan task of rebuilding Imo is a collective responsibility.

8.We shall run an open, transparent and accountable government with due process as its hallmark. I believe strongly that those in positions of authority must render account of their stewardship to the people. The era of brazenness in Imo State is gone.

9.My fellow citizens, I will be governor to all Ndi-lmo both those who voted for us and those who did not. No part is greater or more important than the other. We are equal stakeholders in the Imo project and must therefore ensure that our people are united in the pursuant of the common good. We look forward to the future with hope. It is my duty and responsibility to ensure that we remain brothers and sisters with a common destiny. I am certain that with all hands-on deck, we shall achieve the Imo of our dreams.

10. We will run an all-inclusive government and not a government of exclusion. Ours will be a government that will promote the unity of the state, rather than accentuate the fissures that have characterized our relationship with each other in recent times. As the popular saying goes, “let us not listen to things that will divide us, let us rather listen to things that will unite us, for united we stand, divided we fall.”

11.All we need to do to realise this vision is to aggregate our skills, talents,

14.The level of decay in the last eight years makes it imperative that the redemptive work starts immediately.

To kick-start the rebuilding process, I shall set up in the coming days, a Transition team with clear terms of reference. This team will liaise with the outgoing government to collate and collect information on the state of affairs of our State. They will recommend the structure of our government. They will translate our campaign promises into actionable executive and legislative policies with clear time lines. In summary, they will be charged with making far reaching recommendations on the way forward for our dear state that has suffered from years of brigandage, lack of direction, Ad-Hoc approach to governance and lack of due process.

15.Finally, may I also use this opportunity to warn all those who may be tempted to do illegal lastminute transaction with the outgoing government, particularly financial institutions, which may result in further burdening the state with unsustainable liabilities that they will be doing so at their own peril.

16.All I seek is your continued support. Together, we will create the Imo of our collective dream. We shall not fail you.

17.Thank you.

Rt. Hon. Chukwuemeka Nkem Ihedioha, CON Governor-elect, Imo State, Owerri 13th March, 2019 Being victory speech of his Excellency, Rt. Hon. Chukwuemeka Nkem Ihedioha, CON on his election as governor of Imo State.

FOREIGN TIMES

Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

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Redacted Mueller report released by US Justice Department

The referendum on the proposed constitutional amendments will take place from April 20 to 22

Egypt opposition urges voters to reject constitutional amendments A coalition of opposition political parties has called on Egyptian voters to reject proposed constitutional amendments that could allow President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to stay in power until 2030.

The Civil Democratic Movement, which includes liberal and left-leaning parties, decried the amendments on Thursday, calling them an “assault on democracy” and urged people to break the “barrier of silence” and participate in the referendum by voting “No”.

“We want people to go and say no,” said Abdel-Aziz al-Husseini of the Karam party.

The three-day referendum on the proposed changes will begin on Saturday.

The dates were announced less than 24 hours after parliament, packed with Sisi’s supporters, overwhelmingly approved the proposed amendments.

In general terms, the changes extend a president’s term in office from four to six years and allow for a maximum of two terms.

But they also include a special article specific to Sisi that extends his current second four-year term to six years and allows him to run for another six-year term in 2024 - potentially extending his

rule until 2030.

The move comes eight years after a pro-democracy uprising ended Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade rule, and nearly six years after Sisi led a popular military overthrow of the country’s first freely elected President Mohamed Morsi, after protests against his rule.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Khaled Dawood, an opposition leader and former head of the liberal Dostour, or Constitution Party, said if the referendum passes, “our dream and hope to have a president who is elected once every two terms have come to an end”.

“Unfortunately, the Egyptian regime is not learning the lessons of 2011 revolution or experiences in Algeria and Sudan,” he said in reference to recent mass uprisings in Sudan and Algeria that led to the downfall of longtime rulers.

The opposition also said they were banned from hanging banners in the streets to call on voters to reject the amendments and said they have only used social media to reach out to people.

Sisi came to power in 2014 after overthrowing Morsi, who hails from the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

The 64-year-old was re-elected in March 2018 with more than 97 percent of the vote, in a ballot boycotted by large swaths

of the country’s political opposition after several potential candidates dropped out citing intimidation or were arrested.

Hassan Nafaa, a political analyst, told the Associated Press news agency that the proposed amendments amount to “legalising dictatorship in the constitution and that will have dangerous repercussions on the political system when all doors for freedom of expression are sealed”.

“The adjustment will lead to absolute dictatorship,” he added.

In a statement on Tuesday, Amnesty International said the proposed constitutional amendments would “facilitate the authorities’ crackdown on freedom of expression, association and assembly, erode people’s rights, and exacerbate the human rights crisis in the country”.

“The decision to put these amendments to the constitution to a public referendum, amid the worst crackdown on freedom of expression and severe restrictions on political parties and independent media, demonstrates the Egyptian government’s contempt for the rights of all people in Egypt,” said Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty’s deputy director for Middle East and North Africa.

Facebook bans UK far-right groups Facebook has permanently banned several British far-right groups and individuals for promoting hate and violence.

The British National Party (BNP), the English Defence League, the National Front and Britain First were removed from the social media platform and the Facebook-owned image sharing platform Instagram on Thursday.

Prominent members of the groups were also banned, including former BNP leader Nick Griffin and Britain First leaders Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen.

“Individuals and organisations who spread hate, or attack or call for the exclusion of others on the basis of who they are, have no place on Facebook,” said a spokesperson for the company.

“We ban those who proclaim a violent or hateful mission or are engaged in acts of hate or violence.”

The tech giant also said it would ban content that “expresses praise or support” for these individuals and groups.

The move came two months after Facebook designated the British far-right figure Tommy Robinson (Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) a “dangerous individual” and deleted his accounts.

In March, the company banned praise, support and representation of white nationalism on its social media platforms.

The announcement was welcomed

by Yvette Cooper, a member of the UK’s main opposition Labour Party, who described the action as “long overdue” and said social media firms needed to “take far-right extremism much more seriously”.

“All companies need to be accountable for the material they host or publish and take some responsibility. We all know the

appalling consequences there can be if hateful, violent and illegal content is allowed to proliferate,” she said.

US Attorney General William Barr released the highly-anticipated redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Trump-Russia investigation report on Thursday.

The report, which is more than 440 pages long, has multiple redactions, including information that has been classified, information that relates to ongoing probes and grand jury information, which includes witness interviews and other records.

According to the report, Mueller did not make a conclusion on whether President Donald Trump had committed obstruction of justice, but did not exonerate him either.

Barr subsequently concluded that Trump had not broken the law, but told a news conference that Mueller had detailed “10 episodes involving the president and discusses potential legal theories for connecting these actions to elements of an obstruction offence”.

The report shows a series of incidents in which Trump took actions to impede the probe.

Mueller reported that Trump had been agitated at the special counsel probe from its earliest days, reacting to Mueller’s appointment by saying it was the “end of his presidency”.

In June 2017, Trump directed White House counsel Don McGahn to tell the then-acting attorney general that Mueller had conflicts of interest and must be removed, the report said.

McGahn refused to carry out Trump’s order to fire Mueller “for fear of being seen as triggering another ‘Saturday night massacre’”, referring to a term used during Nixon’s Watergate scandal.

The report also said there was “substantial evidence” that Trump fired James Comey as FBI director in 2017 due to his “unwillingness to publicly state that the president was not personally under investigation”.

As for the question of whether the Trump campaign had colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign, Mueller wrote, “While the investigation identified numerous links between individuals with ties to the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump Campaign, the evidence was not sufficient to support criminal charges.”

Mueller cited “some evidence” suggesting Trump knew about former NSA Michael Flynn’s controversial calls with the Russian ambassador before Trump took office, but the evidence was “inconclusive” and could not be used to establish intent to obstruct.

The report said Trump directed former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski to ask former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to say the Russia investigation was “very unfair”.

The report said Mueller’s team did not issue a subpoena to force Trump to give an interview to the special counsel because it would have created a “substantial delay” at a late stage in the investigation.

It said Mueller accepted the longstanding Justice Department view that a sitting president cannot be indicted on criminal charges.

Trump celebrated the report, telling a gathering of wounded veterans, “It was called no collusion, no obstruction.

There never was, by the way, and there never will be.”

He added, “This should never happen to another president again, this hoax.”

Barr defended Trump in a press conference about 90 minutes before he

released the report. He emphasised that Mueller found no collusion between Trump’s campaign and Moscow.

“President Trump faced an unprecedented situation. As he entered into office and sought to perform his responsibilities as president, federal agents and prosecutors were scrutinising his conduct before and after taking office and the conduct of some of his associates,” Barr said.

“At the same time, there was relentless speculation in the news media about the president’s personal culpability.

Yet, as he said from the beginning, there was in fact no collusion,” added Barr, one of the handful of people to have seen the report.

Democrats, who are demanding the release of the full, unredacted report, have scolded Barr over his handling of the report, saying they were concerned that a summary of its main conclusions he released last month portrayed the investigation’s findings in an overly favourable way for Trump.

Ahead on the redacted report’s release, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Barr had “thrown out his credibility & the DOJ’s independence with his single-minded effort to protect” Trump.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “The process is poisoned before the report is even released.”

The top Democrats issued a joint statement calling for Mueller to appear before Congress “as soon as possible”.

They said Barr’s “partisan handling” of the report has “resulted in a crisis of confidence in his independence and impartiality”.

Late on Wednesday, Jerrold Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, warned that if the report is heavily redacted, the committee will issue subpoenas “in short order”.

On Thursday, Nadler requested that Mueller testify to panel “no later than May 23”.

Barr said on Thursday that Trump’s personal lawyers “were given the opportunity to read a final version of the redacted report before it was publicly released”, a revelation certain to infuriate congressional Democrats.

Earlier this week, Rudy Giuliani, one of Trump’s lawyers said the president’s legal team were putting the finishing touches on a rebuttal to the report.

Daily Times Nigeria

Friday, April 19, 2019

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Read more on: www.dailytimes.ng

Buhari Must Stop NNPC Digging Our Grave

Times Guest Columnist Azu Ishiekwene

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar made an unpopular statement during the campaign worth a second thought. He said if he was elected president, he would sell off the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), even if it would cost him his life.

It didn’t seem anyone was interested in his life, really. Or the point he was trying to make; namely, that NNPC is killing Nigeria. Atiku, being Atiku, his remark was overshadowed by suspicion that the PDP presidential candidate was planning another bazaar for his friends.

But the long petrol lines that resurfaced in some parts of the country last week, followed by panic buying that had NNPC swearing by the barrel that it had enough petrol in reserves, raised again the question of NNPC’s future.

What will Nigeria do with NNPC? Every NNPC chief executive or petroleum minister said they were running the place in the country’s best interest. That may have been true in the days of Festus Marinho, Aret Adams or Rilwan Lukman. But God knows that the place has since become the ATM of a few.

Between Dan Etete and Diezani Allison-Madueke (two ministers who ran the show within roughly a decade of each other) for example, billions of dollars disappeared, most of it into their private pockets. Etete awarded an oil block to himself, after transferring about $1.1billion into his own account; while conservative estimates put Allison-Madueke’s theft at $6billion.

In popular culture, NNPC is the place people go to if they want to steal, and not work.

The NNPC ATM took an innovative turn under former Group Managing Director, Andrew Yakubu.

Like his bosses, he also claimed to be running the place in the public interest. Unlike them, however, he brought something new to the office.

To ensure that the ATM was never out of money, Yakubu modified a block of houses in rural Kaduna, and stocked them with $9.8million cash. Some of the cash was lifted in private jets and personally delivered by top bank managers for whom Yakubu had used his position to facilitate concessionary placement of government funds.

When anyone says that NNPC is working in the country’s best interest, you must ask, how? Subsidy, that’s one way, isn’t it? The language has changed though. Subsidy has become a dirty word after multiple petrol price increases failed to deliver government’s promise of regular, unimpeded supply or improved alternative infrastructure.

It’s now officially called “under-recovery” – different words, same difference. Whatever assurances NNPC may give about supply, the public would be foolish to assume that the current price for a litre of petrol is sustainable at N145 per litre. Whether it is subsidy or under-recovery, at current market prices, consumers are paying at least 55kobo less than the actual price per litre. But NNPC, the current NNPC, cannot look at consumers in the face and say it.

Of course, there have been muted noises from the corporation that it spends N774million daily (for 50million litres of petrol consumed locally) or N1.4trillion yearly. Never mind that. The reason why NNPC would be unable to speak plainly about its misery is that in Buhari’s first term, his government mismanaged the opportunity to follow through the steepest hike in petrol prices in the country’s history with a fundamental restructuring of NNPC. I’m not just talking about NNPC still being outside the reach of TSA. Or the turf war and self-interest that often leave senior officials working at cross purposes.

That’s bad enough. I’m saying that any change in the price of petrol, however slight or steep, that does not follow through with fundamental changes in the way the NNPC is currently being run, will fail.

The restructuring of the downstream sector started two decades ago with government divestment from the major oil marketing companies. Downstream deregulation continued until 2007 when the refineries were put up for sale. But in what amounted to throwing away the baby with the bath water, the government of President Umaru Yar’Adua reversed the process.

And it’s been downhill since, with NNPC not just getting back in play, but actually becoming a Leviathan.

Cheap government funds were funneled into building mega petrol stations, in direct competition with private investors who sourced funds at a premium for the same business.

Instead of cutting back, NNPC became even more deeply involved in the value chain. It has now become the sole importer of petroleum products, determining volume – including which distributor gets what – price, and assignment of jetty. Sometimes buyers even pre-pay for products only to be supplied at NNPC’s discretion.

Since discretion is the cousin of corruption, part of the cost of the so-called subsidy is the toll that beneficiaries have to pay for doing business with NNPC. The oil majors have either scaled back or left the field altogether.

On paper, PPMC, a subsidiary of NNPC, has been “unbundled” into three companies. In practice, however, it maintains tight control over depots and a monopoly over pipelines.

These inefficiencies cannot, and will not, be addressed by simply topping up the price of petrol or promising to remove “subsidy gradually”, whatever that means.

Just attempting to follow NNPC’s refined products management account (one of its two main accounts) reveals, in the starkest terms, Anthony Sampson’s immortal words: “All oil business is greasy.” When NEITI, the country’s extractive industry transparency watchdog, laments year after year that it has difficulties reconciling NNPC’s receipts with payments, this, for example, is what it means.

We assume that NNPC has statutory allocation of 450,000 barrels of oil daily. But we don’t know and cannot even assume what quantity of this crude oil is refined in the country, what is consumed locally or what is refined abroad. Our refineries are virtually dead.

So, NNPC determines which refiners abroad take the crude, and exercises a malicious lack of transparency on the volume exported, the price of refining, the cost of importing back the refined products, and how much really goes into the refined products management account. It’s secrecy, uber alles.

When NEITI said crude oil swaps between 2005 and 2012 led to losses of $11.63bn, for example, this is what it means: the more you look into the refined products management account, the less you see. It was here that Diezani made her kill; it’s here that those who came after her and those who will come after those who came after her will make their kill. It’s here that NNPC is digging Nigeria’s grave.

All the talk about subsidy or under-recovery cannot make sense until NNPC comes clean about its accounts and NNPC will not come clean on its accounts unless it is restructured.

The reputational risk that Buhari bears is that he is the Petroleum Minister. By the end of his second term, if he retains the portfolio, he would have been petroleum minister for eight years – the longest since President Olusegun Obasanjo. If, for lack of political will to do the right thing, the NNPC fails as it will under the present arrangement, then Buhari will take the blame squarely.

There is still a window of opportunity for change. Before Dangote’s refinery comes on stream to compound NNPC’s misery, the government should hands-off the downstream. It should sell off the refineries, reorganize DPR, and break up PPMC’s depot and pipeline units by rearranging the assets into regional clusters, with open access.

With some of the lessons learnt from the restructuring of the power sector and changes to make the system fit for purpose, Buhari urgently needs a roadmap to make NNPC work for the country.

For too long, the place has worked for a few who never quite lack big grammar or the political clout to make the public believe that we’re living on subsidy.

Maybe. But the evidence suggests that these same elite are the bigger beneficiaries of subsidy. They’re digging our grave.

Our POSITION Containing rising deaths from sickle cell anaemia

S

ickle cell disease affects an increasing number of people but is still unknown to the general public.

More than 66% of the 120 million people in the world with sickle cell disease live in Africa. In Nigeria, about 150, 000 children are said to be born yearly with the debilitating disease, heightening the need for all hands to be on deck to checkmate the disease.

The condition can cause extreme pain, life-threatening infections and other complications such as stroke or loss of vision. The disease can interfere with many aspects of the patient’s life, including education, employment and psychosocial development. Despite the disastrous consequences, they do not receive adequate attention.

In particular, the sources of funding for the fight against these diseases and the technical partners involved are insufficient.

The burden of blood-related diseases could be considerably reduced if cost-effective preventive and curative measures and interventions are implemented in a balanced and coordinated manner.

In 2008, Ministers of Health from the WHO African region adopted a regional strategy to combat sickle cell disease and in some countries where sickle cell disease is a major public health concern, control programmes do exist. However, these have neither the national coverage nor basic facilities to manage patients. Systematic screening for SCD using a simple blood test is not a common practice, and diagnosis is usually made when a severe complication occurs.

Counselling and prevention of causes and infections are simple measures not readily accessible to most patients. As a result, the majority of children with the most severe form of the disease die before the age of five, usually from an infection or severe anaemia.

We are of the opinion that there is an urgent need to tackle the disease.

We must continue to make an effort so that together with our brothers and sisters from other continents, we can win the noble fight against blood diseases in Nigeria and Africa.

Our States alone, without the precious support of partners, will not be able to cope with information, communication, education, screening, case management and also basic research in this field.

SCA is a significant and underrecognized global health problem, and with new SDG efforts focused on ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under the age of 5 it is essential to specifically include SCA in that effort. With increased availability of POC diagnostics and inexpensive and highly effective treatments, such as hydroxyurea, simple efforts can result in millions of lives saved.

Pediatricians have the unique opportunity to be leaders in improving the health of children not only in our local practices, but also across the world. Increasing the visibility and advocacy for less commonly recognised childhood health conditions, such as SCA, can lead to important changes and provides an opportunity to save millions of lives.

S i g n at u r e Publisher

Folio Communications Plc

Acting News Editor Henry Omunu 08033047507 The opinions expressed in the articles published in this newspaper are solely those of the authors. Articles may be reproduced, provided that the original source is indicated.

SPORTS TIMES g Daily Times Nigeria Friday, April 19, 2019

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Champions League exit will not change Pep Guardiola’s support of VAR Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insisted VAR does produce “fair football” despite a cruel Champions League quarter-final exit on away goals to Tottenham after a pulsating tie ended 4-4 on aggregate.

City were 4-3 victors in Wednesday’s second leg, but for the third straight season failed to reach the last four under Guardiola as two big VAR reviews went in Spurs’ favour.

Firstly, Fernando Llorente’s decisive goal 17 minutes from time stood despite the ball appearing to clip the Spaniard’s hand on its way into the net.

Then deep into stoppage time, Raheem Sterling had the strike that would have sealed his hattrick and seen City through ruled out after Sergio Aguero was shown to be offside in the build-up.

“I support VAR. It’s just to see the goal from Llorente is a handball. From one angle looks like handball, from the angle the referee saw it doesn’t,” said Guardiola.

“I’m fine for the fair football, for the fair decisions. If it’s offside, it’s offside. In the future, even the present, it will be fair.”

Elimination ended City’s quest for a quadruple and Guardiola lamented a series of costly errors across both games after Aguero also missed a penalty in the first leg, that saw his side bow out to a side 16 points behind them in the Premier League.

“It’s tough. We were close to going through, it’s cruel, but we have to accept it,” added Guardiola.

“The mistakes in this competition punish you a lot. Unfortunately, it was a bad end for us.”

Unlike Guardiola, Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has previously been a critic of VAR, but believes the decisions to award City a penalty in the first leg and not punish Fernandinho for a clash with Harry Kane balanced themselves out over the tie.

“You have to trust the VAR when it is against or for you,” said Pochettino. “The decision to include VAR in football is going to change the game.”

And the Argentine labelled his players as “heroes” for reaching the semi-finals of the European Cup for just the second time in their history after a season in which they have not signed a single player and played the majority of the campaign at a temporary home in Wembley.

“On this type of night, this type of victory, only I can feel proud. I feel they are heroes. With all the circumstances to be in the semi-finals of the Champions League they deserve a lot of praise.”

— Son suspended — Guardiola’s decision to not start Kevin de Bruyne in the first leg will be further questioned as the Belgian bagged a hat-trick of assists to take City to the brink of the last four.

The first set up the first of four goals in 11 minutes as Sterling opened the scoring.

However, Spurs struck back twice in three minutes as Son Heung-min’s double took his tally for the season to 20.

Yet, with Kane expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season, Pochettino has another selection headache with Son suspended for the first leg of Spurs’ semi-final against Ajax.

A kamikaze opening had another twist as Bernardo Silva’s effort deflected off Danny Rose and wrong-footed Hugo Lloris at his near post to bring City level on the night.

By the midway point of the first half, the hosts were back in front as Bernardo and De Bruyne played creators once more and Sterling finished off a low cross at the back post.

Spurs’ hopes of holding on to their advantage on away goals suffered another blow when Moussa Sissoko was forced off with an injury.

Pochettino chose attack as the best form of defence by replacing the midfielder with Llorente in what proved to be a decisive change.

De Bruyne had his third assist on the hour mark as he surged through midfield before timing his pass for Aguero to perfection and the Argentine rifled past Lloris.

Having gone ahead for the first time in the tie, Guardiola soon sent on Fernandinho to restore some sense of control, but City has pegged back again as an incredible tie swung back in Tottenham’s favour.

Kieran Trippier’s corner was bundled in by Llorente, but there was controversy as the ball seemed to hit the striker’s arm on its way in.

After a VAR check, though, Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir stood by his original decision and the goal stood.

And VAR went against City again deep into stoppage time as delirium soon turned to disbelief inside the Etihad when what would have been a hat-trick for Sterling was ruled out.

FIFA: More than 720,000 women’s world cup tickets sold More than 720,000 tickets have been sold for the Women’s World Cup in France, according to Fifa.

The opening match between the hosts and South Korea at the Parc de Princes in Paris is sold out, along with the semifinals and final, which are in Lyon.

Tickets for those games were bought within 48 hours of them going on sale.

The tournament is taking place between 7 June and 7 July, with England playing Scotland in their opening group game in Nice on 9 June.

Group games involving Netherlands v Cameroon,

Boxing needs more corporate support – WABU chief The President of the West African Boxing Union (WABU), Remi Aboderin, has called on corporate organisations in Nigeria to emulate pay television service provider, GOtv’s support for Nigerian boxing.

Aboderin, also the SecretaryGeneral of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), said that GOtv’s intervention had helped to revive boxing in Nigeria.

The WABU president addressed journalists in Lagos on Wednesday night to announce the 18th edition of the GOtv Boxing Night scheduled for April 21 in Ibadan.

He said that support from more organisations would strengthen boxing in the country.

“Nobody connected to Nigerian boxing will fail to see the strides being made by the sport since GOtv intervened in 2014.

“Its intervention, which has seen it invest huge sums, time, organisation, logistics, especially the live broadcast of the event

by SuperSport, has rescued our beloved sport from irrelevance.

“I can tell you that we, at the NBB of C, are happy, boxers are happy,

sub-regional and continental boxing bodies such as the African Boxing Union are also happy for GOtv’s support,’’ Abodrein said.

He urged other corporate organisations to emulate GOtv to ensure Nigerian boxing’s return to the top.

“With more corporate support, it will happen faster.

“Under five years of sponsoring GOtv Boxing Night and GOtv Boxing NextGen Search, Nigerian boxing has regained prominence on the African and Commonwealth scenes.

“Our boxers are sought after, as many champions have been made.

We need to go a few notches higher, and that will happen if others show similar commitment,” he added.

Nigeria v France and Sweden v United States are also sold out.

“Ticket sales figures show that people are excited about the competition and we are looking forward to seeing the stadiums across France packed with passionate fans,” said Fifa chief commercial officer Philippe Le Floc’h.

Rafael Nadal makes winning start in Monte Carlo Rafael Nadal produced a clay court masterclass to pick apart fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-1 6-1, as the world number two began his Monte Carlo Masters title defence in stunning fashion on Wednesday.

Playing his first match since injuring his knee at Indian Wells in March, Nadal showed no signs of rust as he raced into a 5-0 lead in the first set on Court Rainier III. Bautista Agut did get on the board but Nadal clinched the opening set and put his opponent under further pressure with another break of serve at the start of the second.

There was no stopping Nadal who regularly moved Bautista Agut out of position, opening the court up effortlessly with powerful forehand combinations.

After saving three break points at 2-1, Nadal displayed his clinical side at the net to secure a 4-1 advantage and went on to claim a convincing win.

The 11-time Monte Carlo champion extended his winning streak to 16 matches at the

tournament and will face Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the third round.

“It was a great start, its good to be back here,” Nadal, the 17-times Grand Slam winner said.

“I’ve had some great moments on this court, I really enjoy playing here.

“It’s not easy to come back from injury. I had to do a lot of mental work as well to be prepared.

I tried to play solid, dominate with my forehand when I had the chance.”

German hotshot Alexander Zverev showed signs of a return to his explosive best in a 6-1 6-4 win over Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Third seed Zverev, who lives in Monte Carlo, reached the semifinals of his ‘home’ event a year ago, but has endured a difficult 2019 season.

After finishing runner-up to Australian Nick Kyrgios in Acapulco, Zverev has suffered early exits at Indian Wells, Miami and Marakech.

“This is the first time this season I’ve felt really healthy,” said the 21-yearold.

“I’ve been training well but haven’t been able to take that into matches.

“I live just 500 metres from here. I’m comfortable on this court. I’m starting to feel better about my game. I’m really

ready for the clay season.”

In 2018 French Open runner-up Dominic Thiem won 20 of his 23 first-serve points in a commanding display to beat Slovakian Martin Klizan 6-1 6-4.

Greek sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas also progressed, defeating Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3 7-5.

QUOTABLE QUOTES

Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.

Alfred A. Montapert

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FLASHBACK in Times: April 19, 1959

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2019

VOL. 3

NO. 927

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