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Buhari to service chiefs: Chibok, Dapchi’s abductions must never happen again 7

36 states IGR hits N931.23bn, shared N2.67trn in 2017 B6

Nigeria ranks amongst nations with high cases of 6 TB, HIV/AIDs

Corruption charge: Court frees S’ Court Justice Ngwuta 6

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Military checkpoint and people’s discomfort

t Relief as Army dismantle Nyanya – AYA checkpoint Jude Idu, Abuja

ÏÏÏThere

was massive jubilation and sighs of relief in Abuja on Friday morning as commuters who ply the Nyanya-AYA Road found out that the military checkpoint at Kugbo has been dismantled on Thursday night.

The military checkpoint was erected at Kugbo about six years ago following several bombings of strategic places

within the Abuja by Boko Haram, a terrorist organisation that has been fighting the federal government since 2009. Among places that were bombed are United Nations Building, Thisday Newspaper headquarters, Banex Plaza in Wuse 2 and Nyanya Motor Park among others.

The Military had explained then that the checkpoint was erected in order to monitor and control movement of persons entering the city centre from axis linking other states.

Continued from page 6

President Muhammadu Buhari (middle) and some of the released students of Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State during a courtesy visit to the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja...on Friday.

L2 Integral part of comedy is writing & creating jokes

– LAFUP

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Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

Military checkpoint and people’s discomfort Continued from page 1 But the checkpoint has over the years turned the life of people plying the road into Abuja to a nightmare. On a very bad day, you may spend three hours on a distance that ordinarily takes about 15 minutes.

The frustrations you face on such stand-still traffic include overheating of cars, sweating, burning of scare petrol and lateness to work and business places.

States IGR hits N931.23bn, shared N2.67trn in 2017

But for the dismantling of the checkpoint on Thursday night, going into the city centre would have been hell on Friday morning because of the heavy rain that started as early as 6.am. It was therefore a pleasant surprise as the road was free from the nearly three kilometres where the jam usually begins to the Kugbo where the checkpoint was located, even as a few soldiers stood around their tent and armoured personnel carrier (APC) observing the free flow

of traffic.

Speaking about the development, Daniel Okpanachi, who works with the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, said he could not believe his eyes when he drove pass the place with unusual ease.

He said, “I left my house at about 6.30am believing that at least I should get to my office by 9.30am as usual. But right from Mopol junction in Mararaba, I noticed that the traffic was moving without hindrance. My first

thought was that maybe the soldiers have left the checkpoint ahead because of the heavy rain. But I quickly said no, because the soldiers usually stand and perform their duty under the sun or rain. So when I got to Kugbo and saw that the barriers have been dismantled, I almost came down from my car to kneel down and praise God. “We have suffered so much losses on this road including loss of manhour as people get to work very late after leaving

their houses early morning.

We thank God for this development.”

Also speaking, Mrs. Theresa Ibekwe said she was overwhelmed with joy to see that the unnecessary waste of time occasioned by the Military checkpoint was over.

“I hope this is real because the inconveniences have been too much. You know how things are run here. Tomorrow you may hear that they are back but may God forbid that,” she prayed.

Mathew Dadiya, Abuja The Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the 36 states of the federation in 2017 has increased by 12.03 per cent bringing the total revenue generated for the fiscal year to N931.23billion compare to N831.19billion generated in 2016.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed this in a report released on Friday.

According to the NBS, the full year 2017 the states IGR figure hits N931.23bn compared to N831.19bn recorded in year 2016. This indicates a growth of 12.03% year on year.

At the end of H2 2017, total revenue generated by states was put at N432.65bn as against N409.09bn in H1 2017.

Thirty-one states recorded growth in IGR while five states including (Akwa Ibom , Anambra , Bauchi, Osun and Taraba) recorded a decline at the end of 2017 Fiscal Year.

The net FAAC allocation in year 2017 is put at N1.73 trillion while the total revenue available to the states is put at N2.67 trillion.

But the value of foreign debt stands at $19.9bn while domestic debt hits N3.35 trillion at the end of 2017 full year respectively.

The freed 104 Dapchi girls, one other girl and a boy assembled at the Nigerian Air Force Base in Maiduguri...recently.

Corruption charge: Court frees S’ Court Justice Ngwuta Andrew Orolua, Abuja.

ÏÏÏ

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday struck out alleged corruption charge against a serving Justice of Supreme Court, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta for lack of jurisdiction.

Justice Ngwuta , one of the seven judges arrested in 2016, was facing the criminal charge for alleged money laundering and unlawful possession of multiple International passports.

But Justice Ngwuta had through his lawyer, Mr Godwin Agabi (SAN), challenged the jurisdiction of the court to try him when the National Judicial Council (NJC) has not find him culpable of any misconduct or

recommended him for the trial.

In his ruling on Ngwuta’s application, Justice John Tsoho held that the prosecution did not fulfill “the condition precedent in filing the charge against judicial officers. It is not in dispute that the defendant (Justice Sylvester Ngwuta) is a serving Supreme Court Justice.

Justice Tsoho agreed with defendant who relied on the judgment of Court of Appeal in Justice Nganjiwa case. He noted that both the prosecution and defendant lawyers are in agreement that the Court of Appeal decision in Justice Nganjiwa applied to this case, except that the prosecution made an exception and listed theft ,arson and murder as cases where judicial

officers may be arrested and prosecuted without recourse to the National Judicial Council.

Discharging Justice Ngwuta, Justice Tsoho said, “In my humble view, separation of power between the three arms of government is entrenched in the constitution. The National Judicial Council (NJC), is given power to discipline erring judicial officers.

“By strict adherence , the power is constitutionally vested on the NJC to discipline judicial officers and that power can not be taken away in a democracy.

“It is tidy and safer that all matters relating to the discipline of judicial officers should be first dealt with by NJC. “

Justice Tsoho further held that interpretation of the provisions of the laws should be done to avoid absurdity . According to the judge, the gap left in the provision of the law should stand until the constitution is amended and until that is done, any arrest of any judicial officers should be declared a nullity.

The judge also described count 1 to 9 of the charge which listed offences relating the defendant acquisition of properties as verged .

Justice Tsoho further held that count 10 to 13 which deal with unauthorised possession of International Passport, trading and cash payments fall more within the purview of al-

legations of misconducts, saying that he has difficulties in determining whether they fall within scope of its jurisdiction.

He added that he was not persuaded that he has jurisdiction to hear the matter.

Justice Ngwuta, who was elated after the ruling , left the dock and walked to his lead lawyer , Agabi and commended him. He ,however, refused to answer questions put to him by journalists.

But a lawyer who spoke on behalf of the prosecuting lawyer, Olufemi Fatunde, said he need to brief the Attorney General of Federation (AGF) about the court’s decision, saying that the AGF would decide way forward on the matter.

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

7 News

Buhari to service chiefs: Chibok, Dapchi abductions must never happen again Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

ÏÏÏPresident

Muhammadu Buhari has handed down a stern warning to the service chiefs and security agencies against recurrence of Chibok and Dapchi abductions in the country.

The President further warned the service chiefs in clear terms, saying that any lapse on their part will be viewed seriously.

Buhari, who gave the warning at the reception of the released Dapchi schoolgirls on Friday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, further tasked all the appropriate security agencies to safely bring back the remaining schoolgirls who were still in captivity.

He said, “We also reached out to our contacts at home and abroad. We embarked on back-channel shuttles with a clear view to bringing to an end this tragedy.

“I have tasked all the security agencies to work to ensure that we do not witness any recurrence of these incidents. Security Chiefs have been warned in clear terms that any lapse on their part will be viewed seriously.”

Buhari also revealed that the Federal Government entered into negotiations solely to make sure that no single girl was hurt. According to the President, the strategy has paid off as the girls have been released

without any incidents.

He reemphasized his administration’s commitment to the fight against terrorism and insurgency while calling on all Nigerians to “join in this task.”

He said, “The security services have since been directed to put in place further measures around all schools vulnerable to attacks to ensure the safety of our pupils, students and teachers and school workers.

“I am delighted to formally announce to Nigerians this morning and our International friends and partners that 107 Dapchi students previously abducted have been unconditionally released by their abductors.

“This cheery and hearty development signify our commitment to the security and well-being of all Nigerians.

“We are never in doubt about our focus and direction since the assumption of office of this Administration. Security, anti-corruption and revamping of our economy are the main focus of our government.

“You will recall that on 14th of this month, I paid a visit to Yobe State during which I sympathized with the parents, families, Government and people of the State for the tragic abduction of the students in Dapchi.

“I made a solemn pledge on my word of honour that this administration would do everything possible

L-R: Founder/CEO, Terra Kulture, Bolanle Austen Petaners; Vice President, Corporate and Government Relations, Olam Nigeria, Ade Adefekeo; Executive Vice Chairman, Verdant Zeal Group, Dr. Tunji Olugbodi; Chairperson, 7th innovention series of Verdant Zeal Group, Dr. Ibilola Amoo and Chairman, Verdant Zeal Group, Prince Femi Oyewole, during the 7th innovention series with topic “building Africa’s reputation through mediatainment’ in Lagos...on Thursday to ensure the unconditional release of the girls.”

Buhari also assured the rescued students that they will freely live and pursue their dreams in Nigeria of peace and order, without fear of violence or molestation.

The President said, “While parents of the Dapchi girls rejoice be-

cause of the reunion with their children, I want to appeal to the Chibok Community never to lose hope or to despair. We are determined as never before, to bring back our remaining Chibok daughters. And this, we must accomplish. And that will be soon by God’s grace.

“While further efforts are being

made to secure the release of every abducted citizen in Nigeria, Government is ever ready to accept the unconditional laying down of arms by members of the Boko Haram group, who show strong commitment in this regard. We are ready to rehabilitate and integrate such repentant members into the larger society.

Nigeria ranks amongst nations with high cases of TB, HIV/AIDs Doosuur Iwambe, Abuja

ÏÏÏThe

2017 Global TB Report has ranked Nigeria amongst the 14 countries with high rate of Tuberculosis, Human Immune Virus, HIV/AIDs and Multidrugs Resistant Tuberculosis, MDR-TB in the world.

The country is also ranked 7th among the 30 high TB burden countries and 2nd in Africa.

The Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, who disclosed this on Friday while commemorating

the 2018 World TB Day in Abuja, also said that Nigeria also falls among the 10 countries that account for 64 percent of the global gap in TB case finding.

According to Adewole, the TB burden was further compounded by the menace of drug resistance TB (DR-TB) and the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

The minister said, “ In 2017, the country notified only 109,904 out of the estimated 407,000 all forms of TB cases (with treatment coverage of 25.8%), leaving a gap of 302,096 comprising undetected or detected

but not notified cases especially in non-DOTS sites.

“In the same year, the proportion of Childhood TB was 7% of all forms of TB cases compared to 10% recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, a total of 1783 DR-TB cases were notified out of the estimated 5200 DR-TB cases. countries for TB, TB/HIV and MDR-TB. India, Indonesia and Nigeria account for almost half of the total gap”.

The Minister further said that the ministry in its response to the TB burden has developed a robust

National Strategic Plan for (2015 - 2020) as well as a framework to support the declaration of 2017 as a year of accelerating TB case finding and treatment in Nigeria.

“The implementation of the NSP for TB (2015 - 2020) though not without its limitations has brought noticeable improvements in TB control activities.

“To accelerate TB case finding, the country has now moved from passive to active case-finding in key affected populations, including PLHIV, children, urban slum dwellers, prisoners, migrants, internally

displaced people and facility-based health care workers, to target those most at risk for TB. Stressing that over 11,500 cases of TB were detected through active house to house case search in 2017, Adewole added that Nigeria currently has 6,753 DOTS centres compared to 3931 in 2010.

He said that the total number of microscopy centres has risen from 1,148 in 2010 to 2,650 in 2017. “GeneXpert machines installed in the country have increased from 32 in 2012 to 390 in 2017.

NNPC sues against vandalism, profiteering in South-East Charles Onyekwere, Abakaliki

ÏÏÏThe Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has posited that it is their desire to ensure the steady supply of all the petroleum products to every nook and cranny of Nigeria especially in the South East of the country if only the marketers will stop profiteering and devious men stop vandalising the pipelines.

The Group Managing Director, GMD, Dr. Maikanti Baru made this known in Enugu

Thursday during the NNPC day at the ongoing 29th Enugu International Trade Fair.

Baru said that NNPC is ready to rehabilitate the Enugu Depot so that people in the South East and North Central could access the products easily but lamented that the activities of vandals have been making it difficult.

“We have paid attention to rehabilitate the pipelines. We are trying to ensure that the Enugu depot in the South East is working. We shall continue to make sure that steady petroleum products is supplied to people

in this part of Nigeria,” Baru declared.

For instance Baru said that they have discovered about 685 points where the pipelines have been vandalised, noting that the vandalism is prevalent in Ishiagu area of Ebonyi State and Osisioma in Abia State and appealed to the management of Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, ECCIMA, the organisers of the trade fair to assist NNPC to appeal to Ebonyi and Abia to stop the vandalism.

“This is making it difficult

to supply fuel to.Enugu Depot.

Enugu Depot is strategic also to those in the North Central.

We need your assistance, ECCIMA’s assistance, to appeal to the people in Ishiagu in Ebonyi State and Osisoma in Abia State to stop the pipeline vandalism so that we can supply fuel to Enugu Depot,” the GMD pleads.

Baru pointed out that apart from vandalism, one thing that is hampering the free flow of supply of the petroleum products is that the marketers indulge in profiteering and sell

the products above the government approved pump prices.

He said that they made sure that everywhere in Nigeria, the regulated prices are maintained but wondered that this is not obtainable in South Eastern states who often claim high cost of transportation whereas other areas transport theirs and still maintain the price.

He urged Nigerians to report those that hoard the products or sell above the approved pump price to check the profiteering tendency among the marketers.

News 8

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

Ruling on contentious issue has been fixed for April 9 ÏÏÏIn his testimony, Za-

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (second right); member, House of Representatives, Japan and Chairman, Japan-AU Friendship League, Mr. Ichiro Aisawa (middle); member, House of Representatives of Japan and Deputy President, Japan-African Union Parliamentary Friendship League, Mr. Asahiko Mihara (second left); the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Sadanobu Kusaoke (left) and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Japan, Mallam Mohammed Gana Yisa (right) during the Governor’s meeting with the Japan-African Union Parliamentary Friendship Committee in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday

N650m fraud: Expunge evidence of EFCC investigator, Akinjide, others told court Peter Fowoyo

ÏÏÏA

Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos was on Friday told to expunge the evidence of an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Usman Zakari, from the court’s record.

Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Jumoke Akinjide, and two others currently facing trial over alleged N650 million fraud Friday, through their lawyers, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), Micheal Lana and Akinola Oladeji, asked Justice Muslim Sule Hassan, to expunge the evidence of the investigator.

The defendants were opposed to the evidence of the

witness regarding a meeting conveyed by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, at her residence in December 2014. They said it is a hearsay evidence.

Ayorinde argued that the witness does not have the latitude to give evidence about the meeting because he was not in attendance.

The silk said evidence of what transpired at the meeting can only be given by those in attendance.

“The witness can only say that I discovered that there was a meeting and cannot say what transpired at the meeting because he did not attend it. The witness cannot give any further evidence as to what transpired at the meeting. I urged the

court to expunge any evidence relating to what transpired at the so-called meeting if ever there was any”, he said.

In his own submissions, 2nd defendant’s lawyer, Micheal Lana, said the witness cannot go beyond his investigation.

“Section 37 of the Evidence Act which deals with hearsay did not exempt an investigative officer from its narration. Also, Section 126 of the same Act which deals with direct oral evidence did not exempt an him from stating what he did not hear or perceived.

“The witness can even not be cross-examined about what happened at the meeting because he was not in attendance. What he did not

do, he cannot testify on it. I urged the court to expunge his evidence from the record”, the lawyer said.

The 3rd defendant’s lawyer, Akinola Oladeji, also aligned himself with the submissions of other defence lawyers.

The EFCC, through its lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, is however contending that Zakari’s evidence were his personal findings in the course of his investigation.

“The evidence given by PW2 of his investigative findings cannot be hearsay.

In view of the fact that the evidence that PW2 gave was the discovery he made in the course of his investigation, the law is settled that such evidence cannot amount to hearsay,” Oyedepo said.

buttress his argument.

The village head apparently not happy with the lackadaisical attitude the federal government is handling the issue of payment of compensation on the land, complained bitterly and took the federal government to the cleaners over the matter.

Another knotty issue the angry royal father wanted the visiting minister of state for education to convey to his boss in Abuja was that of the change of the name of the host community of the college. Hitherto, the official address of the college has read: Federal Science and Technical College, Ukana Offot, Uyo. The grouse with this address, according to him, is “Ukana”, which he noted was the name of the deity the Aka

offot people used to worship before the advent of Christianity to this part of the country.

Receiving the document and in response to the traditional father’s request, the honorable minister of state for education, first of all thanked him for the insight he has provided into the issues towards moving technical education forward generally and the college in particular, while assuring him of looking into his request with the view to effecting the necessary change where possible.

He noted that the students of the college had been outstanding and the first to showcase exhibition on science and technology and pledged to support them in the bid to

promote science and technology education, while calling on other girls’ technical institutions to emulate them.

Apart from inspecting the guard of honor mounted by a detachment of the students’ unit and exhibition stands, the minister of state for education also carried out the tour of hall of fame and commissioned three projects namely, college assembly hall, gate and security house.

The director of education and principal who is a week shy from her retirement, Mrs. Gloria Oyatogun explained that the decision to showcase the work of the girls was for the people to appreciate what the girl child can do with science and technology education.

kari told the court that the meeting was attended by Diezani, the Managing Director of a bank and some oil marketers.

At the meeting, the ex-petroleum minister, according to Zakari, informed the bank’s MD that the oil marketers would be bringing different dollar sums to him, which she instructed the bank chief to help her keep in the bank’s vault until further instructions.

Zakari said pursuant to the meeting, one Autus Integrated Limited took $17.8 million to the bank; another company, Northern Belt Oil and Gas, took $60 million to the bank; while one, Mid-Western Oil Services Limited also paid $9.5 million.

“An individual, Lano Adesanya, brought the sum of $1.8 million. Our findings further revealed that the three oil marketers made payment of the sum of $89 million and some fractions.

Investigations further revealed that the then petroleum minister’s aides made available $25 million and some fractions in suitcases, which were warehoused in the bank’s cash vault.

“Upon the receipt of the

money by the bank, the former minister instructed it to convert the said amount into naira, precisely on March 26, 2015. The bank complied with the instruction; the said amount was converted into naira to the tune of N23 billion and some fractions.

“After the conversion, the former petroleum minister instructed the bank to pay the 1st defendant (Akinjide) and the 2nd defendant (Senator Ayo Adeseun) and one, Mr. Yinka Taiwo, the sum of N650 million, through her son, Ogbonna Madueke.

“The 1st defendant and the 2nd defendant and Mr. Yinka Taiwo then proceeded to the Dugbe branch of the bank in Ibadan, Oyo State and signed a receipt of payment individually for the collection of N650 million.

“They signed for the money and took it to the residence of the 1st defendant (Akinjide).

“The defendants made a cash payment of N650 million without going through any financial institution, an amount which was more than the amount authorised by law to be paid in cash,” Zakari said.

Abebe: Obaseki commiserates with family, says his life Village head faults principal on alleged encroachment on college land worthy of emulation

Akaiso Akaiso, Uyo.

ÏÏÏThe village head of Aka

Offot village, the host community of Federal Science and Technical College, Eteidung Francis Morgan, has faulted the principal on alleged encroachment of college land by the villagers.

Eteidung Morgan, who made this known at the just concluded maiden science and technology exhibition by the students of the college, described the allegation as lacking in facts and figures.

He, therefore, presented a photocopy of the original survey plan of the college land to the minister of state for education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah for onward transmission to the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, to

ÏÏÏThe Governor of Edo

State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has commiserated with the family of the late Dr. Christopher Abebe (OFR) whose passing was announced by the family on Thursday night.

Obaseki said “Dr. Abebe led an exemplary Christian life with bold footprints in the United African Company Nigeria Limited, where he was the first Nigerian Chairman/ Managing Director and at the Nigerian Breweries where he was also the first Nigerian Chairman.”

He was at various times the pro-chancellor of the University of Benin, the

University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the University of Calabar.

The governor noted that the father of the late former First Lady, Mrs. Stella Obasanjo, was a source of inspiration and pride to many Nigerians and young Edo people like himself, who looked forward to attaining his lofty height in Nigeria’s private sector, post-independence.

He added that Nigerians and Edo people in particular, will miss Dr. Abebe’s fatherly guidance on a wide range of issues, at a time the country needs valuable counsel to consolidate on her achievements.

Politics

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Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

I’m going to House of Reps to give my people meaningful representation -Tunji-Ojo≥≥10

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Ijaw youths warn amnesty boss against politicising scheme ≥≥ 12

PDP has solution to Nigeria’s woes, not coalition, says Lamido Stories by Patrick Okohue Former governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) remains the only party that can take the country out of its current woes and reposition it towards attaining its potentials rather than a coalition of parties.

Lamido, who is a presidential aspirant on the platform of the PDP disclosed this in Lagos on Thursday during a media chat after meeting with the party leaders in the state at the PDP secretariat along Adekunle Fajuyi way, Ikeja, stressing that Nigerians have realised that the APC was a party of lies, blackmail and failed promises.

He said the PDP was able to fix the country during the few years it was in power, stressing that it could have achieved more success if Nigerians had given the party more time.

Lamido, said the solution to Nigeria’s problems was not with any coalition of third forces, but with the PDP, stressing that the country had retrogressed and stagnated under the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration which should be voted out.

He accused the current administration of failing to protect Nigerians, stressing that the administration

LAMIDO had tolerated impunity by failing to checkmate the herdsmen killing in the country.

“Let me commend Nigerians, but we don’t believe in ourselves, in our history PDP came in 1999 and they restored the country, often it would take some time for the country to grow as a nation but in Nigeria we believe in quick fix and

that is why we run to APC and they have failed we have to be patient.

“What are we going to do now that APC have failed us? APC came to power in a form of blackmail, lies, they played on emotions of Nigerians, and they are saying they are the solution, the solution is not any third force but with PDP it is the party that can move us forward.

“There is no way the APC can rule us again, look at the country, we are not progressing, we are going back ward, we are not prosperous, PDP would regain power in 2019, and look at our peers from other countries, where are they now? Buhari took us back and he is talking of hate speech.”

He dismissed insinuations that the PDP was in crisis, noting that the party was better positioned after the last national convention to face the future and regain power from the APC. “After the convention I have not seen a more transparent leadership in PDP, that because you lose does not mean the party has failed, you have to accept, failing is part of politics and why is it that when someone lose you say that.

“What is happening now is impunity and embarrassing, because you stagemanaged the kidnap and rescue of the girls on time means PDP has failed?

Does it mean we are now in a competition?

“The President went to Yobe and when he was there Airforce was guiding him and the same Yobe is where they are killing people and some girls were kidnapped. PDP is the way forward; the primary purpose of any government is to provide security, by even allowing this kidnap to happen they have failed.”

Failure of Leadership, Nigeria’s main challenge Nigerians have been advised to carefully select those they will vote into office as leaders of the country in the 2019 general election.

Rasheed Adegbenro, Senior Vice President, Centre for Value in Leadership, who gave this advice at the Ripples Nigerian Dialogue titled, “Rebuilding trust in a Divided Nigeria,” held at The Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos said the choice of Nigerians in 2019 will determine the fate of the country.

He noted that the problems confronting the country can be largely attributed to a failure of the leadership over the years.

He said: “I believed that trust does not exist in a vacuum, I refer to what we call emotional bank account. Before one can trust someone, we must be willing to go along with that person, it’s like a marriage.

So, what has been the error in the Nigerian environment where trust is missing and more than a hundred years we are still talking about missing unity? If a child is grown up to be 15 years and still crawling, what should have been done in the period of 9 months to a year the child will be called an imbecile.

“Nigeria’s amalgamation took place for more than a hundred years ago and we are still in search of unity which has eluded us for more than one hundred years, some-

BUHARI

thing basically must be wrong and it’s our hope that this platform will be contributing both from the audience and the panels and green light will come forth to show us the missing links in the unity of Nigeria.

“Because of the work of Centre for Values and Leadership where I came from, we have identified strongly that the major

challenge we have in our environment is a question of leadership, failed leadership.

There was strong hope at independence based on the population of Nigeria and the natural endowment that Nigeria was going to be a very big and robust economy. But the leadership that evolves after independence was not able to keep up with this aspiration

so we ended up with failed leadership.

“The crisis was compounded by the entry of the military into the environment which was not able to allow Nigeria political structures to grow. Till today we are unable to point to a strong structure of a political party to drive towards democracy. Without such institution, we will just be grooving in the dark.

“What we need in 2019 is a leader that is uncompromising concerning service and commitment to transparency and the one that has a broad global outlook, known for cosmopolitan orientation that can easily see the dimension of international and local issues and policies. Beyond the passion to lead, we need people with knowledge. It’s not only about passion, the skillset has to be intact.

“The followers need to sit back and examine ourselves, we have our voices and our votes. Are we able to use the voices and the votes to effect that change that will happen in our environment? In Nigeria, we elect our people into offices and go to sleep without monitoring and evaluation on what they do. We need a leader that is capable of seeing tomorrow today and will be able to open the eyes of others to the way of tomorrow. A good leader should be able to drive national debates on the part of growth and development”.

Politics 10

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo is the Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer of New Planet Projects Limited, an accomplished businessman, he hails from Ondo State and currently eyeing mainstream politics.

Tunji-Ojo spoke with ‘TOSIN AJUWON in Akure on his plans to contest for the National Assembly seat to represent Akoko North and East Federal Constituency Area of the state.

TUNJI-OJO

I’m going to Reps to give my people meaningful representation -Tunji-Ojo You’re an accomplished businessman who has made track a record mostly in the Information Technological sector, what led you into politics?

I’m not just an Information Technology expert but also consultant in management, because I sit as the Managing Director of multiple companies and as a Managing Director of Matrix Information Technology. I have qualifications in Information and Communication Technology. My first degree is in Electronics Communication Engineering and my Masters degree is in Digital Communication.

I will say politically, politics is a way of giving back to the society. Politics to a large extent should be for accomplished minds, people that have conquered personal pride and ego. Professionally, God has been so kind to us. I will ascribe all the success to him, because I am nothing but a product of grace. I’m just a pencil in the hands of God and he has decided to use me as a tool to write happiness on the hearts of people. I think that the numerous challenges we have, infrastructural challenges, of effective representation and also the laudable voice of the people in the National Assembly is a major motivating thing.

You‘ll be taking a shot at the National Assembly by 2019, what’s motivating you considering your success in the business world?

In Nigeria, we run on three tiers political system, which are the federal government, state government and the local government administration. So, we must have a scenario whereby all representatives at the federal level of government will be able to complement this effort to really make life better for our people, we want to be able to influence viable projects to our constituency.

Thinking about the level of poverty and deprivation, misrepresentation in our state at the national level, we know that people before us have tried their best but we have to use their own strengths as a motivating factor for us to be able to develop further, you know it’s the dream of every father to see his son come out better than him.

I know our mentors, our incumbent, those that have been before us; it will also be their dreams for us to build a castle on the foundation. I’m desirous to be able to influence life positively and to be able to create a greater future for my generation because my generation is a new generation and we must be able to

Politics to a large extent should be for accomplished minds, people that have conquered personal pride and ego.

Professionally, God has been so kind to us. I will ascribe all the success to him, because I am nothing but a product of grace. I’m just a pencil in the hands of God and he has decided to use me as a tool to write happiness on the hearts of people.

create the future for generations coming after us just like the one before us in the likes of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and the party Chairman.

What would you say about those who have represented the state at various national levels, are you satisfied with their level of representation?

They have done well by bringing our generation to the forefront, so we too have a responsibility to the generation coming after us to be able to mentor them. This is a major reason why politics is the key. Politics is a game of leadership and no matter who you are, you are subjected to the rules and laws of the game and if the intelligent and God fearing people stay behind and allow the wrong ones to rule, then, they will end up being subjected to them.

So, we must be able to take advantage of that to create a better future for the people to give them a voice and be able to give them a good representation at the highest level. We have to do our best to support the administration of Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu in Ondo State and also support President Muhammadu Buhari and we have to put in our best in terms of representation in respect to 2019 election.

At the end of the day, we will turn around things for better in Ondo State and ensure there is also effective and adequate Federal Government presence in our dear state for the sun always shine.

But what has really influenced your interest to represent Akoko North and Akoko East in the House of Representatives?

I didn’t just wake up to say I want to

contest. I could remember I contested in 2011, but God said it was not time yet because I am a firm believer in God and I believe in God’s appointed time for me.

But you know in Nigeria’s democratic settings, you are a loser if you come second or third in an election.

We believe that we can offer representation effectively and the little experience that we have been able to put together in the private sector can be translated into the public sector and make life more meaningful, more beautiful and worth living for our people.

But how prepared are you to run?

Well, we will do our best in life. Generally I have always believed in the efficacy of God and I believe so much in God. If you look at my life you will know I am a product of grace. I am a man that lost his father when I was in primary four and the only child of my parents. I could remember the days I used to hawk tomatoes and pepper at Oja-Oba market in Akure.

I could remember that I was unable to pay for my final year examination, if not for Dr. Ayo Val. He is one of the key men of God that played a major role in my life.

He runs Ayo Val Hospital in Akure. For someone like me that have gone through a lot in life, I think politics is a key way that I can give back to my people.

Am not who I am in life because I am the smartest or the best, but because of the grace of God. I am motivated and I leave everything in the hands of God. We are ready and prepared to give it our best.

I am assuring my people that once given the opportunity I will do my best and will never disappoint them. I will do CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

Obasanjo is main problem of Nigeria –Olapade Agoro National Chairman and Presidential aspirant under the platform of the National Action Council (NAC), Dr. Olopade Agoro on Friday declared that former President Olusegun Obasanjo is the main political problem of Nigeria.

Agoro, while addressing a press conference at his Apata, lbadan residence also described Obasanjo’s Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) as “Coalition of Nigerian Muguns”.

The NAC National Chairman said only those who could not understand Obasanjo’s antics to perpetually dominate the Nigerian politics are buying into the idea of his CNM. He, however, challenged Obasanjo to publish details of the 3 million people he claimed had registered with the CNM. Agoro said, “Obasanjo is the problem of Nigeria. He brought late Yar’Adua and failed; he also brought Jonathan and failed, he actively supported President Muhammadu Buhari, who has now disappointed Nigerians.

“Obasanjo is out again to take Nigerians on a ride with the coalition of Nigerian Muguns that he is packaging.

He said he has gathered the list of 3 million Nigerians. I am challenging him to

OBASANJO

OLAPADE AGORO

publish the list of the 3 million Nigerians who have joined his coalition before next week Tuesday.

“Obasanjo rode to the top in his political career. But it appears that his ride has no bus stop and brake. He does not know where to stop.”

Agoro suggested that Obasanjo, after his presidency should have toed the path of honor like late Nelson Mandela, by quitting partisan politics.

He said, “Have you heard the immedi-

ate past President of the United States, Barack Obama, criticising his successor, Donald Trump, like Obasanjo has been doing since 1999?.”

Speaking further on the state of the nation, Agoro said both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) do not mean well for Nigerians.

He revealed that he decided to contest the 2019 presidential election to repair all the damages done to the country by both PDP and APC.

‘Going to Reps to give my people meaningful representation ‘ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

my best to be able to give them effective representation and to be able to collaborate and be able to support and complement efforts of his Excellency, Rotimi Akeredolu towards giving a better life to our people as he has been trying to do over the years.

Being a young-man, how do you intend to carry the youths along in order to realise your political ambition?

I believe that you do not need to be a Methuselah to be able to achieve anything. I also believe that politics should not be how old or how young you are, but rather what you are capable of achieving.

I am only running for the House of Representatives, not for the presidency or governorship and I think that as a young person, I can feel the problems of our people. We belong to the same age group, and then we know what they are going through. I really know where the pain is in their shoes and we know what they really want out of life and politics.

We believe that we can then link their points of aggregations and feelings.

How will you go about getting the support of your people in Akoko North and East Areas ahead of the general election?

About getting the support of the people, I do not think that should be a problem in Akoko North and Akoko East.

I think to the glory of God, they know that we have always stood by them over the years that my people are aware that for them to be able to know what I can do for them our people must apparently take a look at the past and see the influence that we have been able to make in their lives.

Then, they definitely appreciated us when I ran an election in 2011 and I could remember I had 17,000 votes. It was a massive vote by Action Congress of

Nigeria (ACN) and I can say in the entire Ondo State I was the only person that came second on the platform and others came third, which showed a level of popularity amongst my people.

Some major roads in the Akoko mostly the one linking the Akungba Akoko to Abuja has been a nightmare, what is your take?

That road is an eye sore, but I have to put the record straight and I think our people will understand. That road is not a state road but a federal road; this is part of the reasons why we need effective representation. We have seen how one of the Senators from Kogi was able to influence a project from Kabba to Illorin. We have seen similar things too and so many other states doing the same thing.

Our own representatives too should draw serious attention of the government as well. In as much as Governor Rotimi Akeredolu would like to help, the simple truth is that it is a federal road.

The question goes beyond the Ondo State government, but the question goes to the federal government representatives. They need to also try to draw the attention of the government. Use your office to declare the place a matter of emergency. Now we are scared of the bad road and we are also scared of being kidnapped on the road, a journey that was supposed to take 5 hours is now taking 10 hours.

I could remember in 2006 to 2007, we used to make it on that road for 5hours, but now it is something else. It then means that once you go through that road you have wasted your entire day. So productivity wise, it is making us to be less productive.

What is your opinion on the two and half years of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration in the country?

I will be very objective. I will say the two years have been great and tough. I’m

an expert in change management, being a key aspect of my profession. It is one of the most difficult thing in life and any administration.

President Muhammadu Buhari may not have made our economy high because he came in at a point of recession.

He came in when our source of income, crude oil was nose-diving, so money was not available and you know that our population keeps increasing.

The demand keeps increasing and at that, we know that there was enormous debt on ground, therefore, the President had used the first year in clearing the mess so that he can have a fertile ground.

The President spent time making sure all relevant stakeholders, bothering on the masses, civil servant, public servants and all agency of government keyed into his vision. Now after achieving that, he will successfully take us to the next level and we know that we are actually growing as a country. As a country, we need a leader that has international reputation, a leader that other countries can take for his words and that is what Buhari has provided.

We must not lose sight of our past for us to appreciate where we are. If we look at 2015, where we were on the issue of Boko Haram and where are we today? President Buhari has also been kind enough to open up the space and you can see there is relative stability in our foreign exchange. So economically, he has done well; it is too early to judge any administration in two and a half years especially when you came in from outside.

Is there any hope and what would be your advice?

Let me use this medium to appeal to Nigerians to be patient with this current administration and I can assure that the intention of President Buhari in terms of delivery of good governance which is a social contract he signed with Nigeria on May 29th, 2015 is good.

11 Politics Presidential aspirant, Moghalu promises to end corruption in Nigeria A former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and aspirant in the 2019 presidential race, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, has spoken about how he will transform the country if he is voted to lead Nigeria.

Moghalu spoke during a lecture organised by Centre for Financial Journalism (CFJ) on Thursday.

The presidential aspirant said Nigeria should get to a state of development in which the government set an enabling environment, creates the policy and allows the market to function efficiently.

“So, it is not every man for himself without a regulation, that is an extreme form of capitalism, and what happens is that this system produces wealth for a very few, whereas the majority of the country remains poor which is the current situation in Nigeria,” he said.

He also noted that since no country can develop beyond the competence or incompetence of its leadership, it is important that Nigerians elect a new breed of political leaders.

“Our career political class have failed, also, our career politicians have failed us, that is why Nigeria is now the poverty capital of the world, we have the greatest number of people living in poverty all over the world,” Moghalu said that is precisely why he is running for the presidency said.

He added that there is no reason why the Nigerian president should rush to sign a treaty with the WTO (World Trade Organization) “There is some part of this agreement that does not quite accord with Nigerian national interest, so he is right to wait. China negotiated with the WTO for 15 years before they signed the WTO treaty, Russia negotiated for 19 years before they signed the WTO treaty,” Moghalu who added he has been advocating that for years that the Nigerian government should take a second look at the treaty in tune with its national interest said.

On his plans for the economy, if elected, Moghalu said his government will create a major venture capital fund that will invest in businesses to stimulate the economy and to help to create jobs. “These are some of the important changes that he will focus on.

“There will be a fundamental overhaul of the educational system of Nigeria to make the economy stronger. The economy system will be re-founded in such a way that a graduate from secondary school and universities will focus on skill, so the educational system will now be a skill-based educational system.

“These help to create more jobs in our economy. There are 30 million people unemployed and this is quite alarming.

We will have a clear worldview for the Nigerian state and a clear economic philosophy.

MOGHALU

Politics 12

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

Osun 2018: Group petitions Oyegun over alleged illegal alteration on APC

Stories by Patrick Okohue

Crisis appears imminent in the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as a group of aggrieved stakeholders alleged massive illegal alteration on the list of the party’s Local Government and Ward Executive officers towards the coming primaries.

The aggrieved stakeholders that go by the name Osun APC Progressive Group, in a 95 page petition dated March 10, 2018 and sent to the national Secretariat of the party in Abuja advised the national headquarters of the party to do the needful to avoid the repeat of the party’s defeat in 2017 during the Osun West senatorial election. Copies of the petition which spelt out in details areas affected were also sent to the office of the National Legal Adviser and other key National Officers of the party.

The strongly worded petition signed by Hon Caleb Ojo, Hon. Rotimi Bidmus, Professor, Remi Ajala and seven other leaders of the group complained that, “23 out of 30 Local Government Areas of Osun State were affected by the heinous alteration of wards and local government executive officers of APC, which the 2014 Congress produced in Osun State with 116 out of 332 wards involved.”

The petition also informed that, “912 ward executives were illegally inserted and out of the insertions, 857 are holding substantive positions, adding that, “out of the 30 Local Government Areas in Qsun State, only seven Local Government Areas were spared of this criminal alteration of the list of party executives.”

According to the petitioners, “the illegal alterations and insertions suggest intention of manipulating the list of delegates for 2018 governorship primary election in the

ODIGIE-OYEGUN

AREGBESOLA

state.”

They therefore pleaded for “the outright rejection of the altered list; and retention of the list of executive officers of our party that was produced as outcomes of the 2014 Congress in Osun State.”

The petitioners reminded that, “in 2014, our party- All Progressives Congress (APC) had state, local and wards congresses, which produced the state, local and ward executive officers of our party in most of the local government areas and wards in Osun State.

“Since then, no other congress was held.

This suggests that the 2014 congresses still stand and remain the authentic lists of executive officers of our party from which the national secretariat of our party can draw delegates for 2018 governorship primary

election in Osun State.

“As part of its dangerous trends, which can lead to our party’s failure in 2018 election, the Osun State party chairman in association with some officials of Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s government have manufactured another list of local and wards executive officers, where names of those who legally won the 2014 congresses have been removed and exchanged with those who did not contest at all in the 2014 ward congress. The new list is endorsed as certified copy with the stamp and signature of the office of the National Secretary of our party,” they submitted.

“Above all, national secretariat should provide a level playing ground for all contestants to have fair play in all activities related to governorship election in Osun State,” they concluded.

Ijaw youths warn amnesty boss against politicising scheme Youths under the auspices of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, on Friday, warned the new Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Prof. Quaker Dokubo, against using his office to fund political ambition.

They urged Dokubo to pay attention to the core mandate of the amnesty programme particularly the educational component of the scheme.

The youths in a statement signed by the Secretary-General, IYC, Mr. Alfred Kemapado, said more than anything else, the Ijaw and other youths in the Niger Delta were in need of quality education.

Kemapado in a statement in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, called on Dokubo to take the programme to a new height far beyond mere payment of stipends to ex-militants.

He further appealed to the new boss to put the interests of the Ijaw and the Niger Delta ahead of his personal pursuits.

While hailing the new coordinator on his appointment, he said: “We call on him to advance the programme far

PROF. DOKUBO

beyond where he has met it. Many of us have been silent with how that office was reduced because of the hope that corrections were going to be made soon.

“As we thank the Presidency for bringing you, a seeming competent hand, we also call on you to put the Ijaw and Niger Delta national interest ahead of your personal interest.

“We expect you to see the amnesty programme far beyond just the payment of stipends for ex-militants, but concentrate on the educational component of the amnesty programme.

“Just as the holy scriptures say that our ‘people perish for lack of knowledge’, you are expected to fund the education of our people in relevant areas alongside current global happenings and projections.

“We also call on Professor Dokubo to train more of our youths abroad for the formal and the informal sector. We expect him also to settle all outstanding fees of our students abroad and ensure our trained Seafarers and Pilots get relevant attachment.

“We also call on you to patronise more of our Ijaw and Niger Delta service providers in the amnesty office and avoid using the office to fund political ambitions and related avarice.

“At every point in time the amnesty office must realise that, more than anything the Ijaws need quality education. We assure you of our support and prayers as you do the right thing for our people,” he said.

Igbo group calls for stoppage of Ohanaeze planned LGA election The association of Indi Eze Ndi Igbo, Lagos State branch has appealed to the national headquarters of Ohanaeze to stop the planned local government election into the union in Lagos State slated for 24th of March, 2017.

In a communiqué, after a meeting of Ndi Eze Ndi Igbo Lagos branch at Festac extension, jointly signed by all the Ezes and released to the press by the group Secretary, Eze Jhon Greg Ezebuadi, the association noted that the forms currently being sold were without serial numbers and may be difficult to verify, while advocating that the process of sale of forms for election into Ohanaeze should be improved upon.

The association, appealed that the structure of Ohanaeze in the state, local government area, (LGA) and local council development area (LCDA) should not be tampered with for the future sustainability and existence of the group, while stressing that executive membership of the group was not for all comers affairs.

The release urged the committee from the national headquarters in Enugu to maintain its neutrality and not side on any of the matters.

The Indi Eze Ndi Igbos said it was instructive that respect should be accorded Indi-Eze in Lagos, due to the seniority structure established in the state, starting with Eze Ohazulike who is the recognised Eze Indi Igbo of Lagos State.

“Ndi Eze noted that the process of the sale of forms needs to be improved upon. While Ndi Eze noted that the dissolution of the state LGA LCDA and Ohanaeze executive councils, Eze insists that the structure of Ohanaeze in all of these areas should not be tampered with in the order to ensure the continued sustainability and existence of Ohanaeze because they have been relating with over the years.

“It is the position of Ndi Eze that in relating with Ndi Eze in Lagos State and in communicating with them, respect must be given to seniority structure established in the state beginning with Eze Nwabueze Ohazulike (OON) EZ Ndi Igbo Lagos State.”

Ndi Eze insists that the contestant to various positions in the LGA should have the consent of their Ezes, Ezes in the LGAs know their members because they have been relating with them over the years.”

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

13

News 14

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

YABATECH rector urges academic union to commence night classes ÏÏÏThe

Rector, Yaba College of Technology, Obafemi Omokungbe, on Friday charged the academic staff union of the college to commence 7p.m. to 9p.m. lectures, following the establishment of a Common Room in the college.

Omokungbe gave the advice at the inauguration of a Common Room, established by members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics YABATECH Chapter.

He said that the introduction of the facility was to unite lecturers from various departments and encourage inter-departmental collaboration.

The rector said that lecturers could take off from the common room

for their night lectures, which he hoped would be considered by the union.

Omokungbe urged union members in the college to continue to operate as one family.

He said: “I want to thank you, the executives and members, for setting up this common room, and I urge you to put it to good use.

“Don’t let sentiment destroy this place; let us continue to rub minds together here.

“When we meet in common room like this, the idea of collaborating together begins to come up, and our job will be much easier.

“In the past, you can hardly see lecturers from Food Technology Depart-

ment, those in science around; but with this, we can see ourselves and look after ourselves.

“Sometimes, you will not see some people for like three to six months; but with this arrangement, you can keep your relationships and know the whereabouts of your colleagues.

“Now that you have this, and you meet here regularly, it will be easier to know who is not around and we can ask of the person.

“I am going to be a regular customer here; I will come here to have refreshment for about 20 to 30 minutes. I think time will permit me.

“If you go to Unilag Staff Club, the vice-chancellors and the professors

come together and drink and felicitate with one another.

“So, I don’t know if the union intends to open it to 9.00 p.m., because if you do that, then the 7 to 9 p.m. lecture becomes more interesting; you can take off from here, since alcohol will not be sold.

“Lecturers can take off from the common room and go to the lecture room; I hope that will be done soon.”

Omokungbe donated an air conditioner to the common room, and promised to allocate a vacant land to the union, if feasible, for its secretariat.

Responding, Nureni Yekini, the Chairman of ASUP in the institution, urged the rector to correct some of the things

Registrar Surveyors Council of Nigeria, Mansir Kabir (middle), Surveyor Kwame Tenadu (seventh left), with other participants at the African Land Surveyors Forum for Good Land Governance meeting at World Bank Headquarters, Washignton DC. Tenadu and Kabir were elected co-chairmen of the Forum

Court sentences 57-year-old man to 10 years for human trafficking

ÏÏÏA

Federal High Court sin Kano has sentenced a 57-year-old man, Yusuf Umar, to 10 years imprisonment for human trafficking offences. He is to also pay a fine of N2million fines only. He is to also spend additional 2 years in prison if after the 10 years jail he is unable to pay the N2, 000,000.00 fine.

Umar who hails from Nasarawa Local Government Area of Kano State had procured for

himself a 14 year old girl from the same State and sexually exploited her.

The offence is contrary to Section16 (1) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act 2015.

The Section says, ‘’Any person who procures or recruits any person under the age of 18 years to be subjected to prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation with himself, any person or persons, either in Ni-

geria or anywhere else, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of not less than 7 years and a fine of not less than N1, 000,000.00’’.

Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) arrested and charged him to Court on March 5, 2018 on a count charge.

When he was arraigned in Court yesterday, he pleaded guilty to the offence. At the commence-

ment of the case, the Prosecution reviewed the facts and tendered 2Exhibits.

Delivering judgment on the case with Charge number: FHC/ KN/CR/37/2018, Justice Jude Kanyiot Dagat found him guilty and sentenced him accordingly.

This conviction has brought the total number of those convicted for human trafficking by NAPTIP to 341.

he had condemned in the past administration of the college.

He said that the union would work out modalities to commence the night classes, as requested by the rector.

Yekini appealed to the management of the college to allocate a vacant land to the union, for the construction of ASUP Secretariat.

He said: “This is the time to correct some of the things you have agitated for in the past; you have agitated for us to have a

befitting secretariat in this college.

“We want to appeal to the rector that we have identified a place where we can build our secretariat and before the end of 2018, we want to have our ASUP secretariat erected.

“We want the management to help us; we are not saying they should do everything for us, but we cannot do it alone.”

Yekini said that the renovation of the common room was financed by members’ check-off dues.

British envoy lauds youths over new initiative Tom Okpe, Abuja

ÏÏÏBritish

High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright has commended young Nigerians for securing the passage of the age reduction bill, popularly referred to as ‘Not too young to run bill’ by both National and State Houses of Assembly, as the bill awaits Presidential assent.

Arkwright stated this during the Commonwealth Big Lunch event on Thursday in Abuja which drew participants from various youth organizations in attendance, including YIAGA Africa.

In his address, Arkwright noted that the Big Lunch event in Nigeria is themed around youths who were important to the Commonwealth as 60 per cent of Commonwealth Nations citizens are below 30 years of age.

He further said that 40 per cent of the world youth live in Commonwealth countries and 1 Billion people living in Commonwealth countries are under 25 years of age.

The High Commissioner noted that activities of youth organizations are important to the Commonwealth and matters to the future of Nigeria saying, “Young people in Nigeria face challenges and the good work youth organizations carry out provide solutions to those challenges”.

He said: “You should all be proud of your role to secure the passage of the not too young to rule bill, a reform that has been long overdue and a reform that I and a number of other High Commissioners here present have also supported. I was delighted to meet the YIAGA Group earlier and many congratulations to you for pushing through. I hope that it leads and open the doors to greater youth participation in politics and in policy making throughout Nigeria.

“Activities of youth organizations are very important to the Commonwealth and matters to the future of Nigeria. British Prime Minister, Theresa May have put youth at the heart of the upcoming Common Wealth Summit in London. She has invited youth delegates to address commonwealth leaders in New York in September to talk about their vision for the Commonwealth.

“At the Summit before the leaders meet, there will be a Commonwealth Youth Forum that will provide the opportunity for young people of the Commonwealth to build crosscultural connections and networks to debate the challenges facing young people and to agree youthled initiatives to influence decision makers and to ensure young people have a voice in their future”, he added.

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

15 News

Religious leaders support Land Use Charge, endorse Ambode for second term

ÏÏÏLeaders of various reli-

L-R: Engr. Bassey Edem, Mrs. Hellen Ante, Mrs. Margarate Edem, Mr. Mbuk Edet Inyang, and Mr. Nsudoh Sammuel are the newly sworn-in Permanent Secretaries by the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel...on Friday.

2019: Why APC may fail - party chieftain Chris Eze, Yenagoa

Ï ƆƏ ƐƆ RƕƆ Ƒ Ƈ Ə ƍ Ə ƋƆ ƗƆƏ ƈƍ

ÏÏÏA

party at a time the President had picked Tinubu for the job.

He said, “The national chairman is trying to jump the gun. He has been there for some time now, no convention, no reconciliation, nothing whatsoever, but now that somebody has been appointed for reconciliation, he now starts doing the same thing. That is unthinkable of him and such action will not lead the party anywhere.

“As for the coming elections, APC has bright chances so long it is able to put its house in order and genuinely reconcile everybody that is aggrieved. Once that is done, I believe all members of the party will go back to the trenches, mobilizing and sensitizing people in order to win the general elections.

“I want to sound a note of caution here. The President who appointed Tinubu for the reconciliation job knew what he was doing. If he does not have regard and respect for Tinubu, he would not have appointed him.

So, people talking rubbish should stop henceforth for the interest of the party.

“Look at Tinubu’s record; even in this APC we are,

chieftain of the

governing All Progressives Congress, APC, in Bayelsa State, Chief Perekeme Kpodo, has said that the party will fail in the forthcoming general elections if the reconciliation by the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, fails.

Kpodo, who spoke in an interview on Friday urged all party members and leaders to support the former Governor of Lagos State in his efforts to reconcile the aggrieved members of the party ahead of the 2019 general elections.

According to him, the choice of Tinubu by President Muhammadu Buhari to carry out the task of reconciling aggrieved members of the party was right and well-thought out.

He said considering the socio-economic and political antecedents of the former Lagos governor, his choice is a round peg in a round hole.

Kpodo said, “I am optimistic that Tinubu’s reconciliation will succeed. But if his reconciliation fails, the APC will fail. Without reconciliation, APC will not go anywhere.

“So, a respectable man as Tinubu should be commended for taking up the appointment of bringing the party together again. We should also thank Mr. President for picking him (Tinubu) for the reconciliation job. That is a wise decision on the part of the President”, he maintained.

He, however, berated the party national Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, for also taking up the job of reconciling members of the

we know what he has achieved so far. In establishing this APC, he played crucial role for its survival. How many of them (those castigating the person of Tinubu) can match his performance and records in all ramifications?

“What I am saying really is that we should give Tinubu the full support he needs, because

we really want to win the forthcoming elections. We want Buhari to win. We have to do everything possible to make sure we win the elections. But this cannot be done if our house is not in order. We need to reconcile all the aggrieved persons in the party, mobilize the people and give everybody a sense of belonging in the party.

“It must also not be lost on us; the problems affecting the APC are greed, in-fighting and injustice. Because of those problems, we narrowly won the last general elections. So, we have to try as much as possible to make sure we ventilate the grievances of aggrieved members through Tinub’s reconciliation and ensure that President Buhari is returned in 2019.”

Kpodo also pointed out that the suspension of some members opposed to the elongation of tenure of the national chairman was wrong and unthinkable, insisting that it was foolhardy to be scattering the party at a time of reconciliation.

He added, “We are trying to reconcile the party and they are scattering it again. Does it mean there should not be any criticism in the

party? We must criticize to rearrange so that everybody will now know where they belong. The meeting of South-South was held in Ebonyi, South-East, does it mean there is no place in the South-South to hold such a meeting?

“The issue now is that the President appointed Senator Bola Tinubu to head a reconciliation committee, but what we are seeing now is that the national chairman is now moving about for reconciliation. The question now is why did he embark on this now?

If he knew all this while he could reconcile the party, why did he not do it?

“Look at the SouthSouth states, we do not have a single state.

Those who are vibrant and capable of winning the states are sidelined.

We made it open during the last elections that we could not win any election without reconciling the party.

“But some persons thwarted our efforts and what happened next, the PDP took over the states in the South-South. So, the issue is that reconciliation should take place genuinely. If people went to court, why suspending them? That is very wrong. It is meant to cause more harm than good for the party.”

gious bodies under the aegis of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), on Thursday stressed the need to deepen religious harmony in Lagos especially, and the nation at large; just as they endorsed Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for a second term in office.

They also said the Land Use Charge review by the state government is in sync with the reality of the times and commensurate with the level of development currently experienced in the state.

The call came as Abul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateef, the state Commissioner for Home Affairs, charged the religious leaders to use the pulpit to preach love and encourage their followers to support policies and programmes aimed at improving the welfare of all, as, according to him, Ambode means well for Lagos.

The clerics spoke at the first quarterly meeting of religious leaders and faith-based organisations, held in Lagos, to further entrench religious harmony and strengthen the existing peace and stability in the state.

NIREC is comprised of Christian and Islamic bodies.

Speaking at the meeting, Tajudeen Yusuf, chairman of NIREC, Lagos chapter, said the endorsement was in recognition of the modest efforts of Ambode in infrastructural

development and the maintenance of peace and religious harmony in Lagos.

According to Yusuf, Ambode’s approval of the existence of NIREC, not only at state level, but across the 20 Local Governments, and 37 Local Council Development Areas of the state, has ensured that issues capable of triggering religious crisis in Lagos, are nipped in the bud.

The religious leader, observed that the Boko Haram crisis and its attendant loss of lives and properties in the northern part of the country could have been avoided, had NIREC at the national level lived up to expectation. He said peace and religious harmony were necessary to advancement and development at any level, assuring that religious bodies would rally around Ambode to actualise his second term ambition, adding that one good term deserves another.

Also speaking, Alexander Bamgbola, co-chairman of NIREC, Lagos chapter, who doubles as chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), said Lagos is a state that enjoys the special grace of God. The CAN chairman, who described Ambode as a listening governor, called for the support of the citizens for the government to enable it do more, especially in infrastructure development.

Cast and crew of Glo Professor Johnbull on set for Season 6 ÏÏÏThe

cast and production crew of Globacom-sponsored television sitcom, Professor Johnbull, have arrived the Coal City, Enugu, as the shoot for Season 6 of the popular drama series commenced.

Feelers from the Executive Producer of the series, Globacom, indicated that some of the cast and crew members landed in Enugu last Friday, while the remaining members joined mid-week. In the same vein, a member of the production crew disclosed, “I can confirm to you that virtually everybody is on ground and shooting has commenced in earnest for Season 6”.

Professor Johnbull which runs on NTA Network, NTA International on DSTV Channel 251 and NTA on StarTimes on Tuesdays at 8.30 p.m. with a repeat broadcast on Fridays on the same channels and time, is a didactic but hilarious series of 30-minute episodes which centre round the family of a retired academic, Professor Johnbull, played

by Nollywood star actor, Kanayo O. Kanayo.

The professor and his family comprising his daughter, Elizabeth (Queen Nwokoye), his

househelp, Nje (Angela Okorie) and his kinsman, Jeroboam, aka Boam (Osita Iheme) live in an Enugu neighbourhood where he is also a community leader, whose respected views and handling of knotty societal issues of conflict resulted in his residence becoming a beehive of constant activities.

Other members of the cast include Nollywood stars such as Yomi Fash Lanso, who plays the role of a restaurateur, Olaniyi Olanipekun; Funky Mallam, who acts Mai Doya, the yam seller; his sales girl, Bimbo Akintola, known as Ufoma in the series, and Professor Johnbull’s security man, Abednego, played by Martins Nebo.

Bidemi Kosoko plays Jumoke; Imeh Bishop is Etuk; Stephen Odimgbe acts as Flash while Ogus Baba plays Samson in the series. Similarly, veterans such as Chief Chika Okpala, whose popular moniker is Zebrudayah; Patience Ozokwor, a.k.a.

Mama G, and Richard MofeDamijo (RMD) have made cameo appearances in the series.

Also, renowned musical artistes including Chinedu Okolie (Flavour)

News 16

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

BILL GATES PARLEYS NIGERIA’S FINANCE MINISTER ON VACCINE FINANCING AND FISCAL AGENDA

The Honourable Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun with the Co-Chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates, during the visit of Gates to the Minister on vaccine financing and support for Nigeria’s fiscal agenda in Abuja on Thursday, 22nd March, 2018

L-R: The Honourable Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun; Co-Chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates and Country Director, Nigeria Office of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Paulin Basinga, during a meeting on vaccine financing and support for Nigeria’s fiscal agenda in Abuja on Thursday, 22nd March, 2018

L-R: The Honourable Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun; Co-Chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates; Country Director, Nigeria Office of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Paulin Basinga, and President, Global Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Chris Elias, during a meeting on vaccine financing and support for Nigeria’s fiscal agenda in Abuja on Thursday, 22nd March, 2018

Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Foundation, Ms. Zouera Youssoufou; Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Dr. Mahmoud Isa-Dutse; Honourable Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, and Co-Chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates, during a meeting on vaccine financing and support for Nigeria’s fiscal agenda in Abuja on Thursday, 22nd March, 2018

News 17

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

BILL GATES PARLEYS NIGERIA’S FINANCE MINISTER ON VACCINE FINANCING AND FISCAL AGENDA

Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Foundation, Ms. Zouera Youssoufou; Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Dr. Mahmoud Isa-Dutse; Honourable Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun; Co-Chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates, and Country Director, Nigeria Office of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Paulin Basinga, during a meeting on vaccine financing and support for Nigeria’s fiscal agenda in Abuja on Thursday, 22nd March, 2018

L_R: The Honourable Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun; Co-Chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gate; President, Global Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Chris Elias; Country Director, Nigeria Office of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Paulin Basinga, during a meeting on vaccine financing and support for Nigeria’s fiscal agenda in Abuja on Thursday, 22nd March, 2018

Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Dr. Mahmoud Isa-Dutse; Honourable Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun; Co-Chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates; Country Director, Nigeria Office of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Paulin Basinga, and President, Global Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Chris Elias, during a meeting on vaccine financing and support for Nigeria’s fiscal agenda in Abuja on Thursday, 22nd March, 2018

The Honourable Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun with the Co-Chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Bill Gates, during the visit of Gates to the Minister on vaccine financing and support for Nigeria’s fiscal agenda in Abuja on Thursday, 22nd March, 2018

18

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

Features Feature

s

s

Electric motors find new roles in robots, ships, cars, and microgrids James Kirtley discusses the transition from gas to electric motors and the impact these motors have had on modern technologies.

Electric motors have been around since Thomas Davenport built the first functional model in 1834, and they have played a growing part in our lives ever since.

Today, they continue to replace diesel and gas engines, as well as hydraulic cylinders, while evolving into new designs optimized for robots and other technologies.

“Something like 40 percent of electric power is used to drive motors, and that number will only grow,” says James Kirtley, a professor in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and in MIT’s Research Laboratory of Electronics. “Electric motors are being used more widely in ships, airplanes, trains, and cars. We’re also seeing a lot more electric motors in robots.”

The ongoing transition from gas to electric is primarily driven by the need for more efficient devices that run with cleaner energy sources. Yet, electric motors also tend to be more responsive, and are more adaptable to new applications, especially in smaller devices.

As one of the world’s leading experts on electric motors, Kirtley’s philosophy is that one size does not fit all. “If you take into account the specific application, you can build a motor that is far better adapted than a general purpose motor,” says Kirtley. “For example, I’m working with someone who is making robots for medical assist, and he needs motors with very special characteristics.”

Many of the newer types of electric motors tend to be much smaller and run on less power than in the past. “I started working with electric motors 40 years ago designing big nuclear generators with 20-foot long rotors that were 6 feet in diameter and could produce a gigawatt and a half of power,” says Kirtley. “I’m now building motors on the order of 100 to 200 Watts for appliance motors, which are kinder and gentler to the system powering them. In the automotive industry, the average automobile has dozens of small motors for things like door locks, wiper blades, air conditioning, and seat positioners.”

Even excluding the separate field of MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems), which Kirtley is not directly involved in, electric motors are now shrinking to as small as the 1 W devices found in cellphones. A variety of innovative new compact motors are being developed all over MIT, says Kirtley, who points to an interesting variable reluctance motor for a prosthetic foot being designed at MIT’s Center for Art, Science and Technology.

Clean transportation is another source of innovation in electric motors. “In my lab we’re doing work with a small company in Cambridge that makes bicycle assist wheels,”

“We’re thinking about the dynamics of motors connected to microgrids, and how you can improve their stability and make them work better,” Kirtley says. “We’re concerned about continuity of supply, which is especially important with microgrids supporting large server farms. You don’t want your system to be forced into an involuntary reboot simply because you had a glitch in the electric power supply. Electric motors can add more reliability.”

Electrifying the Cheetah robot

James Kirtley

says Kirtley. “The wheel stores some energy, and can react to pedaling forces to help it climb hills. These are entirely new applications.”

Improving microgrids with smart motors

Kirtley’s early involvement with power-plant generators led him to study electric power systems. His research into the subject culminated in 2010 with his Wiley-published book, “Electric Power Principles.” Lately, he’s been focusing on the customer-end of the system, where he is finding a role for electric motors in helping distribution systems adapt to intermittent, user-generated solar power.

“Electric power distribution systems are being stretched by the growing use of distributed renewable generation, such as rooftop solar,” says Kirtley. “Typically, electricity is transmitted from large power plants through extra high voltage wires, and the voltage is stepped down and delivered to customers. The problem with rooftop solar is that it looks to the power system like a reduction in load, but as solar cells become more widespread, homes will at times be able to produce more power than they’re consuming. So the power flows backward, which makes everything more complicated.”

Utilities are now working on smart microgrids that can adapt to distributed, multidirectional power. The greater flexibility is primarily enabled by smarter electronics, as well as efficient, distributed battery storage. Yet, microgrids still have a problem with even brief power outages, which can sometimes cause them to shut down.

Many of the recent innovations in electric motors are found in robotics, which need smarter motors that can reliably deliver variable levels of power on demand for short periods. Electric motors can provide mobile robots with significantly longer battery life compared to traditional hydraulic systems.

“Hydraulics are controlled primarily through throttle valves, so a lot of energy is wasted pumping and controlling the hydraulic fluid,” says Kirtley.

Kirtley has been working with Professor Jeffrey Lang on developing customized electric motors for Department of Mechanical Engineering colleague Sangbae Kim’s robotic cheetah, a running, jumping quadruped that has gained widespread publicity in recent years.

The cheetah’s new motor is not only more efficient, but also more powerful, although only in short intervals.

“A secondary advantage of electric motors is responsiveness and control,” says Kirtley. “We can build a motor that can produce considerable torque in short spikes, even if we can’t necessarily produce the forces for a long period of time. It’s perhaps a little too powerful for the cheetah, which can now jump so high in the air, it probably wouldn’t survive the landing if they didn’t catch it.”

Electric motors transform ships

Most commercial ships still use diesel engines, while many naval vessels use gas turbine engines. Yet shipping is quickly moving toward electric propulsion, motivated primarily by efficiency, says Kirtley. Aside from nuclear-powered vessels, these tend to be hybrid systems in which diesel or gas generators drive an electric motor.

“A traditional gear drive for ships has some very decided disadvantages,” he says. “For example, most destroyers in the U.S. Navy have gearboxes with very precise machining requirements, and are therefore expensive. They also require a fixed gear ratio between the engine and the water, so the prime mover is not operating near its peak fuel efficiency. Because of that, much of commercial shipping, and virtually all cruise ships, are now moving to electric propulsion, and even the U.S. Navy is

starting to use it for its latest destroyer.”

The other problem with fuel-driven geardrive engines is “the tyranny of the shaft line,” says Kirtley. “If you’re going to use a direct gear drive, the engine, gearbox, and propeller must line up very precisely, which often takes up valuable real estate within the body of the ship. With electric propulsion, we don’t have that problem. The engines can be placed anywhere where it’s convenient. In cruise ships, for example, the motors are place in a pod underneath the ship.”

Electric cars: adapting the engine to the road

The main difference between electric propulsion on ships vs. cars is related to torque requirements, says Kirtley. “On a ship, top speed defines the torque requirement,” he explains.

“Automobile propulsion occurs across a speed range of about 10 to 1, with an engine that idles at 600 rpm capable of redlining at about 6,000 rpm. The best motors for cars are those that are adaptable to a very wide speed range.”

The variable speeds used in a car require that “the gearbox adapt the engine to the road,” says Kirtley. “You can generate an electric motor that can propel an automobile without a gear shift.”

In the past, Kirtley has consulted with Tesla Motors on its electric cars, and both agree that “the induction motor is the best for electric automobiles,” says Kirtley. Many other electric car manufacturers are still using permanent magnet motors, which he says are intrinsically less efficient in the wide speed and torque range required by car propulsion.

“For any given electric motor there is a tradeoff between excitation — making the operating magnetic field within the machine — and reaction, providing current to push on that exciting field inside the machine,” explains Kirtley. “In a permanent magnet machine that field is constant and cannot be adjusted, so a machine that is turning very fast but making relatively little torque is dropping a lot of power in losses in the machine’s magnetic iron. In an induction motor you can back off on the excitation to provide torque at the energetically optimal fashion. You can improve the drive efficiency of a car over a complete drive cycle by as much of a factor of two in fewer losses.”

Induction motors aren’t optimal for all applications, however, which brings Kirtley back to his main thesis: “In the development of motors for modern applications, it is most important to understand the totality of operational requirements,” he says. “That is key to making electric motors that will accomplish what they do best: provide motion in a responsive and efficient fashion.”

SOURCE: MIT news

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

19 News

Enugu crash: NSCDC confirms 1 death, says abduction of officer caused unrest Moses Oyediran, Enugu

ÏÏÏThe

Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), on Friday, revealed that the protest along New Market Road in Enugu on Thursday was caused by the abduction of its officer on duty.

The Commandant of NSCDC, Enugu State Command, Mr. Steve

Amoga, disclosed this to newsmen in Enugu.

Amoga said that it seems the protest after the incident was stage managed even as placards started dotting the roads within few minutes of the incident.

He noted that the NSCDC officials were duly and officially mandated to decongest the New Market Road and its adjoining roads as well as

ensure that traders trade in the market and not on the roads.

According to him, there was no gun shot fired on the commercial bus involved in the accident as claimed by the protesters.

“We have a directive from the state government that nobody should pick passengers along that road and its adjoining roads as well as keep the traders in the market.

“So, when the commercial bus driver stopped to pick passenger on the road, our operative on official duty accosted him; while telling him that it was wrong for him to do that.

“As our man entered the bus, bus driver zoomed off with him. So, other officers on ground chased after him; in the process, the bus fell into a ditch and caught fire.

“We only chased after the commercial bus with three passengers and a driver because he abducted our official and drove off with him,’’ he said.

The commandant, however, expressed regret that one of the passengers died in the inferno that caught up with the vehicle while he was trapped; while the bus driver jumped out of the vehicle and took to his heel before the vehicle fell in a ditch.

He noted that the two other passengers in the incident and the official of the corps had been taken to hospital and they are

currently under police custody.

“We are saddened for the loss of a life in the whole unfortunate incident, which was caused by the reckless bus driver, whom the police had already begun a manhunt on,’’ he said.

According to him; we are civil defence, we have always remain civil and civilian in our operations anywhere we are.

“The command has continued to ensure friendly posture with members of the public and made our operations seamless with human face,’’ he added.

Group kicks against rock blasting in residential areas Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

ÏÏÏ A non-governmental,

L-R: Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Akin Oke; Deputy Chairman, Alhaji Isiaka Alimi; and State Secretary, Hon. Mojeed Olaoya, during the party’s indirect primaries that produced consensus candidates for the proposed May 12 election into Local Government and Local Council Development Areas of the state, at Lafia Hotel, Ibadan... on Friday

2019: CAN prays for Ugwuanyi’s re-election Moses Oyediran, Enugu

ÏÏÏThe

Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Enugu State chapter has offered special prayers for the re-election of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in 2019 and God’s continuous favour on him to fulfill his heart desires for the state.

Rising from a “mega prayer rally”, tagged: “Enugu State is in the Hands of God”, which was attended by the leaders of the five blocs in CAN Enugu State, namely, Most Rev. Dr. Calistus Onaga of the CSN (represented by Rev. Fr. Dr. Donatus Onuigbo); Most Rev. Dr. Emmanuel O. Chukwuma of the CCN; Bishop Obi Onubuogu of CPFN/PFN; Rev. Michael Ebonine of OAIC and Rev. Emmanuel Edeh of ECWA/TEKAN, the chairman of the association, Rt. Rev. Christian Obiefuna in his address told Gov. Ugwuanyi that “your second tenure is in the Hands of God” and “it is safe with

Him because you have acknowledged Him”.

Disclosing that the rally’s prayer theme “originated from the doctrinal and ideological principles” of Gov. Ugwuanyi, the Christian body commended the governor for his commitment to God and entrenchment of peace and good governance in Enugu State, stating that he pays workers’ salaries regularly, provides infrastructure and security, etc, in spite of “the dwindling economy” and “meager resources” of the state.

CAN Enugu State described Gov. Ugwuanyi as a “God-fearing” leader and stated that the association was “proud to identify with a man whose slogan is Enugu State is in the Hands of God”, saying: “Be assured of our support and supplications to God for a successful, peaceful transition and fulfillment of your heart desires for Enugu State”.

The body added that the prayer rally was “our

own contribution to support the good governance in Enugu State under the supervision of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi”, stressing that it is imperative to ensure that the state continues to be in the Hands of God in “principle and practice”.

“Beloved, truly, Enugu State is in the Hands of God. It is imperative that our efforts should be that Enugu State shall continue to be in the Hands of God in principle and practice. CAN is not a political party and shall not act as such.

“Our role is to encourage all believers in Christ to fear and respect God in all our dealings in public and private for inheritance of eternal life and to pray for those in authority for good governance, as the heart of the king is in the hands of the Lord”, said CAN Enugu State.

While wishing the governor “a happy birthday and more fruitful returns”, the body prayed: “God will give you good

life, good health, wisdom and understanding and show His mercies on you now and hereafter. As you have handed Enugu State to God, Enugu State is secured. Don’t relent in prayers and acknowledging Him because the best is yet to come as He will direct your path”.

Responding, Gov. Ugwuanyi, who thanked God for His grace in the state, also appreciated the leaders and members of CAN for coming out in their large numbers to pray for him and the success of his administration.

The governor revealed that God is the secret of his administration’s success, stating that “ever since we handed Enugu State over to God, we can see the hands of God in all we do”.

He expressed gratitude to members of all the churches in Enugu State and urged them to continue to remember his administration in prayers as it strives to take the state to the next level.

non-profit organization Urban-Rural Environmental Defenders (U-RED) has raised the alarm over “continued indiscriminate and unsafe blasting of rocks at residential areas across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and environs.

Speaking at a sensitization workshop organized for village heads, community leaders and other stakeholders on Thursday at Bwari, Abuja, the Director U-RED, Gods’power Martins lamented that deposit of hills/rocks in the communities are supposed to be a blessing in various ways to the communities.

But he regretted that rocks were being blasted everyday few meters to the communities thereby exposing the communities to all manner of socio-health risks, death and environmental degradation.

Martins described the situation as worrisome, warning on the “dire consequences of this unwholesome blasting of rocks and quarry activities with crude technologies.”

This, U-RED cautioned could lead to deafening sounds, vibrations leading to cracks and collapse of buildings as well as death from flying rocks and pollution of the environment among others.

“While we are not against exploitation of natural resources, destroying the environment and host communities should not be the cost of doing so.

“The questions before of us today are: What do we think will happen to the communities and its environment if this harm-

ful blasting of rocks and unsafe quarry activities continue unabated? When the hazardous blasting of rocks and unhealthy quarrying activities stop, who restores or remedies the environment, the craters, security pits, cracks and compacted soil.

“Should we allow the environmental hazards to continue or join hands to legitimately correct the worrisome activity? These are the questions begging for answers,” he said.

The sensitization programme was organized on the premise that local communities and individuals have the right to a clean and healthy environment, to livelihood, right of nature, right to participate in decision making on all matters that affect the community and environment in line with “Environmental Considerations and Rights of Host Communities” of The Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007, Chapter 4.

Similarly, he called on government to ensure quarries are approved at least 50 kilometers away from residents, use of clean energy, formulate stringent mining laws and slam heavy fine on defaulters.

The Community chiefs and leaders greatly appreciated U-RED and agreed that the right thing should be done, that a cleaner way of blasting should be employed.

In his remarks, Director Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) Nnimmo Bassey decried frequent rock blasting with explosives which according to him leads to destruction of building, infrastructure, and environmental pollution.

20

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

Public Notice 21

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24 , 2018

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I formerly known and addressed as OJIBE EMMANUEL OBIAJULU now wish to be known and addressed as ABUNDANCE EMMANUEL OBINNA. All former documents remain valid, General public to please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as O’Peters Jummy Olayinka now wish to be known and addressed as Olurinde-Peters Jummy Temitope Olayinka. All former documents remain valid, General public to please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS NWABUISI CHIAMAKA LOVETH now wish to be known and addressed as MRS UKWUANI CHIAMAKA LOVETH. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and General public should please take note.

NWOGHA LAZARUS EDE

ONYEKA CHINEDU EMMANUEL

UGWUAKU OGECHUKWU VIRGINIA

I, formerly known and addressed as ONYEKA EMMANUEL, now wish to be known and addressed as ONYEKA CHINEDU EMMANUEL. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as ANIDIOBI OGECHUKWU VIRGINIA now wish to be known and addressed as UGWUAKU OGECHUKWU VIRGINIA. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take note.

MRS OKOBO NNEOMA IFECHUKWU

MRS NNAJI ONYINYE CYNTHIA

MRS BELONWU BLESSING CHEKWUBE

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS IKEH NNEOMA IFECHUKWU, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OKOBO NNEOMA IFECHUKWU. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS EKOH ONYINYE CYNTHIA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS NNAJI ONYINYE CYNTHIA. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and General public should please take note.

UDESIKE NGOZIKA AGATHA.

NNALUE SUNDAY

MRS AGU FAVOUR NNENNA.

MRS OGBU JENNIFER KOSORUCHUKWU

EKEH JOSHUA CHIGOZIE. I, formerly known and addressed as EKEH JOSHUA CHIBUIKE now wish to be known and addressed as EKEH JOSHUA CHIGOZIE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note

OSUIGBOLEKU MARY IFEOBU CHUKWUFUNAYA

I, formerly known and addressed as NWOGWU LAZARUS EDE now wish to be known and addressed as NWOGHA LAZARUS EDE. All former documents remain valid. BANKS and General public should please take note.

EBORO UZOMA GRACE

I, formerly known and addressed as NNALUE ANIEGBOKE SUNDAY, now wish to be known and addressed as NNALUE SUNDAY. All former documents remain valid. BANKS and General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as OGUNMDYERD OLUMIDE BARNABAS, now wish to be known and addressed as OLORUNYDMI OLUMIDE BARNABAS. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS JOSEPH SEGUN KUNUJI NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS THOMAS SEGUN MICHAEL. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE

UDUAK JAMES UD0H .

I, formerly known and addressed as OKEMEFULA UZOMA WINNER, now wish to be known and addressed as EBORO UZOMA GRACE . All former documents remain valid. BANKS and General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ONUOHA ABIGAIL ADAMMA., now wish to be known and addressed as MRS NDUKWE ABIGAIL ADAMMA. All former documents remain valid. NYSC, FEDERAL POLY OKO and General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS AGU NNENNA FAVOUR, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS AGU FAVOUR NNENNA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

THOMAS SEGUN MICHAEL.

OKECHUKWU CECILIA NDIDI

I, formerly known and addressed as OBIAJULU NGOZIKA AGATHA, now wish to be known and addressed as UDESIKE NGOZIKA AGATHA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

MRS JULIE ADAYE DUKE

I, formerly known and addressed as NWALI NDIDI, now wish to be known and addressed as OKECHUKWU CECILIA NDIDI All former documents remain valid.

NYSC EBSU and General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS JULIE JOSEPHUS DAVIES, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS JULIE ADAYE DUKE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

MRS EZEILO NNEAMAKA SYLVIA

MRS OKORO JOY NNENNA.

MRS OKORONKWO OGECHUKWU MAUREEN

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS MUODUM NNEAMAKA SYLVIA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS EZEILO NNEAMAKA SYLVIA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ONYIA JOY NNENNA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OKORO JOY NNENNA. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OSSIA OGECHUKWU MAUREEN, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OKORONKWO OGECHUKWU MAUREEN. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

OBIKWELU CHIAMAKA FELICIA

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS UGWUOKE BLESSING CHEKWUBE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS BELONWU BLESSING CHEKWUBE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

MRS NNAMANI UKAMAKA ROSEMARY.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ONOVO UKAMAKA ROSEMARY, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS NNAMANI UKAMAKA ROSEMARY. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

MRS NNAJI LOVINA AMARA I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ONWUDINJO AMARA LOVINA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS NNAJI LOVINA AMARA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

AWOLAJA ATINUSHOLA ABIGAIL.

OBIKWELU CHIAMAKA FELICIA

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OKOH JENNIFER KOSORUCHUKWU, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OGBU JENNIFER KOSORUCHUKWU. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as STEPHEN UDEZE MOSES, now wish to be known and addressed as STEPHEN UDEZE OKPUCHA. All former documents remain valid. BANKS and General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as AWOLAJA SHOL, now wish to be known and addressed as AWOLAJA ATINUSHOLA ABIGAIL. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as EZEILO CHIAMAKA FELICIA, now wish to be known and addressed as OBIKWELU CHIAMAKA FELICIA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note

I, formerly known and addressed as EZEILO CHIAMAKA FELICIA, now wish to be known and addressed as OBIKWELU CHIAMAKA FELICIA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note

I, formerly known and addressed as NGOZI OKOROAFOR, now wish to be known and addressed as JANET NGOZI OKECHUKWU NWAKUNA. All former documents remain valid. BANKS and General public should please take note.

EZEKWEM LINDALINE EBERE

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

ONUOHA DEBORAH NGOZI

EMEJURU NAOMI NDIDI

GODWIN PRINCE CHIMEREZE.

DAVIES KEHINDE OLASUMBO

I, formerly known and addressed as EZEKWEM EBERE MARYANNE, now wish to be known and addressed as EZEKWEM LINDALINE EBERE. My correct date of birth is 14thNov.1993 All former documents remain valid.

Banks and General public should please take note.

This is to certify and confirm that OSSAI REGINA OGECHI, OSSAI GINA and OSSAI GINA OGECHI refers as one and the same person now wish to be known and addressed as OSSAI GINA OGECHI. All former documents remain valid. BANKS and General public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as EGBUJO DEBORAH NGOZI now wish to be known and addressed as ONUOHA DEBORAH NGOZI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I formerly known and addressed as OKOLI NAOMI NDIDI now wish to be known called and addressed as EMEJURU NAOMI NDIDI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I formerly known and addressed as GODWIN PRINCE now wish to be known called and addressed as GODWIN PRINCE CHIMEREZE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note

JANET NGOZI OKECHUKWU NWAKUNA.

I formerly known and addressed as OSENI KEHINDE OLASUMBO now wish to be known called and addressed as DAVIES KEHINDE OLASUMBO. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24 , 2018

NEXIM Bank gets a new board Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

ÎÎÎ Following the consti-

tution of the Governing Boards of Government Agencies by the President and Commander- in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has inaugurated the Board of Directors of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM).

In line with the Nigerian Export-Import Bank Act 38 of 1991, the new Board has as its Chairman, Dr. Joseph Okwu Nnanna, Deputy Governor, Economic Policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Other directors include Dr. Mudashiru Olaitan, Mrs Olubunmi Siyanbola, Mr. Ochapa Ogenyi, Engr. (Hon) Adesina Adegbenro, and Hajiya Ramatu Ahmed.

Tayo Omidiji, Head, Strategy and Communications said that the newly appointed directors joined the Executive Management Team of the Bank headed by Abba Bello, the Managing Director/Chief Executive, who is ably assisted by Bala Bello, Executive Director, Corporate services and Stella Okotete, Executive Director, Business Development.

According to Omijidi, the new Chairman, Dr. Nnanna, brings to bear his rich experience as an economist and banker over the last three decades, during which he has been involved in policy formulation and development of financial markets.

Having joined the Central Bank of Nigeria in 1994, he rose to become the Director, Research & Statistics in 2001 and was appointed Deputy Governor in 2015.

In-between his career at the CBN, he held several positions and was the Director General of the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI) from 2006-2008.

He also served as a Staff Economist & Desk Officer in the African Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and was a Consultant to the United Nations Conference on Trade & Development (UNCTAD).

Given the recent efforts to retool and enhance its operations, the Bank is quite excited that the inauguration of the new Board will engender necessary synergy and strengthen the corporate governance structures to deliver quickly on its mandate.

The Daily Times recalls that since April, 2017, NEXIM has embarked on a strategic repositioning exercise and restructuring of its operations towards achieving the economic diversification objectives of the federal government of Nigeria in line with the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

Gombe Police, DSS, army foil planned abduction of students ÎÎÎ A combined efforts

of the Police, Army and men of the Department of State Security (DSS) were able to successfully burst a planned kidnap and abduction of students from the Gombe State College of Islamic and Legal Studies in Nafada, a border town with Yobe State.

Briefing newsmen Friday afternoon, Gombe State Commissioner of Police, Shina Tairu Olukolu, who was accompanied by the State Director of DSS and the Commander of the 301 Artillery Regiment, said the synergy between the three Forces disrupted the planned kidnap which has led to the arrest of the suspected insurgent, one Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed.

However, Mohammed

a 26-year-old student of Sharia and Legal Studies Department of the School confessed to sending the threat of the planned abduction through a text message saying however that he did it because he was not ready for the impending examination of the college, hence, the threatening text message.

According to the Commissioner of Police, on 14th March, 2018 around 1:30 pm, an information from the Divisional Police Officer in Nafada indicated that an unknown person with GSM number 08165963766 sent a threatening text message of a mass abduction of the Students of the Gombe State College of Islamic and Legal Studies to the Registrar of the School.

He quoted the text mes-

sage which read, “unless the impending examination is stopped and the college closed down, there will be mass abduction of students and staff killed”.

He said due to the professionalism of the Services and the seamless collaboration, the synergy between the three forces paid off and the prime suspect, Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed was arrested.

Also arrested were his cohorts, Haruna Mohammed, 28, and Gambo Mohammed, 37, who bought and pre- registered the sim and used it in sending the threat message.

The Police who paraded Abubakar Sadiq along with other suspects also displayed seven pre-registered sim cards and the sim pack of the sim used in sending the threat mes-

sage with twelve other sim packs.

The Police also displayed four different Local Government indigenes’ Certificates (Akko, Kwami, Gombe and Yamaltu/ Deba) all bearing Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed.

One voter’s card bearing the suspect’s name and two UN Medals and many pieces of equipment were recovered from the suspects.

He called on the public to continue to partner with Police and other security agencies by giving genuine information at all times.

He, however, warned that people must “desist from taking the laws into their hands by either mob attack or confronting security agencies in the performance of their consti-

Ondo APC primary: Supreme court dismisses The supreme court has dismissed an appeal filed by Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo state, on the primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election in the state.

Akeredolu had challenged a July 2017 judgment of the court of appeal, Abuja,

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which upheld an order by a federal high court, granting permission to Olusegun Abraham, an aspirant of the APC in the primary election.

Abraham had sought to serve Akeredolu court documents in relation to a suit he filed, through substituted means.

But the apex court af-

firmed the decision of an appeal court which upheld a ruling of the trial court.

The trial court had granted leave to Abraham to serve the documents through substituted means.

Abraham, thought to be the preferred candidate of Bola Tinubu, national leader of the

ATOMS JOHN NMA CHINAZO.

ONAHILL KOLADE MICHAEL.

I, formerly known and addressed as NMA Chinazo John, now wish to be known and addressed henceforth as ATOMS John Nma Chinazo. All former documents remain valid. John Atoms Limited and the general public take note.

The general public is hereby inform that the above named association has applied to Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No 1 of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. ABIGAIL ADEJOKE IBIYEMI 2. OLUREMILEKUN ITUNU OTESANYA 3. OLUDAMOLA OMOSUNMI IBIYEMI 4. ADURAGBEMI ADESOLA IBIYEMI 5. ZACHEAUS ALAO SHOYODE Aims and Objectives 1. To propagate the gospel of Jesus Christ.

2. To raise disciples as true ambassador of Christ Jesus.

3. To use the gospel of Christ to positively influence marriages, family and society at Large.

Any objection (S) should be forwarded to the Registrar- General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

I formerly known and addressed as Anuwe Kolade Michael now wish to be known and addressed as Onahill Kolade Michael. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note

LIGHT CITY CHURCH

THE GRACE OF CHRIST CHRISTIAN CHURCH - ALADURA

SIGNED: SECRETARY

22 Public Notice

The general public is herby informed that the above-named CHURCH has Applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration Under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1 REV. RAY GODSWILL ONYEMACHI CHAIRMAN 2.

PASTOR GOODNESS IFEOMA ONYEMACHI SECRETARY AIMS & OBJECTIVE 1) To propagate the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

2) To promote the Spiritual and physical wellbeing of members.

3) To promote peace and communal wellbeing in our Society.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed SECRETARY

APC, is challenging the primary election that produced Akeredolu as the party’s candidate.

At the apex court on Friday, a five-man panel of justices led by John Okoro held that the governor’s appeal lacked merit.

The court also awarded N500,000 in

BAMOWO OYONMI ADEOLA . I formerly known as BAMOWO ADEOLA OLAYINKA now wish to be known as BAMOWO OYONMI ADEOLA. All former documents remain valid. That my date of birth was wrongly written as 3/4/1969 instead of 3/4/1972. That my correct date of birth is 3/4/1972. General public take note

BERE JOSEPHINE. I formerly known and addressed as ODOH JOSEPHINE UGONNA now wish to be known called and addressed as IBERE JOSEPHINE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note

the favour of Abraham.

Abraham is asking the court that he be declared governor on the basis that he is the actual winner of the primary election.

The substantive matter is before Nnamdi Dimgba, a judge of the federal high court, Abuja.

ABDULLAHI LETENA AJUMA. I formerly known and addressed as NUHU AJUMA LANTANA now wish to be known called and addressed as ABDULLAHI LETENA AJUMA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

OKOHA BLESSING NGOZI. I formerly known and addressed as OKOHA BLESSING NJIDEKA now wish to be known called and addressed as OKOHA BLESSING NGOZI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

ADEBOYEJO ADEYEMI TAOFEEK

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

I, formerly known and addressed as ADEBOYEJO TAOFEEQ MUSTAPHA now wish to be known and addressed as ADEBOYEJO ADEYEMI TAOFEEK. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

This is to confirm and certify that ABDULRAHEEM RIDWAN OLANREWAJU, ABDRAHEEM RIDWANULAH OLA and ABDROHEEM RIDWANULA OLANREWAJU refer to one and same person. That my date of birth is 16 June 1993. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

News 23

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March, 24, 2018

IPOB trial: Chimezie, 3 others ask for bail Andrew Orolua, Abuja.

ÎÎÎ

The four alleged members of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) standing trial on three count treasonable felony have asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to quash the charge for lack of jurisdiction.

The defendants: Bright Chimeze, Benjamin Madubugwu, Chidiebere Onwudiwe and David Nwawuisi who were rearraigned on Tuesday also

asked the court to admit them to bail.

In a notice of notice of preliminary objection filed by their counsel the defendants are challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the charges. They also prayed the court to strike the charge of ‘Treasonable Felony’ on the grounds that ‘agitating for self-determination or secession is not a crime known to any Nigerian Law’.

In the Motion, counsels argued that ‘the allegation

that defendants were making preparations to secede is not one of the four offenses defined as a treasonable felony under Section 41 of the Criminal Code’.

The Section provides as follows: “Any person who forms an intention to effect any of the following purposes, that is to say- (a) to remove during his term of office otherwise than by constitutional means the President as Head of State of the Federation and Commander-in-Chief of

the armed forces thereof;or (b) To likewise remove during his term of office the Governor of a State; or (c) to levy war against Nigeria in order by force or constraint to compel the President to change his measures or counsels, or in order to put any force or constraint upon, or in order to intimidate or overawe any House of the National Assembly or any other Legislature or legislative authority; or (d) To instigate any for-

eigner to make any armed invasion of Nigeria or of any of the territories thereof; and manifests such intention by an overt act, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for life”.

On the basis of the above provisions, defense counsels are contending in their Motion that ‘preparations to secede’ is not an ‘offense captured under any of the four offenses listed in Section 41 of the Criminal Code that should sustain the Charge of conspiracy to

secede for which the defendants were charged under Section 516 of the Criminal Code’.

It will be recalled that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who is now at large was also charged for the same offense that defense counsels have challenged.

The court had adjourned further trial to May 1, 2018; and scheduled a hearing on the Motion challenging its jurisdiction as well as the applications for bail on March 28, 2018.

Adeboye asks God to visit Boko Haram camp over Dapchi Christian girl ÎÎÎ

General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye has reacted to the detention of Leah Sharibu, the only Dapchi schoolgirl in Boko Haram captivity.

Sharibu was among the girls abducted on February 19 but the sect returned all but six of the 110 female students to Dapchi on Wednesday.

While five had died, Sharibu who is still alive was not released because she rejected the option of converting to Islam.

In a tweet on Friday, Adeboye asked God to visit Boko Haram camp and set Sharibu free.

“Lord, we ask that you visit the camp of the captors and in a way that You alone can, see to the safe release and return of the missing

girl Leah Sharibu in Jesus name,” he tweeted.

“But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.”

On Wednesday, the girl’s father said he was happy that his daughter did not denounce Christ “All of them were released. They said some were dead there and my daughter is alive but they cannot release her because she is a Christian,” he had told RayPower FM. “They gave her the option of converting in order to be released but she said she will never become a Muslim… I am very sad but I am also jubilating too because my daughter did not denounce Christ.”

Police Commission approves dismissal of ASP, reinstates five officers ÎÎÎ

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the dismissal of an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) over issues bordering on “serious misconduct”.

A statement by the PSC Head of Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, on Friday revealed that the commission also approved the compulsory retirement of another ASP. These were part of the decisions of the PSC at its 26th plenary meeting presided over by the chairman of the

commission, Dr. Mike Okiro.

The commission also vacated the dismissal of five police officers and reinstated them into the service.

It also reinstated and promoted to the next rank, one DSP, and two ASPs, following their discharge and acquittal by the court.

Similarly, the PSC vacated the pending disciplinary matter against DCP Godwin Nwobodo, adjusted his seniority, and promoted him to the rank of a Commissioner of Police with effect from January 30th, 2013.

L-R: Deputy Chairman House Committee on Health Hon. Mohammed Usman; Chairman House Committee on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, Hon. Davematics Ombugadu and representative of the speaker Hon. Sam Onigbo during the launching of Nigerian Parliamentary Tuberculosis Caucus at the National Assembly in Abuja yesterday.

Photo: Temitope Balogun

PADAA holds international conference, 2018 Award of Excellence in Ghana Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

ÎÎÎ The Pan Africanism

Development of Africa

by Africans (PADAA) has said that it has concluded arrangement for its international conference on Africa’s Development and Award of Excellence 2018 in Accra, Ghana.

The conference would outline some of the major challenges militating against the development of the continent and solutions would be proffered by economics, political and health experts on the way forward for Africa.

In a statement signed by the country Representative/ Chairman Local Organis-

ing Committee, Mr Boniface Abraham, Deputy Country Representative Mr Baba Adamu JP, said the conference would bring Africans wordwide to brainstorm on the future of the contine and how to build a progressive, peaceful and developed Africa for the younger generation.

According to them, it would also have a special focus on leadership, empowerment and development of Africa by Africans through technological education.

The event will also celebrate and honour Pan African Achievers who have contributed positively to the development of the continent of Africa.

Keynote address will

be delivered by Mr. Kwesi Pratt, CEO Insight Newspaper Ghana,HRH Eze Kennedy Ginikanwa Obi Ebube Agu 1 of Ghana, Dr Earnest Azudialu-Obiejesi Group Managing Director, Obijackson group and Chief (Dr) Francis Daniel Okumagba GMD FMG. Notable Ghanaian and Nigerian cultural troupes will be on ground to entertain invited guests at the event on 30th March, 2018 at Tomreik international Hotel Accra Ghana.

Those who will would be honoured with award of excellence for prudent leadership, hardwork, innovation and selfless service to humanity include: Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara speaker

House of Reps, Minister of Aviation Nigeria Hadi sirika, Dr Hajo Sani P A to wife of president Buhari,Alh Lawal Abdullahi kazuare Cheif Protocol Officer to the President, Chief of Air Staff Sadique Abubakar; Lt Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai, Chief of Army Staff.

Justice Babatunde Adeniran Adejumo, President Industrial Court of Nigeria; Rt Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, Speaker Lagos State House of Assembly; Hon.Wasiu E. Sanni, Deputy Speaker LSHA; Hon Godiya Akwashiki Deputy Speaker NSHA; Senator, Emmanuel Paulker, Senator Gershom Bassey, Senator Rose Oko; Cheif Dr Francis Daniel Okumagba GMD FMG, Abuja Nigeria

News 24

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

NiMet loses billions of naira yearly in maritime sector – DG

President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

With them is the Chairman Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, during a meeting between the National Working Committee of the APC and the APC caucus in the Senate at the National Assembly

Buhari mourns Christopher Abebe, Stella Obasanjo’s father Ï Ï Ï President

Muhammadu Buhari has mourned the death of Dr Christopher Abebe, the father of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s late wife, Stella.

The President’s condolence was conveyed in a statement signed on Friday in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina.

He commiserated with the Abebe family as well as the government and people of

Edo State on the death of the business mogul aged 99.

President Buhari also extended heartfelt condolences to the in-laws, friends, the organised private sector and the Iruekpen community in Edo State over the passage of the astute and dedicated community leader.

He described the deceased as a shining light and worthy example of hard work, positive influence and

patriotism to his local community, the private sector, and the nation.

President Buhari further urged family members, business associates and the Catholic Church in Nigeria where Dr. Abebe served committedly as Papal Knight of St Gregory and Supreme Knight of St Mulumba to honour his memory by upholding his lifelong dedication and passion to human development.

He also prayed that

Almighty God would grant the soul of the departed eternal rest and comfort all who mourned him.

While he was alive, Dr Abebe held the positions of the Odionwere (community leader) of Iruekpen, the first indigenous Chairman and Managing Director of United Africa Company (UAC), Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of three Nigerian Universities (Benin, Nsukka and Calabar) among others.

Dapchi schoolgirls didn’t bathe for a month in captivity ÏÏÏLawal

Daura, director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura said the Dapchi schoolgirls released by Boko Haram insurgents did not take their bath while in captivity.

Daura disclosed this while presenting the girls to President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja on Friday.

The girls were abducted on February 19 and released on March 21.

The DSS DG also said the victims had been medically examined, while those with ailments had been treated.

He said four of the girls had broken limbs.

“On release, the victims were taken into the DSS medical facility and are put through programmes to give them mental stability,” he said.

“As such, they are given psychological mental evaluation conducted by trained specialists. About four who were discovered to have broken limbs and were sent for X-ray.

“Almost all of them had one skin infection or the other having not taken bath for over a month.

They have been medically examined, and those with ailments were treated The

measures are to ensure that they are in good health.”

Daura said the only condition demanded

by Boko Haram was a ceasefire to enable them return the girls.

“The insurgents only condition was the demand for cessation of hostilities and temporary ceasefire to enable them return the girls at the point they picked them,” he said.

“They required assurances that the government security forces would keep to this…

Mr. President, in view of the nation’s experience through these years of

insurgency, it is humbly suggested that efforts be sustained towards.

“Ensuring the release of all abducted persons in the north-east theatre of operation. Improve the strategic plan for the safety of schools in vulnerable locations, using all available national assets.

“Improve on the coordination efforts amongst security agencies to avoid future incidents.

Expand the current dialogue towards conflict mitigation and resolution, with a view to getting an everlasting peace for the entire sub-region.”

Director-General/CEO, Nigerian Meteorological Agency, says the agency is losing billions of naira yearly for not providing weather services to the maritime industry in Nigeria.

Mashi made this known while briefing newsmen on occasion to commemorate the 2018 World Meteorological Day with the theme: “Weather Ready, Climate Smart’’ on Friday in Abuja.

He said with over 6,000 ships berthing in Nigerian ports annually, NiMet’s would be generating billions in revenue if those ships were using its weather services by charging just N100, 000 per ship annually.

Mashi said the Act establishing NiMet states “it is only the agency that could provide weather services in Nigeria’’.

According to him, those third party vendors are operating illegally and sabotaging Nigerian economy.

He explained the maritime sector was being controlled by different agencies, adding that NiMet could not just go into the sector and start providing weather services to ship operators without partnering with those agencies.

He said: “We are losing billions by not providing weather services to the ship operators in Nigeria because if you look at the traffic in the maritime sector, it is huge.

“We have over 6000 ship berthing in our ports annually and if these ship use our weather services, the revenue will be in billions, even if we charge just N100,000 per ship.

“Unfortunately, other foreign organisations are providing these data services to these ship operators and taking the money that should be retained in Nigeria.

“What we want is to provide weather information and data to ships operating in Nigeria.

“If we reach an agreement, the maritime agencies could charge the ship operators on our behalf our cost recovery services and remit to us while constantly provide our services to the ship operators.”

Mashi assured that rainy season had started around the central states of the country with rains in Abuja and other cities on Thursday and Friday.

He said the rains were in line with NiMet’s predictions in its 2018 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction that the onset of rainfall within the region would be third week of March.

ASUP pledges commitment to campaign against corruption ÏÏÏThe

Chairman of the association, Umar Usman, made this known while briefing newsmen in Gusau on Wednesday.

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics at the Federal Polytechnic, Kaura Namoda, has expressed its commitment to the campaign against corruption in the institution.

The Chairman of the association, Umar Usman, made this known while briefing newsmen in Gusau on Wednesday.

The Chairman said ASUP had passed a vote of no confidence on the management of the institution over a N3billion alleged fraud.

He said the case was reported to the Governing

Council and a panel of investigation was constituted to look into the allegations.

Usman said for the investigation to go on smoothly, four principal officers of the institution– Deputy Rector, Librarian, Registrar and Bursar– were relieved of their duties.

Similarly, he said recommendation in respect of the rector was forwarded to the Minister of Education for necessary action.

While commending the efforts of members of the investigation panel, he said the union as one of the major stakeholders in the institution would not relent in its efforts to tackle all acts of corruption in the institution.

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

Individual’s selfless service will help develop the nation - Okowa Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

ÏÏÏDelta

State Governor Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has called on Nigerians to perform selfless service in order to promote development in the society.

The Governor who said this on Thursday when the officials of the Pilgrim Baptist Association Issele-Uku Chapter paid him a courtesy visit stated that such service from individuals would not only help the state government but will promote

positive living and foster peace and unity among the people.

According to him “It is the responsibility of the government to serve the people, we as government also need the support from well-meaning individuals, the more private individuals partner with us, the more we will be able to provide more development for our people and working together will help us succeed as a state and as a nation”.

Governor Okowa emphasized the need to appreciate the efforts of per-

sons who have selflessly served the people saying “I know there are Deltans who would like to serve the people aside government and we must find them to encourage them and to make their works known because it is the works that they have done that will spur others to follow their examples as we live in a society that believes that government alone should serve”.

He continued “A lot of people live their lives in the service of people and most of them are forgotten and remembering

those that came before us and served our society is something that we must all appreciate as it will encourage others who are living today to do their own part in serving the people.”

Earlier, the Moderator, Rev. Eliezar Chibuogwu commended Governor Okowa for the developmental achievements and support for the church, assuring him that the association would continue to support and sustain peace in the state through the spread of the Word of God.

L-R:Members , Board of Trustees, Women in Management, Business and Public Service, Ibukun Awosika; Yewande Zaccheaus; Chairperson, Executive Council, WIMBIZ, Bunmi Aboderin -Talabi; former President/guest lecturer, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; Chairman, BoT, WimBiz, Funmi Roberts; and other members of BoT, Bola Adesola and Ifeoma Idigbe, during the 14th Annual Lecture of WimBiz, in Lagos... on Thursday

25 News

Court dismisses suit against installation of Uvwie Monarch in Delta Nosa Akenzua,Asaba.

ÏÏÏAn

Out-Jeremi High Court in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, has dismissed a ten-year old suit before it instituted by Elder Joe A.O. Amurun, challenging the installation of HRM Emmanuel Ekemejewa Sideso, Abe 1, as the Ovie of Uvwie kingdom.

The court in considering the pleadings, evidence and addresses of the parties in the Suit No. EHC/69/2008 brought stated that exhibit K, which the claimant was relying on as an order of court did not bind Ovie of Uvwie kingdom as 1st defendant, and the other defendants who were not parties to the said suit in exhibit k, and that an order made in a suit cannot bind persons who were not parties to the said suit.

In the judgment, it was stated that the claimant Elder, Joe Amurun cannot benefit or take advantage of whatever order made in the suit, adding that Elder Amu-

run failed to prove his case, and that he did not give cogent or compelling reasons why the court should multiply the installations of HRM Emmanunel sideso Abe 1 as the Ovie of Uvuwie kingdom.

The Court therefore dismissed the case against Amurun one Thursday with a cost of N200, 000 in favour of the Uvwie monarch.

In another development, residents of Ibusa community near Asaba were on Friday shocked to behold the sight of two middle aged man who were paraded naked for allegedly stealing live goat and motor bikes.

The suspects (names withheld) upon interrogation, confessed to the crime, saying that they were hungry hence they went into stealing the goat.

It was gathered that the thieves said they have running the motorcycle stealing business for a long time before luck ran out of them, as they were later handed over to the police for further investigation.

Group kicks against rock blasting in residential areas Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

ÏÏÏA

non-governmental, non-profit organization Urban-Rural Environmental Defenders (U-RED) has raised the alarm over “continued indiscriminate and unsafe blasting of rocks at residential areas across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and environs.

Speaking at a sensitization workshop organized for village heads, community leaders and other stakeholders on Thursday at Bwari, Abuja, the Director U-RED, Gods’power Martins la-

mented that deposit of hills/rocks in the communities are supposed to be a blessing in various ways to the communities.

But he regretted that rocks were being blasted everyday few meters to the communities thereby exposing the communities to all manner of socio-health risks, death and environmental degradation.

Martins described the situation as worrisome, warning on the “dire consequences of this unwholesome blasting of rocks and quarry activities with crude technolo-

gies.”

This, U-RED cautioned could lead to deafening sounds, vibrations leading to cracks and collapse of buildings as well as death from flying rocks and pollution of the environment among others.

“While we are not against exploitation of natural resources, destroying the environment and host communities should not be the cost of doing so.

“The questions before of us today are: What do we think will happen to the communities and its environment if this

harmful blasting of rocks and unsafe quarry activities continue unabated?

When the hazardous blasting of rocks and unhealthy quarrying activities stop, who restores or remedies the environment, the craters, security pits, cracks and compacted soil.

“Should we allow the environmental hazards to continue or join hands to legitimately correct the worrisome activity?

These are the questions begging for answers,” he said.

The sensitization programme was organized

on the premise that local communities and individuals have the right to a clean and healthy environment, to livelihood, right of nature, right to participate in decision making on all matters that affect the community and environment in line with “Environmental Considerations and Rights of Host Communities” of The Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007, Chapter 4.

Similarly, he called on government to ensure quarries are approved at least 50 kilometers away from residents, use of

clean energy, formulate stringent mining laws and slam heavy fine on defaulters.

The Community chiefs and leaders greatly appreciated U-RED and agreed that the right thing should be done, that a cleaner way of blasting should be employed.

In his remarks, Director Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) Nnimmo Bassey decried frequent rock blasting with explosives which according to him leads to destruction of building, infrastructure, and environmental pollution.

News 26

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

Again, 3 killed in Plateau, Lalong talks tough, calls for calm Kingsley Chukwuka, Jos

ÏÏÏThree

persons have been reported dead in the night attacks of Thursday 22nd March 2018 as gunmen suspected to be Fulani Herdsmen attacked Dong Community of Jos North LGA in Plateau State.

Our correspondent gathered that the gunmen attacked the community when they laid ambush on the vigilante group of the community shooting sporadically.

You will recall that Dong Kassa, Jos North LGA and Rafiki Village in Bassa,

were simultaneously attacked last week, two security personnel and more than five civilians were killed in the attack while COCIN Dong Kassa was set ablaze by the attackers.

At the time of filing this report, our reporter who visited Dong Village observes that the situation is calm as security personnel have taken over the situation except for fear by residents of further attacks and grief over the lives lost.

Public Relations officer of the state police command ASP Tyopev Terna

confirmed the sad incident, he said Three persona were killed in Dong attack. “We got a distress call from the community and the commissioner of Police swiftly deployed men to the community and they repelled the attackers, security has been beefed up in the area and normalcy has returned to the area.”

Meanwhile Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, has appealed for calm, following the attack last night by armed gunmen in Dong village of Jos North Local Government Area of the state, which

culminated in the unfortunate loss of lives of some people in the area.

The Governor, in a statement issued on Friday and signed by Hon Yakubu Dati the commissioner of Information and Communication noted that relative calm had been restored to the area following the deployment of adequate security and urged the people to remain law-abiding.

Governor Lalong therefore sympathizes with the bereaved and injured assuring that government is taking steps to alleviate their pains.

He calls on citizens to volunteer useful information to security agencies that will lead to the arrest of the criminals and also enjoins the good people of the State to resist the temptation of spreading wild and unfounded rumours that tend to aggravate the situation.

Governor Lalong also said that security agencies have been directed to do everything possible to smoke out the perpetrators of the crime from their hideouts in order to end the repeat-

Agric modernisation: Expert advocates appropriate farm produce pricing regime Kehinde Akinpelu, Ilorin

ÏÏÏ

Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (middle), with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Enugu State chapter, during the special mega prayer rally tagged: “Enugu State Is In The Hands of God”, held in Enugu State. ..on Friday.

Umuahia South PDP stakeholders adopt Ikpeazu Sunday Nwakanma Umuahia

ÏÏÏThe

People’s Democratic Party, PDP Stakeholders from Umuahia South, Friday affirmed their belief in the second term bid of Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu and therefore adopted him as such.

In their various speeches, the executive chairman, Umuahia South LGA, Obioma Ogbulafor, Chief Tony Ukasoanya, Barr C S L Nwosu and the Chairman, Umuahia South traditional Rulers Council, Eze J.C Onwuka said their visit was to tell the Governor that Umuahia South LGA is now intact and together despite being in the eye of the storm lately.

They assured the Governor that the local Government will deliver him for second term come 2019

as they have resolved that he is their consensus candidate in the forthcoming elections.

They extolled the governor over “his people-oriented leadership” which they said has brought about genuine development in parts of the state, assuring him that they will collectively ensure his re-election to office in 2019.

“You are not a Governor that does projects on face book. We are happy with what you are doing and 2019 is not negotiable”, they assured.

They however appealed to him to address the issue of the Umuopara ringroad, the abandoned Mgbarakuma-Umunwanwa-Achingala (in Imo State) roads by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC as well as provision of pipeborne water for them and thanked him for address-

ing the flooding at Ubakala junction.

The motion for the adoption of the Governor as the sole candidate of Umuahia South people for the 2019 governorship poll was moved by the former member representing Ikwuano-Umuahia federal constituency, Hon Udo Ibeji.

Responding, the Abia state Governor Dr Okezie Ikpeazu extolled the people of Umuahia South local government for resolving their differences and coming together as a family.

Umuahia, the Governor said that greater achievements will be recorded in an atmosphere devoid of rancor.

He told them, “Now that you have come together, the sky will be the limit for Umuahia South. I want to assure you that I will be your ally. You should continue to hold together and

I want you to continue in this trajectory and path”, and lauded the leadership of Umuahia South for showing maturity and leading out in that regard.

“I give God the glory for the maturity shown by the leadership. It is the spirit to attract political position and other incentives in a place”, he said and promised to address the issues raised by the delegation especially the poor road network confronting the area.

To that end, he said that opening up of roads in Umuahia South was important in the development of the capital city.

“There cannot be any meaningful development in Umuahia, the capital city without opening up Umuahia South. We must ventilate and open up Umuahia South. Your demands are genuine and it is righteousness to do it”, he said.

ed orgy of violence in the state.

“Besides the logistic support to security agencies, the state government has already procured 51 (fifty one) operational vehicles to enhance their operations.

“This is in addition to the upgrade of the communication gadgets at the State Police Command Headquarters, aimed at augmenting the efforts of the security personnel, some of whom have paid the supreme price,” the statement added.

A don, Prof. Moses Omotayo has called for the provision of appropriate pricing for farm produce by government and development practitioners as a way of modernizing the agricultural sector.

Omotayo made the call during a lecture he delivered at Landmark University’s 7th Founders Day celebration held at the institution’s Multi-purpose Hall in OmuAran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.

Omotayo a prof. of Agriculture Extension and Rural Development with Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, spoke on: “Opportunities and Challenges of Modernized Agriculture in Nigeria: The Higher Education Perspective”.

He said such appropriate pricing regime became imperative in order to avail farmers with a minimum guaranteed price on farm produce to boost their morale, production, yield and income.

Omotyo decried the situation whereby Nigerian farmer subsidizes every consumer to the tune of between 50 and 1000 per cent for different categories of commodities in the value chain.

He said although the minimum guarantee price scheme is already in place, saying that such had failed to address the problem of pricing comprehensively.

“The average Nigerian farmer produces a cob of maize at N20 and is forced to sell between N5 and N10.

“A major problem with agriculture in Nigeria, which requires a special attention by government and development practitioners is appropriate pricing of farm produce.

“More importantly, if agriculture must be modernized,” he said.

Omotayo pointed out that threat associated with huge

post-harvest losses was constituting hindrance to modernizing agriculture and attaining food security in Nigeria.

According to him, such losses has been estimated to be as high as 20 per cent.

The expert also called for the active involvement of the nation’s 774 Local Government administrations in the governments’ Agriculture Transformation initiative to achieve the desired result.

“Some may argue that inadequate funding hampers LG involvement in agricultural development in Nigeria.

“It is on record that even when fund was available, Local Governments mismanaged their resources,” he said.

He suggested introduction of conditional grants not only to allow the LGs to actualize their constitutionally mandated roles and responsibilities and translate financial autonomy into active economic development at the grassroots level.

This, he said, would also ensure that funds are located through such grants are specifically on projects they are meant for.

Omotayo said there was disconnect between what tertiary institutions are teaching and the needs and demands of farmers, agroindustrialists and other practitioners in the agriculture sector.

“There are three Federal Universities of Agriculture, over forty Faculties of agriculture, about 25 colleges of agriculture and 18 agriculture or related research institutes in Nigeria.

“With these in place, one would have thought that the framework for modernizing the sector is firmly entrenched.

“Unfortunately, this is far from the truth.

“There appears to be a mismatch or disconnect between the institutions teachings and the demand of farmers,” he said.

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

27

News

Nigeria missing benefits of Underground Space Tech – ITA President

Dapchi: Obaseki urges FG on Sharibu’s rescue, lauds release of 104 girls

Mathew Dadiya,

Henry Omunu,

Abuja

ÎÎÎ

The President of the International Tunnelling Association (ITA), Prof.

Tarcisio Celestino has said that Nigeria was missing out from the huge benefits derivable in tunnelling and underground infrastructure development.

Tarcisio, who was in Nigeria to attend the 2nd International Tunnelling and Underground Space conference in Abuja, urged the Federal Government to embrace the technology which has proved cost-effective in other countries.

He said although Nigeria, like any other country requires huge investment to bridge its infrastructural deficits, partnership with the private sector holds the key to delivering the much needed underground infrastructure in the most populous Black nation in the world.

“With Nigeria speculated to hit third most populous nation on earth by 2050, there is no alternative to developing the underground space infrastructure in Nigeria considering the reality that the benefits far outweighs the investment,” Tarcisio said.

The ITA President noted that although Nigeria joined the International Tunnelling Association as its newest member nation in 2017 as its 74 member, the momentum the country had gained was impressive.

The conference, with the theme: “Exploring the Socioeconomic Benefits of Developing Tunnelling and Underground Space Infrastructure in Nigeria,” is expected to sensitize government officials, industry professionals and sundry stakeholders on the summit holding in Abuja.

President of the Tunnelling Association of Nigeria,

Mr. Abidemi Agwor while briefing the Senate Committee on Land Transportation, said the organization is dedicated for the promotion and advancement of the effective use of the underground space in Nigeria.

“The Tunnelling Association of Nigeria through its three pillars of awareness creation, education and capacity development seeks to engage the government, private sector and the academia through conferences, symposia, workshops and other means.

“The association through its partnership with the international body will be exploring the opportunities

for international scholarship and exchange programmes for both academia and personal development”, Agwor said.

He elaborated that TAN would explore areas in the medium term where it could partner with government and relevant stakeholders to support efforts in the quick realization of the Federal Government’s Economic Recovery Growth Plan.

The Vice President, ministers and key government official are expected to attend the conference which has attracted delegates from Italy, France, United States and Russia.

GMD NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru (middle), flanked by the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu (right) and the Chairman of Caverton Offshore Group, Mr. Remi Makanjuola (left) during the official unveiling of 11 new additional aircrafts to the Caverton Helicopters fleet in Lagos...on Thursday

Economy: Bill Gate’s comment means end to Buhari, APC rule Idu Jude,

Abuja

ÎÎÎ

As the presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress APC and its leader’s battles with the recovery of visiting former world richest man Mr. Bill Gate on Nigeria economy, The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has joined the train of condemnation, says the verdict by Bill Gates that President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic policies are antipeople has justified the resolution by Nigerians to kick out the dysfunctional All Progressives Congress (APC) and its Federal Gov-

ernment come 2019.

Daily Times recall that the Governor of Karina State and a kitchen cabinet of President Buhari administration Mallam Nasir El-Rufai immediately condemned Bill Gate’s assertion describing him as ignorant of the economy of the most popular black nation.

The party said the verdict has also vindicated its stand that the Buhari administration is the worst in the history of our nation; that it never had the interest of the people at heart but has been lying to Nigerians with false performance indices and cosmetic appearances,

while its agents continue to siphon funds meant for the welfare of the people.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement on Friday, said President Buhari and the APC can now see that the entire world is fully aware of their misrule and as such should stop wasting the nation’s resources on pointless image laundering and desperate quest for international endorsements.

The main opposition party, noted that Gates was just being polite to his host, President Buhari, when he said the policy of his government is not reflecting the needs of the

people.

“What Gates did not tell President Buhari and his team was that their administration is so incompetent, disorganized and confused that it could not develop any functional economic policy direction and that this has caused our nation her current economic woes.

Bill Gates comments on the Federal Government’s empty, deceptive and discredited Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), right in the Presidential Villa and in the presence of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, came to President Buhari and the APC as stunt gone awry

as they had planned to use the world figure to earn an undue international endorsement ahead of 2019 elections”.

PDP stated that more disheartening is that instead of being remorseful, officials of the APC administration, including Prof. Osinbajo, are attempting to put up a lame defence, despite the indicting facts.

“The whole world is sad that under President Buhari and the APC, our dear nation, which was hitherto one of the most vibrant economies, has now become one of the most dangerous places to give birth, with the fourth

Abuja

ÎÎÎ

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has urged the Federal Government to intensify effort in the rescue of Leah Sharibu, who is still being held by Boko Haram insurgents.

In a statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, Obaseki said, “The Federal Government should intensify efforts to secure Leah’s rescue.”

Obaseki said the decision

by Boko Haram insurgents to hold on to Leah, a minor, after releasing 104 girls, is condemnable and stressed that urgent steps should be taken to reunite Leah with her family.

“It is important to condemn the practice where people are subjected to torture and discriminated against on the grounds of differences in faith and cultures,” he added.

The governor, however, lauded the Federal Government for the successful rescue of 104 abducted girls in Dapchi, Yobe State, noting, “The effort of the Federal Government in rescuing the girls after their abduction is laudable.”

The rescued girls are part of the 110 girls abducted from Government Girls Technical Science College Dapchi, Yobe State, on February 19, 2018. Five other girls abducted are said to have died in the process.

He said, “There is need for Nigerians to support governments at all levels in the fight against all acts of terror, which threaten the security of lives and property.”

Obaseki also warned against the politicisation of issues of security and safety, noting, “It goes against the grain of civilization and good nature to trivialise and politicise serious matters, especially the case of these girls who suffered untold trauma in captivity.”

Obaseki

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Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

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Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

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Published by FOLIO COMMUNICATIONS LTD,

email: info@dailytimes.ng Tel: 08038099089 Editor Daily: TONY AMOKEODO

Saturday, March 24, 2018

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Business & Economy B1

Daily Times Nigeria

Personal finance rules one need not ignore as you turn 40 Page B2

Fr. Ejike Mbaka: Enugu is safe for investment Page B4

Saturday March 24, 2018

Google launches tool for African economic growth Page B8

Court stops LASG from enforcing 5% hotel tax law Peter Fowoyo Justice Rilwan Aikawa, sitting at the Federal High Court in Lagos has restrained the Lagos State Government from enforcing the provisions of its new Hotel Occupancy and Restaurant (Fiscalisation) Regulations 2017.

The law introduced a five per cent consumption tax in addition to a five per cent Value Added Tax on every purchase or service

rendered by hotels, restaurants, fast food outlets, event centres, bars and night clubs.

But in a ruling on March 21, 2018, the court restrained the state from further enforcing the law.

The court said the law would remain suspended until the final determination of a suit filed against the government by the Registered Trustees of Hotel Owners and Managers Association of Lagos.

The judge also temporarily

struck down the Hotel Occupancy and Restaurant Consumption Law Cap H8, Laws of Lagos State 2015.

He particularly restrained the state from enforcing or implementing paragraphs 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11 of the Lagos State Hotel Occupancy and Restaurant (Fiscalisation) Regulations 2017.

Justice Rilwan Aikawa stopped the state and its agents from visiting the plaintiffs hotels “for the purpose of installing fiscal electronic device and any

other purposes whatsoever in furtherance of the law and the regulations.”

He made the interim order following an ex parte application taken before him by the association of hotel owners in Lagos through their lawyer, Mr. Olasupo Shasore (SAN).

Shasore, who is a former attorney general and justice commissioner in Lagos State, had prayed the court to stop the state and its agents from visiting his clients “between March 1 and March 10,

2018 or any other period before or thereafter” pending the hearing and determination of his clients’ motion on notice dated March 7, 2018.

Justice Aikawa, after granting the interim restraining orders, adjourned till April 17, 2018 to hear the plaintiffs’ motion on notice.

Joined as defendants in the suit, marked FHC/L/CS/360/2018, are the Attorney General of Lagos State and the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

Why Taraba is owing retirees N11bn gratuity -Head of Service

L-R: Mr. Kelechi Dozie – MD/CEO, I-One-C, Mr. Obeahon Ohiwerei,GMD/CEO Keystone bank Limited, Barr Bisi Adegbuyi, Post Master General, NIPOST, at the launch of KeyServe-NIPOST Agency Banking-A financial inclusion partnership in Lagos...

We’ll encourage local investors - NNPC

By Idu Jude Abuja

The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Dr. Maikanti Baru, has restated the corporation’s commitment to support indigenous companies operating in the oil and gas industry to grow to their fullest potential.

The GMD who stated this in Lagos on Thursday at the official unveiling of 11 new helicopters to

Caverton Offshore Group, an indigenous aviation and marine logistics service provider, commended the company for its high quality services to the oil and gas sector.

He said with the Federal Government doing so much to stabilize the economy, NNPC would continue to encourage investors like Caverton Group in the keeping with the provisions of the Nigerian Content Act. He expressed confidence that the company would deliver on its new contract to provide aviation servic-

es for the NNPC/Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) Joint Venture project based in Escravos.

“The award of a new contract by the NNPC/Chevron JV and the capacity of the Caverton Group to respond and mobilize with the introduction of 11 brand new helicopters exhibit the quality of character and tenacity of purpose of the company’s management.

“The development also represents true commitment towards ensuring seamless running of the

nation’s oil and gas industry and by extension the Nigerian economy,” Baru said.

The firm was last year awarded a five-year logistics support contract

by CNL, operator of the NNPC/ CNL JV, for provision of aviation services with a two-year renewable option.

He urged the company to continue to raise the bar in its business in order to position itself as company of choice in its chosen area of operation.

Taraba government on Friday said the shortfall in revenue allocation and the need to pay salaries as at when due were reasons the state government was owing retirees N11 billion gratuity.

The state’s Head of Civil Service, Mr Simon Angyo disclosed this at the state accountability programme ‘Face the Press’, organised by the Senior Special Assistant to Gov. Darius Ishaku on Public Affairs.

He explained that though the government was promptly paying pension, salaries and other entitlements of workers and retirees, the backlog of gratuity would be cleared as soon as the state’s economy improved.

Angyo expressed delight over the understanding reached between workers of the state owned University, Polytechnic, School of Nursing, and College of Education, who had earlier embarked on strike over unresolved issues with the unions.

He said that government had engaged the respective labour unions into negotiations that yielded fruits, leading to the suspension of the strikes.

“Let me inform you that as we speak, no union is on strike in the state. All the civil servants in the state who were on strike have called off the strikes.

“We have engaged the umbrella union body for our Polytechnic, College of Education, School of Nursing and the Academic Staff Union of University and have reached a point where all the groups have agreed to call off the strikes.

Personal Finance B2 Bonny Amadi The age bracket of 40s could be challenging in many fronts and therefore calls for stringent action to put fur finances in place and monitor it jealously.

In that age bracket, your children might be moving on to college and many other developments that could change the nuances of your household.

Your own parents are aging and might need to move into a nursing home or assisted living facility. And you might be feeling extra pressure at work to move up to higher-paying positions as a way to maximize your earning potential.

While the parent is saddled with growing of children in different academic levels, the family’s need keep increasing and the comfort of the family members also remain on the front burner, compromise of personal finance management initiatives could place the parent in the position of having the best today and sacrificing the comfort of retirement period.

But your 40s can also be a time to secure your financial health and pave the way toward a brighter retirement. You can increase your odds of achieving this goal by following the personal finance rules below.

Dan Rafter, writing on wise Broad.com marshalled out key things that people are supposed to strictly adhere to in their 40S to ensure a stress-free retirement life.

Focus on building retirement savings The main goal in your 40s should be to boost your retirement savings as much as possible. Retirement might still seem a long way away, but it’s closer than you think.

If you are saving money in your company’s 401(k) plan, be sure to maximize your regular contributions and take advantage of any company match. Do the same with any investments you make in a traditional IRA or Roth IRA. The more you save today, the

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

Personal finance rules you can’t ignore as you turn 40

brighter your retirement years will be Don’t let college costs derail your retirement savings You want to help your kids pay for their college educations. That’s understandable, but don’t let your desire to help your children derail your retirement savings.

If you spend too much money helping your kids pay for college, you’ll struggle to build your retirement savings. In your 40s, saving for retirement should be your top priority, outweighing even your goals of chipping in to pay for your children’s college education.

Remember, your children have options for paying for college. They

can borrow money. They can choose less expensive schools. They can seek out scholarships or attend a community college for two years.

You don’t have nearly as many options when it comes to your retirement savings.

Reduce debts Nothing ruins your plans to save money quicker than debt. And no other is as costly as credit card debt. Do everything you can in your 40s to eliminate it.

Some debt is better than others. Auto loans and mortgages, for instance, generally come with lower interest rates.

And you are receiving a benefit — a house to live in, a car to drive — while making those monthly payments. But credit

card debt is another story. This debt comes with sky-high interest rates that can snowball by hundreds of dollars every month. That’s why it’s so important to pay it off as quickly as possible.

Remember that your primary goal in your 40s is to build your retirement savings. Think of how many additional dollars you could save if you weren’t sending so much money each month to your credit card providers.

Grow emergency fund Another thing that can quickly derail your efforts to save for retirement is an unexpected emergency. Say your roof springs a leak or your furnace conks out in the middle of January.

You must fix these prob-

lems, and that won’t be cheap.

That’s where an emergency fund comes in. As the name suggests, this type of fund is filled with dollars that you only tap when an unexpected financial emergency pops up. By having a wellstocked emergency fund, you won’t have to resort to credit cards to pay for unexpected home or auto repairs, or even a surprise medical bill.

Financial experts recommend that you have enough in your emergency fund to cover at least six months’ to a year’s worth of daily living expenses. That might seem daunting, but even starting an emergency fund with small payments every month can build up.

Say you deposit N2000

every month in an emergency fund. After a year, it will grow to N24000.

Make sure you have enough life insurance What would happen to your children or spouse if you suddenly died?

Would your spouse be able to pay the monthly mortgage? Would your family have to move to a new, less expensive home?

Life insurance can prevent financial stress for your family if you should die unexpectedly.

Make sure that you have enough life insurance coverage to protect your loved ones. Your 40s is a good time to review your life insurance coverage and make changes if necessary.

Personal Interview

B3

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

‘There’s need to address unrest in oil producing areas’ Usually, many companies, including the International Oil Companies (IOCs), have one problem or the other with their host communities. Why is yours different?

Frankly, this is a good question and I think this is also what government, through the Host Community Bill, is trying to address because the people are becoming aware that it is better to be partners and stakeholders and not as benefactor where I give you some money and you go.

Whenever you come, we give some envelopes to the Chiefs. We don’t do that because we make them feel that the oil is in their lands, and it is for their own good. It is for their children and for their future. So this community royalty that we are paying is broken down into community projects, and into trust funds. So there is part of it that is saved for tomorrow.

There is part of it for investment, for entrepreneurship for the community and then there is a part for sustainable projects and infrastructure. So the people are involved round the clock. They come to see our operations as a source of economy and they now begin to protect our facilities.

Occasionally, they fight among themselves if there is anybody trying to disrupt our activities.

If someone sends letter with the intent to disrupt, the community will return the letter and write to us that they don’t support his intended action and that we should disregard it. We have been able to operate with them to a level that they see our production as their production. They see the pipeline as theirs, they see our project as a sustainable project and we recruit them to monitor the pipelines.

They are the ones monitoring the pipelines. They clear the pipeline right of way themselves and they are working as contractors clearing our facilities.

In terms of employment, we have about 25 per cent of our workforce from the community.

All the local contracts go to local contractors. Besides, we do bursary, we give scholarship, and we have scholarships different from bursary. We have development consultant who is working with them to create a soft loan in form of cooperatives and empower the women from the community.

This is quite commendable. So, they begin to see that one barrel produced from our operation is empowering the community and this model is working. You may think that you are losing, but by the time you shut down production or your pipeline is blown up, you realize that it is cheap. Look at what happened when Forcados (pipeline) was shut down, we lost as much as 20 million barrels. But

Lack of trust between the host community and oil producing companies has been responsible for endless unrest in oil producing areas. In this interview, the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Energia Limited, Engr. Felix AmieyeOfori, explains how his company transformed the host community and made the members to see themselves as part owners of the company. SIMON UGWU reports

Amieye-Ofori you are not going to spend that much money to keep peace. All the people want is that if you are there; let the people feel that you are there.

How did you do it?

We have trust board and we have the parliament. The parliament is all the segment of the community while the trust board is made up of selected individuals with corporate experience. The trust board approves the project, they have project committee. The parliament is made of the community where they discuss what project to be executed. We are represented on both sides.

There is always high level of transparency and of course there is community development committees who interface with all these institutions. So we don’t just spent money, we give the institutions to manage the affairs.

Part of the medium to long term plan of Energia Limited is to have a refinery, what is the state of the refinery?

Frankly speaking, what has

slowed it down is the cash issue. If we have been producing and there has been no challenge, by now, we should have gone far. We have got approval from Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), we have done our field work, DPR has said we should go into detailed engineering and now we are going to start fabrication. But we had a little hiccup with funding.

Once your source of revenue goes down, your project is affected.

In Nigeria, there has been lots of heavy loading on oil and gas in the banks and the banks are slow in lending and of course there is a little bit of risk of foreign fund coming into the country because of the noise. But now the environment is opened, Petroleum Industry and Governance Bill (PIGB) is passed and we are reopening the discussions on the refinery. Recently someone called that someone is interested in the project and you know it is a little bit capital intensive. We have our own crude so we don’t have to go and source for crude, but the capital expenditure (capex) is a bit heavy. The reason for the

pipeline for us is to solve the pipeline interruptions. If you have the refinery, we will continue to produce irrespective of what happened to the pipeline. We are not going into the downstream for its sake but our refinery is to sustain our upstream operations.

As long as the refinery is there and considering the petroleum situation in the country, we produce our crude, we refine it and sell and keep producing. The challenge is that we buy in dollar and sell in naira but the federal government has come up on how it can help with the naira-dollar parity especially for those who will raise the money offshore.

You can’t source for dollar at N360, it won’t work. That’s why we are collaborating with the ministry of petroleum resources, the central bank of Nigeria and a lot of other government agencies…….

What will be the capacity of the refinery?

We started with full stream products which includes premium motor spirit, automotive gas oil and dual purpose kerosene. At

some point, due to cash constrains, because it will cost not less than $100million, we decided to scale down to something modular to produce AGO, Kerosene and others.

But if we have enough funding, we will scale it up. We have the land and everything is ready.

Q: We saw oil price dropped as low as $30 per barrel, but now it has risen to above $65 per barrel, how has this impacted on your business?

It is positive but you know it will take a while before we really feel the impact. This is because they are all indexed. While you think you are producing at $65 per barrel, the refiners will be buying at that price.

That means the refiners are buying at higher price. The product will start getting higher and everything will adjust upward. The demand and supply will adjust the price.

The transporter will increase his charges, service providers who are oil servicing technocrats will also adjust their prices upward and the multiplier effect will erode the margins. So it is not what you think.

If crude price rises to let’s say $115 per barrel, I don’t think I will get much benefit because operators in the oil servicing sub-sector will also increase their costs. I would not want the price to get to $100 per barrel because it will spike up all other costs and the margin won’t be much.

NNPC said it has reduced cost of production to $20 per barrel, is this cost a true reflection of what is obtainable on the field?

Cost of production isn’t uniform all across the countries. It is purely volume and cost. More volume lesser cost and vice versa. If you look at cost based on geographical location, the Middle East with higher volume has lower cost. The IOCs will probably have lower cost of fund while marginal field operator like me will have higher cost of fund because of the lesser volume. You should also consider efficiency factor besides volume.

Cost is not only volume but with efficiency. Meaning that you are doing things right. Consider when you are operating in a swampy area.

Before you move your product, you need to rent a gun boat, make provision for additional security and all these are aggregated in the cost. This means aside the cost; your environmental factors and managerial factors must be considered in the cost. Efficiency also includes how you manage your cost. Nobody will want to do business with a bad debtor. They will deal with you but at higher cost.

Cost reduction and cost efficiency is a school on its own. However, if you have much volume, your cost should drop. So I will say our cost is within the NNPC bracket and it is very low. We are within the NNPC benchmark.

Tours&Travels

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B4

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

Fr. Ejike Mbaka: Enugu is safe for investment Simon Ugwu The Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria (AMEN) and Chairman of Aqua Rapha investment Nigeria Limited, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, has described Enugu State as peaceful and safe for investment with an outstanding feature as “the most hospitable state in the country”.

Fr. Mbaka spoke when the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Nigeria, Mrs. Inger Ultvedt, paid a visit to the Government House, Enugu to explore business opportunities in the State.

The cleric noted that Enugu was peaceful, secure and conducive for investment because of the leadership qualities of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi whom he described as “an innovative, kind-hearted and God fearing governor”.

He added that Ugwuanyi was reliable and committed to rapid development of the state, stressing that he has “zero tolerance for corruption” and always abides by terms of agreements.

Mbaka, therefore, encouraged the Swedish Ambassador and his team to invest in Enugu State especially in the area of renewable energy to guarantee steady power supply for ease of doing business in the state, stressing that their visit was timely and imperative.

Fr. Mbaka The cleric disclosed that his company was already partnering with a Swedish company on business service delivery.

In her remark, the Swedish Ambassador expressed delight at the hospitality accorded the

delegation in Enugu, disclosing that the Government of Sweden had a promising market with a lot of investors willing to do business in the state in particular and Nigeria in general.

She harped on diversification of the economy as key to economic growth, saying: “Today we have diversified. Our university is focusing a lot on innovation and entrepreneurship. We have a very good co-

operation with the University of Nigeria Nsukka.”

Responding, Gov. Ugwuanyi who was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo welcomed the Sweden Ambassador and her team to the state, adding that the visit “offers us an ample opportunity to explore bilateral relationship and exchange ideas on areas of mutual interest between your country and the Enugu State Government”.

The governor stated that “Enugu is among the states in the country that has demonstrated commitment to current efforts to diversify the national economy especially through the attraction of high quality investments in key sectors of the economy”.

He told the delegation that the state recently hosted an international business summit to showcase “the massive but virtually untapped economic potentials that abound in Enugu State” such as in Agriculture and Agro-Allied Enterprises, Medicare, Manufacturing, Tourism/ Hospitality, Education, Infrastructural development and Mining/ Mineral resources, among others, assuring them of the state government’s interest to share ideas with them on how best to exploit the vast business opportunities that exist in Enugu State.

2019: Kosofe endorses Governor Ambode for second term Kosofe Local Government led by its executive chairman, Afolabi Babatunde Sofola, has endorsed Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for a second term.

In an elaborate event last Thursday tagged, ‘Ambode Lekan si’, the All ProgresTo underline his con-s i v e s viction, Sofola said allC o n the 57 local governmentg r e s s , bosses in the state wereA P C , “simultaneously en-c o m dorsing the governormunity that same day, samein the l o c a l hour government declared its support

for Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode’s second term bid as governor of Lagos State.

Speaking on the occasion, Hon. Sofola said his administration’s endorsement of the governor is based on “the legacy of performance, excellent delivery of peopleoriented governance and unwavering continuity of exceptional leadership laid by our political hero and father of modern Lagos, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu….”

Sofola cited the headlong tackling of security challenges in the state, overhauling of the traffic management system along with

basic road infrastructure renewal, the light-up Lagos project, employment trust fund and wealth creation, improvement of the health sector, development of the coastal lines for tourism and business revenue amongst others, as some of the telling credentials of Gov Ambode’s administration.

To this effect, the council boss said “Any other contestant for the office of governor in Lagos State for 2019 is a counterfeit,” stating categorically that “Nobody in the state would say they have not felt Ambode’s impact one way or the other.”

Ambode

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Tours & Travels

B5

Daily Times Nigeria Satrurday, March 24, 2018

Eko Hotels and Suites is a five-star conference centre hotel in Lagos Simon Ugwu

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Design Eko Hotels & Suites Entrance Eko Exit

Hotels

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Events -

Restaurants There are eight restaurants and bars within the hotel complex:

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Ambode

Daily Times Nigeria Satrurday, March 24, 2018

B6

Tours & Travels

Donald Trump suspends metal tariffs for key US trade partners Simon Ugwu with agency report US President Donald Trump on Thursday authorized the suspension of controversial tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from key trade partners including the European Union.

Trump shocked the world with his sudden announcement earlier this month of a 10-percent levy on aluminum and 25-percent tariff on steel, angering Washington’s closest allies, which swiftly demanded that they be exempt.

“The tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the following countries are suspended until May 1, 2018,” the White House said in a statement, listing EU members states, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and South Korea.

“Each of these countries has an important security relationship with the United States,” a proclamation from Trump announcing the steel decision said.

The US is in discussions with the countries “on satisfactory alternative means to address the threatened impairment to the national security by imports of steel articles,” and tariffs on steel imports from the trade partners will be exempt for now, it said.

US Trade Representative Rob-

ert Lighthizer told a Senate committee earlier in the day that the tariff suspension had been authorized by Trump, just hours before the tariffs were to kick in.

“The idea that the president has is that, based on a certain set of criteria, that some countries should get out,” Lighthizer said in testimony before the Senate Finance Committee.

Many countries, including those of the EU, warned the White House that they would retaliate forcefully if they were hit with tariffs on metals products.

– ‘No use to anyone’ – The climbdown came as Trump announced new sanctions against China for what he called the theft of US intellectual property — which Beijing has vowed to meet with tit-for-tat retaliation.

China is seen as the root cause of a massive oversupply of steel on the global market, and Europeans in recent days pressed that point with Washington.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom made the EU’s case over two days this week in Washington, negotiating the carve-out with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, a strong backer of Trump’s “America First” policies.

Arriving at a EU summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said “thanks” to Malmstrom “for

Trump holding intensive talks with the United States and we will see what the result is.”

As a precaution, the commission had drawn up a list of potential counter-measures, including tariffs on peanut butter and Harley Davidson motorcycles, in case Trump followed through.

“We have made it clear that we

do not want a trade war. Trade war is of no use to anyone,” said Jean-Claude Juncker, chief of the European Commission, which handles trade talks for the 28 member states.

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier had stressed in Berlin that “fighting until the last minute is worth it,” with

Germany especially worried about its auto industry.

The close confidant of Merkel reported a “very positive impression” of Ross, whom he also met earlier this week in Washington for last-minute talks.

“We both know what the problem is,” Altmaier said, pointing the finger instead at China.

shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) before going into the supermarket.

“A man shouted and started firing several times,” one shopper at the supermarket told FranceInfo radio station.

“I saw an open door for a refrigerated area and I told people to come to shelter there,” she said.

“We were 10 people and we got out by the emergency exit at the back.”

After letting his hostages go, the gunman remained in the store with just one policeman, who along with another officer was shot and injured when antiterror forces swooped on the building.

The killing spree came with France still on high alert after a string of jihadist attacks since 2015.

French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the quick reactions of the emergency services and said he would be returning to Paris from Brussels at the end of an EU summit so he can coordinate the national response.

– ‘Terrorist act’ –

Three helicopters could be seen circling over Trebes, a picturesque medieval town of around 5,000 people, while heavily armed police had closed down roads surrounding the supermarket.

The local prosecutors’ office were treating the incident as a terror attack and said the gunman had claimed to be acting in the name of IS. “All the information we currently have leads us to believe it is a terrorist act,” Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said while on a visit to Mulhouse in eastern France, cutting short the trip.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb was on his way to the scene.

The terror attacks in France started in January 2015 with the assault on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that left 12 people dead.

France also suffered major attacks in Paris in November 2015 when IS jihadists killed 130 people in bombings and shootings at bars, restaurants, the Bataclan concert venue and the national stadium.

Suspected terrorist kills three in France

France At least three people were killed Friday in a shooting spree and hostage siege in southern France by a man claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group, security sources told AFP. Security forces killed the gunman — believed to be a Moroccan who was on a watchlist of

suspected Islamic extremists — after he carried out three separate attacks in the medieval town of Carcassonne and nearby Trebes.

The man first hijacked a car in Carcassonne, killing a passenger and injuring the driver, before shooting a policeman who was out jogging with his

colleagues nearby.

He then drove to a Super U supermarket in the sleepy town of Trebes and holed up there for more than three hours with hostages, killing at least two people, according to sources.

A witness reported that the assailant was armed with knives, a gun and grenades and

Tours & Travels

B7

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

Peace Corps Bill and National Assembly in focus

By Ayobami Akanji I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion – Alexander the Great In 1994, a certain Dickson Akoh founded a group called the “Nigerian Leadership and Marshall Corps” (NLMC). As the years passed, he mooted the idea of a name change and, finally, in 1998, he settled for Nigerian Peace Corps, which he registered as a non-governmental organization.

The non-governmental organization is modeled after a similarly named volunteer programme in the United States of America – the National Peace Corps Association with a volunteer strength of 220,000 and yearly budget of $410 million.

However, a non-governmental organization, which prides herself as having solution to the menace of employment in the country, is fighting to be taken over by a government she registered with to be non-governmental organization.

The purveyors of this Corps sometimes or delude themselves on the insalubrity of this exercise, neglecting the reality of duplicity of roles that signing the bill into law will birth.

Reading the Peace Corps Bill, one will realise that it has, in the first place, given the game away. It shows how the Peace Corps will duplicate the functions of seven existing organizations, the police and Civil Defence Corps inclusive.

This is enough reason to withhold presidential assent, as no reasonable President would enjoy superintending over warring security agencies. What is even more comical is the serious attention it is receiving from members of the National Assembly, who are aware of the current economic realities in

Dickson Akoh the country but would rather play politics with the bill.

Suddenly, they have realised the dangers of unemployment.

They have made existential researches into unemployment and instead of creating bills that will aid state governors to exploit their natural resources, they brilliantly proffer Peace Corps as the solution. They say it will reduce unemployment!

These same legislators refused to confirm nominees into vacant positions in the CBN because the President preferred to keep the face of a man they do not want to see. In an era where

scarce resources are being committed to fill infrastructural deficits, where paying salaries in some states is as hard as passing a camel through the eye of the needle, one wonders if these positionss are indeed patriotic or individualistic.

In any case, an online media alleged that some senators were given 500 slots in a yet to be confirmed organization.

Reading the interview the promoter of the Corps, Mr. Akoh, granted a media house, one realises the financial nightmare the organisation would create for government. He said none

of the staff is paid less than N40,000 a month. With a staff strength of more than 113,000, the monthly wage bill would be about N4.5bn, or N50bn annually. This is roughly equivalent to a third of Bauchi State’s N168bn 2018 budget and a quarter of Katsina’s N211bn budget.

It’s unexplainable how people in the hallowed chambers will allow this bill to be passed without scrutinizing the attendant problems.

While unemployment is an issue, you don’t solve a problem by creating another. You don’t jump up forgetting that the

ground isn’t a nice place to land carelessly. It takes a lot to build a nation, it takes nothing to destroy it.

The Federal Government is planning to raise the minimum wage in September. Arm-twisting the President into signing this bill will deny Nigerians the delivery of dividends of democracy. A responsible parliament should help in building the nation, not fighting for things that will jeopardize her financial stability.

– Akanji is a strategist and lives in Abuja

NNPC sues against vandalism, profiteering in South-East Charles Onyekwere, Abakaliki

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has reiterated its desire to ensure the steady supply of all the petroleum products to every nook and cranny of Nigeria especially in the South East of the country if only the marketers will stop profiteering and devious men stop vandalising the pipelines.

The NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru,

made this known in Enugu on Thursday during the NNPC day at the ongoing 29th Enugu International Trade Fair.

Baru said that NNPC is ready to rehabilitate the Enugu Depot so that people in the South East and North Central could access the products easily but lamented that the activities of vandals have been making it difficult.

“We have paid attention to rehabilitate the pipelines. We are trying to ensure that the Enugu depot in the South East is working. We shall continue to make sure that steady petroleum

products is supplied to people in this part of Nigeria,” Baru declared.

For instance Baru said that they have discovered about 685 points where the pipelines have been vandalised, noting that the vandalism is prevalent in Ishiagu area of Ebonyi State and Osisioma in Abia State and appealed to the management of Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, ECCIMA, the organisers of the trade fair to assist NNPC to appeal to Ebonyi and Abia to stop the vandalism.

“This is making it difficult to supply fuel to.Enugu Depot.

Enugu Depot is strategic also to those in the North Central.

We need your assistance, ECCIMA’s assistance, to appeal to the people in Ishiagu in Ebonyi State and Osisoma in Abia State to stop the pipeline vandalism so that we can supply fuel to Enugu Depot,” the GMD pleads.

Baru pointed out that apart from vandalism, one thing that is hampering the free flow of supply of the petroleum products is that the marketers indulge in profiteering and sell

the products above the government approved pump prices.

He said that they made sure that everywhere in Nigeria, the regulated prices are maintained but wondered that this is not obtainable in South Eastern states who often claim high cost of transportation whereas other areas transport theirs and still maintain the price.

He urged Nigerians to report those that hoard the products or sell above the approved pump price to check the profiteering tendency among the marketers.

Business Features

B8

Daily Times Nigeria Saturday, March 24, 2018

Google launches tool for African economic growth Jane Frances Google, the globally popular search engine, has launched tools in order to boost economic growth in SubSaharan Africa.

The event titled Google Launchpad Accelerator Africa aimed at providing 15 000 single course scholarships and 500 nanodegree scholarships to aspiring and professional website developers in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa in order to boost economic growth in these countries.

Launchpad Accelerator Africa, is a programme for top early-stage African startups that will operate out of Lagos, Nigeria.

Google recently announced the startups who will participate in the first Google Launchpad Accelerator Africa class, at an event held in Lagos.

In no particular order, the participants in the first Launchpad Accelerator Africa class include Babymigo, Flexpay. Also others are OkadaBooks, OMG Digital, hyper-local, Piggybank. ng, swiftVEE, TangoTv and Teheca among others.

Although, towards the tail end of last year, 9 November to 10 December 2017 priscisely, Google disclosed the first Launchpad Accelerator Africa class and the last day of applications.

Google is committed to the Sub-Saharan Africa developer ecosystem and has, since April 2016, hosted 13 Launchpad Build and Start events across Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, featuring some 228 speakers and engaging 590 attendees from local startups in each country.

Speaking at the event, Country Director of Google Nigeria Juliet Ehimuan, «Launchpad Accelerator Africa was announced at Google for Nigeria in July last year. At the time we also announced the extension of our Digital Skills for Africa program to train 10 million Africans, including 100,000 developers, over five years.

The scholarshipsannounced today form part of that commitment.”

Over the next three years the Launchpad Accelerator Africa programme will provide African startups with over $3-million in equity-free support, working space, and access to expert advisers from

Caption L-R: Nigeria Head of Startup Success and Services, Launchpad Africa, Google Fola Olatunji-David, Country Director of Google Nigeria Juliet Ehimuan, Sub-Saharan Africa Ecosystem Regional Manager Andy Volk at the first Google Launchpad Accelerator Africa class, at an event held in Lagos.

Google, Silicon Valley, and Africa. Participants receive travel and PR support during each three-month program.

To qualify, startups have to be a technology startup, based in Sub-Saharan Africa, targeting the African market and have already raised seed funding.

Google additionally considered the problem the start up is trying to solve, how it creates value for users, and how they addressed a real challenge for their home city, country or Africa broadly.

Although it might be interesting to say Ehimuan pointed out that «We committed and consistent to build Sub Saharan Africa, As you know we have been in the region for the past year now, in different ways, working with different stakeholders to build the digital ecosystem. For a example to supporting businesses in helping them to grow and either content creation going on YouTube or Small and Medium businesses in different aspect, helping them to achieve more success, more reach by taking advantage of internet tolls. And we also work closely with developers and startups communities around the world and certainly in Sub Saharan Africa.

We have run a lot of programs support the developers and startups across Nigerian, Kenya and South Africa. Every

year we look at our programs and what the needs are within the communities we are operating and stay more on the continents and look what more can we do. So last year we ran Google for Nigeria event and that was on July last year and in that event we made three important announcements.

One of them was expanding our digital program. In 2016, we made the commitment to provide free digital training to one million African in one year and we exceeded that target and in July we decided expanding because we saw the benefits at the individuals and at the businesses that had attended the program. You appreciate the value of the internet, knowing how to access information, knowing how use technology tools.The impact on that for growing your business and going beyond borders, in some cases people were able to learn new trades , improved their skills and get jobs and so we expanded our commitment and pledged to train 10 million people in five years, and that program is on going and that›s one classic example in our investments in the ecosystem.

Surprisingly enough, she noted, «So another thing we announced was our Google.com grant of 20 millions dollars to organizations that advancing the cause of education and economic properity. We kicked

that off with two grants to organizations called Slavola in South Africa as well as Guinea mobile in Nigeria, they both provide E-learning platform and tools and the funding was to help them reach up to 250, 000 additional users.»

Our third announcement is our kick off today and what we are announcing today . I mentioned that we provide on going support to developers.

So in July last year during the Google for Nigeria event, we announced that we would be starting an African Accelerator program to be hosted in Lagos.

So launchpad is a global program of mentoring that Google offers to startups around the world and we have different stages there is launchpad bill, launchpad start and launchpad accelerator program Africa .

We have been running these programs in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. But today we are kicking off the Launchpad Accelerator Africa program to be hosted in Lagos we are starting with 12 startups from across the region and it›s a combination of bootcamp, intensive training, mentoring from googleries, networking and other technologies exploit must really helping them to access the best of Google and helping them to grow and really excited to be able to support Africa startups in this way .

You and I know that if

entrepreneurs are supported to grow that can have a real impact on economic development. At the moment on Africa continent we have created about 3million jobs on an annual basis, thus we have about 11 million job seekers entering the market every year, so there is a huge gap. So if we can support startups to be more commercially successful they will employ more people and it can contribute for employment and for economic growth. So it›s very exciting to be able to provide this Launchpad Accelerator Africa program hosted in Lagos. As part of our supporters developers we also made an exciting announcement today which is the Africa Scholarships program.

As part of our digital skills initiative we pledged to train 100,000 developers and as part of that as well we are providing scholarships to 15,000 aspiring developers. We have been running this training in partnership with Udacity and Andela and by expanding that we would be able to provide this scholarships to 15,000 entrepreneurs and that includes 500 full nanodegree courses of Udacity .

These are intensive training opportunities to just help improve employability within the developer ecosystem,» Google Nigeria boss paused.

Life& TIMES Saturday, March 24, 2018

LAFUP:

L2 Interview

Daily Times Nigeria

Saturday, March 24, 2018

The integral part of comedy is writing, creating jokes – LAFUP Oluwasegun Ogundipe, better known as LAFUP, is one of the leading and versatile comedians of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who kicked off his comedy career from the ancient city of Ibadan, Oyo State. Married to his university girlfriend whom he proposed to during one of his major shows in Ibadan, LAFUP is sure a game changer when it comes to the comedy business having been mentored by some of the best hands in the industry.

Showing his other sides, LAFUP aside doing comedy and compere, owns an outfit that majors in supplies of security wristbands for shows, events, fun parks and hospitals and is also into dog breeding. In this chat with MUTIAT ALLI, LAFUP gave advice to upcoming comedians and why comedians are more united in the entertainment industry.

Enjoy…

As a comedian/ compere, how will you rate the industry at the moment?

The industry is changing, although one cannot overlook the invasion of the “toms, dicks and harries”.

Structure is gradually put in place and those who are thorough performers and true live comedy performers are stepping up. At least, we now know that comedy can hold his or her audience with or without musical artistes.

We are not there yet, but with our history and feats thus far, there are no limits.

Critics say comedy events are becoming boring as mostly same acts/musicians are being rotated. Your take and solutions?

It’s the bandwagon effect!

There is basically only one template everyone is

Life&

employing. We comedians have by ourselves reduced comedy to a side attraction as against the main and complete art that it is. As a comedy researcher, I have always maintained that comedy is now being used as the means to an end majorly instead of the end in itself.

There is a place for comedy art as at its custodian we owe it to the art to place it where it belongs always.

The critics are right and that is why my show Lafup The Circus is different. The solution is to be true to our art and help more comics grow by giving them more platforms to cut across to the comedy lovers, encourage and create a forum where stand-up comedy writers are encouraged and also create improve group that can groom upcoming comedian through the process of writing, tailoring

and eventually performing that very comedy routine.

A popular comedian once claimed that comedians are more united than musicians and that you support one another for free. Is this true and how has this helped the industry?

Technically it has help more comedy platforms to grow but then, it’s also the same reason why the number of musical artistes pushing the fat envelopes and incomparable to that of the comedians. We help ourselves and I tell, that is a major strength of the Nigerian comedy industry as against any other sector in the performing sector of the creative industry.

You have a large fan base in Ibadan despite having moved to Lagos. How was

Daily Times Nigeria

Saturday, March 24, 2018

The integral part of comedy is writing, creating jokes – LAFUP that made possible?

I have not moved to Lagos, I have only expanded to Lagos. Clearly Lagos is the hub and the commercial centre for entertainment business in Africa, if you don’t have a representation here, you are not likely to top your game. I work more with brands and they need me in Lagos so often hence that notion.

I still produce two shows in Ibadan every year march and December 26th. I am so with my base, and I am so with my fans everywhere in any part of the world. I just need to keep up with their pace and keep working hard for them.

What is that one thing a lot of people don’t know about you?

I love to cook! It’s the first things after comedy and writing.

Is comedy about being funny?

Primary yes! But everything has a process and so does comedy and these process my brother, are not always funny. If you asked about the business, that another story entirely.

What strategies would you advise upcoming comedians to employ in order to break into the mainstream?

Join a comedy group; it’s how most music stars became lone stars. You are in the choir first then you start taking solos…same process for comedy. The integral part of the game is writing, creating the jokes. If you don’t learn that as a young comedian, you will only settle for stealing people’s jokes as we often see these days. Work hard, read wide, get a mentor and most importantly, the only way to learn to swim is to get into the water.

What is your most valuable bodily possession?

My mind, the landlord on my ingenuity.

What’s the craziest thing you have ever done?

I’m not really crazy…I’m mad. I went to MC a wedding reception in Lagos on the same day of my show, LAFUPLIVE 2009. The amount they offered, was what I just couldn’t make at my show that year in Ibadan… 3 years after, we still couldn’t.

Interview L3

L4 Gist

Gist

Daily Times Nigeria

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Jimi Solanke, Kwitee, Project Fame 2014 contestant, Danielle Orji thrill at AR Concert 3

By Mutiat Alli It was an amazing concert of Afrocentric Rhythms that got every single audience dancing from the start of the concert till it fades out.

The outdoor space of the Freedom Park welcome veteran singer and folklore exponent, Jimi Solanke who was the special guest of this recently held Afro Rhythm Concert .

Musical artistes like the Afro pop singer, Ayanfe Viral, Kwitee the Flugel Horn blower and Daniella Oji joined the Abinibi Groovy Band to serenade the audience.

Jimi Solanke who performed after the Afro pop artiste, Ayanfe dished old tunes, thrilled not a few showing glimpses of himself in the days of yore. Old wine they say,

tastes better even as the organiser and founder of the Abinibi Groovy Band, Abbey joined Pa Jimi Solanke, aged 75 years as he entertained the scores of guests at the outdoor place of the Freedom Park, with his deft moves and dances. His baritone voice blared out and made a sweeter note with the brass instruments.

Others music artistes that performed were MTN Project Fame contestant, Daniella Oji, Omileyan, Hathanda, Mr Makaay, J Stanley and Bamidele Haruna who thrilled the crowd once again with his Apala flavour.

Last Year’s Afro Rhythm gig brought the Afrobeat singer, Kola Ogunmola and Nigerian Idols 2015 winner, K Peace to serenade guests at the Park.

ARConcert 3.0 got the

Jimi Solanke

support of Freedom Park, PCM.ng, Ticket Naija, IQ Media, Shimmers

Production, Happenings Radio /TV, TOJ, Brownehill Radio.

Tim Godfrey unveils record label ‘Rox nation’ After over a decade’s experience as a song producer, director, vocal coach and a songwriter with unpredictable live performances, Tim Godfrey today announced the launch of his record label, ROX Nation. ROX is an acronym for Republic of Xtreme, and the label already has on its roster four talented artists; Okey Sokay, IBK, Blessyn, and SMJ who is also a producer.

“ROX Nation is not

your typical music record label as we go beyond producing music and promoting artists; there is also an arm involved in movie production, stage shows, and general entertainment business” said Tim Godfrey at the unveil which held at the new ROX Nation Headquarters in Gbagada, Lagos; a facility that also hosts a live and audio recording studio fitted with video camera for live footage.

ROX Nation also engages in content creation

including jingles and TVCs for agencies, production engagement for recording artists and studio rental.

Tim Godfrey is also currently running a music reality show tagged Sound Check, a platform he says will help to train young people with raw musical talents and give them a platform to showcase their gifts to the world. “We are hoping to give younger people opportunity to find expression with their Tim Godfrey gifts” he said.

Banks back ARISE Fashion Week Designers with N300m ARISE Fashion Week 2018 returns the fashion focus back to creating global fashion brands out of Africa and the diaspora with the launch of ARISE Fashion Management and Mentoring Programme (AFMMP). This is coming ahead of the official opening of the 2018 ARISE Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria over this Easter at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island.

Determined to grow global champions out of African designers, the AFMMP initiative is curating indigenous brands that can compete with the best in the world and stand firm on the international stage, starting with the AFMMP Bootcamp from Tuesday 27th March, 2018.

At the Bootcamp, designers participating in the ARISE Fashion Week 2018 will have access to a faculty of experts, who will engage the selected designers on Fashion Business and Financial Management, The Business of Luxury, Supply Chain Management, Strategic Planning, Merchandizing, Retail and Export Strategies, Social Media Strategies, Image and Reputation Management, Brand Acceleration, and most importantly, 10 Steps to Becoming World Class.

The highlight of the AFMMP Bootcamp will be a Bankable Business Plan Competition amongst the designers from which 30 winning pitches will be selected. Each winning designer will be awarded 10 Million Naira Funding specifically targeted to enhance the designer’s infrastructure, supply chain, retail and export plans. This funding will come with strings attached - a banking partner, (Zenith Bank, Access Bank,

Kemi Afolabi’s ‘Mo’Dorisa’ premieres in April Talented actress Kemi Afolabi is set to premiere her new

Kemi Afolabi

epic work Mo’dorisa on April 29, 2018. The movie which paraded an all cast

female according to the producer will be a thriller for her fans.

The cast of the movie include Binta Ayomogaji, Faithia Williams, Madam Saje Bimbo Oshin, Peju Omobolanle, Ronke Oshodi Oke, Ayo Adesanya, Sola Kosoko, Foluke Daramola, Sindodo Tayo and Funke Etti among others.

Mo’dorisa tells the story of Dayese village which never remained the same after a whirlwind swept away all male residents (both

young and old) leaving the women with no choice but to take the bull by the horn.

“The Epic movie showcases the impact, strength, importance and problem solving skills of women without the male gender,” said Afolabi.

“The storyline passes across strong cultural views and tradition, richly inclined, unique, interesting, educative and full of suspense. It will keep you at the edge of your seats.”

Ruth Osime

Guaranty Trust Bank and others ), a Brand Accelerator, and a Global Mentor drawn from leading design luminaries from around the world - who will donate their time and expertise to taking Africa’s fashion brands global.

Meanwhile, arrangements are being concluded with leading consultants and business schools to ensure sustainability with quarterly classes.

AFMMP Program Coordinator, Orode Imevbore said: “ARISE has always been globally focused.

Twelve years ago through Music and Fashion, ARISE Media told the story of Africa Rising around the world, leading to the current resurgence of Music and Fashion. Today, after a black US President, and a new Black Panther moment, the time for Africa is now. The AFMMP Initiative will ensure we have the bricks and mortar to compete in the emerging new world. And everyone is welcome to play their part.

America is driving technology, Europe controls global luxury, the sun is rising in China and Asia. If not now, when will it be for Africa? Today we take baby steps with fashion and the creative industries.

Exciting hardly captures the emotions, as we are talking about empowering 30 talented designers with life changing support beyond capital, and making the African fashion design truly world class. The ARISE Fashion Management and Mentoring Programme is a first step. Jointly, together we will rise and conquer”.

ARISE FASHION WEEK 2018 will take place at The Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos from March 30 April 02, 2018.

Society circle

Daily Times Nigeria

Saturday, March 24, 2018

L5 Society CIrcle

Oando boss, Wale Tinubu bounces back

By Isaac Oguntoye Often, the pain of loss can feel overwhelming as one experience all kinds of difficult and unexpected emotions, from shock, anger to disbelief, guilt, and profound sadness. This assertions are what best described what Oando CEO, Wale Tinubu went through when he lost his immediate elder brother.

But after a difficult period and months of mourning his elder sibling, staying away from the social events, Wale bounced back. Without mincing words, the trained lawyer has gotten back his groove as he returned to wale Tinubu

the social scene in style.

Few days ago, the Oando boss alongside other top dignitaries were sighted at the wedding soiree of Fatima Dangote’s and Jamil Abubakar held at the ancient city of Kano.

At the event, the King of African Oil was looking dapper like a newborn baby walk in a slow, relaxed manner into the event venue alongside his friends while he exchanged warm pleasantries with other invited guests.

Wale Tinubu is known for his philanthropic gestures and his company, OANDO PLC, recently made a wondrous donation to the less privileged.

Otunba Subomi Balogun’s happy mood According to the Yoruba adage that said, “Head of the Family, is the Father of Responsibilities”, it is a great role to Head a family, as it requires, wisdom, knowledge and financial backup.

This belief has been the watchword that guides every Yoruba family system. But these days, money has been used to replace the position of the Head of the Family, instead of calling on the Head of the family available within the community; invitation is extended to the moneybags in the city.

And for those who have followed the enormous rise of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Founder, Otunba Subomi Balogun (CON) from inception would attest to the fact that long-suffering, doggedness, dedication, hardwork and his Midas touch of Gold made him attain such enviable height in business.

The octogenarian Ijebu-ode born billionaire and the Asiwaju of Ijebu Christians who celebrated his 84th birthday recently still maintain his principles and ideologies as he continue to break new grounds.

Otunba was ecstatically happy few days ago when the Ogun High court; where Justice Aderonke Asenuga upheld him as the head of the Fusengbuwa ruling house, one of the ruling houses in Ijebu-Ode where the Awujale of Ijebuland is traditionally selected.

It was gathered that the Judge delivered her judgment with enormous oral evidence given to the court by the Awujale and the paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Kayode Sikiru Adetona.

Former National President, Institute of the Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Otunba Abdul-Lateef Owoyemi, Prince Rasaq Akeju, Prince Yisau Ajidagba and Prince Adeleke Adeyemi and one other on behalf of themselves and Fusengbuwa ruling house was said to have dragged Otunba Balogun to court to challenge his emergence as the head of the Fusengbuwa ruling house.

Sen. Solomon Olamilekan

Is Senator Yayi a dreamer?

Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola who is popularly referred to as Yayi has been described by the youths and some elders from Ogun state as someone who is living in a world of fantasy; one who is impractical with unrealistic dreams.

In case you don’t know, the senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District has been running from one pillar to poll to make sure his governorship ambition materialized.

Unfortunately for him, ever since he declared his intention to run for the governorship seat in Ogun state come 2019, many have described him as a dreamer who is just wasting his money unnecessarily.

And According to sources, his declaration has proved him to be a man driven by inordinate ambitions. Information also has it that he has been visiting some state stalwarts in the political terrain with his intention to rule the state, but the latest developments have shown that he cannot realize it, given the arithmetic that surrounds the APC in the state.

Besides, it was gathered that the National Peace Move in the party, led by former Lagos State governor and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu has truncated his governorship dream, as it was said that his interest to occupy the number one seat in Oke-Mosan government house in Abeokuta is causing ripples within the party, APC, in the state. Recall that the incumbent governor, Ibikunle Amosun, has not been at rest with Yayi’s ambition and now that the national peace move is not working in favour of Yayi, Amosun can now smile with his candidate in mind.

L6 Society Circle

Daily Times Nigeria

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Society circle Jigawa pilgrims to undergo Ebola, infectious diseases test

Why we celebrate Eledumare festival - Aare Adams

Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Aare Gani Adams, on Tuesday, gave reasons for the celebration of Eledumare festival.

Speaking at the grand finale of the festival held at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, Adams, restated the need for the Yorubas to celebrate God by organizing a festival solely for the Supreme Being.

He said the 8th edition of the festival began 21 days ago, with a series of activities, including Harvest of Praise, Football

Competition and Fashion Show among others. The event, he added, was climaxed with the grand finale.

“God is worthy of worship, praise is the only key that opens all doors. Our organisation, the Oodua People’s Congress,( OPC), the Olokun Festival Foundation,( OFF),is the only group that celebrates Eledumare Festival and I am indeed, very grateful to God that we are all alive to witness this glorious day. Considering the

tremendous growth in our group, most especially, on the strength of our group in the Diaspora, the Oodua Progressive Union (OPU), in 79 countries in the world, I am pleased to tell you that our best is yet to come”, he stated.

Adams also harped on the need to promote the Yoruba Language and identity, saying about 28 universities in the world studies the Language.

He also charged the government, particularly, in the southwest states to promote sports

and agriculture, by establishing what he named Southwest Agric Commission (SWAC).

The Guest lecturer, Professor Oguntola Laguda, from the Lagos state University, LASU in his speech, said the Yorubas are the most cultured people in the world. He explained further that the Yoruba had a better understanding of God as the creator of heaven and earth long before the introduction of Islam and Christian religious into the country.

UK Big Boy, Kaystar ties the knot today Nigeria born UK bases Alhaji Oluwakayode Salaam also known as Alogba, who is the Chief Executive Officer of one of the leading international shipping companies, Kaystar Autos, will walk down aisle today with his heartthrob of many years, Alhaja Ronke Salaam in Ibadan, Oyo

State.

According to information, friends, family, well-wishers have started trooping in from different part of the world to support Alhaji Kaystar as he tied the nuptial knot with the mother of his children.

The Ekpe son expressed his love for Yoruba

tradition, claimed it’s the right way to exalt culture, which according to him, is the reason why he came to Nigeria with friends to fulfill cultural marital rites with the mother of his three children.

“Getting married now shouldn’t be shocking even though my first born is 13 years old. We

did what I will describe a mini marriage, but I believe it important to come down to Nigeria and come do the right thing, I mean the cultural rites. I have so much value for culture that in my house I converse in Yoruba language with my family because I have tried as much as possible to ensure that even though we are not in Nigeria doesn’t mean we should ignore our mother tongue” kayode said.

As a successful businessman, Kayode narrated how he has grown from grass to grace while staying in the United Kingdom (UK) for 19 years as a dealer of all kind of automobiles, while restating his pledge to impact the society through charity.

Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Aare Gani Adams, on Tuesday, gave reasons for the celebration of Eledumare festival. Speaking at the grand finale of the festival held at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, Adams, restated the need for the Yorubas to celebrate God by organizing a festival solely for the Supreme Being.

He said the 8th edition of the festival began 21 days ago, with a series of activities, including Harvest of Praise, Football Competition and Fashion Show among others.

The event, he added, was climaxed with the grand finale.

“God is worthy of worship, praise is the only key that opens all doors. Our organisation, the Oodua People’s Congress,( OPC), the Olokun Festival Foundation,( OFF),is the only group that celebrates Eledumare Festival and I am indeed, very grateful to God that we are all alive to witness this glorious day.

Considering the tremendous

growth in our group, most especially, on the strength of our group in the Diaspora, the Oodua Progressive Union (OPU), in 79 countries in the world, I am pleased to tell you that our best is yet to come”, he stated.

Adams also harped on the need to promote the Yoruba Language and identity, saying about 28 universities in the world studies the Language.

He also charged the government, particularly, in the southwest states to promote sports and agriculture, by establishing what he named Southwest Agric Commission (SWAC).

The Guest lecturer, Professor Oguntola Laguda, from the Lagos state University, LASU in his speech, said the Yorubas are the most cultured people in the world. He explained further that the Yoruba had a better understanding of God as the creator of heaven and earth long before the introduction of Islam and Christian religious into the country.

Who is after Dino Melaye?

It is no longer news that Senator Dino Melaye who has been relaxing from the heat and tension of his recall is on the hot seat again. This time around, the distinguish senator representing Kogi West senatorial district was alleged to have given arms to thugs to terrorize his state. While some are expecting him to visit the police station to address the issue, Senator Melaye took to social media to call out those he think could be behind his political predicament.

In the video, Senator Melaye said it was an orchestrated lie by the governor and the Police

Dino Melaye

to shut him up, and that he had never seen the arrested suspects before.

Meanwhile, parading the two kidnappers alleged to have been supplied guns and ammunition by Senator Melaye, Moshood said the Senator had been ignoring Police invitations to clear his name from the allegation.

Aside that, a Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Friday, March 16 have also ordered the continuation of his recall process. Melaye had gone to the court to stop his recall from the Senate initiated by members of his Kogi West Senatorial district.

Daily Times Nigeria

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Opinion L7

Internet can’t replace TV in Nigeria

By Kayode Adeoya From the onset, the introduction of television to Nigeria in 1959 was basically for political and education reasons. But shortly after establishing this audio-visual medium of communication in Nigeria, government, corporate bodies and individuals realized the potentials and opportunities that television presents.

In time, TV became a powerful tool for information, education and entertainment.

It became a medium for the government to create awareness on national integration and cultural promotion, corporate bodies on the other hand, saw TV as a medium through which they could promote and market their products and services and many parents; including mine saw television as a means of learning and acquiring skills for self-development.

But when in 1996 the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) licenced 38 internet service providers to sell internet services in Nigeria, many ICT exponents, thought that this would be the new technology to dethrone television as a medium of influence. True, the internet is undoubtedly a powerful medium of communication. But its power and influence does not in any way replace or reduce the influence of television as a broadcast medium.

This speculation is not peculiar to Nigeria alone. When the internet launched in America, many in the industry thought that television viewing experience had finally come to an end especially with the introduction of Netflix and other internet based movie streaming services.

Reports confirm that in the United States of America in the fourth quarter of 2017, Netflix had well over 54.75 million subscribers. Still, more and more people are turning to the internet for their television content. Despite the immense impact of Netflix in America and other parts of the globe, it is pertinent to note that subscribers cannot stream movies on their mobile phone, tablet or laptop without the internet and having internet requires that you have data. Thus, no internet, no viewing.

Having a Netflix account does not stop more Americans from watching traditional TV or even pay-TV. The reasons behind these are because television viewing is addictive and besides being addictive, TV gives viewers’ variety of channels to choose from and with the large screen viewing experience and live programme opportunities, the movie streaming companies are still a few steps behind on this.

Even with the introduction of Netflix and Showmax to the Nigerian and African markets, traditional TV has not been

neglected. This is because traditional cable TV has the potential to showcase more content. For example, pay TV companies like DStv has over 200 channels to choose from and with as low as $17, a DStv subscriber can get a Compact package and get the opportunity to watch over 95 channels.

Unfortunately, $7 cannot buy data that will last for a month if you decide to download and watch Netflix movies through the mobile providers in Nigeria.

Another unique aspect of traditional TV is that it has the ability to show live sports. The 2018 World Cup is around the corner and I bet that the Netflix’s and Showmax’s of this world will not stream these live matches.

But pay TV companies will broadcast all 64 live matches.

An analyses of Nigeria’s population figure and the number of people who have embraced the internet in Nigeria is a clear indication that traditional television viewing cannot be replaced by the internet.

Currently, Nigeria has a population of 170 million and internet penetration in Nigeria is well close to 50%, which is the highest in Africa. Yet so many more Nigerians do not have access to the internet especially in rural locations.

Reports also have it that the population of Africa as a continent is 1.216 billion and only 216 million are internet users. This figure is poor but the reality of it is that many more

Africans still prefer their traditional and payTV, as the streaming TV is still not pocketfriendly.

Again, a comparative analyses of Nigeria, the US and Europe indicates that internet TV would deliver its content seamlessly without hiccups but in Nigeria and Africa as a whole this may not be the case because the mobile companies still have some ways to go to achieve reliable connectivity, making it frustrating to stream or even download a movie effortlessly. Many here in Nigeria keep their options open, alternating between a streaming service or pay TV. Internet TV service may at first appear much cheaper than pay TV, but I would emphasize that it still requires a connection to the internet and lots of bandwidth. This will undoubtedly cost people more. Some mobile service providers are among those likely to offer internet TV. For example, on average, internet usage in a month is about $33 and Netflix download can consume as much as 3-7GB per hour. This is a clear indication that even a prudent data user will barely last a week with this plan.

No doubt, the internet has come to stay and the television cannot be phased out anytime soon and pay-TV providers like DStv would continue to provide its subscribers with wholesome family entertainment and economically empower more Nigerians.

L8 Nutrition

Daily Times Nigeria

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Health benefit of Pineapple

By Mutiat Alli Pineapple, with the botanical name Ananas Comosus is a tropical plant with an edible multiunit consisting of vitamins and minerals such as Thiamine, Niacine, Choline, Vitamin C, Calcium, Manganese, Magnesium, Zinc, Sodium, Potassium and others. It is the most economically significant plant in the Bromeliaceous family. Pineapples can be consumed fresh, cooked, juiced or preserved. They are found in a wide array of cuisines. Pineapples also contain bromelain, fibre, sugar and water which are essential for human growth and development. Spiny on the outside, sweet on the inside, pineapples are one fantastic fruit.

Below are some of the health benefits of pineapple: Great source of vitamins and minerals Pineapple is a good source of vitamins and minerals. A cup of pineapple juice provides 132% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C and 76% for manganese which is an essential trace mineral usually found in high amounts in vegetables, fruit, whole grains and legumes. Pineapple also contains copper, a mineral that is critical for being a cofactor in the production of red blood cells.

Improves Immunity The immune system functions to protect the body from diseases, fight off harmful microorganisms and repair body damage. Research has also revealed that eating pineapple or taking a bromelain supplement may shorten the duration of infections, reduce inflammation, prevent the formation of blood clots and stimulate immune Reponses especially in children.

Lowers the risk of cancer Cancer is one of the main causes of death and disability globally. Mainly characterized by uncontrollable cell growth, it invades and harms the surrounding tissues. Various test-tube studies have shown that bromelain may prevent the growth of cancer cells and as well lead them to cell death.

Facilitates wound healing The human body has the ability to repair itself after injury but the process may be slowed down by various factors ranging from diabetes to old age. Bromelain in pineapple and fresh pineapple juice can be used to enhance wound healing by reducing inflammation and accelerating recovery. Also, a bromelain-based lotion has been shown to enhance the healing of skin burns in humans.

Strengthens Bones Pineapple is beneficial for helping you to stand tall and be strong. Even though pineapple does not contain a large amount of calcium, it is loaded with a notable amount of manganese.

Manganese is a mineral the body needs to build bones and connective tissues as well as their growth and repair.

Improves Eye Health Eye vision is one of the most important senses for humans, second only to the nose. It is our dominant sense since we collect most of our information through visual perception. If you want to keep your eyes healthy, make sure you take pineapple regularly because it is directly associated with boosting eye health and preventing age-related deficiencies and it also contains betacarotene, a powerful Antioxidant.