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GAINERS AS AT December 23, 2016 FO

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2016 VOL. 2. NO. 265

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Continued on page 12

Group calls for restructuring of Nigeria

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flights across the country.

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Security agencies wanted Rivers ungovernable –Wike Ï Alleges arrest, detention of police details for helping to stop SARS’ commander from rigging Ï Claims to have been called to share legislative seats but declined Ï Says INEC staff assaulted by security agents under pressure to deny attacks Ï ‘Violence during rerun election orchestrated by security agencies’

PDP lauds Buhari, military for clearing Sambisa forest

Frustrations as ATMs fail to dispense cash 6

Police foil kidnap attempt of 2 year-old boy 5 ‘My mum did not kill dad over Christmas money’ 6

Yuletide…Some fun seekers at the Millennium Park, Abuja… on Tuesday.

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Give N1,000 to help make the life of an Internally Displaced Person better December 16th - 31st Let’s get one million caring Nigerians to donate towards Nigeria’s Humanitarian Response Plan for 2017. This fund will help reduce mortality, malnutrition and disease.

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Amaka Agbu,

Port Harcourt

ÏÏÏ

Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike of Rivers State on Tuesday alleged that the violence that characterized the December 10 legislative rerun elections Continued on page 6

2

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

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Editorial Granting autonomy to local governments

R

ecently, the Conference of 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (Conference 57) Lagos State endorsed the interference of state governments in the running of local government affairs in the country. The Conference based its endorsement on section 162(6) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that each state “shall maintain a special account to be called State Joint Local Government Account into which shall be paid all allocations of the state from the Federation Account and government of the state”.

We are vehemently opposed to Conference 57 and state that its resolution is not only anti-people, the meddling of state governments in the affairs of local governments has continued to deny this tier of government the much needed development.

It is pertinent to remind the Conference that the Nigeria Constitution 1999(as amended), states that local governments are to function as the third tier of government, after the federal and state governments respectively. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. Presently, Nigeria has 774 local governments, which are vested with the responsibility of bringing developments to millions of Nigerians at the grass roots. Drafters of the constitution took cognisance of the fact that since majority of Nigerians live in the rural areas, there is need to establish an administration that would bring government closer to them.

The constitution is, also, aware that in bringing development to this class of Nigerians, those invested with the responsibility must be given the financial and political independence to discharge their duties.

Unfortunately, the local government system has been so undermined that it can no longer effectively play its role as an agent of development at the community level in the country.

This is despite the huge allocations made to this tier of government from the Federation Account.

It has been alleged that some state governments frequently divert most of the funds meant for the councils to other purposes, instead of the development of the councils. This was possible because the funds for the local councils were paid from the Federation Account into the state and local government joint accounts that are controlled by the state governments which are either misappropriated, misapplied or diverted outright into private coffers without a whimper either from the council officials or the state legislatures.

Today, majority of the local governments are devoid of any modicum of development. Rather, poverty is increasing at the local level as people are denied access to the basic necessities of life such as potable water, functional schools, primary health care services, electricity, feeder roads, etc. This is not the way of democracy. It cannot be allowed to continue.

It bears repeating that before the military incursion into politics in 1966, the country’s local government system was very functional and effective, as the issue of security, agriculture and jobs creation were actually being addressed. Therefore, Nigeria must return autonomy to local governments if we are to address the challenge in our economy, polity and social life. We, therefore, recommend autonomy for local governments in order to ensure that the dividends of democracy get to the people at the grassroots.

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Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (right) in a handshake with chairman of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council, King Dandeson Jaja, Amayanabo of Opobo during a Christmas visit to Wike by traditional rulers at Government House, on Tuesday.

Wife of the Rivers State Governor, Justice Eberechi Nyesom-Wike (middle); Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Adama Iyayi-Laminkanra (left) and Deputy Governor, Ipalibo Harry Banigo, at the Children Christmas party hosted by Eberechi at Government House, Port Harcourt… on Monday.

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President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh of Djibouti (right) and President Afreximbank, Dr. Benedict Oramah during a meeting at the Al Qobba Presidential Palace in Cairo… recently.

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Any priest who preaches resurrection of Jesus Christ without seeing the resurrection of the economy - is wasting his time

Ibrahim Babangida

Wole Soyinka

“The work of Nigeria is not complete for as long as there is any one Nigerian who goes to bed on empty stomach.”

“The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism.”

4

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

0Ə ƌ Ɛ Ɔ Əƅ ƈƒƆ êêêJosy Ajiboye

Police foil kidnap attempt of two-year-old boy Joy Anyim & Oguntade Ismaila

ÏÏÏ

American billionaire takes over Chibok girls’ education Ï 01 ƒƆ MƾƠƠƄ ƇƏ ƌ ǀƠèƠƠƠ Ɛ Ɠ ƏƊƆƏ Tony Ailemen Abuja

ÏÏÏ

There are indications that the 21 Chibok Girls recently freed from Sambisa forest may have found favour with an American philanthropist, who had already taken over the education bills of the girls.

The black American billionaire, Mr. Robert Smith, is already sponsoring the education of 24 of the girls, with interest to also do so for those yet to be discovered whenever they are freed.

This much was revealed Tuesday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Mr. Garba Shehu at an interactive session with State House Correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Garba Shehu who was speaking on the welfare of the recentlyreleased 21 Chibok Girls, said they are being treated as adoptees of the

Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

ÏÏÏOperatives of the National

Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested an importer of electronics on his way to Hong Kong for ingesting cocaine.

Another suspect who lives in Athens, Greece was also apprehended in connection with unlawful possession of wraps of substances that tested positive for cocaine.

Federal Government but revealed that there is a lot of local and international interest in the future plans of the girls.

According to him, “A black American billionaire, Mr. Robert Smith who is currently sponsoring the education of 24 girls from Chibok, among them the first set of escapees from Boko Haram at the American University of Nigeria, Yola has offered to pay for the education of the 21 released through negotiations and is offering to take responsibility for all the others who will hopefully be eventually set free.

He also revealed that the Murtala Mohammed Foundation in the country is equally interested,” Shehu while also responding to questions on complaints by some of the parents of the 21 Chibok Girls that they did not have enough room for interaction with their daughters brought home for Christmas by the Department of State Services,DSS

5 News

the Senior Special Assistant to the President admitted that there were some hitches arising from a lack of understanding of the objective of the trip on the part of some security operatives.

He disclosed that, “a directive has been given from the headquarters for the access by the parents to be eased”, adding that “If the situation persists, pls let us know so that the higher authorities will make a further intercession,” he assured.

Speaking on the discovery of 50,000 Ghost Workers who had been sacked, Shehu stated that more than 200 billion naira was saved in 2016 He said the Federal government payroll has been rid of 50,000 ghost workers, saving the country a huge amount of N200 billion.

He also said that N13 billion was taken off the payroll monthly from February to December this year.

Operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command over the weekend arrested one Suleiman Seidu, 33, for attempting to kidnap a two-year-old boy, Chimdi Udwu, in Owode area of Ogun State.

The Decoy Team of the squad got a hint about a kidnap attempt on a little boy from one of the two persons who the prime suspect had contracted to perpetrate the crime.

Upon gathering further intelligence, a member of the RRS Decoy Team posed as a prospective caregiver that the kidnapper may want to contract to take care of the child.

Police source disclosed that for more than two weeks while the kidnapping plan was being perfected, the investigator, pretending as an accomplice, was exchanging information with the prime suspect.

It was revealed that the suspect assured the accomplice that he has got a motorcycle to use in kidnapping the boy, stressing that the ransom was N10 million, which the father of the boy would be able to afford as a landlord and dealer in electrical appliances.

It was learnt that when the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, was informed of the jurisdictional challenge of arresting the kidnap suspect in Ogun state, he ordered the Decoy Team to proceed, assuring them that he would contact his counterpart in the neighbouring Ogun state, adding that there was no jurisdiction in crime.

Police sources disclosed that one of the kidnap suspects was shocked by the insistence of the prime suspect to kidnap the little boy and request for N10 million ransom.

He continued: “I knew it was going to boomerang if I conceal the information and not inform the police. Then, I called one of my friends who resides in Lagos and explained the whole idea of kidnapping an innocent boy by someone in my neighbourhood, and the person also solicited me to join him to commit the crime.

It was this my friend that told me to come to Lagos to inform the RRS, which I eventually did the following day and reported the case at its headquarters in Lagos”, the informant was quoted as saying.

The source added that the suspect had successfully kidnapped two persons in Kogi state where he collected huge ransoms from the victim families.

Upon his arrival at the RRS’ headquarters in Lagos, the suspect, Suleiman Seidu who confessed to the crime, said that he wanted to kidnap the young boy because his biological mother is seriously ill and in need of money by all means to pay her hospital bill.

In his confessional statement, the suspect, Seidu, revealed: “I have been on the trail of that young boy and her parents for quite a while now. I conceived the idea to kidnap him when I was left with no option than to commit the crime because my mother is very ill.

“I wanted to demand for N10 million ransom but if his parents cannot afford the whole at least I was expecting N3 million at the end of the day. Then, I thought of contracting someone who knew the environment very well and would make the job easy for me,” Seidu, explained.

Interrogating him over how he wanted to carry out the kidnapping, the Kogi state born suspect explained, “I had been watching the movements of his parents’ driver for about two weeks. I discovered that whenever he was taking the boy to school every day, he would alight from the car to lock the gate because they don’t have a gate keeper in their house. Also, he takes him to school between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.

“What I devised was to kidnap the boy whenever the driver alighted from the car to close the gate, escape on a waiting bike. Although, I live in a room and parlour apartment, I had planned to keep him with me in my house to be demanding and threatening his parents to bring my expected ransom”, the suspect narrated.

NDLEA arrests two suspects at Lagos airport

A statement by Mr Mitchell Ofoyeju, spokesman for NDLEA, the arrests were made at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos during screening of passengers on an Ethiopian Airline flight to Hong Kong and Egypt Airline flight to

Athens.

Ofoyeju said preliminary investigation suggested that the suspects had targeted the Christmas holiday to smuggle cocaine out of the country but drug law enforcement officials at the Lagos airport were able to uncover their plan to

ferry the cocaine with total weight of 1.150kgs.

According to the NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport Ahmadu Garba, an importer of electronics by name Achebe Chuks David, 37, excreted forty-five wraps of cocaine he ingested weighing 935 grammes

while Ndukwe Daniel, 43 who lives in Athens excreted five wraps of cocaine weighing 215 grammes.

“Both suspects tested positive for narcotic ingestion and while under observation, they expelled wraps of cocaine which they had wanted to smug-

gle out of the country. The suspects are currently under investigation” Ahmadu stated.

The statement said the high expectations of both suspects making quick money this festive season from drug trafficking had been dashed by vigilant anti-narcotic officers.

News 6

Daily Times Nigeria zƆƗ Ɔ Ɨ ƕè #ƆƅƆƌƄƆƏ ƾƤè ƾƠơÕ

Continued from page 1 in the state was orchestrated by security agencies with the aim of making the state ungovernable.

The governor, who alleged that the plot was politically motivated, announced that the police high command has arrested all his personal police details, who accompanied him to stop SARS commander, Mr. Akin Fakorede, “from rigging Rivers East senatorial district.”

Addressing members of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council, who paid him a goodwill Christmas visit at the Government House, Port Harcourt, the governor disclosed that all the said policemen have been detained in Abuja by the police high command.

He claimed that the police high command was insisting that the policemen shouldn’t have accompanied him to stop Mr. Fakorede, and explained that he was compelled to take action “because the previous day, policemen and soldiers were used by the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) at Ikwerre local government area to beat up the ruling Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) agents and forced collation officers to concoct results.

“The security agencies orchestrated plans to cause violence with a view to making the state ungovernable for ulterior motives. As I speak with you, all my personal police details, who accompanied me to stop Fakore-

Security agencies wanted Rivers ungovernable –Wike de from successfully rigging the Rivers East senatorial district election have been arrested and detained in Abuja.”

The governor said that Rivers State has been peaceful since the conclusion of the rerun elections, saying: “Look at how peaceful Rivers State has become after the elections. Why was the election violent? It is because they wanted particu-

lar candidates to win and they wanted to rig in favour of such candidates.

“I was called to share seats.

I said I will not participate in such a fraud. I insisted that the votes must count. Let everyone go for elections,” he alleged and berated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) “for conniving with APC to print fake result sheets ahead

of the elections.

He alleged that INEC and police have swept the matter under the carpet and that many INEC staff who were “victims of violence by security agencies are under pressure from the electoral commission to deny the physical assault on them.”

Chairman of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council, King Dandeson Jaja, who is also

the Amayanabo of Opobo, in his remarks, warned against militarization of the electoral process.

The Amayanabo, while commending Governor Wike for always defending the rights of the people of the state, also lauded his developmental projects in the course of 2016, saying that his efforts had helped improve the fortunes of the state.

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PDP lauds Buhari, military for clearing Sambisa forest

‘My mum didn’t kill dad over Christmas money’

Abuja

ÏÏÏ Seventeen-year-old Chidera

Lateef Ibrahim,

ÏÏÏ

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari and the military for their dogged pursuit of the war against insurgency which led to the clearing of the dreaded Sambisa Forest of Boko Haram terrorists.

The PDP, in a statement on Tuesday by its national Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, described the feat as a welcome development in the fight against terrorism.

The party while saying that clearing of the Sambisa forest is a critical milestone added however that it (the clearing of Sambisa forest) is not the end of the war against insurgency.

The Government and the military, it said, must not rest on their oars.

Rather, the PDP maintained that the hot pursuit of the terror-

ists must continue unabated and relentlessly until the entire North East is rid completely of them.

The party stressed that beyond Sambisa, all the other forests which criminals used as hideouts and bases must equally be cleared by the military. Forests such as Birnin Gwari, Zamfara, Southern Kaduna, Enugu and Benue have become killing fields. They must all be cleared of criminal elements.

The PDP statement, reads, “A few days ago, the military hierarchy announced that the military has cleared the Dreaded Sambisa Forest of Boko Haram terrorists.

This is a welcome development in the fight against terrorism.

“We congratulate Nigerians for this important milestone in the long and bitter struggle against the forces of evil that have wreaked so much suffering and hardship on our people in the last few years.

“We also congratulate the Pres-

ident for his dogged pursuit of the war against insurgency. We are happy that he has built on the efforts of his Predecessors.

The PDP said that whatever the country is witnessing now is as a result of all the efforts and sacrifices of the past and present, stressing that Nigerians and the international community will recall that the war effort received a major boost in the weeks leading up to the 2015 general elections.

“The insurgents were virtually annihilated - a feat that made it possible for elections to hold peacefully in almost all the Local Government Areas of all the states in the North East last year.

We are therefore very much delighted with the continuation of this great effort by the President.

The party saluted the men and women of the armed forces for their courage, determination and sacrifice that made the achievement possible.

Joy Anyim Odoh, has exonerated his mother, who was alleged to have stabbed his father to death in Ikorodu area of Lagos.

It was learnt that the deceased and his wife were dragging a knife with each other, when the knife allegedly pierced through his (deceased) stomach.

According to Odoh, “My father accused my mother of infidelity, which led to their fight on that fateful day.”

He said: “On December 25, when my mother and I came back from the market, where we went to sell rice and paper soup.

She was trying to sleep when my father, who had gone out to drink, came back and started disturbing her that she had gone to see some of her male friends.

Thereafter, an argument ensued between the two of them.”

He said, “Before we knew

what was happening, my dad had picked up a broken bottle and threatened to stab my mother. I One Uncle Kola and I, persuaded him not to harm my mother before he eventually dropped the bottle.”

Odoh added that “after we collected the bottle from my dad, he went inside the room and brought out a knife, and he also threatened to stab my mother.

Out of annoyance, my mother moved closer to him to collect the knife from him. It was when they were dragging the knife that it pierced through his (my dad’s) stomach.”

According to him, “Immediately, the incident happened, some residents and I tried to rush him to a nearby clinic when he gave up the ghosts but my mother was held by the residents, who later invited the police that arrested her and moved my father’s remains to the mortuary.”

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

7 News

Sultan lauds FG over Sambisa Forest capture, rejects bill on equality in inheritance ÎÎÎ

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar lll, on Tuesday hailed the Federal Government and Nigerian Army for the capture of Sambisa Forest from Boko Haram terrorists.

The Sultan made the commendation in Gusau at the closing ceremony of the 20th Zamfara State Annual Qur’anic Recitation Competition.

Abubakar said that the capture of Sambisa Forest from Boko Haram was historic and a great success. “We are happy to hear this good news; we

are, therefore, calling on the Nigerian Army not to relent in its efforts in fighting the activities of Boko Haram,” he said.

He called on Muslims to continue to pray for peaceful coexistence in the country, adding that they should cooperate with all the tiers of government to move the country forward.

The royal father called on political office holders to ensure fairness and transparency in implementing projects for the development of the people particularly at the

grassroots.

On the bill before the Senate seeking equality in inheritance, the Sultan said that the bill was against Islamic religion and, therefore, unacceptable to Muslims.

NAN reports that the bill is seeking equality for male and female children in the sharing of inherited family wealth or property.

The bill also proposes that a widow is entitled to the custody of her children unless it is contrary to the interests and welfare of the children.

The bill also seeks that a

widow shall have the right to remarry any man of her choice and should have the right to a fair share in the inheritance of her late husband’s property and the right to live in her matrimonial house.

The Sultan said: “Our religion is our total way of life; therefore, we will not accept any move to change what Allah permitted us to do.

“Islam is a peaceful religion; we have been living peacefully with Christians and followers of other religions in this country. There-

fore, we should be allowed to perform our religion effectively.’’

He called on the senate not to consider the bill because of its religious implications.

In his remarks, the Zamfara Governor, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, gave the assurance that the state government would continue to support the Qur’anic recitation competition.

Yari and his wife, Asma’u, donated N500,000 to each male and female winner of the 7th category of the competition – recitation of the Qur’an with

Tafsir.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the winners are Faisal Muhammad from Shinkafi Local Government Area and Subai’a Sa’idu from Gusau Local Government Area.

The report also stated that the state government donated a car to each of the male and female winners.

Other prizes, including refrigerators, televisions, sewing machines and money were also given to winners of all the seven categories of the competition.

Ikpeazu pardons 20 prisoners ÎÎÎ

Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia has granted state pardon to 20 prisoners convicted for offences ranging from stealing, armed robbery, conspiracy, intent to commit felony, advanced fee fraud and assault.

The state’s AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Umeh Kalu made this known in a statement in Umuahia on Tuesday.

Kalu said that the prisoners held in Aba, Arochukwu, Port Harcourt and Enugu prisons were granted pardon on the advice and recommendation of the Abia State Advisory Council on Prerogative of

Mercy.

He said that three among the 20 prisoners were on death row and had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment while the others sentenced to various prison terms were released.

Kalu explained that the governor’s exercise of clemency to the prisoners was in commemoration of the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

“Government expects the pardoned prisoners to be law abiding and contribute to the drive to provide a better future for the state and the country at large,’’ he said.

Thick dust haze atmosphere to prevail today – NiMet ÎÎÎ The

Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted moderate to thick dust haze conditions over the central states on Wednesday with horizontal visibilities less than 1000m over Abuja, Bida, Zaria and Makurdi.

NiMet made the prediction in the Weather Outlook by its Central Forecast Office in Abuja on Tuesday.

It explained that the region would have day and night temperature of 31 to 33 degrees Celsius and 8 to 20 degrees Celsius respectively.

The agency predicted that the Southern states would experience thick

dust haze conditions with day and Night temperatures of 30 to 34 degrees and 17 to 23 degrees Celsius respectively.

According to NiMet, northern states will experience thick dust haze conditions with visibility values less than 1000m throughout the forecast period.

“The region will have day and night temperatures of 24 to 31 degrees Celsius and 12 to 18 degrees Celsius respectively during the forecast period.

“Thick dust haze is expected over the entire country within the next 24 hours,” NiMet predicted.

(NAN)

L-R: Director of State Security, Alhaji Mahmoud Ningi; chairman of the occasion, Dr. Ade Dosunmu; Managing Director/CEO, Executive Spot, Hajia Ramatu Lawal and Alhaja Sunbo Odueke, during the grand opening of Executive Sport, Ikoyi, Lagos… at the weekend.

Bureau receives award on civil service reforms ÎÎÎ The Bureau of

Public Service Reforms (BPSR), has been honoured with a Pan-African Public Service Award in recognition of the Federal Government reforms in the Civil Service.

Dr Joe Abah, the Director General of the bureau, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.

Abah said that the bureau had also received an award of good excellence in service delivery and an award for the proactive disclosure of procurement information.

“We help Nigeria to win a pan African award in public service excellence which was awarded by the Central Administration for Development (CAFRAD) in Morocco.

“Two members of staff also received presidential commendation for excellence in the civil service.

“We were voted the most transparent agency in Nigeria in terms of procurement by the public private development centre.

“And recently, we were given an award for good governance by the Institute of Service Delivery and Good Governance, we have had a lot of recognition for the work that we do this year. “ In terms of the actual work itself, we’ve made a lot of progress in a number of areas particularly in our reforms of agencies.

“We focus on ensuring that our agencies can work better. We’ve also done significant work to try and reposition our ministries starting with those six min-

istries that are affected by merger.

He said that the bureau had in time past struggled to ensure the implementation of the Oronsanye report.

He said that the bureau had pushed for the implementation of the report which had experience some setbacks.

“Although, we’ve pushed hard, we’ve done all the work that we can do as a bureau, the decisions are with our bosses as to when actual implementation of the rationalisation can begin. “ That is not surprising given that this issues are intensely political but we maintain the pressure to ensure that we rationalise the number of agencies and parastatals that we have.

“Also, we try to do a bit more to educate even our

bosses that the reform of agencies does not necessarily mean closing down some agencies.

“There are some that we can merge. There are others like NTA and FRCN that we can commercialise to make sure that we reduce the burden on the public budget.

“There are others that we can do the staff auditing like the River Basin Authority all across the country just to make sure that they have the staff they claim they have.’’

Abah emphasised that the restructuring and reform of agencies do not necessarily mean closing them down and throwing everybody out in the street.

He said the agency would break the communication gap in order to make decision making easier by the bosses.

News 8

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Udaughan cautions Ibori’s visitors

ÎÎÎ Former Governor

of Delta, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, says those people going to London to see his predecessor, Chief James Ibori, and posting pictures and comments about him, are creating more problems for him.

Uduaghan, who stated this in a Facebook post on Tuesday, asked those involved to “stop it”.

Ibori, who was the governor of the oil-rich state between 1999 and 2007, was released from a United Kingdom pris-

on on Wednesday after serving a concurrent13year jail term for money laundering.

The Southwark Crown Court jailed him on April 17, 2012 after he pleaded guilty to a 10-count charge of money laundering and conspiracy to defraud.

Since his release, friends, family members and political associates have been paying him visits in his London home, where he is under house arrest pending the conclusion of his asset confiscation

case.

A video of one of such visits which has been trending on social media shows a Senator from the state, Peter Nwaoboshi, boasting about how Ibori “installed” governors and lawmakers from prison.

The video immediately drew public criticisms with many already calling for Ibori’s extradition and further prosecution in Nigeria.

Uduaghan wrote: “For those going to London to see Chief James Ibori and posting pictures

and making comments, please stop it.

“We appreciate your love for him but you can go quietly without the unnecessary publicity.

“You are creating more problems for him than you can ever imagine.

“Nigeria is a complex country and you must understand and respect people’s sensibilities.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Uduaghan, who is Ibori’s first cousin, is largely blamed by many for the latter’s travails.

Christmas: NGO distributes food, clothes to leprosy community in Adamawa ÎÎÎ

An Adamawa-based Non-Governmental Organisation, Best Agenda, has distributed food and non-food items worth millions of naira to people living with leprosy in Sabon Gari Leprosy Centre in Demsa Local Government Area of the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items included bags of rice, detergents and clothes.

Alhaji Ahmed Lawal, the Director-General of the organisation, said at the presentation of the items on Tuesday that the gesture was to identify with, assist and show love to members of the community.

Lawal said that the organisation chose to visit the centre to give the community a sense of belonging in the society.

“We are here to present food and non-food items to you and to identify and celebrate Christmas with you,” Lawal told members of the community.

Receiving the items on behalf of the community, Mr. Benos Sagba, Vice Chairman, National Lep-

rosy Association, Adamawa Chapter, expressed satisfaction at the gesture and thanked the organisation.

He appealed to the state government to provide social amenities for the community, saying that the community was in need of schools, electricity, potable water and good roads.

In his remarks, Mr. Stephen John, Secretary, Adamawa State Agency for Control of Aids, Leprosy and Tuberculosis, noted that the centre was established in 1952 to care for people suffering from leprosy.

John urged other organisations to assist the less privileged, especially people living with leprosy.

Mrs. Wale Fwa, Chairman, Demsa Local Government Council, also expressed delight at the donation.

Fwa, represented by Mr. Hinfro Voro, the Supervising Councillor of Health, urged the community to ensure that the donated items would reach those they were meant for.

NGO urges FG to make public economic recovery, growth plan

ÎÎÎ An NGO, Protest to

Former Governor of Ogun State/chairman of the occasion, Aremo Olusegun Osoba (2nd left); presents a plaque to Public Affairs Officer, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Adebayo Kehinde during the End-of-year party of Photo Journalists Association of Nigeria (PJAN) at LCCI Building, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos…recently. With them are Commander, Rapid Response Squad, ACP Olatunji Disu (right) and chairman, PJAN, Mr. Ademola Akinlabi (left).

C/River denies robbery attack on Calabar Christmas Village

ÎÎÎ

The Cross-River government has described as falsehood, reports in some national dailies about an armed robbery attack on the Calabar Christmas Village.

In a statement, it issued in Calabar on Tuesday, the government said that the report was concocted and done with the aim of embarrassing it.

The statement was signed by Mr. Christian

Ita, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the State Governor, Ben Ayade.

“The report is replete with factual inaccuracies and outright lies invented by the author of the said report.

“It is shocking that a reporter who is holidaying somewhere in Lagos could conjure a robbery incident that never took place.

“The reporter syndicated same to some of

his colleagues all in a bid to damage a brand that has been painstakingly built over the years.

“For the avoidance of doubts, there was no robbery at the Calabar Christmas Village.

That it was even reported that gunshots were fired, shows the depth of ethical bankruptcy of the writer,’’ the government stated.

It claimed that what happened was that some

fans watching Kiss Daniel’s performance became unruly at some point and threw plastic bottles on stage.

“The incident lasted for a very brief period before security officials restored normalcy.

“The village is structured in such a way that everyone keeps an eye on his neighbour.

Also, there is heavy security presence; so, it is extremely difficult to imagine a robbery.’’

Power Movement/Citizens Action to Take Back Nigeria, has urged the Federal Government to make public its national economic recovery and growth plan.

Mr Jaye Gaskia, the National Coordinator of the organisation, made the plea in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja.

Gaskia said: “The most important thing we are still waiting for is the much promoted and awaited National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (NERGP) which the Federal Government said it was being prepared.

“Government has further claimed that NERGP, upon which President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2017 budget proposals was based, will be released in December 2016.”

“If indeed the 2017 budget estimates were based on NERGP, then, it shouldn’t be difficult to release the document for

public consumption and engagement.

“I mean this document ought to have either been released before the budget estimates or, at the very least, along with the 2017 budget estimates.

“We are also waiting for the promised performance report of the 2016 budget which ought to have been prepared before the 2017 estimates, upon which we were supposed to have derived the 2017 estimates.”

According to him, 2017 must be the year that we will all begin to ask fundamental questions and, for the sake of our present and future, start taking government to task and taking action to reclaim our humanity.

“We must ask about the end of the year’s report card of the much taunted N500 billion Social Investment Programme in the 2016 budget according to the repeated statement of the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,” he said.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Politics

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9

Rivers PDP to Abe: You are a security risk Amaka Agbu, Port Harcourt Following the threat credited to Senator Magnus Abe, that lawmakers elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Rivers State would match into the state House of Assembly to participate in the deliberations of the House if they were not sworn in, the state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday raised an alarm, describing the statement as unguided and capable of causing security risk.

The state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Felix Obuah, in Port Harcourt, Tuesday, described the directive by the Senator that APC lawmakers should assume duties without being subjected to the oath of office as demanded by law, as unbecoming of one who claimed to be a federal lawmaker.

In a statement from the Chairman’s office and signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Jerry Needam, the party expressed worries that Senator Abe’s comments and alleged secret meetings called for concern by patriotic Rivers people.

“The PDP regretted that although Magnus Abe is known for unsavory and disrespectful attacks on the government and people of Rivers State, he has continued to make statements which are not only provocative and incisive, but seriously threaten the peace and security

Abe

Obuah

of the state,” the statement continued.

Chief Obuah also expressed concern that Senator Abe “has openly been making threatening remarks and boastings” which, according to him, are very worrisome and likely to destabilise the corporate existence of the people of the state. “The PDP is worried at the way

and manner Magnus Abe is talking and conducting himself as if he is now the governor and Chief Security Officer of Rivers State,” Bro. Obuah noted.

The statement also added: “The PDP recalls that some criminal gangs in the state refused to embrace the state government’s recently concluded amnesty,

following attacks by Mr. Abe on the well intended programme.”

Chief Obuah, therefore, called on security agencies to put Magnus Abe “under surveillance as his actions, if not checked, could result to breakdown of law and order in the state.”

Last Friday, Senator Abe, representing Rivers South East Senatorial District, said the option has become expedient following the insistence of Governor Nyesom Wike that the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly would not swear in the APC lawmakers.

“If the Speaker will not swear them in, they will match into the House of Assembly and take their place because they have been returned,” the Senator had said.

Senator Abe condemned the decision of the governor of Rivers State and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to swear in the duly elected APC members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, describing it as rascality and impunity.

“This kind of rascality and impunity that we are experiencing in Rivers State will not be allowed and tolerated,” he stated, and urged well-meaning Nigerians to “condemn the actions of the governor as such could derail our democracy.”

He added that the swearing-in of members of the House of Assembly was not constitutional, but ceremonial, arguing that in the absence of the swearing-in, the elected legislators had the right to participate in the deliberations.

IYC accuses el’Rufai of inciting North against Niger Deltans with comments The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has said that the statement credited to the Kaduna State governor, Mallam El rufai that Niger Delta militants were contracted to carry out attacks in southern Kaduna is capable of inciting the people of Kaduna and the entire North against Niger Deltans.

Spokesman of the IYC, Eric Omare in statement issued in Yenagoa described the governor’s comment as reckless and highly condemnable, adding that Niger Deltans have no business going all the way to Kaduna or any part of Nigeria to attack Nigerians.

The statement read in part, “The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide states that the gov-

ernor of Kaduna State, Mallam El Rufai is inciting the people of Kaduna State and by implication the entire North against Niger Deltans by his statement that Niger Delta militants have been hired to carry out attacks in southern Kaduna.

“This statement is reckless and highly condemnable. Mallam el-Rufai having failed in his duty to protect the lives and properties of the people of Southern Kaduna should not use innocent Niger Deltans as scapegoats. Niger Deltans have no business going all the way to Kaduna or any part of Nigeria to attack Nigerians.

“We call on Nigerians and the security agencies to hold Governor el-Rufai responsible

for any attack on Niger Deltans in the North as a result of his irresponsible statement.

“The Fulani herdsmen who el-Rufai paid for killing people are well known to the world, hence Niger Deltans should not be linked under any circumstances to the unwarranted killings going on in Southern Kaduna.

“We also call the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency bring the killings in Southern Kaduna to a stop and bring the perpetrators to justice including Governor elRufai.”

The IYC in a related development described the call by President Buhari on Niger Delta agitators to come to ne-

gotiation table “as a subterfuge to deceive Nigerians and the world to create the false impression that the Federal Government is ready for dialogue whereas it is not.

“The Buhari administration is the one frustrating attempts at negotiation and not Niger Delta agitators. The Niger Delta leaders and stakeholders have done everything possible to start the negotiation process which has been frustrated by the Federal Government.

“IYC therefore call on President Buhari to demonstrate sincerity towards negotiating with the Niger Delta people by constituting the government negotiation team rather than Christmas day rhetoric.”

el’Rufai

Politics 10

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Recession: Adokwe commends Buhari for abiding with Senate resolutions

Buhari

Sen. Solomon Adokwe has commended President Muhamadu Buhari for incorporating useful resolutions of the National Assembly to end recession in 2017.

Adokwe a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who represents Nasarawa South in the National Assembly, told newsmen on in Lafia that the resolutions were meant to repackage the country’s economy in order to improve the lives of Nigerians.

He noted that since the President has incorporated some of the resolutions in the budget it is indeed a sign of good things to come in 2017, because they were aimed at helping the country get out of recession.

“By the grace of God, 2017 would be a better year than this year given what was captured in the budget that the President recently presented to the National Assembly.

“As a legislator, I would join hands with other Senators to continue to support the policy and programmes of the President

if they are geared towards reducing the suffering of the people.

“But where the policy and programmes of the President are such that would inflict more suffering on Nigerians, we would resist it,” Adokwe added.

On the recent grant released to state governors, the legislator said any state that did not use it for the purpose that it was given would not go free.

“Even when Federal Government release palliative to state governments recently, the National Assembly wanted to oversight, but we were told that they were loans from the Central Bank.

“But the National Assembly would oversight this one because there is no loan that is collected internationally that does not have national legislation backing it,” he said.

He said the National Assembly now have the competence to monitor the funds that were released to states and local government areas in order to make sure the people are not short changed.

Adokwe explained that since even monthly allocation to states is being published for Nigerians to see, the federal government through the Minister of Finance should also publish the release to the respective states.

He however commended the Plateau State government for paying all outstanding salary arrears of their civil servants and urged other states to emulate them.

The Senator also called on all Nigerians most especially Christians to imbibe the spirit of Christ who is the symbol of peace and love by loving others irrespective of their religious affiliation.

He advised Nigerians to embrace agriculture in order to key into the efforts of the governments at all levels to diversify the economy.

“Given the decline in the price of oil and the recession the country is facing, people need to embrace agriculture because those who farm this year smiled to the bank due to high price of farm produce,” Adokwe explained. (NAN)

Okorocha vows to transform Owerri, Orlu, Okigwe into commercial cities Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, on Tuesday pledged to transform Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe into mega commercial cities before the end of his tenure in May 2019.

Okorocha made the promise in Orlu during the one year anniversary of the opening of Okporo Orlu Electrical/Electronics Market.

Represented by the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Chidi Ibe, the governor said the market was opened to carter for Igbo traders displaced by the crisis in the North East.

He expressed satisfaction that one year after; the level of economic activities had justified the establishment of the market.

The governor urged the traders to

partner with government to further develop the commercial sub-sector, to promote local entrepreneurs and create jobs.

He commended the market leadership, headed by Mr Emmanuel Ezeanochie and pledged to upgrade infrastructure at the facility.

Also speaking, the Chairman, Njaba Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Vincent Duru commended Okorocha for constructing the market and urged businessmen to establish similar markets across the state.

Duru a former Deputy Comptroller-General, Nigeria Immigration Service and the monarch of Okponakuma community, said several job opportunities abound in the market.

He urged the youths to take advantage of the opportunities it offered to engage in meaningful endeavours.

“Imo children especially young graduates and school leavers should imbibe resourceful lifestyle by doing one thing or the other to support their parents.

“Traders that are operating outside home should establish branches of their businesses at home because that is the only way we can establish international markets at home.”

Duru who described market as key for job and wealth creation, noted that it was wrong for the Igbos to own businesses abroad but have little investment at home.

“If you have a branch at home

you will not be thrown off balance once there is problem at your base.”

Earlier, Ezeanochie, President of the traders, lauded Okorocha for building the market, adding that it had so far created more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs.

He urged the government to upgrade internal roads, and provide electricity, fire station, toilet, and police station within the market.

The News Agency of Nigeria [NAN] reports that event attracted dignitaries including the Deputy Chairman, State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Emma Okeke; the member representing Orlu in the state Assembly, Mr Max Odunze and Chairman Orlu Local Government, Mrs Ijeoma Igboanusi among others.(NAN)

Okorocha

Okowa mourns Senator Okpozo Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

Late Okpozo

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on Tuesday commiserated with the family of Third Republic Senator, Francis Spanner Okpozo, who died on Monday at the age of 84 years.

The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, in a statement in Asaba, said Governor Okowa received with sadness, the death of the Octogenarian politician and former Deputy Speaker of the defunct Bendel State House of Assembly, also extended heartfelt condolences to the Isoko Nation, his party, All Progressives Congress (APC) where he was a member of the Board of Trustees, over the loss.

The statement read, “Governor Okowa recalls that Senator Francis Okpozo was a vocal voice in the Senate and until his death he has remained a consistent critic and commentator on national issues.

“He affirms that the then Senator, served his country and humanitywith all his God-given strength and talent, noting that the distinguished Senator was a worthy leader in the Niger Delta.

“We have lost a great man whose contributions to the literary world can best be described as legendary, inspirational and worthy of emulation.

“The late Senator Okpozo, a distinguished lawmaker and elder statesman, will be remembered for redefining the place of service and patriotism in Nige-

ria’s development.

“He will be sorely missed by all and sundry whose lives he affected in many ways.

I therefore urge all who mourn the demise of the late Senator F.S. Okpozo to take solace in the fact that his was a life of integrity and great accomplishments.

“On behalf of my family, the Government and people of Delta State, I mourn with the family of the late Distinguished Senator Francis Spanner Okpozo, the Isoko Nation, and the APC on the demise of the erudite Senator.”

He prayed God to grant his immediate family the strength to bear the irreparable loss, pointing out that his achievements in different areas of national life will always be remembered.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28 , 2016

Senator urges Nigerians to unite, embrace peace The Senator representing Nasarawa North Senatorial Zone in the National Assembly, Sen. Philip Gyunka has called on Nigerians to embrace peace and love one another irrespective of their differences for the development of the country.

Gyunka, who made the call on Tuesday while addressing newsmen in Akwanga, Nasarawa State, said no society can develop in an atmosphere of rancour, hence there is the need for people to tolerate one another’s ethnic background, religion and political affiliations.

He explained that the country was already going through a lot of problems, adding that all hands should be on deck to prof-

fer a lasting solution to complement the efforts of government.

Gyunka advised political leaders and Nigerians at large to put the interest of the country over and above their personnel interests.

He attributed the cause of the problems confronting the country to selfishness and desperation to attain political positions.

According to him, some people will not mind killing their fellow human beings to achieve their inordinate ambition.

The Senator said he would support every effort geared towards bringing the country out of the current recession.

Reacting to the recent policy of the Federal Government on

‘Whistle Blowing’, Gyunka advised that it should not be used to witch-hunt oppositions, advising the Federal Government to be fair and just in its war against corruption. (NAN)

Gyunka

11 Politics

Capture of Sambisa: PDP lawmaker lauds Military, Buhari A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos, Mr Olusola Sokunle on Tuesday commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Military for the successful capture of Boko Haram enclave in Sambisa forest.

Sokunle, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the feat showed government’s commitment to the security of lives and property of Nigerians.

The lawmaker, however, urged the government to improve the living condition of Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) in various camps across the country.

According to him, it is important for government to ensure that all displaced Nigerians

adjust to a normal life before returning to their communities and homes.

“Security of lives and property remains the primary responsibility of government anywhere in the world.

The capture of Sambisa by the Nigerian Army is a signal that the Federal Government is conscious of the security of lives and property of the citizen.

“We advise the federal government to further improve the lives of those in the IDP camps,” Sokunle said.

The lawmaker, who represents Oshodi/Isolo Constituency I, felicitated with Christians as they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, urging them to use the period to pray for the peaceful coexistence in the country.

APC spokesman threatens to sue Ondo Commissioner for defamation The Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Mr Abayomi Adesanya on Tuesday threatened to take legal action against the State Commissioner of Information, Mr Kayode Akinmade, for defaming his character.

Addressed journalists in Akure, Adesanya said he would take the legal action against Akinmade for describing him as someone who needed “psychiatric attention”.

Adesanya said Akinmade, had in some national dailies on Dec. 16, described him as someone who needed “psychiatric attention’’ while reacting to a statement entitled “Mimiko Secretly Recruiting 10,000 Workers, Selling Government Properties to Cronies — APC Alleges.’’

Describing Akinmade’s attack as unacceptable and unwarranted, the APC spokesman said “It is on record that each time an issue is raised by the opposition, especially the All Progressives Congress, on matters or issues with direct consequence on the good people of Ondo State, Akinmade will rather abuse me (Adesanya), calling me unprintable names, rather than addressing the issue(s) raised or give a rebuttal for the general public.

“You will recall that I issued a statement on Dec.10, 2016 titled “Paris Club Gives Mimiko N6.8 Billion to Pay Pensioners’ Workers.

“In a swift reaction, the

Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, described the statement as baseless and unfounded and advised the APC stakeholders to contact the Federal Ministry of Finance for verification of their ‘frivolous’ allegation.

“However, three days later, Dec. 13, 2016, same Kayode Akinmade issued a statement which suggested that Ondo State government had collected the sum of N6.5 billion from Paris Club to pay pensioners and workers.

“Furthermore, I issued a statement titled “Mimiko Secretly Recruiting 10,000 Workers, Selling Government Properties to Cronies — APC Alleges’’ on Dec.16, 2016.

“In his usual way, the Commissioner for Information on Dec. 16, 2016, insulted my personality by calling me a “psychiatrist patient’’; this was reported in various dailies nationwide.

“I consider Akinmade’s statement as untoward, derogatory, disparaging and a direct attack on me and my office. This has really caused untold embarrassment to me and my family,’’ he said.

The APC spokesman said that he was demanding a public apology from Akinmade within seven days.

“I hereby, demand a public apology within seven days from Mr Kayode Akinmade, the Commissioner for Information in Ondo State, for calling me (Adesanya) a “psychiatric patient” or face libelous action,’’ he said. (NAN)

Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (2nd right); member, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Olusegun Olulade (right); Acting Commissioner & Special Adviser for Tourism, Arts & Culture, Mrs. Adebimpe Akinsola (middle); Special Adviser on Education, Mr. Obafela Bank-Olemoh (2nd left) and Commissioner For Finance, Economic Planning & Budget, Mr. Akinyemi Ashade during the One Lagos Fiesta at the Epe Recreation Centre, Epe, Lagos

APGA tasks FG on implementation of 2017 budget The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has said that Nigeria could pull out of the current recession fast if the Federal Government funds its 2017 budget diligently.

Giving the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Tuesday, National Chairman of APGA, Dr Victor Oye, attributed the poor economy to poor implementation of the 2016 budget, which he said, “passed through a series of political and administrative bottlenecks.

“The government should be more proactive; the problem with budget implementation is lack of sincerity.

“We have the capacity to implement our budget and that is why

you cannot compare Nigeria with her contemporaries like India and China.

“The budget has recently been presented to the National Assembly; it must be properly implemented because that is the way to drive the country out of recession.

“Government must spend through diligent funding of the budget; this will make contractors go back to site and create employment and other business opportunities for the masses.

“We must say that the implementation of the 2016 budget was poor. Some people said it was about 59 per cent; that is poor by our own rating.

“Any government that is serious about revamping the type of econ-

omy we are in now should aim at 75 per cent and above.

“I am hopeful, next year will be much better but it demands action, sincerity and good planning to achieve that,” he said.

Oye called on the Federal Government to issue bailout to some strategic sectors of the economy that are experiencing setback due to the recession.

“The Nigerian economy can be likened to what President Barack Obama met in the United States back in 2009 and to tackle it, he immediately announced a stimulus package.

“Obama also issued a bailout to critical sectors of the US economy and that was how they bounced back to prosperity,” he said.

News 12

Daily Times Nigeria zƆƗ Ɔ Ɨ ƕè #ƆƅƆƌƄƆƏ ƾƤè ƾƠơÕ

Harmattan haze grounds domestic flights Continued from page 1 against 800 metres for flights.

The development made take off and landing very difficult as Dana air aborted its flight from Abuja while approaching Lagos due to thick fog caused by the harmattan haze.

The haze is severe in certain areas in the country, especially in Abuja, and most South East and South-South states.

The natural phenomenon, which is costing airlines million of Naira, already has left some passengers opting for the roads as most flights were delayed on the December 25 till it was cancelled outright.

Arik, Aero, Air Peace, Azman, Dana, Medview have all been forced to cancel flights, while it was learnt that due to visibility issues, no airline landed in Lagos after 9am yesterday as a result of poor visibility.

As at yesterday, Daily Times learnt that at the Sam Mbakwe Airport, visibility was poor while at the Port Harcourt Airport, it was also less than 800 metres. And while flying into those airports will be a direct violation to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) on the harmattan haze, it doesn’t make it any easier for the airlines, who are groaning under the financial constraints this is causing.

However, airports’ visibility differs from one airport to another given the navigational and land equipment at the airport. According to a source at the NCAA, same visibility affected the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, as visibility was said to be about 300metres, not up to the 800 metres.

Also in Abuja, visibility was

poor and the situation is having a ripple effect on other routes.

Airlines like Dana Air, Medview and Air Peace on their twitter handles, have kept passengers informed on the development, engaging them and allowing them know what the true position is, with Dana constantly talking to its Owerri passengers, who have been hard hit

by the phenomenon.

Dana had tweeted yesterday,” Dear Valued Guests, we sincerely apologize for the delays, which is due to bad weather and poor visibility. We are monitoring the situation and hopefully, if the weather condition improves, we will be glad to welcome you on board.”

Airlines have had to abort

Gé`ë ƈƏƌ è LƑƄƈ M ƏƐ G ƅ Ƌ 1 ƒƆƏ ƌƆ Ɛ Ƒ ƅƈƋè Ɨ ƌ Ɠ dƐ ƐƆè Ƌ Ɖƈ LƑ ƌƆƗì &ƌƈƏ Ƈ LƑƄƈè Ƌ Ɖƈ ƄƑƄ Ɗ Ə 9 ì ƌƌƈ ƈ ƆƏ Ƈ Ə 9 Ƈ Əƌ Ɛƈ è L Ƌ ƌ ƌ Ɨ d Ɖ Ɨ Ɛ ƆƏ Ɨƈ ƈƐ ƏƈƆ Ɛ Ɛ Ɔ ƅƋ ƈ ƅƆƏƆƌ ƕ Ƈ ƾƠơÕ Ɛ ƐƆ _ƑƏô ƈƅ ƏƆƅƈƐ Ɛƈ ƅ ƌƍƆƐƈƐƈ ƈ LƑƄƈè Ɨ ƌ Ɠ Č L Ɨ ƕê

Frustrations as ATMs fail to dispense cash Motolani Oseni, Lagos & Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

ÏÏÏ Deposit Money Bank (DMB)

customers across the country have decried lack of money in many Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), during the public holidays for Christmas festival and Boxing Day as they besieged banks to withdraw funds for the celebrations.

Customers of various commercial banks in Lagos, Delta and Ogun states were submerged in throbs and frustrations following the inability of countless number of ATMs to dispense requested monetary cash during the closure of the banking halls.

Our correspondent who monitored the harrowing experience in Asaba, the state capital, and Oghara, the administrative headquarters of Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, reported that only paltry number of ATMs had enough cash to dispense, while others either paid below the requested amount or totally failed to dispense cash.

It was observed that bank customers moved around virtually

flights after takeoff or during landing and most flights to south-south and south-East from Abuja have either been cancelled or postponed until further notice.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) had few weeks ago, warned airlines of impending harmattan haze that will lead to poor visibility.

all the banks located on the popular Nnebisi road in search of ATMs that were dispensing cash, as mammoth crowd was seen at the Access Bank during the early hours of the day where after series of cash withdrawals, the six ATMs simply displayed “temporary out of service. Please visit one of the other Access Bank Plc ATM centres.”

With palpable streaks of determination and resilience running through their faces, the already dwindling crowd reportedly moved to the Eco Bank where only one ATM dispensed cash at an extremely slow pace.

A visit to the premises of the Skye Bank Plc showed that the bank was totally deserted, while that of the Union Bank Plc had only few frustrated customers who haplessly sat at the front of the ATMs. The case was however different in Diamond, Wema and Fidelity Banks Plc branches which had manageable queues and dispensed cash as requested.

Nonetheless, all the working ATMs in First Bank Plc were flocked by customers who waited in endless queues to make withdraws until the later part of the af-

ternoon when our correspondent left there for another scene.

In Oghara the case was not in any way different as the Eco Bank branch in the town was wholly void of customers following the “temporary out of service” clause displayed on all ATM screens, while a mammoth crowd thronged to the United Bank of Africa (UBA) Plc located on the Ajagbodudu road, Ogarefe to utilize the few, machines that positively responded to their financial demands.

Our reporter also reported that most of the customers constantly dished out complaints and blamed the management of the various banks for not adequately attending to their ATMs during the yuletide period when money will be in high demand.

Also, a pregnant woman who was compelled to move on to another bank branch, having fruitlessly made attempts to make withdrawals from some of the banks, accused the management of the affected banks of deliberating reducing the amount of cash in circulation. Although she claimed having extra queues and disappointments are becom-

ing a recurring decimal in banks across the country.

This is just at the commercial banks deny allegations of a cash crunch in the system, but many of their customers in Lagos and Ogun states said they could not withdraw money from the ATMs. Our correspondent observed long queues in most of the banks’ ATM points across the two states, as most of the banks in different parts of Lagos during holiday witnessed long queues of customers lamenting that they have visited several ATMs since morning but could not withdraw their money.

Some of the banks visited were First Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Ecobank, and Zenith Bank.

Other banks visited were Diamond Bank, Wema Bank, Stanbic IBTC, Sterling Bank, First City Monument Bank and Access Bank across Abule-Egba, Lagos and Sango Ota in Ogun state.

At Wema Bank in the Ifo area of Ogun state, a customer, Mr. Faseluka Akinlowo, said he had been waiting under the sun for more than two hours and had been unable to withdraw money due to the long queue.

Group calls for re-structuring of Nigeria ÏÏÏ A group, Eastern Consulta-

tive Assembly (ECA), has called for urgent political and economic re-structuring of Nigeria to tackle the challenges facing the country.

Leader of ECA, Chief Maria Okwor, made the call in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Enugu.

Okwor said the group would campaign against any political party, group or individual that fails to support re-structuring of the country.

“The entire Igbo land will not cast its votes for any politician, who is not in support of restructuring Nigeria, be it for state and national legislative elections or for governorship and presidential elections.

“Our people will only vote for freedom from eternal slavery henceforth,” she said.

Okwor said that the present call for re-structuring of the country has divine backing.

“This new call to free ourselves from slavery through political consciousness is not articulated by man; this is God-ordained.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

13

14 Opinion

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

The threat of a new political party

W

Reuben Abati

hen aggrieved politicians within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) decided to join forces with members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the All Progressives Peoples Alliance (APGA) to form the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013, they had welldefined, even if poorly conceived objectives: to send President Jonathan out of power, displace the PDP, exert vengeance and offer the people an alternative.

The triumph of the APC in the 2015 elections resulting in victory at the Presidential level, in 23 states out of 36, and also in the legislature, state and federal, was propelled on the wings of the people’s embrace of this slogan of change.

Change became the aphrodisiac of Nigeria’s search for democratic progress. The new party’s promises were delivered with so much certainty and cock-sureness. Those promised free meals were already salivating before casting the first vote.

The permanently opportunistic players in Nigeria’s private sector started trading across the lines as they have always done. Everyone knew the PDP had too much internal baggage to deal with. The opposition exploited this to the fullest.

The party failed from within, and even after losing the 2015 elections, it has further failed to recover from the effects of the factionalism. It took the PDP 16 years to get that hubristic moment. It is taking the APC a much shorter time to get to that same moment.

The displacement of the PDP gave the impression that Nigeria’s political space, hitherto dominated by one party, had become competitive. But the victory of a new party over a dominant political party in power such as occurred in 2015, has not delivered the much-expected positives: instead, questions have been raised about the depth of democratic change and the quality of Nigeria’s political development.

The disappointment on both scores has been telling.

The APC has not been able to live up to expectations. In less than two years in power, it has been behaving not like the PDP, but worse.

Not a day passes without a pundit, a party member, or a civil society activist suggesting that the only way forward is the formation of a new political party. There are over 30 registered political parties in Nigeria; no one is saying that these political parties should be reorganised. The received opinion is that a new political party would have to replace the APC. The implied message is the subject of political science. Many political parties in Africa, not

just in Nigeria, lack substance. They reflect the problematic nature of party politics in the continent, even after the third wave of the continent’s democratic experience. Party organisations are weak, their organs inchoate and their fortunes mercurial. In Nigeria, this seems to be more of a post-military rule reality. In the First and Second Republics, some of Nigeria’s political parties appeared to be more relatively people-based and socially rooted. The military left behind an authoritarian streak at the heart of Nigeria’s party politics, producing political parties since 1999 that do not fully reflect or assimilate the people’s yearnings.

There isn’t therefore in place a mass-based, people-driven political party to replace the elite-based hegemonic parties we have, despite early efforts in this direction by the likes of Aminu Kano and his People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s Movement of the People (MOP), Tunji Braithwaite’s Nigeria Advance Party (NAP), Gani Fawehinmi’s National Conscience Party (NCP) and Wole Soyinka’s Democratic Front for the People’s Federation. There was also the Labour Party, mentioned separately here, advisedly, because it ended up abandoning its social democratic base, and became like the regular parties, an elite cabal. A profile of this political party and its initial principal promoters would reveal just how alimentary Nigerian politics is.

Our immediate concern, however, is to argue that those who are raising the flag of a new political party as the answer to the emerging failure of the APC and the growth of factions among its members, and by extension, the spreading despair in the land, are missing the point. They are not promising any revolutionary

change.

Permit me to quote Danjuma Gambo, of the Enugu Chapter of the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) who reportedly said: “A new political party is what we need. A new party with new plan, (and an) ideology that will bring succour to the sufferings of Nigerians is the answer.”

Gambo deserves some credit: he phrases the matter delicately. His “what we need”, “new plan” “ideology” means change, another form of change to end, he tells us, “the sufferings (sic) of Nigerians”. We ask him, although he seems to have answered the question already: what happened to the change that happened in 2015? If the formation of a new political party did not solve Nigeria’s problems since 2015, what is the guarantee that a new party would gain power and perform better than the ruling APC? Professional politicians do not comment on the matter as carefully as Gambo attempted. They are brazen about it and they have been loud too. However, is a new political party the solution to Nigeria’s foreign exchange crisis or the people’s angst?

The conundrum is easy to resolve.

It is easy for the political elite in Nigeria to change their garments, sans remorse, ideology or sentiment and that is how some of the most prominent political figures in Nigeria today have changed party membership cards more than five times in the last 17 years. The politics of elitism is simply about access to power, position and privileges. It has nothing to do with the people’s interests.

The APC is in crisis for this reason, very much like the PDP, and even the smaller parties, because these are political parties of big men of influence. Conflict results when

they are not allowed to exercise that influence by other competing big men, who are similarly if not equally driven by ego, religion and superior ethnic considerations.

The exercise of influence as a party big man follows a known pattern: after electoral victory, the big man wants the spoils of victory; he wants positions for his followers, contracts for wives and children and the freedom to have a say in the new government. Any attempt to shut him down, oppose him, or sideline him or her, immediately creates a crisis within the party. The greater the number of such big persons who feel short-changed and marginalised, the greater the chances of such factionalism that would trigger threats of a new political party. New groups can create new tendencies in society, but in Nigerian politics, new groups don’t really emerge, it is the same recycled set moving from one political party to a new or another one, looking for benefits.

Poverty, low literacy and the weakness of public institutions make the people vulnerable. Because the people are hungry, they accept money to attend rallies to help create an illusion of populism and acceptability. On Election Day, they sell their votes. After the election, they are too ashamed to speak up. A patrimonial and neo-patrimonial political system such as we have in Nigeria promotes nothing but difference, disappointment and distrust. Those who are plotting to create a new political party should be told that the harvest is predictable: more intense leadership competition, high level conflict among big men, greater deception, increased difference and tension within the polity. The Nigerian political system operates above rules. It is possibly one of the most Machiavellian in Africa.

We should end this then where we started: leadership is the principal challenge. Until we sort that out, Nigeria’s politics will remain trapped in the throes of ethnicity, patrimonialism, authoritarian dominance, the threat of system volatility and fragmentation and the politics of revenge.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

15 Opinion

Okowa’s riot Act to Ogbeijoh and Aladja monarchs

T

William Bozimo

hese are trying times for Governors of states continually embroiled in communal crisisweek in, and week out especially, for an oil producing state which had gone through several years of militancy disruptions.

Delta state is no stranger to militancy crisis and for some years back in time, at the height of militancy when the first batch of leaders almost held the Niger Delta to a stand- still when the likes of TOMPOLO, ASARI DOKUBO , ATEKE TOM and a few others terrorized the oil bearing communities with the desire to get some mileage in terms of goodies for the peoples of the Oil Producing belt from the Federal Government.

Along with these, ethnic flares also took over between the Itsekiris and the Izons over who owns the land in Warri.

This time around, the ethnic flares had left the Itsekiris out of action and it is the Izons of Ogbeijoh in Warri South West Local government and Urhobos of Aladja in Udu local government, two closely knitneighbours, who had lived together for centuries in peace and harmony.

After several fire brigade

attempts to achieve peace, the Governor, Senator IfeanyiOkowa, has come out ,perhaps, justifiably too to read what amounted to a Riot Act for both Communities, and particularly, the Traditional Rulers of Ogbeijoh and Aladja to hold their subjects in check and firm control.

The justifiable anger emanating from the easy going gentle giant is in response to the seemingly endless flares between the OGBEIJOH and ALADJA communities which had led to stories of kidnapping of innocent indigenes in both communities.

Handing down the warning in Asaba at an enlarged State Security Council Meeting, he intoned ‘ Presidents- General, Youth Leaders and Women leaders must report to the Security Agencies every week .’

It seems the Governor has reached the limit of his patience and he said that much when he turned to the Monarchs- ‘ And for the traditional rulers, we have a lot of respect for your office but I wish to caution that the respect will be withdrawn if we have any further crisis in the two domains’.

One can understand Governor OKOWA’s righteous indignation, especially, as the two communities had closed the link road between the two communities.

The most worrying aspect of

the ALADJA and OGBEIJOH communities is that it might soon escalate into an inter- ethnic war between the Izonsand the Urhobos and Delta state with all the encumbrances of pipe line vandalism that had reduced our share of revenue from federal allocation to the state.

The fear of such a bloody holocaust between Urhobos and Izons in Delta could lead to a declaration of Emergency by the Federal government, which might truncate our democratic dividends as enshrined in the Okowa’s Smart Agenda for all the people of DELTA STATE. One could recall some frantic moves made by two Izon leaders of thought in Pa Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, the foremost Izon leader who earlier during the crisis reached out to Governor Okowa from his Abuja Maitama residence. Similarly, another Izon son in Chief Broderick Bozimo, a former Minister of Police Affairs under OBJ administration also spoke with some Urhobo leaders to de-escalate the brewing crisis.

In my Facebook post, I had applauded their efforts, especially, both of them have Urhobo mothers and that place of birth qualified them to be honest brokers in this lingering crisis between Ogbeijoh and Aladja.

During the outburst of the first crisis, a Youth leader from Udu

had given a seven days ultimatum to the Izonsto vacate Urhobo land.

As if this threatening ultimatum fromUrhoboUdu leader was not enough, the UPU President in Engineer Omene also followed with a more damaging statement to the effect thast any attack on any Urbobo son would attract a collective response from all Urhobos against Izons living in Urhobo land.

I strongly support Governor Okowa’s tough line, and for the Izons, since their son is the Deputy Governor to Governor Okowa, they are unwittingly putting their son, Barrister Kingsley BurutuOtuaro in a very tightand anembarrassing position. .I want to call for peace on both sides of the ethnic divide between the Izons and the Urhobos, especially, their ties of over many years bound by starch and banga cannot be separated because of ethnic flares.

Apart from inter- ethnic marriages, the long years of gastronomic ties of banga and Owo soup must continue.

The lucrative bunkering business by both communities may well have led to a battle of supremacy.

One hopes the security operative would not be sucked into these greasy and oily business in the night markets of Delta plains

Men of little mind

W Monsgr. Livinus Ukah

e are born to grow and develop ourselves and develop our minds. We are born to develop the boundaries of our minds and horizon and embrace others across the world. If we are men of little mind we cannot go far, our little minds will always create obstacles in our dealings with people because we have not expanded our minds to embrace new ideas. We have localised ourselves, unable to bring new information and new ideas to renovate ourselves. We begin to live by the old myth that others are not like us and we indulge in old story of the past. The type of story our forefathers told when they were warming themselves near the fire. These stories resonated at their time. With education and sophistication, we bury what does not profit us. We drop what creates divide. There are still few of us that still cling to the old past. In spite of our education, we dance around that myth that creates divide. At social gatherings,

you see the nuances of coming from the old forgotten myth. It irritates the mind to see that your brother is not comfortable with you. He only gives you plastic smile and a polite handshake that does not show Et-sprit-de’Corps. it is all empty show that leaves us where we were before. One would ask; what is the anthropology behind our fear of each other, with all our educational brush- ups? Do we need to consult our ancestors in the grave? No, they lived their own life and we should live our own life inspired by the values of Jesus Christ because the water of baptism is greater than blood. We do not need to spend all our life building hate in us characterisation and building walls instead of bridges.

We were born to be with others and confront each other for prosperous future. We do not need to be the head of division nor be a part of the polarised world. We need to be a part of the globalised world. When we come together to share ideas and work out our differences, we do not need to see

each other as strangers. This does not hold now, we must come out of the crowd and make a statement not exclusive statement but inclusive statement that we are, because Jesus reigns. We are because we have many challenges.

With you and me, we confront tomorrow that is pregnant with meanings. We can never gain anything by retiring to our cocoons, rusticating with old ideas and indulge in primitive loyalty. We are of age; God demands a lot from us.

What brings us together is greater than the nuances created by little mind.

As children of God, educated men, we must rise to create a future for our children. We should not let our children down by clinging to the past that has no relevance now. Many tried it but failed and they became dirty footnotes in history. We should pray that we never enter into a dispute with somebody inferior to us.

This is an extract from the former Prime minister of Canada, who came from Quebec, the French speaking part of Canada. Quebec

has been trying to separate from Canada but have not succeeded.

Each time they have referendum the result does not favour them.

However, Quebec has produced many Prime ministers than the English Canada. Right now, the son of the former Prime Minister Mr. Truedau is the present Prime minister. We can see how life is, and how things happen to teach us lessons. Nevertheless, we are not paying attention because we do not want to. When we allow life to drift us, it can lead to a cul- de- sac where we cannot move again. We must let people be and not separating yourself from them. “You are” and “they are” with the strength that comes from each of us we stand and make a big move that will surprise the world and the men of little mind who want us to remain in the same closet with them will be left behind. Never!

Never, because there is a prize we pay for remaining the same. Let us strive to follow the globalised world than to be comfortable with the ideas of the past that yield divide.

16

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Education Times

17

s

Stakeholders flay Senate’s proposed amendment of TETFUND Act Stories by Esther Taiwo This is a cheery news for candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions but did not make their O Level result at one sitting as Head of National Office of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), Mr .Olu Olanipekun, has disclosed that the Council is planning to organise multiple diets of West African Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) for private candidates which usually takes place November/ December every year.

Addressing journalists recently during the release of 2016 WASSCE results for private candidates at the WAEC National office, Yaba, Lagos, Olanipekun said WAEC is a systematic organisation and that the plan for multiple diets of the examination is already before the Board of Council for necessary approval, adding that there is possibility to start the multiple diet next year after the National Executive Council meets.

He said the conduct of this year’s exam for private candidates took place in all the five member countries of WAEC from August 16 to October 7, 2016 when the last paper was taken

while the coordination meetings for examiners and marking of candidates’ scripts took place between October 26 and November 14 at 13 marking venues in different parts of the country.

According to him, a total of 176,621 candidates registered out of which 172,699 candidates comprising 88,290 were male and 84,409 were female representing 51.12 percent and 48.88 per cent respectively sat the examination.

Breakdown of the results is as follows: 149,651 candidates representing 86.65 percent obtained credits and above in two subjects; 134,152 representing 77.6 percent obtained credits and above in three subjects while 116,133 representing 67.25 percent obtained credits and above in four subjects and 95,294 representing 55.18 percent obtained credits and above in five subjects while 72,229 candidates representing 41.82 obtained credits and above in six subjects.

A total of 66,497 candidates representing 38.50 obtained credits in five subjects and above including English Language and Mathematics which is an improvement compared to 2014 that recorded 29.37 percent and 2015; 20.59 percent.

(L-R) Vice Chancellor Prof. ‘Lanre Fagbohun, Registrar, Mr Lewis Akinwunmi Oladapo, University Librarian, Dr. Adebambo Oduwole, Former NUC Executive Secretary and Chairman LASU QAIC, Prof. Peter Okebukola at the maiden edition of the LASU Excellence Award , on Friday, 16th December, 2016, at the University Auditorium Complex.

Make Geography compulsory subject, don urges govt A Professor of Geography and Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof Ayo Omotayo, has urged the Federal Government to reorder its educational priorities via a new curriculum to stress an appreciable understanding of the environment by adopting Geography as a compulsory subject at primary and secondary school levels Prof .Omotayo said this while delivering the University’s 56th inaugural lecture titled: “Are We Living in A Dying Earth?, which took place at the Main Auditorium of the university in Ojo Lagos, where he stressed that the third world environment can be saved from unsustainable exploitation by instituting a mechanism that will dissuade over exploitation of resources.

According to him, African countries were being forced

to give up natural exploitation rights to developed countries in order to pay off debts and most often negotiations always leave the countries poorer.

“One of the negative effects of man’s activities has been the increasing rate at which the desert is advancing in the Sudano-Sahara region of West Africa. It is a process of land degradation in

Prof. Omotayo

arid, semi-arid, dry sub-humid areas caused by changes in climatic factors, human and animal activities”, he said.

The don also suggested that government should constitute a national conference on environmental law and sustainable development adding that this meeting will help resolve several conflicts that people face in enactment of environmental law, the judicial process and the natural law as they really are.

“Another step for government to take is to eradicate poverty, especially as it exists in rural areas and for government to begin a reindustrialisation of the country along safe and sustainable development paths. We must state that the countries that will make it in future are those that will benefit from the use of free renewable energy sources that nature bequeaths us”, he said.

Fire outbreak: House Committee visits Yabatech, commends management The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Education, Comrade Aminu Sulaiman, has commended the management of Yaba College of Technology Lagos for its foresightedness and sensitivity to the need to protect lives and property at all times.

Sulaiman, who was on a fact-finding mission with members of the committee to the College on the recent fire accident on a wing of the Bakassi Girls Hostel said: “It is good we sacrificed time to come. The impression given by petition writers was a far cry from what we met on ground.

“There were insinuations of negligence on the part of the College. Some even claimed students were still in the hospital. In another document, there was a claim that the fire resulted from the fact that the management let out 80 per cent of the space. It is satisfying we embarked on this trip because we were able to see things for ourselves and where the truth lies.”

The chairman regretted that the petitions had made members shudder, noting that “because of the tight sched-

ule in the House in the past one month, visiting Yabatech had to be postponed many times.

“I am personally satisfied that we visited today. We are not disappointed because we have not found anything to indicate ineptitude on the part of the management. This is an incident that could happen anywhere.

“Yabatech has been the leader in the technological education sector, and we want it to continue to be so. Let me say we are happy with the outcome of this visit. It will help in guiding us with fact,” he said.

The chairman interacted with students around the hostel, and expressed the sympathy of the entire House, and that of his committee to them promising that the “struggle continues, as victory is sure.”

The students appreciated the concerns demonstrated by the Committee’s visit.

The Rector of the College, Dr. Margaret Kudirat Ladipo, explained that fire gutted the hostel following power surge on restoration of electricity after a power outage.

Education Times 18

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Teamwork, absence of crisis facilitated LASU’s success –VC The Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University, Prof.

Olanrewaju Fagbohun, on Tuesday, said that teamwork and absence of crisis contributed much to the success of the university in 2016.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, Fagbohun expressed the optimism that the university would work harder in 2017 to attain greater heights.

“The year 2016 was wonderful for the university; it was devoid of crisis, and the achievements so far were as a result of team work by members of the university community.

“But for us, it is work in progress because we have just started the race, and there is so much we still want to cover.

“I will give members of the university kudos for a job well done because they have all worked hard

to make sure the transformation agenda come to reality.

“You can see what is happening, you can see the energy flowing in the university, ” he said.

Fagbohun said that the transformation agenda of the university were aimed at making it one of the best in the world, adding that the university would not relent in its quest for excellence.

Meanwhile, the university on Tuesday said that the institution was not on fire as erroneously reported in some national dailies and online media.

A statement by the university made available to newsmen in Lagos gave an account of the true situation of the incident.

The statement said there was indeed a fire incident but that was at a section of the lock-up shops in the university, adding that the incident occurred in the early hours of Dec. 26.

According to the statement, the Lagos State Fire Service, Ojo Division which was immediately contacted responded on time to put out the fire.

“Attention has been drawn to the news going round the social media and some national newspapers that LASU was on fire.

“The university’s management hereby states that LASU was never on fire but a section of the lock-up shops in the university was burnt and it was immediately put off.

“It is confirmed that no life was lost in the inferno and the management hereby informs all staff and stakeholders of the university that everything is under control,’’ the statement said.

The university urged staff, students and other stakeholders to always switch off all electrical appliances after official hours and observe safety principles to prevent any fire outbreak.

(L-R): Chiweta Uraih, Specialist, CSR, Etisalat Nigeria,presenting a cheque to Ayibaemi Ledum Ibaba, an Awardee, with Dr. Frankland Briyai, Dean of Students Affairs, Niger Delta University during the presentation of cheques to winners of the Etisalat Merit Awards Scholarship Scheme in the University on Thursday

UNIPORT expels 22 students for various offences The Senate of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) on Friday announced the expulsion of 22 students of the university for various offences including assaulting a female lecturer.

A statement signed by the Registrar of the university, Mrs, Dorcas Otto in Port Harcourt, said that the offences also included being members of different cult groups and undermining security on the campus.

According to the statement, the decision to expel the students was taken at the 426th Senate Meeting of the university

held last Wednesday.

It further disclosed that eight of the students were expelled for being part of different cult groups, two students expelled for assaulting a female lecturer and disrupting a congress meeting of the department.

“Twelve other students expelled were former presidents of faculty associations,” the statement said.

According to it, the senate of the university also announced that the institution has closed for the Christmas/New Year Break and will resume on January 3, 2017.

New College of Education takes off in Enugu Moses Oyediran, Enugu Following the approval by National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), to operate as NCE- awarding institution, Elizabeth Memorial College of Education said it is ready to commence academic activities at its permanent site in Nsukka, Enugu State in January 2017.

The proprietor of the college, Dr. Chinedu Ejiofor, disclosed this to newsmen in Enugu recently, adding that the choice of the name, Elizabeth Memorial College, was to immortalise his late mother who was a lover of education.

Ejiofor explained that Elizabeth Memorial College of Education has gotten the final approval from NCCE to commence full academic activities with four schools namely: School of Education, School of Languages, School of Pure Science and School of Arts and Social Sciences.

The proprietor said with his experience in teaching for many years coupled with his experience in running a secondary school, the college would impact quality knowledge to its students.

“Having worked in University of Nigeria Nsukka for over twenty-two years in both faculties of Education and Social Sciences as lecturer, I will bring my experience to bear to ensure the college becomes the best east of the Niger,” he said.

“Already our micro-teaching lab has been adjudged the best in the country. The lab would enable teaching practice students to teach and film themselves and playback their teachings to correct errors identified while teaching.

“We have also installed language lab at the college, the lan-

guage lab will help students correct anomalies associated with languages.

“These are the two major laboratories that are hallmark of serious minded colleges of education and I want to assure that the college already has in its fold sound technical personnel to run the laboratories.

“My secondary school, Ejiofor International College which is the talk of the town will serve as a demonstrative school for students of the college to periodically do their teaching practice without any encumbrance”, he said.

Ejiofor said in a bid to ensure that the institution produce best quality teachers for the nation, the minimum qualification for lecturers to be recruited would be masters’ degree holders.

“I know that the country needed quality teachers in order to move the education sector of our country to the next level; I will ensure that all courses in the college are accredited”.

Ejiofor said that he would strive to provide affordable hostel accommodation to attract students from various parts of the country to seek admission in the college.

“My plan is to make this college outstanding by providing good and affordable hostel accommodation for students.

He said what inspired him in establishing the college of education was the success his secondary school (Ejiofor International College) and the kind words of former minister of Information, Chief Nnai Nwodo during one of his visits to his secondary school.

“The former Minister of Information, Chief Nnai Nwodo, told me that if my secondary is one of the best, I can also help in training teachers that will take this country to the next level,’ he said.

Don seeks improved funding of education A university lecturer, Prof.

Ayo Omotayo, has urged all tiers of government to improve on funding of the Nigerian educational system to discourage parents from taking their children abroad for studies.

Omotayo, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Lagos State University (LASU), made the plea on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

He said it was unfortunate that about a trillion naira was spent yearly to send Nigerian students abroad to study.

According to him, the focus of

the government for the year 2017 is to take action to ensure that such huge amount do not go out of the country anymore.

The don said that for Nigeria to recover from the current recession, issues in the educational system must be urgently addressed.

“Imagine if N500 billion, which was half of the amount spent in 2015 was given to Nigerian universities to improve on infrastructure and services, who will take his or her child elsewhere?

“The reason why parents take their children abroad to study is because they do not see the

seriousness of the government in funding the educational system .

“If the money spent to send students abroad is invested in the country, the country’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) would have been upgraded,’’ Omotayo said.

The don advised the government to adopt an innovation that would promote institutions in the country to be at par with their counterparts abroad.

“They must also begin to do things that would make parents keep their children in schools within the country, ‘’ he said.

Prof

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

19 Education Times

Foundation donates Board urges more ICT N1.2m to Kwara centres in Enugu schools students

Enugu State Post-Primary School Management Board (PPSMB) has called for more Information and Communication Technology (ICT), centres to increase students’ proficiency in the use of internet for e-learning.

Chairman of PPSMB, Mr. Nestor Ezeme, made the call during a seminar organised by Jizzle and Kim Alphabetization Initiative (JKAI), in Enugu on Friday.

The theme of the seminar was: “Promoting ICT Literacy Amongst Nigerian Youths.’’

Ezeme said government and the private sector should partner in identifying schools in need of ICT centres.

“They should equip such schools with ICT infrastructure

Ezeme

and introduce the students to ICT skills early in life as it is the future of education.’’

He said that the seminar was the right tonic required to turn

the dwindling fortunes of reading and research among students.

The chairman said teachers had been doing a great job tutoring students on ICT; thus enabling them to achieve their goals in life.

He expressed gratitude to the organisers of the seminar on behalf of the state ministry of education.

The seminar, attended by principals, teachers and students across the state, also witnessed a career talk by a motivational speaker, Mr, Ahubaraezema Obidigbo.

JKAI is a non-governmental organisation aiming to ensure that African youths are empowered through education, talent and skill acquisition.

Cross section of contestants for the “Glo Campus Data Diva” crown at the Imo State University, Owerri, edition of Glo Campus Storm held recently.

No fewer than 60 students had received cash donations totaling N1.2million from the Adebisi Fabiyi Foundation in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local government Area of Kwara State, to boost their academic pursuits.

The students, drawn from tertiary institutions, were selected from the three wards in the community.

The breakdown showed that 20 beneficiaries received cash donations of N20,000 each from Aran, Ifaja and Ihahe wards in the town.

The year’s award is the foundation’s 17th in the series and coincided with the 84 birthday celebration of Prophet Elisha Fabiyi, the foundation’s Board of Trustees’s chairman, and an insurance expert.

Some schools also received various cash prizes for coming top in the quiz and essay competitions earlier organised by the foundation.

Ansarul-Islam Secondary School, Omu-Aran won the first position in the quiz competition while Omu-Aran High School won the first positions in both the junior and senior categories of the essay competition.

Two distinguished personalities, Messrs Sunday Babalola and Joseph Bamigboye, also received the foundation’s merit awards for their selfless services to the development of their community.

Prophet Fabiyi said the awards and the competitions among schools were instituted as part of his contributions to improve the education sector and boost the students’ overall performance.

He noted that education remained the bedrock of any meaningful socio-economic development, adding that the challenges facing the sector had gone beyond government alone to shoulder.

Fabiyi stressed the donation was also meant to compliment the parent’s financial burden and

Oyo College of Education lecturers begin strike The Academic Staff of Oyo State College of Education (OYSCOED) Lanlate has begun an indefinite strike over 10 month salary arrears.

This is contained in a communiqué signed by Dr. Olatunde Ogundiran, the Caretaker Chairman, Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union on Monday and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Ogundiran, in the communiqué, said “lecturers were last paid in March 2016.”

He explained that the decision to commence the strike was taken at the expiration of an ultimatum given to the school management by its congress.

Ogundiran also stated that the lecturers had since March 2016 been undergoing very serious hardship.

“We have endured several

months of unpaid salaries before the congress decided to go on indefinite strike.

“We have had series of negotiations with the state government representatives where we appealed to the government to pay the workers but there was no positive response,” he said.

He stated that the union had, before embarking on the strike, given notice to the school management and the state govern-

ment but nothing was done.

He also stated that members of the union were indebted to food stuff sellers and could not afford to pay their children’s school fees when they resumed in January 2017.

“We want the public to know that we made every effort to avert this strike through dialogue with the government but are left with no other option,” Ogundiran stated.

to equally address poverty, unemployment as well as insecurity among the youth.

“We are all witnesses to the rapid growth and the development of Omu-Aran, because the town is expanding in an unplanned manner.

“This donation, therefore, is part of our corporate social responsibility toward ensuring the well-being of the people of this community in the areas of education and human capital development,” Fabiyi said.

Fabiyi said the foundation’s was in the process of promoting skills acquisition through building of a skills acquisition centre as well as a children recreational centre.

Chief Samuel Atolagbe, the Chairman of the awards’ committee, in a remark, said the foundation had continued to live up to its expectations and the targeted populace.

Chief Jide Adebayo, the Chairman of the occasion, said the foundation since its inception had facilitated unprecedented development in the lives of the indigenes and non-indigenes alike.

Ex-IGP donates learning materials to students Former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Hafiz Ringim, has donated learning materials to 160 students in Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

The Information Officer in charge of Ringim Local Government Council, Malam Muttaka Ahmad, confirmed this on Monday.

Malam Kabiru Garba, presented the materials to the Education Secretary of the council, Alhaji Sumaila Muhammad, on behalf of the former IGP, he said.

He explained that the benefiting students were from Katutu, Sabongida, Galadanci and Islamiyya and Junior Secondary Schools.

Ahmad said that Garba pointed out that the gesture was part of the former IG-P’s efforts to develop education at the grassroots.

The spokesperson added that the education secretary and NUT Chairman of the council, Mr Auwal Magaji, commended Ringim for the gesture.

They noted that donation would boost literacy in the area.

Education Times 20

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

el-Rufai seeks better role for education in national orientation Augustine Okezie Abuja Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, has called for an increased role for education in the process of changing Nigeria and fight corruption through efficient national orientation. el-Rufai, who made the call in Abuja recently during a presentation of two books on anti-corruption, Know about Corruption and Rebirth of Conscience, said Nigeria can only achieve the desired prosperity when issues are addressed through proper orientation and awareness while the challenge posed

by preferential treatment and opportunism are addressed.

His words: “I believe the only way we can regain our way to prosperity and progress is when we have a society that is founded on honesty and hard work. Not opportunism, not preferential treatment of one group against another.”

While commending the present administration for charting a new path for the country, the governor however said results of the present efforts in repositioning the country will take a long time to manifest. el-Rufai, who was the chairman of the books presentation ceremony, said he will purchase

5,000 copies of each of the books for distribution to schools in the state, even as he promised to personally support the author with N1 million.

“Kaduna State government is buying 5,000 copies of each of the books to ensure that each of our primary schools, secondary schools, and tertiary institutions have at least each of the books in their library, so that this process of national orientation will begin in earnest,” he said.

On her part, the author of the two books, Amina Tukur Othman, said she was motivated to write the books in order to contribute her quota in the fight

against corruption.

While saying that some schools have embraced the books as parts of their civic education, she called on parents to inculcate the right morals on their children so that when they grow older they won’t depart from it.

In a keynote address, the Guest Speaker, Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule, called for Nigerians to love each other and work together as an indivisible entity.

He said the launch of the books was apt as it is in line with the determined efforts of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to root out corruption from the country.

L-R:Head, Department of Accounting, Babcock University, Ogun State, Prof.

Rufus Akintoye; Dean, School of Management Sciences, Prof.

Enyi Patrick Enyi; Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ademola Tayo; and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Prof. Iheanyichukwu Okoro, at the opening of 2016/2017 first semester seminar presentation by doctoral students of the Department of Accounting in Ogun State… on Tuesday.

LASU rewards staff as VC vows to sustain award programme Esther Taiwo In an effort to encourage members of staff to give their best in service delivery, management of Lagos State University, Ojo, has awarded staff found to be outstanding and exceptional in the discharge of their duties for 2016.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. ‘Lanre Fagbohun, who awarded two senior staff and 21 security personnel with cash prizes at a ceremony recently thanked the entire staff of the university for their immense support and hard work in the last one year he assumed office, saying every staff in LASU deserves award but everyone cannot be awarded at the same time only the

chosen ones deemed to have distinguished themselves in their different departments and units.

“It is to celebrate excellence in teaching, research and service delivery. If you look back at what has happened in the last one year, you will see that things have changed in the institution. Everyone is appreciated but we have been able to pick some that are beyond limits.”

“Excellence is what we are radiating in the university because if you look at what our students are doing in the last one year, you will see they have joined in the good things”.

Explaining how the winners were chosen, Prof. Fagbohun said students were involved in the selection process without knowing it so

that the selection can be objective and fair.

He said though the award is not going with cash now, it is to show that that the university appreciates what individuals are doing to improve the school.

The vice-chancellor also disclosed that the award has come to stay and the university will sustain it even after his tenure.

Some of the awardees include Prof. Gabriel Shonaike of Chemical and Polymer Engineering, who won the Overall Teaching Excellence, Dr. Olufemi Fatile of Public Administration got the second Overall Teaching Excellence while Dr. Kehinde Amisu of Microbiology got the third position.

At the Faculty category, Dr. Afisi

Oseni of Philosophy department won the Teaching Excellence award for Faculty of Arts, Mrs. Latifat Yahya of Education Management won the Faculty of Education and Dr. Edu Hamzat of International and Islamic Law won the Faculty of Law Teaching Excellence.

Others are Dr. Jimoh Bamgbose for Faculty of Social Sciences, Dr. Asinime Charles won the School of Transport Teaching Excellence and Mrs. Omolade Atofojomo for School of Communication Other categories at the ceremony included non-teaching staff, junior and senior, departmental category, senior and junior and sports.

Past students of the school were also awarded at the ceremony for sports performance.

‘My book addresses challenges of insecurity, unemployment in N’East ‘ 22-year-old student of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, Mr. Mohammed Bukar, has written a book on how youths could harness their talents to become self-employed.

Bukar, an indigene of Borno State and part three student studying Computer and Communication Engineering, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi on Monday that he wrote the book as part of his contribution to addressing the problem of youth restiveness, especially in the North-East subregion.

He said the book, titled “Guide to Explore Your Entrepreneurial Potentials”, with ISBN number 978978948851, had been reviewed

by Dr James Ali, Managing Director of City Bookshop, Bauchi, who is also an author of many books.

“The North East sub-region had been facing security challenges for the past seven years and those actively involved are youth.

“One of the factors assumed to be responsible for the involvement of youth, is unemployment, and since government cannot provide jobs for everybody, there is the need for youth to use their talents to become self-employed.

“Some have the talents but how to harness same is just the problem. The objective of my book is to guide people into harnessing their hidden talents,” he said.

The student said the book would be launched in Abuja on January 28, 2017, adding that he had received assurances of support from the Nigerian Postal Service, ATBU Printing Press, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

He said he had also approached Bauchi State Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar for support and was awaiting his response.

Bukar commended the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari in restoring peace to the North-East, adding that apart from liberating all the towns captured by insurgents, he had also presented the sub-region, a befitting Christmas and New Year gift by capturing Sambisa Forest.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

21

22

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

BALA DOGO ZAYNAB

FAITH OMON OSOH.

OLAJIDE OLUWATOSIN PONMILE

I formerly known as Bala Zainab Lamiche now wish to be known and addressed as Bala Dogo Zaynab. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

I formerly known as Faith Osoh now wish to be known and addressed as Col. Faith Omon Osoh. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as ADU OLUWATOSIN PONMILE, now wish to be known and addressed as OLAJIDE OLUWATOSIN PONMILE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ANISTON PATRICK EDWARD.

SALIU RASHEED ADEBAJO

AJAYI BUKOLA ANUOLUWAPO. P.

Formerly known and addressed as ANI PATRICK SUNDAY, now wish to be known and addressed as ANISTON PATRICK EDWARD. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

Formerly known and addressed as BAKARE ADEBAJO RASHEED, now wish to be known and addressed as SALIU RASHEED ADEBAJO. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

EGUEKE EGHONGHON SOPHIA.

SANNI ISMAIL OLAMILEKAN.

Formerly known and addressed as AJAYI BUKOLA ANUOLUWAPO, now wish to be known and addressed as AJAYI BUKOLA ANUOLUWAPO. P. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

MORAKINYO DAMILOLA ADEBIMPE

EKEANYA ANTHONY CHIGOZIE

Formerly known and addressed as NGOZI ANITA ONYEKWERE, now wish to be known and addressed as NGOZI ANITA OKECHI-NWOGA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

AYORINDE OLUWATOYIN OLASOJUMI.

CHICHI AJIDE.

Formerly known and addressed as OBIDEYI TOYIN OLASOJUMI, now wish to be known and addressed as AYORINDE OLUWATOYIN OLASOJUMI. That my correct date of birth is 23rd August 1972.

All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

OGUNDELE AKANNI OLALEYE.

I, formerly known and addressed as OGUNDELE AKANNI ADEMOLA, now wish to be known, called and addressed as OGUNDELE AKANNI OLALEYE. All former documents remain valid. General public and Authorities Concerned should please take note.

AUDU CHARITY. I, formerly known and addressed as UMORU CHARITY, now wish to be known, called and addressed AUDU CHARITY. All former documents remain valid. General public and Authorities Concerned should please take note.

EKUNG EFFIONG OSUNG I, formerly known and addressed as OSUNG EFFIONG, now wish to be known, called and addressed as EKUNG EFFIONG OSUNG. All former documents remain valid.

General public and Authorities Concerned should please take note.

QUADRI ADENIKE ADIJAT

JOYCELYN CHINELO OHAKWUME

I, formerly known and addressed as QUADRI ADENIKE, now wish to be known, called and addressed as QUADRI ADENIKE ADIJAT. All former documents remain valid.

General public and Authorities Concerned should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS JOYCELYN CHINELO ODIMEGWU, now wish to be known, called and addressed as MRS. JOYCELYN CHINELO OHAKWUME. All former documents remain valid. General public and Authorities Concerned should please take note.

AKINOLA-THOMAS OLUWASEUN DEBORA

I formerly known and addressed as OGUNMOROTI OLUWASEUN DEBORA now wish to be known and addressed as AKINOLA-THOMAS OLUWASEUN DEBORA All former documents remain valid. General public to please take note.

OMOLOLA RIHANAT ADEBAYO

AKINOLA-THOMAS OLUWASEUN TAYO

I formerly known and addressed as OGUNMOROTI OLUWASEUN TAYO now wish to be known and addressed as AKINOLA-THOMAS OLUWASEUN TAYO All former documents remain valid. General public to please take note.

AHIAKWO CHRISTIAN FOUNDATION

This is to inform the general public that the above named Foundation has applied to the corporate affairs commission, Abuja for registration under the part C of companies and allied matters acts, NO. 1990 TRUSTEES ARE 1. AHIAKWO CHRISTIAN 2. NWOKOCHA IZIDOR 3. AHIAKWO AMARA BELINDA 4. ALEN OKECHUKWU 5. BABATUNDE BOLAJI BENARD AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1.PROMOTION OF LOCAL ORGANISATION AND SOCIETY. 2.ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH SUPPORT PROJECT. 3.CAPACITY BUILDING PROJECT. 4.CONSOLIDATE ACF”S INTERNATIONAL COORPORATION. Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to Registrar -General, Corporate Affairs Commission, P.M.B 198, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja, within (28) days of this publication SIGNED: PRESIDENT GLORY LAND ESTATE IBEJU-LEKKI L.G.A LAGOS RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION

OKORO ADAORA DORCAS

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ASOGWA ADAORA DORCAS, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OKORO ADAORA DORCAS. All former documents should please remain valid. Banks and General public should please take note.

AGANMWONYI GLORY OSAYUWAMEN

I formerly known and addressed as AGANMWONYI GLORY VALENTINE now wish to be known and addressed as AGANMWONYI GLORY OSAYUWAMEN All former documents remain valid. General public to please take note.

AFAMEFUNA EVELYN ADAOBI

NWORAH: i formerly known and addressed as MISS NWORAH EVELYN ADAOBI CHINEMEREM now wish to be known and addressed as MRS AFAMEFUNA EVELYN ADAOBI. All former documents remain valid general public should pls take note

TRANSFORMATION POWER EVANGELICAL FOUNDATION THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED FOUNDATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE:1. SUNMONU, OLANREWAJU HAKEEM 2. SUNMONU, FEYIKEMI THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE IS:TO REACH OUT TO THE UNREACHED WITH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. ANY OBJECTION TO THE REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED BY : LAWFORTE ASSOCIATES (LEX LAUREL CHAMBERS) LEGAL PRACTITIONERS &CONSULTANTS HOUSE 4A, BLOCK P1, STREET P1, ROAD 5, ABRAHAM ADESANYA ESTATE, AJAH, LAGOS.

THINK AFRICA FOR DIASPORA INITIATIVE

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “C” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, NO. 1 OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. CHIEF JULIAN EZEJI - CHAIRMAN 2. ALHAJI IBRAHIM AMUSA - 1ST VICE CHAIRMAN 3. MRS. BUKOLA ALOMAJA - 2ND VICE CHAIRMAN 4. MAGNUS MBAGWU - GENERAL SECRETARY 5. OKECHUKWU UCHE - ASSISTANT GENERAL SECRETARY 6. ABDUL - WAHHAB IBRAHIM - FINANCIAL SECRETARY 7. BODUNDE ABIOYE- TREASURER.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MR EMMANUEL OGUNSALU - CHAIRMAN 2. MS FADEKEMI ADETOSOYE - SECRETARY 3. MR COLLINS NZEKWE - TREASURER 4. MR KOFOWOROLA OLAMIDE - MEMBER 5. MR HAKEEM TEMIDAYO - MEMBER AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. TO PROVIDE A PLATFORM THAT PROMOTE ENTREPRENEURSHIP, LEADERSHIP AND STRENGTHENING OF START-UP ENTERPRISES IN NIGERIA BY NIGERIAN PROFESSIONALS LIVING IN THE DIASPORA. 2. TO ENCOURAGE CONTACTS AND ESTABLISH NETWORKING AMONGST NIGERIAN PROFESSIONALS IN THE DIASPORA, THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, AS WELL AS OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES THROUGH SHARED CONTENT, PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING EVENTS, SEMINARS, SYMPOSIA AND EXCHANGE PROGRAMS. 3. TO CATER TO THE NEEDS OF THE MEMBERS AS THINK AFRICA IS ABLE TO DO SO. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, P.M.B 198, GARKI ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY.

OSIGWE IFEANYI INNOCENT

I formerly known and addressed as OSIGWE IFEANYI, now wish to be known and addressed as OSIGWE IFEANYI INNOCENT. former documents remain valid. general public take note SOBOWALE OMOTUYOLE REGINA

Formerly known and addressed as SIKAIYE OMOTUYOLE REGINA now wish to be known SOBOWALE OMOTUYOLE REGINA All former documents remain valid general public take note

OLUSHOLA OKUSANYA

I formerly known and addressed as MISS OLUSHOLA TAWAKALITU OKUTORO is now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OLUSHOLA OKUSANYA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

EGBEJEBI UGONNA JOSEPH

I formerly known and addressed as INYAMMA JOSEPH UGONNA now wish to be known and addressed as EGBEJEBI UGONNA JOSEPH All former documents remain valid. General public to please take note.

ONIPINLA-ALARA ADETOKUNBO AYODELE

I formerly known and addressed as ONIPINLA ADETOKUNBO AYODELE now wish to be known and addressed as ONIPINLAALARA ADETOKUNBO AYODELE All former documents remain valid. General public to please take note.

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “C” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, NO. 1 OF 1990.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. TO PROMOTE CO-OPERATION AND UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN ASSOCIATION MEMBERS. 2. TO ASSIST EACH OTHER TO LIVE A RESPONSIBLE LIFE. 3. TO PROMOTE, ESTABLISH, PROVIDE, ASSIST AND ENCOURAGE ASSOCIATION MEMBERS IN THEIR VARIOUS AREA OF LIFE. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420 TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, P.M.B 198, GARKI ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: TRUSTEES.

OKOLIKO JUSTINA DOMINIC.

Formerly known and addressed as DOMINIC JUSTINA OYU, now wish to be known and addressed as OKOLIKO JUSTINA DOMINIC. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

That my name was written as STOCK MAAZI SYLVANUS JOSEPH in some of my documents, while written as JOSEPH SYLVANUS in some of my other documents.

That I hereby confirmed that I am the one bearing STOCK MAAZI SYLVANUS JOSEPH and JOSEPH SYLVANUS. All former documents bearing both name are mine and remain valid. General public and Authorities Concerned should take note.

Formerly known and addressed as MISS ELENBESUNU EGHONGHON SOPHIA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. EGUEKE EGHONGHON SOPHIA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note

I, formerly known and addressed as Omolola Rihanat Alli now wishes to be known and addressed as OMOLOLA RIHANAT ADEBAYO. All former documents remain valid.

General Public take note.

My name was wrongly written as ONUKOSI EBELECHI instead of ONUKAEZI ELEBECHI FAITH. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

STACY AMARACHUKWU SUNKANMI-FANIYI

Formerly known and addressed as ADEYEMO DAMILOLA ADEBIMPE, now wish to be known and addressed as MORAKINYO DAMILOLA ADEBIMPE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

DICKSON CHINYERE UGONWAYI

Formerly known and addressed as CHICHI ODOH, now wish to be known and addressed as CHICHI AJIDE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CORRECTION OF NAME

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS STACY AMARACHUKWU NWOBI, now wish to be known, called and addressed as MRS. STACY AMARACHUKWU SUNKANMI-FANIYI. All former documents remain valid. General public and Authorities Concerned should please take note.

Formerly known and addressed as SUNNY ISMAIL, now wish to be known and addressed as SANNI ISMAIL OLAMILEKAN. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note

I, formerly known and addressed as Dickson Chinyere, now wish to be known and addressed as Dickson Chinyere Ugonwayi. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

NGOZI ANITA OKECHI-NWOGA

Formerly known and addressed as EKEANYA MICHAEL CHIGOZIE, now wish to be known and addressed as EKEANYA ANTHONY CHIGOZIE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA This is to inform the general public that the above named 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. KOLADE AKINTAYO 2. OLUSOLA ENITAN 3. DANIEL ODUNMBAKU 4. EMMANUEL ADEBAYO 5. ADEKUNLE ZUBAIR 6. SEGUN AKOGUN 7. TIMOTHY OLUNUBI AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. To enhance the welfare and educational development of real estate agents operating in Nigeria as fundamental aspect of the profession 2. To promote and encourage ownership of real property and by doing things which may be deemed necessary or advisable to make real estate a sound and desirable investment in Nigeria.

Any objection of the said registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 565 Ndola Square, Zone 5, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED : SECRETARY

FUNCARE FOR THE NEGLECTED ORGANIZATION This is to inform the General Public that the above named ORGANIZATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for Registration under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE:1. Adepoju Oluwafunmilola Deborah.

2. Olayinka Christopher ketiku 3. Olayiwola Theophilus Adepoju 4. Dr. Adubi TAIWO. The Aims and Objectives Are:-.

1. To provide knowledge on spiritual and physical healing to the neglected people in the society.

2. Create awareness, training, proper diagnosis of the common community diseases in our environs.

3.To give impacts on Education and Health in the presence of Treatment Externalities by Strengthening health systems.

4. To sustain reduction in prevalence of Neglected tropical disease and contribute to poverty alleviation, increased productivity and improved quality of life for the affected people in spite of missed rounds of Mass drug administration in an area under vector control.

5. To focus on the interventions, resource mobilization and financial sustainability, Strengthening of advocacy, enhanced planning for results, coordination and national ownership.

6. To monitor, evaluate, do surveillance and research to tackle Neglected Tropical Disease in Africa in achieving the elimination Goal.

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

SIGNED BY : TRUSTEES

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Idu Jude Abuja

ÏÏÏ

The Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has said that President Muhammadu Buhari is eager to boost the economy of Nigeria and deliver to the people the gains of his Administration through the Transport sector.

He noted that one of the core mandates of the Present Administration, the ‘Change Agenda’ is to fulfill the needs and aspirations of Nigerians and the Government will not rest on its oars until it achieve its promise.

The minister, revealed

23 News

Buhari to revamp economy through renewed transport sector - Amaechi this while n n interview with media men, in accessing the 2016 performances and ushering in 2017, which he said the present administration is poised to take Nigeria out of recession.

He enumerated the milestone achievements in the Transportation sector to includes the completion of Abuja – Kaduna Railway modernization projects, provision of safety measures at the nation’s Airports, reha-

bilitation of the existing infrastructures within the Airports, Sea ports, and the Railway as well as instilling financial discipline in the Ministry and its Agencies among others.

“What we are doing now is securing people’s life at the nation’s Airports and also ensuring the rehabilitation of existing infrastructures in the Rail lines and Maritime sector and also to see

that the quality of rehabilitation meets international standard’’ he said.

The Honourable Minister explained further that in the past one year the Ministry of Transportation has ensured the completion of the Abuja-Kaduna Standard Rail line which is operational and Commissioned

by President Muhammadu Buhari in July 2016.

He noted that the focus of the Ministry now, is the re-

habilitation of the old Railway lines of Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri and ensuring that the construction work on the LagosCalabar Coastal Rail line as well as Lagos-Kano Rail line commence in earnest to facilitate the movement of goods and personnel unhindered. According to him, construction work on the Lagos-Ibadan segment of the Coastal Rail line will commence in

January 2017.

Chibuike Amaechi while commenting on the activities of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), which is one of the Agencies under the Ministry, opined that the management of the Agency in the last Administration abandoned their core mandate of a regulatory agency and turned itself into a contract awarding Institution which is alien to its mandate.

Kwara OPC pledges co-operation with Police Kehinde Akinpelu Ilorin

ÏÏÏ

Comarade Morufu Olarewaju, has said that the, 0odua Peoples Congress, {OPC] has come out to pledge its support to the Kwara State Police Command in its efforts to ensure security of lives and properties in the state .

Olarewaju, made this statements in a press release made available to the Daily Times Correspondent in Ilorin, the Kwara State Capital.

He said that Gani Adams faction of the {OPC} member, Baba, Mityat, was killed at Ogidi Oko Olowo area of Ilorin, Kwara State capital.

According to him, last year November, he has complained to the State Government of which the government has not done anything till now. He said that Gani Adams faction has been parading itself in Ilorin to foment trouble around the state.

Also, he said that despite efforts to compliment the police in its fight against crime and criminals OPC distractors are all out to portray his group in a bad light.

Comrade, advised all its members to continue to embrace peace, unity and love stating that there cannot be meaningful development in an atmosphere of rancour, hatred and acrimony.

Former Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (middle); his wife, Lara (left) and others, during a church service at Iyamoh, Edo State… recently.

Christmas: CAN members visit Tambuwal ÏÏÏ Christian

faithfuls have commended the peaceful coexistence between adherents of Islam and Christian religion residing in Sokoto, and urged the government to consolidate on the achievements so far recorded.

Members of the Sokoto State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) stated this when they paid a visit to Governor Aminu Waziri

Tambuwal as part of activities marking this year’s Christmas celebration in the state.

Speaking on behalf of the members, spokesman of CAN in Sokoto, Reverend Steven Okafor, commended the people of the state for their tolerance and hospitality.

He said Christians in the state had celebrated the Christmas under a very peaceful atmosphere,

which he described as commendable.

He thanked Tambuwal for his numerous peopleoriented projects in the state and urged him not to relent.

Responding, Tambuwal urged both the Christian and Muslim faithfuls to continue to live in peace with each other.

He stressed the need for the adherents of the two major religions to

be brothers’ keepers, and strive to ensure rapid socio-economic development of the country.

“Peace is key to national development, hence the need for all citizens to work towards ensuring a long lasting peace in the country”, a statement issued by Tambuwal’s spokesman, Malam Imam, quoted the Governor as saying.

Tambuwal also used the occasion to rejoice

with the Christians on the Christmas and wished them a prosperous new year ahead.

Tambuwal

NCAA fines Arik Air N6m over passengers luggage Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

ÏÏÏNigeria’s flag carrier

airline, Arik Air has been sanctioned by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for contravening the provisions of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs).

The aviation regulatory body explained that it had

Ï ƏƈƊ Ɛ ƍ ƕ ƍ Ɔ ƆƏ ơǀƠ Ɔ ƅ been inundated with complaints of delay and inability to ferry the passengers’ checked – in luggage on the airline’s services from London–Lagos from the 2nd, 3rd and 4th December, 2016.

Upon receipt of the complaints, the NCAA said invited the airline to a

meeting on the December 6, 2016, which was duly attended by the airlines’ representative.

It said it was piqued that the embarked on continuous flouting of the Nig. CARs and the Authority’s directives to freight all backlog of short – landed

baggage to Lagos within 48 hours.

Spokesman for NCAA, Sam Adurogboye told journalists that similarly, the carrier declined to offer care and compensation to the affected passengers which were unanimously agreed for One Hundred and fifty United States

dollars.

He noted that in addition, the airline did not inform the passengers at the soonest practicable time that their checked – in baggage would be off – loaded as required by Part 19.7.2 of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs),2015.

News 24 LASG taskforce nabs 16year old Togolese land grabber, three others in Lagos Joy Anyim

ÏÏÏA 16 year old Togolesse

Segun Sunday has been arrested by the Lagos State Government Task Force for his notorious involvement in land grabbing activities in the Ibeju-Lekki area of the state.

The suspect who was arrested alongside three others - Ben Micheal, 31, Segun Muda 58 and Toheeb Oladele 20 yrs - were arrested with two locally made pistols amongst other dangerous weapons.

The Daily Times gathered that the arrest of the four suspect was sequel to a petition submitted to the Lagos State Committee on Land Grabbers by the people of Oko-Olomi Golf Course area of Ibeju-lekki, Lagos.

The petition which was subsequently copied to Lagos State Police Command was directed to the Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force SP Olayinka Egbeyemi for immediate action.

SP Olayinka Egbeyemi who led the operatives of the Agency stormed the area yesterday and arrested the 4 notorious land grabbers in whose possession 2 locally made Pistol were recovered.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police Mr Fatai Owoseni after well briefed about the arrest directed that the suspects be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, Lagos for further interrogations.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Boko Haram: Atiku hails military, PMB over Sambisa’s success Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

ÏÏÏ

Former Vice President and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has congratulated the officers and men of the Nigeria Army on the spectacular feat of the invasion and sacking of Camp Zero, the last Boko Haram stronghold in Sambisa Forest.

Atiku, in a statement from his media office on Tuesday, described the success of the soldiers as “a military feat worth celebrating.”

The former Vice President stated that the army has made good its promise to finally defeat the terrorists and bring peace to the Northeast region of our country.

He added that by accomplishing this feat, the army has shown that it has truly regained form and its famed fighting ability

for which the Nigeria Army is known.

The Turakin Adamawa said further that this spectacular victory is the result of committed and focused leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, the military Commanders at the battlefront, the intelligence agencies and the unity of purpose exhibited by the nation’s military chiefs to rid the country of the Boko Haram menace.

Atiku commended Nigerians who, at every point in the anti-terror war, has always stood by and supported the military with prayers and good wishes.

He thanked the international community and close partners of Nigeria in the anti-terror war saying that the final routing at Sambisa Forest hopefully should herald the end of terrorism in the country.

The Turakin Adamawa stated further

that the victory presents the people and government of Nigeria as well as the country’s international partners with the challenge of consolidating the peace by joining hands for the rehabilitation, reconstruction and re-development of the entire Northeast region which was heavily devastated by the activities of the Boko Haram while the anti-terror war lasted.

Arguing that final peace and reconstruction cannot take place without the return and resettlement of the displaced persons in IDP camps in the region, the former Vice President called on the government and all stakeholders including international partners and donor agencies to seize the momentum of the final routing of the Boko Haram, to intensify the process of reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi (left); his wife, Rachel (2nd right) and participants at the Uburu Cultural day in Uburu, Ebonyi… on Monday.

Lagos lawmaker tasks FG on true federalism, strong institutions ÏÏÏA chieftain of the All Progressives

Congress (APC) and lawmaker, Mr. Segun Olulade, has lent his voice to the call for true federalism in the country just as some political leaders across the country have also renewed the call.

True federalism, he said, would empower state governments and the various public institutions in the nation’s quest to overcome its challenges.

Olulade, the Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Health Services, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday that weak institutions and failure to restructure the country remained the nation’s greatest challenges.

NAN recalls that the National Leader of APC, Chief Bola Tinubu, had at different fora both as governor of Lagos State (1999 to 2007) and leader of opposition Alliance for Democracy and Action Congress of Nigeria canvassed true federalism and restructuring.

Olulade said: “Our problems are simply two and recession is not even one of them. We have broken institutions and then failure to restructure the country to put on working mode.

“It may interest all that Germany, Canada and Spain and many European countries came out of recession recently; recession is a global thing.

“Our institutions are our problems.

Institutions like the Nigeria Police, the Army, customs, immigration, electoral commission, pensions board, communications commission, sports commission, exams boards etc are all having the dangerous virus of corruption.

“The education, agriculture, health, petroleum and aviation sectors are all enmeshed in corruption and financial corruption.

“The private sector is in shambles, innocent citizens of the country are exploited and no sector is spared or safe enough; that is rather our problem,” he told NAN.

Ayade, Ita-Giwa, others laud Dangote on sponsorship of African Food Festival ÏÏÏCross

River state governor, Professor Ben Ayade, last weekend joined participants at the maiden African Food festival Calabar to commend Dangote Industries Ltd for sponsoring the event.

The governor, represented by his wife, Dr. Linda Ayade, who declared the food festival open, lauded the exemplary attitude of Dangote Group in sponsoring events, especially the now rested Children’s Carnival.

With the African Food Festival replacing the Children’s Carnival, she said that Dangote Group stepped in as the pioneer sponsor of the event proving that the Group is truly committed in partnering all stakeholders for a better Nigeria.

Dr. Ayade said that the food festival

is to bring together different cuisines in Africa as the continent is very rich in tasty cuisines. She added that through the partnership of the sponsors, cuisines from different nations have been gathered in Calabar and urged all present to savour the taste of the cuisines available.

In her welcome, the convener of African Food Festival, Calabar, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, said the festival aims to unite all tribes in continental Africa through their respective cuisines. She said that the maiden food festival is to showcase African dishes and culinary skills adding Cross River State is very rich in dishes.

Giving an insight on how the food festival evolved, she said “in Calabar, we have our cuisine, you go to Igbo, they have their cuisine, you go

to Yoruba they have their cuisine, in Hausa, they have their cuisine. The idea of having all of these under one roof was sold to Governor Ben Ayade who is open to ideas and he bought it and fused it to the Calabar festival calendar.

Ita-Giwa commended Dangote Group for its partnership which enabled the food festival to become a reality. She said that since the cessation of Children’s Carnival, Dangote Group stopped participating in Calabar Carnival but with the introduction of Food festival, the Group is back. She described Dangote Group as a leader in the food industry with subsidiaries as Dangote Flour, Dangote Sugar, NASCON and Dansa as proven leaders in their respective sectors.

The convener also called on industries and investors to take advantage of the abundance of food and cuisines in Cross River and invest in the state. Investing in the state according to her will add values and create more jobs. Particularly, she called for investors to invest in food processing and preservative plants as the raw materials are readily available.

Participants in the food festival included the Republic of Benin and Ghana, Hausa, Ibo, Yoruba, Market Women, Cross River State and she promised the event will get better as the years go.

Leader of Igbo Women Association, Calabar, Dr. Franca Odigwe described the food festival as the first of its kind and innovative. She commended the sponsors and Ita-Giwa

for conceiving the idea and enabling different tribes to showcase their culinary skills. The Igbo women prepared bitter leaf soup, ugba, ofe oha and other dishes which they gave participants to sample.

Mrs. Ajoke Oyeleye, President, Yoruba Women Association Calabar said the event has reawakened interest in traditional dishes and expressed readiness to participate in the next edition. On display at the Yoruba women stand included amala, ewedu,alibo, gbegiri as well as traditional dancers.

Hajia Fatima Abullahi, leader of the Hausa Women also commended the concept of African Food festival, saying it has given everyone a sense of participation in the Calabar festival.

Daily Times Nigeria

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Indonesia religion school teachers in support of Sharia law

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Nearly 80 percent of Islamic education teachers in five of 34 Indonesian provinces support implementing Sharia law, according to a new survey that is causing alarm among some moderate Muslim groups.

Researchers led by Dr. Didin Syafruddin of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) in Jakarta interviewed 505 Islamic religious education (Pendidikan Agama Islam) teachers in five of Indonesia’s 34 provinces. In much of Indonesia, religion is taught in public and private schools.

The study, conducted in October 2016, found high levels of so-called “Islamization” in those teachers it spoke with, including in the cities of Solo and Makassar, and in the Aceh Besar region, Syafruddin said.

Among the study’s findings: 74 percent of Islamic religious teachers in the five provinces believe Muslims shouldn’t give holiday greetings to adherents of other religions, and 89 percent believe non-Sunni minorities should not be accommodated in the country.

One Islamic education teacher quoted in Syafruddin’s study said, “For a Muslim to uphold his ideals, Islamic Sharia law should be enforced. For me, the important thing is not the formal state, but enforcing Islamic Sharia. ... I think Islamic Sharia should be implemented in Islamic countries.”

Somali’s new parliament takes office amidst high expectations

Russia accuses Obama of pitching Trump to anti-Russian line in Syria ÏÏÏ Russia said on Tues-

day that U.S. decision to erase some restrictions on equipping Syrian rebels had opened the way for deliveries of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, a move it said would directly threaten Russian forces in Syria.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the policy change easing some restrictions on weapons supplies to rebels was set out in a new U.S. defense spending bill and that Moscow regarded the step as a hostile act.

Moscow last year launched

Sudanese fleeing from war their war torn country have been reported to be quartered in booming camps in Uganda.

Those fleeing have turned Uganda’s northwest from an empty bushland into a sprawling complex of refugee settlements. The largest, Bidi Bidi, is a popup city that holds roughly 260,000 people weary of war. Last week the U.N. announced the Bidi Bidi camp had stopped taking

a campaign of air strikes in Syria to help President Bashar al-Assad and government forces in a conflict with rebels, some of whom are supported by the United States.

U.S. President Barack Obama signed the annual defense policy bill into law last week. “In the administration of B. Obama they must understand that any weapons handed over will quickly end up in the hands of jihadists with whom the sham ‘moderate’ opposition have long acted jointly,” Zakharova said in a statement.

“Such a decision is a direct

threat to the Russian air force, to other Russian military personnel, and to our embassy in Syria, which has come under fire more than once. We therefore view the step as a hostile one.”

Zakharova accused the Obama administration of trying to “put a mine” under the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump by attempting to get it to continue what she called Washington’s “anti-Russian line.”

During his election campaign, Trump said he was keen to try to improve relations with Moscow and

spoke positively about President Vladimir Putin’s leadership skills.

A back-and-forth exchange between Trump and Putin over nuclear weapons last week tested the Republican’s promises to improve relations with Russia.

The Obama administration and U.S. intelligence officials have accused Russia of trying to interfere with the U.S. election by hacking Democratic Party accounts.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that the Syrian government was holding talks with the opposition ahead of possible peace talks in

Astana, Kazakhstan, the Interfax news agency reported.

Lavrov did not say where the current talks were being held and it was unclear which opposition groups were taking part. The High Negotiations Committee, a body grouping armed and political opponents of President Bashar al-Assad, said it had no knowledge of the negotiations.

“We in the High Negotiations Committee certainly have no connection to this matter,” George Sabra, a member of the HNC, told Reuters.

Southen Sudan Children and adults gather around a borehole in the Bidi bidi refugee settlement in Bidi bidi, Uganda... recently

South Sudanese refugees in Uganda showered with friendly reception

ÏÏÏSouth

25 Foreign News

new arrivals because it was full, and it directed South Sudanese to nearby locations.

Unlike other counties in the region, Uganda has embraced the refugees, according to Charlie Yaxley, a spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency.

“Many Ugandans themselves have previously been refugees, and you typically hear expressions of solidarity from the Ugandan people,” Yaxley said.

Philippines search for 18 crewmen of ship sunk by typhoon ÏÏÏ

The Philippine coast guard pressed its search Tuesday for 18 crewmen from a cargo ship that sank at the height of Typhoon Nock-Ten, which struck the country on Christmas Day. Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said 14 other crewmen have been rescued and one died after the M/V Starlite Atlantic sank off Mabini town in Batangas province, where the powerful typhoon passed

Monday on its way out of the country into the South China Sea. President Rodrigo Duterte flew to typhoonhit provinces and warned in a speech in Camarines Sur that he’ll throw out of a helicopter anybody who would steal the financial aid he brought for storm survivors. “I’ve done that, why won’t I do it again?”

Duterte said in a threat that won applause from typhoon survivors.

The Starlite Atlantic

sought cover in an anchorage area as the typhoon passed and its crew decided to move to safer waters but encountered huge waves and fierce winds, causing their ship to sink, Balilo said, adding that another passenger and cargo ship ran aground in Mabini, south of Manila.

At least seven people died from the typhoon, including the sunken ship’s crewman and villagers who drowned from flooding or were pinned by

fallen trees or a collapsed wall in Albay and Quezon provinces.

Duterte flew to the hardhit town of Virac on the eastern island province of Catanduanes, where the typhoon made landfall on Sunday night, to witness the distribution of food packs to residents. Ahead of the president’s visit, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and top military officials flew to Virac and were stunned by the extent of devastation.

26

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Features

s

Traditional worshippers, monarch espouse culture as panacea to recession Oguntade Ismaila As the government at all levels in the country seek ways and means to end the crushing recession in the country, Ifa Worshipers, academician and a traditional ruler have counselled that the solution to it lies in our culture.

They say, apart from ending recession through adherence to our cherished values and norms, the culture of impunity and corruption facing us can be tacked through our now neglected culture.

Governments at all levels in Nigeria have been urged to support the efforts of individual and groups to promote and elevate Nigerian culture.

They were also implored to accord traditional religion with appropriate legislation and recognition equivalent of Christianity and Islam.

The speakers, which include the traditional ruler of Osolo kingdom, HRM. Oba Kabiru Agbabiaka, a lecturer Dr. Fafolarin Agboola of Obafemi Awolowo University, a German tourist, Michael Ehrenberg and President of Ifa Olokun foundation, Dr. Ifakayode Faluade bemoaned the neglect of traditional religion and inadequate promotion of culture by successful governments in the country.

Speaking at the grand finale of 2016 Ifa Olokun Festival, they appealed to government at all levels to embark on moves that would ensure the nation’s various customs and culture do not go into extinction.

In his speech, HRM. Oba Agbabiaka lamented that traditional religion such as “Ifa” and others had been neglected by both federal and state governments, with preference given to Christianity and Islam.

Pointing that this does not ensure equality, the monarch posited that equality recognition must be accorded the traditional religion and backed with the appropriate legislation by government.

He urged that public holidays must be granted traditional religion worshippers to celebrate their activities as usually granted Christians and Muslims during their festive period.

“Government needs to play active role in promotion and elevation of our culture, especially traditional religion, they have neglected it in preference for Christianity and Islam and does not amount to equality. I calling on them to also give public holidays to traditional worshippers to celebrate our culture like other religion”, the traditional ruler implored.

Princess Folashade Adeyemi Arewa-omoba, who represent HRM. Oba,

Women dancing with Ifa object at Ifa OLokun day 2016

Dr. Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi lll, the Alaafin of Oyo, the paramount ruler of Yoruba Kingdom, harped on the importance and value of Yoruba culture and tradition.

He said, “Our culture needs to be taken good care of, it’s our responsibility to embrace it and promote it in the eyes of the world, our young ones need to know the value of our culture and tradition, in respective of their religions.”

The monarch added that, “Because, nowadays all these things have been fading away, foreigners now know and appreciate Yoruba culture and traditional than we, that own this culture. They go to the extent of learning ‘Ifa’ in their universities, while we, the owners, are ashamed of it because of civilization.”

He said, “Ifa’ is the word of Almighty God that came to the world to enlighten us about our God and draw us close to Him, nobody sees God, even all of his messengers/prophets, none of them saw him, but we know him through his words; and either you are a Muslim, Christian or traditionalist, we all believe in the word of God. “However, Muslims believed that, the word of God (Allah) is Qur’an, Christian believed that Bible is the word of God, Traditionalist on the other hand see ‘Ifa’ as the word of

Our culture needs to be taken good care of, it’s our responsibility to embrace it and promote it in the eyes of the world, our young ones need to know the value of our culture and tradition, in respective of their religions.

God. And that’s why ‘Ifa’ did not against any religion and ‘Ifa’ talk about the coming of Jesus and Muhammad (saw).

“Moreover, Ifa is not an evil or a secret religion, ‘Ifa’ preaches love,

kindness, loyalty/honesty and we call upon government to support this religion and promote it as our cultural heritage.”

The German tourist, Ehrenberg, who said he was in the country to acquaint himself with the culture of the South- west, observed that the infiltration of the western culture has caused the neglect of the Yoruba culture.

While commending the Ifa Olokun foundation for the festival, he urged both the federal and state governments to support the efforts of individual and groups, aimed at promoting the culture of every tribe in the country so that it does not go into extinction.

Dr. Agboola, urged the entire black people to imbibe the “Ifa” deity, saying, it is a pathway to success and progress of the blacks.

He specifically blamed parents for the decline and gradual extinction of the Nigerian custom and tradition for their failure to speak their dialects with to their children.

Agboola, who is the chairman of African Cultural Heritage Group, also called on the management of all university in the country to run a course of African cultural studies in order to promote it among Africans and others.

He said, “Let me also correct the

misconception about Ifa deity; it is not against any other religion or politics.

Just as politicians consult Islamic and Christian clerics before elections, so does the Ifa priest. There is nothing evil about it. Ifa is the local type of science, it is used for knowledge and does the same job as the computer.”

According to Agboola, who is a university don, “If our leaders have been honest and listened to Ifa priests’ predictions, this country would have been great like the advanced countries of the world. So, I am urging our youths to disregard insinuations against our culture and embrace our it so that it does not perish.”

In his welcome address, President of Ifa Olokun Foundation, Dr. Faluade appealed to the federal, states and adherents of Ifa religion to continually support the foundation to enable it to continue to promote and elevate it to greater height.

He commended Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the State of Osun, for supporting traditional religion worshippers and granting them public holidays during their festive periods.

The Vice President of Ifa-Olokun Foundation, Comrade Asa Kolawole Fasanjo claimed that, “Ifa” deity is existing and recognized globally, but it’s called different names, for instance, they calle it ‘Setiu’ in Arabia States...

He said, “However, Ifa Olokun in our tradition does not give room for stealing and corruption; and also, if you believed in ‘Ifa’, you are not permitted to tell lies or steal what is not yours. If you do so, something bad might happen to you; and because these people are loyal to ‘Ifa’ deity and that’s why we call on our political office holders to abide by the word of ‘Ifa’ and everything will be alright.”

He added that, “The suffering facing Nigeria today is the result of neglecting the word of ‘Ifa’ because, ‘Ifa’ has told us about recession. That is; two sessions is very important to take note of, raining session and dry session. ‘Ifa’ said food will be surplus in the rainy session; and, we should eat and save for dry session. in dry session, farm product will be limited, food will not be enough and then, we should begin to eat what we had saved.”

He said, “However, the reverse is the case in Nigeria. Our leaders spend lavishly when crude oil was a major money spinner in world market; and we are facing the consequences of out lavish spending now, especially now that crude oil has less value in world market, because we refused to save for the dry session when there was surplus.”

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

27 Features

Gombe: In search of new vision 20 years after Ben Ngwakwe Since its creation out of the old Bauchi State 20 years ago, Gombe State, like its peers, has had its ups and downs.

Governments after governments, had, however kept faith with the people, especially through building the state from its infancy, in the areas of education, road, health, etc.

Twenty years after, the people of the state came out in their thousands to celebrate.

Sure, they have reasons to celebrate, even though their still lies the many challenges of governance ahead of the North East state.

Indeed, to show their love for the state, distinguished sons and daughters of the state gathered at the International Township stadium, Gombe, to celebrate the 20th year of their journey to statehood with friends and well-wishers.

The array of personalities included, the former Vice-President, Alhaji. Atiku Abubakar, GCON, (Turaki Adamawa); the wife of the former Head of State, Hajiya Maryam Sani Abacha, Group Capt. J.I. Orji; Col Mohammed Inuwa Bawa (rtd); and visiting governors from neighbouring states like, Bauchi.

The road to statehood was long, rough and tortuous. The movement for the creation of Gombe State started with the venerated Emir, Mal. Abubakar Umar CON, the Grand Patron; and it continued under the Late Alh. Dr. Shehu Usman Abubakar, Alh. Usman Faruk (Jarman Gombe), who was the first Chairman; the role he later passed to Ambassador Yeriman Abdullahi (Sarkin Bai Gombe).

Members of the committee traversed major cities of Nigeria, canvassing support for the creation of Gombe State.

Their joy became full, when, on 1st October, 1996, the then Head of State, Late General Sani Abacha, announced the creation of Gombe State, among others, with Group Captain J.I. Orji, as the first Military Administrator.

However, whether the state has met the vision of the founding fathers is a pertinent question altogether.

Likewise, is the related question whether or not there is something to celebrate after 20 years of the creation of Gombe state? But the people say that they have so many things to be thankful for, and to celebrate.

For one thing, many of those at the forefront of the struggle for the creation of the state are alive and hope that they feel vindicated that the underlying purpose for creation of the state has been realized.

One of them is the beloved Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Shehu Usman Abubakar, who, though, is no longer alive; and after successfully leading the struggle for the creation of the state, it is gratifying that he lived long enough to see Gombe town transformed in his own words, from being a ‘big village into a modern metropolis’.

Other patriots and illustrious sons lost included, Alh. Baba Manu (Sarkin Yamman Gombe), Alh. Ibrahim Umar, the late Mai Kaltungo, Mr. A.J.Filiya, Mr. Y.B. Tadi, Alh. Suleiman Kumo and David M. Albashi, just as the people pray for good health for Alh.

Dankwambo

Habu Hashidu (Matawallen Dukku) the 3rd Governor of Gombe State, Amb. Yerima Abdullahi (Sarkin Bai Gombe) among others.

The State Governor, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, while cataloguing the achievements of each administration since the creation of the state, said that 20 years after, Gombe State has had two military administrators and three civilian governors.

As the pioneer Administrator, who started the state without any take-off grant, Group Capt Joseph.I Orji (rtd), started by putting infrastructure in place, such as, every sector from scratch, office for the civil service, residential accommodation, roads; water supply; security; and so on.

One would remember vividly that to ameliorate acute shortage of accommodation, he directed for the commencement and completion of the construction of the Muhammadu Buhari Housing Estate within 3 weeks. Overnight, building materials were in short supply and constructors could barely wait for moulded blocks to be procured before rushing to the site.

Other projects executed by the Orji administration included, the state secretariat,

the House of Assembly and High Court Complex, the Governor’s Office, Jewel Hotel, Kaduna, Presidential Guest Houses, Orji Estate, Low Cost Extension, General Hospital.

Billiri; and several roads, as well as the Dasa Bridge.

Under Col M.I.Bawa (rtd), projects executed include Commissioners’ Quarters (now housing Scholarship Board and other Agencies), School of Health Technology Kaltungo, the Kumbiya-Kumbiya to Bolari Bridge, the road from AYU’s residence to Liberty Hotel junction, the Eye Clinic in the Specialist Hospital and the present Governor’s Lodge.

Gombe State was lucky under Governor Abubakar Habu Hashidu (Mata Allen Dukku), who constructed the Women Development Centre, the Ministry of Information Complex and the Shongo Housing Estate.

Crucially, the administration of Alh. Abubakar Habu Hashidu devised a way out for a large number of their senior businessmen who had become heavily indebted to commercial banks.

Alhaji Mohammed Danjuma Goje (Sarkin Yakin Gombe), who is described as the “father of Modern Gombe State,” executed important projects that included the Nine-

According to the government, so far, it has constructed over 300Kms asphalted road, over 400 Kms cumulative length of surface-dressed roads, 53Kms cumulative length of walkways and additional 280 Kms of roads.

Billion Naira Gombe International Airport (which has since upgraded), the Gombe State University, the multi-billion Naira Gombe International Stadium, the Government House Banquet Hall, Vocational Training Centres, several township and rural roads including the difficult Tula road as well as rural water and electrification projects. He also completed both the Gombe International Hotel and Dadin Kowa Multi-billion Naira Regional Water Scheme that tackled perennial water scarcity that he inherited.

The current governor, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, had set up twelve non-partisan committees of experts, opinion leaders and other stakeholders that reviewed the major sectors of government, identified problems and made recommendations on the way forward.

The committees also undertook a constituency tour where the people presented their needs to the government as contained in the Action Plan they put in place. In education sector Dankwambo constructed, renovated and equipped new schools, classrooms, hostels, staff Quarters and Laboratories. He provided 2,570 beds and mattresses, 842, 145 assorted textbooks for primary schools and 207,560 assorted textbooks for Junior Secondary and recruited teachers, just as, there is a remarkable improvement in the pass rate in the SSCE Examinations, which increased from o.1% in 2011 to 61.44% in 2915.

To absorb the increasing number of candidates’ eligible for placement in post-secondary schools, they established five tertiary institutions namely, State Polytechnic Bajoga, College of Legal and Islamic Studies Nafada, the Remedial Studies College for Girls at Daban Fulani and the College of Education, Billiri.

Indeed, new hospitals were constructed and the existing ones renovated, just as the Gombe Urban Maternity became upgraded into a Hospital for Women and Children. The governor also established a Primary Healthcare Agency, constructed a College of Nursing and Midwifery at Dukku, and supported the Gombe State University to create a Medical and Pharmaceutical Faculty.

In the Agricultural sector, the government procured 225 brand-new tractors, 8,000 water pumps for irrigation, as well as, 110,000 tons of fertilizers, which was sold to farmers at subsidized rate and have disbursed the sum of 600 million as Gombe State Revolving Agricultural Fund to increase access to credit to farmers, while efforts have translated to an improved agricultural output for the rainy season from 658,350 metric tones in 2010, to 1,385,960 metric tons, in 2013.

According to the government, so far, it has constructed over 300Kms asphalted road, over 400 Kms cumulative length of surfacedressed roads, 53Kms cumulative length of walkways and additional 280 Kms of roads.

Furthermore, 51 kilometers of roads have been provided with street lights, including bridges including the six-span Kuri Bridge to connect communities that were cut off, while works on an International Conference Centre, Tankers Bay and a Modern Mega Motor Park are nearing completion.

Mid-Week Service

28

Daily Times Nigeria

The price of stewardship Who is a Steward? A steward is anyone called to serve, a servant. In John 17:18- “Jesus said, he was sent by God and he too have sent us” Facts about good a steward As a steward, you are sent to serve with a price and for remunerations. a good servant is expected to be faithful (Luke 12:43) and a good servant must be tenderhearted, compassionate to others,( Matt 18:1, 4).

A good servant must be initiative driven, like the 5 wise virgins. Most of the time, we use spirituality where our physical strength and abilities is required.

Also, a good servant is expected to be virtuous, not to quarrel but gentle (2 Tim; 2: 24), a good servant interprets the vision of his Boss at least to an extent.( John 6:6) Jesus asked Philip on how to feed the multitudes with him, a good servant also seeks for benefits for his Boss.

The Syrian girl of Naaman’s wife suggested the visit to the prophet who later healed Naaman’s leprosy, even when he refused to bathe in the river Jordan, his servant urged him to his miracle.

A good servant is like a watch dog.

Rodah in Acts 12:13-17 was at the door, recognized peter’s voice though oth-

good servant also gets his full reward.

3 Ways to serve GOING: Today the hallmark of Christianity is evangelism service you enjoy, you will tell others. Missionaries, evangelist among others, is gradually fading out, it is becoming outdated. “The old time religion”.

GROANING: Intercession is gradually fading out for dancing time.

Where are the intercessors whose prayers move mountains? Humility of heart, brings dedication to the things of the spirit.

Giving: Where are the givers? Those who gave to the ministry of Jesus where not super rich but mere loving women and men who were ready to make impact in the ministry.

Are you a tither, Seed sower, or a prophetic seed giver? What you sow is equal to your harvest, remember whatever you sow, you will reap.

ers were praying in fear and unbelief, they did not know God can release Peter from the prison quickly.

A good servant is not too ambitious, either of your boss or your fellow

servants, (Mark 9: 34-) the disciples were arguing on who is the greatest amongst each other and Jesus told them it is only when they be like children ,except they be like children. A

Intimidating appearance

By Henry Akinbolade-Roberts Oracles from Genesis 9:1-24 You are God’s own image on this earth. To exercise this virtue power for dominion must be invested in you.

God knows His own kind of people or race an their need for divine immunity which I called “intimidating appearance” The blessedness of a founding father is not a common blessing among many. It always comes for men and women that are called to start a thing or a race for God. This is not just a blessing cast without a command.

These kinds of blessing convey command to become what God want you to become. It might be a command to be great, a command to multiply and so on. This is the blessing of the founding father, if you are one today and you are reading this piece, believe you have a right to one.

Power over animals and all other creatures is the greatest dominion assets that God could give to you as His own child, the reason is this, on the earth, no other creature, mountains, hills, valley, rivers and all birds / animals have their contact with the earth.

Man is the chief creature that also lives on the earth, the creatures like an-

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

gels, Satan and other demons stays in the air since there is no way, these spirits angels cannot have access to reside on the earth, if not by taking the bodies of the earthly creatures like man, fowls, animals, hills, rocks, valleys and river in order to manifest their evil dominion.

God never give dominion to Satan and his cohort, Satan was chase down to the air space, for this reason the dominion that man has is not on one another, but

on the creatures. So when men fail to take their place on the earth in colonizing the earth in God’s pattern, he gave room to Satan and his cohort to use man’s tools for dominion against man and God. Man is commanded to subdue the earth by the power of dominion, if there is anything Satan fights to wrestle from man, it is dominion on earth.

To subdue the earth is to colonize it through God’s kingdom principles and

By Prophetess Ronke Akin-Ooye 08087414122

culture and custom and laws.

The complex of failing to carry out God’s commanded blessing develops to the life of errors like announcing the nakedness of a founding father, the nakedness of a drunken father speaks mean to a complex son, errors and curse become the result.

Be careful, every founding father is saddled with the responsibility of intimidating their domain because of intruders from our space what Satan could do again is to mock that authority through a complex son that has no respect for authority.

Thank God for sons, those that cover the nakedness of their father who have the knowledge and such authority to subdue and have dominion as God stipulated it. Complex robs dominion from you, it also makes you announce the nakedness of the fathers.

Whatever authority or command in your respect is transferred to you as virtue. The knowledge of value or worth on a father turns around to you a virtue.

So, intimidating appearance is needful.

To stay off intruders from wrestling dominion from you, to give back the earth to GOD as the owner of, as the king of the universe and to subdue the earth.

Prophetic prayer: Lord, I receive the divine immunity to intimidate every harassment and assault of the enemy. My appearance alone will intimidate powers that want to frustrate purpose in my life

Rangers cry out over ‘missing land’ donated by Governor

P

layers and officials of champions Rangers have cried out that they are yet to know exactly where the plots of land donated to them

by Enugu Governor are located.

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi donated a

plot of land at “Rangers Estate” each as well as cash to Rangers after they won the league in October.

The players and official have now come out to say they are yet to receive the cash, neither do they know where the land is located.

“My brother you are talking about documents of land at the moment, we don’t know anything about the land talk less of the location of the land,” one of players lamented.

Another player added: “I am not from Enugu State, its football that

Page 29

brought me here, so I don’t know much about this area.

“Anyway we are yet to be communicated where the land is.”

It is also understood the cash gift from the Governor has yet to be withdrawn from Zenith Bank.

Ugwuanyi

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Akinwunmi charity tourney holds in Lagos ANDREW EKEJIUBA

T

he third edition of the Seyi Akinwunmi Charity MiniTournament will hold at the Campos Square, Lagos on Thursday, December 29, 2016. Barr. Akinwunmi is the 1st Vice President of Nigeria Football Federation.

Conceived as a special project to give back to the society, by an individual who is much in love with the young ones, the Seyi Akinwunmi Charity Mini- Tournament is the eponymous charity event organized by the Seyi Akinwunmi Charity Foundation.

Its objectives include rehabilitation of ailing ex-international footballers. Embedded therein also is a Courage Education Foundation (CEF) – a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the empowerment of the Nigerian child through the provision of

quality education available to all Nigerian children irrespective of sex, faith or ethnicity, as well as Consolidation of The Future Stars Project – a grassroots football development program targeted at kids (mainly under 13 years of age) and hinged on the binary factors of sporting and academic excellence.

At the second edition last year, Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila was among the dignitaries, with NFF President Amaju Pinnick, NFF 2nd Vice President Shehu Dikko, NFF Board Member Sunday Dele-Ajayi, Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission Deji Tinubu, and LMC CEO Hon. Nduka Irabor also present.

Also at last year’s edition, Akinwunmi, who captained the Igbobi College Old Boys Association and Friends in the veterans’ game against Amaju Pinnick –led All-Stars.

Akinwunmi

FMYSD restates

commitment to sport development

NOC sends Rowing,Canoeing coaches to classroom T

Kehinde Akinpelu

ANDREW EKEJIUBA

R

owing, Canoeing and Sailing Sports Coaches drawn from across the country are currently in the classrooms where they spent their Christmas holidays receiving tutorials for the second phase of the Nigeria Rowing, Canoeing and Sailing Federation’s NOC/IOC Solidarity Coaching course holding at the Naval Sailing Club, Ojo, Lagos which began on December 23, 2016 and will last till December 30.

Packaged by the Nigeria

Olympic Committee in conjunction with the International Olympic (IOC), the course which is being conducted by Rachel Davis, an expert from Canada is a follow up to the first phase held in April this year as facilitated by Sallie Malt from the United Kingdom who was accompanied by two other UK water experts to scout out conducive places for the development of Nigeria water sports.

Commenting on the initiative, President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee,

Engr. Habu Gumel, who was represented by the Secretary General of the NOC, Hon. Babatunde Popoola said the ongoing course is part of the NOC’s pre-arranged “Train the Trainers programme aimed at repositioning Nigerian sports for good.

Adding that the present administration of the NOC under the leadership of Engr. Habu Gumel is determined to take Nigeria’s sports to greater heights, hence the quick follow up of the Rowing,

Canoeing and Sailing Sports coaching Course.

The ten beneficiaries who are drawn across the country and having passed the first course includes, Olagunju Adebola Sunday, Egbele Babajide Omoh, Oshikolu Oreoluwa, Aweh Dennis Simon, Showetan Olalekan, Taibu Adebayo Ahmed, College Emmanuel, Ajao Ayo Adeyinka, Ogunbiyi Ayo Olaide and Momodu Ayo who is attending as an observer completes the list of attendees.

he Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (FMYSD) has said it would continue to partner with relevant stakeholders toward ensuring the desired grassroots sports development.

Alhaji Ali Durotoye, a Deputy Director in the ministry made the pledge in Omu-Aran, Irepdun Local Government Area of Kwara State during the maiden Mini-Marathon sponsored by Skylarks’ Club of Omu-Aran.

The 10-km mini marathon race attracted no fewer than 120 male and female students’ athletes across schools in the town.

The event kicked off at about 7 a.m at the Federal Government Girls College’s gate and ended at Bareke junction inside the town.

Durotoye, also a member of the club, said it is only with such collaboration that the dwindling fortune of sporting and cultural activities at the grassroots could be resuscitated and transformed.

He said the collaboration would also bring about desired private sector participation in the development of sports at the community level.

The Director expressed optimism that next year’s event would attract more officials from the ministry for selection of deserving athletes that would be future country’s representative.

30

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

EXTRATIME

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE…ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE…ENGLISH PREMIER…

C

Hazard

Conte not surprised

by Hazard’s form

helsea head coach Antonio Conte insists he is unsurprised by the form shown by Eden Hazard so far this season.

The Belgium star endured a poor 2015-16 campaign, a season after being named the Premier League Player of the Season.

But Hazard has returned to some of his best form, and he scored again as Chelsea claimed a 12th straight league win by beating Bournemouth 3-0 on Monday.

Conte praised the attacker for his displays, with the 25-year-old having contributed nine league goals and an assist in 17 games.

“I knew Eden only through as an opponent with the national team and for sure I watched him a lot of time on TV,” he said. “I am not surprised because he has good talent.

“But the most important thing is that he’s putting his talent in the team.

It’s fantastic for me to see him doing this great job with the ball, or without the ball. It’s fantastic.

“I hope he continues to improve in this way. He’s a really good guy and I’m pleased for him and also for all my players. Today, my players all performed very well.”

ManCityduo Wenger admits join Girona fear of Gunners

P

ablo Maffeo and Angel ino have completed loa n moves to Girona, Manchester Cit y have confirmed.

Maffeo, 19, played 13 times for the LaLiga2 season and has return club last ed to Catalonia until the end of the season.

Left-back Angelino, wh o turns 20 on January 4, is looking to build on the first-team experi ence he gained with Ne w York City last year.

“Pablo Maffeo and An gelino have joined Span ish side Girona on loan from Manchester City until the end of the season,” the Premier League side confirmed .

“Both deals begin on January 1 and run un til the end of the current campaign.

“Everyone at Manchest er City would like to wish Pablo and Angelino well on their loa n moves and we look for ward to welcoming them back.”

Maffeo has played three times for Pep Guardiola’s side this sea son, against Steaua Bucharest and Celtic in the Champions League and in Octob er’s EFL Cup exit to Manchester United.

Angelino managed ap pearances in the wins over Steaua and Swansea City in the EFL Cup. Maffeo

Roma eye Chelsea’s Musonda

Roma are interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Charly Musonda on a short-term loan deal in January, according to sources. The Italian club want a replacement for former Chelsea player Mohamed Salah, who will be away at the Africa Cup of Nations in January with Egypt. Musonda has been on loan at Real Betis this season but has struggled for form and fitness, starting just once under the La Liga side’s former boss Gus Poyet and making eight appearances in total. The Belgian is now back training with Chelsea, but could soon be packing his bags again and heading for the Conte Italian capital.

mental collapse A

rsenal manager Arsene Wenger says Monday’s victory over West Brom was vital to prevent another mental block from derailing their title hopes.

Olivier Giroud’s header in the 86th minute secured a 1-0 victory for the Gunners that kept them within nine points of Premier League leaders Chelsea, who beat Bournemouth.

Wenger admits that the win was “a big relief” given the back-toback defeats away to Everton and Manchester City that had threatened to see them drop out of contention for top spot.

“It could have been a 0-0 and sometimes you have to accept that,” he told Arsenal Player.

“But I believe we were relentless,

we were composed, we didn’t rush our game, we didn’t panic and we didn’t make a mistake at the back.

“For us it was mentally vital to win the game and that’s why I believe it was a big relief. Because you could see that mentally we are not used to losing games. It could have become a block a little bit, so it was good to get that out of the way.”

Giroud’s clever header from Mesut Ozil’s cross proved the difference at the Emirates Stadium against Tony Pulis’ resilient side and Wenger was full of praise for his striker.

“I like these kind of goals because it’s heading technique,” he said. “It’s not just heading it with strength, it’s just doing the right movement. Olivier did well, congratulations to him.”

Wenger

Mkhitaryan revels Pulis:Arsenal are in ´best goal´ feat stronger than Chelsea!

Manchester United attacker Henrikh Mkhitaryan described his acrobatic effort against Sunderland as the best goal of his career. Mkhitaryan came off the bench to seal a 3-1 victory at Old Trafford on Monday, stunningly steering a backheel past Jordan Pickford.

The Armenia international said it was his best, although it should have been ruled out for offside.

West Brom head coach Tony Pulis has no doubt Arsenal have a stronger squad than Premier League leaders Chelsea. A late Olivier Giroud goal saw Arsenal edge past Pulis’ side 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Monday. West Brom also suffered a late loss at Stamford Bridge earlier in December, with the result part of Chelsea’s 12-match winning run in the league. While Antonio Conte’s side are seven points clear at the top, Pulis believes Arsene Wenger has a better squad at his disposal.

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

EXTRATIME

31

NIGERIAN PLAYERS ABROAD WITH FRANK JUMBO

Agu makes Portugal Team of Week

N

igerian midfielder Mikel Agu has been picked for the third time for the Team of the Week in the Portuguese top flig ht a f t e r h i s s c i nt illating per fo rma n ce fo r V itoria Setubal over the weekend.

The young Nigerian star was picked alongside Algeria international Yacine Brahimi of FC Porto.

“I am so excited to make the Team of the Week for the third time this season, that tells you about my hard work and trying to be the best in my position as far as Portuguese league is co n ce r n e d ,” s a i d Mikel

Ag u , w ho i s o n a s eas o n- l o ng l o an f ro m FC Porto.

“I thank God and my wife for being there for me, she is my source of inspiration, she inspires me a lot.

“I dedicate my inclusion in the Team of the Week to Almighty God. “I will do m ore t o ac hieve m ore su ccess.”

Vitoria Setubal are now ninth on the table with 19 points from 15 matches and defensive midfielder Mikel has made a dozen appearances for them in the league.

Ogu begs Hapoel fans not to panic N

igeria international John Ogu has called on fans of Israeli champions Hapoel Be’er Sheva not to panic but rather keep supporting them despite a recent poor run of results.

Hapoel Be’er Sheva have failed to win in their last two games after they drew 1-1 at home to Hapoel Tel Aviv on Christmas Day. Ogu has now assured the fans the club will be back to winning ways after this rough patch.

“Just thought I drop this message out there - .I can understand how angry most of our fans are in our recent performances,” said Ogu on his Facebook page.

“It is true everyone is living their dreams now but one thing those who have joined the media to criticize us need to understand today is that we are on top of the league with 7 points, we are in Toto Cup final, we are in the round of 32 in Europa League.

“We got to all these stages not by chance, but by your positive attitude towards us.

“Most of the negative vibes towards us last night is not the fans we used to know.

“We urge you all to keep supporting .Nothing has happened.

“We have a coach and staff who are aware of all and we will get back to winning games. Thanks.”

Ogu

Agu

Sokari shines

in Tunisia!

Former Nigeria U-23 midfielder Kingsley Sokari has been named in The Team of the Week of the Tunisian top-flight league after yet another superlative display for CS Sfaxien.

The ex-Enyimba star ace has hit the ground running since he returned from injury which kept him out of action at the beginning of the season that he is now creative force behind CS Sfaxien, who are now top the Tunisia league table after the first round.

Sokari has provided four assists and scored two goals so far this season. He also won the man of the match award two weeks ago.

He said he is delighted to end 2016 on a high note.

“I am very excited to have ended the year 2016 on a very good note,” he said.

“Making the Tunisia league Team of the Week is a good achievement, it simply means one is being Sokari noticed.

Agbo suspended for Real clash Nigeria midfielder Uche Agbo will miss Granada’s opening match of the second round of La Liga at Real Madrid due to a one-match ban.

The 21-year-old Agbo accumulated his fifth booking of the season in a 1-1 draw at Malaga earlier this month.

He has played 13 matches this season for Granada CF. Granada are second from bottom of the table with nine points from 16 matches.

They face Real Madrid at the Bernebeu on January 7, 2017.

Real Madrid are top of La Liga with 37 points from 15 matches, three points clear of closest rivals Barcelona.

Agbo

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Editor Daily: ROSE MOSES

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2016

VOL. 2. NO.264

Akinwunmi charity tourney holds in Lagos

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Oliseh appointed as Fortuna Sittard manager D

utch second division outfit, Fortuna Sittard, have announced that former Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, is now appointed as the club’s new manager.

The former Nigerian captain has succeeded Ben van Dael at Fortuna Sittard Stadium, having earned just five wins from 19 games this season.

Oliseh

Iheanacho must show hunger for City —Toure Y aya Toure praised Manchester City team-mate Kelechi Iheanacho after the striker found the net in Monday’s 3-0 victory over Hull City.

Iheanacho came off the bench to score City’s decisive second goal at the KCOM Stadium, putting the game out of the hosts’ reach and moving his side up to

Iheanacho

second place in the table.

And Toure, who opened the scoring from the penalty spot, believes that the 20-year-old’s hard work is paying off this season.

“When you’re young like that, you have to show your hunger,” the midfielder told reporters after the game. “What I tell him all the time, even on the training ground, is when you play like that you have to show up and I think today was brilliant for him.

“It was a massive goal. The important second goal gives you a lift and lets you continue the game. It made Hull attack and leave space, and the third goal came from that. It was too open, we tried to keep the ball moving and after that it was a good action from Raheem Sterling, who created the third.”

“With Sunday Oliseh on the saddle, Fortuna has chosen a coach who is young and ambitious, visionary and whom players look up to,” announced owner Isitan Gün via club website.

“We were looking for someone attractive to football combined with the sheer will to win. In Sunday we think we found this

trainer.

“The past few days he has already watched all the matches of Fortuna, so Sunday, come January 2 he is well prepared to begin his work.”

Fortuna are 18th on the Dutch second division log with 15 points from 19 matches and will tackle Achilles 29 in their next game on January 13, 2017.

Business Times Daily Times Nigeria

Dangote urges more patience for economy turn around Page B2

Revive Naira to revitalize economy, expert urges CBN An Economist, Prof.

Sheriffadeen Tella, on Tuesday, said that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) must pursue monetary or quantitative easing approach in 2017 to revitalize the economy and solve the country’s lingering foreign exchange crisis.

Tella, a Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, made the assertion in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.

He spoke on ways to tackle the country’s lingering foreign exchange crisis in 2017.

According to him, the CBN must adopt monetary or quantitative easing whereby it buys financial assets from the private sector to stimulate the economy through private sector spending.

Tella noted that adoption of quantitative easing would return inflation to its target level.

He added that the apex bank should bring down monetary policy rates and lending rates to bring the economy back on track.

Tella said there was a need for a temporary restrictive policy on some imports until domestic production improves towards the end of the second quarter of the year if the 2017 budget implementation commenced in time.

He also called for early passage and commencement of the capital aspects of the 2017 budget to create employment and production.

“There is still a large amount of Naira in the economy to fund speculative activities and those who have such money can buy foreign currency at any rate since it does not cost them anything.

BUSINESS TIMES Editor Andrew Odioko Head Business Azubike Nnadozie Capital Market Editor Bonny Amadi

Naira eases to 485/$1 as work resumes

Page B3

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

NITDA supports CAPDAN on ‘Otigba’ Computer Village ICT Hub

Page B5

L-R: Executive Director, Commercial, Benin Electricity Distribution Company Plc (BEDC) Mr. Abu Ejoor, Chairman, Board of Directors, Mr. Gbolade Victor Osibodu, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and Managing Director/CEO, Mrs. Funke Osibodu during the courtesy visit by the Board and Management of BEDC to the Governor in Benin, Edo State recently.

Premium Index surpasses other indices with 6.50% ROI Adesola Afolabi

A review of the performance of sectors on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) from the beginning of the year till December 23rd has turned out to be largely negative. However, the NSE Premium index defied challenges plaguing Nigeria’s economy, beating the NSE All-Share Index (ASI) to return 6.5 percent on investment.

Apart from the NSE ASI, which tracks the prices of all quoted companies on the NSE, the NSE premium index is one

of 11 indices of the NSE, which tracks the value composition of three blue chip companies namely, Dangote Cement, Zenith Bank, and FBN Holdings.

It is the newest, launched in August 2015, alongside the premium board as a platform for showcasing companies who are industry leaders in their sectors.

While the NSE ASI has returned a negative year-to-date return of 7.53 percent, meaning that the average value of all quoted equities on the Nigerian bourse has depreciated by that much, a trend analysis on the subsequent sector indices con-

ducted by the Daily Times has shown that the Premium and ASeM are the only indices with a positive year to date return of 6.75 percent and 0.81 percent respectively as at the period in review.

The Premium index that opened the year with 1584.41 points had added 107.53 basis points to stand at 1691.94 points as at 23rd December 2016.

The premium index was launched alongside the premium board to lists companies that meet the exchange’s most stringent criteria in terms of liquidity, capitalization and corporate

governance.

The board which was developed as a means of attracting international investors who seek after high-quality listings in Africa currently holds three companies namely Dangote Cement, First bank of Nigeria (FBN) Holdings and Zenith International Bank.

The ASeM index as at reviewed period stood at 1,218.38 points, following an addition of 9.73 basis points from 1,208.65 points recorded in January. The Alternative Securities exchange Market (ASeM) Index monitors CONTINUED ON PAGE B2

Usman urges change of attitude from NPA workers Babajide Okeowo The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hajia Hadiza Bala Usman, has urged all NPA workers to change their attitude to work and deepen commitment to the vision and mandate of the ports authority.

Usman said this while speaking

at the long service award ceremony held at the Authority’s sports ground, Surulere, Lagos in honour of 664 NPA workers at the weekend.

While thanking the workers for the roles in shaping the NPA, Usman noted that the process of port reforms took its toll on the organization but has become a clear success story today.

The NPA boss who was

represented at the occasion by the Executive Director, Finance, and Administration, Mohammed Bello-Koko assured the workers of the present management’s resolve to improve their welfare.

She said, “Your resilience in the face of the prevailing challenges during the period of concession and afterward is quite commendable and has paid off in greatly improved productivity.

“It is gratifying to note that in 2005, before the concession, cargo throughput was 45 million metric tons, while in 2015, it improved to 78 million metric tons. Port infrastructure has also undergone significant improvement, which has resulted in bigger ships with larger cargo capacity calling at our ports and consequently improving our revenue.

CONTINUED ON PAGE B2

Business News B2 Premium Index surpasses other indices with 6.50% ROI CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

small, medium scale businesses on the NSE. It recorded its first listing after two years, of the Initiates Plc, in the month October, which contributed to the slight increase in the index that had remained flat in 24 months.

The ASeM was launched in 2013, as a vehicle designed to encourage listing of SMEs by easing the listing requirements relative to those of other sectors.

On the flip side of the analysis, The NSE Industrial Goods Index showed price decline in largecap cement companies, recorded the highest negative return of -26.26 percent. The index opened the year with 2167.48 points and closed last week Friday at 1597.67 points.

This was followed by the NSE insurance Index that returned -13.79 percent, dropping 20.08 basis points from 143.03 points in January to 122.95 points, The NSE Oil and Gas Index recorded a return of -11 percent, down to 317.35 points from 357.18 points recorded in January, showing a decline of 39.83 points, as the oil sector (downstream and upstream) struggles with foreign exchange scarcity to aid importation, vandalism, Niger Delta unrest as well as low global oil prices which persisted most part of the year.

Trailed by the NSE 30 Index, that returned -8.82 percent, having fallen by 98.09 points to 1,174.07 points from 1272.16 points it started the year with. The NSE 30 keeps track of NSE’s 30 most capitalized stocks.

Year-to-date returns of the NSE Lotus Islamic Index, an index that tracks sharia-compliant shares stood at -8.06 percent, the index fell 143.83 points to 1,837.70 points, while the NSE Consumer goods index returned -7.89 percent The NSE Pension Index which is aimed at pension managers, tracks companies specially screened as a model portfolio for pension funds’ investments, recorded a negative return of -1.93 percent, as Banking Stocks tracked by the NSE banking Index, returned -0.59 percent, to stand at 266.91 points as at December 23rd.

With only three trading days left in the year 2016, the current performance, according to an analyst, is however not unexpected as the 2016 year has been characterized by challenges ranging from flailing crude prices, unstable macroeconomic and political conditions as well as the prevalent economic recession.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Dangote urges more patience for economy turn around President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has commended Nigerians for their resilience and doggedness even in the facing of the prevailing economic challenges saying they have made sacrifices that would soon see nation out of the woods.

Addressing in Lagos, a group of small and medium enterprises operators who met with him in Lagos during the festive period, Dangote said that Nigerians have demonstrated the capacity to face challenges, be undaunted and tackle them headlong.

According to him, some countries have been thrown into upDangote heaval at the slightest economic downturn ant economic powerhouse. rather than joining He urged the people to continue hands together to solve the ecoto join hands with the governnomic problems. ment in finding a lasting soluHe explained that what Nigeria is going through though painful tion to the problems, saying Nibut at the end of the day would geria will be better it. He added make the nation a better self-reli- that most countries in the world

which have attained economic buoyancy have at one time in their history faced economic hardship.

“Thank God in our own situation, we know the problem lies and such we only need to muster the courage to apply the solution. Nigeria needs to look inward and produce what we consume as opposed to incessant importation which takes away our forex.

“This is one of the fundamental problems of our country, we import just anything and the reality is dawn on us now that we have to change this habit, this is why the federal government has been emphasising the need to go back to agriculture and total manufacturing so that we also can produce what we need and even export rather than import, Dangote stated.

Stanbic IBTC Group reports 10 percent growth in revenue in Q3 2016 Stanbic IBTC Holdings, a member of Standard Bank Group, has announced its nine months unaudited results for the period ended 30 September 2016.

Financial highlights from the Income Statement of the company showed Gross earnings of N114.6 billion, an increase of 10 percent. Compared to N104.4 billion posted for September 2015 Net interest income stood at N39.1 billion, representing an increase of 19 percent from N32.9 billion recorded in the same period of last year. The group realized Non-interest revenue of N52.9 billion, this increased 28 percent from N41.3 billion, while Total operating income grew 24 percent to N91.9 billion, from N74.3 billion.

The group recorded a 10 percent increase in operating expenses which stood at N51.0 billion for the review period, from N46.4 billion posted for September 2015.

The unaudited results thus showcased a robust bottom line as Profit before tax grew by 67 percent to of N25.7 billion, from N15.4 billion in the prior nine month period, while Profit after tax of N20.2 billion, grew by 49 percent from N13.6 billion record-

ed previously.

Ratio Analysis made available by the company showed that Costto-income ratio stood at 55.5 percent compared to September 2015 rate of 62.5 percent. Return on average equity (annualized) was pegged at17.8 percent as against 13.2 percent last year, while Return on average assets (annualized) stood at 2.6 percent compared to 1.9 percent recorded previously.

Stanbic’s BalStanbic IBTC MD/CEO, David-Borha ance sheet showed that Total assets were up 22 percent to N1.1 recorded in December 2015.

The ratio of Non-performing trillion compared to N937.6 billoans to total loans stood at 10.2 lion recorded in December 2015.

Gross loans & advances to cus- percent in comparison to 8.5 pertomers grew 3 percent to N392.5 cent recorded December 2015. billion in contrast to N379.4 bil- The group noted that the ratio lion in December 2015 as Custom- was calculated based on CBN er deposits, soared 23 percent to prudential guidelines Capital and N606.1 billion from N493.5 billion liquidity.

Usman urges change of attitude from NPA workers CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

“Our goal is not to lose sight of our focus on continuous improvement. By continuously challenging ourselves and striving to deliver quality service, on time and within budget across all levels, we will continue to pave the way towards a prosperous and sustainable future for NPA.” She noted that dedication by the workers has led to great results including a friendly level of compliance with the implementation of the International Ship and Port facility Security (ISPS) Code.

“As a result, port security has improved and has earned

Abaji residents want more commercial banks The residents of Abaji Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Tuesday, lamented the insufficiency of commercial banks in the area.

Some residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), described the insufficiency of banks as worrisome and an obstacle to commercial activities in the area.

Mr. Timothy Sunday, a resident of Agyana area of the council, said First Bank was the only commercial bank in the area, describing this as an act of economic monopoly.

“People travel all the way from Rubochi, Nuku, Chikara, Dangara, Bukpe, Atako and other faraway places to Abaji area council just for bank transactions.

“We have First Bank as the only commercial bank in the whole of Abaji Area Council and that is not too good for business activities to grow in the area.

“Only First Bank has the monopoly on banking in Abaji; for long, we have clamoured for other banks to come in so that the stress can be reduced but nothing has been done,” Sunday said.

Mr. Emeka Eze, a businessman, who resides in Abaji Central area, described the situation as worrisome adding that the paucity of commercial banks was affecting business in the area.

Eze alleged that other commercial banks had tried to set up structures in Abaji but some stakeholders in the area made it difficult for them to do so.

“I prefer to travel to Gwagwalada for my banking transactions because of the stress being en-

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28 , 2016

Sterling Bank partners BoI in N140b GEEP programme Succour has come the way of micro business owners – market women, traders, artisans and farmers as Sterling Bank, partners the Bank of Industry (BoI) for the pilot phase of the N140 billion Government Enterprise Empowerment Program (GEEP).

The programme is targeted at over 16 million beneficiaries to foster financial inclusion and economic activity at the micro level.

Sterling Bank’s appointment may have been informed by its commitment in serving this segment of the population via its Agent Banking Scheme.

Agent Banking is a process of providing limited scale banking and financial services to the underserved population through engaged agents under a valid agency agreement, rather than a teller/ cashier. It is the owner of an outlet who conducts banking transactions on behalf of a bank.

Under the pilot phase, Sterling Bank would disburse loans ranging from N10,000 to N100,000 per beneficiary covering up to 15,000 beneficiaries. Target beneficiaries include market sellers and traders, artisans, enterprising youths and farmers.

It would be recalled that Sterling Bank was the first financial institution to flag-off the financial inclusion and Agent Banking initiative in 2014 at Makoko, a Lagos suburb. The Bank also currently runs a national Medium, Small, Micro Enterprise Academy where small business owners are equipped on how best to manage their business successfully.

The Bank in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos confirmed that disbursement has commenced, adding that the introduction of the mobile agent banking scheme using the BankOne solution provided by Appzone would facilitate easy disbursement of the fund to the beneficiaries.

“We will also be leveraging on our agent network outreach, robust technology solution and the scalability of its operational scope”, the Bank added.

The Bank explains how it works: “The fund is being provided by BoI and a collection account has been opened for BoI with the Bank. BoI, through selected aggregators, enumerate beneficiaries from a pre-registered market or trade associations in selected locations across the nation based on set qualifying criteria.

“The list of successful beneficiaries is sent to the Bank and our agents will open accounts for them via our mobile agent banking application. A loan request is logged on the Credit Assessment system and successful requests are submitted to BoI for approval for disbursement.”.

B3 Money Market

Naira eases to 485/$1 as work resumes Stories by Motolani Oseni The Naira eased 10 points from N495 it traded during the weekend to settle at 485 per dollar at the parallel market yesterday.

It was 305 per dollar at the official interbank market rate on Friday before the market closed for the Christmas and Boxing day holidays, while the euro and the British pound exchanged for 330 and 388 respectively.

A dealer in Lagos said the naira appreciated on Friday after the CBN sold dollars to commercial banks via a special auction.

But he noted that the pressure

around the festivities pushed the naira to 495- 498 against the dollar over the weekend.

“We sold for N495 to the dollar during the weekend, but the pressure has gone down drastically compared to last week and the naira has appreciated to 485 per dollar,” a BDC operator disclosed to Business Times.

“Today, some traders have sold at 487, 486, but now, we are selling at 485 and buying at 482.”

Meanwhile, in line with its determination to ensure seamless flow of activities in critical sectors of the economy, the Central Bank of Nigeria

(CBN) has approved requests for foreign exchange valued at N1,003,373,891.75 through the inter-bank window to enable industries to procure materials and machine spare parts.

The CBN forex utilization figures published for December shows that the industrial raw materials group got the highest share of N483,075,669.82, approximating to 48.1 per cent.

Petroleum and aviation sectors received N372,116,111.79 and N123,666,001.06 or 37.1 per cent and 12.2 per cent. Agriculture received N24,516,109.09 or 2.1 per

cent.

Commenting on the development, the acting Director, Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor, stressed the commitment and resolve of the apex bank to easing the foreign exchange pressure of these critical sectors through forward sales under the new Flexible Exchange regime.

The CBN in September and October supported these critical sectors with $660 million and $867 million to source industrial raw materials and spare parts through the interbank forex market.

2017: Experts warn Banks, others against retrenchment in recession Financial experts on Tuesday warned commercial banks, industries, and small and medium scale organizations not to see massive staff reduction in 2017 as a means of surviving the current economic downturn.

From the beginning of 2016 till the third quarter of the outgoing year saw a lot of organizations, especially commercial banks retrenching in order to survive the harsh operating environment.

But analysts recommend reducing production cost rather than retrenching, as some organizations did at the beginning of 2016.

Commenting on this development, Professor Funmi Soetan of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, believes should consider cutting the cost of production through waste elimination rather than staff layoffs.

According to her, the Nigerian economy is currently passing through a difficult phase of the business cycle. She adduced the economic downturn to Nigeria’s overdependence on oil revenue, the adverse impact of the increase in global crude oil supply, continuous fall in global oil prices, slow and declining growth in China, the BRICs, and Europe, rising global and local terrorism and its attendant insecurity in Nigeria and security issues – Boko Haram in the Northeast and avengers in the south south.

Other factors listed by Professor Soetan include corruption and poor management of Nigeria’s oil revenue and the resulting decline in external reserves and CBN devaluation of the Naira.

Buttressing her point, an associate professor at the Nigerian

Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Mr. Femi Ogundele, stated that the immediate consequence of recession is that businesses may cut employees, which translate to more work being done by fewer people.

This, according to him, leads to low morale due to longer hours.

“The work becomes harder and in an attempt to further cut costs to improve its bottom line, the company may compromise the quality, with the desirability of its products compromised,” Ogundele said.

He noted that government must increase monitoring its agencies that are critical to revenue generation, and think of ways of cutting tax to encourage small and medium scale industries and ways of making life easier on people at the period when the economy has made life difficult for many.

Similarly, a financial expert, Mr. Banji Akinola, called on Nigerians to be diplomatic in the investment of their resources, adding that there is no reason why Nigerians should get involved in any scheme that could raise their blood pressure, especially at this period.

According to him, the nation is blessed with many resources and businesses that can bring returns at minimal risks, urging people to embrace agriculture.

He further advised those involved in online Ponzi schemes investments especially MMM to be careful in finding means of multiplying their income, adding that the issue has become a national embarrassment and insult with the operators of the scheme boldly insulting the Nigerian government just because it cautioned the people to be careful of a scheme that is sure to fail.

B4

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

B5 ICT

NITDA supports CAPDAN on ‘Otigba’ Computer Village ICT Hub Stories by Tony Nwakaegho The National Informareiterated its support for capacity building, Information Communication Technology (ICT) Innovation and Entrepreneurship as one of its core mandates. this known while receiving the management of Computer & led by its president, Ojikutu Ahmed, who visited the agenthe establishment of an ICT Hub at the Computer Village in Said he: “The process of developing the ICT sector in a society as diverse and complex as

ours is quite daunting. However, the potential benefits of developing such a critical sector of our economy far outweigh whatever challenges such a process may entail. A well-developed IT sector will significantly improve our economy. It will reduce capital flight, create jobs, generate revenue and help to position Nigeria as an IT hub for the Region.

“As we join hands to develop the sector, I wish to request your support in the following seven key areas: Regulation; Capacity tal Service Promotion; Cyber Security; and Revenue Generation.

“It is always important as a regulatory body to create an enabling environment that could drive ICT Innovation and En-

trepreneurship. No nation can move forward by relying solely on the government as the only catalyst and employer of labour. ” Ahmed, in turn, invited the management of the agency to visit the computer village for an assessment, and witness the enterprising nature of Nigerian youths.

The market which operates under the umbrella of CAPICT and accessories market in Africa and is estimated to generate over N300 billion to the economy annually.

The Computer village besides dealing in ICT and accessories also offers repairs of software or hardware components of mobile phones and computers by computer engineers and technicians.

The market which has cre-

Ibrahim

ated job opportunities for Nigerians opened on a daily basis except on Sundays and public holidays; also attracts new in-

vestors and ICT dealers across Africa thereby expanding the market size and boosting the

FIIRO DG laments non-recognition of research eral of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), mented lack of academic recognition for the research works carried out by FIIRO researchers and inadequate incentives. Consequently, many researchers have had to abandon the institute for lucrative appointments in international agencies, other countries, and universities. elation during a recent visit by the Senate Committee on Science and Technology to solicit for the consideration of professorship cadre for

researchers of the institute in order to stem the brain drain in the country.

“Our researchers are being attracted by international bodies and countries.

South Africa is a major culprit. We have a large number of Nigerians in

Dr Gloria Elemo, Director-General, Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi

do something to improve remuneration.

“Also appointment of research professors in research institutes would help to retain them. We are appealing that our people should be able to attain research professorship here.

Currently, at most, they retire as Chief Research Officers,” she said.

Responding, Senator Ajayi Boroffice, chairman of the committee, advised the institute to liaise with the National Universities Commission as well as affiliate with universities to offer programmes that would enable researchers to fulfill the teaching role that contributes to their elevation to the professorship cadre.

“There are two ways to get it done. The direct way is that you can apply to a university and get affiliation and maybe you offer one or two courses. I did opment Agency). They are going to teach two or three

courses in affiliation with the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja.

“You can get this done by working with the universities and the National Universities Commission. The laboratories here are better than those in most univerchoose too many courses,” he added.

He urged the institute to also lead the effort to diversify the economy by commercializing its research products through partnership with the private sector.

“FIIRO has a role to play in the diversification of the

New C-suite appointments at MTN Jens Schulte- Bockum will resume as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of MTN Group on January 16, 2017, according to the South Africa mobile phone group that owns MTN Nigeria.

Phuthuma Nhleko, Executive Chairman, MTN Group, announced the new appointment at the senior management levels of the mobile phone Company.

“These Senior management appointments bring to final-

ity the management aspect of a large scale transformation and operational review process which I am confident will place the Group in good stead to capitalize on its many prospects and reach its full potential in a rapidly transforming and exciting sector. We have attracted individuals of high caliber and wide, relevant experience to further enhance the existing management team, consistent with the anticipated trajectory of the group,” Nhleko said.

The new group COO will sucing.

Jens has extensive operational experience in the telecom sector with his last senior role being CEO of Vodafone Germany between 2012 and 2015.

Also, Oliver Fortuin will resume as Executive Head Business Enterprise on March 1, 2017, while Bernice Samuels will rejoin MTN as Group Executive Marketing from January 1 2017.

Phuthuma Nhleko, Executive Chairman, MTN Group

Capital Market Review B6

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

2016: Capital market gasps for breath from unrealized expectations Bonny Amadi The hope and expectations that ushered in 2016 trading activities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) as trading commenced on the first trading day of the year, which was buoyed by the Chief Executives, Mr. Oscar Onyema’s address on 14th January, by now have become unreal.

Pointer to the unrealizable dreams that ushered in trading on the floor of the NSE in 2016 is woven around the following indices.

In 2015, Nigerian economy grew at 4 per cent, while in the third quarter of 2016, the economy recorded further decline by 2.24 percent, a trend which is expected to aggravate by the end of the fourth quarter.

Also, Inflation was at 9.5 percent at the end of 2015, having increased from 7.9 percent recorded at the start of last year, but by the end of October 2016, the Nigeria’s consumer price index which measures inflation rate has risen to 18.3 per cent from 17.9 per cent recorded in September 2016.

The 2016 financial year was driven by the NSE focus on establishing a credible platform for economy financing and engagement with the federal the economy and intensifying engagement efforts with the federal government.

During the year, the NSE prioritized three strategic objectives, Increasing the number of new listings across five, Increasing order flow in the five asset classes and operating a fair and orderly market based on just and equitable principles.

The Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Stock Exchange, Oscar Onyema had earlier in the year said that effective communication of government policy increased tax revenue and improvement in security will attract more portfolio investors to Nigeria in 2016.

Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mounir Gwarzo, at a workshop on capital market organized by the National Assembly on the Investment and Securities Act (ISA), said that the commission is putting all energy, resources and time into implementing the Capital Market Master Plan for the development of the capital market and the economy.

He stressed the challenge of the ISA at fully implementing the master plan and urged for support from the government and the legislature to ensure an amendment to the ISA. “I hope that we would use this opportunity of direct interface with our esteemed Legislators and openly explore all solutions to the legal challenges facing us in the

tive of the operating challenges, the Nigerian market performance challenged the worsening economic scenario.

Irrespective of the market downturn, Onyema assured that the market still provided the bouquet of opportunities to guarantee earnings and help investors achieve their investment objectives.

“The current state of the market creates both challenges and opportunities for investors. We believe that taking a portfolio approach to investing provides the best riskadjusted alternative for participating in the capital market. As such, we want to ensure that the NSE provides a repertoire of products that will allow investors to create well-diversified portfolios of uncorrelated asset classes,” Onyema assured.

Mounir-Gwarzo-SEC-DG

market on this platform” Aside from the ISA challenge, the market is currently confronted with Challenge of Ponzi scheme, demutualization of the NSE, sustained market depression and the need for a bail out of the market.

Also, the E-dividend mandate systems services, market bailout, direct cash settlement system, among other provisions are expected to derive legal backing, and enshrined in the ISA, as some investors could exploit this to institute a legal action.

The market is currently ensuring that dealing members formalize registration with trade groups and the SEC, expected to further breach the market confidence gap, while privatization of government companies to boost activity and market offering.

Above all, the problem posed by the Treasury Single Account (TSA) continued to weaken the performance of companies, while the market on the overall performance recorded giant strides compared with 2015.

There were 20 new listings consisting of corporate and sovereign/municipal bonds, memorandum listings, mergers& introductions, Exchange Traded Funds and placing.

As at opening of trade on December 23rd, 2016, the market recorded 21 de-listings consisting of regulatory, merger schemes

Oscar Onyema, CEO NSE

in terms of listed companies and maturity or redemption in terms of bonds.

Meanwhile, irrespective of the prevailing weak indices which informed the market direction in 2016, the year’s trends were better compared to trends in 2015, taking into consideration that most equities bottomed out in 2015, while very few attained new low in 2016, reflecting shallow declines in equity prices compared to 2015 data.

For instance, in 2015, all the NSE market indices performed poorly, relative to their 2014 performance, except for NSE Industrial Index which saw an uptick of 1.3 percent, but 2016 performance indices barely 24 hours to end trading for the year, showed improved performance.

Trading opens on the NSE trading floor today with the ASI -7.53 decline, the ASI in 2015 declined by 17.36 percent, reflecting a positive performance for the year.

Also, the NSE-Main Board Index opens trading today at - 12.01 per cent, while it closed the 2015 financial year at -17.60 per cent, Indicating better performance in 2016. The NSE 30 Index opens trading today at -8.82, while it closed 2015 financial year at -17.63 percent, with the possibility of more recovery in 24 hours before trade closes for the year.

The NSE Banking Index was

the worst hit plunging 23.6 percent in 2015, grew to -0.59 per cent returns today, the NSE Consumer Goods Index opens today at -7.89 percent returns, while it closed the 2015 financial year at -17.41 per cent.

NSE Insurance Index opens trade this morning at -13.79, while it closed the 2015 financial year at -4.70 per cent The NSE Oil/Gas Index-11.00, while it closed the 2015 financial year at -6.20 per cent. The NSE Lotus 11 index opened the last trading week of the year at -8.06, while it closed 2015 financial year at -10.92 per cent. The NSE Alternative Securities Market (ASeM) Index opened the last week of 2016 trading at 0.81 returns on investment, while it closed 2015 year at -0.39 per cent.

NSE Industrial Goods Index-26.26, though it performed better in 2015 at 1.27 per cent growth. The NSE Pension Index last week of trading in 2015 at -1.93 returns on investments, while it closes 2015 financial year at -17.02 per cent.

However, NSE Premium Index recorded 6.75 per cent growth which opened trade December 28th, 2016, against -13.89 per cent which closed trading in 2015.

The overall performance of the market in 2016 relating to growth in market value, all share index which and decline in transaction level reflect that irrespec-

Founder, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Sir Sunny Nwosu, who spoke on the state of the Nigerian market called on the federal government to come to the aid of the market through sound economic policies and positive market friendly pronouncement.

“There is hunger everywhere and every segment in Nigeria has agreed that there is hunger in the land. With empty stomach, I don’t think that anybody can give any meaningful advice or create more opportunities or jobs and generate money for investment in the market” He called on the government to review downwards high sanctions on listed companies for flaunting rules “I want to tell you that the results that will come out this year will be mostly deficit result and for you to tell companies to pay N200 million, N300 million in penalty is not possible. These are companies that have been financing their infrastructure development.

When Obama came to power in the USA, the country was in recession, but he assisted companies and pumped liquidity into the system and within a short period the economy reversed, better than what Obama met,” Nwosu said.

He, however, re-echoed that the investing in the capital market is still the best form of savings. “We urge the regulators to continue their enlightenment and increase their respect for retail shareholders because they are the people that will stand to support the capital market. While the foreigners exit, the retail shareholders remain, that is why they require respect” Time for a break.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

B7

Brands $ Marketing Review

2016: Nigeria’s advertising, marketing communications in a recession year Godwin Anyebe 2016 is no doubt a year full of challenges for business owners in Nigeria and the government itself. Nigerians are feeling the pinch of recession; economic hardship and hunger is palpable among the citizenry.

Some Nigerians are finding it quite difficult to eat three square meals per day as prices of food items have increased.

Even before the official announcement of the recession, a handful of businesses had been blighted by the shaky growth of Nigeria’s economy. Some businesses and start-ups, especially small businesses have shut down due to low patronage and low revenue owing to the economic crisis.

Nigeria used to be one of the best places for businesses to thrive, also the best destination for investors in 2015. Nielsen report, which provides ranking of business prospects for leading markets in Africa, disclosed that Nigeria is no longer the top investor destination for investment in Africa, Cote d’Ivoire instead is leading in its latest rankings. The World Bank Doing Business report also shows that Nigeria is one of the countries to do business. Nigeria ranked 169 out of 189 in the world, and 39th among the listed African countries.

This negative circumstance also has its negative effect on the Nigerian integrated marketing communications sector. As a matter of fact, the sector arguably happened to be the most affected. Reason being that, when there is an economic challenge anywhere in the world, the segment of a business that receives the first knock is the marketing budget.

In his submission to Daily times on this issue, the Managing Director of Creativezone, Doyin Adewunmi said; “it’s a pretty tough time for the integrated marketing communications in Nigeria right now.

Regrettably, the industry is taking the full burn of recession.

There had being layoffs, stay off, downsizing and right sizing. All sorts of sizing going on. But it is also time for reflection. It’s a time to get more not in terms of concepts; but also in the way we run our businesses. It’s a time to offer your client better means of utilizing the little budget avail-

Doyin Adewumi

able without compromising the objective. The agencies that survive this difficult time are the ones that will adapt.

While many might explain these developments, others are of the view that these are manifestations of the reality of situation surrounding the business of integrated marketing communications in the country. It was a situation predicted as long ago as 1998 when the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), posited that in third world countries, the practice of marketing communications might face some challenging times in the new millennium.

The challenging times mentioned was actually an assessment of changes taking place in how the business is being practiced at the international level. As at then, an integrated marketing communications company as it was still known in the country then was undergoing massive transformation that would have fundamental effects in the way the business was being run locally here. Besides, the period of this transformation was coming at period (mid 90s) when affiliation was the fancy of major agency owners. That was when names like Rosabel Leo Burnett, STB McCann, CentreSpread FCB and so on were the commonest in the industry. For you to be reckoned

Bunmi Oke

with in looking for business, you needed to be affiliated to a foreign agency.

However, what started as a positive development for the business of advertising over almost two decades ago might have become the nemesis of traditional advertising as it is known. When the idea of media independent first came, many agency heads kicked against it. Perhaps, according to a senior player in the industry who spoke to Daily Times recently, only a couple of industry players agreed with the idea then.

Ironically, both of them were agency owners.

Also commenting on how 2016 has been for the Nigerian Advertising industry, the Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer of 141 Worldwide, Mrs. Bunmi Oke, admitted that the year 2016 has been a tough one but, when the going gets tough, you have to take tough decisions and be tough on yourself too.

You must also work smarter, not just harder. Clients are also demanding more and we continue to add value by being more creative in tough times. In every sense of the word of being creative in turbulence time, means agencies have to be driven by ideas, strategies and execution.

Necessity, after all, is the mother of all inventions. So, more

inventions in the creative industry are on the way and that is what keeps us moving in 2016y.

According to her, “for us in 2016, the most important innovations are ideas and we have had to utilize a fair share of new strategies across all spheres of our operation to remain relevant to our clients and win more business too. Certainly, an agency that is now g to twelve years must be blessed with innovative team members for it to remain foremost agency. Don’t forget that some agencies that started business with us at same time are no more.

For the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of X3M Ideas, Steve Babaeko, there is a saying that no matter the economic status of the jungle, the lion will not eat grass. For some of us, no matter what recession is saying, we always do the good work. To pessimist, the cup is always half empty, while to the optimist, the cup is always half full. So 2016 has made some of us to be more optimistic. Recession is just a phase and hopefully if we work hard as a country and create more economic blue print, we can work our way out of recession.

Reacting to some of the challenges that the industry is facing, the Chief Operating Officer of COSSE TTL, Onuora Molukwu, said; “one of the major chal-

lenges facing the ad industry is the lack of readiness to present a united front. We do not come together to fight the incursion of foreign agencies. Very soon, major foreign player in Nigeria will not be working with Nigerian agencies. So we need to support APCON reforms which, more or less, gives some levels of protection to marketing communications business in Nigeria. The more we are able to pool together and support that initiative, the better for the business.”

“We are dealing with sensitive demography of people.

We have to package marketing communication in a way that appeals to these people. These days, young people will prefer to be doing music and films than advertising. How many young people do you see struggling to come into the ad agencies these days? When you see the number of people that want o do music, art film and fashion designing you will be surprised,” he noted.

On the way out, he disclosed that “what we really need to do is how to get the best from the industry, how do we protect this industry? You need to understand what others are doing for your own acidification, but I believe more collaboration these days. There is no point trying to fight over what you cannot do. If you don’t have the competence, why don’t you collaborate with someone who give client something more robust?”

On his part on how advertising business fared in 2016, the Managing Director, Etu Odi, Uzoma Okoye, pointed out that; “2016 presented an opportunity to improve. It challenged brands to take the opportunity to do something unique and different. You need to keep reminding people that you are there which unfortunately, is not the case these days. For example, one of our clients gave us a marketing budget that was ten percent of what it was last year because of economic recession.”

With this type of budget, he continued, “you need to be more creative in order to use that budget to be able to achieve the same kind of result. It’s a rallying cry, a challenge for you to deliver those top qualities you are known for with a leaner budget. You have to be more creative, you have to be more impactful and you have to use other tactics. You don’t have to be throwing on it; you have to look for other alternative channels- finding more effective and cheaper ways of achieving result.

v

Aviation B8

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Airlines want NCAA, IATA intervention over crew poaching Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

Some airlines are uncomfortable with the high rate of pilots crossing the carpet from one airline to the order, and are seeking the intervention of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The trend has been attributed to poor remuneration and appalling conditions of service, with airlines now being forced to pay more to retain their highly-skilled workers.

The operators are seeking assistance from NCAA to ensure that the bond with their pilots and engineers who want

to leave is respected.

The Managing Director of Bristow Helicopters (Nigeria), Capt. Akin Oni, in an interview said: “We used to be very worried about poaching. In fact, we approached the NCAA for assistance, but then, it was poaching from our competitors.

We also did some soul searching as to why do we spend $250,000 training a pilot and we allow them to go? We introduced something like bonding.”

He noted that in the Nigerian aviation industry, airlines rarely train pilots and engineers, the two critical professionals needed to run the business, because of the enormous funds needed to do so. So, new operators and those

who are witnessing shortage of these two professionals go for established and trained ones to fill the gaps.

This trend has robbed the country of qualified hands while many roam the streets because of lack of on-the- job training as they are not offered the opportunity.

The economic recession has also made training of pilots and engineers to take the back seat.

Experts said it cost over $250,000 to train a pilot and a little lesser for an aircraft engineer.

NCAA sSpokesman, Sam Adurogboye, said there is no law that stops poaching, adding that the authority’s role is limited to ensuring that the employee is properly employed.

He said, aside from that, they also wade in to ensure the resolution of labour dispute so as not to impact on safety, noting that poaching is not a new thing in the aviation industry.

Adurogboye disclosed that an airline had, at the peak of operations, even poached professionals from NCAA, people they spent so much to train until they had to step in to halt the process.

He said until that portion is included in the new civil aviation policy that government is fashioning, it would stand on nothing to implement, stressing that the airline operators under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria should wade in to stem the tide.

BASL Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Med-View Airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole , (left), presenting award to Chief Executive Officer, BiCourtney Aviation Services Limited, (BASL), Capt. Jari Williams at Med-View Airline 2016 night award held in Lagos.

Recession: Concessionaires flee MMA2 As the recession bites harder, some concessionaires at the Murtala Mohammed Airport II (MMA 2) have closed their outlets at the terminal.

Daily Times investigations revealed that no fewer than eight concessionaires have closed business in the last few months following their inability to pay the high rent at the private terminal.

At the food court on the first floor, only one eatery out of the four was operational. It was gathered that others had left when our correspondent visited the terminal.

It was further learnt that their closure was due to hike in the rents at a time the economic situation was biting harder which has forced them to leave.

The terminal was a beehive of activities when it was commissioned a few years ago with banks, airlines, and concessionaires jostling for space.

A few years later, the harsh economic situation in the country and the demise of some airlines like Chanchangi and IRS has led to decrease in patronage With the current recession, there has been a reduction in passenger traffic, which means airlines earn less than they usually do. Besides low passenger patronage, there has also been a reduction in aircraft fleet flying some routes which have the MMA2 as their base.

But a management staff with Bicourtney Aviation Services who pleaded anonymity said the management was planning big for the terminal, adding that bigger concessionaires have indicated interest in the place.

Medview Airline rewards partners, staff as CEO expects better 2017

Airfares to normalize mid-January – Dana Air The increase in airfare by domestic airlines in the country may normalize by mid-January when holidaymakers would have returned.

The Accountable Manager of Dana Air, Mr. Obi Mbanuzuo, in an interview with Daily Times said the increase in airfare was due to the scarcity of aviation fuel in the country.

According to him, the situation will be brought under control in the next few weeks as soon as the traffic reduces,

adding that the price of fuel remained the determining factor of airfares.

Mbanuzuo said aviation fuel accounts for 30 to 40 percent of running an airline operation and expressed the hope that the situation was not as bad as it used to be a few weeks ago.

He explained that a litre of aviation fuel in the market was purchased between N230 and N260 depending on locations, as against N150.

Mbanuzuo said only local refining of aviation fuel will drastically bring down the price of the product as marketers sourced dollars for the importation of the product.

“We appeal to the government to allow the product to be refined here. It will bring down the price and allow more people to fly. There are just 10 million people flying annually in a country of about 180 million. We are looking at 50 to 60 million people to fly.”

Chairman of Medview Airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, has urged the government not to relegate aviation to the back burner as it is the catalyst for growth everywhere in the world. This is even as he acknowledged that the year had not been particularly good for airlines with all the inherent challenges.

Bankole called on the government to tackle seriously the issue of aviation fuel in order to address the increase in air fares in the country.

He noted that double taxation by agencies in the aviation sector has continued to weaken the operations of airlines in the country.

Bankole who spoke at the airline’s award night said that despite the challenges, Medview was opening more routes in the West

African region especially with its Monrovia-Liberia and FreetownSierra Leone flight services, adding that the flying public should expect more from the airline in 2017.

According to him, the flight service would also improve business activities, capacities and capabilities of people of the two countries adding that Med-View Airline was in Liberia and Sierra Leone to create jobs for the people of the two countries.

He assured that the airline would be consistent on the new routes, saying the airline would expand in the two countries and provide more jobs for their people.

He thanked his staff for their hard work and perseverance while awarding them based on the years they have been in the airline’s employment.

Life&

TIMES Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Chioma Obiadi: On winning the 40th Miss Nigeria pageant

L2

P

Interview L2

Daily Times Nigeria

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

I have always wanted to be Miss Nigeria -Chioma Obiadi Chioma Obiadi has always wanted to be Miss Nigeria right from childhood having

How do you feel being the 40th Miss Nigeria? spent on the phone in the past few days? While I am going off one, another one is coming and I am

people who want you to succeed, people who are following you up, people you can actually count on.

It is also very tasking knowing that now whatever you do is not only about you, it rubs up on so many millions of people and right now, I have to be careful with everything and my actions now are so important.

How did you feel when you discovered that you won?

I am a beauty queen, I am the new Miss Nigeria and after a while, I found out that this is more than just

being a pretty thing. Now, I have so many people looking up to me. I am representing my country and I have to deliver. I cannot afford to disappoint. At this point, it dawned on me that I have too many responsibilities.

How did you get into the pageant?

I have always wanted to be Miss Nigeria

remember what inspired it. My parents in Igbo always called me Miss World. I am like their queen from that little age. I grew up with that and I like expressing and feeling like a queen. So, that was how I got the name princess Tyra. Back in secondary school, I was always so Disney -world -like and I think it is something I had always wanted, even before I understood or knew what it was really all

a difference. If I become a person of this standard, I can uplift women; I can make a difference in their lives. A lot of women have so much that they want to put into the country but they are not allowed, we are not given the chance to so and I hope that with this platform, I would be able to do this, be a voice for young women and for Nigerians generally.

Which of the girls gave you a real run?

All of them actually did. They all had something that was really good; you could hardly say this or that person. Everybody had something that was exceptional. They were all fantastic.

What would you miss now that you are Miss Nigeria?

I am going to miss going to the movies with my friends. I am going to miss the normal life. I have three younger brothers.

Life&

T E A M

What legacy would you like to have after your tenure?

At the end of my reign, I hope to be able to stand

Entertainment Correspondent Mutiat Alli

Society Correspondent Abimbola Obatayo

up and say that I have been able to move people from level A to B. I could have a lot of women, I could have them say Chioma made me this or she provided me this. Even years after, I hope positive impact in the lives of anyone I ever meet.

I want the world to know that Nigerians are good people and change the perception that they have.

What projects do you hope to embark on?

There is already an on -going project, “The Green Girl project�. I am going into that but there is the fact that biological waste can be converted into electricity. It is funny to know how much of waste that is being produced in Nigeria really and how we like electricity. In Sweden, for example, they convert their wastes to electricity and it serves vast majority of people. And Sweden is a very small that we have here. So, you can be imagining if we convert our wastes to electricity, it would stop the problem of power failure forever. We deserve electricity.

Daily Times Nigeria

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Mutiat Alli

L3 Red

Photos: Lil Kesh, Falz, Simi other attend Beat FM Christmas concert The 2016 edition of the Beat FM Christmas concert took place at The Federal palace Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos. Notable faces like Naeto C, Dorcas Fapson, VJ Adams, Ehiz, Bizzle, DJ Cuppy, DJ Lambo graced the event, which saw amazing performances from both international acts present at the concert. Here are red carpet moments from the well-attended event.

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Daily Times Nigeria

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Daily Times Nigeria

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

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Fashion

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Daily Times Nigeria

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Mutiat Alli

Ladies Affair Rocking your peplum dresses Peplum dresses are the hottest trend out there right now. Classy and cute, these pieces can be great for work, for fun, and special occasions. It just matters how long your skirt is and Peplum tops or dresses are characterized by a

ure.

The key is to ac-

Some Peplum dresses have mesh detailing at the top that help you play a little game of peek-a-boo, while some have cut-outs on the side that show off your waist, adding bit of throw a blazer on this dress, add some colorful priate for work.

Peplum detailing does not always have to be

centuate those curves, peplum dresses are an easy answer to our “What do I wear?” because they

detailing can simply be an over skirt or draping

accessories to match and you are good to go!

The Peplum Top: Peplum tops are a great way to add character to any kind of bottom,

you show off a little leg, while the peplum detail ing is short and full in the front, and long and

sleek and chic in pants, or dangerously daring in a pencil skirt. The type of bottoms you want to avoid are A-line skirts, harem pants, or any

and lace is another option, which gives off a sweet and innocent vibe.

Want to whittle your waist and show off

the glamour of a curve-enhancing peplum top.

Enhance your personal style by investing in a great waist belt if you want to make your midsection appear even slimmer.

Peplum skirts: Many women prefer a peplum skirt over a peplum dress because it means they get to be more creative. Peplum skirts can be mix and matched with a variety of tops and accessories. Give yourself the opportunity to get creative and discover different ways to wear your skirt with a blouse, jewels, or even retro sling back shoes.

The Peplum Belt: If you want to always have the option of adding a peplum to your look then your best bet is to score a peplum belt or two.

This is a great way to accessorize your look

in your closet to make it possible.

The peplum trend has been popular since women were sporting corsets in the 1800s. The idea was to dramatically emphasize the curves the female outline today.

What makes this trend even more popular is right, any girl can sport the peplum and it will slim, sporting the peplum will give the illusion of curves and if you are a curvy girl it will make

How to Wear: Though this trend is made for anyone with a mean sense of style there are lots of women still asking the same questions: How do I sport the peplum? Which style of peplum suit me best?

Here are some answers to your questions.

The Peplum Dress: If you want to skip that dainty sun dress and try an edgier style, go with a peplum dress. Make sure the fabric of the dress stretches and that the skirt underneath

and hit the streets. · Also with bold accessories. gles, some printed platforms, and WORK! · Throw some dramatic heels on with the dress and you are good to go.

Daily Times Nigeria

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Mutiat Alli

L7 Kids Fashion

Runway Highlight - African Kids and Teens Fashion Week 2016 The African Kids and Teens Fashion Week 2016 ( AKTFW) has over the years featured the collections of top African designers. Since the inception of the AKTFW, it has been an avenue to facilitate conversations of key players within the African fashion industry with bias for Kids and teens.

The third edition of the African Kids and Teens Fashion at the Classique Event Place Oregun Ikeja Lagos with remarkable guests in attendance.

Fashion designers from all over the country showcased their collections with burst of brightly-coloured designs meshed seamlessly with African designs in a contemporary style with the kid and teen models strutting the runway in hundreds of stunning pieces featuring varying combinations African textiles, sewn and stitched together in beautiful designs and styles.

Designers who dazzle and exhibited at the fashion show include Arambe, TJ Davies, Rare Gems, Allessandra, Simbees, Datina Designs, Zucchini, among others.

The event was put together by Smart Code Africa, with partnership from by the Bank of Industry and Peak Milk.

The organizer Mr Ajibola Akande said the event is aimed at promoting Africa designs and wears enlightening parents on the importance of making their children wear African designs, in order to boost the economy. Now in its 3rd year we remain dedicated to the growth and promotion of creatives in the industry as well as providing opportunities to top and upcoming designers present their work to a larger market.

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Daily Times Nigeria

Wednesday, December 28, 2016