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Nigeria’s economy will probably shrink this year – IMF

Girl-children being given out in exchange for livestock, gov’s wife cries out

90

YEARS OF JOURNALISM

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Chibok girls: Buhari hasn’t ‘broken all promises’, 12 Presidency replies BBOG Reps sex scandal: nd envoy to tender video as hearing begins Thursday 6

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Bayelsa teachers protest non-payment of salaries Akam James Yenagoa

ÏÏÏVehicular

and commercial activities were grounded on Monday in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital, following the peaceful protest by teachers and non-academic staff of primary schools in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area over non-payment of their seven months’ salary arrears since December and allege diversion of allocation.

The workers took to the streets to express their grievances over what they described as a deliberate attempt by the council boss to witch-hunt those perceived to have worked for the opposition party during the last governorship elections in the state.

The workers barricaded the road to the popular Swali market and the UBA banks where salaries were paid other workers whose appointments were before 2008, and disrupted free flow of traffic for hours.

While lamenting their plight, some of the protesters said life had become “so unbearable as they can no longer feed their families due to their unpaid salaries.” Some said they have been employed since 2008 and nobody complained but why now? The protesters stated that government has been paying salaries for the past four years not until the last general elections.

According to a teacher, Mr. Abraham

Young, of St. Barnabas School, from Oweikorogha community, stated that the sudden action by the council chairman to stop their payment and accuse them of being illegally employed was wrong, noting that after several verifications, the next thing is to call them fake workers.

He stated that despite their immense contribution to the educational sector of the state, they were still taken for granted, adding that how they fend with their families after a long wait for salaries and nothing positive has happened.

Another affected worker, Mr. Apollo Simon Gidi, from the post primary school board, said for eight years now he has been working without any challenge, but was sad when he heard the announcement on the radio about the payment of teachers when the chairman said those employed as at 2008 will have their appointments terminated.

“The termination of our appointment was not on any basic, we were employed by the state government through the normal procedure of employment, why will they come now and call us fake workers, I must take them to industrial court” he said.

Addressing the crowd, the council chairman, Hon. Joshua Maciver, faulted the accusation of witch hunting by those affected, noting that the appointment procedures for those employed from 2008 till date was wrong and illegal.

7 News

8th Wole Soyinka media lecture holds July 13 Benjamin Omoike

ÏÏÏThe 8th edition of the Wole Soyinka me-

dia lecture series holds on Wednesday, July 13 by 10 am at the main hall of NECA House, Hakeem Balogun Street, off Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.

This year’s lecture will focus on the theme, “Tax Education, National Development and the Role of the Media”. Adebimpe Balogun, the first female President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), will deliver the lecture commemorating the 82nd birthday of Wole Soyinka. Discussing along-

Ramadan: Two killed, nine injured in Kwara road crashes Kehinde Akinpelu Ilorin

ÏÏÏThe Federal Road Safety Commission

(FRSC), Kwara command, on Monday, confirmed that two persons died in seven different road crashes during the last Eid-el fitr celebration in Kwara State.

The Sector Commander in Kwara, Mr. Sunday Maku disclosed this during an interview with the Daily Times, in llorin on Monday.

He said the seven accidents which occurred at different parts of the state dur-

side Balogun will be, Auwal Musa (Rafsanjani), Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Modupe Oyekunle, President of NECA’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW), Simon Kolawole, Publisher of The Cable Newspaper, Emuesiri Agbeyi, Tax Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Deremi Atanda, Executive Director of Systemspecs.

Opeyemi Agbaje, Managing Director of Resources and Trust Company will moderate the event. Tunde Fowler, the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has also confirmed the agency’s participation. ing Sallah involved 38 persons with nine injured.

Maku said the Special Marshal on patrol during the period took the dead ones to mortuary and nine injured to hospitals.

The FRSC Commander revealed that 129 motorists were arrested for violating various traffic offenders during the period.

He said a total of 137 offences were violated by the offenders and 60 vehicles were impounded during the period.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the Commission to continue ensuring that there is sanity on roads in all part of the state.

In another development, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Kwara said it recorded a hitch free Eid-el -fitr celebration in Kwara.

The Commandant of the Corps in Kwara, Mr. Pedro Ideba stated this in llorin on Monday during an interview with Daily Times.

News 12

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Chibok girls: Buhari hasn’t ‘broken all promises’, Presidency replies BBOG

Ï d ƕ ơǀèƠƠƠ ƍƆƏ Ƈ Ə ƇƏƆƆƗ ƇƏ ƌ Ɗ 6 Ə ƌ ƅ ƍƐƈƒƈƐƕ Egena Egena Abuja

ÏÏÏThe Presidency on Monday re-

futed allegations by the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) campaigners that President Muhammadu Buhari had “broken all promises” made to the group concerning the rescue of the over 200 schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State in 2014.

The Presidency also described as misleading, the suggestion by the group that government had been lackadaisical in the rescue mission.

Reacting to the allegations, Presidency spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, in a statement in Abuja, con-

tended that the Federal Government had not relented in its effort to free all Nigerians still being held by the Boko Haram terrorists including the Chibok girls.

Accordingly, he urged the group and indeed all Nigerians to show support and understanding to the government as it shores up the zeal to rid the country of terrorism and extreme violence.

Shehu noted that the effort of government had yielded positive results in the rescue of about 15,000 Nigerians since the military stepped up their bombardment of the Boko Haram fortress-Sambisa forest- from last year.

The statement read: “The Bring-

BackOurGirls group claims in a recent statement that President Muhammadu Buhari has “broken all promises” made to the group about rescuing the missing Chibok girls and that the government had been “lackadaisical” in the rescue mission.

“The Presidency will like to appeal to the officials and members of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) campaign group not to waver in their support for the government in the war against terrorism and in the ongoing effort to free all Nigerian citizens taken captive by the Boko Haram terrorist group.

“The past year of this administration has seen the Nigerian military

step up bombardment of the Sambisa Forest, a stronghold of the Boko Haram terrorist group, leading to the capture of hundreds of insurgents.

“Also, records from the Army show the rescue of no fewer than 15,000 captives, mostly women and children from the terrorists from February to date. In addition, dozens of communities that were previously under the control of the terrorists have been liberated, allowing thousands of previously displaced citizens to return home and resume their normal lives.

“Thousands of these women and children freed from captivity have also been reunited with their families.

Food crisis in Nigeria’s NE like Darfur, S’ Sudan – UN Continued from page 6 sidered severely food insecure, “a step below the F-word” (famine).

“In my 20 years of working in these type of places, I have never seen an F. I don’t want one to appear on my watch. We will do everything we can to avoid it.”

Funding, if secured, will go towards providing clean water, medicine, blankets and nutrition, he said, praising Nigeria for its work on the relief effort.

Nigeria has released 10,000 tonnes of emergency food supplies and is helping international agencies with visas and customs clearance, he added.

In part, Lanzer blamed perceptions of Nigeria -- Africa’s leading economy -- for foreign governments’ lack of support in providing help.

But he warned if nothing was done “thousands of people will die”, adding: “I think the international community has been quite hesitant up to now to engage on any noticeable level.

“But it’s now at a stage where we really do need to step up.”

Reps sex scandal: US envoy to tender video as hearing begins Thursday Continued from page 6

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Girl-children being given out in exchange for livestock, gov’s wife cries out Continued from page 6 sults in debilitating conditions such as Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF).

“Some do not have access to reproductive health information and of course many are not able to get education to enable them support themselves through life” The wife of the governor called on government, civil societies, parents, teachers and all leaders of thought to be part of the fight of rescuing girls-children from this forced marriages.

“It is not enough when government formulates policies that protect the right of the girl-child.

Teachers and parents must be com-

mitted to their duties of training and inculcating values by being exemplary in their conduct.

“Traditional rulers and opinion leaders according to her should not be silent but must speak up against actions and beliefs that discriminate against girls and deprive them of the right to make their own choices, while civil societies must be committed in their advocacy and support for programmes that provide opportunities for teenage girls to become empowered.”

To empower our teenage girls, Dr Ayade said “we must give them something that removes them from the control of others and allows them to determine their own fu-

ture. We must give them information, education and economic empowerment that allows them to be independent and self-reliant. There is no bigger investment than this.”

Dr Ayade said that there are more young people in the world today than any other age group and an investment in them would change not only this group but their communities and countries at large.

“My pledge today is the same as before. I will continue to use my position as wife of the Governor of Cross River state to ensure the provision of information and opportunities for teenage girls.

“Through my non-profit organization, Mediatrix Development

Foundation, I will continue my campaign against the societal menace of forced and early marriage by providing sensitization, training and capacity building for young girls” she stated.

Also speaking, the federal commissioner, National Population Commission, Cross River, Barr Idi Baba Yakubu said that data from the 2006 population and housing census indicate that Nigeria’s teenage population aged 13-19 was 20, 458, 601 or 14.6% of the total population out of which the teenage girls constituted 10, 001, 965 or 7.2% of the total population. By 2016, the population of the teenage girl has increased to 13, 787, 755.

are Rep. Mohammed Garba Gololo (APC-Bauchi); Rep. Samuel Ikon (PDP-Akwa- Ibom) and Rep. Mark Gbillah (APC-Benue).

Entwistle had in the petition to Dogara alleged that the actions of the three lawmakers at the International Visitor Leadership Programme in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, from 7th to 13th April, 2016, brought disrepute to the parliament because they solicited for sex from prostitutes and allegedly grabbed a hotel housekeeper in a bid to rape her.

Sources informed our correspondents that the committee had been unable to sit because some of the members of the committee had traveled to perform their religious obligation in Mecca during the Ramadan fast.

It was also gathered that the committee opted not to invite the hotel management as the Ambassador who broke the information through a letter to the Speaker was expected to have all the documentary evidence against the three accused members.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Page Three

s

3

PHOTO TIMES

Editorial Observing World Population Day

Y

esterday, July 11, 2016 the international community observed the World Population Day. It is a day, which seeks to raise awareness of global population issues, such as family planning, gender equality, poverty, maternal health, girl child education, child marriage, sexually transmitted infections and human rights. In addition, it is to call attention to exploding global population as well as solve the big mistake of completely human fraternity.

The Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) first started World Population Day in 1989. The theme for this year is “Investing in teenage girls.” In his remark to mark the day, the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon said; “Despite significant gains made in reducing poverty and improving opportunity and wellbeing for many people around the world, hundreds of millions remain desperate for a chance of a better future. Among the least served by previous development initiatives are girls, particularly those in their formative teenage years”.

It is unfortunate that many teenage girls around the world face enormous challenges, even as most are forced into early marriages thereby damaging their future prospects.

Even among girls who stay in school, access to basic information about their health, human rights and reproductive rights can be hard to overcome by, leaving them vulnerable to illness, injury and exploitation.

Statistics show that more than 13 million teenage girls around the world are subjected and forced by their families and communities into marriages annually, even as 10 percent of them have initiated sex before the age of 15 while about 3.2 million girls have gone through unsafe abortion which accounts for the second leading cause

of death among girls between the ages of 15 and 19. It is estimated that 50 percent of the world’s pregnancies are unintended and 25 percent are unwanted. Every day, approximately 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, even as almost all of these maternal deaths occur in developing countries including Nigeria. It is a fact that how well a society treats its women is one of the strongest indicators of its success or failure.

By providing girls with an education, ensuring women to have a voice in family decisions, and providing them with opportunities for economic freedom, we will build stronger and healthy society. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF), investments in education and health of women and girls have been linked to higher national productivity, agricultural yield and income, all of which contribute to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In addition, human and environmental health underpins the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations, which seek mainly to eradicate poverty and hunger and ensure environmental sustainability.

The links between population growth and threats to the environment cannot be denied. Human beings living on the earth tend to overlook the obvious facts that an increasing population leads to a significant increase of consumption that causes in increase of waste in the environment.

We call on the authorities to use this World Population Day to rethink our notion of population management. One good starting point is the enforcement of the Child Rights Act, which entitles all children to adequate food, healthcare, shelter, education and skill acquisition before the age of 18 years.

L-R: CEO, Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Olusegun Awolowo; Chairman, Well–San Carlos Agro Farms Limited (WSCAFL), Dr. Idahosa Okunbo; Group Managing Director, Mr. Carlos Cabal Peniche and Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo during a meeting with WSCAFL at the Presidential Villa, Abuja… on Monday.

L-R: Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole; W.H.O Regional Director, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti; Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Amina Shamaki after a meeting with the Moeti in Abuja… on Monday.

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President Muhammadu Buhari (right), welcoming former President of the African Development Bank, Mr. Donald Kaberuka, at the Presidential villa, Abuja… on Monday.

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Nelson Mandela

Wole Soyinka

Muhammad Ali

“The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

“No one is rich enough to buy yesterday but if you hustle hard tomorrow could be yours”.

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it”.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

5 News

FG to work more on health sector reform — Minister Abiodun Taiwo Abeokuta

ÏÏÏThe

Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, on Monday, disclosed that the health sector reform has recorded a significant improvement by increasing the mortality rate in spite of the challenges facing the country.

Adewole, who spoke in Abeokuta at the launching of the Ogun State Community Health Insurance Scheme, said the reform had also improved the health indices of the country as well as assisting in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Minister said the establishment of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was a major highpoint and output of the reform policy, saying it was a mandate to work towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the country.

The minister, who was represented at the event by the Executive Secretary, National Health Insurance Scheme, Dr. Femi Akingbade also disclosed that the health system had suffered setbacks in recent years due to some factors that had prevented the system from performing efficiently and effectively.

The factors, according to Adewole, included budget constraints, inequitable distribution of health care resources at all levels, inequities in healthcare access and high poverty levels in the country.

“I am glad to inform you that our health system outcome as shown by the health indices are also beginning to show some im-

provements due to the reforms”.

He opined further “Infant mortality rate has reduced from 100 per 1000 live births in 2003 to 69 per 100 live births in 2013. Under five mortality rate has shown a persistent decline from 201 per 1000 live births in 2003 to 128 per 1000 live births in 2013. We have also witnessed a significant reduction in maternal mortality, from 800 per 100,000 live births in 2003 to 576 per 100,000 live births in 2013. Our life expectancy has also increased from 46.5 years in 2008 to 54.4 years in 2013.

“All these improvements attest to the commitment and enormous investments made by the government towards addressing the health system outcomes.

“In line with the reforms, the National Health Insurance Scheme has been strengthened to be able to deliver on its mandate, which is to ensure that all Nigeria irrespective of socio economic status have access to qualitative and affordable healthcare when the need arises.”

Prof. Adewole

Osinbajo to lead Nigeria’s delegation to AU summit Idu Jude Abuja

ÏÏÏ Vice President Yemi Osin-

bajo will lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 27th Ordinary Session of the African Union starting on July 18 in Kigali, Rwanda. This was disclosed, on Monday, in Abuja, by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama.

Onyeama said the occasion would afford Nigeria the opportunity to showcase the successes recorded by the current administration.

The minister said the summit would also provide opportunity for critical appraisal of the 20

billion dollar Nigeria-Algeria trans-Saharan gas pipeline project under the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).

When completed, the trans-Saharan project would transport about 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas from Warri through Niger Republic to Algeria.

The pipeline would be operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Sonatrach of Algeria.

Both parties will hold 90 per cent equity shares of the project, while the National Oil Company of Niger Republic will hold 10 per cent equity.

Abia youths want Ogah sworn-in as Governor

Val Okara Owerri

ÏÏÏ

A group of youths from Abia State under the aegis of Supreme Igbo Youths Alliance (SIYA), last weekend, expressed dismay over the continued delay in the swearing in of Uche Ogah as the governor of the State.

The group at a meeting in Owerri, the Imo State capital, observed that the continued stalemate is creating tension capable of breaching the peace and security of the State.

National Secretary of the body, Mr. Onyekachi Ogbonna, who briefed journalists after the meeting, maintained that Ogah having been given a Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as the authentic gover-

nor of the state, should be sworn in without further delay.

Onyekachi, a former National leader of the Ukwa-Ngwa Students Association, argued that the delay tactics employed by governor, Okezie Ikpeazu and his sympathisers is capable of truncating the electoral calendar of the state, adding that, “politics should not be a do or die affair.”

According to him, “since a Court of competent jurisdiction has ruled and continued to insist that Governor Ikpeazu was not eligible to have contested the 2015 governorship election, he should vacate the office and stop making a mockery of the judiciary by procuring black market injunctions to undermine the judgement.”

Adding that, “if you notice the way Abia people are rejoicing, you will know that the Court

judgement that sacked Ikpeazu was a huge relief because his administration in the last one year has been clueless. So he should not create further uncertainty in Abia by refusing to vacate the office. Our advice is that he should toe the part of honour and allow the will of God to be done in Abia.”

They said, “we want to also seize this opportunity to advise our governor in the waiting not to allow the frenzy of the moment to becloud his proven sense of judgment, especially as it concerns his choice of who becomes his deputy because people are already warming up to reap where they did not sow. He should refer to those that stayed with in the course of the struggle to redeem his mandate instead of allowing this spur of the moment loyalists to have their way.”

OAU students blame FG over continuous closure of varsity Sodiq Adekunle Osogbo

ÏÏÏStudents of

Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, have asked the Federal Government to consider the reopening of the institution as a priority through the constitution of a new Governing Council.

The Governing Council, they said, would subsequently appoint an acting Vice-Chancellor to direct the affairs of the institution for six months.

The students, under the aegis of Alliance of OAU Presidents, Association of Campus Journalists and All Nigerian United Nations

Students Association spoke at a press briefing held at Osogbo, on Monday.

Authorities of the institution had on June 22, 2016 shut the university indefinitely and ordered students to vacate campus over continuous protests by workers, who faulted the appointment process of a new VC, Prof. Ayobami Salami.

Apart from protesting, the workers have also approached the Federal High Court in Osogbo to declare the appointment process as illegal.

Subsequently, the Federal Government through the Minister of

Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, dissolved the OAU Governing Council and called for a stop of the appointment of Prof. Salami pending the court case.

But the students explained that issues that led to protest and closure could be resolved while academic activities were ongoing in the university.

The spokesperson of the students’ associations, Mr. Olanrewaju Oyedeji, said “The school closure has kept students at home for 95 days and the newly admitted students have been at home over 10 months and they are yet to begin academic activities.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

11 Politics

Agitators have commercialised Niger Delta struggle — Amakiri

AMAKIRI Comrade Emmanuel Bishop Amakiri. A Niger Delta Activist is the National Youth Leader of Young Democratic Party (YDP). In this interview with MATHEW DADIYA, he criticised activities of some militants in the oil rich region whom he said have deviated from the ideal and real quest for the emancipation of the Niger Delta people turning it into a business venture. He spoke on other issues. Excerpts: The current administration is being accused of sectionalism. What is your opinion of the appointment of the GMD NNPC? I don’t have a problem with the appointment of the new GMD. The truth remains that you can’t have the two from the same region. It is a heavy load for one person to be GMD of NNPC and at the same time a minister of state for petroleum. So, I don’t have a problem with that. The new NNPC GMD is coming from the North since the minister of state for petroleum is from the south.

But there are other areas that

‘We must ensure that Nigerian works. I am interested in the oneness of Nigeria. ‘

have been lopsided. But there has to be a balance. Maybe it should be something we must address as a country. Some of our founding fathers that are still alive should come out to speak for the interest of our country and not for the interest of individuals. You cannot sacrifice public interest for selfish one. This is our country.

Some people call it Nigeria but I call it home. If I die today, there is no any other country, I will be taken back to my home town here in Nigeria.

You are from a region that is in crises which has dropped our oil production. What should Nigeria do to stem these incessant attacks?

I am an Ijaw man, from the South South, Nigeria, but I have Igbo blood running through my veins because my mother is Igbo. I have always said that, we must ensure that Nigerian works. I am interested in the oneness of Nigeria.

But if it refused to work, we still have to sit down and talk. There is no forced marriage. We must make it work by force because secession is not the solution. What is necessary at this time is an eyes

ball to eyes ball talk. We must ask ourselves question like: Is what we have been doing right? I don’t think the situation of Nigeria today is what our fore fathers envisaged. Some of them are crying in their graves because it is not what they planned for us. Some of us went through a lot of turbulent before Young Democratic Party came to existence. What is remaining now is to see how we can put this to practise and bring all Nigerians together.

Back to the Niger Delta matter, we just need to tell ourselves the truth. The issues with Niger-Delta, is that, a lot of people have commercialised the process. Some people fought for the emancipation of their people and not for commercial purpose; Isaac Adaka Boro fought, people like Ken SaroWiwa fought, Alhaji Mujahid Asari-Dokubo fought, and they fought not for commercial purposes. But along the line, some people who came after started fighting for commercial purposes. It reached a point where some people were called for talk and they embraced what they called amnesty. So, I always see this as a fraud. The

problem of the Niger Delta up to date has not been resolved. They should sit down with the major stakeholders and ask them some fundamental questions because, he who pays the piper, dictates the tune. We have a region that contributes up to 80 percent of the nation’s economy. There is no government that has said look, we need to go and put some infrastructure in that region. It’s not about giving people money and tell them to go and fix their region, no! It is the government’s responsibility to go to the region and mandate contractors from all over the world to come and have survey of the environment and see what they can do. Schools, roads, hospitals and potable water. Government should not be giving people money. For me, Amnesty was just a bribe.

But we have the ministry of Niger Delta affairs, NNDC and others, are you saying they are not doing enough?

That has not solved the problem.

What is the way forward?

The way forward is that the government should tell themselves the truth and do the needful.

Some people are saying that the needful should have been done by your own son who had a shot at the Presidency?

Government is a transitional thing. Nigeria is irreplaceable but every other person is replaceable. Goodluck Jonathan was a president, somebody else is there today; Nigeria leadership is a continuous process. Tafawa Balewa, Nnamni Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo and others are all dead today and Nigeria is still moving. The issue with Goodluck Jonathan was that, when he was President, you will agree with me that there was a lot of pressure and distractions from the North East. And Development can only take place if there is peace in the land. And the President was not a President of Niger Delta region but Nigeria. Our people in the North East were always in trauma because of the Boko Haram insurgency.

You don’t expect the president to be happy developing Niger Delta because he comes from there.

Even some of us will criticise him on that. But what was important at that particular time was to restore peace. His intention was to see how Nigeria could move but at some point, he was held to ransom because of North East that was in turmoil. And this man said he needs to bring back

peace in that region. The more he put efforts, the more the people continue to throw that place on fire. So, there is nothing to blame Goodluck Jonathan about Niger Delta. One thing I strongly believe is that what Goodluck could not do, the present administration can do it.

How will you describe the outcome of your party’s primaries in Edo State?

We had a very good primaries and a good candidate emerged.

It was an embodiment of beauty in a Democracy. The only way the Young Democratic Party (YDP) can show that, it is a democratic party, is by throwing the doors open for the aspirants to show their strength and we did it. We held a primary that had three aspirants, and at the end of the day, one emerged. It was a transparent process. All the people that were there, including the journalists and INEC representatives, commended the primaries. We call this a welcome development in the nation’s democracy.

With the likes of APC and PDP in Edo holding sway as the dominant political parties, do you think YDP has the potential to win the elections?

Definitely! But we don’t even need the PDP and the APC to be in a temporary coma for us to win the election. We did not see them as being obstacle to our victory.

Like we have said, the slogan of the YDP is: ‘The light has come’.

And of course, all of us know that when light appears, darkness disappears. What we are bringing to Nigerians, not only Edo is that the light has come to Nigeria and Edo will be the testing ground. The truth remains that, it is time for us to wake up from slumber. We are conscientizing the Nigerian youths and those who are youngin-mind, who believe that things were not done democratically before and want it done rightly. YDP, by the grace of God, has imbibed the spirit of democracy.

Wining an election required a candidate with popularity; do you see your candidate with such popularity in Edo state?

The mindset of Nigerians should not tilt towards that direction. There were governorship candidates who won elections in their respective states that were not popular. Take an example of Imo State, the then Governor Ikedi Ohakim was not a popular candidate but it happened that, when he won the election, he later became popular.

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Politics 10

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Aspirant assures Ejigbo LCDA residents of purposeful leadership A Chairmanship Aspirant in Ejigbo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, Peter Ajayi, has assured residents of the Local Council of an accountable, purposeful and responsible leadership if voted into power as the Executive Chairman of the Council Area in the forthcoming Local Government election in the state.

Ajayi, in a statement by his spokesperson, Okunade, Adekunle, explained that the residents of the local government deserve more than what they benefitted from successive governments in the council, stressing that he would carry along all stakeholders in the council in his government by operating on the principle of openness in governance.

According to him, since grassroots development is the bedrock of the development of

the nation, concentration of development at the local government level would help in eradicating poverty in the country adding that his experience as Supervisor for Market and Revenue Generation and as a Consultant on Revenue Generation as well as the Chairman of Committee on Revenue of the same Local Council Development Area in the past governments would help in managing the revenue of the council for the implementation of promasses projects in the area.

Ajayi stressed that if elected, he would make sure that the projects to be executed in the Local Council Area are executed by professional contractors who are residents of the council thereby boosting the economy of the Council Area and as well creating jobs opportunities for the teeming youths of the LCDA.

The former Supervisor stated that the Local Council under his watch would not engage in projects that are not of direct importance to the lives and welfare of the people, saying that the people would constantly be consulted on their needs before embarking on any capital projects, adding: “Ejigbo people will be consulted widely before embarking on any capital project because they must have input in the process of policy formulation and implementation”.

The aspirant disclosed that his programmes and policy plan for the local council will be centred on youths and women empowerment, infrastructural development, senior citizens’ welfare, education, good health care service delivery, security and creation of enabling business environment for investors in the Local Council.

PHILIPS

Lagos Electoral Commission boss

Security challenge: APC calls for Ayade’s impeachment Idris, New IGP

Dambazau charges new police chiefs CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

“we cannot guarantee success in our mandate if we fail to build fruitful partnerships with the civilian population”.

Idris enjoined them to encourage the development and sustenance of responsive community policing models, adding: “a police devoid of integrity and perceived to be corrupt cannot earn the trust and confidence of the people”.

The police boss also restated his resolve to fight corruption

at all levels of the public service in the country, adding that it must begin with the police and urged the management team to perform their duties within the confines of the constitution, the Police Act and Regulations.

Responding on behalf of the officers, DIG Shuaibu Gambo assured of the team’s readiness to work in accordance with the constitution and commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the Police for finding them worthy for the appointment.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State on Monday advocated the impeachment of Governor Ben Ayade for numerous constitutional breaches and security lapses in the state.

The party at a press briefing in Calabar, the state capital said that apart from the constitutional breaches, the various security challenges in the state were enough reason for the governor to be impeached.

The Chairman of the APC in the state, Mr. John Ochala, alleged that the lukewarm attitude of the present leadership in the state over serious matters of public concern, including security of lives and properties was only one aspect of the failure of the PDP-led government.

With Ochala at the news briefing were the National Vice Chairman of APC (South-

South), Mr. Hilliard Eta, and a former member of House of Representatives, Mr. Paul Adah, among others.

He said three prominent indigenes of the state, including a chieftain of the party, Senator Patrick Ani, had been kidnapped in the state in the last one week.

The APC state chairman also noted that outside the increased cases of armed robbery and kidnap in Calabar in recent times, other communities in the state were involved in unending communal clashes because of the near-absence of governance in the state.

His words: “If the House of Assembly do not find any area for which to indict and consequently impeach Ayade, we wish to point to them that the governor has consistently stayed out of the state for a period longer

Ayade

than what the constitution prescribes, without duly transmitting the reins of governance to his deputy as prescribed by the relevant statutes.

“Also, he has acted contrary to the provisions laid out in the second schedule of the constitution by attempting to, among others, create a police force in the guise of Green Police, Homeland Security, which are in the exclusive preserve of the Federal Government”, he added.

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Politics

BRAHIM IDRIS, IGP

Be loyal, Dambazau charges new police chiefs

s The Minister of Interior, Retired Lt.-Gen.Abdulrahman Dambazau on Monday charged the newly appointed members of the Police Management team to be loyal to the force.

Speaking at the decoration of members of the management team in Abuja, Dambazau urged them to focus on logistics, operations and welfare of personnel of the force.

Officers decorated included DIGs Shuaibu Gambo, Department of Finance and Admin-

istration, Folusho Adebanjo, Information and Communication Technology and Hyacinth Dagala, Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (FCIID). Others are Maigari Dikko, Logistics and Supply, Joshak Habila, Operations, Emmanuel Inyang, Training and Development, Valentine Chukwu, Research and Planning and AIG Abdul Bube, Force Secretary.

He also urged them to also pay special attention to critical

areas of economy, security and corruption which were the main focus of the present administration, saying: “don’t forget the challenges the country is facing as you discharge your duties.

“Expectations will be high but do the best you can for the development of the country”, he added.

Earlier, the acting InspectorGeneral of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, had urged the team to focus on crime prevention, saying: CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Edo 2016: APC endorses Obaseki as guber candidate The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led by the Party’s National Chairman, Chief John OdigieOyegun has adopted the report of the Party’s Edo State June 18, 2016 Governorship Primaries 2016 Appeals Committee.

This was disclosed by the APC National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni on Monday.

Besides, Buni also announced that the APC NWC also approved the winner of the June 18, 2016

ABUBAKAR TAFAWA BALEWA

“I am pleased to see that we are now all agreed that the Federal system is, under present conditions, the only sure basis on which Nigeria will remain united.’’

APC Governorship Election Primaries, Mr. Godwin Obaseki as the party’s flagbearer for the forthcoming Edo State Governorship election holding in September.

It would be recalled that the three-member Appeal Committee on Wednesday June 29, 2016 submitted its report to the APC National Chairman at the Party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.

The Election Appeal Committee was chaired by Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, a former member of

NNAMDI AZIKIWE

No matter how old an individual may be, no matter if he is young or old, if he thinks in accordance with the times he is immortal.

the House of Representatives.

Other members were: Alh. Mustapha Salisu and Mrs. Ekwy Onyido.

The Appeal Committee received petitions of two aspirants, Barrister Kenneth Imansuagbon and Engineer Chris Ogiemwonyi and commenced sitting on Tuesday 21st June, 2016 and sat till Tuesday 28th June, 2016.

The Committee in its report submitted that the Edo State 2016 APC Governorship primaries CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI

“To be spiritual is not by praying and going to church. Spiritualism is the understanding of the universe so that it can be a better place to live in.”

OBASEKI OBAFEMI AWOLOWO

“Those who desire to reach, and keep their places at the top in any calling must be prepared to do so the hard way.”

‘APC Governorship primaries valid’

ALEX EKWUEME

“Ours is hardly a Federation except in name”.

News 6

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Food crisis in Nigeria’s NE like Darfur, S’ Sudan – UN ÏÏÏUrgent

funding is needed to keep thousands of people alive in Boko Haram-hit northeast Nigeria, the UN said onMonday, stressing that the situation borders on famine and compares to crises in Darfur and South Sudan.

Aid agencies have been warning increasingly of food shortages in hard-to-reach areas of Borno state, while one NGO said last week some inaccessible parts could be suffering from famine.

Toby Lanzer, the UN’s regional humanitarian coordinator for the Sahel, including the Lake Chad basin, said progress had been made in recent years, as the Islamists lost control of territory.

But he said he was “horrified” by the condition of people on a recent visit to the town of Bama, adding that the situation in Dikwa and

Monguno towns was “equally as worrying”.

“I have worked in many, many places -- Central African Republic, Darfur, South Sudan -- and the condition of people in very rural parts of Borno state is as bad as I have ever seen,” he said.

“It is an acute emergency,” he told AFP by telephone from Cameroon.

Lanzer said $220 million (200 million euros) was needed for the next 10 weeks “for the purposes of keeping people alive”.

Nigeria, whose revenues have been hit by sustained low global oil prices, does not have the resources to cope and cannot do much more, he added.

International NGOs have faced difficulties accessing places such as Bama, which is some 70 kilometres (45 miles) from the Borno state capi-

tal of Maiduguri, because of roads still prone to ambush and attack.

The medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said last month at least 188 people had died mainly from diarrhoea and malnutrition at a camp in the town since June 22.

AFP was told in early June at least 10 people were starving to death every day at a camp in Banki, 60 kilometres from Bama, and that 376 people had died in three months.

Meanwhile, the UN children’s fund UNICEF said 250,000 children under five risked severe acute malnutrition in Borno this year and if nothing was done, 50,000 could die.

Lanzer said a UN team had managed to go to Banki from Cameroon three days ago but access was still a problem.

“The condition of people is aw-

ful. There are dozens of people dying daily of malnutrition... Our assessment is there are 15,000 people and five of them are dying daily as we speak,” he added.

Last Friday, the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) said “a famine... could be occurring in the worst affected and less accessible pockets of the state”.

Famine is declared where at least 20 percent of an area’s population faces an extreme lack of food and at least 30 percent of children are acutely malnourished.

The death rate also has to exceed 2/10,000 per day.

Lanzer said there were 4.4 million people in the wider northeast and 431,000 in Borno who are conContinued on page 12

Mrs. Ayade

Girl-children being given out in exchange for livestock, gov’s wife cries out Continued from page 1 children in marriage for livestock in the state.

Addressing a press conference on Monday to mark the 2016 World Population Day (WPD) celebration, the wife of the governor stated that the practice was not acceptable.

“Though, we have often preferred to think that this happens only in distant lands, we have now heard the most incredible stories from some parts of our dear Cross River state where the unacceptable practice of girl-children being given in marriage in exchange for mere livestock still happens.”

Dr Ayade, who was represented

by Mrs Rose Eneji, said that many young girls today face a bleak future because their communities drive them into forced marriages and early motherhood which sometimes reContinued on page 12

Gully erosion at Cemetery Road, Makera, Samaru, Sabongari Local Government Area of Kaduna State… on Monday.

Nigeria’s economy will probably contract this year – IMF ÏÏÏNigeria’s

economy will probably contract this year as energy shortages and the delayed budget weigh on output, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“I think there is a high likelihood that the year 2016 as a whole will be a contractionary year,” Gene Leon, the fund’s resident representative in Nigeria, said in an interview with Bloomberg in Abuja, on July 8. While the economy should look better in second half of the year, growth will probably not “be sufficiently fast, sufficiently rapid to be able to negate the outcome of” the first and second quarters, he said.

Africa’s largest economy shrunk by 0.4 percent in the three months through March, the first contraction in more than a decade, as oil output and prices slumped and the approval

of spending plans for 2016 were delayed. A currency peg and foreignexchange trading restrictions, which were removed last month after more than a year, led to shortages of goods from gasoline to milk and contributed to the contraction in the first quarter.

While conditions that impeded growth in the first half of the year, including shortages of power, fuel, and foreign exchange, as well as the higher price of dollars on the parallel market, may have been reduced, they still weigh on the economy, Leon said.

The Washington-based lender cut its 2016 growth forecast for Nigeria to 2.3 percent in its April Regional Economic Outlook from 3.2 percent projected in February. The World Bank lowered its forecast to 0.8 per-

cent last month, citing weakness from oil-output disruptions and low prices. Last year’s expansion of 2.7 percent was the slowest in two decades, according to IMF data.

“Most people would agree that if you should fix one thing in this country, it should be power,” Leon said.

“There is a need to start changing the power equation from 2016, from today, not tomorrow or later.”

Nigeria generated an average of 2,464 megawatts of electricity on June 6, according to information from the power ministry. This is less than half of the installed capacity of 5,000 megawatts for a nation whose population of 180 million people is the highest on the continent. It compares to power generating capacity of more than 40,000 megawatts in South Africa, which has a popula-

tion a third of the size.

While inflation will probably continue its upward trend through the end of this year, it is unlikely to exceed 20 percent, Leon said. Price growth accelerated to 15.6 percent, the highest rate in more than six years, in May and probably quickened to 16.2 percent last month, according to the median of seven economist estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

The central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee “may be open to tolerating a little more inflation if growth emerges as the priority, as opposed to choking inflation and squeezing the little life out of growth,” Leon said.

“But the central bank, in conjunction with the MPC, needs to be clear to participants in markets what exactly their priority is.”

Reps sex scandal: US envoy to tender video as hearing begins Thursday Henry Omunu & Emmanuel Iriogbe, Abuja

ÏÏÏThe outgoing United States of

America Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle has promised to present video evidence to the House Ethics and Privileges Committee probing the allegation made against the three House of Representatives members accused of sexual misconduct while in on an official trip to America when the public hearing begins on Thursday.

The three members according to the letter from the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria which was addressed to Speaker Yakubu Dogara Continued on page 12

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

RC 103022

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

15 Opinion

Skewed appointments and premature retirements

T Polycarp Onwubiko

he appointment of the new acting Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris has provoked a groundswell of angst and disapproval from the southern part of the country in general and the southeast geo-political zone in particular.

The lopsided appointment has confirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari does not pay heed to the voice of the people with respect to observing the federal character given the ethno-religious diversity of the country.

The Igbo never pretended they are expecting that the position of IGP would be given to an Igbo man in view of the plethora of eminently qualified men and women in the Nigerian Police and even in other security apparatus as they have been sidetracked for decades.

A columnist, Idowu Akinlotan, [The Nation on Sunday, July 3 2016] denounced the serial lopsided appointments by Buhari in the country’s security organisations especially ignoring the Igbos and rightly contended that the structural insularity is detrimental to the efforts in national integration.

It is a thing of concern to wellmeaning Nigerians that the country’s ethno-religious diversity and

geo-politics have not been reflected in the strategic appointments. It has given the impression that Muhammadu Buhari regales in nepotism.

The expectation of the Igbos that one of their own would clinch the post of IGP was justified because of the humiliation meted to, Mr. Joe Onovo, an Igbo by former President Goodluck Jonathan. It was in the frantic bid to dance to the tunes of Northern Moslems, the unabashed feudal caliphate who had apparently vowed to be in charge of all the security apparatuses namely: minister of defense, IGP, DSS, National Security Adviser, Customs etc. that led him to hurriedly remove the eminently and intellectually sound Igbo man.

The fact remains that if the accusations were verifiable and confirmed, the reasonable thing for Jonathan was to appoint another Igbo or someone from the southwest, south -south or a Christian from the Middle-Belt to replace Onovo. However, to confirm the covert Caliphate agenda against Mr. Onovo President Jonathan succumbed and appointed a northern Moslem. Buhari has unabashedly reflected the evil agenda and is demonstrating a cynical and contemptuous indifference to the criticisms and disapprovals of his lopsided appointments in the security agencies.

It should be sounded loud and clear that nepotism is downright corruption. In his comment, the former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife contended that Buhari was fuelling the agitation for Biafra due to his brazen lopsided appointments, giving the impression that Igbos are not needed in his government.

In relation to the security issue sequel to the appointment of the new IGP, scores of the assistant IGPs have been prematurely retired. It is time this grossly irrational rule was thrown out from the laws that established the security apparatus. In the existential realities, the only thing that is permanent is “change.” The Almighty God has given man brain to organise his environment and society. Common sense would dictate that that rule is counter-productive and should have been dumped into the scrap heap of history.

It is puerile to contend that officers on the same grade would not take orders from their colleague when he is favoured with a political appointment to the apex of the security cadre. Since the top-most position, as IGP is not a carrier one but a political position, there is nothing demeaning for other officers to directives from the favoured person.

Government spend a lot in the in-service training in and outside

the country, seminars, workshops and assignments in other countries where they garnered diverse experiences beneficial to the police job in the country. Thus, premature retirements have rubbished these vital professional experiences to the detriment of the country. The rule should not be akin to the “laws of Media and Persians” which are cast in granite and irrevocable. It is grossly irrational to continue with this thoughtless rule and these recently retired top ranking police officers should be recalled immediately. The seemingly intractable insecurity in the country does not support this silly rule.

It is such rules that have made it imperative for the country to reinvent true federalism since no amount of reforms can ensure adequate security in Nigeria. It is apposite for President Buhari to heed the clarion calls for the restructuring of the lopsided federation since the country cannot continue to wobble in the pseudo and false federation imposed by the feudal caliphate behind the aberrant military regimes that bastardised the federal system wisely adopted by the founding fathers of Nigerian independence.

Mr. Onwubiko wrote from Awka, Anambra State

Kachikwu, NNPC and continuity (2)

C Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa

oming immediately after the very successful NNPC road show in Beijing China,where investment MOUs totally over 50 billion US dollars were signed to fast track the administration’s plans for transforming the oil industry, it will amount to a contradiction to interpret the President’s action as a vote of no confidence on Kachikwu. On the other hand, it may well be that in the President’s calculation Kachikwu has delivered on the target set for him. I am more inclined to go with the latter view because I sincerely believe that the President can not reward such performance with a seeming demotion. That being the case, I think there are, at least, three fundamental issues that should be addressed by the President. The first is the timing of the changes especially against the background of the need to have some consistency in driving already initiated platforms to their logical conclusion. Related to the first, we would be naïve to ignore the inevitable power relations that would disrupt the existing order.

How this is managed would determine the sustainability of present

achievements including relations with external stakeholders. Thirdly, it appears that the President is not bothered by the perception challenges that go with each of his every action as this latest step has oiled the arsenal of those who insist that his government has been grossly unfair to the south east zone of the country.

This point has been made by several unbiased commentators that ignoring the South East geopolitical zone in most of the President’s appointment, except for the ministerial positions mandated by the constitution leaves sour taste in the mouth.

Let me conclude on the following notes. One: the change has been made; Baru is an industry insider and a member of Kachikwu’s team.

Therefore, he can be expected to deliver on the settled goals of the administration. Second, while Kachikwu’s position as chairman of the NNPC Board guarantees that he retains substantial oversight over the activities of the company, the fact that he is a junior minister can circumscribe his authority and render him vulnerable to humiliation.

The way out: unless President Buhari no longer has confidence in him which is doubtful, the most strategic thing to do would be to confirm him

as substantive oil minister without delay. That not only confers him with the moral authority to prosecute the existing reform template but the confidence of the Niger Delta militants who, at the moment, could see this thinly veiled demotion as a repudiation of Kachikwu’s promotion of dialogue with the Niger Delta militants.

Considered dispassionately, the President has absolutely nothing to lose by elevating Kachikwu to the substantive position. On the contrary, he has everything to gain.

Come to think of it: the electric power situation has gotten worse, food prices have quadrupled and shot through the roof, all the gains from the north east theatre of war have been obliterated by unprecedented insecurity in other parts of the country; these areas, being manned by different ministers, all desperately yearn for the attention of the President who, in a strict sense, is responsible, to the electorate, for their performance or lack of it since the ministers, like Kachikwu,are only exercising delegated authority.

Now that the NNPC executive position is gone, it is only proper that in the light of the achievements of the ministry under the Buhari/Kachik-

wu leadership, the junior minister should be elevated to the substantive position to continue with the good work while the President devotes his time to those areas where the roof is still leaking badly.

On the issue of perception, by excluding the south east from the executive board of the NNPC, the President has inadvertently given fillip to the accusation that he hates the Igbo race. This view is gaining currency everyday and I wonder what his advisers including the NSA are telling him about this patent discrimination. But it is up to the President to consider. If I am to suggest, I will think that by excluding a zone with three oil producing states from the body that decides on the policy framework guiding this natural resource, he may be losing the moral and spiritual foundation of his authority which came, first from God, before it was translated through electoral votes, no matter how it was conjured. In the end, it is up to the President: as the Igbo would put it, he has both the yam and the knife; therefore, the sharing formula remains his prerogative.

May The Almighty God grant him the wisdom to rule with justice and fear of God.

Opinion 14

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

IBB: Welcome home from Germany, not from land of the dead

I William Bozimo

BB has always been enigmatic. And a reporter’s delight, in and out of the military service. Even in his heydays in the military with his popularity spreading across all ranks and file of the soldiers. He would readily attend the birthday parties of lower ranked soldiers in the barracks.

He was easily seen as a soldier’s soldier and of the people, as an officer who frequently commingled with the high and the low spreading his legendary generosity, which you could smell in the air.

In spite of his humane exterior with people of all classes, rich and poor, he kept a dignified distance when matters of the routine change of governments were being designed and executed with clinical exactitude. Mostly, unknown, even by his closest of friends.

He served his country under the Armoured Corps and he could be vicious when you try to confront him in his line of duty.

His familiar gap –toothed smile has become his trademark.

However, do not mistake it for absolute friendship.

He could be as changeable as the British weather.

Ibrahim BadamasiBabaginda alias IBB hails from Niger state and had since remained iconic.

Many hate him to love him. Could he be Janus- faced like a Greek god? In addition, many think he has two faces, both of them residing in one Man. His sheer charisma has baffled many a friend like two of his bosom friends. LateMajGenMammanJiyaVatsa a poet- soldier and Dele Giwa, a blossoming member of the Pen Fraternity did not live long enough to glow and savour his friendship with the ‘Maradona’ of Nigeria’s soldiery.

We should leave this for another day.

IBB, as we know him today, came to the limelight during Col Dimka’s Coup on February 13 as he assassinated Murtala Ramat Muhammed as his convoy zoomed from Ikoyi to Dodan Barracks, Lagos, and then seat of the military government. Lagos was thrown into monumental confusion as most workers abandoned their offices and only a few of us journalists dared to report for duty at

Kakawa Street, home to Daily Times.

The Editor, Mr. AreoyeOyebola, did not have the nerves to come to work. In addition, by noon, he was fired. In his place, a core reporter in Mr.SegunOsoba, his Deputy, was around with the Managing Director, the ebullient and the irrepressible AlhajiBabatundeJose decided there and then and made SegunOsaba the new Editor of the Daily Times.

As we were saying before we digressed, IBB moved swiftly with his Armoured Personnel Carriers to the Radio Nigeria premises in Ikoyi.

He called out to ColBukarSukaDimka to stop the madness and surrender to him.

That was courage at its ultimate in this important threshold of the Nation’s history. IBB literally

looked at death in the face and walked up to him unarmed.

From then on, IBB’s charm and mystique baffled many a soldier.

With a calculating mien, he disarmed Dimka, who had blood on all his fingers.

Why did IBB dare a man who has just wasted the life of a military head of state who has only spent 200 days in office? Some day, he will tell me in an exclusive interview why he dared Dimka at the Radio station and perhaps, smoked him out.

The second time when his life was threatened in Major Orka’s coup of 1991 April 22, his Adc was killed in a hail of bullets as he was bottled up in Dodan Barracks. Miraculously, Gen. Abacha came to his rescue mobilized loyal troops and in a counter- attack, quelled what could have been a bloody coup in the history of Nigeria.

Many did not forgive him, IBB, for the annulment of the June 12 elections in 2003 in which, one of his best friends was presumably, believed to be coasting to victory.

He took absolute responsibility for the annulment in later years.

The IBB charisma soared again, in the past two months, as he was rumoured to have joined his ancestors. He debunked the rumour of his death as being either exaggerated or born out of ill -will by enemies of the IBB towering image while on a sick bed in a hospital in Germany.

The Man IBB many would love to call him the ‘Maradona’, the Argentine Soccer wizard and the ‘Evil Genius’ all combined had created this love- hate relationship by his fans and enemies.

Whatever any one would say, he has become so iconic in the annals of Nigeria’s military history, especially, for creating Delta state, ostensibly, for his delectable wife and First Lady, Maryam Babangida, nee Okogwu, whose fantastic headstyle became the fashion many women in the country, and mostly remembered for her ‘Better Life for Rural Women.’

In this period of Ramadan, as Muslims all over the world are fasting and praying, this column wishes him him many more years of life touching magic that had endeared him to many in the father- land.

The ugly rumour about his passing on was debunked when a Television station pulled an exclusive interview with him from his hospital bed in Germany. When asked about his passing on he replied in his Canary voice ‘ But you are talking to me now. I was sick and there was no doubt about it but I am receiving treatment now and I am well and healthy. I will be coming back home this week.’IBB reassured people in the country.

One could recall rumours of the death of the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe in those days but somehow he survived most of those who led the spread of the rumours.

One is compelled to extend this felicitation to IBB as a friend I knew many years back, and with Ramadan, I wish him longer life for the sake of humanity and his charismatic mien .IBB, in and out of office, many still adore you for your patriotic zeal and courageous acts of valour as a true soldier.

Always keep the gap- toothed mesmerising smile.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

The Presidency has appealed to officials and members of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG), campaign group not to waver in their support for the government in the war against terrorism, insisting that despite insinuations, it has not broken any of its promises on the abducted girls.

Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday called on the group to continue to support the government in the ongoing effort to free all Nigerian citizens taken captive by the Boko Haram terrorist group.

He described as untrue the group’s claims in a recent statement that Buhari had “broken all promises’’ made to the group about rescuing the missing Chibok girls and “that the government had been lackadaisical in the rescue mission”.

According to him, the past year of President Buhari-led administration has seen the Nigerian military step up bombardment of the Sambisa Forest, a stronghold of Boko Haram terrorists, leading to the capture of hundreds of insurgents.

“Also, records from the army show the rescue of no fewer than 15,000 captives, mostly women and children from the terrorists from February to date. “In addition, dozens of communities that were previously under the control of the

9 Politics

Buhari: We have not broken promises on Chibok girls terrorists have been liberated, allowing thousands of previously displaced citizens to return home and resume their normal lives.

“Thousands of these women and children freed from captivity have also been reunited with their families.

“This huge number of rescued women and children may not be prominent names, and their disappearance may not have generated any massive media attention and campaign.

“However, their liberation is just as important as that of every other missing woman and child, and a testament to the devotion of our military personnel who daily risk life and limb in the effort to bring back every Nigerian citizen kidnapped

by Boko Haram terrorists”, he stressed.

According to him, the Federal Government is focused on the welfare and rehabilitation of rescued Nigerians, many of whom were found in a state of severe malnutrition and illness.

“While their intentions are honourable, perhaps the BBOG leadership has not considered the collateral damage which must inevitably follow its riveting and dispiriting claim that

Buhari

the President has “broken all promises” allegedly made to the group on this issue or that he has been “lackadaisical” in rescuing the Chibok girls.

“The federal government’s focus has always been to free the Chibok girls alive and unharmed”, he added.

According to Shehu, the Pres-

ident is always conscious about the fact that terrorism in Nigeria is part of a global phenomenon, saying that since coming to office, his response to it has been firm and well considered.

He maintained that Buhari would never make bogus promises or play to the gallery. “It is misleading of anyone to preach that the Chibok girls are within easy grasp. If the military under the President knows where they are held, they will bring the Chibok girls home today’’, he said. He added that the Presidency was open to renew cooperation with the BBOG group, international bodies, religious groups, social workers, and all others for smooth reintegration of those so far rescued from Boko Haram captivity.

He said groups such as the BBOG could also lend a helping hand to families of the military and other security agencies whose losses needed to be appreciated and focused upon.

“The life of every single Nigerian matters to this government and the security agencies”, he said, adding: “Administration will continue to exert all its powers to ensure that every Nigerian is safe from the brutality of terrorists and terrorism”.

Edo 2016: APC approves Obaseki CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

Oshiomhole

were valid and while not dismissing the seriousness of the allegations and claims of the petitioners, the issues raised were not compelling as to warrant the cancellation of the Primary Election.

The Appeal Committee called on all APC stakeholders in the state to put the Party’s interest over and above personal interests in ensuring a speedy and amicable reconciliation.

The Appeal Committee recommended that the leadership of the party step up diplomacy in trying to reconcile stakeholders in the state. The Appeal Committee also urged the National Chairman of the party, Chief Odigie-Oyegun, to consolidate on his involvement in reaching out to all aggrieved parties.

The Committee also recommended that a high-powered committee be set up by the party to reach out and mediate between

the state Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and all aspirants who participated in the primary.

Meanwhile, Chief Odigie-Oyegun has congratulated Mr. Obaseki on his emergence as the APC flag-bearer for the September 10, 2016 governorship election in the state.

Odigie-Oyegun also congratulated the Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari-led sevenmember Election Committee for successfully conducting a very transparent, free, fair and credible governorship primaries in Edo State. He also thanked the Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele-led three-member Edo State governorship Election Appeal Committee for successfully carrying out its assignment and submitting a report.

The APC National Chairman called on party stakeholders to close ranks and support the candidature of Obaseki in the lead up

to the forthcoming Edo State Governorship elections.

His words: “As the Party prepares for the September 10, 2016 governorship election in Edo State, I call on all aspirants, party leaders, stakeholders and teeming members of our great party to close ranks and unite as a strong political fighting force behind the candidature of Mr. Godwin Obaseki for a landslide victory at the forthcoming Edo State governorship election.

“The request by the aspirants was that the Edo State APC governorship election primaries should be transparent, free, fair and credible. This, the Party achieved creditably during the primaries.

Going forward, we should avoid triumphalist actions and avoid creating new stresses within the Party. We should all seek to reunify the Party to face the September 10, 2016 governorship election”, he stressed.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

B3 Money Market Heritage Bank boosts entrepreneurship in Lagos

2014

“Since the corresponding period of 2014, several major financial system stability issues have continued to stare Nigeria in the face

CBN reiterates commitment to financial system stability Stories by Motolani Oseni As part of its ongoing efforts at ensuring overall growth of the Nigerian economy, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reiterated its commitment to the nation’s financial system stability.

The apex bank promised that it will remain committed to its mandate of ensuring a sound financial system, as well as promoting sustainable economic development in the country.

Speaking at the maiden Financial Journalists’ and Banks’ Image Makers’ Parley, organised by the Centre for Financial Journalism (CFJ Nigeria), the Deputy Governor, Corporate Services, CBN, Adebayo Adelabu, said that the CBN Act of 2007 charges the Bank with the overall control and administration of the monetary and financial sector policies of the Federal Government.

While explaining the roles of the CBN in ensuring financial system stability in the country, Adelabu noted that the CBN is charged to ensure monetary and price stability; issue legal tender currency in Nigeria; maintain external reserves to safeguard the international value of the legal tender currency; promote a sound financial system in Nigeria; and act as Banker and provide eco-

nomic and financial advice to the Federal Government.

Consequently, the Bank is charged with the responsibility of administering the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (1991), otherwise known as BOFIA, as amended, with the sole aim of ensuring high standards of banking practice and financial stability through its surveillance activities, as well as the promotion of an efficient payment system.

He, however, pointed that in more recent years, the CBN, in addition to its core monetary functions, has performed some major developmental functions, by intervening in the entire key sectors of the Nigerian economy namely: financial, agricultural and industrial sectors. Overall, these mandates are carried out by the Bank through its various departments.

Adelabu explained further that in an effort to pursuit its mandate, the CBN established relevant departments to entrench a supervisory and regulatory regime that promotes a sound and stable financial system in Nigeria.

The departments are: “The Banking Supervision Department (BSD), Other Financial Institutions Supervision Department (OFISD), Financial Policy and Regulation Department

(FPRD), and Consumer Protection Department (CPD). Through these departments, it conducts on-site examinations and off-site monitoring, and acts as the lender of last resort to provide liquidity when and where necessary.

Although, he agreed that the global financial system, in recent times, has witnessed series of shocks, which Nigeria is not immune to.

His words: “Since the corresponding period of 2014, several major financial system stability issues have continued to stare Nigeria in the face. Specifically, there has been a significant drop in the price of crude oil, which constitutes the largest component of our FOREX reserves.”

Emefiele

Heritage Bank Plc in partnership with the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) has graduated 100 young entrepreneurs in the CVL Young Entrepreneurship Training Programme (YETP) in Ajegunle, Lagos.

In its continued effort to create and preserve wealth and curb unemployment among youths, the bank is currently engaged at identifying young people, especially youths in densely populated communities and putting them through a full year of training in small business management.

Speaking at the event, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Bank, Mr. Ifie Sekibo, expressed appreciation to the founder of CVL, Professor Pat Utomi, for the initiative and implored the graduands to reciprocate by making the best of the opportunity.

In his words, “we are attracted to CVL because we seek how we can harness entrepreneurial skills of people, reduce unemployment and foster development of communities, like the Ajegunle community. We are delighted with the mechanics of this program and we recognize the strategic importance and impact of successful

businesses could have on young entrepreneurs and the society, which is why we provide funds for start-ups.”

As a way of showing Heritage Bank’s commitment to the initiative, the Managing Director, who was represented by the Divisional Head, Corporate Banking, Heritage Bank, Apapa Region Mr. Kehinde Olugbemi announced that two physical agent banking kiosks will be opened and commissioned before the end of the year so as to make financial services more accessible to the graduands as well as the city of Ajegunle.

His Excellency, the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, who was represented

by Mrs Olabisi Boko, a Director in the State Ministry of Employment tasked them to use the acquired skills immensely to add value to their wellbeing. In the Governor’s words: “the Lagos State Government is committed to fighting unemployment by collaborating with private sector initiatives such as the CVL’s in achieving this goal.” The Governor called on the private sector and stakeholders of the economy to emulate as well as support the CVL initiative.

Briefs FG to raise N120b in 5-20 year bond The Federal Government of Nigeria ()plans to raise 120 billion naira ($424.78 million) in local currency denominated bonds with maturities ranging between 5-year and 20-year on July 13, the Debt Management Office (DMO) said on Monday.

The debt office said in a notice that it will raise 40 billion naira at par in 2021 bond, while also raising 40 billion naira apiece

in the 2026 and 2036 maturing bonds at the auction.

The 2026 and 2036 debt is a reopening of the previously issued paper, the debt office said.

Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy, said it would borrow around 900 billion naira from the local debt market to finance a portion of the estimated 2.2 trillion naira deficit in this year’s budget.

FX trading: CBN directs dealers to trade via FMDQ-advised FX system The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed that all Foreign Exchange (FX) related trades by authorized dealers and corporate institutions in the Nigerian forex market, be executed through the FMDQ-advised FX trading, auction and surveillance systems.

This is in furtherance of its efforts in engendering transparency and professionalism in the Nigerian foreign exchange market.

In a circular signed by Alvan Ikoku, director, financial markets department, the CBN said all authorized dealers (banks) are

expected to execute all FX trades among themselves and with their clients (corporate institutions) through the FMDQ-advised FX systems.

The deployment of the FMDQadvised FX systems will only be to those corporates that have been screened and pre-approved

by FMDQ in line with its onboarding eligibility criteria, the CBN said.

The Apex bank urged all authorize dealers and corporate institutions operating in the Nigerian foreign exchange market to ensure strict compliance.

Daily Times Nigeria

Tuesday July 12, 2016

Mutiat Alli With the times changing, not getting married until you reach 30 seems to be the new norm. The times when people got married in their early twenties are long gone apparently. The societal pressure of a boon, no denying that. But, there are more than one reasons why getting married early is not such well settled before you marry makes total sense, the common myth that tying the knot early puts a full stop to your life, here are six reasons why it is actually a good decision. is a big decision and you will still be as clueless when you are forty as you are right now. There will

person already, maybe, it is time to take the plunge.

When you marry early, there is no pressure to years of the marriage can be spent in bliss without any undue pressure about bearing children since clock starts ticking. You can travel all you want and in your late twenties takes away that liberty.

Admit it or not, your twenties are the most exciting years of your life. Once gone, it never a part of that glorious phase in your life too. Getting married early opens up a whole new world for the

car – you want it to experience with the woman you Needless to say, honeymoons are much more and get sloshed, you can set out on a day long trek,

Teens societal

pressure to get married

aged man with a paunch who is diagnosed with a new ailment with!

There are times when marriages go terribly wrong and there is nothing you could have anticipated. An early marriage gives you much more chance to not only work on the relationship but also walk out of it and start afresh in case it fails. It may not be the most pleasant thing to hear but all said and done, there is nothing in the world that can ensure the success of a marriage.

Advantages and disadvantages of earliness to marriage People get married young because it seems they will lose the love of their life. person they have sex soul mate. Well, the

have no capacity left for alcohol and no enthusiasm for anything else either!

Remember how your dad carried you around on his shoulders all the time when you were a kid and to give his kids the same childhood. You want to be the one who teaches your son how to play Cricket and his daughter, how to ride a bicycle. You want to

L3 Teen

experience but I know of a lot of people who have keep a commitment to

save their soul.

Not understanding how you are going to portion up the responsibilities of daily living. Who does what, under what conditions, when, is always a work in progress. The progression happen because the security of having someone to connect with

young people together is not mad passionate love....but fear! Fear again, fear of not being good enough, and so on.

The list goes on with each decade revealing another thing that settling down early requires you to miss or be negligent about in your relationship. It typically ends up not being clean.

A lot of women use sex and marriage to leverage themselves out of scared about having to be on their own. Some because their friends did it. There are similarities in the list I made for why men get married.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

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Business News B2

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Lafarge assures on positive outlook despite losses spurred by forex policy

NEPC urges exporters to leverage on ICT to grow market CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

es are without any additional cost to exporters,” he said. Describing the exporters as entrepreneurs, he advised that they consider the prospect of increasing sales and revenue through the use of ICT tools to internationalize trade, generate export offers through the strategic display of products at key nodes on the internet.

He said that Nigeria can join the league of oil producing countries who no longer depend on oil as source of revenues, example of which are Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, among others, saying, “At the national level, it is necessary for Nigeria to diversify its export earnings and move away from its over-dependence on oil as the only source of foreign exchange revenue. Meanwhile, he pointed out that the workshop is part of the council’s effort as a lead agency with the responsibility of developing and promoting non-oil export and tailored with the purpose of sensitising the exporters.

NNPC/NPDC keeps mum over ‘Special Account’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

three conflicting sets of NPDC lifting and sales figures, from the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, NNPC COMD and the company itself. “When reconciling these proved impossible, the auditors accepted total NPDC revenues of $6.82 billion in nineteen months as “reasonable enough,” Natural Resource Governance Institute, NRGI said in its August 2015 report.

NPDC oil sales come from two main sources, and NNPC appears to retain all the oil sale revenues from both: Okono liftings- all of Nigeria’s Okono grade crude oil comes from the offshore block OML 119. NPDC has held 100 percent equity in this block since the early 2000s. The ENI subsidiary Agip Energy and Natural Resources Nigeria Ltd., AENR, has operated the block for NPDC under the country’s only service contract. OML 119 produced 34,948 barrels per day of Okono grade crude in 2014. NNPC sells the share of this oil that belongs to NPDC. A few private oil traders—recently, Sahara Energy and Taleveras above all, have bought NPDC’s share of Okono from NNPC, lifted it and sold it to foreign buyers, according to NRGI.

NIPR

L – R: Mr. Akin Adeoya, Managing Director, MarketingMix, Dr. Bola Olaosebikan, Publisher, Healthcare Magazine with Mr. Akinwumi Dickson, Publisher Brandcampaign Magazine and Dr. Rotimi Oladele, President Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) at the Brand Campaign 5th anniversary lecture and awards held at ADNA Hotel, GRA- Ikeja, Lagos on Wednesday 6th of July 2016.

Dogara leads winners of 2015 Zik Prize Awards Speaker of the House of Representatives, RT. Hon Yakubu Dogara, two serving governors and five other prominent Nigerians have won the 2015 Zik Prize in Leadership at an elaborate ceremony hosted Sunday night at the Civic Centre, Ozumba Mbadiwe Road, Victoria Island, Lagos.

RT Hon. Dogara was awarded the Zik Prize in Leadership Award for Public Service, while governors Willie Obiano of Anambra State and. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State were awarded the Zik Prize for Good Governance.

Other recipients include veteran Journalist and CEO of Channels Television, Mr John Momoh and Chairman of Erisco Foods Limited, Chief Jude Umeofia The Zik Prize Leadership was set up in 1994 by the Public Policy Research and Analysis Centre, (PPRAC), as part of annual activities in honour of the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the First President and Commander-inChief of the Armed Forces of

the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

It is meant to encourage the development of patriotism, honour and integrity among Africans and all black people of the world. The PPRAC is a private sector, non-political and nongovernmental organization.

As in past editions, this year’s recipients were adjudged by the Advisory Board of the PPRAC to have excelled in various fields of human endeavour and therefore selected for the prestigious award.

Dogara

Lafarge Africa Plc has assured stakeholders that the N28 billion unrealized exchange loss that arose as a result of the recent naira devaluation will have no immediate impact on cash flow of the company.

Lafarge had through a profit warning issued via the NSE explained that the N28 billion unrealized exchange loss arising from USD borrowings, related to United Cement Company of Nigeria Limited (UNICEM) were set up prior to Lafarge’s acquisition of UNICEM and consisted of 310 million USD shareholder loans and 85 million USD external loans at the first time of the devaluation.

FG appeals to PENGASSAN to call off industrial action Joy Ekeke The Federal Government has appealed to oil sector workers under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, to halt its industrial action in the interest of the economy.

A statement issued late at the weekend by the Deputy Director (Press) in the Ministry of Labour, Samuel Olowookere, on behalf of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, expressed fears that the action would lead to “unwarranted hardship on the populace”.

He said, “Strike neither solves industrial disputes nor contributes to industrial growth.

Our economy is already reeling from severe haemorrhage occasioned by decade long mismanagement.

Further action, which stunts the efforts currently being made to reverse the trend, should therefore be shunned.

“A situation where oil workers leave their offices and oil

loading base will not make for an increase in oils export nor assist make available, enough petroleum products in this time of deregulation. This will only compound the vandalisation in the Niger Delta, occasioning low output and export in our OPEC quota, apart from the unwarranted hardship on the populace.

“The time therefore calls for more patriotism more so when negotiations have already been kick started with PENGASSAN and International Oil Companies on most of the areas especially the issue of cash calls and arbitrary sack of personnel.

“The Federal Government therefore urges PENGASSAN to urgently call off the strike so that all sides will freely negotiate. I am very optimistic that when we sit for negotiation today, July 11, issues that have led to the situation on the ground will be resolved in the greater interest of the nation.”

He furthered urged Nigerians to avoid panic buying of petroleum products.

Skye bank management allays fears on capital problems Mr. M.K. Ahmad, a former Director General of the National Pension Commission, and the new chairman of Skye Bank Plc has further re-assured the bank’s customers and investors that the bank was not distressed but only had corporate governance issues under the old board.

He said the bank’s fundamentals remain strong and that it re-

mains one of Nigeria’s leading and retail banks.

The Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Mr. Tokunbo Abiru, also said the management team and the board would work to achieve value enhancement for shareholders, customers and other stakeholders by bringing the costincome ratio to acceptable levels, improve the risk assets quality

and work towards increasing the liquidity and capital adequacy of the bank.

Abiru described the reconstitution of the bank’s board as an intervention and not a takeover by the CBN, expressing that the lender’s fundamentals are strong.

Fears over Skye Bank’s capital problems have however spread to other banks, as it dragged the NSE Banking index to a decline

of 2.62 per cent from 296.03 basis points the market opened last Monday to 288.27 basis points recorded last week Friday.

Last week, the director of banking supervision, CBN, Tokunbo Martins, said “one or two” other lenders had also failed liquidity tests, but they were not in the same situation as Skye Bank, adding that the CBN was working with them to restore their ratios.”

Daily Times Nigeria

Tuesday July 12, 2016

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Interview L2

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday July 12, 2016

Music makes me happy when I’m angry -M a th D o lc e

Matthew Onuoha, also known as Math Dolce, is a Nigerian artiste formerly based in Italy. He returned to Nigeria to explore his musical talent after discovering that his motherland is the best place to showcase his talent especially because

enjoying massive airplay in various media houses. In this interview with ABIMBOLA OBATAYO, he spoke of why he had a break in music, family issues and his aspirations among others.

Who is Math Dolce?

My real names are Matthew Onuoha Chijioke. I am from Imo State. I was born and brought up in Nigeria before I travelled on a family trip to Italy. I schooled and went to a music school over there and I was also playing soccer to support myself. After everything, I came back to Nigeria to do full music and also because of the kind of music I do. I feel that coming back to Nigeria will give me what I needed, so I decided to come back. I do highlife music and my stage name Math Dolce is coined from my name. Math for Matthew, Dolce is my Italian name which means something sweet.

Was music what you wanted to do or because of what it brings to the table?

have a team that I work with, those I can beat my chest and say these guys are good. So when you have this kind of people working for you, you will be able to come out well.

c o m p a r e d where you coming from?

I see that everybody here is hustling, even if you are good or not you just have to work

would have stayed back in Italy to play soccer, but I have a passion for music. I just want to do it and when I look back, I will say I have achieved a lot being a legend. It is not because of money yet, money comes

t

o a r e

hard to meet up with the standard. Some artistes drop new songs almost every month, so you just have to work hard to be up there.

me and through the video I write my songs.

known in the industry because after

think I can stop because I so much love music.

might have forgotten your face?

As you can see, my music is going everywhere and we are working hard to make sure that my face is everywhere. Not only in Nigeria but Africa and I have people working everything work well, pray well as well to make people get accustomed to my music.

In order for people to know you

So many people complain of artistes

You are popular in

do you want to deliver to your fans as well as doing something creative that will stand the test of time?

how do you cope with your female fans?

So when did you start music professionally?

About six to eight years now, but I signed into Xstacy music in 2014 and towards the end of

Yeah, I love them and they love me. I appreciate them and when you sing, you still have to give them that respect because I respect women a lot.

video was shot by Clarence Peters godfather in South Africa. The one featured Victoria Kimani. So I have been working.

Why did it take you so long to

W h inspires songs?

Why it took so long was because I wanted to understand the industry well, I wanted to get a good song. I have songs in my archives, but I just wanted to save myself up to that standard that I will be sure I am set to come out. I just needed something good and

this and from there, I bring it

Doyce

T E A M

a t your

somewhere thinking, and I

Society Correspondent Abimbola Obatayo

I like the way someone like Flavour sings, Davido is working well and others. These guys are doing great job. I also love when Wande Coal sings.

I have songs already, but my management has to decide when I drop them. I have collaborations but I just have to keep that

to everyone but to

Entertainment Correspondent Mutiat Alli

which of them would you want to work with?

how soon are you dropping another song?

passion.

Life&

What motivates you to want to do more?

Photography Quadri Olowolagba

Graphics Daniel Ekiye

I always think about that anytime I work in the song whereby it will fade off tomorrow. I love to do songs that people will listen to for a very long time. So I always look into that anytime I work.

them? as a boss in the industry. I respect him a lot and Victoria Kimani is a very good person to be with.

We still have a lot to do together in the future.

Where do you see the music industry a lot of Nigerian artistes are doing collaborations with international artistes. So I see the industry up there if we keep working hard.

Are you in a relationship? searching.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

B7 Business Feature

New Fx Regime puts Nigeria on path to full market economy Shortly after the last meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, rose from its two day meeting held in Abuja, the apex bank announced that it would adopt a flexible foreign exchange market, in an effort to further curtail outflow of the external reserves. AZUBIKE NNADOZIE writes that the MPC also introduced greater flexibility in the inter-bank foreign exchange market structure and retained a small window for critical transactions, thus paving the way the country to become a fully-fledged market economy.

Justifying the new measures, the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, “had stated that in a period of stagflation, the policy options are very limited, and to avoid complicating the conditions, the Committee decided on the least risky option to hold. The foreign exchange market framework now ready, the MPC voted unanimously to adopt greater flexibility in exchange rate policy to restore the automatic adjustment properties of the exchange rate.

Prior to the new development, the apex lender had pegged naira at N197 per US dollar, which became increasingly unsustainable due to a shortage of hard currency stemming from the slump in oil revenues.

At the black market, the naira was trading at 40 percent below the official rate as manufacturers and importers paid massive premiums to avoid hefty official currency curbs which was blamed for tipping the economy towards recession.

Following the release of the revised CBN Guidelines for the operation of the Nigerian InterBank Foreign Exchange (FX) market, the two-way quote (2WQ) inter-bank FX Market went live on the platform of FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange, FMDQ, on June 20, 2016, with the CBN’s Authorised Dealers (ADs) setting the pace for this market-driven trading window through the FMDQ Thomson Reuters Foreign Exchange Trading System.

The Guidelines, which set out a single and autonomous interbank FX market structure for the nation, support the CBN’s desire to enhance efficiency and facilitate a liquid and transparent Nigerian FX market.

The CBN will perform its role as a market intervention participant, in line with global standards, while market forces are left to determine demand and supply dynamics of the market.

CBN FX Primary Dealers have also been introduced to help facilitate the CBN’s market interventionist role.

Through the FMDQ Thomson

Reuters FX Trading System, a dealing solution for the FX trading value chain (ADs, Authorised Buyers, International Oil Companies, Oil Servicing Companies, Exporters, EndUsers etc.), towards providing an enhanced user experience, improved market access and ultimately, credibility in the nation’s FX market, will be provided.

According to Jumoke Olaniyi, Assistant Vice President of FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange, the new Forex regime was meant to allow the market determine what the exchange rate would be. “It is also meant to allow the market to be professionally run, with high standards and punishment for infraactions,” she added.

She said with the new CBN list of primary dealers in place, the next few months are likely to bring a balance to the forex market and bring stability to the commencement of a single market.

In the new arrangement, the CBN ADs (as well as the FX Primary Dealers (FXPDs)) shall buy and sell FX among themselves on a two-way quote basis via the System, trade with the CBN, and will also offer one-way quotes (bid or offer) on requeststo-quote to other Authorised participants (Corporates, EndUsers etc.).

According to Tumi Sekoni, Vice President & Divisional Head, Marketing & Business Development, “The inter-bank 2-WQ FX market will, through the concerted efforts of the overthe-counter (OTC) Exchange and all market participants, serve to engender an even greater investor confidence in the Nigerian FX market.

With its potential to drive transparency and liquidity, FMDQ, through the System, is adequately equipped to provide a complete and consolidated marketplace for FX trading and reporting, offering market participants and regulators a robust and flexible set of tools to support the full trade workflow.

The reforming of the 2-WQ

FX

The foreign exchange market framework now ready, the MPC voted unanimously to adopt greater flexibility in exchange rate policy to restore the automatic adjustment properties of the exchange rate.

inter-bank FX market brings about a lot of promise for the resuscitation of the Nigerian FX market and by extension the development of the nation’s economy.”

She further highlighted that the goal of FMDQ as the frontline market organiser for the OTC fixed income, FX and derivatives markets was to make the Nigerian financial market globally competitive, operationally excellent, liquid and diverse.

According to analysts from Lagos-based Afrinvest Securities, the recent move by the CBN does not only have monetary policy implications, but the larger picture that Nigeria is now embracing market-oriented policies in resource pricing and allocation.

“Coming to terms with this reality has taken a long learning curve with credibility of key public institutions undermined while also constituting a huge cost to public finances, external

reserves and economic growth.

Yet, we think credibility could be won back if reforms continue at current pace. Indeed, we are quite positive about this as four of the five signs we listed as signals for a rebound in the market and the economy have now been met, albeit with fiscal challenges still prevalent at the sub-national level,” they posited.

It appears however that this is also being addressed with the “Fiscal Sustainability Plan” being driven by the Federal Ministry of Finance. The plan constitutes 22 stringent conditions aimed at restoring the fiscal health of States as a pre-condition for bailout fund. Indeed, the sub-nationals might now require much less bailout funds in the new FX market environment since their dollar based income from the Federal Government will now be adjusted to the new market determined FX rates.

“We envisage that the traction in reforms implementation will

smoothen the adjustment of the economy to a lower-oil price environment and thus maintain our long term investment thesis for Nigeria.

According to Director General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, Muda Yusuf: Nigeria has always operated as a market driven economy. “Look at the airlines, and other sectors of the economy, even the media where you belong, how many of them belong to government? It is about 90 percent private sector driven.”

He stated that the new forex regime has eliminated the incidence of forex speculations that had bedeviled the private sector of the economy. “There is no more hoarding, there is no more speculations, investors now get forex when they need it, unlike in the past when forex uncertainties pervaded the entire sector,” he added.

Daily Times Nigeria

Tuesday July 12, 2016

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Times Tuesday, July 12, 2016

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

CBN reiterates commitment to financial system stability Page B3

Hon. Dogara leads winners of 2015 Zik Prize Awards Page B2

NUPENG urges states to stop depending on bailout funds Page B4

NEPC urges exporters to leverage on ICT to grow market Joy Ekeke The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has charged exporters in the country to leverage on technology to reduce cost and increase their market reach.

Executive Director/CEO NEPC, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo, who gave this advise while reacting to a recent report from the World Bank listing of Nigeria as one of the countries of the world with the highest cost of doing business stated that the applica-

tion of manual processes has been responsible for this.

He said this at a workshop on “Appropriate ICT Tools For Export,”calling exporters to embrace standardised and streamlined processes of doing business.

Awolowo who was represented

by Head, Information and Trade, Mrs. Francisca Odega, said that the need to find alternatives to shorten the manual processes cannot be over-emphasised as the situation presents a serious impediment to trade, explained that it is an attempt to address this

challenge that the council put together the workshop to expose the Nigerian Exporters to a number of tested and trusted online tools.

“Theses tools are readily available to make the export business easy and in most cases the servicCONTINUED ON PAGE B2

AMCON to windup MRS Holdings Limited over N81billion debt

Zik Prize

RT Hon. Yakubu Dogara (m) flanked by Gen. Ike Nwachukwu rtd. (l) and former Hallmark Bank MD, Mac Wabara (r), and other well-wishers, during the award of Zik Prize Leadership in Public Service to Hon Dogara at Civic Centre, Victoria Island Lagos… Sunday.

NNPC, NPDC keep mum over ‘Special Account’ Opeoluwani Akintayo Whenever the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, sells oil from blocks owned by one of its subsidiaries, out of which the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC receives a reported 80,243 barrels per day in 2013, it does not forward any proceeds to the national treasury.

According to our findings, the revenues it holds onto are substantial.

Audit and assurance, tax and

consulting company, PriceWaterHouseCooper, PwC, estimated total earnings from NPDC oil sales at $6.82 billion over nineteen months in 2012 to 2013.

Industry stakeholders have severally questioned why NPDC would need such large withholdings since the majority of its blocks are developed under contracts—including the Strategic Alliance Agreements that require private partners to cover its share of operating costs.

Who collects and controls the revenues from NPDC sales is un-

clear from available information.

NPDC’s own financial statements do not list them, and the company has no settled practice of paying dividends to NNPC or the treasury. Instead, NNPC’s Crude Oil Marketing Division, COMD, sells the oil for NPDC and proceeds are lodged in an “NPDC/NNPC Special Account” which NNPC controls. According to Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, $3.975 billion went into the “Special Account” for just 2012 oil sales.

Although the Senate Finance Committee recently concluded that this arrangement “undermines [NPDC’s] status as a separate legal entity and makes proper accounting difficult” however, NNPC has not explained how the funds are spent.

At the moment, nobody has been able to discern how much money NNPC has received in total from NPDC liftings. Illustrating some of the serious accounting issues, PwC, during its recent audit, said it received CONTINUED ON PAGE B2

As part of its recovery efforts, which has been stepped up in the last couple of months, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has initiated steps to wind-up MRS Holdings Limited over the inability of MRS to pay a whooping N81billion owed AMCON. AMCON commenced a winding-up proceeding against MRS Holding Limited owned by top businessman, Alhaji Sayyu Dantata, at a Federal High Court, Lagos after all entreaties made by the Corporation to Alhaji Dantata and his MRS to settle the outstanding debt failed. AMCON has in Suit No. FHC/L/CP/923/2016 asked the Federal High Court, Lagos Division to allow it force the insolvent MRS, a major player in the downstream sector of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria into compulsory liquidation.

MRS entered into an agreement with AMCON in February 2014 to restructure the debt, which then stood at over N74 billion. In the agreement executed by Alhaji Dantata and another Executive Director of the oil company, MRS agreed amongst other conditions that; in the event of default, all concessions granted under the terms of settlement shall be revoked and the facility called in at the discretion of AMCON. Alhaji Dantata and one of his directors also signed a default indemnity, which stated that if MRS Holdings Limited failed to pay any sum (of principal, interest or otherwise) due or to become due as agreed, MRS Holdings Limited shall pay additional interest at a default rate determined by AMCON on the unpaid sum from the date when such payment was due up to the default payment.

Capital Market B6

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

NSE releases 2015 sustainability report

... Adopts GRI G4 reporting guidelines The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has released its 2015 Sustainability Report titled “Ushering in a new era of sustainability in the Nigerian market place”.

The report which is the second edition, demonstrates how The Exchange showcases the importance of sustainable business practices in delivering value and supporting economic growth.

The report is in accordance to the Global Reporting Initiative G4 Guidelines and aligns with the Exchange’s Corporate Social Responsibility framework which covers the four key impact areas

NSE

it has devoted attention and resources.

The first area is the Market Place, which The NSE through the promotion of market-based approach to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) imperatives amongst all its stakeholders, have achieved, the assessment and rating of all companies on the premium board using the Corporate Governance Rating System and the Execution of advanced capital market awareness programme in over 50 Nigerian tertiary institutions.

The second area highlighted, is the Community, which accord-

ing to The NSE, positive contributions have been made towards the communities where we live and work. Successes achieved include: The implementation of 172 Financial Literacy programmes across the nation, reaching 15,000 people. The launch of Adopt-ASchool Programme at Oke-Odo High School, Lagos. “Under the pilot scheme, 52 teachers were trained on soft skills, information & communication technology and financial intelligence; 250 students participated in career workshop; and a Learning and Development Centre was donated to the school.”

ASI

28,813.51

DEALS

4,865.00

VOLUME

275,363,891.00

VALUE

3,442,169,779.59

CAP

9,895,983,056,075.95

Briefs

Union Dicon Plc signs HOA with PNG Gas In continuation of its strategic plan to becoming a fully integrated Agro Industrial National champion, Union Dicon Salt has signed a Heads of Agreement (HOA) with PNG Gas in Delta State to supply gas to its proposed starch processing plant in Umutu in Delta State.

Furthermore, it is in final stages of negotiation to acquire

Oando Plc Appoints NonExecutive Directors Report which is the second edition, demonstrates how The Exchange showcases the importance of sustainable business practices in delivering value and supporting economic growth.

Sell Pressure dwindles NSE all share index by 0.14 percent Equities trading on Monday, continued on a negative note from last week as the NSE All Share index dropped 0.14 percent to close the day at 28,813.51 basis points, compared to 147.08 points or 0.51 percent shed in previous session to close at 28,854.98 basis points.

Also, the local bourse’s market capitalisation which opened at N9.910 trillion, diminished by N14.2 billion to close at N9.895 trillion.

A breakdown of the activity chart on the Exchange showed that investors, in 4,865 deals sold a total of 275.4 million shares val-

Summary of activities on NSE

ued at N3.4 billion, in contrast to a total of 234.96 million shares valued at N2.29 billion traded last Friday by investors in 4,145 deals.

At the close of the day’s trading session, market breadth closed with 16 gainers to 30 losers, Transcorp topped the losers chart with a loss of 9.38 percent or 15 kobo to close at N1.45 per share, while Skye Bank dipped for the third consecutive day following the CBN intervention by 9.20 percent or 8 kobo to close at 79 kobo per share.

Diamond Bank Plc shed 7.96 percent or 16 kobo to close at N1.85 per share and Oando Plc dropped

7.45 percent or 60 kobo to close at N7.45 per share, while WAPCO Plc dropped 5.03 percent or N3.20 to close at N60.45 per share.

On the other hand, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc gained 4.35 percent or one naira to close at N24 per share. NEM Plc gained 3.96 percent or 4 kobo to close at N1.05 per share, while Cutix Plc garnered 3.03 percent or 5 kobo to close at N1.70 per share.

Stocks of Zenith Bank Plc improved by 2.72 percent or 42 kobo to close at N15.87 and Custodian Allied Insurance Plc gained 2.56 percent or 10 kobo to close at N4 per share.

… Holds AGM 2nd August

Oando Plc has appointed Mr. Ikeme Osakwe MA (Oxon.) ACA and Mr. Ademola Akinrele SAN as non-executive directors to the Board of the company effective July 8, 2016.

Ikeme is a Chartered Accountant and practicing Management Consultant. He holds bachelors’ and masters’ degrees in Chemistry from the University of Ox-

the 2nd largest rice farm in Nigeria.

Union Dicon Salt Plc operates in the Nigerian Consumer Goods Sector. UDS Plc has been diversifying into the Agro Industrial Sector, with an initial concentration of Cassava, and Starch processing. UDS Plc is currently building the largest industrial starch processing facility in Nigeria.

ford, and is an Associate Member of the institute of Chartered Accounts in Nigeria, and England and Wales. Initially trained for four years at KPMG Audit London, Ikeme now serves as the Managing Director of GRID Consulting Ltd. – a company that he established in 1986 and which specializes in financial management advisory for commerce, industry, government and NGO’s.

While Mr. Ademola Akinrele is the Managing Partner F.O. Akinrele & Co. born Ondo State, 3rd June 1961; Education: University College London LL.B (Hons) 1982; University of Cambridge, LL.M 1984; Admitted to the Nigerian Bar 1983; Associate of Chief Rotimi Williams Chambers 1984 – 1987.

The company has also announced that its 39th Annual General Meeting will be held at Landmark Centre, Plot 3 & 4 Water Corporation Road, Victoria Island Annex, Lagos, Nigeria on Tuesday, 02 August 2016 at 10:00a.m. prompt.

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday July 12, 2016

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

B5 Energy

Buhari and Ogoni cleanup saga

… Matters arising Opeoluwani Akintayo Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, flagged off the cleanup and restoration programme of Ogoni on June 2 in Rivers State after years of infernal quaking of the wrath of gas flares which have been burning 24 hours a day for over 33 years.

Acid rain, oil spillages and blowouts are also common environmental and human threats which befalls the Ogoni community. The cleanup would take cumulatively 30 years, and according to the FG, some $1 billion had already been earmarked for it.

However, several questions bothering on whether or not the cleanup will be a success bug the mind. These questions include: Is the $1 billion announced for the first batch real and ready? Who are the experts that have been engaged? If the experts have been contacted, are they on ground?

Are the people of Ogoni going to be involved in the cleaning as a means of job creation since they already lost their means of livelihood as a result of the pollution?

Another perspective to the issue, is that, in countries where such spills had occurred in the pasthow did they solve the problem?

And, is Nigeria planning on applying their successful strategies to ours? Has any safety measure been put in place for the cleanup?

When the cleanup was flagged off, Osinbajo said that financial and legislative frameworks have been put in place to begin implementing recommendations made by the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP. How we got here The Nigerian delta has some of the best agricultural land in Africa, as well as vast oil resources.

The area is densely populated by many different tribal groups, including the Ogoni people who have lived there for over 500 years.

Several oil companies, including Shell, set up operations in the 1950s and since then, the land, water, and air have been polluted to such a great extent that the Ogoni people’s livelihood is threatened.

The effect of pollution on the Nigerian delta has been great. As a result of oil spills and industrial waste dumped into the Niger River Delta, fishing and farmlands as a means of supplying food for the tribe, are no longer options.

The groundwater is contaminated and not safe for drinking. The rainwater cannot also be collected

for drinking because it falls as acid rain. Developed countries such as the United Stated require mud from drilling to be enclosed in a containment well or land fill to prevent seepage. However, the Nigerian government permits oil operations to dispose of the drilling waste directly into the river The air has also been severely polluted. The natural gas that is a byproduct of drilling is flared off horizontally from five flaring stations, some of which are near homes and villages. Flaring is a process in which the gas is collected in batches and then combusted, creating a loud explosion.

More dangerous in the long run is the massive amounts of carbon dioxide created by flaring off gas that could be sold or even donated to the local people for a cooking fuel and for electricity. Flaring, combined with the methane and soot produced by the two refineries, petrochemical complex, and fertilizer complex that are in Ogoniland, produce low air quality linked to cancer, asthma, and other lung diseases. The flaring has also been associated with reduced crop yield and plant growth on nearby farms.

The most immediate threat to Ogoni people is oils spills, which have damaged their land dramatically. There are at least one hundred pumping stations and pipelines crisscrossing Ogoniland over farmlands and through villages. From 1970 to 1982, 1,581 oil spill incidences were recorded in the Niger Delta, over 1.5 million gallons of which were a result of Shell’s 27 incidents. While Shell runs oil operations in over one hundred different countries, 40% of the company’s spills were in Nigeria. What little Shell has done to clean up these spills has been delayed and inadequate.

As a result of the spills, militant groups(Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta, MEND, and Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, have sprang up over the years, oil thefts are now common in the area, vandalism, arms procurement, likewise arms trading.

The Controversies Indeed, the Federal Government has told the world that it has flagged off the Ogoni cleanup and restoration programme. According to Osinbajo, $1 billion was already earmarked for the cleanup but, the truth is, where is the money?

According to findings, in August 2015, President Buhari prom-

BUHARI ised to release some N10 million for the creation of institutional frameworks and committees for the cleanup however, Deputy Executive Director, Environmental Rights Action Nigeria, Akinbode Oluwafemi, confirmed that “nobody has received such money since the promise was made. We haven’t seen both the N10 million and the announced $1 billion for the cleanup as publicised by the Federal Government”, he said.

It has also been confirmed that no money has been released by either NNPC or its shareholders for the cleanup. An insider in Shell who spoke on anonymity, revealed that the shareholders insist the Federal Government first stops the activities of the NDA and those of oil thieves before it and other shareholders would re-

President of Federal Republic of Nigeria lease any money.

“Shareholders gave the Federal Government some conditions before they can release any money for the cleanup. One of them is that further bombing and vandalisation of their pipelines should be stopped. Because it does not make sense if we continue with repairs only to have the pipelines vandalized again and again. So, unless the conditions are fully met, no money,” he said.

This means, the talk about who the experts that will be used for the cleanup are, and whether or not they are on ground, does not apply here. Investigation shows that because the monies promised is not on ground, there is no basis for contracting experts yet.

Mr. Akinbode said that recommended institutions such as “

The Ogoni Cleanup Authority” which was recommended to the FG as part of the committee for the cleanup has not been constituted because of lack of money.

“We see this whole flag off as an aspiration and not reality. What is the government flagging off without the money and structures on ground?,” he said.

Just as it is fact that the oil spill has affected the means of livelihood of the Ogoni people, experts advocated that the people be employed for the cleanup. And according to Chief Executive Officer/Strategic Officer of OilOff Africa Limited, Olabode AkinjideOladele, the cleanup is capable of creating more than 2000 jobs in three months for the period of 30 years.

On whether or not there have been any enlisting of the Ogonis for the 30-yearlong exercise, Mr Akinbode said that “not one Ogoni person has been enlisted for the cleanup yet”. Analysts fear that if at all the cleanup would commence, there could be influx of expatriates and the Ogonis could be shortchanged. “We fear the cleanup might end of creating more jobs for foreigners instead of the Ogonis. And even if the Ogonis would be employed, they may end up paying them meagre income that would not be enough to cater for their needs,” another source said.

Chief of the Post-Conflict Branch and Disaster Management Branch of UNEP, Mr. Henrik Slotte said that UNEP has nothing more to do with the cleanup, stating that its responsibility was that it “facilitated and co-hosted meetings between the partners involved in the planned environmental clean-up in Ogoniland”. However, Slotte directed us to enquire from the Ministry of Environment.

Daily Times Nigeria

Tuesday July 12, 2016

L5

Labour B4

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

N713.7B In 2015, state governments received N713.7 billion as bailout funds from the President Buhari led federal government to defray their backlog of salaries

NUPENG urges states to stop depending on bailout funds The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has urged state governments to discontinue their reliance on the Federal Government’s bailout funds as a source for the payment of workers’ salaries.

The union’s South-West Chairman, Mr Tokunbo Korodo, gave the advice in Lagos at

the weekend.

In 2015, state governments received N713.7 billion as bailout funds from the President Buhari led federal government to defray their backlog of salaries.

Korodo urged the state governments with huge salary arrears to be innovative in finding new ways to generate revenue

internally, without waiting for monthly allocations from the federation account.

He regretted that most state governments in the country had too many aides that were a big drain on their resources and advised them to downsize, to save costs.

“Most of the Governors have about 20 Commissioners and

SERAP drags governors to ICC over unpaid salaries Stories by Joy Ekeke The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate eleven state governments in the country over their failure to pay many months salaries to their workers.

The organization in the petition to the Prosecutor, ICC, Mrs. Fatou Bensouda, said the actions of the governors constituted crimes against tens of thousands of Nigerian workers by their state governments.

The affected states are Bayelsa, Benue, Bauchi, Osun, Rivers, Oyo, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Ondo, and Plateau states.

In the petition dated July 7, 2016 and signed by SERAP Executive Director, Mr Adetokun-

bo Mumuni, the organisation expressed concern that nonpayment of workers’ salaries by several state governments in the country has made life impossible to live for the workers and families.

SERAP therefore urged the ICC prosecutor, Mrs. Bensouda, “to bring to justice anyone who is responsible for the inhumane acts committed against Nigerian workers and prohibited under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to which Nigeria is a state party.”

The organization contended many Nigerians now face severe deprivation mental and physical health challenges as a result of the non-payment of their salaries.

It said that many governors have continue to hide under

the excuse of ‘limited allocations from Abuja’ to deny these workers the fruit of their labour while the workers’ individual liability have continued to rise.

The petition stated in part: “Non-payment of salaries for several months have reduced Nigerian workers to ‘bare life’, or life not worth living, thus taking away their human dignity. The inhumanity of the nonpayment of workers’ salaries is illustrated by the serious threats this poses to the workers’ physical and mental health, and family life as well as their ability to contribute to the development of the country. The non-payment of salaries has created an environment of powerlessness for several workers and perpetuated a system of impunity in many states.

over 42 Special Advisers, besides another large number of associates from which they have appointed the heads of various boards and agencies in the state.”

“Governors from the 27 state governments that cannot pay the monthly salaries of their workers should look inwards to find new ways of making mon-

ey to settle their wage bills.”

Korodo suggested the revitalization of agriculture as a credible alternative to the current over-dependence of such states on revenues from the federation account.

He also advised such governors to block all existing leakages in revenue generation in their states.

Kwara: Government not owing workers, says Ahmed The Kwara State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed has described the inclusion of the state by SERAP, a rights advocacy group, in a petition to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged nonpayment of salaries to workers as ill-informed and misdirected.

Reacting to the group’s petition, Governor Ahmed described it as baseless and lacking in foundation as Kwara State is up to date in the payment of salaries to state civil servants and pensioners.

Alhaji Ahmed stressed that SERAP may have been referring to the local government councils in the state, which receive separate allocations from the federal government and have varying degrees of staff and pension arrears.

Furthermore, the Kwara State

Governor said despite experiencing a drop in monthly allocation from N3.2b to N800m, the state government has sustained payment of its civil servants and pensioners through prudent management of resources and revenue reforms which have increased Internally Generated Revenue by more than 100 per cent in less than a year, according to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Dr. Muyideen Akorede.

Continuing, Dr. Ahmed said he is currently working with local government chairmen in the state to redress salary arrears at that tier of government through measures such as the proposed takeover of Junior Secondary School funding by the state to reduce the financial pressure on local governments.

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday July 12, 2016

Ubong lauds Akwa Utd, Sunshine draw A

kwa United striker, Ubong Friday, has described as a huge boost to his side Federation Cup clash against Sunshine Stars, the top-flight draw at Plateau United.

The Promise Keepers were held to a 1-1 draw by the Jos landlords in Sunday’s Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) match day 26 clash at the Rwang Pam

Stadium in Jos. The lanky goal poacher scored the side’s goal that gave them the crucial point at the Tin City side.

Friday said his side is happy to take four points off the NPFL newcomers in the on-going topflight.

“I’m happy to have scored the vital goal that handed us the crucial point at Plateau United and

four points off the side in the ongoing league season.

“It was a hard fought match as both sides produced good displays that could have won the whole three points at stake for their side.

“The draw at Plateau United is a huge morale boost for us heading into the Federation Cup round of 16 clash against NPFL side, Sunshine Stars.

“It’s certain to be a tough encounter but we are strengthened by the hard-fought draw at Plateau United to go for an outright win against Sunshine Stars.

“We are the Cup holders and we are determined to go the whole hog to defend the title,” said the Akwa United marksman to supersport.com.

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D

Ronaldo donates Silver

Boot award to Nani Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Katsina Queens not pushovers -Dedevbo elta Queens head coach, Peter Dedevbo has described as not pushovers his side’s Federation Cup opponents, Katsina Queens.

The former Nigerian champions will confront the lower division side in Tuesday’s Federation Cup quarterfinals clash in Abuja.

The Asaba-based side saw off the challenge of Ibom Angels in the round of 16 clash while the Katsina outfit edged Gift of Life to pave the way for

19

the fight for the semifinals berth of the annual football showpiece.

Dedevbo said his side will confront Katsina Queens squarely as premier league side aimed at getting the desired result to book their passage to the semifinals.

“Katsina Queens are young side but outright not pushovers, I have been privileged to watch some of the matches and they have qualities among the players.

“We are going to treat them as

equals and mates same way we will approach an encounter involving top-flight sides like Rivers Angels, Sunshine Queens, Bayelsa Queens, among others.

“And I think we got the message right that Federation Cup quarters are winners take all and no second chance or attempt.

“We want to win to progress to the semifinals of the annual women’s football event so we are throwing our weights to ensure we win convincingly.

Maikaba happy to see Wikki reclaim top spot

W

Dedevbo

“I cannot rightly set a target at this stage of the competition we just want to take the matches a step at a time.

“Of course, everybody wants to be champions and winners we want to be winners, too but we want God to direct our footstep and take us to the harvest field,” said the Falconets head coach to reporters Winners of the Cup quarters will automatically advance to the semifinals of the biggest and oldest annual football showpiece in the land.

Fans attack ref, assistants during Wolves, Wikki match R

eferee Daniel Akure got the beating of his life at the Warri City Stadium and even back at his hotel after angry fans vented their frustration on his following Warri Wolves 1-1 home draw with league leaders Wikki Tourists Sunday.

The draw ensured Wikki returned to the summit of the Nigeria league.

Eye witnesses also told AfricanFootball.com

that one of Akure’s assistants was only spared such assault after he was smuggled into the team bus of visiting Wikki.

“The referee got the beating of his life, while his assistant only escaped such treatment when he was smuggled into the team bus of the visiting team and quickly discarded his uniform,” one eye witness told AfricanFootball. com

It was further gathered that attacks on referees remain the order of the day, but officials are desperate to keep such incidence from the media.

Recently the referees threatened to boycott matches in the country’s third-tier league, the Nationwide League, on account of the various attacks against them by fans at match venues.

ikki Tourists head coach, Abdu Maikaba, is delighted to see his side back at the summit of the Nigeria Professional Football League following Sunday’s 1-1 away draw against Warri Wolves.

Maikaba’s charges were toppled by Enugu Rangers who beat Abia Warriors 2-1 on Friday, but a late Idris Guda strike which came few minutes after the hosts were reduced to 10-men following the dismissal of Shedrack Oghali sent them back to the top of the table.

The former Enyimba assistant coach also praised his side for their fighting spirit in the game.

“We are happy to be back at the top of the table after what was a difficult game against Warri Wolves,” Maikaba told reporters “My players performed well against a difficult opponent and I must give kudos to them for fighting till the end.

“We got a crucial point which is certainly good for our ambition of becoming champions.

Maikaba

Tech Times 30

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Stakeholders kick against ICT Tax, warn of inherent dangers NDUKWE Stories by Tony Nwakaegho Stakeholders in the country’s telecommunications industry have glowered at the proposed communications tax bill before the National Assembly, which they attributed as capable of discouraging potential investors as telecommunications services will no longer be affordable thereby reducing its demand.

According to the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI)Nigeria Coalition, the proposed ICT tax, will prevent over 50 million Nigerians from being able to afford a basic broadband connection, a situation that will also deny them internet access.

Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, national coordinator for A4AI-Nigeria Coalition, said: “Balanced fiscal policy must consider

affordability of broadband and ICT, and should not put into place additional barriers that will make internet access unaffordable to hundreds of millions of Nigerians. Nigeria is far behind the more developed countries of the world when it comes to broadband use, and the introduction of the CST will only widen this gap.”

Engr. Lanre Ajayi, immediate past president, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) said that such tax is a disincentive to potential investors.

“It will certainly scare them away. Operators are already paying into USPF, NITDEF, ITF, TETFUND among others.

Additional tax is an over kill”.

Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, Association of Licensed

Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), agreed with the duo submissions, stressing that it will widen the gap between availability and affordability which will add to the burden on the subscribers.

“The time is not a time to introduce new tax on subscribers as many other costs have gone up and if telecom services cost is increased by way of additional tax, then it will lead to a situation where people cannot afford available services hence widening the access gap in the country.

On his part, Deolu Ogunbanjo, National President, National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS) stated that by impacting usage of communications services and in turn industry revenues,

Nigeria, others lead as UN Council adopts Digital Rights Resolution

National coordinator for A4AINigeria Coalition

this proposed tax will have adverse effect on the industry investment needed to improve and expand mobile connectivity across the country.

Mobile industry investment in Nigeria is already constrained by multiple level of taxes and fees set by local and regional authorities, in addition to fees to the national telecommunications regulator and high costs of right of ways.

In a context of declining average revenue per user, this can make it more difficult for mobile operators to make a business case for investment.

The proposal would also further increase the administrative cost burden on service providers to comply with numerous and complex tax regulations, already high compared to other countries.

NiRA registers15,000 domains in 6 months, visits NITDA The domain names count from January to June 2016 include 14,966 registrations and 9,271 renewals, the Nigerian internet Registration Association (NiRA) has disclosed.

The Association in its enewsletter released at the weekend and made available to Daily Times highlighted that Sunday Folayan, the president of NiRA recently led the executive board on a scheduled visit to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Abuja.

The President said that in June 2016, 2,767 new domain names were registered, 1,686 domain names were renewed and there were 96 transfers between the NiRA Accredited Registrars.

“The renewal rate is encouraging as well. The table and graph below depict the domain name registrations and renewals for the past three month’s period of April, May,

Dr. Vincent Olatunji, acting DG of NITDA and top management staff receive NiRA executive board led by Rev’ Sunday Folayan, the President in his office in Abuja, recently. and June 2016 across the years”, the table shows.

In a related development, the NiRA President, Folayan last Wednesday led the Executive Board of Directors, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) to the Management Team, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA),

Abuja to present the NiRA 2015 annual report, on the management of the Nigerian ccTLD - the .ng in accordance with the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) between NITDA and NiRA. Highlighting on the annual presentation of the Board’s stewardship of NiRA to the Management of NITDA under

the leadership of Dr. Vincent Olatunji in Abuja, the President said it was a successful outing.

Major highlight of the report included, major activities of NiRA for the year 2015; Income generation strategies; financial summary; and major 2016 financial Plans.

“The event provided an opportunity for us to present the DG with the hard copies of the organization’s financial report.

“The Ag. Director General, Dr. Vincent Olatunji appreciated our team for a detailed report and assured the organization of NITDA support for NiRA programs and projects.

“I appreciate my colleagues on the NiRA Board who attended the presentation, the Secretariat staff for their steadfastness and all our partners including the Registrars, Registrants, stakeholders, the press and everyone that is helping to project the .ng ccTLD brand,” he said.

Nigeria has once again played a leading role with other countries at the United Nation defining moment for digital rights as nations of the world recognise threats to Digital Rights and Internet freedom and decided to stand against the predictable tyranny in the hands of those who seek to trample on the online rights of citizens.

The United Nations Human Rights Council, at its 32nd Regular Session, which held on Friday, 1st of July 2016, adopted Resolution A/HRC/32/L.20 on Digital Rights, a resolution on the promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet.

Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative Nigeria,(PIN) said: “In what is an epoch-making moment that saw Nigeria, Brazil, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey and the United States of America lead the resolution. This resolution will help to cement the discourse on Digital Rights globally and allow for extensive dialogues for the respect of the inalienable fundamental rights of every user online. This resolution is made in the wake of perennial challenges of Internet shutdowns, illegal surveillance, data privacy infringements, attack of freedom of expression online and direct encroachment of positive rights online.”

He added: “This marks a major victory towards guarding human rights on the Internet and deep appreciation goes to all stakeholders who recognized the need to stand on the right side of history. We wish to particularly commend the Nigerian mission and Foreign Affairs ministry for the role played in speaking against proposed amendments that could have watered down the resolution.”

The Resolution read in part: it “… decides to continue its consideration of the promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights, including the right to freedom of expression, on the Internet and other information and communication technology, as well as of how the Internet can be an important tool for fostering citizen and civil society participation, for the realization of development in every community and for exercising human rights, in accordance with its programme of work.”

Adeboye Adegoke, PIN’s Programme Manager ICT Policy said: “As we record a glowing moment for Digital Rights globally, we use this medium to call on global voices – activists/advocates, jurists, civil society associations, the academia – to lend a voice for posterity in seeing that a beacon just like this resolution, in Nigeria...”

News 24 Lalong to access N14b loan

By Chijioke Kingsley, Jos

ÏÏÏGovernor

Simon Lalong-led All Progressive Congress (APC) in Plateau State, has met the criteria to access a Federal Government loan tagged ‘Federally Guaranteed Conditional Budget Support Loan’.

This was made known by the Plateau State Commissioner of Finance, Hon. Tamwakat Weli, in Jos, on Monday, while briefing newsmen in her office.

She stated that the support facility would be used by the Lalong administration to better navigate present economic challenges facing the state and to reposition the state to meet its obligations to civil servants and other stakeholders.

She explained that the said sum of N14billion would be disbursed to the state in three tranches of N1.390 billion only for three consecutive months, stating that the balance would be disbursed over a period of nine months in equal amount of N1.110, respectively.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2015

Fayemi restates resolve to help build Ekiti

By Gbenga Sodeinde, Ado Ekiti

ÏÏÏ

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development and former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has declared that he would continue to help Ekiti people irrespective of their political affiliation, saying his gesture was not to score a political point.

Fayemi, who made the declaration in Ado Ekiti, on Monday, while distributing food items to the civil servants , artisans, pregnant women and various groups, at John Kayode Fayemi Leadership Centre, in Ajilosun area of the state capital, equally appealed to the civil servants and the entire Ekiti populace to engage in

farming to cushion the adverse effects of the unpaid salaries on their well-being.

Those that benefitted from the gesture included civil servants, artisans, nursing mothers, physically challenged, Okada riders and students, among others.

The ex-governor, who was represented by the Director of the Centre, Mr. Abiodun Omoleye, said that the wind of hunger blowing in Ekiti presently called for concern, advising that engaging in food production would help in stemming the level of famine in the land.

He said that aim of the programme was to help the poor citizens of the state to get on, even in the face of the current

hard-biting and suffocating economic situation and not to score cheap political point owing to inability of Governor Ayo Fayose to pay salaries.

The chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who vowed to continue to help the poor masses in the state, urged other well-meaning Ekiti indigenes to join the fray to prevent hunger and starvation from killing the citizens.

“The wind of hunger blowing in Ekiti now is unpleasant.

It seems hunger is gradually taking over the land and that is why we that are privileged must continue to identify with the poor. This has no political, ethnic or political colouration, but just a means of

PRP drags Gov. Emmanuel to court over L.G. Transition Committees

L-R: Members, Panel of Inquiry into Nimbo herdsmen attack, Prof. Osita Ogbu; Major-Gen. Godwin Ugwuoke (rtd) and Chairman, Justice Chukwuma Eneh during the panel’s sitting in Enugu… on Monday.

Paulinus Nta Uyo

ÏÏÏThe

Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has dragged Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel, the state House of Assembly, and others to a Federal High Court, sitting in Uyo, over the legality of constituting another transition committee to run the affairs of the 31 Local Government Areas of the state.

In a case with suit number FHC/UY/g/79/16, the State Chairman of the party, Rev. Aniebiet Ime Emmanuel seeks the court to declare that “The Akwa Ibom State Local Government amendment Law 2016 is unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever; That the 1st Defendant (Gov. Emmanuel) cannot select, appoint or set up persons as Transition Committee for the Local Government Administration in the 31 Local Government councils of the state; that the Transition Committees set up are unlawful, constitutional illegalities and therefore non- existent in the eyes of the law; a declaration by the honourable court that it is only a democratically elected system of local government, as guaranteed by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that can lawfully stand and operate in the state.

Fayemi

helping the needy.

“Taking cognisance of what is happening in Ekiti now, our people must embrace farming as a way of life. Food production remains the best for now and nothing more.

“We must all rise up to save our state and the future of our children. Some can’t be living in opulence when some could not afford one square meal a day. This welfare programme is going to be a continuous one and we shall do it in a way that would have positive impact on the lives of our people at the community, ward and local government level”, he said.

Stop inciting FG against Ijaw, group tells Itsekiri Benjamin Omoike

ÏÏÏ A group, the Warri Ijaw

Peace Monitoring Group (WIPMG) has dismissed allegations by the Itsekiri people that the attacks being carried out by rampaging militants were being sponsored by Ijaw people, saying that they were false and deliberately made to malign the Ijaw people in furtherance, according to them, of the Itsekiri age-long hatred against Ijaw people.

The chairman of WIPMG, Chief Patrick Bigha, while reacting to the allegations against the Ijaw people in Warri, advised that people should shun provocative and inciting statements for the sake of peace.

According to him; “The Itsekiri people are deliberately inciting the Federal Government against the Ijaw people, so that government would bomb and kill innocent Ijaw people and destroy their communities.”

“We wish to state clearly that the Ijaw people have no business or connection with the Niger Delta Avengers. This position has consistently been stated by different Ijaw groups and personalities.

“It is not true, as claimed by the Itsekiri people, that the attacks were being carried out in Itsekiri territory. The obvious truth is that the Ijaw people of Warri, especially Gbaramatu, Egbema, Ogbe-Ijoh, Diebiri clans and the Ijaws of Ogulagha in Burutu

Local Government Area, are the greatest victims of the Avengers’ attacks. Nearly all the attacks have taken place within Ijaw territories. The Itsekiri claim to territory is baseless” he wrote in a statement.

He said further that, “The Itsekiri claim is an elongation of their land grabbing nature.

It is shocking and shameful that the Itsekiri people would persist in their land-grabbing attitude even in matters of attack on oil facilities.”

The group called on the Federal Government and security agencies to completely disregard the claim by the Itsekiri people, adding that, “Some Itsekiri people such, as Ayiri Emami, wish that the Ijaw people,

especially those from Warri should not live. That is why Ayiri Emami wants Chief Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo) dead at all costs. Some Itsekiris have pathological hatred for Ijaws.

Government must not allow their agencies and officers to carry out an ethnic agenda by the Itsekiri against Ijaw people.”

They implored the Warri monarch, Ikenwoli 1, to caution his subjects “as the attitude of some of his subjects is so provocative in recent times that it may lead to another Warri crisis.

If he cannot call such rampaging subjects to order in the public, then it will be construed to mean that he is behind them, and this will not do us good.

18

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

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Newcastle place £35m on Sissoko

N Tore joins West Ham on oneyear loan deal

W

est Ham have announced the signing of Turkey international Gokhan Tore on season-long loan with a view to a permanent move.

Tore, 24, who played under Hammers boss Slaven Bilic at Besiktas, is no stranger to English football having come through the youth ranks at Chelsea arrives with a £2.5 million loan fee.

Following the completion of the deal, the former Hamburg man released an official statement on the club’s website which reads: “I am very happy to be at West Ham. “I watched many games that they played last season and saw how passionate the fans are. That made me want to come here and I am looking forward to playing in front of them.

“Slaven was also a big factor in me coming here and he is a great manager. He is the main man and knows me very well. I could not have said no to him.

“He is the best manager I have worked under and he is like a father to the players. You feel like you are family.”

Tore will begin pre-season training at the club’s ground while the rest of the squad finish up their tour of America.

ewcastle have told other clubs they will have to pay £35m if they want to sign France star Moussa Sissoko this summer.

The 26-year-old, who joined Newcastle from Toulouse for an undisclosed fee in January 2013, was superb for France as they reached the Euro 2016 final, where they lost to Portugal on Sunday.

Sissoko has already declared he wants to leave Tyneside, telling French website Foot Mercato in June that he wanted to join a team in the Champions League and described Arsenal as a “beautiful” club.

Sissoko said: “I gave everything there for three-and-a-half years. I hope that they will be smart enough to understand that, to continue my development, I need to keep playing at

the highest level.

“As I want to stay in the France team I could not stay in the Championship. There will be discussions. I hope they will go in my opinion. I want to leave.

“I want to continue my career in England, at a club that plays in the Champions League because I think this best fits my style of play.”

It is understood manager Rafa Benitez is attempting to persuade his top players to stay and help Newcastle return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

But the Magpies have already lost Andros Townsend, who signed for Crystal Palace after just six months at St James’ Park, and Papiss Cisse, who has moved to China. Centrebacks Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor have been released.

Pelle leaves Southampton

for Shandong Luneng

T

he 30-year-old moves to the Chinese Super League, for a reported fee of £13 million and a salary of £34m over two and a half years, after two seasons in the Premier League Graziano Pelle has

left Southampton to join Chinese Super League side Shandong Luneng, the club confirmed on Monday.

Pelle arrived at the club from Feyenoord but will now leave having impressed in Italy’s Euro 2016 campaign, adding to

a growing list of players leaving Europe for China.

The 30-year-old had just one year remaining on his contract at St. Mary’s but leaves for a reported £13 million fee to leave the Saints with a profit. Pelle is set to earn £34m over

his two-and-a-half-year contract.

Confirmation of the move comes less than 24 hours after the conclusion of Euro 2016, where Pelle impressed with goals in wins against Belgium and Spain.

Janssen set for £18.8mTottenham move

V

Ibrahimovic

incent Janssen on Monday underwent a medical at Tottenham ahead of his proposed move from AZ Alkmaa.

It is understood the clubs have reached an agreement of £18.8m for his transfer to White Hart Lane after resuming negotiations on Friday.

Janssen had already described a move to Spurs as a “dream” and admitted

last week he was growing frustrated with a stalemate between the clubs.

Alkmaar had been advised by ‘Moneyball’ baseball expert Billy Beane that Janssen was worth more than Spurs’ original offer of £15m, which was rejected almost a fortnight ago.

Paris Saint-Germain and Wolfsburg were also interested in Janssen, who was the Eredivisie’s top scorer in his breakthrough season

last term with 27 goals.

Wolfsburg also had a bid of £15m rejected and immediately cooled their interest, as did PSG, once they were told that Janssen preferred a move to Spurs.

Sky sources reported in May that head coach Mauricio Pochettino, assistant Jesus Perez and head of recruitment Paul Mitchell scouted Janssen in a Euro 2016 warm-up game against Republic of Ireland.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

29 Tech Times

We emphasize a need for FG to implement the National ICT policy -Aderounmu Prof. Adesola Aderounmu is a Professor of Computer Science at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and the President of Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), which is the umbrella organisation of all Information Technology Professionals, Interest Groups and Stakeholders in Nigeria. In this exclusive interview with Tony Nwakaegho, he talked about the USPF, local content, PPP, government policies and what to do to use this knowledge economy to improve the nations GDP and the welfare of the citizens. Excerpts: Has the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) established as Nigeria’s buyin and in response to global concern achieved the purpose for which it was established bearing in mind that there are many areas in Nigeria where network connectivity is still very poor or not in existence?

The Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) was established by the Federal Government of Nigeria to facilitate the achievement of national policy goals for universal access and universal service to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in rural, unserved and under-served areas in Nigeria. Let me briefly mention that through USPF funds, over 3,250 km of Fibre Optic Cable running across the six geopolitical regions is being deployed which will bring access to broadband services for an estimated population of 9,229,182.

There is ongoing construction and equipping of 30 Community Resource Centres (CRCs). The USPF had previously provided subsidies in a Public Private Partnership model for Implementers to establish 192 Community Resource Centres across all the geopolitical zones.

Institutions that cater for People Living with Disabilities (PLWD) are being provided with connectivity and assistive technologies in line with the principle of ICT inclusion. The University InterCampus Connectivity (UnICC) initiative, a collaborative project with the National Universities Commission under the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN) project is being deployed in two phases. The first phase which involves the interconnection of the permanent (Main) campuses of selected Universities and their corresponding Teaching Hospitals or annex campuses through Optic Fibre Cable (OFC) is already completed. A total of 364 public secondary schools are being provided with computers and connectivity under the School Knowledge Centre (SKC) project. The USPF recently handed over an e-Learning Centre to the Management of the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna as part of its mandate of ensuring access to ICT services in the unserved/

underserved areas and groups.

With all these achievements, I want to say that USPF under Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) achieved the purpose for which it was established.

What has NCS done in order to emphasize the need for an increase in the literacy rate in ICT using ICT tools like e-Learning in institutions as well as reduce the cost of gaining access to the computer and Internet?

There are several ICT tools; e-learning is one of those tools.

E-learning is electronic learning, and typically this means using a computer to deliver part, or all of a course whether it’s in a school, part of your mandatory business training or a full distance learning course. To increase the ICT literacy rate , NCS submitted a position paper to the Federal Government where we emphasized the urgent need for the Federal Government of Nigeria to urgently push for comprehensive broadband access all over the country, roll out, implement and monitor local content policy to encourage MDAs to patronize indigenous software and hardware, establish IT parks using Public-Private-Partnership models, establish Digital Centres in all the 774 LGAs in collaboration with the State Governments, embraced a unified database for Nigeria, give priority to the use of registered local IT professionals and registered local IT companies to execute IT jobs, appoint seasoned IT professionals on the boards of MDAs to maximize and deepen the benefits of electronic governance and digital transformation in Nigeria. We also emphasized the need for the Federal Government to implement the National ICT policy. With the political will on the part of the Federal Government to implement the above will definitely increase literacy rate in ICT. The country possesses limited capacity to manufacture and assemble ICT equipment and devices, even when there is huge market for ICT equipment.Why is it difficult for us to embrace the local content policy in the development of ICT Industry in the country?

The basic process of computer

ADEROUNMU hardware assembly can be accomplished either in the formal sector involving the establishment of outfits to assemble what is referred to as ‘branded systems’ or in the informal sector involving individuals assembling systems almost invariably from nonstandard components to produce what is referred to as ‘clones’ or ‘unbranded systems’. There are at least seven local branded computer hardware firms namely Zinox, Omatek, Beta, Unitec, Balogtek, RLG, and Geniac with their products openly adopted by the government few years ago as “Made in Nigeria Computers” with a marching order to public institutions to patronize these locally assembled computers.

Today, the situation is different, as most MDAs still patronize foreign ICT products. Two major reasons for this state of affairs - the lack of local knowledge input in the hardware business coupled with the rather stiff competition with imported systems, lack of aftersales technical backup to enjoy

President of Nigeria Computer Society (NCS)

customer allegiance. However, there is the urgent need on the part of the Federal Government of the day to provide incentives for existing and prospective hardware manufacturers to establish assembly plants for a sustainable production of hardware or components, intensify the promotion of local systems through patronage by MDAs, build rapid local capacity (graduated skill) at formal institutions (Technical Schools, Polytechnics and Universities) and establish informal training outfits on hardware maintenance, product coupling and hardware programming respectively, establish 3 assembly plants to commence production of nonessential hardware accessories and simple circuit boards based on local knowledge and upgrade of existing assembly plants to full production of core hardware components.

Nigeria is still faced with the problem of poor data base, hence every organisation request for data here and there. How do

you react to this trend and the way forward?

You will recall that late last year, President Muhammadu Buhari directed government agencies to harmonize the collection and usage of biometric data in the country instead of replicating their efforts; in this regard, though this is not the first time the Federal Government would give such directive for all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to harmonize their data in the interest of national development. In June 2014, the Federal Government, under exPresident Goodluck Jonathan, issued detailed guidelines for implementation of the presidential directive of Thursday 17th October, 2013, which decried the development of multiple biometric databases in the public sector. As a stakeholder in the Nigeria project and the umbrella organisation of all Information Technology Professionals, Interest Groups and Stakeholders in Nigeria, the Nigeria Computer Society also affirmed her support for this directive. A position paper was prepared and submitted to the Federal Government of Nigeria in November 2016 where we emphasized the need to evolve enabling technology and legal framework for storing, protecting and making available the data acquired and to safeguard the privacy of citizens personal identifiable information (PII) such that the data is not in any way use for adversarial purposes.

I am sure the position paper is receiving necessary attention. I want to categorically state that NCS is ready and willing to render technical assistance and support in the monitoring of the capability deployment of this enviable project. If the Harmonization is properly implemented, it will drastically reduce the huge cost implication biometric exercises have caused taxpayers in the past especially in terms of cost of data acquisition, cost of personnel, cost of storage of acquired data and cost of making such data available.

This is in addition to the general inconveniences to citizens who repeatedly have to queue long hours for registration.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2015

Alleged debt: Court de-freezes NICON, Global Fleet accounts Peter Fowoyo

ÏÏÏRespite came on Mondaythe

way of business mogul, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim, as a Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos discharged an interim order granted to Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria to take over some assets belonging to him over an alleged indebtedness.

Justice Abdulazeez Anka set aside the exparte order following an application by lawyer to Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Yusuf Ali (SAN) that parties had decided

to explore amicable settlement of the dispute.

Justice Saliu Saidu had on June 14, 2016, granted AMCON an interim injunction against NICON Investment Limited, Global Fleet Oil & Gas Limited and Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim.

But, NICON Insurance Limited, Nigeria Re-Insurance Hotels Limited, Abuja International Hotels Limited and NICON Hotels Limited, had in a motion notice, filed by their lawyers – led by Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) and Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN) – prayed the

court to set aside and discharge the exparte order on the grounds that AMCON deliberately failed to make full disclosure of all material facts before the court.

When the matter came up yesterday for hearing of the applications to discharge the exparte order, AMCON lawyer, Yusuf Ali, told the court that since the provision of the Federal High Court rules encourages amicable settlement of dispute, the parties had decided to meet and report back to court within two weeks.

His words: “In the spirit of

good faith, to show that we are doing this to promote equity and justice, we agree that the exparte order should be suspended, so that parties can explore the issue of settlement.

We have an agreement that each of the parties will nominate one chartered accountant each that will carry out forensic audit of the account. Since, Union Bank is the principal bank that gave out the loan, the accountants will meet at Union Bank’s headquarters and they are to report back within two weeks.”

Confirming the agreement,

23 News Akintola, Bolaji Ayorinde and Ibrahim, who led a team of lawyers, urged the court to set aside the exparte order, so as to give parties unfettered access to meet and report back to the court.

Addressing the court, Akintola submitted that the parties had agreed to explore amicable settlement of the dispute, adding that the applicants had appointed the firm of Adewale Folowosele & Associate to meet with those that would be nominated by AMCON and Union Bank.

“We have appointed Adewale Folowosele & Associate and await that of AMCON and Union Bank. Consequently, I apply that the exparte order of June 214, 2016 should be discharged and parties will return to the court within two weeks”.

Don slams Gov. Bindow’s leadership style

Benin traditional council lifts ban on funeral rites

Tom Garba

By Titus Akhigbe, Benin

ÏÏÏA

lecturer at the Department of Information and Management Technology of the Moddibo Adama University of Technology (MAUTECH) Yola, Malam Musa Jalo, has said that Governor Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla Bindow of Adamawa State was preforming below expectations in meeting the immediate needs of the peoples of the state.

He said that the ongoing rapid development of roads in some parts of the state was nothing than a mere “misplaced priorities”.

“For you to enjoy a good road, you have to have something in your tummy and you have to be healthy. You can’t be starving or on a sick bed and honour a new road.

“The point I want to make here is, there are basic important factors to be considered before dwelling to road constructions or rehabilitation.

“The welfare of your people should be paramount. Pay them their salaries and entitlements.

Give special attention to the health sector. I was at the Adamawa Specialist Hospital last week.

The hospital is at its comatose state. Dilapidated structures, no drugs, health workers just lolling around, and there was a heavy traffic of patients. With this condition, you’re working on roads, who are the people going to enjoy the roads? Dead people?

“With regards to the so-called road construction, Bindow is only focusing on three local governments, which are Yola North, Yola South and Mubi South.”

ÏÏÏFollowing

L-R: Hon. Sola Giwa; Woman Leader, Lagos Central, APC, Mrs. Otito Olaiye; Dr. Esan Oluyomi; Hon. Ayodeji Joseph; beneficiary, Adamu Lawal and former Commissioner for Home Affairs, Hon. Tunde Balogun at a poverty alleviation scheme in Lagos…recently.

Photo: QUADRI OLOWOLAGBA.

Girl-children being given out in exchange for livestock, gov’s wife cries out

By Edem Edem, Calabar

ÏÏÏThe wife of

the Governor of Cross River state, Dr Linda Ayade has decried the exchange of girl-children in marriage for livestock in the state.

Addressing a press conference on Monday to mark the 2016 World Population Day (WPD) celebration, the wife of the governor stated that the practice was not acceptable.

“Though, we have often preferred to think that this happens only in distant lands, we have now heard the most incredible stories from some parts of our dear Cross River state where the unacceptable practice of girl-children being given in marriage in exchange for mere livestock still happens.”

Dr Ayade, who was represented by Mrs Rose Eneji, said that many young girls today face a bleak future because their communities drive them into forced marriages and early motherhood which sometimes results in debilitating conditions such as Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF).

“Some do not have access to reproductive health information and of course many are not able to get education to enable them support themselves through life” The wife of the governor called on government, civil societies, parents, teachers and all leaders of thought to be part of the fight of rescuing girls-children from this forced marriages.

“It is not enough when government formulates policies that protect the right of the

girl-child. Teachers and parents must be committed to their duties of training and inculcating values by being exemplary in their conduct.

“Traditional rulers and opinion leaders according to her should not be silent but must speak up against actions and beliefs that discriminate against girls and deprive them of the right to make their own choices, while civil societies must be committed in their advocacy and support for programmes that provide opportunities for teenage girls to become empowered.”

To empower our teenage girls, Dr Ayade said “we must give them something that removes them from the control of others and allows them to determine their own future.”

the successful completion of rites of passage for the late Oba of Benin, Oba Erediauwa, the Benin Traditional Council (BTC), on Monday, lifted the suspension on burial ceremonies, which it had earlier put on hold, saying “His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, has graciously granted permission until further notice, for people in the kingdom to carry out the necessary burial ceremonies.”

The Iyase (Prime Minister) of Benin Kingdom, Sam Igbe, who led other palace chiefs, at a press briefing in Benin City, the Edo State capital, said the Benin palace shares in the plight of all bereaved families’ inability to perform their funeral ceremonies, noting that the palace, “is aware of the plight of our people who had to endure the delay in their obligation to bury their departed loved ones”.

Igbe however noted that information regarding the pending coronation ceremonies would be published in due course.

Benin Crown Prince, Erediauwa

28

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Tech Times

Stakeholders

kick against ICT Tax, warns of inherent dangers 30

NiRA registers 15,000 domains in 6 months, visits NITDA

30

s

Telecom sector emerges Nigeria’s biggest advertiser with N16.7bn in 2015 Stories by Tony Nwakaegho The telecommunications sector holds sway as it emerges the biggest advertiser in Nigeria in 2015 with a combined total expenditure of N16.7 billion.

This information is contained in the just-released 2015 Mediafacts, a key media resource for marketing professionals in West and Central Africa.

According to the report, produced annually by mediaReach OMD, a specialist media company that provides media planning, buying, control and inventory management services, the figure represents 17 percent of the total advertising spend in Nigeria of N97.9 billion in the same year.

The report also acknowledged Personal Paid (N12.2 billion), Corporate Communications (N6.3 billion), Banking & Finance (N5.8 billion), Lager Beer (N4.6 billion), Public Service (N3.8 billion), Soft Drinks (N2.8 billion), Cable TV (N2.5 billion), Milk & Diary (N2.2 billion) and Broadcast (N2.2 billion) as part of other top advertising product categories that contributed to the total ad spend. Others are: Noodles (N2.1 billion), Cocoa Beverages (2.0 billion), Skin Cleansing (N1.8 billion), Nutritional Drinks (1.8 billion), Dental care (N1.6 billion), Seasonings (N1.5 billion), Online mall/Education imparting knowledge & Skill/Malt (N1.4 billion), NSD Powder (N1.3 billion and others (N22.4 billion). Mediafacts stated that these are the top 20 advertising product categories in 2015.

According to Mediafacts, “The top 10 advertisers in Communication and Telecommunications sector in 2015 include: Sundry Ad (other Inform. Service) – N13.5 billion, MTN – N4.7 billion, Airtel – N4.1 billion, Etisalat – N3.7 billion and

Globacom – N3.7 billion. Others are: Nigerian Breweries – N3.7 billion, The State Government – N3.1 billion, Sundry Advertisers (Services) – N3 billion, Reckit Benkiser Nigeria – N2.7 billion and Procter & Gamble – N2.1 billion.

The report stated: “The top 20 advertisers contributed 64 percent of total spend and the top four telecom players contributed 17 percent of the total spend in 2015.” Mediafacts also shown that the total advertising spend recorded in 2015 represented an increase of N4.8 billion above the N93.1 billion documented in 2014.

According to the report, “the 2014/2015 electioneering campaigns and the successful change in government may have positively impacted on the advertising spends in 2015 as it records a positive

growth of about 4.8 percent over 2014 total media spend.”

Mediafacts also revealed that the television stations attracted the highest advertising expenditure of N39 billion in 2015. The report also put the advertising expenditure attracted by the print media, outdoor and radio stations at N23.7 billion, N20.1 billion and N15.1 billion respectively.

The advertising expenditure that went to the Print media last year declined marginally by 4 percent from N25.8 billion in 2014 to N23.7 billion in 2015. Also, the Outdoor performed better the previous year when it attracted N20.5 billion advertising spend against N20.1 billion in 2015.

The TV and Radio stations in Nigeria, CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

AfDB unveils NITDA engages 100 NYSC members on ICT jobs creation MapAfrica 2.0 to showcase, track projects

31

OLATUNJI

Ag. DG of NITDA

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the government agency saddled with the responsibility of creating IT capacity especially among the youths has engaged about 100 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on technology tools.

According to NITDA, the training will ostensibly help the NYSC members to create jobs in the burgeoning ICT industry.

The Agency said the move is part of its objectives of supporting innovation and

creativity, which will ultimately tackle unemployment in Nigeria.

Dr. Vincent Olatunji, acting Director General of the country’s IT clearing house, who disclosed this in Abuja at the launch of Open Source Software Development for corps members in FCT, stated that the essence of the capacity engagement is to equip the corps members to be able to start their own businesses and to be employers of labour.

“The essence of the capacity engagement is to equip the corps members to be able to start their own businesses and to be employers of labour. We don’t

want them to finish their service and start looking for a job here and there,” he said.

The Acting DG NITDA added that the well thought out programme on IT youth empowerment and entrepreneurship through Open Source Software Development programme is targeted at developing and empowering graduate youths with IT requisite employability skills.

He hinted that NITDA will also assist and monitor the corps members to become successful entrepreneurs, thereby guaranteeing the well-being of the Nigerian youth.

MER BEATRICE EW NAME IKE

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Fani-Kayode meets bail conditions, awaits EFCC verification ÏÏÏFormer

Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi FaniKayode, on Monday, met his bail conditions but he was still awaiting verification of some documents by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

A statement by Jude Ndukwe, the Media Adviser to the ex-minister, said FaniKayode was eager to reunite with his family.

The statement said: “Kindly be notified that Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has met all the conditions for his bail and the relevant documents have been duly filed and submitted at the Federal High Court in Lagos.

“We are now waiting for the EFCC to verify the documents after which he would be released. Despite the fact that he has been locked up BADMUS OLALEKAN AKANDE I, formerly known as BADMOS OLALEKAN BASIT now wish to be known and addressed as BADMUS OLALEKAN AKANDE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

for the last 62 days he remains confident, strong, healthy and in very high spirits.

“He misses his family very badly, especially his five month old son Aragon, and he looks forward to coming home to be with his family, friends and loved ones.”

The ex-minister is standing trial on a 17-count charge of unlawful retention, unlawful use and unlawful payment of about N4.9 billion.

He was arraigned alongside a former Minister of Finance, Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a company – Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited.

Investigation by the EFCC indicated that FaniKayode was allocated about N840million from the funds which were used for the 2015 presidential campaign.

22

Oyo students, teachers shun reopening order Remi oladoye

ÏÏÏStudents

and teachers of public schools in Oyo State, on Monday, defied the order given by the state government on re-opening of schools after about six weeks closure occasioned by the protest by some students in the state.

Some of the school visited were locked while many people sighted at the premises were either school guard or miscreant who are hibernating in the premises due to its non-functional status.

Weeds have overgrown major part of the premises while some classroom were littered with debris and hu-

man defecation.

Meanwhile, in order to widen the scope of consultation to accommodate more suggestions and models, in addition to the ones presented and discussed at the Oyo State government Stakeholders’ Form on Education reform, the state government has constituted an Education Reform Initiative Committee.

The State governor, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi, who disclosed this while addressing journalist at the Exco chambers, Agodi Secretariat, Ibadan, said the committee comprise 31 members from different sectors.

Ajimobi, who was represented by his deputy, Otunba Moses Alake-Ad-

eyemo listed the members as follows: Education expert (Chairman), University of Ibadan (Nominee Member), National Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria (two members), Nigeria Labour Congress and Nigeria Union of Teachers (two members), All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (two members), National Association of Nigerian Student (two members) and Market Advisory Council (two members).

Others includes; Christian Association of Nigeria (two members), Muslim Community of Oyo State (two members), Community leaders (two members), Private Sector Education

Practitioners (two members), Traditional rulers (two members), Commissioner for Education (two members), Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education, Civil/Public servants (three members), Commissioner for Justice, Commissioner for Information, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Nigeria Union of Journalist (one member) and a Secretary to be provided by the Ministry of Education.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME Confirmation Of Name, That I Am The Same Person Bearing Nwaneri Nneka Ruth And Nwaneri Brown Nneka Ruth All Former Documents Remain Valid General Public Should Take Note

UGONNA CHUKWUJIMBE TIMOTHY

ILESANMI ABIOLA OLAYEMI

NNAMDI KAOSISO OGBUEFI

BELLO PATRICK, SESERETEI

ROSMARY LOVETH JAMES

I, formerly known as UGONNA JIMBE OKAFOR ERIC now wish to be known and addressed as UGONNA CHUKWUJIMBE TIMOTHY. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

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MICHAEL BARINAOPNEN ELESO

OJIKPOR GOODNEWS FRIDAY

ALAO OLUWAFISAYOMI DORCAS

OKEKE ANTHONY ANAYO

I, formerly known as PEACE ONWUBIKO now wish to be known and addressed as PEACE UZOAMAKA ONWUBIKO. All former documents remain valid.

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AUSTINE-CHINAKA, VICTORIA NYEBUCHI

SOPURUCHI FAVOUR CHIBUZOR

GIFT DASEMBO

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OLUWAFUNMILAYO ABOSEDE I, FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS AKINWUNMI OLUWAFUNMILAYO ABOSEDE NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS OLALEYE OLUWAFUNMILAYO ABOSEDE. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD TAKE NOTE ADENIYI YEMI CHRISTAHAN

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UDO CHRISTIAN ALEXANDER

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26

National Assembly going through some forms of trial, you will discover that these cases have not helped them to settle down for their legislative functions. Are you saying there is no justification in extending immunity clause to these principal officers?

Must he be the President of the Senate? Why can’t he step aside and allow somebody else to be President of the Senate or Deputy President of the Senate then go and sort yourself out?

You see, unlike the President or governor who was elected into that position by the entire constituency of the state or the country as the case may be, he can step aside as President of the Senate and let somebody else be running the Senate or directing the Senate. The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or the Governor of Lagos state for example cannot step aside to go and fight the case and then come back to take it up, no it can’t be, it cannot be.

How do you see the allegation made by the United States ambassador over an alleged sex scandal by some members of the House of representative?

I think it is a very shameful thing that this issue can come up at all. Now of course, they have denied it, they have denied that nothing of such happened but the fact that the allegation was made at all is a thing of national shame for our country. The post of ambassador is a very important position because the man is representing his country in Nigeria and he must have received cogent information from his country about this act. If the allegations are baseless then the man is an irresponsible person but if the allegations have substance then those gentlemen has no business remaining in that House.

There are agitations for the creation of state police to combat the high level of crimes going on in the country. Now that we have a new Inspector General of police, would you support him making such move?

My view on the issue of state police is that we need to be cautious because of the tendency by the politicians to want to use state apparatus to fight personal war. If you have the police, you’re going to have power to arm them and they are going to have the power to arrest, detain and contain people. Can these powers be misused? The answer is yes. Will these powers be misused? The answer is most likely.

Having said that there is the other side of it, policing requires

27 Law

Alleged sex scandal by some Reps, a national shame-Oyeyipo OYEYIPO ‘‘I think it is a very shameful thing that this issue can come up at all. Now of course, they have denied it, they have denied that nothing of such happened but the fact that the allegation was made at all is a thing of national shame for our country.’’

knowledge of the environment, knowledge of the people within the environment, intimate knowledge of happenings within the environment and to that extent, it is the people who grew up and live in the environment that are in the best position to police that environment. In the United states you have the FBI then you have the state police then you have the county police like the local government police but you see, these are democracy that have been on for several decades, they have fine-tuned the inter play of powers at different levels.

Here, it is still quite young, our politicians to a large extent are still politically immature, most of them don’t know how to handle power in a responsible manner, many of them see political powers as powers to be used enhancing their positions or sees state fund as their personal funds so, it is easy for them to see state police as their own personal security outfit.

This is why I said the issue of state police should be done with caution, it should be properly discussed, there should be a limit to their powers, clearly defined and if some guarantees can be obtained to show that they will not be misused, it will really be better for us but I am afraid. You have read or heard of this Sharia police in the

North and what they are doing to terrorize people they imagined have infringed the sharia laws, it is terrible and that is what state police can lead to.

What is your assessment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission when you view the agency in terms of fighting corruption? There is this perception that the agency is going after political oppositions. Do you share this view?

I don’t really know anything about opposition or no opposition. The issue for me as far as I am concerned is: are these allegations baseless? If the allegations are true, if they are oppositions or not oppositions I don’t think it really matters. I mean there are so many other people in oppositions who were in PDP for example or in the other parties that did not vote for this present regime and that are not being investigated or prosecuted. If you didn’t do anything wrong, you cannot be prosecuted. For you to now go about peddling this allegation that it is because I am in opposition that I’m being prosecuted rather than defend yourself, for me that is no defence in law, go and defend yourself and if at the end of the day it is seen that the EFCC is engaged in malicious prosecution then sue them to court under the law of torts for

malicious prosecution, sue them to court for unlawful detention.

That is the way democracy work. If you took out of the money that is meant to armed our army to fight the dreaded boko haram people, you cannot say because you’re political opposition they should not prosecute you. It doesn’t make any sense to me at all, no it doesn’t.

What we hear today is the $2.1 billion armsgate while many people are wondering why the agency has failed in looking at the $16billion meant for electrification project that was allegedly diverted by few individuals.

How do you see this?

That is a question for the agency to answer. The beauty of democracy is that people can raise this issue and put the agency itself on the spot.

I agreed totally with that. Yes, why are you not investigating this, why are you not investigating that? That is better than saying it is because I am in the opposition that is why they are prosecuting me because people have a right to challenge any agency of government to perform its duty, its statutory duty, they have the right to do that and the agency has a duty to explain. That is why I said it is a question for the agency and I think it is a proper question.

There have been allega-

tions of corrupt practices on the part of the agency and unlike the judiciary that has a self –cleansing mechanism, we don’t hear offenders are punished. What is your take on this?

I don’t agree with you that the agency does not have a self -cleansing mechanism. The EFCC is made up of mostly retired police officers, there is what is called orderly room trial where a police man who misconduct himself is subjected to orderly room trial in performance of his duty and they apply the sanction, it could be demotion or removed from service and that does not stop him from facing any civil or criminal liability when he leaves there so, I think that is self-cleansing. Be that as it may, the office of the AGF I believe supervises the EFCC and that office can call the agency to order furthermore, you know the National Assembly has wide powers, they can make any enquiry concerning alleged misdeeds on the part of the agency and even the police or the anti-corruption ICPC can investigate them if there is a petition to ICPC they can take it up and prosecute where it is necessary whether the person is a former or a serving chairman. I don’t believe anybody is above the law.

21 News

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

CHRIST’S LIGHT CHURCH INTERNATIONAL This is to inform the general public that the above named has applied for Registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matter Act 1990.

Board of Trustees 1)Pastor IYANTAN OLATUNDE SEHINDE -CHAIRMAN 2)REV OLAMOYESAN ADEKUNLE 3)SUP/SNR/AP. OYEKANMI FELIX KAYODE - Secretary 4)SNR/LADY EVANG.EYIYEMI OYINADE 5)EVANG. IYANTAN OLAOLUWA AIMS & OBJECTIVE 1)TO SEE UNBELIEVERS BECOMING COMMITTED FOLLOWERS OF JESUS CHRIST 2)TO ENCOURAGE THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST TO ALL NATIONS. Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the 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: SECRETARY

ONOSEHIS HELP INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION The General Public is hereby notified that the above Named FOUNDATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

TRUSTEES ARE:(1) DR. FRANCIS OSEMHOAHU ERAH (2) BRIDGET IYOGHAMA ERAH AIMS: (1) TO HELP MEMBERS ACHIEVE THEIR GOAL OF SERVICE TO HUMANITY. (2) TO PROVIDE SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENTAL AID TO THE INDIGENT IN THE SOCIETY. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET, P.M.B 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY AFRICAN YOUTH TRAINING AND EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVE The General Public is hereby notified that the above Named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

TRUSTEES ARE:1. AMB. (ENGR) CHUKWU F. STEPHEN 2. MRS. CHUKWU F. UCHECHI 3. MR. UDEFI A. CHRISTIAN AIMS:1. TO GIVE AFRICAN YOUTHS TRAINING AND EMPOWER THEM TO BE SELF EMPLOYED. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET, P.M.B 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY

THE POTENTIAL BROTHERS CLUB OF NIGERIA

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

THE TRUSTEES ARE:1. ODUKWE CHUKWUKA K. 2. ONWUBUYA KINGSLEY ONYINYE 3. NDUPU CHIMEZIE VICTOR 4. UDEKE BENJAMIN CHIGOZIE Aims and objectives: (a) To promote peace in the society (b) To promote peace and unity among brothers (c)To walk in oneness as brothers (d) To assist the less privileged in our society and also to assist one another to reach our goals.

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

Signed: Barr. Nnaemeka Emenari Legal Practitioner

AUCTION SALES THERE WILL BE AN AUCTION SALES OF MOTOR VEHICLES AT OLUOBASANJO POLICE STATION OF THE RIVERS STATE POLICE COMMAND, RIVERS STATE. AFTER 21 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. 1. SCRAP TOYOTA CAMRY REG. NO. GY 187 PHC. 2. SCRAP GREEN KIA SPORTAGE REG. NO. AQ 580 BRS. 3. SCRAP TOYOTA CAMRY REG. NO. HS 490 ABC. 4. SCRAP MERCEDES BENZ MINI BUS REG. NO. 764 UGH. 5. SCRAP RED JETTA REG. NO. LND 882 WC. 6. SCRAP PEUGEOT 505 CAR REG. NO AH 521 AFM. 7. SCRAP MITSUBISHI CAR REG. NO. SF 745 AAA. 8. SCRAP NISSAN BUS REG. NO. KMK 262 XL. 9. SCRAP PEUGEOT 505 REG. NO. AH 521 AF. 10. SCRAP TOYOTA COROLLA REG. NO. YEN 488 MS. 11. SCRAP PEUGEOT 504 WAGON REG. NO. AE 415 GKW. 12. SCRAP FORD PICK-UP VAN REG. NO. XL 327 KTU. 13. SCRAP PEUGEOT 605 REG. NO. AA 683 GGU.

SIGNED: MILIHA INTEGRATED AUCTION SERVICES (08060382828)

LIFE AND LIBERTY GOSPEL MINISTRY INT. This is to inform the general public that the above named has applied for Registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matter Act 1990.

Trustees are: (1) Rev. Dr. Richard Olanrewaju Olorunniyi (2) Mrs. Agnes Oluwayemisi Olorunniyi (3) Deacon Olalek an Olanrewaju.

AIM and Objective: To preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to all nations.

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

JOHADA PEOPLE EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVE The General Public is hereby notified that the above Named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

TRUSTEES ARE:(1) EGHOSA BRUCE AGBONAVBARE (2) ABOLAJI OLANREWAJU ODUTOLA (3) CHIEF OSARUMWENSE AGBONAVBARE EGHAREVBA AIMS: 1.

TO GIVE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO MEMEBRS. 2.

TO ENHANCE THEM WITH VIABLE SKILLS. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET, P.M.B 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION.

SIGNED: Rev. Dr. Richard Olanrewaju Olorunniyi

SIGNED: SECRETARY

SAMSON ACHI SKILL ACQUISITION CENTER

GOD’S DELIVERANCE HEALING & FAITH MINISTRY INT’L

The General Public is hereby notified that the above Named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for CHANGE OF TRUSTEE under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

OLD APPOINTED TRUSTEES ARE: (1) ISAAC OKOJIE (2) AIMUAN EMMANUEL NEWLY APPOINTED TRUSTEES ARE: (1) ACHI SAMSON ODIGHIKA (2) VICTOR UZAMA (3) ACHI DANIEL IKECHUKWU ANY OBJECTION TO THISSHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION,420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET, P.M.B 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

The General Public is hereby notified that the above Named MINISTRY has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

TRUSTEES ARE:(1) PROPHETESS EUNICE EGEAGHA (2) PASTOR MRS. NWANNE NDIDI EMEAGHA (3) MISS FELICIA AMOS (4) PASTOR KENNETH OKACHUKWU AMOS EMEAGHA (5) ELDER BENSON TIALOBI AIMS:1. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST 2. TO WIN SOULS FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD 3. TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN CHRISTIAN MISSIONS AND MINISTRIES ANY OBJECTION TO THIS SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET, P.M.B 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

BLESS GOD DIVINE CHRISTIAN CENTRE

HARMONY CLUB OF IKENNE

The General Public is hereby notified that the above Named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

TRUSTEES ARE:1. MRS. ROSE OMO ALBERT (GENERAL OVERSEER) 2. MRS. BETTY EGBELEFIYO 3. MR. JULIUS IGABARI 4. MR. ISAAC OSARENKHOE 5. MRS. AGNES FEMI 6. MRS. DORATHY OKODUWA 7. MR. JUSTICE EIFUAMUTEN 8. MR. MARTINS DIBIE 9. FAVOUR OMON ALBERT AIMS:1. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 2. TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN CHRISTIAN MISSIONS AND MINISTRIES ANY OBJECTION TO THIS SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRARGENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUYI IRONSI STREET, P.M.B 198, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28TH DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY

This is to inform the general public that the above Named CLUB has applied for Registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matter Act 1990.

The Trustee Are: 1. OJUBAYO SARAFA OLALEKAN - CHAIRMAN 2. SESAN AMOKEOJA ABDULAHI - SECRETARY 3. ADEWALE ABIODUN - MEMBER 4. ADEKUNLE OLADELE ADEKUNMI MEMBER AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To contribute its own little quota to the social and economic development of Ikenne 2. To promote humanitarian purpose 3. To give mutual assistance to the club members 4. To promote unity, moral, progress and understanding 5. To invest and deal with the funds and money of the club 6. To provide financial supports to members 7. To do all such lawful things that may be incidental and conductive to the attainment of the aims and objects of the club.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the 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: SECRETARY

CALLY & PAUL FOUNDATION

THE SANCTUARY OF EXCELLENCE MINISTRY INTERNATIONAL

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

The Trustees are: 1) OKOLI PAUl .C= president 2) ANYIKA FIDELIS. C= SEC 3) NWOYE CALLISTUS = CHAIRMAN 4) OKOLI JOSEPHAT .U= LEGAL ADVISER. Aims: Cally &Paul foundation is a non profit, voluntary org. Committed to the defense of life by offering health assistance especially to the less privileged in the society who cannot afford the cost of medical treatment.

5. LAZARUS EBUBE 6. PATRICK UDEANYIM 7. KENNETH UDENYI. THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES REMAIN THE SAME. ANY OBJECTION TO THE APPLICATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL CAC, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY. EZIOKWU CHINELO MARYANN I, formerly known as EZEAGU CHINELO MARYANN wish to be known and addressed as EZIOKWU CHINELO MARYANN. All former document remain valid, general public please take note.

SAMAH IBRAHIM SMART

I formerly know and addressed as SAMAH OLAJIDE AMIDU,now wish to be know as SAMAH IBRAHIM SMART.All former document remain valid. General public should take note.

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

The Trustees are: 1. Prophet Moses Chukwumaliobi Onochie 2. Pastor, Mrs. Victoria Igboamaka 3. Pastor Igboamaka Michael Uzowanne 4. Mr. Oruru John Otega 5. Mr. Ajumuka Okechukwu Aims 1. To win souls to Christ 2. To propagate thé word of God .

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

Signed by Barr.Ijeoma Njoku(08033316131)

OGUANYA NNENNA ESTHER

EZEA JAMES LUCKY

BELLO JULIET OBANIERO

I, formerly known as Miss UDEJI NNENNA ESTHER wish to be known and addressed as MRS. OGUANYA NNENNA ESTHER. All former document remain valid, general public please take note.

I was formerly known and addressed as EZEA JAMES NNABUDO Now wish to be known and addressed as EZEA JAMES LUCKY. All former documents remain valid.

General public to take note.

I was formerly known and addressed as MISS OTAH JULIET OBANIERO Now wish to be known and addressed as MRS BELLO JULIET OBANIERO. All former documents remain valid.

General public to take note.

HABIBATU YUSUF

I formerly know and addressed as YUSUF ONUH, now wish to be know as HABIBATU YUSUF.All former document remain valid.

General public should take note.

EMMANUEL JAMES INGBIAN I formerly know and addressed as INGBIAN JAMES COCIHE, now wish to be know as EMMANUEL JAMES INGBIAN. All former document remain valid. General public should take note.

JENNIFER AGBAJI

I, formerly known as JENNIFER NOUK YERE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS JENNIFER AGBAJI. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

26

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Law

s

EFCC lacks power to freeze Gov. Fayose’s account-Oyeyipo Mr. Adetunji Oyeyipo, a Senior Advocate is a partner in one of the foremost law firms, Abdullahi Ibrahim and Co. In this interview with PETER FOWOYO, he spoke on the alleged $2.1 billion fraud case against the governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, immunity clause in the constitution, the leadership crisis rocking the National Assembly, creation of state police and sundry other issues.

How do you see the faceoff between the governor of Ekiti state, Dr. Ayodele Fayose, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the alleged $2.1 billion armsgate. Does the agency have the power to prosecute the governor?

The agency obviously does not have the power to prosecute the governor. You are aware that section 308 of the constitution vests in the President, Vice-President, Governor and Deputy-Governor immunity from prosecution, not only from prosecution of criminal matter even civil suit. So clearly, the EFCC does not have the power to prosecute the governor. However, prosecution is just another leg of criminal action, there is the issue of investigation and I have not seen any provisions of the constitution that stops the security agency from investigating anybody. So, they can investigate but they cannot prosecute.

If the agency can investigate but cannot prosecute and after its investigation it got an order of forfeiture of the governor’s assets or frozen of monies. Don’t you think there will be miscarriage of justice since the governor cannot sue?

Yes, I doubt very much if the EFCC has the power to freeze the account of the governor or even seize any of his assets because in doing that they will need a court order and if they obtain a court order, I believe that it can seriously be canvassed that that order is defective because it will tantamount to criminal proceedings or some form of proceedings directed at the governor.

That is one leg of it.

The other leg of it is that if the assets is subject of interim forfeiture or seizure or his account is frozen pending when criminal action is constituted

against him, because of his constitutional rights of being presume innocent until proven guilty, I think it will amount to injustice on the governor because by virtue of section 308 of the constitution he cannot maintain an action with the EFCC because the immunity works in both ways.

If you look at the case of Tinubu vs. IMB where the Supreme Court stated that neither the governor nor any other person can engage in any form of litigation so it would appear that any seizure or frozen of the account will be illegal in my opinion.

There is renewed clamor for section 308 of the constitution to be expunged. Do you share this view?

I do not. The immunity clause serves a very useful purpose.

The position of the governor or the President is a very demanding position, it calls for him to be on the position at any point in time as a matter of fact, whoever wants to be a governor should be ready to work himself to death. If you look at the former governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, before he became governor, he was robust though not fat but healthy, well fed and young but look at him now, he looks like 20 years his age.

That is what eight years as governor did to him and even the one year that he became Minister over seeing what used to be three ministries; you can see he has even depreciated more. You can now imagine when he was a governor, if he was also attending to all kinds of litigation all over the place, I am not sure he would have survived it. Immunity helps to shield the occupants of those positions from the annoying or irritating actions that people may want to institute against them while in office so they can’t focus on the task of

Oyeyipo

Yes, I doubt very much if the EFCC has the power to freeze the account of the governor or even seize any of his assets because in doing that they will need a court order and if they obtain a court order, I believe that it can seriously be canvassed that that order is defective because it will tantamount to criminal proceedings or some form of proceedings directed at the governor.

That is one leg of it.

governing the state or the country as it were and don’t forget there is a proviso to the constitution which states that for the time that they are in office the issue of statutes of limitation will not apply.

So time will begin to run when he leaves office, if time has started running when the cause of action arose before he went into office it will be suspended during that period. The only snag in it is that the issue of evidence, witnesses or whatever might have been degraded but you can’t have a perfect situation. I am all for immunity clause.

In view of the court cases that the leadership of the Senate is facing, there is a move by the legislatures to shield principal officers of the National Assembly from litigation. What is your take on this?

I think it is a wrong move by

the legislatures. We have people already thinking of removing immunity from the executive arm of government and you now start talking about principal officers of the National Assembly by the time you shield the principal officers of the National assembly then you could move it to ordinary members of the National Assembly and even Local Government Chairmen, Supervisors and Councilors. I don’t think that is called for. This people don’t occupy executive positions. They were elected by their own peers, they were elected as senators by their constituencies and then their own peers in the Senate, in the House of Representatives collectively chose or appoint them into those positions of so called principal officers, I think it is going too far.

But when you look at the present leadership of the CONTINUED ON PAGE 27

News 20

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Benue South not represented in Senate, says Onjeh

Njoku Chibuike

ÏÏÏ

The former Benue South senatorial candidate in the last general election under the umbrella of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Daniel Onjeh has alleged that the people of Benue South do not have a representative in the Senate and their voice as a people is completely silenced in the red chamber.

He said this through a statement he made avail-

able to the Daily Times on Monday while registering his dissatisfaction with the ruling of the Election Petition Tribunal, which struck out his petition.

He further disclosed that he had approached the Court of Appeal to set aside the decision of the lower court, and order the trial of his petition.

The statement read in part, “We filed our Notice of Appeal on the same day of the said ruling, June 30, 2016, and by July 4, 2016,

the Court Record had been transmitted from the Tribunal to the Court of Appeal, Makurdi.

“Consequently, service was attempted on David Mark, at his resident in Otukpo, all efforts in this direction was to no avail.

“Although, INEC and the PDP have since been served, but, being wary of the very limited time left to the effluxion of the mandatory 180 days constitutionally provided for the hearing and determi-

nation of Election Petition, we immediately filed a motion seeking an Oder for substituted service on David Mark, with all the court processes.

“Accordingly, the Court of Appeal granted our prayers on July 8, 2016, and ordered that David Mark be served with the Notice of Appeal, Court Record, and our Brief of Argument at his office in the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

“The bailiff left Makurdi for Abuja to serve Mark

as soon as the enrolled Order was ready, on the same day of the ruling on our motion by the Court of Appeal. Upon arriving the National Assembly Complex, another futile attempt to serve Mark was made at about 5 pm, on Friday, July 8, 2016.

“Having been kept abreast of the development, we took it for granted that the failure to serve Mark could be attributed to the fact that the day was a Friday, and also the timing.

L- R: Oscar Onyema, Chief Executive Officer, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, House of Representative; Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, CON, President, NSE and Honourable Gaza Gbefwi, Deputy Chairman, Media and Publicity, House of Representative at the closing Gong Ceremony at the Exchange … on Friday.

Forgery: Court’s vacation stalls Saraki, Ekweremadu, others trial ÏÏÏ

The scheduled commencement of trial in the forgery case against Senate President, Bukola Saraki, his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and two others on Monday has been postponed.

This is even as a Federal Capital Territory (FTC) High Court, Maitama, on Monday adjourned former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki’s motion for consolidation of two cases against him to October 5.

The postponement of Saraki’s, Ekwere,adu and others’ trial was informed by the commencement of the annual long vacation of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),

… Hearing on Dasuki’s motion adjourned to Oct. 5 Abuja.

Saraki, Ekweremadu, former Clerk of the Senate, Salihu Abubakar Maikasuwa and Deputy Clerk of the Senate, Benedict Efeturi were arraigned on June 27 before Justice Yusuf Haliru, of the High Court of the FCT in Jabi, on a two-count charge of criminal conspiracy and forgery.

They were accused among others, of forging the Senate Standing Orders 2015, with which the elections for the offices of the Senate President and Deputy Senate President of the 8th Senate were conducted.

The four defendants, who

each, face a maximum of 14 years imprisonment on conviction, pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them.

The court had, on the last date (June 27), adjourned to July 11 for the commencement of trial.

When parties got to court on Monday, they were informed that the court’s annual long vacation has commenced earlier than anticipated.

Court officials told lawyers representing parties that a circular for the annual vacation became public last Friday, but became effective on Monday.

Parties have agreed to re-

turn on September 28.

The defendants were all in court. While Abubakar entered the courtroom around 8:20am, Saraki, Ekweremadu and Efeturi arrived the court around8:50am.

Saraki, Ekweremadu and Efeturi rode into the court premises in a long convoy of cars, accompanied by some members of the Senate and their supporters.

Meanwhile, a Federal Capital Territory (FTC) High Court, Maitama, on Monday adjourned former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki’s motion for consolidation of two cases against him to October 5.

Aggrieved CAN members urged to embrace peace Chijioke Kingsley Jos

ÏÏÏ

The National Youth President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Engr. Daniel Kadzai, has called on the aggrieved faction of CAN over the outcome of the election that saw the emergence of Rev. Samson OA. Ayokunle as the new CAN president, to shield their sword and work for the common goal of the association.

Kadzai said that the essence of coming together under one umbrella is to further propagate the gospel of Christ with a greater vigour and to protect all that hitherto belong to the body of Christ.

He said that it is only God that appoints a leader and as Christians, “it is bestowed on us to rally support for whomever God has appointed to lead His sheep at every given time”, he said.

Daily Times gathered that supporters of the contestant from the ECWA / TEKAN Bloc, Rev. Jeremiah Gado has dragged the body of CAN that conducted the election to court.

Group urges NDA to ceasefire Njoku Chibuike

ÏÏÏ The One Love Family

has called on the Niger Delta Avengers to embrace dialogue with the Federal Government to present their grievances for a peaceful resolution of the unnecessary lingering crises.

They made the call through a press release signed by its leader, Satguru Maharaj Ji and made available to the Daily Times on Monday.

In a bid to curtail the lingering pains and agony which the incessant bombing of pipelines has subjected unsuspecting Nigerians to, Maharaj Ji pleaded with the Avengers to embrace negotiation as two wrongs do not make a

right.

“We cannot quench fire with fire and it does not matter how long it takes, dialogue and persuasion is what we require to reduce tension, pain, and agony now on the rise with fellow Nigerians now taking refuge in swamps and creeks and some fleeing out of the country which has the best of everything to give comfort and security to all if we appreciate each other.

“We beg the militants to recognise the efforts being made by Niger Delta leaders and other influential leaders and stakeholders who are working day and night to broker peace before it get out of control”, the statement read.

Published by FOLIO COMMUNICATIONS LTD, Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja. email: info@dailytimes.ng Tel: 018447948.

DAILY EDITOR: BIODUN DUROJAIYE

TUESDAY, JULY 12, 2016

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Price: N150

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Victor Thompson

S

Satguru

Guru Maharaj backs Salisu Yusuf for Super Eagles job …Says, ‘Foreign coach a taboo to black race’

FIFA president,Infantino

due in Abuja July 24 Victor Thompson

F

IFA President Gianni Infantino is to pay a two-day working visit to Nigeria from July 24, during which time he will be received by the country’s President, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have announced.

Infantino will be accompanied on the two-day working visit by FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura.

The Italian-Swiss, who was elected FIFA President at an extraordinary general assembly in Zurich on 26th February 2016, confirmed the trip following a meeting with NFF president Amaju Pinnick in Paris, France on Sunday.

“The FIFA President and Secretary General will arrive in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Sunday, 24th July on a two –day working visit to Nigeria,” Pinnick disclosed.

During the visit, Infantino and Samoura will pay a courtesy call on President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, hold meeting with a legion of African FA presidents who are expected in Nigeria to join the NFF to receive the FIFA top shots and attend an evening session with Corporate Nigeria in Lagos.

The FIFA bosses will also meet with Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State before watching the finals of the NFF/ ZENITH Bank Future Eagles Championship.

A welcome dinner put together by the League Management Company and also attended by members of the diplomatic corps is on the cards.

At the one–hour meeting involving Infantino, Samoura and Pinnick on Sunday, Nigeria’s minister of sports Solomon

Dalung spoke with the FIFA boss and expressed Nigeria’s readiness to welcome the FIFA team.

Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura, 54, was appointed FIFA Secretary General at the 66th FIFA Congress in Mexico City on 12th May.

Infantino

elf-proclaimed Living Perfect Master, Satguru Maharaj Ji, has leant his voice to the growing call on the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), to keep fate with indigenous coaches for the nation’s national teams. He believes that hiring a foreigner to tutor Nigerian national teams is not good for the development of the game in the country.

Satguru Maharaj Ji said this in a press release he personally signed, a copy of which was made available to the Daily Times.

His call apparently was sequel to the rumoured shortlisting of two foreigners, Paul Le Guen and Tom Saintfeit, for the Super Eagles job. Satguru Maharaj Ji maintained that the job should be given to the Nigerian shortlisted, Salisu Yusuf.

The statement read in part: “In black skin, there is no need for ‘Oyinbo’ coach because the grace has touched the black race to recover from obscurity, neglect and poverty, to fame wisdom and wealth through this grace like a tree planted by the waterside and therefore what is needed is to use the lost and found Holy Name in all activities and all will be upright to bring back the lost glory of the Atlantis children in the area of science , technology and excel in sports , arts, culture, and selfrealisation to win any competition in the world.”.

He continued, “-n the area of science, technology and excel in sports, arts, culture, and self realisation to win any competition in the world.

So, foreign coach for football in the presence of Kanu, Siasia etc is a taboo and disrespect to the Blackman,” he concluded.

M

yne

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

EXTRATIME

19

EURO 2016 FALLOUT

Deschamps

Deschamp denies pressure got into French team F

rance coach Didier Deschamps denied pressure got to his team in their 1-0 loss to Portugal in the Euro 2016 final.

The host nation were favourites to win the decider in Paris on Sunday, but went down to a stunning long-range goal from Eder in extra time.

Deschamps’ men had their chances as Andre-Pierre Gignac

struck the post and Antoine Griezmann was unable to convert a second-half opportunity.

While Deschamps was unwilling to make excuses for his team, he believes expectations had no impact.

“I don’t think there was any extra pressure. We didn’t play with the brakes on,” he told a news conference. “But Portugal are good at stopping the opposition

from playing, they defend as a unit and get forward when they can.

“Of course we used a lot of energy against Germany, but if I say that it looks like I’m seeking excuses. There’s a big difference between three or four days to recover.

“We put a lot of energy into the Germany match, but we could have had a bit more freshness.

That, in turn, would have helped

us be more clinical.”

Deschamps rued the chances missed by his team, with Gignac going close to finding the winner when he put a shot against the post late in the second half.

“Of course the overriding emotion is of huge disappointment. It’s cruel to lose a final like that. You have to accept it and I congratulate Portugal, the newly crowned champions,” he said.

Griezmann named Euro

2016best

player U

efa on Monday named French forward and tournament top scorer Antoine Griezmann as the best player of Euro 2016, a day after the hosts’ 1-0 final defeat to Portugal.

“Antoine Griezmann was a threat in every game he played. He works hard for his team and possesses technique, vision and quality finishing,” said Uefa chief technical officer Ioan Lupescu, who led the panel that picked the striker.

Alex Ferguson, the former Manchester United manager, was among Uefa’s 13-strong panel of technical observers.

Atletico Madrid man Griezmann, 25, for whom Sunday’s defeat was a second major final loss in a month after the loss to arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League, also won the Golden Boot award for his six goals.

He also had two assists in France’s run to the final, but had a rare off-night in front of goal on Sunday and was unable to haul the hosts to victory.

Griezmann and midfield schemer Dimitri Payet were included in the Uefa team of the tournament named Monday, as was Portugal skipper Cristiano Ronaldo, who was stretchered off injured and in tears after a crunching tackle by Payet.

Ronaldo O’Neill blasts Low donates Silver Boot award to Nani over comment

T

he Real Madrid star finished second, behind Antoine Griezmann, in the race to be crowned the top scorer at Euro 2016 and Ronaldo clearly isn’t interested in the runner-up gong.

Valencia winger Nani took to social media following Portugal’s 1-0 extra-

time win over France in the final of the showpiece tournament to express his delight at Ronaldo giving him the award as a “gift”.

Still, Ronaldo could well need the extra space in the trophy cabinet soon, with the 31-year-old now odds-on favourite to win the 2016 Ballon d’Or.

T

he Republic of Ireland boss has dismissed the comments of the Germany coach, who believes that the quality of Euro 2016 was diminished.

Martin O’Neill says that Joachim Low ‘likes to moan a bit’ after the Germany head coach complained that the quality of the European Championship “is suffering” because of the increase of participating teams.

Low made the assertion in the wake of Germany’s Euro 2016 semi-final defeat to eventual runners-up France.

“I think 24 teams is too many,” Low said to sport1. “The World Cup is going to be increased to 40 teams and it is getting more and more.

“That is a problem in the long

term. Sometimes you get the feeling it’s not doing football any good. The quality is suffering.”

However, Republic of Ireland manager O’Neill, whose team took four points from the world champions in Euro 2016 qualification, dismissed Low’s comments.

“He has a moan about everything,” O’Neill said, speaking as a pundit on TV3. “He had a moan about us the time we beat them in the game in October.

“He does like to moan a bit. He doesn’t like to moan when they win the game themselves.

“With some of the bigger nations, it is a bit like it the FA when top sides didn’t want to travel to non-league sides in case they were embarrassed.”

O’ Neil

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2015

Britain to get another woman premier, as Cameron quits ÏÏÏ

British Prime Minister David Cameron has said that he would officially resign on Wednesday, allowing Interior Minister Theresa May to become the country’s next leader.

“She is strong, she is competent, she is more than able to provide the leadership that our country is going to need in the years ahead and she will have my full support,” Cameron said in comments to reporters on Monday.

Cameron said that on Wednesday he will attend the House of Commons for prime minister’s questions.

“After that I expect to go to the Palace and offer my resignation, so we will have a new prime

minister in that building behind me by Wednesday evening,” he said.

May and energy minister Andrea Leadsom were expected to contest in a Conservative runoff to replace Cameron, who announced his resignation after failing to persuade British voters to choose to stay in the European Union in a referendum last month.

However earlier on Monday, Leadsom announced her withdrawal from the race leaving May as the sole candidate.

“A nine week leadership campaign” at a time when Britain is negotiating its withdrawal from the European Union is “highly undesirable,” Leadsom said adding that May is “ideally

Theresa May

placed to implement Brexit on the best possible terms for the British people.”

Once confirmed May would be Britain’s first female prime minister since Margaret Thatcher.

25 Foreign

DRC opposition groups agree to national dialogue ÏÏÏAfrican Union has announced that opposition groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have recognized the “need” to launch a national dialogue before the end of July.

The parties have also maintained to focus on the conditions to launch the national dialogue.

The AU meeting which took place within the framework of partnership for peace and security in Africa, is in line with collective commitment to support the DRC in consolidating the achievements made during the last decades.

AU called on all the stakeholders in the dialogue to create a conducive environment for the holding of the national dialogue.

The African body has also received the support of the oppositions as a facilitator of the dialogue.

Leader of the Union of Democracy and Social Progress, Etienne Tsisekedi and other representatives of the opposition groups met with some support groups composed of the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union in Brussels at the weekend.

However, Tsisekedi and his comrades have insisted on the implementation of measures of equity, security and peace, and the release of political prisoners.

In view of the political situation in the DRC, the international group held its first meeting on July 4 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The AU also said it welcomes the ongoing efforts by the Congolese authorities and especially by the National Independence Electoral Commission (CENI), with the support of various partners to undertake the required revision of the voters register.

N. Korea cuts diplomatic links with US ÏÏÏNorth

South Sudanese policemen and soldiers stand guard along a street in Juba.

ÏÏÏ

Heavy fighting erupted in South Sudan’s capital on Monday, the fifth anniversary of her independence, and hours after the United Nations.

Security Council called on leaders in the conflict-torn country to control their rival armed forces, and warned that ongoing attacks on civilians and U.N. facilities may constitute war crimes.

Gunfire and explosions rocked Juba as clashes broke out for a fifth day Monday after relative calm overnight.

Japanese Ambassador Koro Bessho, the current president of the 15-member Security Council, spoke for the international body late Sunday in New York after more than three hours of emergency consultations about the crisis in Juba.

He called conditions on the ground an “urgent situation,” and said at least one Chinese

War mars South Sudan’s independence anniversary

peacekeeper had been killed and several Rwandan peacekeepers wounded.

There were no official estimates of casualties by late Sunday, and it remained unclear at that time whether troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and those backing First Vice President Riek Machar would heed the U.N. demands. Local radio in the capital earlier reported as many as 276 dead in several days of violence, while a spokesman for Machar said at least 150 were killed with scores of others wounded.

The U.S. State Department has ordered the departure of all its non-emergency personnel from the U.S. embassy in Juba and has also warned U.S. citizens against traveling to South Sudan

because of the ongoing fighting Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said the attacks in South Sudan are “deplorable” and that the “targeting of what are meant to be inviolable U.N. premises is totally outrageous and unacceptable and goes beyond even the savagery that we’ve seen over the life of this conflict.”

Akshaya Kumar of Human Rights Watch said,”For too long, the U.N. Security Council has relied on the good will of South Sudan’s leaders, neglected accountability and brandished empty threats of an arms embargo and individual sanctions.” Kumar said that was a “losing strategy” that has “obviously failed.”

Korea says it is closing one of the last lines of communication with the United States in retaliation for Washington placing sanctions on leader Kim Jong Un for human rights abuses.

Pyongyang said Monday it has told the U.S. the North is effectively ending all diplomatic communications with Washington that have been conducted through the U.N. offices in New York.

Last week, the U.S. placed personal sanctions on Kim and several other North Korean officials, in addition to sanctions already in place on the country for Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.

Earlier Monday, North Korea threatened to take “physical action” after the U.S. and Seoul announced plans for deployment of a sophisticated missile defense system in South Korea.

Pyongyang made the threat several days after Washington and Seoul revealed plans to use the Terminal High Altitude Area

Defense system — THAAD — on the Korean peninsula following a series of ballistic missile and nuclear tests by Pyongyang.

The location and timing of the deployment have not been announced.

Pyongyang’s official KCNA news agency, using its typical bellicose style, said “It is the unwavering will of our army to deal a ruthless retaliatory strike and turn (the South) into a sea of fire and a pile of ashes the moment we have an order to carry it out.” Pyongyang said the “physical response” will take place the moment the time and location of THAAD have been confirmed.

China and Russia, as well as North Korea have expressed strong opposition to the deployment of THAAD and urged Washington and Seoul to put a stop to it.

South Korean President Park Guen-hye said Monday the THAAD system is only intended as a defensive measure against the North, and is not targeted against any other country.

In Israel, Egypt’s FM calls for two-state solution

ÏÏÏ Speaking during a rare vis-

it to Israel, the Egyptian foreign minister says Egypt remains a “steadfast and unwavering’’ supporter of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Sameh Shoukry’s trip to Jerusalem Sunday is the first such visit since 2007. After decades of wars followed by a cold peace, Israel has emerged as a discreet ally to Egyptian President AbdelFattah el-Sissi.

El-Sissi recently called for the

resumption of peace efforts between Israelis and Palestinians.

Egypt, followed by Jordan, are the only Middle Eastern countries to make peace with Israel.

In a press conference with Shoukry, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the Palestinians “to follow the courageous example of Egypt and Jordan and join us for direct negotiations.’’

Shoukry visited Palestinian Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank last month.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, July 12, 2016

31 Tech Times

DS-ICT Innovation Hub established for ICT, knowledge creation - Uwaje Stories by Tony Nwakaegho As Nigeria cruise into the 21st century, its wealth and international competitiveness will be meaningfully harnessed by her ability to develop and exploit intellectual capital (IP) by harnessing the power of information technology (IT), This is the fulcrum of the vision to establish Delta State Innovation Hub (DS- IHUB) which was to create a smarter Platform, international destination and national centre of ICT innovation and knowledge creation, according to Chris Uwaje, director-general of the Hub. Uwaje, while unveiling the slogan, “We create and innovate”, said the management is on a mission to develop the Innovation Hub as a world-class knowledge factory.

“The Hub is accredited through peer review, as the first Knowledge-Innovation and Science & Technology Park in the South-South of Nigeria, and aims to positively disrupt the existing status quo. It is located in Asaba – the capital city of Delta State.

“Applying a Public-PrivatePartnership (PPP) development model we aim to strategically harness all knowledge attributes, potentials and ICT processes in and beyond the Delta State Region as the core accelerator for leadership, public policy, inclusive

UWAJE governance, state security, entrepreneurship, youth and women empowerment, creativity, innovation and wealth creation.

“The Hub aims to be a well groomed platform for timely harnessing critical knowledge and accelerating the translation of ideas into functional products and services,” he said.

The DG DS- IHUB added that ‘Institutional Knowledge’ sustainability is at the core of the above mission and values.

Telecom sector emerges Nigeria’s biggest advertiser with N16.7bn in 2015 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28

however attracted more advertising spends of 39.0 billion and N15.1 billion in 2015 respectively compared to N34.6 billion and N12.1 billion respectively the previous year.

Mediafacts put the advertising expenditure in the first and second quarters of 2015 at N23 billion each, while it was N29.8 billion and N22.1 billion in the third and fourth quarters of the year.

“The highest spend for 2015 was recorded in Quarter 3 (N29.8 billion), which represents 30

percent of the total spend,” the report stated.

Among the various regions in Nigeria, Lagos state attracted the highest advertising expenditure of N53.1 billion followed by the North Central (N12.1 billion), South West (N10.2 billion) and South South (N10 billion).

“The highest spend for 2015 was recorded in Lagos, 54 percent, followed by North Central (12 percent), while North East took the rear position. The paltry spend, less than 1 percent in the North East was traceable to the spate of insurgency in the region”, Mediafacts revealed.

Managing Director/CEO of

“We would make every effort to ensure that knowledge, idea and creativity consistency becomes and remains our strategic compass for the sustainability of institutional culture for science, technology and innovation at all levels of our development – incorporating the engagements of the following challenges: the rapidly waxing population which pose immense challenges to Governance Leadership, Institutional Peace, State Security and Climate Change;

and explore complex social and economic problems which challenge policymakers to provide new and more effective responses to the policy needs and demands of their citizenry.

He highlighted that the Hub will also focus on National, State and Peoples security – especially at the digital platform – which demands urgent social inclusion solutions; examine responsive strategies for successfully engaging the above challenges; intervention strategies for acknowledging that effective, successful and sustainable 21st century development resides in well-structured innovations and creative IP development; building responsive capacities and capabilities for disaster recovery and sustainability.

“Objectives: Our focus amongst others is to build High-Technology Innovation Capacities, encourage disruptive technology processes, retool the workforce and develop a creative capacity of new-thinkers and skillful doers: empower leadership with critical knowledge for impactful governance; providing Go-to-business Innovation mentoring to support start-ups and entrepreneurial aspiration in the commercialisation of new ideas and products; create standards to improve confidence and trust in Stakeholders, ensure effectiveness and job security and improve efficiency, service quality and customer satisfaction, among other objectives,” he added.

mediaReach OMD, Mr. Tolu Ogunkoya, said “Nigeria’s media is one of the most vibrant in Africa.

State radio and TV have nearnational coverage and operate at federal and regional levels. All 36 states run at least one radio network and a TV station. There are hundreds of radio stations and terrestrial TV networks, as well as cable and direct-to-home satellite offerings.”

Ogunkoya stressed that television viewing in Nigeria is concentrated in urban areas.

“There are more than 100 national and local press titles, some of them are state-owned. They include well-respected dailies, tabloids and publications which champion ethnic interests.

By 2014, 70.3 million Nigerians were online (Internetworldstats. com).

Mobile phones are commonly used to access the web.

Most Internet users are young, educated and urban”, he added.

Ogunkoya pointed out that Nigeria’s economy is the largest

in Africa while its manufacturing sector is the third largest on the continent producing a large proportion of goods and services for the West African sub region.

“The Nigerian environment which is characterised with many investment opportunities seems to be the most attractive for foreign investors because of its liberal economic climate due to the following reasons: The economy has been liberalised for full open market 100% foreign participation is now allowed in all sectors privatisation programmes and industrial development encouraged, profit repatriation allowed.

All laws that inhibit full functioning of a deregulated, free enterprise and market driven economy were removed from stature books.”

He stated that following the April 2014 statistical “rebasing” exercise, Nigeria has emerged as Africa’s largest economy, with 2015 GDP estimated at US$1.1 trillion.

Director-General of DS-ICT Innovation Hub

AfDB unveils MapAfrica 2.0 to showcase, track projects The African Development Bank (AfDB) has unveiled a new online tool that enables anyone in the world to see at a glance how the Bank’s projects are boosting Africa’s economies and making Africans’ lives better.

MapAfrica 2.0 is an interactive online portal that shows where the Bank is making an impact on the continent — and how 800 of the Bank’s projects relate to its “High 5” development priorities: Light up and power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialise Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the quality of life for the African people.

As well as making the Bank’s work visible to a global audience, the portal will give the Bank’s stakeholders a better understanding of how the Bank’s activities contribute to local development – and helps the Bank to ensure it allocates its resources to greatest effect.

MapAfrica 2.0, which updates the first version of the portal, was launched on Thursday, June 30, 2016 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, during the second meeting of the Fourteenth Replenishment of the African Development Fund (ADF-14), as part of the Results Measurement Framework presentation.

Unveiling the platform, Simon Mizrahi, Director of the AfDB’s Quality Control and Results Department, said, “This dynamic tool enables the Bank to provide transparent and equal access to its work across Africa. It is an effort to showcase our results and to track our projects on the ground.”

MapAfrica 2.0, which uses standards laid down by the International Aid Transparency Initiative, reflects the Bank’s commitment to openness, which has seen the AfDB ranked, in April 2016, for the third consecutive year as one of the world’s 10 most open and transparent organizations, by Publish What You Fund.

ADESINA

President African Development Bank (AfDB)