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Militancy in N’Delta won’t end until…

FG jobs portal records 400,000 applications within 36hrs

90

YEARS OF JOURNALISM

Egena Egena, Abuja

ÏÏÏThe

Federal Government’s newly launched Jobs portal, N-Power. gov.ng, has recorded over 400,000 successful registrations since it Continued on page 6

TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 2016 VOL. 2. NO. 130

N150

–Kachikwu

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ÏÏÏMinister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, on Monday said Nigeria could not totally end pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta without creating opportunities for

militants within the oil sector.

The minister, who spokein Uyo, the Akwa Continued on page 6

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MTN fine: Reps summon Malami, Shittu, NCC boss over N300b settlement g14

NSE QUICK BITE

GAINERS AS AT 10th June, 2016 ETERNA

3.00

0.15

5.26%

CCNN

7.35

0.35

5.00%

LOSERS GLAXOSMITH 18.21 NESTLE

-1.79

779.98 -45.02

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Shell may sell off onshore assets in Nigeria gB1

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Editorial Nigeria and religious intolerance

N

ot many people in Nigeria today would dispute the fact that religious intolerance is steadily on the rise. Before now, intolerance of others’ religious views had never been so contentious and divisive, even when many Nigerians remain closet fundamentalists and ethnic zealots. Our concern at this alarming phenomenon is informed by the recent extrajudicial murder of a 75-year-old woman, Mrs. Bridget Agbaheme, a Christian and trader at Kofar Wambai market, in Kano, who was beaten to death by irate youths after accusing her of blasphemy.

Before Nigerians could comprehend the motive behind such barbarity, another Christian and carpenter at Kakuri area of Kaduna metropolis, Mr. Emmanuel Francis was mobbed and stabbed severally by some Muslim youths for failing to observe the Ramadan fast. Luckily, Mr. Francis survived to narrate his ordeal. Definitely, such primitive acts do not present Nigeria in positive light before the international community. There is no denying the fact that many people now see the country as hostage to religious extremism. Even when those responsible for these dastardly acts are facing prosecution, we believe the authorities should do more to rein in the activities of persons preaching hate and intolerance in the name of religion.

Without doubt, any action short of stopping the evil of religious zealotry would spell doom for the country.

We all know that religious intolerance is the inability of adherents of a particular religion to acknowledge, accommodate and accept the right of others to live by another faith different from theirs. However, such an attitude is connected to the conviction that one’s religion is the only divinely ordained path to spiritual enlight-

enment and paradise.

For the avoidance of doubt, Section 38 (1) of Nigeria’s 1999 constitution and Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Right, state that: “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.” Furthermore, Section 10 of the same constitution provides thus: “the Government of the Federation or of a state shall not adopt any religion as state religion”.

It therefore bears restating that the constitution guarantees freedom of worship and no one should be victimised for their beliefs.

Nigeria should learn from the misfortunes of countries that have been wracked by religious bigotry. Today, most of the world’s major conflicts are a result of religious intolerance that has been left to fester into uncontrollable spiral of violence. Incidentally, the two victims of the Kano and Kaduna madness are Christians.

However, it would be unreasonable to inflame matching animosity against Muslims, especially in Christian dominated areas.

For Nigeria to survive and her citizens live in peace with one another, the government and religious leaders must as statutory obligation lead the way in the efforts to enthrone religious and ethnic tolerance in the country. They should also teach and preach tolerance in word and in deed.

We must restate for the umpteenth time that religious belief is fundamental to many human identities. Therefore, freedom of faith must be defended at all cost, even when those in authority are not convenient with it.

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L-R: Sen. Emmanuel Essien; Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi; Minster of Environment, Hajiya Amina Muhammed; Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma; Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Moses Ekpo and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Usani, during their visit to Uyo… on Monday.

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Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar (middle); Comptroller-General of Customs, Hammed Ibrahim Ali (3rd left) and others during a courtesy visit to the Sultan’s palace, in Sokoto… on Monday.

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

“Nigeria is what it is because its leaders are not what they should be.”

“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”

4

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

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5 News

News Analysis When Gbajabiamila turned political clown Sam Nzeh

ÏÏÏMajority

Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, recently listed the 2016 Budget as the key achievement of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in its first year in office, making many to wonder when Budget presentation became a political achievement of any administration.

Gbajabiamila, who disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja on the eve of the first year anniversary of the administration, said the budget is a good economic policy of the current administration and it will facilitate economic diversification.

He urged Nigerians to be patient with the government, saying that there were signs of positive socio-economic developments.

The House Leader further said that the Buhari administration needed time to work, and that it was early for critical assessment of its efforts.

If Gbajabiamila was a comedian, his statement would have passed as a joke to entertain his audience. But he is not. Gbajabiamila is not just a ranking lawmaker having been in the House since 2007, he is the Majority Leader of Nigeria’s Lower Leg-

islative chamber. In fact, he narrowly missed being the Speaker of the House due to contending forces in the party and the chamber. As such, he is expected to know when to draw line between duty and partisanship.

The question which Gbajabiamila should answer is: When did a routine task as Budget preparation, passage and assent become major achievement of any government?

If in a democracy as Nigeria currently operates, the Executive arm of government cannot prepare a Budget, present same in form of Appropriation Bill to the Legislature and ensures that it is passed and assented to, then what else can such a government do? If military regimes, who we all agree are aberration, prepared Budgets with ease, how come Gbajabiamila wants Nigerians to clap for the Buhari-APC administration for carrying out this simple but routine duty? In fact, the posers are many.

No doubt Gbajabiamila is free to express his opinion, however, he must be told by saying that the 2016 Budget was a key achievement of the Buhari administration in its first year, he was only playing to the gallery.

It will therefore ore dignifying if the House Leader drops his partisan garb when serious issues come up for discussion. Enough of playing politics with issues affecting the lives of Nigerians.

CBN releases N2bn to Kano SMEs

Yakubu Salisu Kano

ÏÏÏCentral

Bank of Nigeria has released N2 billion Small and Medium Enterprises fund to the government of Kano State and which would soon be disbursed to artisans, the state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has announced.

He stated that women would constitute 63 percent of beneficiaries of the fund, which is an interest free loan, through the 37 microfinance banks established by the state government.

The governor explained that the decision to allocate larger percentage of the money to women is because of the desire to empower them economically and lift families out of poverty.

He made the assertion during the inauguration of the reconstituted boards of the microfinance.

According to the governor, the boards of the banks were dis-

solved and replaced with new ones to give them a new lease of life.

Governor Ganduje disclosed that the state anti-corruption agency has been directed to focus its search light on the banks so that anyone found misappropriating funds would face the full wrath of the law.

He directed local government councils in the state to patronise the microfinance banks especially by depositing their revenue funds.

Defence minister clears air on retirement of Army officers ÏÏÏThe

Minister of Defence, Brig.-Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali (retd) has said that the recent retirement of 38 Army officers was part of an ongoing reform in the Armed Forces, rather than a witch-hunt.

The minister made the clarification when fielding questions from newsmen after delivering a lecture titled “Defence Management: The Nigerian Experience’’ at the National Defence College, Abuja, on Monday.

He urged Nigerians not to be misled by the false information about the retirement of the officers, adding that no innocent officer was retired unjustly.

Dan-Ali said what culminated into retirement of the affected officers was a process of painstaking review and assessment of officers’ conduct in various tasks assigned to them at a particular time.

The minister explained that the affected officers were indicted for offences ranging from profession-

orating, to ensure that police and other paramilitary organisations were empowered to contain many of Nigeria’s security challenges and depend less on the military.

The minister said that the planned Defence reform would entrench professionalism and discipline in the armed forces.

Similarly, a former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Ola Ibrahim, noted that the achievements recorded by the military were products of good virtues instilled in officers and soldiers by its past leadership.

Ibrahim, however, identified political interference and paucity of funds being responsible for the shortcomings of the previous military leadership.

He said professionalism and improved support would be required for the military to fully actualise its defence objectives and duties to the nation.

It would be recalled that the Nigerian Army recently retired 38 senior officers over what it described as service exigencies.

Perm Sec calls for awareness against child labour, human trafficking Mathew Dadiya Abuja

ÏÏÏ Permanent Secretary, Min-

Emefiele

al misconduct to financial corruption.

“What we did was to make sure that all those that were indicted in one way or the other for both professional corruption and monetary corruption, had the opportunity to defend themselves.

“What I mean by professional corruption is soldiers’ involvement in partisan politics; if you are partisan, then you are professionally corrupt; you will be asked to go; that was what happened.

“Of course, they were given fair hearing; they were called by a board and they went and testified.

“Don’t forget that in the military, there is no half way to doing things; the moment you are found wanting, you have to succumb and you will go.’’

Dan-Ali said plans were under way to adopt and implement a reform policy that would reduce the country’s dependence on the military for duties that could be performed by the civil police.

He said that the Ministries of Defence and Interior were collab-

istry of Budget and National Planning, Nana Fatima Mede, has called for a more concerted effort and intensive awareness on child labour and human trafficking in Nigeria.

Mrs. Mede also called on privileged Nigerians to support such

course and help give a more dignified life to children faced with the scourge of child labour in order not to mortgage the future of the country.

She made the call during a courtesy visit by members of the National Steering Committee on Child Labour (NSCCL) to the Honourable Minister, Budget and National Planning in Abuja recently.

The Permanent Secretary, who represented the Minister, commended the Committee for coming up with a policy, noting that it was unfortunate that a lot of children were already victims of child labour.

“We have a policy that takes consideration of various issues raised on child labour. This existing policy is the starting point, our population is growing.

News 6

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Militancy in N’Delta won’t end until… – Kachikwu Continued from page 1 Ibom State capital at the South-South region Town Hall Meeting organised by the Ministry of Information and Culture, also said that the effects of vandalism of pipelines in the Niger Delta will be with the country for 15 to 20 years, just as he clarified that President Muhammadu Buhari has not allocated oil blocs to any individual since he came into office.

He also promised to ensure the establishment of an oil depot in Akwa Ibom, saying “More than just the depot, I think Akwa-Ibom deserves more. I’m talking with those who are producing oil here to begin to look at the possibility of modular refineries,” he said.

“Modular refineries are going to be the answer to our problems in the future. We talk about the militants and their agitations, the reality is

that until we begin to put things in place that would have these so called ‘militants’ find opportunities in the sector, the destruction is going to continue.”

He added that any solution to these problems must find long lasting ways of putting opportunities on the tables of any citizen of a state that produces oil.

“Floating filling stations, modular refineries, gas bleeding systems; all of these are what we are targeting for,” he said.

“We are developing a document basically dealing with our relationship for oil producing states, so we can find a direct link between what we do and the oil that we produce.

Then the restiveness will go.

“I have appealed to those who are breaking oil pipelines for now, the Niger Delta Avengers and everybody else, and as you know we are engag-

ing in negotiations for us to find peace this week and be able to enter truce relationship that stops all the destruction.

“When we destroy pipelines, we destroy our environment. Even when we make up the pipeline, it takes an average of 15 to 20 years to get those infrastructures and those climatic effects on the environment to go away.”

There have been series of oil installation bombings of late by the Niger Delta Avengers, with whom the federal government is currently trying to initiate peace talks.

On oil blocs, the minister, while responding to questions by some aggrieved participants from the region over alleged un-equitable distribution, said that the Federal Government would be fair and just in giving out such advantages. ``Since we came into office, the

government has not allocated any oil bloc. ``The president has said that he will need to correct the mess created by the past administrations before we begin to think of giving out such advantages. ``The president has emphasised to us, the ministers that there should be no unjustifiable favour and any action we take we must be able to defend it. ``When the time for the oil bloc allocation comes, it will follow very clear due process,’’ he said.

Kachikwu stressed that he was one of those who believed that the South-South people should benefit from oil blocs because it would be part of ``giving back to the chicken that laid the eggs.’’

He said it would go a long way to Continued on page 12

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, inside a tractor during a flag-off the 10-km Uzebba–Okpuje-Okabhor road in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State… on Monday.

Lai Mohammed

FG jobs portal records 400,000 applications within 36hrs Continued from page 1 opened for submissions on Sunday, according to the Presidency.

This is coming against media reports that the portal crashed due to high web traffic soon after it became operational.

“We have been very impressed by the enthusiastic response to the call for applications. As at noon on Monday, June 13, only 36 hours after the launch of the portal, 403, 528 applicants had successfully registered on the site and were in the middle of completing the application process,” a statement from the media office of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo quoted Mr. Afolabi Imoukhede, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation as saying.

“We are also very pleased that the registrations have been taking place without any hitches or system failures, considering the volume of response. ”All together, the website has received over 35 million hits since Saturday midnight. The Jobs Scheme, known as ‘N-Power’, is one of the five initiatives of the Social Investment Programmes of the Federal Government of Nigeria, described

by President Muhammdu Buhari in his Democracy Day Speech as “by far the most ambitious social protection programme in our history,” the statement also noted.

Avengers list demands for dialogue with FG Ï 1ƈƒƆ ƆƒƆ ƒ ƣƾ Ə Ɛ ƇƏƆƆ ƍƏ é ƈ ƇƏ ƅƐƈƒƈ Ɛ ÏÏÏThe

Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), on Monday, listed its conditions for dialoguing with the Federal Government, but warned the government against making the peace talks “a political jamboree”.

This is even as the militant group on Monday issued a 72-hour ultimatum to seven state governors in the country to free pro-Biafra activists being held by the police and the Army in their states In a statement issued by its spokes-

man, Brig. Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, the group said it desired a “genuine attitude” from the Federal Government before committing itself to any dialogue.

It called on the Federal government to be wary of “social media agitators” whom it claimed were being sponsored by politicians.

The statement reads: ”The high command of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) is using this medium to restate that there are no new items to

put on the table for dialogue; we only want a genuine attitude and conducive atmosphere that will make us commit to any proposed dialogue and lasting peace talk,” it said.

“We want the Federal Government to commit members states of the multinational oil corporations to commit independent mediators to this proposed dialogue; we believe that it is only such environment that will engender genuine dialogue that will be aimed at setting up a frame-

work for achieving the short, medium and long term demands of the Niger Delta to de-escalate this conflict and bring about lasting peace.

“The NDA high command is restating our commitment to attack the interest of Oil Corporation and international refineries operators that bring in vessels to the Niger Delta territory to buy our oil that every successive government has refused to use and reapply the proceeds towards any development in the region since 1958.

“Refusal to heed our advice will

result to sinking of two their mother vessel as an example to others. They should not undertake any repair of pipeline, oil and gas facilities that are damaged or attacked by our forces during this period of ‘Operation Red Economy’ until and/or after the dialogue.

“We are using this medium to warn and condemn the activities of all brands of social media agitators being peddled around by some politicians to promote their criminal ways Continued on page 12

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

How Oronsaye defrauded FG N190m –Witness Andrew Orolua Abuja

ÎÎÎA prosecution witness in the

ongoing trial of the former Head of Service of the Federation, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye, Mr. Hamma Bello, on Monday, told an FCT High Court that Oronsaye used a secret Access Bank account to defraud the federal government.

He said that Oronsaye who was the Chairman of Presidential Committee on Financial Action Task Force (PCFATF), used the bank account which he secretly opened illegally and traded with it and earning

interests.

Bello, the sixth prosecution witness and an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) who stated this while being led in evidence by Offen Uket, said that PCFATF Access bank account was a fraud because the PCFATF operates an official account with Zenith Bank Plc. The witness said that even though Access Bank account was opened much late it had a total of lodgements of N1,205,437,880.68bn and total credit balance of N11,200,914.7m.

The defendant, he further dis-

closed gave express instruction to the Access Bank on the 9.9 per cent interest rate earned from the account. He said the discovery made the EFCC operatives to write the office of Accountant General of the Federation who clarified that no approval was given for the account.

The witness said that Oronsaye was one of the signatories to the official PCFATF Zenith Bank account that have received funding in four tranches of N50m, N90m, N45m, and N100m.

Oronsaye solely opened the Access Bank account in the name of the committee and sought funding

from ministry of finance, Central Bank of Nigeria and others, but the then Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala rejected his requests.

“The central bank obliged him and on October 5, 2015 paid N50 million into the account of the committee” Bello said.

He said even though, Oronsaye, who was the chairman of the committee was a director on the board of CBN, he was not representing CBN on the committee.

“Therefore the request to the CBN for funding was not only improper, but fraudulent” he stated.

7 News Edo very peaceful, say ex-Dep. Govs ÎÎÎThe Forum of Former Deputy

Governors has lauded Governor Adams Oshiomhole for the prevailing peace and the quick pace of development in the state within the past seven and half years.

Chairman of the Forum and former Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Abdumalik Mahmud said “we want to thank you, Mr. Governor, for leading Edo State in the last seven years. For those of us who care to know what was happening in this part of the country, this place used to be very notorious. So, we are sending a message, not only is Edo peaceful, in fact, even the entire Niger Delta is peaceful, despite some challenges here and there.

Ngige slams NECA over comments on retrenchment Idu Jude Abuja

ÎÎÎMinister

of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has stated that the reaction of the Director General of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), an umbrella body of employers in Nigeria, is a knee jerk reaction borne out of self service and unpatriotic.

The Labour Minister was reacting on what he called a beer palour comment by one Mr. Segun Oshinowo, over the Federal Government directive to banks and other financial institutions to suspend the ongoing retrenchment of workers in the sector pending the outcome of a reconciliatory meeting and stakeholder’s summit billed for the first week of July.

Senator Ngige, while reacting through a press statement, said that any reaction that tends to hamstring the intervention by government in any sector of the economy in the overall interest of all Nigerians, by invoking a sudden rigid stricture to free market rules, should be termed as overarching absurdity.

Ngige

L-R: Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), University of Lagos, Dr. Duro Oni; National Coordinator, Oodua Peoples Congress, Otunba Gani Adams; former Lagos States Governor, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (rtd.) and President, Women Arise for Change Initiative and Campaign for Democracy, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, during the June 12 lecture titled ‘The Spectre of June 12, Change Agenda and Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria’, held in Lagos... on Sunday.

PHOTO: QUADRI OLOWOLAGBA.

LASU promotes 47 Profs, Associate Profs Sam Nzeh

ÎÎÎThe

Lagos State University (LASU) has promoted 25 associate professors to professors and 22 senior lecturers to associate professors.

This was contained in the university’s official bulletin made available to newsmen on Monday in Lagos.

According to the bulletin, the promotion was considered and approved by the University’s Governing Council at its 111th statutory meeting held on Tuesday, May 31, 2016.

It stated that the promotion would take effect from the date of the beneficiaries’ last promotion.

The associate professors promoted as professors are Dr. Taiwo, Kayode Onaolapo (Social Sciences / Psychology); Dr. Adeleke, Funminiyi Abiodun Raheem (Law / Public & Private Law); Dr. Olatunji, Rotimi Williams (LASUSOC / Public Relations & Advertising); Dr. Boyo, Adenike Omotunde (Science /Physics); Dr. Somoye, Emmanuel Olufemi (Science

/ Physics); Dr. Omikorede, Ebenezer Oluwole (Science / Chemistry); Dr. Okebukola, Foluso Olutoyin (Education/Language, Arts & Social Science Education); Dr. Makinde, Solomon Olanrewaju (Education/Language, Arts & Social Science Education); Dr. Ogunbiyi, Oluranti Margret (Education/Language, Arts & Social Science Education); Dr. Noah, Adewale Olumuyiwa (Education/Educational Foundation); and Dr. Akinkuotu, Yemi Ambrose (Education/Educational Foundation); Dr. Obadofin, Olabisi (Education/Educational Foundation & Counselling Psychology); and Dr. Danmole, Bolanle Tayibat (Education/ Science & Technology Education); Other associate professors promoted as professors are Dr. Akinpelu, Michael Ola-Abiodun (Education/ Science & Technology Education); Dr. Akeredolu, Oluwole Ayodeji (Education / Physical & Health Education); Dr. Akinyemi, Samuel Taiwo (Education / Educational Management); Dr.

Adetona, Lateef Mobolaji (Arts / Religions); Dr. Oguntola-Laguda, Danoye (Arts / Religions); Dr. Olunlade, Taiwo Aderemi (Arts / African Languages, Literatures & Communication Arts); Adeniyi, Harrison Rotimi (Arts / African Languages, Literatures & Communication Arts), among others.

The new associate professors are Dr. Alawode, Sunday Olayinka (LASUSOC / Broadcasting); Dr. Abata, Matthew Adeolu (Management Sciences / Accounting); Dr. Oyeniyi, Omotayo Joseph (Management Sciences / Marketing); Dr. Hassan, Adedoyin Rasaq (Management Sciences / Marketing); Dr. Akewushola, Raheem Olasupo (Management Sciences / Business Administration); Dr. Olateju, Olawale Ibrahim (Management Sciences / Project Management Technology); Dr. Fatile, Jacob Olufemi (Management Sciences / Public Administration); Dr. Fapohunda, Tinuke Moradeke (Management Sciences / Industrial Relations & Personnel Management), among others.

Sultan urges lift of ban on rice importation through land borders

ÎÎÎThe Sultan of

Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has urged the Nigeria Customs Service to consider lifting the ban on importation of rice through the land borders.

The Sultan made the call when the Comptroller-General of the Service, Col. Hameed Ali (retd), visited him in his palace in Sokoto on Monday.

He said that the order had brought hardship on the Nigerian masses as it had aggravated scarcity of the commodity in the country. ‘’The policy should be revisited with a view to making amends and ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians,’’ he added.

The sultan said that he had been receiving ``cries’’ from the masses on their plight over hardship in the land, and appealed to the service to address the issue urgently. ‘’There is no food in the country hence the need for the borders to be reopened for rice importation,’’ he said.

Dr. J / Accou cation / Bilikis Oladipu ical & H (Educat bowon, Educati Mathem ence / Z Other Dauphi lagbe, A sudo, A Dr. Mus mashau rics & C (Clinica

8

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Politics

s

Ahmed Makarfi Sheriff reclaims

PDP national chairmanship, vows to reman till 2018

ÏzƄ ƍƄ ƎƏƕƓƆ Ǝ Ƅ ƆƎƏ ƎƆ è Ɠ ƃ ƍƄƎ ƈƄƍ committee

Lateef Ibrahim/Bureau Chief, ƂƏƇ The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, worsened on Monday as the embattled interim National Chairman of the party and former Governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, after being pushed out for about two weeks, reclaimed the leadership of the party.

Sheriff declared shortly after that he will remain as the Nation-

al Chairman of the party until 2018.

The former Governor of Borno State took over the control of the headquarters of the opposition PDP after three failed attempts on Monday and several hours of consultations with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Solomon Arase.

The party had, in the last one week, been under the Caretaker Chairmanship of former Kaduna State Governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi and six other members.

The action of the former Borno State Governor came exactly seven days after the formal handing over of the affairs of the party to the erstwhile Governor of Kaduna and Chairman, National Caretaker Committee of the PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, by the National Working Committee (NWC) and the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party.

Makarfi immediately after the handing over then assumed office at the national secretariat of the CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

British amalgamation of Nigeria, cause of national crisis - Activists Iniobong Iwok Leading activists in the country have attributed the nation’s crisis to the !914 amalgamation of the north and south by the British colonialists which according to them was as a result of the explotative tendencies of the colonial masters.

This was part of the discussion at a programme organised by the Odua People’ Congress (OPC) to commemorate the 23 anniversary of the annulment of the election, with the theme: The spectre of June 12,change Agenda and democratic consolidation in Nigeria.

The activists also urged the federal government to declare June 12 as public holiday in the country to honour the acclaimed winner of the June12 Presidential election, late Chief Moshood Abiola.

The event which was held at the Excellence Hotel in Ogba was chaired by former military administrator of Lagos State, Rear

CHINUA ACHEBE

“Nigeria is what it is because its leaders are not what they should be.”

Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, (Rtd) and attended by many activists including Dr Joe Okei Odumakin, Professor Duro Oni, Dipo Adesanya among other dignitaries.

In his welcome speech the National Coordinator of the OPC, Otunba Gani Adams paid glowing tributes to the individuals who fought for the attainment of democracy in the country adding that inspite of sacrificing his life for democracy, Abiola had not been rewarded by the country.

The OPC leader, advocated for an urgent restructuring of the country and the implementation of the 2014 national constitutional conference, adding that it was the only way out of the numerous challenges confronting the country.

He said: “June 12, 2016 is exactly 23 years after the June 12 election was annulled by the military government led by Gen Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida “There is no way out without CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

WOLE SOYINKA “Looking at faces of people, one gets the feeling there’s a lot of work to be done.”

23 Years “June 12, 2016 is exactly 23 years after the June 12 election was annulled by the military government led

by Gen Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida’.’

Cameron

BEN OKRI

“The magician and the politician have much in common: they both have to draw our attention away from what they are really doing.”

OBAFEMI AWOLOWO “Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression. There are no ‘Nigerians’ in the same sense as there are ‘English,’ ‘Welsh,’ or ‘French.’’

NNAMDI AZIKIWE

“I have one advice to give to our politicians. If they have decided to destroy our national unity, then they should summon a roundtable conference to decide how our national assets should be divided.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

9 Politics

Declare June 12, Abiola Day, by Activists CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

Makarfi

Sheriff reclaims PDP national chairmanship, vows to reman till 2018 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

party in Abuja.

But Sheriff, who stormed the PDP National Secretariat with hundreds of people suspected to be thugs as early as 7. 30 a.m, was initially denied access to the premises by policemen from Wuse Police station led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Mr. Ciroma Bala.

Embattled Sheriff came to the PDP office in company of the party’s former National Secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo and former National Auditor, Adewole Adeyenji.

The entrance to the PDP national secretariat popularly known as ‘Wadata House’ was not made available to Sheriff and his supporters until 1.30 p.m.

Before then, a serious argument had ensued between Sheriff and the police officers at the gate shortly after his convoy arrived the national secretariat early Monday morning.

Shortly after, Sheriff told waiting journalists that “the party belongs to Nigerians and not the Nigeria Police or the people that were handpicked at Port Harcourt

by Governor (Nyesom) Wike and his cohorts”.

He added: “One thing remains, there was no convention in Port Harcourt because I cancelled it.

“I don’t know why the police can say we cannot enter our offices when we have a valid court order to that effect.

“We will take this matter beyond the Nigeria Police, the law will take its course in this mat-

ter”, he said.

All the calls made by Sheriff to the police top shots to instruct the DCP to allow him access were unsuccessful as Ciroma said he was acting on order from the above.

After about two and a half hours of failed attempt to persuade the police to allow him enter the secretariat, Sheriff left for a meeting with IGP but with instruction that his supporters and the convoy should remain behind.

He left at exactly 9.35 am.

When he came back around 12 noon, he met similar brick wall.

Police told him to dismiss the thugs as they could be unruly.

After 25 minutes of consultation with his men under a tree, Sheriff left with his convoy but as a decoy to disperse the crowd.

It was later discovered that he went to Legacy House, the PDP presidential campaign office located along Shehu Shagari way in Maitama, Abuja where he gained access without difficulty.

At a state, the police had to call for a reinforcement of more personnel to contain the suspected thugs who came in about 40 Abuja coloured cabs and were drumming.

They all wore T-shirts with inscription “Guardians of Democracy! Support Ali Modu Sheriff !”

The spokesperson of the PDP national caretaker committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye said the committee would react to the development today (Tuesday).

Adeyeye stated that the caretaker committee would study the CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

restructuring of the country, and implementation of the 2014 confab report. Forget about what the opposition party is saying, it is only in Nigeria where you play politics with everything just because you are in power and benefiting from the system does not mean you seem ignorant of the issues on ground.

“It is the only country where if people are in power you are going to organise for them. Look at the huge amount that would become your allocation. I was one of the delegates, I was there for five months, the only way to move this country forward is to implement the confab report.

The Guest speaker, Professor Duro Oni, Deputy vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) traced Nigeria’s problems to the amalgamation of the southern and northern Nigeria in 1914 by the British, which according to him was done for easy exploitative purpose.

He added that formation of political parties on the basis of ethic lines also fueled ethnic division in the country after independent, stressing that only credible election would guarantee sustenance of democracy.

He said: “our problem started with the amalgamation that took place in 1914 and annexation of Lagos in 1851 which brought hatred, all this was not in the interest of the country but for exploitative reason by the British.

Buhari

“And this continued with the formation of parties based on ethic lines in the first republic.

Nigeria is a mistake, successive regimes have come and gone but not much have been achieved that is because like Achebe said: our problem is basically leadership”, Oni added.

In his remarks, chairman of the event, Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, called for urgent holding of a referendum to address pertinent issues affecting the country, noting that without implementation of the 2014 confab report and

restructuring of the country the country would not make headway. However, Debo Adeniran the President of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, (CACOL) called for declaration of June,12 as Abiola’s day and urgent release of full result of the general election.

He said: “Since May 29 has been declared as Democracy Day, what we want is that June 12 should be declared as Abiola day and the full result of that election released while his family be given all entitlements due to a former president”.

Ajimobi to labour leaders: No work, no pay from today Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has appealed to labour leaders in the state to call off the ongoing strike to give room for dialogue, failing which he said the state might be forced to apply the no work no pay rule after Tuesday.

The governor made the appeal in an interview shortly after featuring on a live Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State television programme, Eyi Ara, in Ibadan, on Sunday.

Ajimobi maintained that the industrial action was ill-advised since labour had no dispute with the government prior to the strike nor gave the government any ultimatum in compliance with labour laws.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Ajimobi

Politics 10

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

There is only one PDP — Sheriff CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

Sheriff “There is only one PDP, if anybody goes to buy form from any omnibus body called caretaker committee, they are on their own.’’

development in the party before making any statement.

However, Sheriff, after gaining access to the PDP secretariat, read what could be considered as riot act to former NWC members who are supporting the caretaker committee, threatening to declare their offices vacant if they failed to change their mind before Tuesday.His words: “The party constitution is very clear, you have right to resign your appointments.

There is a deputy to take over automatically. All the deputies are waiting.

“If by tomorrow, anybody that did not come, we ask the deputy to apply for that office and takeover.”

Later at a press conference, Sheriff said he remains PDP chairman till 2018. He declared that the exparte injunction obtained by the caretaker committee from a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt that barred him from acting as chairman had lapsed after 14 days.

The caretaker committee, he added, was null and void because it was set up by an illegal convention.

Sheriff equally disclosed that the party had set up a committee to organise a governorship primaries for Edo State.

The committee, he revealed, will be headed Senator Hope Uzodinma.

He disclosed that the party’s governorship nomination fee for the Edo governorship election is N10 million and not N16 million collected by the caretaker committee.

His words: “There is only one PDP, if anybody goes to buy form from any omnibus body called caretaker committee, they are on their own.

“The PDP has spoken; PDP has only one party and we say our form is N10 million and we say they should go and pay the amount into the party’s account.

If anybody goes and buy from some other body, he is on his own.

No work, no pay from today, Ajimobi tells labour leaders CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

He said it had become imperative for the labour leaders to call off the strike to enable those he called the committed and hardworking among the workers to resume work in their own interest and the larger interest of the state.

In extending an olive branch to labour, the governor said that the labour leaders must be prepared to apologise for disrupting a stakeholders’ forum where they were also invited to discuss a proposed public-private participatory management of public secondary schools in the state.

Ajimobi said, “I am appealing to them to imbibe the culture of dialogue. We want them to come because we are not quarreling with labour; we have no dispute that might warrant labour leaders to direct workers to embark on strike.

“We don’t have problem with them, except for some that are being politically motivated. It is just a few who are using politics and are being influenced by failed politicians who wants to get through the backdoor what they failed woefully to get from the ballot box.

“We are appealing to them to come and dialogue with us. It is the major ingredient of democ-

Wabba

racy. Consultation, participation, rule of law and peace that is all we want. But anybody who breaks the law will be prosecuted. We may be forced to apply the no work no pay from Tuesday if they ignore my appeal.”

Commending workers for

their tolerance and sacrifice in the face of delay in salary payment, the governor assured them that the situation would improve in the next few months when the result of the ongoing efforts to ameliorate the situation began to manifest.

The governor similarly appealed to pensioners to bear with the government, reminding workers and the senior citizens of how he was commended and even given an award as the best pensioner-friendly governor when there was sufficient fund to pay their dues.

He listed payment of 13th month salary for an unprecedented three consecutive years, salary increase on three occasions, local and overseas training, free bus shuttle, payment of salaries on or before the 25th of every month as some of the things he did for the workers before the recession set it.

The governor said, “I am not happy with the situation we found ourselves, even though other states in the country, except Lagos and probably one other, are going through similar challenges of delay in payment of salaries and pensions.

“It is disheartening. I feel for them because I can’t imagine somebody working and not being paid. I also empathize with our senior citizens over the pension arrears. We will overcome these challenges because we are working hard to shore up our revenue base.

“We are plugging the loopholes and leakages at our revenue collection centres, because there is

a lot of stealing going on. We are also increasing our tax net. And this is an opportunity for me to remind property owners to get prepared for the payment of tenement rate.

“For the sake of emphasis, the situation with pensioners was brought about by the stealing of over N6bn meant for them. We are prosecuting the culprits now.

But we won’t say because of that we are not going to pay them. I’m optimistic that things will get better in the next few months.”

On the vexed education initiative, Ajimobi reassured the stakeholders that his administration had no plan to sell or privatize any of the 631 public secondary schools in the state, stressing that the allegation was a figment of the imagination of some opponents of the government.

Judging by the responses so far, the governor said that the state might not have more than 30 schools or thereabout where partnership might exist with interested stakeholders in the management of the schools.

Ajimobi also stated that the government would spend the about N600m generated from the education level introduced last year for the renovation of the remaining schools when the stuCONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

11 Politics

I will never disappoint you, Ikpeazu tells Abians ƇƆƊ ƂƆë M Ƒ ƍƈè Ƌ Ɠ ƅƍ Ɗ Ǝ ƕ Ɠ

Ï^ƍ ƊƆ Ƅ Ɗ ƆƐƄ ƍƄ ƂƆƉƆƎ ƎƆ ƅ ƍƏƍ Ɖ ƍ ƕ

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

dents embark on the next long vacation.

The governor decried the poor attitude of some parents whom he said were not prepared to contribute anything to the education and development of their children, a situation he blamed for the inability of the government to meet the N1.2bn target from the education levy..

He said, “We are not selling our schools. It is a misconception. We only want to partner with the people on the management of some of our schools, because this has become inevitable judging by the poor state of our economy and the deteriorating condition of our schools.

“We are just discussing this proposal, It is not ye a policy because we have not concluded the ongoing consultations. That is why labour and everyone who wants to partner with us should come and contribute to the discourse.

“Our schools that will not be involved in partnership management are not going to be left unattended. We will renovate them with the about N600m we realised from the education levy. The money is intact. Although it fell short of our target of N1.2bn, because some parents are not paying.”

The chairman of the state NLC Comrade Waheed Olojede had said the state government had disrespected the national officers of NLC who came to the state to broker peace over the crisis as the government officials ignored them for three days before going back to Abuja.

The crisis had started over the protest by the workers over the proposed privatization of schools in the state the after math of which the leaders were clamped into detention for four days before being granted bail.

Ikpeazu

‘‘As your Governor, let me reassure you that I will never disappoint you.’’

Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu has promised that he will not disappoint Abians, stressing that he will commence massive rehabilitation of rural roads in the second year of his administration.

The Governor said this in Ohafia and Isiukwuato during a town-hall meeting for Abia North Senatorial District, where he is also promised to commence the construction of the OhafiaUdumeze Golf Course and Event Centre.

“I’ve come to you as the owners of the mandate I am holding in trust, to report back to you what we’ve done in the first one year, as your steward, and also unveil our plans and things we want to do as we have entered the second year.

“As your Governor, let me reassure you that I will never disappoint you. I will not fail you. Despite the economic downturn in the country, we have not relented on the promises we made to you, when we came to you, asking for your votes.

“We promised to address the issue of road infrastructure, so far we have completed and commissioned 32 roads across the state.

And work is still ongoing on 30 roads across Abia. Let me say it here again that our roads have minimum lifespan of 10 years, that’s why we are using the cement technology on most of our roads.

“We are interested in the economy of Abia, that’s why we are doing more roads in Aba, because Aba will drive the economy of our state. But in this second year we shall focus on rural roads.

The idea is to ensure that what we produce in our farms in our villages and communities can be transported easily to the cities.”

Governor Ikpeazu, while responding to a question, called on Abia youths to acquire relevant a skills, and also get involved in agriculture.

“Let me use this opportunity to appeal and call on youths of Abia to go and learn handiwork.

This is the time to develop skills.

As you read for your certificates, also develop a skill.

“Think of agriculture, it’s the way to go. Let us go back to agriculture. I’m going back to farming, so I invite you to join me.”

Responding to the issue of attacks by herdsmen and grazing reserves the Governor said: “Abia has taken a position on the issue of grazing reserves for herdsmen. Our position is; we are looking for lands for farming, and land to build our houses, so we do not have lands to donate for grazing reserves for herdsmen.”

Speaking in his closing remarks, the Secretary of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, commended the governor and charged him to continue with his good works in the state.

Legal luminaries, Lagos Assembly advocate true federalism Two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), Prof. Itsay Sagay and Mr Femi Falana, on Monday called for political and economic restructuring of the country for a long-term secured and prosperous future.

The duo spoke at the Lagos State House of Assembly’s special parliamentary session in commemoration of the 1st Anniversary of the 8th Assembly and 23rd year of the June 12 struggle.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event had the theme: “Lagos State Status in a True Federation and State Police”.

Delivering a lecture on the subject matter, Sagay, a constitutional lawyer, said restructuring was

the only way forward in view of the challenges facing the nation.

He said that the current mode of federalism in the country could be described as a decentralised unitary system.

Sagay said in a true federalism, each government enjoys autonomy, which does not exclude interdependence of federating units.

“The Federal Government should revert to what it used to be, that is, minding common services like defence, foreign affairs, immigration, currencies, Banks, Telecommunications, Customs and its own police.

“States and zones will retain the bulk of the proceeds of all resources; 50 per cent for them-

selves, paying 20 per cent contribution towards the running cost of the federal government and 30 per cent for all states based on predetermined criteria.

“True federalism is now urgently required; it is the only way forward. State should have control of their funds.

“It is, therefore, crucial that we, as a country, must be ready to be loosed from the shackles of suffocating unitary federalism and revert to true political and fiscal federalism.

“We need to restructure Nigeria into regions or zones for a long term secured, harmonious and prosperous future,” he said.

He said that restructuring would compel governors to be

productive, live on their own resources, while contributing towards the running of the federal government.

According to him, the restructuring will lead to healthy competition among federating units for the development, peace, justice and welfare of the country.

Sagay said, “Police affairs, railways, electricity, industrial relations, labour, minning of minerals, Value Added Tax (VAT) and pension should be moved to concurrent list.”

He said that federation account made the states unproductive and lazy, while making the federal government overbearing and dominating, and in the course, wasting public resources.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

9 Politics

Declare June 12, Abiola Day, by Activists CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

Makarfi

Sheriff reclaims PDP national chairmanship, vows to reman till 2018 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

party in Abuja.

But Sheriff, who stormed the PDP National Secretariat with hundreds of people suspected to be thugs as early as 7. 30 a.m, was initially denied access to the premises by policemen from Wuse Police station led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Mr. Ciroma Bala.

Embattled Sheriff came to the PDP office in company of the party’s former National Secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo and former National Auditor, Adewole Adeyenji.

The entrance to the PDP national secretariat popularly known as ‘Wadata House’ was not made available to Sheriff and his supporters until 1.30 p.m.

Before then, a serious argument had ensued between Sheriff and the police officers at the gate shortly after his convoy arrived the national secretariat early Monday morning.

Shortly after, Sheriff told waiting journalists that “the party belongs to Nigerians and not the Nigeria Police or the people that were handpicked at Port Harcourt

by Governor (Nyesom) Wike and his cohorts”.

He added: “One thing remains, there was no convention in Port Harcourt because I cancelled it.

“I don’t know why the police can say we cannot enter our offices when we have a valid court order to that effect.

“We will take this matter beyond the Nigeria Police, the law will take its course in this mat-

ter”, he said.

All the calls made by Sheriff to the police top shots to instruct the DCP to allow him access were unsuccessful as Ciroma said he was acting on order from the above.

After about two and a half hours of failed attempt to persuade the police to allow him enter the secretariat, Sheriff left for a meeting with IGP but with instruction that his supporters and the convoy should remain behind.

He left at exactly 9.35 am.

When he came back around 12 noon, he met similar brick wall.

Police told him to dismiss the thugs as they could be unruly.

After 25 minutes of consultation with his men under a tree, Sheriff left with his convoy but as a decoy to disperse the crowd.

It was later discovered that he went to Legacy House, the PDP presidential campaign office located along Shehu Shagari way in Maitama, Abuja where he gained access without difficulty.

At a state, the police had to call for a reinforcement of more personnel to contain the suspected thugs who came in about 40 Abuja coloured cabs and were drumming.

They all wore T-shirts with inscription “Guardians of Democracy! Support Ali Modu Sheriff !”

The spokesperson of the PDP national caretaker committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye said the committee would react to the development today (Tuesday).

Adeyeye stated that the caretaker committee would study the CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

restructuring of the country, and implementation of the 2014 confab report. Forget about what the opposition party is saying, it is only in Nigeria where you play politics with everything just because you are in power and benefiting from the system does not mean you seem ignorant of the issues on ground.

“It is the only country where if people are in power you are going to organise for them. Look at the huge amount that would become your allocation. I was one of the delegates, I was there for five months, the only way to move this country forward is to implement the confab report.

The Guest speaker, Professor Duro Oni, Deputy vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) traced Nigeria’s problems to the amalgamation of the southern and northern Nigeria in 1914 by the British, which according to him was done for easy exploitative purpose.

He added that formation of political parties on the basis of ethic lines also fueled ethnic division in the country after independent, stressing that only credible election would guarantee sustenance of democracy.

He said: “our problem started with the amalgamation that took place in 1914 and annexation of Lagos in 1851 which brought hatred, all this was not in the interest of the country but for exploitative reason by the British.

Buhari

“And this continued with the formation of parties based on ethic lines in the first republic.

Nigeria is a mistake, successive regimes have come and gone but not much have been achieved that is because like Achebe said: our problem is basically leadership”, Oni added.

In his remarks, chairman of the event, Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, called for urgent holding of a referendum to address pertinent issues affecting the country, noting that without implementation of the 2014 confab report and

restructuring of the country the country would not make headway. However, Debo Adeniran the President of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, (CACOL) called for declaration of June,12 as Abiola’s day and urgent release of full result of the general election.

He said: “Since May 29 has been declared as Democracy Day, what we want is that June 12 should be declared as Abiola day and the full result of that election released while his family be given all entitlements due to a former president”.

Ajimobi to labour leaders: No work, no pay from today Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has appealed to labour leaders in the state to call off the ongoing strike to give room for dialogue, failing which he said the state might be forced to apply the no work no pay rule after Tuesday.

The governor made the appeal in an interview shortly after featuring on a live Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State television programme, Eyi Ara, in Ibadan, on Sunday.

Ajimobi maintained that the industrial action was ill-advised since labour had no dispute with the government prior to the strike nor gave the government any ultimatum in compliance with labour laws.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Ajimobi

Politics 10

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

There is only one PDP — Sheriff CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

Sheriff “There is only one PDP, if anybody goes to buy form from any omnibus body called caretaker committee, they are on their own.’’

development in the party before making any statement.

However, Sheriff, after gaining access to the PDP secretariat, read what could be considered as riot act to former NWC members who are supporting the caretaker committee, threatening to declare their offices vacant if they failed to change their mind before Tuesday.His words: “The party constitution is very clear, you have right to resign your appointments.

There is a deputy to take over automatically. All the deputies are waiting.

“If by tomorrow, anybody that did not come, we ask the deputy to apply for that office and takeover.”

Later at a press conference, Sheriff said he remains PDP chairman till 2018. He declared that the exparte injunction obtained by the caretaker committee from a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt that barred him from acting as chairman had lapsed after 14 days.

The caretaker committee, he added, was null and void because it was set up by an illegal convention.

Sheriff equally disclosed that the party had set up a committee to organise a governorship primaries for Edo State.

The committee, he revealed, will be headed Senator Hope Uzodinma.

He disclosed that the party’s governorship nomination fee for the Edo governorship election is N10 million and not N16 million collected by the caretaker committee.

His words: “There is only one PDP, if anybody goes to buy form from any omnibus body called caretaker committee, they are on their own.

“The PDP has spoken; PDP has only one party and we say our form is N10 million and we say they should go and pay the amount into the party’s account.

If anybody goes and buy from some other body, he is on his own.

No work, no pay from today, Ajimobi tells labour leaders CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

He said it had become imperative for the labour leaders to call off the strike to enable those he called the committed and hardworking among the workers to resume work in their own interest and the larger interest of the state.

In extending an olive branch to labour, the governor said that the labour leaders must be prepared to apologise for disrupting a stakeholders’ forum where they were also invited to discuss a proposed public-private participatory management of public secondary schools in the state.

Ajimobi said, “I am appealing to them to imbibe the culture of dialogue. We want them to come because we are not quarreling with labour; we have no dispute that might warrant labour leaders to direct workers to embark on strike.

“We don’t have problem with them, except for some that are being politically motivated. It is just a few who are using politics and are being influenced by failed politicians who wants to get through the backdoor what they failed woefully to get from the ballot box.

“We are appealing to them to come and dialogue with us. It is the major ingredient of democ-

Wabba

racy. Consultation, participation, rule of law and peace that is all we want. But anybody who breaks the law will be prosecuted. We may be forced to apply the no work no pay from Tuesday if they ignore my appeal.”

Commending workers for

their tolerance and sacrifice in the face of delay in salary payment, the governor assured them that the situation would improve in the next few months when the result of the ongoing efforts to ameliorate the situation began to manifest.

The governor similarly appealed to pensioners to bear with the government, reminding workers and the senior citizens of how he was commended and even given an award as the best pensioner-friendly governor when there was sufficient fund to pay their dues.

He listed payment of 13th month salary for an unprecedented three consecutive years, salary increase on three occasions, local and overseas training, free bus shuttle, payment of salaries on or before the 25th of every month as some of the things he did for the workers before the recession set it.

The governor said, “I am not happy with the situation we found ourselves, even though other states in the country, except Lagos and probably one other, are going through similar challenges of delay in payment of salaries and pensions.

“It is disheartening. I feel for them because I can’t imagine somebody working and not being paid. I also empathize with our senior citizens over the pension arrears. We will overcome these challenges because we are working hard to shore up our revenue base.

“We are plugging the loopholes and leakages at our revenue collection centres, because there is

a lot of stealing going on. We are also increasing our tax net. And this is an opportunity for me to remind property owners to get prepared for the payment of tenement rate.

“For the sake of emphasis, the situation with pensioners was brought about by the stealing of over N6bn meant for them. We are prosecuting the culprits now.

But we won’t say because of that we are not going to pay them. I’m optimistic that things will get better in the next few months.”

On the vexed education initiative, Ajimobi reassured the stakeholders that his administration had no plan to sell or privatize any of the 631 public secondary schools in the state, stressing that the allegation was a figment of the imagination of some opponents of the government.

Judging by the responses so far, the governor said that the state might not have more than 30 schools or thereabout where partnership might exist with interested stakeholders in the management of the schools.

Ajimobi also stated that the government would spend the about N600m generated from the education level introduced last year for the renovation of the remaining schools when the stuCONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

11 Politics

I will never disappoint you, Ikpeazu tells Abians ƇƆƊ ƂƆë M Ƒ ƍƈè Ƌ Ɠ ƅƍ Ɗ Ǝ ƕ Ɠ

Ï^ƍ ƊƆ Ƅ Ɗ ƆƐƄ ƍƄ ƂƆƉƆƎ ƎƆ ƅ ƍƏƍ Ɖ ƍ ƕ

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

dents embark on the next long vacation.

The governor decried the poor attitude of some parents whom he said were not prepared to contribute anything to the education and development of their children, a situation he blamed for the inability of the government to meet the N1.2bn target from the education levy..

He said, “We are not selling our schools. It is a misconception. We only want to partner with the people on the management of some of our schools, because this has become inevitable judging by the poor state of our economy and the deteriorating condition of our schools.

“We are just discussing this proposal, It is not ye a policy because we have not concluded the ongoing consultations. That is why labour and everyone who wants to partner with us should come and contribute to the discourse.

“Our schools that will not be involved in partnership management are not going to be left unattended. We will renovate them with the about N600m we realised from the education levy. The money is intact. Although it fell short of our target of N1.2bn, because some parents are not paying.”

The chairman of the state NLC Comrade Waheed Olojede had said the state government had disrespected the national officers of NLC who came to the state to broker peace over the crisis as the government officials ignored them for three days before going back to Abuja.

The crisis had started over the protest by the workers over the proposed privatization of schools in the state the after math of which the leaders were clamped into detention for four days before being granted bail.

Ikpeazu

‘‘As your Governor, let me reassure you that I will never disappoint you.’’

Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu has promised that he will not disappoint Abians, stressing that he will commence massive rehabilitation of rural roads in the second year of his administration.

The Governor said this in Ohafia and Isiukwuato during a town-hall meeting for Abia North Senatorial District, where he is also promised to commence the construction of the OhafiaUdumeze Golf Course and Event Centre.

“I’ve come to you as the owners of the mandate I am holding in trust, to report back to you what we’ve done in the first one year, as your steward, and also unveil our plans and things we want to do as we have entered the second year.

“As your Governor, let me reassure you that I will never disappoint you. I will not fail you. Despite the economic downturn in the country, we have not relented on the promises we made to you, when we came to you, asking for your votes.

“We promised to address the issue of road infrastructure, so far we have completed and commissioned 32 roads across the state.

And work is still ongoing on 30 roads across Abia. Let me say it here again that our roads have minimum lifespan of 10 years, that’s why we are using the cement technology on most of our roads.

“We are interested in the economy of Abia, that’s why we are doing more roads in Aba, because Aba will drive the economy of our state. But in this second year we shall focus on rural roads.

The idea is to ensure that what we produce in our farms in our villages and communities can be transported easily to the cities.”

Governor Ikpeazu, while responding to a question, called on Abia youths to acquire relevant a skills, and also get involved in agriculture.

“Let me use this opportunity to appeal and call on youths of Abia to go and learn handiwork.

This is the time to develop skills.

As you read for your certificates, also develop a skill.

“Think of agriculture, it’s the way to go. Let us go back to agriculture. I’m going back to farming, so I invite you to join me.”

Responding to the issue of attacks by herdsmen and grazing reserves the Governor said: “Abia has taken a position on the issue of grazing reserves for herdsmen. Our position is; we are looking for lands for farming, and land to build our houses, so we do not have lands to donate for grazing reserves for herdsmen.”

Speaking in his closing remarks, the Secretary of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, commended the governor and charged him to continue with his good works in the state.

Legal luminaries, Lagos Assembly advocate true federalism Two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), Prof. Itsay Sagay and Mr Femi Falana, on Monday called for political and economic restructuring of the country for a long-term secured and prosperous future.

The duo spoke at the Lagos State House of Assembly’s special parliamentary session in commemoration of the 1st Anniversary of the 8th Assembly and 23rd year of the June 12 struggle.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event had the theme: “Lagos State Status in a True Federation and State Police”.

Delivering a lecture on the subject matter, Sagay, a constitutional lawyer, said restructuring was

the only way forward in view of the challenges facing the nation.

He said that the current mode of federalism in the country could be described as a decentralised unitary system.

Sagay said in a true federalism, each government enjoys autonomy, which does not exclude interdependence of federating units.

“The Federal Government should revert to what it used to be, that is, minding common services like defence, foreign affairs, immigration, currencies, Banks, Telecommunications, Customs and its own police.

“States and zones will retain the bulk of the proceeds of all resources; 50 per cent for them-

selves, paying 20 per cent contribution towards the running cost of the federal government and 30 per cent for all states based on predetermined criteria.

“True federalism is now urgently required; it is the only way forward. State should have control of their funds.

“It is, therefore, crucial that we, as a country, must be ready to be loosed from the shackles of suffocating unitary federalism and revert to true political and fiscal federalism.

“We need to restructure Nigeria into regions or zones for a long term secured, harmonious and prosperous future,” he said.

He said that restructuring would compel governors to be

productive, live on their own resources, while contributing towards the running of the federal government.

According to him, the restructuring will lead to healthy competition among federating units for the development, peace, justice and welfare of the country.

Sagay said, “Police affairs, railways, electricity, industrial relations, labour, minning of minerals, Value Added Tax (VAT) and pension should be moved to concurrent list.”

He said that federation account made the states unproductive and lazy, while making the federal government overbearing and dominating, and in the course, wasting public resources.

News 12

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Cracked Iyana-Oworo overhead foot bridge in Lagos … on Monday.

Photo: BOLAJI OLASUNKANMI

Contractors return to 5 FG road project sites – Lai Mohammed ÏÏÏMinister

of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Monday, in Uyo, said contractors had resumed work in no less than five major Federal Government road projects.

The minister disclosed this at the South-South region town hall meeting hosted by his ministry to give account of stewardship of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to the people.

Mohammed specifically said that Julius Berger and RCC had returned to the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, while the CGC had started work on the Bode Sadu-Jebba road and the Abuja-Lokoja road.

He said China Company, CCECC, had also been mobilised to the KanoMaiduguri road, while RCC again had resumed work at the Loko and Oweto bridge linking Nasarawa and Benue.

The minister added that the second Niger Bridge was in the 2016 budget and work was expected to start soon.

He noted that with the resumption of work at the sites, government had started putting Nigerians back to work, in fulfillment of its promise to create jobs.

He said ``as contractors are mobilised back to various road construction projects across the country,

building and ancillary workers are returning to work in droves. Let me list some of the road construction works that have now resumed: ``As more and more road construction works resume in the days ahead, thousands of Nigerians will also be returning to work.’’

The minister said that government had also commenced the process of recruiting and training 500,000 teachers, specifically targeting unemployed university graduates.

He said the online recruitment, through the portal ‘npower.gov.ng’, came on stream at the weekend.

Mohammed said an agreement

had been signed to reposition the River Basin Development Authorities within the next 18-24 months.

According to him, the agreement signed with the Songhai Farms of Benin Republic include training of unemployed youths in integrated farm practice. ``This programme is complimentary to the upcoming Youth Agriculture Empowerment Programme being planned by Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.’’

The minister assured that the process of every employment opportunity by the government would be made transparent.

Militancy in N’Delta won’t end until… – Kachikwu Continued from page 6 empower the people and make them to engage in genuine oil deals, rather than being contractors to oil companies.

The minister, however, reiterated that when government wants to consider the allocation, it would be given to those who have skills and the finance to develop the blocs.

Kachikwu said that the Federal Government had finalised the Integrated Power Project with Mobil Oil Company that would produce 500 megawatts of power as well as gas pipeline project in Akwa Ibom.

He said the total investment for the project, including provision of infrastructure in the area of locations, was seven billion dollar.

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who was also at the Town Hall Meeting, assured that the Federal Government would deliver on the developmental projects it promised Nigerians.

According to him, ``it is time to end the blame game and move forward to concentrate on the delivery of democracy dividends.’’

He said government would deliver the Calabar to Lagos coastal rail line project, the Calabar to Porth Har-

court, and Lagos to Kano rail projects to ease movement of people and goods.

Responding to an allegation from a member of the audience, Amaechi said he did not influence the appointment of the Director-General of Niger Delta Development Commission, Mrs Ibim Seminitari.

He said the insinuation that he lobbied the president to take the position from an indigene of Akwa Ibom for Seminitari in negation of zoning arrangement was wrong.

The minister said that the president had noted the zoning arrangement and correction would be made.

Kachikwu

Avengers list demands for dialogue with FG Continued from page 6 in affairs of the Niger Delta. This genuine spirit behind our struggle for the Niger Delta cannot be derailed on the basis of connivance by politicians, traditional rulers, settled ex-agitators and criminals moving around to fill their pockets.

“The issues of the Niger Delta are as old and as new as the days of Pa Dappa Biriye, Major Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro, Ken Saro Wiwa and the government of President Musa Yar’ Adua. We are warning this government of President Muhammadu Buhari not to turn the essence of genuine peace talk and dialogue to political jamboree that is prevailing now where all manner of social media agitators and criminals are being sponsored by the job-seeking corrupt political class to save face before the government of the day.

“Finally, if need be, we may review our earlier stance of not taking lives.

We are going to redirect and reactivate all our activities if the government, oil companies and their service firms don’t heed to these modest warnings of not carrying out any repair works, and suspend the buying of crude oil from our region as we await the right atmosphere that will engender genuine dialogue. We want peace with honour, not peace of our time.”

Also, the militant group on Monday issued a 72-hour ultimatum to seven state governors in the country to free pro-Biafra activists being held by the police and the Army in their states.

This is contained in a statement signed by the group’s spokesperson, Mudoch Agbinibo.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

13

News 14 Anambra PPA to politicians: Shun politics of bitterness Nkiru Nwagbo Awka

ÏÏÏThe

leader of Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) in Anambra State, Mr. Godwin Ezeemo, has called on politicians and political participants to shun politics of bitterness, which according to him has dominated the Nigeria polity.

He made the call on Monday during the inauguration of PPA new party office in Ekwuluobia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.

According to him, “if the polity is devoid of bitterness and “must win syndrome’ in place of best brain, egg heads, politically grounded and administrative gurus, the society will be better off.

“We need to fight to get the best practices in politics so as to advance like the Westerners , there is no magic in their system rather they employ the best caliber of persons.”

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

MTN fine: Reps summon Malami, Shittu, NCC boss over N300b settlement Henry Omunu & Emmanuel Iriogbe Abuja

ÏÏÏThe

House of Representatives has summoned the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, Minister of Communications, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof.

Garba Dambatta and all those involved in the negotiations that resulted in the reduction of the fine imposed on mobile telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria.

Chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Hon. Shaheed Fijabi gave the order on Monday, after the committee frowned at the decision of the federal government to conclude negotiations with MTN by reducing the N1.4trillion fine to N330billion in disregard of the committee’s resolution that further negotiations with the mobile firm be suspended pending the conclusion of its investigative hearing on the controversial fine imposed by the NCC on MTN. Describing the action of the government as trampling on the integrity and independence of the National Assembly, by

keeping the committee in the dark of the impeding settlement between the federal government and MTN, Hon. Fijabi ruled that the two ministers, the chief executive officer of NCC and all other persons involved in the negotiations appear before the committee on Monday next week by 10.00 am.

The committee’s ruling follows the adoption of the motion by Hon. Ossai Ossai, accusing the executive of disregarding and disrespecting the House when the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications, Sunny Echonor disclosed that the N330billion settlement reached with MTN had the approval and

blessing of the highest office of government.

Hon. Ossai had proposed that the National Assembly make a zero budget allocation for the communications ministry, including withholding the budget allocation of the NCC for flouting the directive of the House to suspend further negotiations with MTN. Earlier, before the House committee issued the summons on the affected officials, the permanent secretary of the communications ministry had informed the committee that the federal government “approved the N330billion as full and final payment of the fine imposed on MTN”.

Electrician sentenced to death for armed robbery Titilope Joseph

ÏÏÏA Lagos High Court, sitting

in Ikeja, on Monday, sentenced an electrician, Muyili Ahmed to death for robbing a shop owner, Ramonta Ajasa of N180, 000 at gun point.

The convict, Muyili and others at large, on 20th, July 2012 at Itamaga area of Ikorodu, approached Ramonta at around 9pm that they wanted to buy Mcdowell whiskey. She told them that she had closed for the night but they insisted on buying from her.

In her testimony before the court, Ramonta said, while she was trying to get the drink, Muyili pointed a gun at her and demanded for money.

The compliant also said she willingly gave Muyili and his gang the sum of 180,000, but they insisted that I must give them more.

“While, I tried to escape, I sustained serious injuries and broke my leg in the process” Ramonta said.

The convict, Azeez Abass and one Kabiru Ipaye at large were arrested and charged to court on two counts of armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery.

During the trial, the 28-yearold convict, who said that he trained as an electrical engineer told the court in his testimony that he robbed Ramonta but he only collected the sum of N50, 000 from her, and not N180, 000 as she claimed.

L-R: Former Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Saabit Ikuforiji; Chief Kola Abiola; C.E.O Talmot Communications, Alhaji Tajudeen Uzamot and Oloworo of Oworo kingdom, Oba Bashir Saliu at the NTA/M.K.O Abiola Annual Ramadan Lecture in Lagos… recently.

Kola Abiola seeks posthumous GCFR for dad ÏÏÏFederal

government has been urged to confer a post humous national honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), on the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 election, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola without further delay.

This call was made by the first son of Abiola, Chief Kola Abiola at the annual NTA/ MKO Abiola Ramadan lecture, organised by TALMOT communications, held at the premises of NTA channel 10 Tejuosho, Lagos on Monday.

Kola Abiola stated that he had been at the forefront of a crusade for the federal government to see this as the best possible to honour the man who through

his steadfastness and the quest to claim his mandate laid down his life for democratic governance being enjoyed by the country today.

According to him, “this hero of democracy was never given a national honour during his lifetime, despite his tremendous developmental projects which he single handedly executed transcends all regions of this country, even more than some state government.

“I am using this occasion to urge the federal government to accede to our request by honouring this great man posthumously, with the national honour of GCFR. This will go a long way in ensuring that all his works geared

towards entrenching democratic government in this country will not go unnoticed.”

Speaking earlier in his remark, former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly Rt. Hon Adeyemi Ikuforiji, lamented the situation whereby heroes of democracy like Abiola are not well remembered and appreciated for their efforts in the development of the country.

Ikuforiji noted that Abiola should not be an individual that should be forgotten in the history of this country, saying “If not for his steadfastness and resolve to ensure justice is done by enthroning democratic governance we are enjoying today, most politicians today

would have been unknown”.

He enjoined the federal government to accord him the due recognition he deserved by making the name special in the heart of Nigerians and ensure that June 12 is declared a national remembrance day for the late hero of democracy.

Kola Abiola

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Paul Okolo

A

s the referee blew the whistle signaling the end of the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa, Coach Stephen Keshi, stood on the sideline, sighed and raised both hands as if saying “Thank you, Lord.” Players and Nigerian officials mobbed him, jubilating over the feat that had just been recorded. On Feb. 10, 2013 in Johannesburg, when Nigeria’s Super Eagles last won the African Cup of Nations with a 1 – zero defeat of Burkina Faso, Keshi became one of two people ever to have lifted the trophy both as a player and as a coach. It was not an easy task.

From the first round to the final, he was bombarded with strong criticisms from millions of Nigerian football supporters, not to mention stakes in the country’s football bureaucracy. Despite all the odds, Keshi’s love of the game, the team and the nation helped him to stay focused.

“Winning this is mainly for my nation - when I came on … my dream was to make all Nigerians happy, and to construct a great Nigerian team,” a relieved Keshi was quoted as saying. Knowing what football meant to the ordinary folk, he always wanted to win to make the Super Eagles the best team in the world. This was one ambition that motivated him.

I was privileged to have played

15 Opinion

Of Keshi’s love for football, Super Eagles and Nigeria youth football with Keshi at the Eledu field on Akerele Street in Surulere, Lagos where we grew up in the early 1970s. Together with Henry Nwosu, we featured for a team called the ‘Seven Reformers’.

We won a few area tournaments on our Eledu “home ground”, so called because one trader sold charcoal sold beside the field. Our fame grew and invitations to other tournaments came from nearby neighbourhoods or sometimes from further afield. Our team played at Ile Gogoro, at Shitta area, at the beginning of Akerele Street.

We were also invited to games on Bank Olemoh and Olawale Dawodu Streets. Organizers often covered the venues with dozens of sleeping mats and charged gate fees to defray their expenses. It was such a joy to play and win and to be lifted shoulder high by appreciative fans.

My own playing career soon ended quietly. But Keshi’s and Nwosu’s blossomed. They were admitted into St. Finbarr’s College, Akoka, famous for their many successes in the Principal’s Cup competition among Lagos-based secondary schools. After leaving secondary school, the duo joined ACB Football Club of Lagos, New Nigerian Bank FC of Benin, and later travelled to Cote D’Ivoire in the mid eighties to sign for Stade D’Abidjan and later Africa Sports.

Keshi later headed for Europe for the Belgian league. First, he played for Lokeren. Before long, his qualities as a defender caught the eye

of Anderlecht, the leading Belgian side. Although we rarely saw or spoke, I, like most football-loving Nigerians continued to keenly follow Keshi’s career abroad. In addition, as a sports reporter, I covered the Super Eagles extensively. This enabled me to see him, even as he had become a national star, from a vantage position.

Keshi and I had a long conversation in 1992. I had just met Emmanuel Maradas, the Chadian journalist turned football administrator in the London office of the News Agency of Nigeria. He asked me to write a profile on Keshi for his African Soccer magazine. Therefore, I sought and got Keshi’s phone number and called him up, unsure if he would remember me. He did.

After a few banters, we discussed the thrills and challenges of an African professional footballer in Europe. Fortunately, his skills won him admirers, especially in Belgium. This robbed off positively on Nigerians visiting the country.

Their Customs and Immigration officials at the airport would ask if you knew Keshi. No matter your answer, you were most likely to be waved to go and have a nice stay in their country.

Therefore, Keshi became a goodwill ambassador for Nigeria.

This was at a time when some of our compatriots chose to tarnish our image through questionable activities. The story was told of how Keshi’s residence in Brussels became home for a number of

Nigerian players. His generosity was not limited to Nigerians alone.

Players like our own Philip Osondu and Ghana’s Nii Lamptey enjoyed his hospitality. Keshi looked after them like a big brother. Moreover, knowing how desperate some of the newcomers were to sign a contract for any pittance offered, he endeavoured to see that they were not shortchanged by crooked club officials. This caring disposition earned him the respect of other players and team handlers. It was easy for them to name him team captain. His nickname, the Big Boss, was a perfect fit.

Despite his many successes – he was capped more than 60 times by Nigeria, was manager of Togo’s national team twice, qualifying the country for their first ever World Cup outing in 2004, manager of Mali and eventually Nigeria -- Keshi did not lose his humility.

While he was courted by the high and mighty, he was equally at home among the ordinary people.

My phone interview with Keshi was published in the December 1992 – February 1993 edition of the colourful quarterly under the caption “Stephen Keshi – Nigerian Ambassador”. The story, spread over two pages, had three accompanying pictures. Two of them showed Keshi in action on the field.

The third was a family portrait with his late wife Kate, his sisterin-law Patience, and their four children. Keshi died in Benin City on June 8, aged 54.

16

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

EXTRATIME

17

Aliko predicts tough I’ll join Cup tie vs Crown FC Arsenal for pre-season,

says Nwakali

N

iger Tornadoes captain and goalkeeper, Mustapha Aliko has predicted a difficult match against the Nigeria National League (NNL) side, Crown FC. Tornadoes will engage Crown FC in Wednesday’s Federation Cup round of 32 clash at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City.

The Minna outfit benched Fasbir FC 2-0 in the round of 64 while the Ogbomosho-based side outclassed lower league side, Sokoto United 3-1 to pave the way for the round of 32 duel.

Aliko said his side will throw everything into the game to ensure the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) side claim the ticket for the round of 16.

“It’s certainly going to be a tough match as Crown

FC will want to prove a point with the Federation Cup round of 32 tie.

“We are campaigning in the top-flight while Crown FC play in the lower division it’s always the case that lower division sides come out over prepared to outclass their top division sides.

“We did same thing, too while we were in the lower division because it’s always news when a lower division side win against a top-flight.

“Right now we are expected to win and that will not be news if we win but it won’t be same if Crown FC win.

“However, we are not prepared to allow them the luxury to make news on Wednesday in Benin City.

“We are ready to go the extra mile to win and advance to the round of 16 of the annual competition.

Aliko

NFF confirms Giwa FC expulsion from League

Nwakali

N

igeria youngster, Kelechi Nwakali, has told AfricanFootball.com he will join Arsenal for pre-season next month after he has signed a professional contract later this month with the English Premier League.

Nwakali, who recently turned 18, will travel to England later this month to sign the dotted lines with ‘The Gunners’ and he said he will join them afterwards for pre-season.

“I will sign this month now that I’m 18, and then I will travel for pre-season next month,” he said.

The deal that will see the Nigeria U20 international move to the Emirates had been somewhat protracted, but has now been sorted.

Nwakali shone as Nigeria won the FIFA U17 World Cup last year in Chile.

He is also younger brother of Manchester City youngster, Chidiebere Nwakali.

Giwa FC

T

he disciplinary committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has upheld

the decision of the League Management Company (LMC) that Giwa FC have been expelled from the

Nigeria premier league after they failed to honour three matches this season.

The committee finds Giwa FC in breach of Rule B13.28 of the NPFL Frame Work

and Rules which states that “ If a club fails to honour three matches cumulatively within the League season without an acceptable reason to the LMC such a club shall be expelled from the League and its matches played and unplayed shall be cancelled”.

However, Giwa FC, who failed to appear before the committee to state their own side of the matter, have 48 hours to appeal this decision.

Additionally, Giwa have been fined 10 million Naira for staying away from the league match against Enyimba without an acceptable reason.

They will pay Enyimba a million Naira to offset their expenses and another 650,000 Naira for the match officials.

No Cup kidding – Dogo N Dogo

asarawa United head coach Kabir Dogo has said there is no small team in the annual football competition, the Federation Cup. The Solid Miners will square up against Rivers state champions Go Round FC in Wednesday’s Federation Cup round of 32 clash at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu.

Dogo said his side will approach the round of 32 tie as a Cup final against the Nigeria National League side.

“There is no small team in the Federation

Cup as far as we are concerned and we will not treat Go Round FC as one.

“They are Rivers state champions and must have reached this stage of the competition on merit.

“We are not going to underrate the side but treat them as equals despite the fact that the side play in the lower division.

“It’s even tougher playing lower side than top-flight as they are always difficult to predict.

“We will approach the match with caution and as Cup final that must be won.

“We finished at the semifinals stage in the immediate past edition and this time around we want to play in the final that means we must overcome Go Round FC hurdle on Wednesday.

“The top-flight massive win against FC IfeanyiUbah on Sunday will serve as morale boost going into the Cup clash,” said the former ABS coach to supersport.com.

The Lafia side got the better of FC Abuja while the Port Harcourt outfit outplayed Yobe Stars to pave the way for the Cup round of 32.

18

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

EXTRATIME

Pique saves

Spain in shaky opener Hodgson, Rooney call on England fans to behave

E

G

erard Pique scored with three minutes remaining as holders Spain opened their Euro 2016 campaign with a 1-0 victory over Czech Republic in Toulouse.

Spain, winners of the Euros in both 2008 and 2012, dominated possession but had to wait until late on to make the breakthrough against Petr Cech and a resolute Czech backline, who came into the tournament with the worst defensive record of the teams who qualified.

Pique was on hand to head home an inswinging cross from the outstanding Andres Iniesta to send

Vicente del Bosque’s team joint top of Group D with Croatia.

Alvaro Morata had Spain’s best first-half chance, forcing Cech into action from close-range in the first half, while Roman Hubnik turned the ball against his own post after the break.

It looked like Del Bosque’s men would be held to a frustrating draw, but Pique nodded in his first goal at a major international tournament to ensure they began with a victory two years to the day since their humbling 5-1 defeat to Netherlands at the World Cup.

I want aggression confined to the pitch — Coleman

ngland manager Roy Hodgson and captain Wayne Rooney have appealed to fans to behave around Thursday’s Group B game against Wales after European soccer chiefs threatened to throw the country out of Euro 2016 following three days of violence in Marseille.

In a video posted on the Football Association’s Twitter page, Hodgson and Rooney expressed their concern that further flashpoints could lead to an early end to their tournament.

“As the England manager, I am obviously now very concerned about the threat he Wales manager echoed that is hanging over us and the sanction the sentiments of Roy that could possibly be imposed upon Hodgson and Wayne the England team,” Hodgson said.

Rooney, who appealed directly “We worked very hard to get here and to England fans to “stay out of we want to stay in the competition.” trouble”following UEFA’s threat The first weekend of the tournament to expel the team from the was overshadowed by violence in Marseille tournament. where English and Russian fans were The England involved in serious disorder, manager and leading to tear gas and water captain urged cannons being deployed by supporters to do French riot police. everything in European governing their power to body Uefa have begun avoid repeats disciplinary proceedings of the violent against the Russian scenes which federation after some marred their of their fans appeared time in to charge at England’s Marseille. fans in the Stade A n d Velodrome near C o leman the end of the Rooney made a Group B clash

T

similar appeal to Wales fans ahead of Thursday’s Group B match at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens.

“All we want from Welsh fans is what they always give us,” said Coleman.

“That’s full support, have a great time, enjoy it. Don’t get caught up with anything untoward, because they’re representing Wales also.

“It’s not just us, it’s them. They did it in a perfect way in Bordeaux against Slovakia and I’d want them to do the same again.”

Coleman said he hoped the events of Marseille, where England and Russia clashed both inside and outside the stadium, would not be repeated.

However, the French authorities are on full alert with Russia and Slovakia playing in nearby Lille on Wednesday afternoon.

Coleman

Ibrahimovic

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

EXTRATIME

Palace release Adebayor, Chamakh

Gerrard

C

rystal Palace have decided against handing new deals to strikers Emmanuel Adebayor and Marouane Chamakh and defender Brede Hangeland, the Premier League club said on its website

on Monday.

Adebayor joined Palace on a short-term deal in January but netted just once in his 15 appearances for the club.

Chamakh too failed to nail down a starting spot during his two

years at Selhurst Park and was not help by injuries, which restricted the Morocco international to just 66 appearances.

Hangeland, who featured just 26 times over the course of the last two seasons, will be joined by

fellow defender Adrian Mariappa in leaving the club.

The London club also decided to cut ties with long-serving defender Paddy McCarthy, who made 151 appearances since arriving back in 2008.

19

BRIEFS

Adebayor

Juventus

sign Pjanic from Roma

Reading appoint Stam manager for €32m

J

aap Stam has been appointed manager of Championship club Reading, becoming the first overseas boss in the Royals’ history.

The former Manchester United, Milan and Lazio defender will take on his first managerial role after leaving his position as coach at Ajax, where he ended his playing career.

Federici

pens new Bournemouth deal

G

oalkeeper Adam Federici is determined to secure top billing at AFC Bournemouth after agreeing fresh terms with the Premier League club.

The Australia international penned a threeyear deal on Monday and underlined his desire to usurp Artuc Boruc as manager Eddie Howe’s first-choice keeper.

“I’m delighted to have signed a new contact,” Federici, who made just six top-flight appearances in 2015-16, told the Cherries’ official website.

“I’ve worked hard this year to keep improving and the last year has been great. I’ve been settling in and getting to know the lads so I’m really looking forward to next year now.

“The manager played a big part in me signing, the coaching staff and the way we play football are factors too. I feel I suit the team and look forward to playing more this season. I’m working really hard towards that.

Stam, 43, succeeds Brian McDermott after his second spell at the helm ended following a 17thplaced finish in 2015-16.

A winner of major honours in three countries, ex-Netherlands international Stam has penned a twoyear deal at the Madejski Stadium.

“I was looking for a team that

wanted to achieve something,” he told Reading’s official website.

“You always need to have ambition.

As a player I wanted to achieve the most of everything and get as high as you can as a player and win as many things as you can.

“As a manager I have the same ambitions.”

J

uventus have confirmed the signing of midfielder Miralem Pjanic from Roma €32 million.

The 26-year-old playmaker has agreed a five-year deal with the Italian champions.

The Bosnia-Herzegovina midfielder had been linked with a move to England to join Manchester United but the Serie A and Coppa Italia holders have exercised a clause in Pjanic’s contract to seal a deal.

Pjanic arrived at the Stadio Olimpico in 2011 from Ligue 1 side Lyon for €11 million and has become one of the most coveted midfielders in European football after a string of fine individual performances in 201516.

Leicester offer Mahrez a new £100,000 a week contract R

iyad Mahrez has been offered a new contract worth £100,000 a week as Leicester City fight to keep the PFA Player of the Year.

Mahrez is the latest Leicester star to be offered vastly improved termsafter the club’s remarkable season, joining Jamie Vardy, N’Golo Kante and Kasper Schmeichel.

The winger played a huge part in Leicester’s Premier League title success, scoring 17 goals, and the club’s Thai owners have moved swiftly in a bid to avoid losing the Algeria international.

Mahrez has refused to rule out the prospect of leaving the King Power Stadium this summer, admitting it is “possible” he may depart, with Barcelona, Manchester United and Paris St-

Germain thought to be admirers.

But Leicester’s offer is on the table and they remain hopeful that the 25-year-old will stay for at least another 12 months, after Champions League football was secured for the forthcoming season.

If Mahrez does decide to leave, however, it is understood Leicester will demand a figure of over £30million for a player who cost just £400,000 from Le Havre in January 2014.

There is no release clause in his current contract which means Leicester can ask for any price they see as acceptable.

Vardy’s £21million clause was activated by Arsenal earlier this month while Kante can also leave for a similar transfer fee.

20

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

NIS boss gives passport offices 48hrs to clear backlog of applications ÎÎÎ Comptroller-General

of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammad Babandede, has given all Passport Control Officers (PCOs) nationwide 48 hours to clear all backlog of passport applications.

Babandede gave the directive on Monday in Abuja at a meeting with senior management staff of the NIS. He also directed all Passport Issuing Desks in Nigeria’s Foreign Missions to do the same.

He warned that failure to comply with the directive would be interpreted to mean the officer is incompetent and will therefore be removed.

He said that the time

Babandede line for processing of passports remained 72hours and therefore, expected every Passport office to conform to the policy forthwith.

The Immigration boss re-

21 News

Ortom appoints acting SSG ÎÎÎGovernor

Samuel Ortom of Benue State has appointed Dr. Bem Meladu as the acting Secretary to the State Government.

In a statement on Monday in Makurdi, the Special Adviser to the governor on Media and ICT, Mr Tahav Agerzua, said the appointment was with immediate effect.

The statement also indicated that the acting scribe had already been sworn-in by the governor’s Chief of Staff, Mr Terwase Orbunde.

The substantive SSG, Mr Targema Takema, is currently receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment at the National Hospital, Abuja.

The acting scribe was until his elevation, the Special Adviser on Economic and Investment and was also overseeing the office of the Special Adviser on Special Duties.

The Adviser on Special Duties, Mr Joseph Ikyaagba, had been in detention for complicity in the alleged murder of his colleague, Mr Denen Igbana.

Meladu is a graduate of Economics from the University of Jos and has held many appointments including commissioner for Information under the era of Sen George Akume as governor of the state.

minded applicants to always get their breeder documents such as birth certificate, age declaration, certified guarantor’s forms from the right sources to avoid delay

in the processing of their passports.

He also inaugurated a committee that will configure the NIS Passport platform.

He said the move was to enable State Passport Offices re-issue passports to applicants who want to change their data on account of marriage or due to loss of previous ones.

“With this development, such category of applicants will need not to travel to Abuja to effect any change in their travel documents but go to the state offices they reside in to do it,” he said.

He said that the committee has been given two months to complete the configuration.

MICHEAL FRIDAY OMOCHUKWU

OLADAPO QUEEN NGOZI

OBEHIOYE WILSON

MBONU PAUL CHIDUBEM

I formerly known and addressed as Unekwu Reuben now wish to be known and addressed as Micheal Friday Omochukwu. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. The General public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as EKEKE QUEEN NGOZI now wish to be known and addressed as OLADAPO QUEEN NGOZI. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. The General public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Omofonma Obehioye Martins Wilson now wish to be known and addressed as Obehioye Wilson. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. The General public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as TIJANI QUADRI OLAWALE, now wish to be known and addressed as MBONU PAUL CHIDUBEM. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note

MRS. ADIE JOSEPHINE UGIOUNIM

Gov Ortom

MRS. EZIKE AMAKA ESTHER

TAIWO IFEYINWA OLUWAKEMI

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS. CHIEGBOKA AMAKA ESTHER, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. EZIKE AMAKA ESTHER. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note

I Formerly known and addressed as emebo ifeyinwa oluwakeminow wish to be known and addressed as taiwo ifeyinwa oluwakemi. All former documents remain valid. general public should please take note.

SULE ADISA YUSSUF

ABEREOJE IYABO IYABIYE

MOSAKU OLUMIDE BROWN

CHIDIMMA IDARA UWATT

KEREKE CHAMBERLIN

I formally known and addressed as SULAIMON ADISA OLALEKE now wish to be known and addressed as SULE ADISA YUSSUF. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

I formally known and addressed as AJOKE AYANFE now wish to be known and addressed as ABEREOJE IYABO IYABIYE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I Formerly known and addressed as MOSAKU OLUMIDE ROTIMI. Now wish to be known and addressed as MOSAKU OLUMIDE BROWN. All former documents remain valid. General public to please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as CHIDIMMA VALENTINE OLUIGBO- DIKE. Now wish to be known and addressed as CHIDIMMA IDARA UWATT. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as AYIS KEREKEBUNA, now wish to be known and addressed as KEREKE CHAMBERLIN . All former documents remain valid. General public should take note

MRS. OKEKE CHIDIMMA NNEDIMMA

MRS ADEBIMPE CECILIA ALABI

OGUNBIYI SAHEED ADEYEMI

NJOKU THANKGOD KELECHI

OKAFOR AGATHA OLILI

MRS SHERIFAT ALIU

I formerly known and addressed as Saheed Alani Oluwaseun now wish to be known and addressed as Ogunbiyi Saheed Adeyemi. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. The General public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Anuforo Kelechi now wish to be known and addressed as Njoku Thankgod Kelechi. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. The General public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Omofonma Okafor Nneka Olili now wish to be known and addressed as Okafor Agatha Olili. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. The General public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS SHERIFAT OMOZUAOWO IJEBOI, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS SHERIFAT ALIU. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note

ZEPHANIAH OLUWATOSIN AANU

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS. UGBE JOSEPHINE UGIOUNIM, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. ADIE JOSEPHINE UGIOUNIM . All former documents remain valid. General public should take note

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ANEKWE CHIDIMMA NNEDIMMA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. OKEKE CHIDIMMA NNEDIMMA. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note

I Formerly known and addressed as MISS ADEBIMPE CECILIA OYENUBI now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ADEBIMPE CECILIA ALABI. All former documents remain valid. general public should please take note.

JUSTUS ESTHER

OMOSANYIN KIKELOMO JANET

SALIHU WAHAB

JUBRIL SAHEED OLATUNJI

BASSEY EDET IDONGESIT

I formally known and addressed as IGEH ESTHER TITILAYO now wish to be known and addressed as JUSTUS ESTHER. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

I formally known and addressed as Ajayi Kikelomo Janet now wish to be known and addressed as Omosanyin Kikelomo Janet. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I Formerly known and addressed as NAMEABDUL WAHAB SALIHU DAUDA. Now wish to be known and addressed as SALIHU WAHAB. Date Of Birth 04/03/1983.. All former documents remain valid. General public to please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as JUBRIL SAIDI AYINDE. Now wish to be known and addressed as JUBRIL SAHEED OLATUNJI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Mathew Michael Bassey, now wish to be known and addressed as Bassey Edet Idongesit . All former documents remain valid. General public should take note

MR. IROKO OLUSOJI AJANI

AFOLAKE HALIMA SMITH

XXXX

ENEJI FELICIA APANA

MUSTAPHA INUSA

UWABOR IFEYINWA NGOZI

I, formerly known and addressed as MR. FEYIJIMI OLUSOJI IROKO, now wish to be known and addressed as MR. IROKO OLUSOJI AJANI. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note

I Formerly known and addressed as AFOLAKE ALIMOT ONIBUDO now wish to be known and addressed as AFOLAKE HALIMA SMITH. All former documents remain valid. general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Saheed Alani Oluwaseun now wish to be known and addressed as Ogunbiyi Saheed Adeyemi. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. The General public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as APANA JOY FELICIA now wish to be known and addressed as ENEJI FELICIA APANA. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. The General public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MUSTAPHA YUNUSA now wish to be known and addressed as MUSTAPHA INUSA. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. The General public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as NWALI IFEYINWA NGOZI, now wish to be known and addressed as UWABOR IFEYINWA NGOZI . All former documents remain valid. General public should take note

NKWOR DESTINY LAWRENCE

ESTHER TEMITOPE NBA

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

I formerly known and addressed as NKWOR AKALAKA LAWRENCE now wish to be known and addressed as NKWOR DESTINY LAWRENCE. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. The General public should take note.

THAT I AN THE SAME PERSON BEARING ISKILU ALAO AMOO AND ISKILU ADESINA ALAO AMOO ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD TAKE NOTE

ADDITIONAL OF NAME

I formerly known and addressed as ESTHER TEMITOPE ADEWUMI now wish to be known and addressed as ESTHER TEMITOPE NBA. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. The General public should take note.

I FORMELY KNOWN AND ADDRESSES AS MUSA JAMILU AND I WANT TO ADD OMARU TO MY NAME NOW I WISH TO BE ADDRESSED AS JAMILU MUSA OMARU ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID GENERAL PUBLIC SHOVLD TAKE NOTE

I, formerly known and addressed as Olasunkami Oluwatosin Aanu, now wish to be known and addressed as Zephaniah Oluwatosin Aanu . All former documents remain valid. General public should take note

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

CORRECTION OF NAME

This is to notify the general public of loss of deed of assignment belonging to Mr. and Mrs Vincent Nwobu, Registered as No 26/26/1434 at lands registry, Enugu, situated at plot 10A/10 Phase II Extension TransEkulu. All efforts to trace it proved abortive. If found, please return to Ministry of Lands, Enugu.

This is to inform the general public that my name was wrongly written as AJIBDADE IDOWU ORIYOMI Instead of AJIBADE IDOWU MEMUD, Now to be corrected as AJIBADE IDOWU MEMUD. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

Public Notice 22 AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST FOR CHANGE IN NIGERIA FOUNDATION. The General Public is hereby notified that the above named foundation has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja, for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES. 1. APOSTLE CHILASA MBAKWE ARISA, – OVERSEER/FOUNDER. 2. MRS BLESSING CHILASA MBAKWE - MEMBER 3. ALFRED ONYEBUCHI MBAKWE - MEMBER 4. VICTOR IKECHUKWU CHILASA - MEMBER. 5. PASTOR CHIMEZIE MIKE CHIMA - MEMBER 6. BRO. DONARLD ACHIUGWO - SECRETARY. 7. ENGR. OKECHUKWU MARK NWOKORO - MEMBER. AIMS: 1. Missionary works, promotion of character attitudinal change in Nigeria, 2. Education, training, organizing competitions, seminars, workshop for character transformation & restoration of moral 3. Preaching, teaching, prayer for Nigeria, ministry of help for sick and prisoners, and economic empowerment of the less privilege.etc. .

Any objection to this Removal and appointment of Trustees should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Apostle Chilasa Mbakwe. OVERSEER/FOUNDER.

AMECHI - IDODO YOUTH ASSOCIATION ABUJA BRANCH. The General Public is hereby notified that the above named organisation has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

Trustees – 1,OZOEMENEA AGWU - Chairman 2, Solomon Okafor - Secretary 3, Emeka Nwachi 4, Peter Innocent 5, Oluchukwu Ani 6, Eze Emmanuel.

AIMSImprove the welfare of its members 2, Organising seminer/workshop for youths in Fct 3, Inculcating moral values / standard in the youths

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

OJOYE OLUWATOYIN CHRISTIANA

MRS. SALAM LATIFAT IDOWU

I, formerly known and addressed as ROTIMI TOYIN CHRISTIANA, now wish to be known and addressed as OJOYE OLUWATOYIN CHRISTIANA. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note

I formerly known and addressed as MISS. TIAMIYU LATIFAT IDOWU. now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. SALAM LATIFAT IDOWU. all former documents remain valid. general public take note.

IMAM SHEWU TIJANI

ALLI RUKAYAT AFEGHE

I formerly known and address ABUDULATEEF IMAM SHEWU TIJANI , now wish to be known and address as IMAM SHEWU TIJANI . ALL former document remain valid .General public take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as, ALLI RUKAYAT, now wish to be known and addressed as, ALLI RUKAYAT AFEGHE. All former documents remains valid.

General public, banks should take note.

TRUSTEES: 1. KING EVANS EZECHIMERE- CHAIRMAN 2. IZUCHUKWU NWANKWOR 3. ADUMEKWE UGOCHUKWU EXCEL 4. CHIEF EBUBECHI BON NNABUIFE 5.DIBOH ONYEBUCIHI BENJAMIN 6.OBIANONYERE BISHOP SHINKAFFI -SECRETARY. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To foster unity among members 2. To promote the interest of members Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Maitama, Abuja.

Signed Secretary

GOSPEL - WAY BIBLE MINISTRY INTERNATIONAL

GREATER HEIGHTS DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION.

The general public is hereby inform that the above named MINISTRY has applied to Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, Degree No. 1 of 1990.

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

TRUSEES: I. REV ISAIAH OKPARA 2. REV. MRS. OLUCHI ISAIAH 3. CHINYERE A. EZEAGWULA 4. NGOZI UBAH AIMS: I. To bring men to the full knowledge of God and the reality of the gospel of our LORD JESUS CHRIST AS AN ACCEPTABLE TRUTH AS RECORDED IN THE HOLY BIBLE

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

Any objection to the registration shoulds be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affaira Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 daysof this Publication.

Signed - Barr Igwenaga Kodi . J.

SIGNED: BARR. MADUKA BISHOP

IGBO UNITY BROTHERS ASSOCIATION AKWA IBOM STATE.

OFUOBI PROGESSIVE INTERNATIONAL CLUB OF NIGERIA. The General Public is hereby notified that the above named church has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja, for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

BADAGRY TOURISTSGUIDE ASSOCIATION.

The proposed trustees are: Igbinosa Anthony Osazee- chairman, Osifo Franca, Mrs. Dottie Omoadona Odion Mrs Igbinosa Eghonghon,- Secretary. .Aims and objectives: 1. To provide financial assistance to the less privileged, women and youth in the rural area who do not have collateral securities to obtain loan from financial institution to boost income generating activities.

2. To improve the standard of living of the less privileged through the provision of scholarship and financial help for their overall development.

3. To reduce poverty and promote environmental. sustainability and development through capacity building and empowerment.

4. To promote self employment within the target group Any objection to the registration shouls be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affaira Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 daysof this Publication. signed by Barry Sandra Okundaye

COMSTA IMT ENUGU N91/H94 ALUMNI

The general public is hereby notified that the above named has applied to the corporate Affairs commission, Abuja for registration under part’ ‘C’ of the companies and Allied Matters Acts of 1990.

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

This is to inform the general public that the above Named CHURCH has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and allied Matters Act of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE. 1. NWAGURU, VICTOR CHIJIOKE - CHAIRMAN. 2. JOHN, CHUKWUDI OBASI -SECRETARY. 3. NWABUEZE, BRIGHT IHEZUKWU. 4. CHIBUKE, OPARA HENRY. 5. NNAJIOFOR JOHN.

Trustees are Yahaya oladiran idris -chairman 2 Anago James Akeem osho -Secretary 3 Temidayo Peters Hephzibah 4 chief wasiu ajibola abass 5 Idris-Yahaya kehinde temilade 6. Amusa Rabiu ayodele

Trustees 1, Anthony Chika Ezemoka - Chairman 2, Kasa Vitus - Secretary 3, Nkechi Cynthia Anene - Treasure.

AIMS/OBJECTIVE. 1. TO FOSTER UNITY AMONG MEMBERS. 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 of this publication SIGNED; NWAGURU, VICTOR CHIJIOKE (CHAIRMAN)

Objectives _ to provide guide for visitors at Badagry tourist sites 2 to make historical information available for the tourists visting Badagry 3.to publish magazines and journals on the benefits of the tourist sites Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGN SECRETARY

Aim 1, Promote the well being of her members and to contribute to academic excellence in the department and IMT Enugu 2,Organize training Courses, meetings and events for members and the department 3, work with similar groups for the purpose of exchanging information and ideas. .

Any objection to the registration shouls be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affaira Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 daysof this Publication Signed by Obinna D. Ogbuagu Esq Gray Mata Solicitors Legal Adviser 08033325427

CHRIST INVADERS MINISTRY.

OVERFLOWING GRACE CHRISTAIN CENTRE

BORN AGAIN BODY INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY

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.

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 ,1990

This is to inform the General Public that the above named FOUNDATION has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

The trustees are: (1) Mr. Ojuloge Oluwagbemiga (2) Mrs. Ojuloge Oluwayemisi (3) Mr. Kolade Oladipo (4) Mr. Onuah Onyekachi (5) Mr.Arifalo Abiodun .

TRUSTEES 1) PASTOR MUYIWA JOHSON - GENERAL OVERSEER 2) MRS JULIA ONOGHARE JOHNSON - MEMBER 3) MS SUSAN EYO HONESTY -MEMBER 4)MRS FOLASHADE OLUWATOYIN ONANUGA - MEMBER 5) MR PAUL OLADAPO JOHNSON - MEMBER 6) MR OMOTAYO AKINLOSE - GENERAL SECRETARY

TRUSTEES; PASTOR DELE ADEOYE - CHAIRMAN MRS ADETOKUNBO GANIYAT ADEOYE - SECRETARY DAMILARE ADEOYE TOSIN ADEOYE RONKE ADEOYE

AIMS TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.

AIMS; TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TO THE LOST SOULS TO TEACH THE WORD OF GOD TO THE LOST SOULS IN ALL NATIONS..

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

Any objection to this publication should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, PMB 198 Maitama,Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

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

SIGN: Mr. Kolade Oladipo

Signed By: SECRETARY

SIGNED BY: SECRETARY

Aims and Objectives: (1). To preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ..

JERUSALEM STARS SPORTS CLUB

PRICELESS VIRTUES INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Organization has Applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja for Registration Under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Acts, 1990.

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Club has Applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja for Registration Under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Acts, 1990.

This is to inform the general public that the above named INITIATIVE has applied to Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.

DR. VINCENT UZOMEFUNA President 2.

VICTOR UZOMEFUNA Vice President 3.

KEESHIA BAUTISTA Secretary 4. AMARACHI UZOMEFUNA Financial Secretary 5. CHUKWUEMEKA UZOMEFUNA Treasurer 6. PASTOR CHIMEZIE OGUEJIOFOR Provost

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. AKUNYUO HENRY CHINEDU - President 2. MAXWELL ORJIAKO - Vice President 3. CHIZOBA MAGNUS OJI - Secretary 4. IZUCHUKWU IKEH - Financial Secretary 5. ALPHUR AGUPUSI - Treasurer 6. JOAKIM ODIDIKA - Provost 7. AMAMCHUKWU UDEAJA - Member

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To sponsor free health services to its members and to the members of the society..

2. To Corporate with other relevant health Organization to sponsor free healthcare services to the society.

3. To engage in social and community work including child welfare whenever possible.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To promote Football and other Sports Activities in the country.

2. To promote Love, Unity, Peace and Progress among the members and to enhance their welfare.

3. To engage in social and community work including child welfare whenever possible.

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

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

Signed B Linton Consultants 6 Oraifite Road Nnewi Anambra State (08037091327)

Signed B Linton Consultants 6 Oraifite Road Nnewi Anambra State (08037091327

GOOD HERITAGE COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE TRUST

Trustees 1. MISS AJIBADE OLUWATOBI 2. MR ADETIMOLE EMMANUEL 3. MR ADEBAYO MAYOWA 4. PST. AROMASODU MOSES AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1.To expose girls/ladies to ethics of a worthy self esteem , which is accepting & harnessing the female gender.

2.To build ladies/girls whose existence is to achieve world class goals.

3.To teach & train girls/ladies for entrepreneurship skills with the aim of eradicating poverty.

4.To reach out to girls/ladies through educative programmes, seminars and conferences.

Any objection to the application should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja, within 28 days of this publication Signed by: Secretary

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Abdulsalami at 74: You are the foundation of our democracy –Gov Bello Pita Chikwem Minna

ÎÎÎNiger

State governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, has said the country owed the uninterrupted democracy being enjoyed today to the solid foundation laid by the short but memorable administration of General Abdulsalami Abubakar.

In a birthday message to the country’s immediate past military head of state, who clocked 74 years today, he described General Abdulsalami Abubakar as the father of new Nigeria.

The governor in a statement issued in Minna, on Monday, by his Chief Press Secretary, Jibrin Ndace, said the General Abubakar’s contribution to democratic development of the country gave birth to the current political dispensation.

23 News

Niger Assembly threatens to probe past administration Pita Chikwem, Minna

ÎÎÎConcerned by the inabil-

ity of the state executive to commence public investigation on the immediate past administration, the Speaker, Niger state House of Assembly, Hon. Ahmed Marafa, on Monday, threatened that the House would institute its own probe committee if the executive failed to do.

He told newsmen in Minna that the last administration was reckless and fraud-

ulent in piloting the affairs of the state and that was why the present administration was finding it extremely difficult to cope with the situation.

According to him, “over six months, the legislators passed a unanimous resolution that the past government of former governor Babangida Aliyu should be probed for looting the state treasury and I wonder why the executive is delaying the process.”

“The Assembly will con-

tinue to request from the executive the setting up of a commission of inquiry and if at the end, the legislature realised that executive is not coming forth with anything then we will launch our own probe”.

Marafa said it was not that the executive had relegated its resolution to the background, stating that they had been engaging the executive on the matter, which had attracted a lot of public interest and would not be swept under the carpet.

He said, “When we met the governor on the matter, he appealed to us to exercise patience, as the two committees set up to review the financial and infrastructural activities of the past administration were yet to conclude their assignments. Now that they have finished their work and submitted their reports, we are watching what next the executive will do.”

The Speaker however said that the House had the power of arrest and would evoke such when the need arose,

revealing that, so far, he was aware some money had been recovered and would wait a little to see how situation unfolded and if nothing happened, the House would have no option than to institute a probe.

Marafa applauded the legislature for performing above average and urged them to always remember that their responsibilities were to shoulder the people that elected them, therefore carry out duties in a dignified manner.

Gov Bello

Asaba Iyase seeks healthy relationship between public servants, political class Nosa Ogiugo, Asaba

ÎÎÎA former Head of Service

and Secretary to the defunct Bendel State Government, Chief Patrick Isioma Onyeobi, has called for a culture of healthy symbiotic relationship between public servants and the political elite, especially the political masters.

He said the healthy symbiotic relationship would enable both groups work in tandem in meeting their common goal of rendering quality service to the public to whom they account.

Onyeobi, the Iyase of Asaba, said that since both groups had a common goal of working for the greatest good of the people they serve within the confines of the approved rules and regulations.

Senior Superintendent Gabriel Akinadewo (middle) with some elders cutting the anniversary cake during the 52nd Founder’s Day/Annual Conference of Motailatu Cherubim & Seraphim Organisation Worldwide at the International Headquarters of the church, Ondo City, Ondo State...recently.

Edo’ll build roads even if oil price crashes to zero, says Oshiomhole

Titus Akhigbe, Benin

ÎÎÎGovernor

Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has affirmed that his administration would not stop work on ongoing road projects and construct new ones even if the price of crude oil crashed to zero.

Speaking at the flagoff of the 10-km UzebbaOkpuje-Okabhor road in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, on Monday, he said that “like I promised during the electioneering, in 2007, I said I have not come to join people to lament the misrule of the

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). I have not come to shed tears about missed opportunities. I have come together with my colleagues on a rescue mission, to show that whatever they said was not possible, to demonstrate that it is possible and that everything they refused to do, we will try to do it.

“We started by building schools, and I am sure in this local government you have what they now call the red roof schools. I am sure in a couple of places we have also sunk boreholes, and I am sure some of your sons and daughters who are working for Edo State Government, their salaries

for May has been paid, and their wages have even been increased.

“I can assure you it has been tough, and it is still tough. It might get even tougher in the very near future. But there is nothing we have started in this state under my stewardship that we have abandoned. And therefore, this one is yet another project that we will complete.

“We have already mobilised the contractor, so we are not owing. And the contractor has an Owan blood.

He must ensure that this road is better than any other road that we have built, so that it will last much lon-

ger than twenty-five years because, for me, a government must never deceive the citizens, because we don’t settle for less than the best.

Gov. Oshiomhole

Two bank staff docked over alleged N14.14m fraud Peter Fowoyo

ÎÎÎFor

allegedly defrauding a customer to the tune of N14.14million, two staff of Eco Bank Plc, Aghanenu Ikechukwu, 41, and Stephen Nduka, 36, were, on Monday, arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate Court Lagos.

The duo, whose residential addresses were not given, are facing a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, stealing and conversion, against them.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge against. The prosecutor, Inspector Ingobo Emby, told the court that the defendants and others who were still at large committed the alleged offences between September and November 2015, at Eco Bank Plc.

News 24

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Stop invasion of our communities by Customs men, group pleads with FG, Ogun govt. ÏÏÏThe Federal and the Ogun State

governments have been implored to check the incessant killings and attack of innocent citizens in some Nigeria’s border towns, particularly in Ogun State, by some men and officers of the Nigerian Customs and Excise in their alleged fight against smugglers.

A pressure group, The Concerned Yewa Youth Foundation, which decried the invasion of Oke-Odan, the headquarters of the Yewa South East Local Council, and which is about 10 kilometres from Idiroko, the border town between Nigeria and the Republic Benin, by some Customs officials, said the call became necessary following the recent killings of two promising youths of the town and the unceasing harass-

ment of many other patriotic residents.

In a statement signed by its Chairman and Secretary, Akin Olukunle and ‘Niyi Saanu, respectively, in Abeokuta, on Monday, the group pleaded with the Comptroller-General of the NCS to call his men to order.

It lamented that “The Customs officials, without any sense of caution, sporadically enter our town and engage in indiscriminate shooting of whoever that is in sight. No fewer than 15 people have died and/ or suffered serious injuries from the unwholesome act in the recent past.

For instance, on May 1, 2016, two promising artisans, Odude Amos Adeleke, a panel beater; and Azeez Yekini, a motorcycle mechanic, were

killed when some Customs officials launched an attack on the town.

“Some other people, including Segun Otukadejo, a secondary school leaver; Samson Daniel, a farmer; and three members of the same family, Mrs. Janet Odunlami (mother) and her two children Abiodun and Israel, sustained various degrees of injuries from stray bullet as the invading Customs officials indiscriminately shot at the residents.

The CYYF further stated that “Customs officials are also laying siege to our farms, making it absolutely difficult for most of our people, who are farmers and of longstanding, to even go to their farms.”

It added, “We have on good record instances when some Customs officers waylaid our farmers, mostly el-

ders, on or from their farms, advertently taking them as smugglers to possibly demonstrate their seeming efficiency before their superior officers. Many of the affected farmers have landed in hospitals at different occasions, and expectedly are indifferent to farming following their ugly experiences in the hands of the paramilitary officers.

“Invariably, many of our youths and prospective investors, who had earlier expressed interest in farming in our area, as the Federal and state governments are encouraging the diversification of the economy, are now disillusioned as a result of the state of insecurity of Oke-Odan and its environs following the menace of the smugglers and some NCS officials.”

L-R: President, Oxford and Cambridge Club of Nigeria, Mr Akinfela Akoni; Guest Speaker, Ms. Diane Abbott; Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, United Kingdom, Amb. Oladapo Fafowora and Executive Director, Personal and Business Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr. Babatunde Macaulay, at the 2016 Oxbridge Spring Lecture sponsored by Stanbic IBTC, in Lagos… on Monday.

Tension in Plateau over grazing reserve Chijioke Kingsley Jos

ÏÏÏThere is mounting tension in

Plateau State over land being appropriated for grazing and ranches.

It has gathered momentum, since the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Audu Ogbeh, came out with a list of eleven states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) saying that the states had agreed to contribute lands for the purpose of the establishment of grazing reserves for cattle herders, with Plateau State on the list.

This statement from the Minister has sparked off reactions from different quarters especially from notable sons of the soil.

The immidiate past governor, now a senator representing Plateau

North, Jonah Jang, has issued a statement condemning the moves

by Governor Simon Lalong-led administration to implement grazing reserves policy in the state.

He noted that, he did not and would not support any grazing reserve either on the floor of the senate or any forum/platform where the issue is discussed.

According to him, “The issue has generated a lot of controversy amongst Plateau people because government has decided to play politics with issues that affect the very fabric which defines the heritage of our people, their culture and their land”, he said.

In another reaction, a group operating under the aegis of Plateau G-17 Youths for Peace and Progress Forum, on Monday, in Jos, kicked

against the Grazing Reserve bill and ranches calling on the state government to rethink and retrace its steps on its earlier decision and delist Plateau from the states that had agreed to contribute lands for the purpose of the grazing reserve. The group also protested against the bill, stressing that it was in keeping with the mood of the majority of citizens of the state on the matter.

Speaking to newsmen after the protest, the converner of the protest, Dachung Musa Bagos, said, “the Plateau State Government must be careful not to take decision that would mortgage our future and that of generations yet unborn with the likely consequences of further throwing the state into a state of chaos as the policy has been rejected by majority of the people of the state.

Checkmate erection structures on water ways – NEMA Jacob Ogodo Abakaliki

ÏÏÏThe

National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), on Monday called on the Ebonyi State Government to checkmate the erection of structures on waterways to prevent flood disaster.

The South-East Co-ordinator of the agency, Martins Udeinya, made the call while accessing the level of damage done by Sunday flood disaster in the state.

He said that sometimes hard decisions must be taken in order to build sustainable cities. So, it is my advice that government must really do something about the development of the city.

“People cannot be allowed to build on waterways because it is disaster in the waiting; one day it will happen whether we like it or not.

“The institutions or authorities responsible for controlling urban development should live up to expectation and ensure that people are not allowed to build on waterways.

“It is a very hard decision to take but if you take it, you are ensuring sustainability of the future because one bad thing about flood disaster is that you don’t know the dimension it can take.

“Efforts should be made by government to ensure that people don’t build on water ways and on our own part, we are going to step-up sensitisation on flood prevention and mitigation and what people are expected to do for flood prevention and mitigation and other issues around disaster risk reduction”.

CJN inaugurates architects disciplinary tribunal

Mohammed

Andrew Orolua Abuja

ÏÏÏThe

Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, on Monday, inaugurated Architects Disciplinary Tribunal six years after the enactment of Architects (Registration, etc) Act, Cap A19, LFN 2004.

The Act provided for the tribunal

amid incessant incidents of buildings collapsed in the country.

Justice Mohammed while administering oath on the chairman and members of tribunal urged them to abide by their oath of office and oath of allegiance and be fair to those whose matters would be brought before them.

He said the tribunal was set up by virtue of Architects (Registration, etc) Act, Cap A19, LFN 2004, and that it had a mandate to conduct hearings into the disciplinary matters pertaining to the conduct that went contrary to the rules and code of conduct guiding the ethics of the profession.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

25 Opinion

June 12 annulment: Babangida’s final error

Reuben

Abati ÏÏÏ

June 12 will always be remembered by those who have defied the culture of silence and conspiracy against a significant moment in Nigerian history, to remind us of how today, 23 years ago, the battle against the exit of the military from power was fought at the ballot by a determined Nigerian people. It is indeed sad that apart from the South West states of Oyo, Ogun, Lagos and Osun which have doggedly continued to celebrate the hero, and later martyr of that battle, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, there has been studied indifference to the June 12 phenomenon by the Federal Government and remarkably, the rest of Nigeria.

This is sadder still because MKO Abiola was not an ethnic champion: he was a man of pan-Nigerian vision and ambition, who went into politics to give the people hope, to unite them and lead them out of poverty. His campaign manifesto was instructively titled “Hope 93- Farewell to Poverty: How to make Nigeria a better place for all.”

When Nigerians voted in the presidential election

of June 12, 1993, they chose the Muslim-Muslim ticket of MKO Abiola and Baba Gana Kingibe under the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

MKO Abiola not only defeated the Presidential candidate of the National Republican Convention (NRC), Bashir Tofa in his home state of Kano, he also defeated him “fairly and squarely” with “58.4% of the popular vote and a majority in 20 out of 30 states and the FCT.” That election was adjudged to be free and fair, and peaceful. But the Ibrahim Babangida-led military government had been playing games with the transition-to-civilian rule, and so it chose not to announce the final results of the election, and later on June 23, 1993, the Presidential election was annulled.

This was a coup against the Nigerian people, and an act of brazen injustice, but June 12 will go down in history as the birthday of the revolution that swept the Nigerian military back to the barracks. The media began to refer to MKO Abiola as “the man widely believed to have won the June 12, 1993 election”, or perhaps, “the undeclared winner” but those who played key roles at the time, including Humphrey Nwosu, the chief electoral umpire, have since confessed that “their hands were tied”, and that indeed MKO Abiola won the election. General Ibrahim Babangida, then Head of State, has not been able to live down that error of judgement. It was the final error that also consumed his government, forcing him to “step aside”, and as it turned out “step away”.

He left behind an Interim National Government (ING) led by Chief

Ernest Shonekan who was handpicked for the assignment, but the ING contrivance only survived for 83 days; in November 1993, General Sani Abacha, who was in the ING as Minister of Defence, seized power. It was obvious that the military never wanted to relinquish power.

June 12 brought out the worst and the best in the people: the worst in the military and its hungry agents definitely, but the injustice of its annulment released the people’s energy and capacity for protest. Progressive Nigerians spoke in unison against military tyranny and the violation of their right to choose.

The Abacha government, which had initially deceived the progressives about its intentions, unleashed a reign of terror on the country: media houses were attacked, journalists were jailed, bombed, beaten, civil society activists were hauled into detention.

But the repression was met with stiff resistance.

The people insisted on the election of June 12, the military’s exit and Abiola’s declaration as winner of the election. On June 11, 1994, in what is now known as the Epetedo declaration, Chief MKO Abiola declared a Government of National Unity and asked for his mandate to be duly recognized. He was subsequently arrested for treasonable felony, but that only added fuel to the protests. Abiola later died in custody on July 7, 1998, a month to the day, after General Sani Abacha himself died.

But the real outcome was that the military had been branded evil, and the people would accept nothing but the end of military rule. This was

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the scenario that led to the return to democratic rule on May 29, 1999, and the specific choice of a political figure from the South West to assuage the expressed fears of the South West that the denial of MKO Abiola’s mandate was an assault on the right of the South West. The ethnicization of the June 12 protest was unfortunate because indeed the struggle against tyranny recruited foot soldiers from virtually every part of the country, international support also gave the struggle higher relevance; those were the days when serving foreign diplomats joined pro-democracy protesters to wave placards on the streets. Many died, and they were all from across Nigeria, businesses were affected, but the people were determined to make the sacrifice. It was that revolution that made May 29, 1999 possible, and if any date is deserving of celebration, it is June 12.

The irony is that those who benefited most from MKO Abiola’s martyrdom do not want to be reminded of him. And those who used to talk about injustice have since, given the opportunity, inflicted their own injustice on the people. Those who used to swear by Abiola’s name have since found new political patrons. Those who proclaimed Abiola as the symbol of democracy and the rallying point for the people’s hopes have since been dancing on his grave. Successive federal administrations since 1999, have also failed to redress the injustice of 1993, by doing the minimum of declaring June 12 a national holiday. There have been suggestions along this line, including the possibility of a posthumous national honour

(the only constraint here is that the national honour is not awarded posthumously although there is nothing that expressly forbids this in the enabling Act), or the naming of a major national monument after MKO, or the official admission that the June 12, 1993 election was indeed won and lost and was not in any way inconclusive.

Truth: Nigeria forgets too soon, too easily. For, when indeed the Jonathan administration tried to address this injustice by naming a significant national institution after MKO Abiola, the attempt resulted in controversy and a storm.

The last paragraph of then President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2012 Democracy Day speech had renamed the University of Lagos after MKO Abiola. Both the students and staff trooped to the streets in protest.

They rejected the namechange and declared that their university’s name is a brand that nobody, not even the Federal Government of Nigeria could tamper with, in honour of anybody, living or dead. They said they were not consulted and the University Act had not been amended. Politics and opportunism was read into the gesture, and the government had to eat the humble pie. Would the reaction be different if another government were to take the same step, the same way the reaction to the increase in the pump price of petroleum products has been different this year, under a different dispensation?

MKO Abiola was a victim of military politics and conspiracy, now his martyrdom and legacy seem lost in the intricate web of conditioned

amnesia and the ego of those who continue to compete with his memory. In a country where history is no longer taught, and there are no well-managed museums and monuments to make history part of the public landscape, a generation is already emerging, like the generation of UNILAG students in 2012, who may someday ask: who is MKO Abiola? Those who refuse to teach history run the risk of producing children who may lack the capacity to remember and the wisdom to appreciate history’s many lessons.

Those who insist speculatively that MKO Abiola could not have been a good President also miss the point about his example and legacy: his martyrdom shaped the architecture of much that happened subsequently in Nigerian history, and it is not the military’s duty to veto the people of Nigeria.

The military have been shipped out of power for good, they can only return as they have been doing as retired soldiers, and whatever happens with our democracy, the people are resolved that nobody can annul their right to choose, and it is part of their right to choose, to sometimes make mistakes and learn. The various state governments and civil groups that remember and celebrate MKO Abiola every year deserve a pat on the back for defying amnesia.

June 12 is ultimately not just about one man who became a symbol; it is also about the collective struggle against military tyranny, a reminder of people power and the value of civil society; it is that historical moment when Nigerians voted for change and stood by it.

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Law Æ s

Lazy judges should be kicked out from Bench – Adetola-Kaseem “Granted some may have ulterior motives for giving gifts, if you give a judge gift because you have a matter before him, such gift should not be accepted. Hence a good judge must be circumspect when somebody gives something extraordinary”

1975

Adetola-Kaseem

In my younger days, I was the personal assistant to Sir Darnley Arthur Alexander, who was the Chief Justice of Nigeria between 1975 and 1979.

Chief Gani Adetola-Kaseem, a Senior Advocate was called to the Bar over three decades ago. In this interview with PETER FOWOYO, he speaks on disciplinary measures against errant judicial officers, capital punishment, the debate on the elevation of SANs to the Supreme Court and sundry other issues.

Sometime ago, the Body of SANs purportedly issued a statement suggesting that the anti-graft war should be conducted within the limits of the law. It is believed that the body took the position because of two of their members were currently charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). What is your view?

That is not true, if any lawyer is found to have committed an of-

fence; he should be investigated properly and be prosecuted but he should not be harassed. The point must be made that a suspicion no matter how strong, does not amount to guilt. You can suspect me of committing a wrong but until I am investigated and prosecuted to the point of conviction, it is still a mere suspicion.

So, presumption of innocence should be made. The matter should not be dramatized in a manner that will suggest that the

person is already convicted.

Is it wrong for a lawyer to assist a judge financially, especially when the judge is in need?

We must understand our cultural values, so there is nothing wrong in helping a friend unless he has proved otherwise. A friend is a friend any day. The fact that he is now a judge does not mean he is no longer your friend anymore. If he is your relation, the fact that he is now a

judge does not mean he is less a relation than he was before his appointment as a judge. What is special about a judge? He is just a person. So if he is celebrating an event and normally I should be there to celebrate and support him, why should I not support him because, he is a judge? It is just the scale of support that matters.

This is because there are certain things you will do and people will say ‘’this is too much’’ I have judges as friends who have given judgments against me; they won’t cease to be my friends because of that. If I want to help them, I should do my research and conduct my case properly and diligently. The fact that he is my friend makes it more important for me to work harder and ensure that whatever judgment I get before him, is on merit because people will scrutinize it.

So, all must be convinced that the judgment I get is based on merit and that it can be defended. I will not be helping the judge and myself if I handle the matter in a lackadaisical manner.

In my younger days, I was the personal assistant to Sir Darnley

Arthur Alexander, who was the Chief Justice of Nigeria between 1975 and 1979. I know that he accepts gifts from his friends but if you’re not his friend he would not. He told us not to accept gifts on his behalf from people who are not his friends. If he does not know you and you are not his friend, why should he accept gifts from you? Why are you coming to give him a gift and what are the bases? But, if you’re a friend and you come around during Christmas and say ‘’hey Sir Darnley take this gift for Christmas, he will understand that you’re coming to him as a friend’’. I know some judges who will instruct their staff not to accept gifts on their behalf. They only accept gifts from people they know because they know that there are no ulterior motives to it and that it is not a Greek gift.

Granted some may have ulterior motives for giving gifts, if you give a judge gift because you have a matter before him, such gift should not be accepted. Hence a good judge must be circumspect when somebody gives something extraordinary. If you have an agreement with your lawyers that if they attract briefs to the chamber outside our traditional clients, they will be entitled to a percentage aside from their normal salaries, you must keep to that arrangement. If before the brief is disposed of, the lawyer has been elevated to the Bench that does not mean that what is entitled to him, he will not get?

That will not be fair.

The National Judicial Council (NJC) recently recommended two judges for compulsory retirement with immediate effect. What is your take on this?

Well in any system, self- assessment helps a lot. In the judiciary, NJC is the apex in terms of discipline of judicial officers. For instance, a judge who is lazy or who lacked sufficient knowledge, there is no point keeping him on the Bench. When allegations are laid, the NJC will investigate it and see if there is element of truth in them. If it amounts to CONTINUED ON PAGE 27

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26

unreasonable delay of justice, then the judge must be questioned.

Well, it is good for our system, judicial officers have enormous powers, and they have power of life and death over their fellow humans. So, judges must bear in mind that they also are being watched. The fact that a judge did not decide a case in a particular manner does not mean he is corrupt, it may just be that, that is how he sees the matter and that is how he understands it. You can lose a case because a judge does not understand the point you are raising and does not understand the intricacy of the case and does not understand the point of law you are raising. If he genuinely does not understand, it does not make him a corrupt person. But, there could also be cases where people just decide to turn their eyes away from facts and reality and decide a case in a manner it ought not to be decided.

If one has evidence that the judge had taken the position he has taken for reason other than the law and facts, then you have reasons to complain to the appropriate authority; not based on mere suspicion, you must have something concrete that the judge has been subject of some influence other than the law and fact. So, if a judge is found wanting, then he should be disciplined. As you are judging, you also at some point in time will be judged, if not on this planet then when we get there (heaven).

How do you see the proposed National Grazing Bill being contemplated by the National Assembly?

I must confess that I don’t have a preview of the proposed bill, but generally, state governors are deemed to hold land in their respective states in trust for the people. Therefore the administration of land generally is a matter for the states. As a matter of political expediency and in view of what is going on in the country, there is need to give impetus to agriculture and cattle rearing as essential aspects of agriculture.

A situation where herdsmen have to drive their cattle from far North in Sokoto State to the southern part of the country is a perilous activity.

27 Law

Heinous crimes like murder, arson should attract death sentence – Adetola-Kaseem “A situation where herdsmen have to drive their cattle from far North in Sokoto State to the southern part of the country is a perilous activity” Adetola-Kaseem Also, people say they are used to it and that they have been doing it for decades, but to be honest with you, who does not like some pleasures? It is not easy having people trekking several miles driving cattle all over the place.

Nobody likes poverty; they have been living in that type of life due to poverty and that is the reality.

The fact that they have done it over decades or centuries does not make it a good life to live.

So, one will expect our governors to use their powers under the Land Use Act. State governments can acquire parcels of land and compensate the land owners particularly in areas where cattle rearing are a regular economic activity. But this must be done in line with the provisions of the la. If the governors of these areas have been forward- looking they could set-up ranches within their areas and then lease them out to cattle owners to graze the castles. They can also carry out a lot of activities like milking and the rest. Thereby, government

can generate additional income and make life easier for both the cattle owners and cattle rearers.

I think it is time for everyone to put on their thinking caps.

In every challenge, there is an opportunity; we have a challenge on hand. This is because people are being slaughtered by herdsmen who want to graze in their castle. But, I think the governors can convert this challenge which is staring all of us in the face to big opportunity where everyone will benefit and at the end of the day, everyone will smile. So, this proposed bill is not something that should be done at the federal level but the Federal Government can encourage the state governors to create grazing zones and ranches but they cannot be forced through legislation.

I’m not yet clear how the la can work.

A former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais has advised against appointing any SAN directly to the Supreme Court

since there is no way of assessing their integrity. Do you agree?

This issue has been with us for a very long time at the level of Body of the Senior Advocates that people from the practising Bar should be appointed to the apex Court. There are arguments for and against but the point raised by Justice Mohammed Uwais on the issue is valid. I agree with the retired jurist that there must be a way of assessing those coming into the Bench.

It has been suggested that senior members of the Bar should be appointed to the appellate courts. It will add tremendous value. It would be appropriate to consider very senior members of the Bar to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court to mix the system rather than limit it to those who are on the Bench. I understand that on the other side of the argument, there are people who have devoted their career in the judiciary and the prospect of their being elevated to the higher

“If somebody commits an offence that is heinous like murder or arson, I personally do not see why he should not be put to death.

This is because if people are not punished for the offence committed it will emboldened them to commit more heinous crimes’’.

Bench should not be removed by those coming from the Bar. That is a valid argument by those on the Bench because they are people who have spent all their life on the Bench. They started from the magistracy to the high court, then to the Court of Appeal and to the Supreme Court.

If you have the opportunity to be appointed to the Bench, will you accept it?

Incidentally, it’s too late; I will not have the opportunity. I am above 65 years old already and that is the age many of my contemporary are planning to retire.

One is already getting tired of moving around. I think younger men should be appointed. We still have some young lawyers, who started very early and have been senior advocates for over 15 years and yet they are less than 50 years old. Such people have a lot of life in them to breathe into the system and not to bring old men who are getting tired already, which will not do the system any good.

Is capital punishment still relevant in our society or should it be jettisoned?

There are divergent views on this issue, some people have argued that why should people be condemned to death when you cannot create life. But the essence of punishment is to serve as deterrent, so that people will not commit crime and get away with it. Imagine an armed robber who derives pleasure in taking the life of others. When he is caught and sentenced, some will say he should not be killed because life is precious. Is that fair?

He takes other peoples’ life, why should he be afraid to die?

If somebody commits an offence that is heinous like murder or arson, I personally do not see why he should not be put to death.

This is because if people are not punished for the offence committed it will emboldened them to commit more heinous crimes’’.

However, death sentence should be used sparingly only for heinous crimes like murder’’.

28

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2015

Practical Science Æ s

Redox reaction, breath analyzer, alcohol and the law ÏÏÏ Shina Ogunshola Ethanol is the most commonly abused drug in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. When ingested in small amounts, ethanol may produce a feeling of euphoria in the body although it is a depressant.

In the liver, enzymes such as alcohol dehydrogenases oxidize ethanol (CH3 CH2OH) to acetaldehyde (CH3 CHO), a substance that impairs mental and physical co-ordination. If the blood alcohol concentration exceeds 0.4%, coma or death may occur.

[0] CH3 CH20H —— Ethanol

[0] CH3 CH0 —— Acetaldehyde

Krebs cycle CH3 C00H —— 2C02+H20 Acetic Acid

The acetaldehyde produced from ethanol in the liver is further oxidized to acetic acid, which is converted to Carbon dioxide and water in the citric acid (Krebs Cycles). Thus, the enzymes in the liver can eventually break down ethanol, but the aldehyde and carboxylic acid intermediates can cause considerable damage while they are present within the cells of the liver.

Breathalyzer is in portmanteau of breath and analyzer. The device was invented in 1954 by R.F. Burkenstein, then a Captain in the Indiana State Police U.S.A. The most common type of Breathalyzer, dichromate tube, consists of a tube and plastic bag 1 dm3 capacity. The subject or suspect was required to blow through the tube into a 1 dm3 plastic bag for about 15s. Alcohol vapour in the subject breath undergoes oxidation –reduction, reaction. The sample of breath passes into 3.0ml of 0.025% potassium dichromate (K2Cr207) and 0.025% silver nitrate (AgN03) in sulfuric acid and water. Any alcohol present in the breath dissolves and is oxidized to acetic acid, the redox reaction is the reduction of the dichromate (VI) Ion Cr2 O72- to the green Cr3+ Ion by alcohol acidic conditions. If this green colour is extends beyond the red line drawn on tube, then the subject had failed the test.

This device measures the breath alcohol concentration; it is then converted to blood alcohol concentration using Henry’s Law. A blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.1% or 0.1g/L is the limit for most Countries.

There is strong correlation between a driver blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and the Likelihood that he or she will be involved in an accident fig. 2 Figure 2: Blood alcohol concentration and risk of crash with increasing alcohol concentration in the blood, the risk of an automobile crash rises rapidly to 25 times the normal risk of a crash (that is, the risk with a no alcohol consumption).

Table 1: Typical behaviour exhibited by a 150 Ib-person consuming alcohol At a BAC of 0.08% his or her chance of colliding with another car is four times greater than that of a sober driver.

Blood alcohol concentration can be determined directly by gas chromatography. However this approach is impractical for testing a driver on the highway. It requires that the suspect be transported to a hospital, where trained personnel can take a blood sample, then preserve and analyze it.

It is simpler and quicker to measure a suspect’s breath alcohol concentration (Br.A.C). This can be converted to Blood Alcohol concentration (BAC), by multiplying by 2100. One volume of blood contains about 2100 times as much alcohol as the same volume of breath. In practice this calculation is done automatically.

A person weighing 150 Ib (60kg) requires about one hour to completely metabolize 10 ounces of beer. However the rate of Metabolism of ethanol varies between non drinkers and drinkers. Typically, new devices and social drinkers can metabolize 12-15 mg of ethanol / d L of blood in one hour but an alcoholic can metabolize as much as 30 mg ethanol/dL in one hour.

A Police officer may use the breathalyzer such as this to estimate the BAC. The greatest uncertainty in instruments in conversion from Breath Alcohol Concentration (Br.A.C) to Blood Alcohol Concentration (B.A.C.) values. The factor of 2100 referred to previously can vary considerably depending on the circumstances under which the sample is taken simultaneous measurements of Br.A.C. and BAC values suggest that the factor can be anywhere between 1800 and 2400. This means that a calculated BAC value of 0.100% could be as low as

0.086% or as high as 0.114%.

The effect of alcohol on a person depends on the concentration of alcohol in his or her brain, which is difficult to measure. However, the concentration of alcohol in the blood is proportional to concentration in the brain, and the concentration in the Breath is proportional to concentration in the blood. Hence, the concentration in the breath, which is early measured. Provides a reasonably accurate measure of intoxication.

Authored by Ogunshola Shina Samuel Seyi of African Science Academy, Lagos 08055517240; 08098881728

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

29 Tech Times

NCC assures operators of wider access berth in new regulation strategy Stories by Tony Nwakaegho Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said in a report issued by the commission’s Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis Department, titled: “An Overview of Provision of the Over-TheTop (OTT) Services’’ that telecommunications operators will enjoy wider access berth in its Over-The-Top (OTT) new regulation strategy.

The Commission stated in the report that the insurance of guidelines on international Gateway Access and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for the Nigerian Telecommunication Industry is in line with one of the mandates of NCC of issuing communication licenses for the operation and provision of communication services.

The report said it was the duty of the commission to determine the eligibility criteria and other general terms and conditions of licenses.

DANBATTA

Chief Executive Officer/ EVC Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)

“It is the expectation of the commission that the networks of licensees operating under full Gateway and International

Data Access (IDA) licenses may convey data, voice and video signals either in their natural forms or in digitised formats.

“Operators of these gateways may also inter-work and exchange information by using appropriate protocol and signaling conversion devices.

“The IDA license is issued as a standalone license and is not to be tied to any specific transmission medium for the purpose of conveying outbound or in-bound traffic hence grants automatic authorisation.

The report further stated that while the license was meant to cover provision of VolP services, it did explicitly address the current challenges and threats pose by the growth and uptake of these services over the traditional telephone networks.

The commission in providing recommendations on the provision of OTT services across the country also stated that: “The commission should conduct a stakeholder forum on the provision of OTT services in Nigeria to determine if regulation is required for such

services and its impact on the growth of Nigeria telecoms industry.

“Following the consultations, the commission should review its guidelines on the provision of International Gateway and Voice over Internet Service and also consider an appropriate Framework for Provision and Regulation for OTT services in the Nigerian Telecom market.

“The commission must ensure that it does not stifle innovation since internet penetration is still evolving, access speeds are still low and there is limited coverage of high speed broadband in Nigeria.

“The commission should encourage network providers in Nigeria to innovate and explore more efficient business models that will enable them compete favourably with OTT service providers.

“Network providers can also take advantage of the internet protocol technology in the design of their network upgrades,’’ it said.

ATCON urges LASIMRA to slash charges on RoW by 95% The Association of Telecommunications Company of Nigeria (ATCON) has urged the Lagos State Government to slash the Right or Way (RoW) charges by 95 percent.

Mr. Olusola Teniola, president of the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), stated this when he led ATCON’s National Executive Council (NEC) on a recent visit to the Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Authority (LASIMRA) office.

Teniola explained that apart from the 95 percent reduction on RoW charges, the present economic realities are taking huge tolls on the members hence the need for the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode led administration to also consider 60percent reduction on telecoms levies in the State.

“I would like to thank the General Manager/chief executive officer of Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency for creating the opportunity for the National Executive Council of the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria to

L-R: Babajide Odekunle, general managerCEO, LASIMRA and Olusola Teniola, President of the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), during ATCON NEC’s visit to LASIRMA, recently.

meet with the management of LASIMRA,” he said.

The ATCON’s President expressed the members’ delight over the positive development

in the industry, which has been identified as the fastest growing sector of the Nigerian economy and which presently contributes more than 8 percent

to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.

“This success is not without the slash in telecoms levies by over 40 percent and charges on right of ways 90 percent which your organization, LASIMRA supported and we are pleased to report some sort of relief to our members that are operating in Lagos State.

“We also want to appreciate the professional way in which LASIMRA has been regulating the industry. We thank the LASIMRA for being steadfast and being professional. We particularly thank the new management of LASIMRA for sustaining the tradition of excellence in the organisation.

Inspite of these positive developments, our association has some concerns,” he said.

He stated that “unstable foreign exchange rates takes toll on Telcos adding that “the free fall of Naira against Dollar has constituted a serious source of worry to our sector and as a matter of fact our member companies have tried to make sure that Lagosians and Nigerians as a whole have access to qualitative communications service but the continuous depreciation of the Naira is not encouraging from a CAPEX roll out

perspective.

“Revenue derived from voice is seriously being challenged - To worsen the situation we are as an industry, the telecommunication companies are barely making any money from voice (due to ARPU rates dropping considerably) and the direct implication of this is that the revenue that is generated from data is now being challenged by the cost of operating the business which is increasing on a daily basis and may lead to laying off (of further) staff.

“Nervousness about the implications of the introduction of this system in place of RoW and work already achieved in setting a NGN500 / linear meter rate with Lagos State Government; our members would like to be fully engaged in the process to avoid prohibitive charges creeping back in!

“Generally, our request is for a further slash in telecoms levies by over 60 percent and charges on rights of ways by 95 percent. This would enable our members to build more base stations and accelerate the roll out of much needed fibre (ICT passive infrastructure) for the good of all Lagosians and by extension, Nigerians.”

Tech Times 30

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

New Media Conference’s stakeholders are convinced that solar energy works-Adeju Briefly narrate what the correlation is about the new media and solar energy as an alternative source of energy?

I am the Chief Executive Officer of Consistent Energy, based in Lagos. We owe the brand called ‘solar direct on your roof top’. I deal with solar for homes, small businesses and our mission is to displace generator sets and replace them with solar by putting panels on your roof top. In doing our business we have seen a very strong correlation with our presence on the social media. For example over 95 percent of our clients’ base are found on the social media, on face book, Snap chat, twitter, to promote how you can use solar and raise finances.

Professionally I am linkedin and through this medium they know how to find us even though we have not done the regular advert in the newspapers. We only have a branded bus and we put that too in the social media via the face book and the twitter and it has helped our business a lot. Even the base of the pyramid of the market which we thought the social media will not reach interestingly we got there through face book. We are able to reach the barbers and the hairdressers who have been able to follow us on face book and twitter and it has really helped in promoting our business.

Where is your office located, and what level of capital have you invested in this business?

Our company is based in Lagos, but I have my office in Magodo. The company has a Share Capital of ten million units. We have raised capital from the Directors, Shareholders fund that is what we are using, but I will urge you to wait till our annual report is out.

What percentage of people has your company installed the solar energy both in their businesses and homes?

So far we have done over a hundred of such all over the country in less than one year in Lagos, Kogi, Niger, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and on the average about a hundred that we have done.

What efforts have your company made to reach out to government with this alternative energy initiative?

We have met with the Kaduna State government and the response is very positive, even at the Cross River State we are still talking with them and also at the federal level to see how this can become a policy that can help our business and a lot of Nigerians will begin to declare solar.

So we are engaging the government.

What is success story of this

Mr Segun Adeju is the Chief Executive Officer of Consistent Energy based in Magada Phase 1, Isheri in Lagos. Adeju bares his mind during the recent New Media Conference 2016 in this exclusive interview with Tony Nwakaegho, on the use of the new media in creating awareness for the installment of solar panels as the alternative source of power in Nigeria to display the use of generator sets in both homes and businesses. Excerpts:

Adeju initiative so far?

My company’s success story is that solar is a very good way of empowering yourself, your home and business if you are having your business and another success story is that of empowering a barber in his business with solar. Thirdly we are promoting solar in Makoko in Lagos, which is a slum on a water front and they are already buying into solar and are using solar.

Do you think that solar energy will be able to displace the use of generator sets that Nigerians have become addicted to for supply of power to their homes and businesses?

My number one goal is to displace this generator set that is called ‘I better pass my neighbour’. That is the vision I have that in Nigeria anywhere I see ‘I better pass my neighbour’ generator I would want to take it away and replace it with solar.

How affordable is this solar panel bearing in mind the present economic crunch in the country?

Solar panel is affordable in the long run because if you compare how much you are spending on your generator to buy fuel even at the current rate in the long run of over two to three years it is more expensive than my solar. So what we decided to do is let’s break it down to make it easier for people to afford so we are paying us on a leasing method. So from saving done by not buying fuel and then it becomes affordable. You can say that the initial capital is high, but our business model makes it affordable because we allow you to pay in bits.

What level of awareness has been created for this energy product?

That is why we are here now; it is also to create awareness. We believe that everybody listening to us at this New Media Conference 2016 are convinced now that solar work. We promote social media a lot and engage with every credible platform that we know. We have done one or two stories in newspaper also, but not

advert or whatever yet. We are also trying to work with the Solar Promoter Association of Nigeria to also promote this technology. We have also got in touch with Goods and Cooperative societies to see how we can go solar.

You mentioned that you are reaching out to government, have you got in touch with an agency like NITDA and others with this initiative for funding and support?

I have heard of NITDA, but I have not had any direct relationship with them. I have dealings with Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC). The government stakeholders that are very relevant to us for now are the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Power, and the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to set standard. These are the organisations that we have been relating with. It is not all about public sector incentives, it’s about the market and we are using the market approach. So, without the NITDA I should be able to do my business with the market women, but if there is any other incentives that we can obtain from them why not!

But, we have come to realize that right now if we are relying on government agency to help us push our business; it’s still not very clear what the policy of government is with people like us. We have engaged with Associations, and we got Development partners, JFID and Pan Africa to support us after they asked us whether we can roll out about a thousand.

How far have you gone about using this initiative in creating jobs?

In every installation we require technicians and we have trained about 20 technicians. We have a team of four engineers and in any installations we have, they go with us and train people. We have trained some artisans to work with us and some of these small businesses we empowered; they have been able to increase their income and even employed people. For instance the barber’s shop at Magodo has employed two addition barbers and that is job creation.

What is your level of engagement in this solar business?

I was a former banker before finding myself in the IT space. I have been in this business of solar deployment in the last two years. I have been in the space of renewable energy as a consultant, financier in the last seven years.

How do you plan to penetrate the Nigerian market and make these solar panels affordable and accessible?

I have been in these trenches in the last seven years and I know what and what will not work for now. For now, I know it’s easy, that it needs to be affordable, or else you can’t get a balance. I believe we need to walk before we begin to jump and fly. We have begun talking with our partners and I know that in the next two years we will begin to do the assembling of technologies in Nigeria. Nigeria is a big market and everybody in solar is looking at Nigeria. The market is huge and Nigerians have over 60 million generator sets and everybody is saying this is where I am going to get it.

Gartner forecasts 60% of digital businesses failures due to digital risk Tony Nwakaegho Gartner, Inc has forecasted that as organizations transition to digital business, a lack of directly owned infrastructure and services outside of Information Technology’s (ITs) control will need to be addressed by cybersecurity.

Gartner predicts that by 2020, 60 percent of digital businesses will suffer major service failures due to the inability of IT security teams to manage digital risk.

“Cybersecurity is a critical part of digital business with its broader external ecosystem and new challenges in an open digital world,” said Paul Proctor, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.

“Organizations will learn to live with acceptable levels of digital risk as business units innovate to discover what security they need and what they can afford. Digital ethics, analytics and a people-centric focus will be as important as technical controls.”

Gartner has identified five key areas of focus for successfully addressing cybersecurity in digital business: Leadership and Governance — Improving leadership and governance is arguably more important than developing technology tools and skills when addressing cybersecurity and technology risk in digital business. Decision making, prioritization, budget allocation, measurement, reporting, transparency and accountability are key attributes of a successful program that balances the need to protect with the need to run the business.

The Evolving Threat Environment — IT risk and security leaders must move from trying to prevent every threat and acknowledge that perfect protection is not achievable. Gartner predicts that by 2020, 60 percent of enterprise information security budgets will be allocated for rapid detection and response approaches, up from less than 30 percent in 2016.

Organizations need to detect and respond to malicious behaviours and incidents, because even the best preventative controls will not prevent all incidents.

Proctor

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

31 Tech Times

Telcos urges FG to drop proposed communications tax Stories by Tony Nwakaegho Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has urged the federal government to drop the idea of a bill to introduce a new communications tax of nine per cent.

The operators which included major mobile operators and infrastructure providers in a meeting with Mr. Adebayo Shittu, minister of Communications, said such tax would be passed on to subscribers who are already burdened with five per cent Value Added Tax on telecommunications services.

Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, ALTON, said another bill intended to reduce the high incidence of unsolicited calls and text messages was unnecessary as it would be at variance with other existing laws including the Nigeria Communications Act 2003.

Adebayo said, “A bill for an Act for the introduction of a nine per cent communications service tax for the imposition, charging and collection of same on communication services is under review at the National Assembly.

“If the bill is passed into law, there shall be an additional tax to end users who currently pay a five per cent as VAT and bringing the total tax on communications users to 14 per cent. This is of further concern, as additional taxes on telecommunications services will adversely impact on the affordability of broadband services.

“Such a tax will also further increase the digital divide with resultant impact on our national broadband objectives. We are very concerned and we have expressed same to all stakeholders to discourage the passage of this bill.”

Commenting on the bill to reduce unsolicited text messages and calls, Adebayo said, “The rationale for the bill is that a reduction in unsolicited calls and text messages, if achieved, would bring consumers reprieve and reduce consumer complaints in this regard.”

ADEBAYO

Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON)

CECAD, NCC partner for Nigeria Digital Innovation Conference 2016 The Centre for Cyber Awareness and Development (CECAD) has been assured of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) commitment at partnering with it the towards the successful hosting of the Nigeria Digital Innovation Conference 2016 scheduled to hold at the Bayero University-Kano in July 2016.

The Commission stated in a letter of

AGABIAwareness and Development (CECAD) Executive Director, Centre for Cyber

endorsement signed by Mr. Reuben Mouka, Head of Public Relations on behalf of the Executive ViceChairman Professor Umar Danbatta and addressed to the Centre for Cyber Awareness and Development (CECAD), the organizer of the 2-day conference, that its support and endorsement of the conference is based on the organiser’s demonstration to implement a multi-stakeholder conference whose outcome will enrich the efforts to accelerate ICT development in Nigeria.

The letter reads in part: “We write to convey management’s approval for support and endorsement of the Nigeria Digital Innovation Conference 2016, being hosted by your organization.

The Commission’s support is hinged on its commitment toward creating awareness and engagement of stakeholders in addressing germane industry issues.”

According to the organizer of the conference, the Nigeria Digital Innovation Conference 2016 is targeted at optimizing new digital

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28

opportunities and making the ICT sector the next focal point of development for Nigeria as a country and its citizens.

The Conference tagged ‘Building a New Nigeria in a Digital Economy’ will examine how the rapid expansion of digital technology and broadband is transforming the economic opportunities for millions of Nigerians.

Dr. Bayero Agabi, Executive Director of CECAD speaking on the choice of Kano, stated that the Conference which is being organized in partnership with Cyber Africa is slated to hold in Kano because of her strategic importance as one of the most social-politically stable, key commercial nerve centre, most vibrant in terms of investmentfriendly and hospitable with huge tourism potential.

“The choice of Kano State was well thought out. We see Kano as a centre where stakeholders can engage with the youths who sometime believe are being disenfranchised in term of ICT awareness and adoption,” Agabi said.

Deloitte recommends Cyberattack proactive security measures for financial institutions Since cyber-attacks have become recurring decimal in some of our country’s finance houses, Deloitte, indigenous professional services firm in Nigeria has proffered in their cyber security alert for May 2016 that those involved in the management of financial transaction to ensure that logging is enabled on all IT infrastructure and forward to a Security Intelligence and Event Management (SIEM) solution with customised rules for real-time correlation and monitoring of security events.

The risk management company said it’s significant to ensure financial transaction systems are secured by means of regular system and application updates and patches, which must be promptly downloaded, tested and installed.

“It’s important for financial institutions to verify that email gateways are in place to block the delivery of attachments with potentially malicious file types such as .EXE, SCR, JS etc. Educate end-users on not opening emails or applications from unknown or untrusted sources. Review the incident management process as regards cyber risks and ensure there is a well-known point of contact for users who become infected,” the company said.

It added that all security solutions (e.g. antivirus, anti-spyware, next gen firewalls etc) must be kept up to date to detect new and emerging threats, stressing that banks must leverage security intelligence from the internal and external threat feeds to provide actionable and comprehensive insight to address risks.

Deloitte made these recommendations based on the February 2016 hack in Bangladesh, where hackers penetrated the defenses of the Bangladesh Central Bank and compromised the SWIFT Alliance software used within the Bank in an attempt to send out payment instructions amounting to almost $1 billion.

According to Deloitte, over 30 requests for transfers of funds were fraudulently made, four of which resulted in the transfer of $81 million to bank accounts in the Philippines, which were then diverted to Hong Kong through casinos.

SWIFT Alliance software is used by more than 3000 banks to move funds amongst themselves for purposes of international settlement; hence the heist has raised many valid questions across many financial institutions.

CYBER-ATTACK

Published by FOLIO COMMUNICATIONS LTD, Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja. email: info@dailytimes.ng Tel: 018447948.

DAILY EDITOR: BIODUN DUROJAIYE

TUESDAY, JUNE 14, 2016

VOL. 2. NO.130

Price: N150

Pique saves Spain in shaky opener

News Hotlines: 08138773277, 08173901838. Advert Hotlines: 08086296714

Akinwunmi tips

SalisuYusuf for Eagles job V

ice-President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Seyi Akinwunmi, has said Salisu Yusuf is in pole position to be named the country’s new coach.

Yusuf was given temporary charge of the Super Eagles for two friendlies against Mali and Luxembourg last month.

He won both games for Nigeria to rise six spots in the FIFA rankings.

P 18

“Salisu Yusuf is sure of getting the (Eagles) job ahead of any other person,” Akinwunmi said at a forum organised by the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) in Ibadan at the weekend.

“He’s good coach and has a bright future with the Super Eagles.

“He is a level-headed coach and he is the kind of coach who could lead the Super Eagles to success in the nearest future.”

The new Eagles coach will lead the country for the qualifying tournament for the 2018 World Cup beginning in October.

EURO 2016 violence

Well done lads, keep

it up, Russian

MP tells hooligan fans

A

top football official in Moscow has praised the Russian fans involved in violence over the weekend in Marseille, saying they had defended their country’s honour and should be forgiven.

“I don’t see anything wrong with the fans fighting,” Igor Lebedev wrote on Twitter. “Quite the opposite, well done lads, keep it up!”

Lebedev, who sits on the executive committee of the Russian football union, is an MP from the nationalist Liberal Democratic party and the deputy chairman of the Russian parliament.

“I don’t understand those politicians and officials who are criticising our fans. We should defend them, and then we can sort it out when they come home,” Lebedev wrote in a series of tweets.

“What happened in Marseille and in other French towns is not the fault of fans, but about the inability of police to organise this kind of event properly.”

Calls to his office went unanswered on Monday, but the Twitter account is believed to be genuine and the sentiments were echoed in comments given to the news website life.ru.

“In nine out of 10 cases, football fans go to games to fight, and that’s normal. The lads defended the honour of their country and did not let English fans desecrate our motherland. We should forgive and understand our fans,” Lebedev told the news agency.

He added that it was unfair that Russian fans were being targeted for criticism when it was England fans who had begun the violence, and also noted that there had been violence involving other fans at the tournament, including ahead of the match between Poland and Northern Ireland.

“Our fans are far from the worst; it’s unclear why a lot of media are trying to say our fans’ actions were shameful. You should be objective. If there had been no provocation from English fans, it’s unlikely our fans would have got into fights in the stands.”

Uefa has opened a disciplinary case against Russia for the scenes after the final whistle in their game against England. The violence came after several days of violence in Marseille, much of it involving England fans.

Uefa has warned both England and Russia they could be thrown out of the tournament if the violence continues.

Business Times Daily Times Nigeria

OPEC in head-on collision with US oil producers Page B2

High expectations over sales of N196.9b Tbills this week Page B3

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

NLC seeks amendment of ‘outdated’ child labour law Page B4

Shell may sell off onshore assets in Nigeria Ï j M ƍƄƌƏƄ Ǝ ƅ ƍ ƏƎƕ Ƒ ƅ ƆƋ Ƌ ƑƄƍ ƋƉ Ǝ Opeoluwani Akintayo Royal Dutch Shell is planning to retreat from Nigeria as analysts say the company may

sell off its onshore assets in the country.

On Monday, the company’s Chief Executive, Ben Van Beurden, laid out the company’s strate-

gic plan for the rest of the decade, telling shareholders the group plans to vacate between five and fifteen “mature oil regions”.

Shell said it is preparing to re-

treat from high-cost oil operations in the North Sea after 45 years as it attunes its global operations to the new reality of low oil prices.

The company has already cut hundreds of jobs from its UK workforce. In the clearest sign yet

Joy Ekeke

CONTINUED ON PAGE B2

FCMB

L-R: Funmi Adedibu, Company Secretary and General Counsel; Ladi Balogun, Group Managing Director/CEO and Felicia Obozuwa, Divisional Head, Human Resources and Strategy all of FCMB with some children cutting the cake when FCMB Women in conjunction with the Human Resources Division of First City Monument Bank (FCMB), hosted children to mark this year’s Children’s Day at the corporate head office of FCMB in Lagos, recently.

We’ll mainstream capital market plan into national plan – Minister The Minister of State, Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Mrs Amina Ahmed, has emphasised Federal Government’s commitment to mainstream the Capital Market Master Plan 2015-2025 into National Plan.

Ahmed said this when stakeholders in the Capital Market, led

by Olutola Mobolurin, the Chair-

CONTINUED ON PAGE B2

MAN Ikeja branch holds 2016 business luncheon

FG hopeful of resolving mass retrenchment in banks The federal government is hopeful that a scheduled meeting with management of various commercial banks in the country would help resolve the crisis which has resulted from mass layoffs of staff in the sector.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, disclosed that the federal government has invited the banks for a dialogue in order to chart the way forward.

In a statement by the Deputy Director, Press in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment,

that Britain’s biggest company will turn its back on the “super mature” North Sea, Shell told investors its planned $30bn sales drive to tackle its debt burden will focus on mature assets in es-

man of the Capital Market Master Plan Implementation Council (CAMMIC), visited her on Monday in Abuja.

She said ``we are in the process of developing a Medium Term Plan and we are just planning a consultation process to reach out to stakeholders; you will be one of the major stakeholders. ``We all dully realise the impor-

tance of the capital market and recognise that the Nigerian capital market, like so many other things, has also suffered ``But one good is that when there was World Economic meltdown, the Nigerian capital market stood better than most capital markets in the world.’’

On the Nigeria Commodities Exchange, the minister urged

stakeholders to take into cognisance the requirements that would activate the country’s exchange.

She said ``we have an exchange that is comatose and I do hope that in your plan, you have taken into account what is required to activate the commodities exchange so that it can deliver the CONTINUED ON PAGE B2

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Ikeja branch has stated its readiness to host MDs/CEOs and some other captains of industry on Thursday, June 23,2016 at the MAN Centre complex, 5 Eleruwa Street, WEMABOD Estate, Ikeja.

According the Executive Secretary, Joseph Emoleke, the luncheon was necessitated by the current economic crises in the country.

He said; “The current foreign exchange crisis has adversely affected the manufacturing sector of the economy leading to rightsizing, downsizing and outright closure of companies.

“This is because, manufacturing companies can no longer access foreign exchange to bring in raw materials and machineries needed for production.

“The theme of the event is “Manufacturing in a Depressed Economy. The Way Forward,” The Guest Speaker is Mr. Henry Boyo, a renowned economist and Managing Director, Abel Sell Ltd.

NECA cautions labour over planned picketing of select banks Joy Ekeke The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has cautioned the National Union of Banks, Insur-

ance and Financial Institutions Employees not to abuse organised labour’s right to protest and picket with the planned picketing of selected banks.

The employers’ association,

in a statement on Sunday, alleged that the union was being emboldened by the directive of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, on the sacking in the banking sec-

tor.

According to him, the right to strike or picket is not an opportunity for impunity and criminality.

The Director-General of

NECA, Mr. Olusegun Oshinowo, pointed out that the labour law recognised the right of employers to determine their operational policies without approval CONTINUED ON PAGE B2

Business News B2

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Shell may sell off onshore assets in Nigeria

NECA cautions labour over planned picketing of select banks CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

tablished oil regions.

According to analyst, Iain Reed, the company must be thinking very seriously about coming out of the North Sea. Mr Reed said “various private equity funds” were already negotiating with Shell to buy up assets that are too small to be economic for the oil giant but could still offer value to smaller oil minnows.

Another analyst, Ashley Kelty, said “If they could get rid of all that they’d be quite happy. The North Sea is in terminal decline.”

The “politically sensitive” decision to leave the North Sea is one that Shell is unlikely to admit to while negotiations are taking place with potential buyers, the analysts said.

According to them, the only position Shell is likely to keep is its stake in the relatively untapped BP-operated fields on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, which are due to begin production later this year.

Shell said the company plans to plough $4bn into the West of Shetland “cash engine” by 2018, but it refused to comment on any future investment plans in UK waters beyond this project.

Analysts have ruled that its international assets likely to be put on the block include Shell’s interests in its loss-making Canadian tar sands, and onshore oil assets in Nigeria.

FG hopeful of resolving mass retrenchment in banks CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

Samuel Olowookere, the minister said: “We have invited the banks to a dialogue and we hope the dialogue will be fruitful.”

Ngige took a swipe at the Director General of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Assembly (NECA) Mr. Segun Oshinowo, over NECA’s opposition to the directive of the federal government to banks and other financial institutions to suspend the ongoing retrenchment of workers in the sector pending the outcome of a conciliatory meeting and stakeholders’ summit billed for the first week of July as not only irresponsible and thoughtless but also a bland knee jerk reaction borne out of self-service.

The minister’s position came amid several criticisms over his directive to banks, with many calling such act as arbitrary action beyond permissible boundaries.

Commissioner for Land, Survey and Town Planing, Plateau State, Mr. Festus Feranter, Deputy Governor, Plateau State, Prof. Sonni Tyoden, Governor of Plateau State, Mr. Simon Lalong and Chairman, APC, Plateau State, Mr. Letep Dabang during the inauguration of Plateau State Geographic Information Systems in Jos on Sunday.

from the ministry, while respecting the provision of Section 20 of the Labour Act, where and if a labour union existed in the organisation.

He gave the assurance that any employer carrying out retrenchment would meet with the appropriate body in the workplace, including the union where one existed, and would pay redundancy benefits to affected employees.

He was quoted as saying, “It is most unfortunate that the minister’s comment has been fuelling impunity and gross abuse of rules and principles of industrial relations in Nigeria.

Fashola calls for patronage of OPEC in head-on collision with locally manufactured meter US oil producers

Charles Okonji

Opeoluwani Akintayo

Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, , on Monday called on power Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to patronise locally manufactured electricity meter as it will help strengthen the country’s manufacturing sector.

Fashola, who made this call while inaugurating the Mass Meter Deployment programme in Kano, stated that such patronage was necessary to encourage local production of meters by the local manufacturing companies in the country and save foreign exchange.

He said that patronising the local meter manufacturing companies was one of the ways to diversify the economy and save foreign exchange, adding that the inauguration of the scheme in Kano was a clear indication that the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) was committed to ensuring effective service delivery.

Commending KEDCO for the initiative, the Minister urged oth-

OPEC has ‘vowed’ to keep U. S oil producers out of business by continuously pumping more oil into the market, further bringing down prices.

This OPEC is doing through its control over global production, to try to undermine US energy production, US Congressman, Jeff Duncan revealed on Monday.

“US energy production was increasing… and I believe that the OPEC countries were a little bit fearful of that, and they wanted to try to utilize the resource they have to, as I said, put the Bakken [US oil and gas fields] out of business,” Duncan told Splufik.

Over the last two years, OPEC countries have maintained a high level of oil production, averaging 31.5 million barrels per day in 2015, despite global oil prices declining to less than $30 per barrel at the beginning of the year- Iraq and Saudi Arabia taking lead in ramping up pro-

Fashola

er DISCOs to develop their own strategies for mass deployment of meters for the benefit of their customers.

In his speech, the Managing Director of KEDCO, Alhaji Jamilu Gwamna, noted that the company had procured over 63, 000 meters to be distributed to its customers state-wide, stressing that the inauguration of the scheme would go a long way in checking the issue of crazy bills, and ensuring effective service delivery.

duction.

The decline in oil prices led to major losses in the US energy sector, including the cancellation of new projects and billions of dollars of deferred investment.

“You look at the increase of supply that’s out there, I think the intent purpose was to put the American energy renaissance, the Bakken primarily, out of business and it is having that effect,” Duncan said.

In 2015, the United States became a net energy exporter for the first time since the 1950s, largely as a result of new technologies, including hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as well as new discoveries. The Bakken formation across the US states of North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming is among the most productive oil and natural gas formation.

The drop in energy prices over the past years has led to more than 150,000 job losses in the US energy sector and a nearly 80 percent decline in the oil rig count since October 2014.

We’ll mainstream capital market plan into national plan – Minister CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

benefits for which it is intended to for produce to trade just like other instruments in the market.’’

On the infrastructure plan in the country, Ahmed said there was a 25-bilion-dollar initiative which government was trying to put together.

She explained that the Sovereign Wealth Authority was lead-

ing the plan and would dully contact the capital market, adding that some investors had already indicated interest regarding the fund. ``We recognise that there is a huge infrastructure gap and there is no way government alone can fund this gap; we need to reach out to the capital market and other investors. ``We need to continue to part-

ner with you, we can take advantage of your expertise and experience to guide us on how best we can partner toward enhanced benefit for Nigeria.’’

Earlier, the CAMMIC Chairman had said that the visit was to seek the support of the ministry in adopting the objectives of the master plan and mainstreaming it into national development plan.

He said that the visit was to call on government to carry along the capabilities of stakeholders in its projects, noting that ``I am sure that if both sides are on the same page, we can be of tremendous use to each other. ``And in any case, we both have the same objective -- rapid economic development of Nigeria and the current drive to diversify the economy.’’

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

B3 Money Market

Massive sack: Experts want government to pay banks, Systemspecs TSA due Stories by Motolani Oseni Following the massive sack that recently rocked commercial banks operating in the country, with high indication of having similar job cuts in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector, some industry experts have called on the Federal Government to pay Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and other service providers the money due to them for services rendered under the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

This, they said would help to mitigate likely mass sack of workers in the financial sector, and will not further worsen the already battered Nigerian economy.

They explained that rather than threatening to withdraw their operating licences for breach of its directive, they should pay for such services, which they believe will enable banks to continue rendering profitable services which will in turn allow them retain some key staff, as opposed to a situation where public sector funds have been mopped up, while their service charges are being withheld.

Executive Director Africa Media Initiative TV program monitored in Lagos, Olabode Adeyemi, said the mop up of cash through Treasury Single Account (TSA)

Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor, Lagos Global, Prof. Ademola Abass (right), cutting tape to formally commission the La Roche Leadership Foundation in Gbagada, Lagos… at the weekend. With him are Director, La Roche Leadership Foundation, Mrs. Marina Osoba (left) and members of staff of the Foundation.

has affected the viability of Nigerian banks.

TSA according to him is like unfinished business because the Federal Government has not reciprocated the effort of service

providers by releasing the accrued funds agreed upon at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

“For me, good as it is that the deposit money banks are collect-

ing, that Systemspecs Limited has allowed its Remitta platform to render this useful service, it is proper for government to respect the agreement and effect immediate release of what is due to them.

High expectations over sales of N196.9b Tbills this week Dealers within the Nigeria financial market are of high expectations that Treasury Bills (T-Bills) worth N196.99 billion will boost financial system liquidity and soften interbank rates on Thursday, 16 June, 2016.

According to one of the dealers, the instruments are 91day bills worth N35.10 billion and149-day bills worth N161.89 billion.

“We expect the inflows to boost financial system liquidity and there by soften interbank rates,” said dealers from Cowry Assets Management Limited.

In the same vein, the Debt Management Office is scheduled to auction N105.0 billion worth of bonds at the monthly bonds primary market auction.

The amount on offer according to the debt office is N15 billion of FEB 2020, N40 billion of JAN 2026 and N50billion of MAR 2036 bonds. “We expect these bonds to clear at stop

N105.0 rates of 13.7 per cent, 13.9 per cent and 14.0 per cent respectively. We believe the bonds market performance in the week ahead will be majorly driven by the auction as investors free up

The Debt Management Office is scheduled to auction N105.0 billion worth of bonds at the monthly bonds primary market auction

liquidity ahead of the auction even as unsuccessful bids are redirected into the secondary market,” the dealers acknowledged.

Traders said the central bank

failed to sell treasury bills at its open market operation (OMO) window twice in the week because commercial lenders were asking for higher returns than the bank was willing to offer.

Briefs Ecobank explains necessity of Agency banking Ecobank has said the introduction of Agency banking services was to increase the bank’s retail distribution network which allows it provide basic banking services to its customers as well as offer payment services such as bank transfers, bill payments and airtime topup to the general public.

The agency banking model designed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is a financial inclusion strategy to make banking services available to the general public.

According to Head, Cards and e-Banking, Ecobank, Ayotunde Kuponiyi, agency banking is a part of the bank’s distribution strategy to take banking service to the door-step of the customer, adding that, it offers greater convenience and accessible financial services in a cost effective and secure manner.

It would be recalled that Ecobank introduced Agency banking service early in the year.

DMBs push for N10, 000 overthe-counter withdrawals Customers of Deposit Money Banks, DMBs, may be faced with a new across-the counter cash withdrawal limit to be pegged at N10, 000. It was learned recently that the DMBs, under the aegis of the Bankers Committee, have already approached the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to propose the limit.

Sources said the measure being contemplated would drastically reduce the number of customers that would need to physically visit banking halls for transactions.

The DMBs, sources said, wanted to achieve two objectives via this strategy, if approved by the CBN. The objectives include greater use of electronic banking and smaller workforce – as a means of cutting cost of operations.

Already, some banks had laid off many workers, citing operational losses, especially as the Federal Government Treasury Single Account, TSA policy, has deprived them of federal government deposits.

Labour B4

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

NLC seeks amendment of ‘outdated’ child labour law Stories by Joy Ekeke The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has described the law governing child labour in the country as outdated and has called on the federal government to amend it in line with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 138 on Child Labour.

NLC’s Head of International Relations Department, Mr. Uchenna Ekwe, made the call in Geneva on the side-line of the 2016 ILO conference.

Ekwe stated that the call has become necessary because the present child labour law in the country is outdated.

“If you noticed, even the ILO complementary bag for this year, is on child labour, so this conference has a lot of focus on child labour.

“Incidentally, Nigeria appeared on what is called double footnotes that is after the Standard Committee considered the report of the Committee of Experts, who visited Nigeria.

“The main crux of the matter is up grading the Nigerian law to suit the provision of Convention 138 on child labour.

“Incidentally, that law has been delayed over six years in the parliament; so it came up when presentations were made.

“The challenge is that, Nigeria needs to get that law amended in

Ayuba: line with the convention which we have already domesticated.”

He noted that the aim of the amendment was to protect the right of the child.

Ekwe said the NLC’s position was for the federal government to enforce free and compulsory primary and secondary education for

NLC president every child.

“Even if you do not need every child to go to the university, any person with qualitative primary and secondary education can hold their own anywhere in the world.

“Those that have the capacity to go into further intellectual base university can do that, but every

other person must move away from the minimum poverty line.

“If people think that education is expensive, there is a saying that you should try ignorance.”

He said that the amendment of the Child Labour Law should include the age barrier that nobody should work before 15 years.

Banks’ layoff: Aremu commends FG’s intervention A member of the National Executive Council of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Chairman, Industrial Global Union Sub Saharan Africa, Comrade Issa Aremu has commended the federal government for stepping in to stop the trend of mass layoff of workers in the banking sector.

Describing the trend as unacceptable, Aremu, in a press statement made available to the media in Kaduna said that the development makes work “dangerously precarious” in the sector.

Comrade Aremu, however, commended the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Dr. Chris Ngige and the National Assembly for their respective intervention on the matter. saying banks who see workers as “dispensable items” during

temporary economic shock even when they treat same workers as slaves during times of boom ought not to be in business and indeed should have their licenses legitimately revoked.

Aremu added that at a time all the state and market actors in the Nigerian economy are working hard to address the crisis of unemployment, mass sack in banks that are still posting prohibitive profits can be likened to economic sabotage.

Comrade Aremu also called on the CBN as banker of last resort to intervene on the side of jobs retention in the financial sector.

The labour leader commended the activist “development financing” of CBN under Governor Godwin Emefiele which according to him has promoted job creations in critical sectors like agri-

culture, energy and textile.

He however, observed that CBN must also look inward within the banking sectors with a view of retaining jobs rather the ongoing indiscriminate mass sacks in the sector.

He also charged the sector unions, namely National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) and the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) to urgently champion mass Picketing of banks that are making work precarious through mass sacks.

Commenting on the current monetary policy, Aremu hailed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on its spirited efforts to defend the Naira value through stringent capital control mea-

Ngige

sures in the face of dwindling external reserves caused by the collapse of oil price adding that CBN should finance “production inputs not conspicuous consumption items.”

Briefs NUPENG backs punitive sanctions against downsizing banks The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has thrown its weight behind the federal government’s threat to sanction banks for sacking more staff, following the recent spate of mass layoffs by various banks in the country.

The Union commended the Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige on the threat by the Government to withdraw licences of banks currently downsizing their workforce.

In a statement signed by NUPENG President Comrade Igwe Achese stated that Nigerian Banks are unfair to the workers who toil day and night to make their businesses viable. The Union adds that the workers are always at the receiving end of retrenchment, even when the banks continue to declare huge profits and dividends.

NUPENG reiterates that it supports the Minister of Labour’s position to impose punitive sanctions on the banks through withdrawal of licences, should they continue with the sack.

The Union calls on the Federal Government to extend such punitive sanctions to the other sectors of the economy, where similar retrenchment exercises are been carried out like the oil, aviation, electricity sub-sectors.

NUPENG wants the National Assembly to be alive to its responsibilities and put a halt to the gale of retrenchment in these sectors in order not to worsen the saturated unemployment market.

It states that NUPENG aligns with the two-week ultimatum issued by the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (NUBIFIE) for the recall of the sacked bank workers.

NUPENG is ready to mobilize and join forces with NUBIFIE in the picketing of the banks until the workers are re-instated, The Union adds that the dignity of the Nigerian worker must be restored with a view to putting an end to modern day slavery in the workplace.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

B5 Energy

$50pb: World market happy price going higher amidst Nigeria’s chaos Ï nêd ƏƆƒƆ Ɔ è ƈ ƅƏƆ Ɔ ƍƏ ƗƑƅƐƈ World oil traders are happy and hopeful with oil price stability at $50 per barrel amidst crises in Nigeria which saw the country’s output drop from 2.2 million barrels per day to roughly 1.6 million after a spate of attacks by new terrorist group, the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA. As a result of Nigeria’s inability to meet up with its OPEC quota, U.S output ticked up for the first time in three months last week, according to U.S weekly production figure released by the Energy Information Administration.

However, U.S ‘s increased output does not seem to be a major worry as the President of BRG Brokerage, Jeffery Grossman thinks U.S increasing production shows the industry is a little more confident that the market is stabilizing and is on its way higher.

“It shows that people are going to get into the game and really get involved here at these levels,” Jeffery said during an interview on CNBC’s Power Lunch.

“I’m a little surprised. It’s a

little early here, but it shows a trend that is going to be taking place in the next month or so.”

Grossman says crude prices are going to continue to drift higher, predicting they could hit the mid-$50s or perhaps approach $60.

The number of U.S oil drilling rigs rose by three to 328 this week, oilfield services firm Baker Hughes reported Friday.

It was the second straight week of gains. However, the count is still down 307 from this time last year.

U.S’s decision to increase output is against what analysts had predicted after militancy activities forced Nigeria’s production 21 year-low. This new move by the U.S perhaps shows hypocrisy as it was at the fore of calling for an output freeze from OPEC members.

Recently, the chairman of investment banking firm ,Tom Petrie, said oil prices likely needed to recover to roughly $70 a barrel — and stay there — before U.S. shale drillers start investing in new production.

After crude prices fell, oil and gas companies slashed capital

spending because crude prices have been too low to support new investment.

However, with oil hitting $50 and hope of it rising, companies are beginning to spend again.

Oil prices rebounded 98 percent from February’s 12-year low of $26.05 to a 10 ½-month high of $51.67 reached on Thursday. The rally has stoked fears that U.S. drillers, desperate for relief, will turn on the taps to get more oil — and cash — flowing, resulting in another supplydriven crash in crude prices.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC failed to reach an accord to stabilize oil prices at its biannual general meeting on June 2 in Vienna. The cartel has been pumping oil at record levels despite the drop in global crude prices that began in 2014.

OPEC’s failure to reach an agreement on its policy, prompted analysts to say the cartel had lost its power since oil prices have rebounded without any input from the Organisation.

“OPEC is finished. OPEC is over,” Oppenheimer senior energy analyst Fadel Gheit said.

Nigeria’s weekly energy watch # *

Energy Generated (MWh)

*

Energy Sent Out (MWh) Peak (MW) Off-Peak (MW) Spinning Reserve (MW) Constrained (MW) Units (Available) Units (On Bars)

* * * * * *

Last Week (Avg) 56155

This Week (Avg)

55087

61506

2836 1496 7

2992 2000 7

4281

4183

78 30

79 33

62617

OPEC

daily basket price

OPEC daily basket price stood at $48.02 a barrel Thursday, 9 June 2016 “Shale production has completely changed the way we look at energy and it’s not going to change. The fact of the matter is

that OPEC and Saudi Arabia are no longer the swing producers they were only two years ago,” he said.

Sahara Foundation targets 12m beneficiaries through extrapreneurship platforms

OPEC

Emmanuel Kachikwu congratulating Barkindo as he emerges OPEC Secretary General

Sahara Foundation has adopted the entrepreneurship strategy to drive integrated economic empowerment programmes through strategic partnerships and support for innovative as well as scalable business ventures.

Sahara Foundation is the corporate responsibility vehicle of Sahara Group, Africa’s leading energy and infrastructure conglomerate with operations in eight countries across four continents.

Over the next four years, Sahara Foundation plans to directly impact 12,000,000 beneficiaries and also create value through the identification, development and maintenance of relevant stakeholders through which beneficiaries can grow and sustain businesses. This will be achieved through skills acquisition training, mentoring and access to a network of committed stakeholders.

Executive Director and CoFounder, Sahara Group, Mr. Tonye Cole, explained that the core of the extrapreneurship framework is “to produce a platform that finds, creates and connects young extrapreneurs in emerging markets’’ adding that this would be achieved by leveraging on Sahara Foundation’s key strengths of bringing together various committed stakeholders and promoting cross- sectoral collaboration.

‘Extrapreneurship’ involves creating value through leveraging internal and external strengths to drive cross-sectoral collaboration. This is made possible by connecting the right people and organizations towards providing sustainable solutions to global social problems. Unlike entrepreneurship which focuses mainly in income generation, extraprenuership is centered on wealth creation and preservation.

Capital Market B6 Afolabi Adesola The Nigerian Equities market started the first trading day of the week on a low note as Lead indicators fell 0.47 percent against a decline of 0.19 percent recorded last Friday.

Specifically the ASI dropped by 129.31 points to close at 27,103.31 points against 27,232.62 points recorded at the start of the day’s trading.

Market capitalization also depreciated by N44.4 billion to settle at N9.309 trillion against a decline of N17.9 billion recorded on Friday to close at N9.353 trillion.

All sectoral indices similarly

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Off to a red start, NSE ASI down 0.47 percent plunged after the day’s trading except the NSE Banking Index and NSE Pension Index which added 0.76 and 0.14 percent respectively.

The banking sector dominated the day’s activity as three top traders in volume terms for the day were FBNH which traded 40.05 million shares worth N151.1 million, FCMB which sold 19.1 million shares worth N30.6 million and Zenith Bank

which exchanged 11 million shares valued at N165.7 million.

Market breadth closed with 15 gainers to 22 losers. Unity Bank Plc led the days losers following a depreciation of 5.83 percent or 7 kobo in its shares to close at N1.13 per share, Oando Plc lost 5 percent or 35 kobo to close at N6.65 per share while Honeywell Flourmills Nigeria Plc dropped 4.62 percent or 8 kobo to close at N1.65 per share. Infinity Plc and

WAPCO Plc fell 4.55 and 4.39 percent or 7 kobo and N3.51 to close at N1.47 and N76.50 per share respectively.

On the other hand, Champion Breweries Plc led the gainers following an appreciation of 5.90 percent or 16 kobo to close at N2.87 per share, Diamond Bank Plc followed with a gain of 5.66 percent or 12 kobo to close at N2.24 per share, while Access Bank and N.E.M garnered 4.17

percent each or 23 and 4 kobo respectively to close at N5.75 and One naira per share respectively. Fidelity Bank Plc also gained 4 percent or 5 kobo to close at N1.30 per share.

At the end of the day’s trading, investors in 3,406 deals had exchanged a total of 152.3 million shares valued at N2.290 billion compared to 190.7 million shares worth N1.63 billion exchnaged in 3,156 deals previously.

FMDQ, NMRC to provide affordable housing finance

0.47%

FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company Plc (NMRC) to intermediate long-term funds from the capital market.

FMDQ in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos said that the “MoU was towards the development of the mortgage industry, ultimately bridging Nigeria’s housing deficit through the provision of affordable housing finance.”

This is coming on the heels of the Regulatory Supervision Collaboration Agreement which the Exchange recently executed with the National Pension Commission, towards enhanced and efficient pension fund governance, regulation and supervi-

Lead indicators fell 0.47 percent against a decline of 0.19 percent recorded last Friday

OSCAR-ONYEMA

Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE)

sion.

The statement released by FMDQ noted that a Signing Ceremony, for the formal execution of the MOU, was held on June 8, 2016 at the NMRC offices in Abuja, with the Managing Director/CEO, NMRC, Prof. Charles Inyangete; Managing Director/ CEO, FMDQ, Mr. Bola Onadele.

Koko and other key representatives from NMRC and FMDQ in attendance.

Prof.

Charles Inyangete, NMRC Managing Director, while giving his speech at the signing ceremony said “FMDQ had contributed immensely to the development of the Nigerian debt capital market (DCM)’’, adding that the MoU executed with the Exchange demonstrated NMRC’s commitment to deepening of the DCM.

May and Baker reports 20% increase in revenue for Q1 2016 May and Baker released its unaudited first quarter (Q1) results on Monday, showing a 19.9 percent appreciation in Revenue from N1.5 billion reported for March 2015 to N1.8 billion for the period ended March 2016.

May and Baker had been placed on a red alert of MRF by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) which means Missed Regulatory Filing for Non rendition of First Quarter Interim Report 2016.

Analysis of the released financial results of the pharmaceutical company showed that the company has returned to a profitable position, recording a profit before tax of N36.4 million for Q1 2016 from a loss before tax of N42.2 million reported for the same period of 2015.

The company also made a Post-tax profit of N24.7 million compared to the loss after tax of N42.2 million recorded for the same period of the previous year.

Earnings rose to N2.52 per share from a loss of N4.30 per share while Net assets increased by 2.82 percent to N3.14 billion from N3.05 billion achieved in March 2015.

Last month May & Baker Nigeria Plc at its yearly general

meeting outlined its plans to expand into new business areas as it seeks new opportunities that will add value to its performance while sustaining the growth of existing businesses and investments.

Chairman, of the company, Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), at the meeting told shareholders that the company was set to break new grounds and enhance the value of their investments.

Summary of activities on NSE ASI

27,103.31

DEALS

3,406.00

VOLUME

152,329,214.00

VALUE

2,290,705,117.27

CAP

9,308,639,661,902.40

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

B7 Business Interview

‘How FG, CBN, intervention halted wave of sack in banks’

Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) under the aegis of Bankers’ Committee have promised to halt the gale of massive sack that recently hit the industry, after a constructive intervention from the Federal Government (FG) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). MOTOLANI OSENI writes on what necessitated the sacks and why the fiscal and monetary authorities swiftly rose to mitigate the effects on the Nigerian economy.

Employees of commercial banks in the country can now heave sigh of relief, even though many still ponder on what could have warranted such serial massive retrenchment in the Nigerian banking industry.

But to industry watchers, financial stakeholders and other concerned Nigerians who closely follow and monitor the nation’s economy and its financial system, most of the lenders that recently laid off a significant number of their workforce had earlier declared considerable decline in profits and recorded significant increase in their Non Performing Loans (NPL), according to their financial year results as at 31 December, 2015.

On its own part, the Bankers’ Committee recently gave assurance that the rate of mass sacking in the banking segment of the financial system would be stopped and or reduced within the shortest time possible.

Factors responsible for the sack There have been different factors said to have necessitated the massive job cut in the nation’s banking system.

For instance, a ‘State of the Economy’ document of the Central Bank of Nigeria presented to the Bankers’ Committee in Abuja last Thursday, showed that unaudited Profit Before Tax (PBT) of banks for the period ended April 2016 indicated a decrease from N222 billion in April last year to N198 billion, representing a 10.8 percent or N24 billion decrease.

The document revealed that the decline was driven largely by a decrease in both interest and non-interest incomes which reduced by six percent or N50 billion and 54 percent or N259 billion respectively.

It further pointed that the banking sector was still faced with a lot of pressure points, some of which it listed as resurgence of inflationary pressures in the face of negative output growth, continuing low oil prices, and lack of fiscal buffers.

In addition, the apex bank said capital flow reversals, rising pressure on exchange rate in the face of declining external reserves, huge growth in credit to the government to compensate for declining oil receipts were other major challenges confronting the

industry.

It would recalled that Diamond Bank Plc which recently reduced staff strength by 200, had in 2015 sacked over 1000 of its employees due to different reasons associated with operating expenses and challenging environment in the year under review.

Other cases of staff lay off in the nation’s banking industry include Ecobank Nigeria, which sacked over 1,040 of its employees, and Skye bank which axed about 200 of its staff strength.

Diamond Bank had reported profit before tax, for the year ended December 2015, which dropped to N7.1billion from N28.10 billion in 2014. Its profit after tax stood at N5.66 billion, down from N25.49 billion it achieved in 2014.

The bank, in a statement said: “In the bank’s last appraisal, only 200 staff whose performance scorecards were adjudged to be lower than the minimum required to drive its strategic growth plan for the business year were relieved…With its trim-andfit workforce, the bank is sure to meet its target for the current business year.”

The explanation offered by the Diamond Bank, of course, was not different from those given by Charles Kie, the managing director of the Ecobank, who said in a statement that the bank had realigned certain roles to ensure improved efficiency. The development, however, he said, has necessitated the exit of some staffers.

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) recorded a dip of 68 per cent in profit after tax (PAT) for the year ended December 31, 2015. The audited results of the bank showed that profit before tax (PBT) declined from N86.4 billion in 2014 to N40.6 billion in 2015. PAT dipped from N65.7 billion to N21.25 billion.

About two months ago, First Bank of Nigeria also pruned its workforce, saying that the job cut was necessitated by the “very bad” 2015 earnings, which saw the bank’s profit slump.

Speaking to Bloomberg in Lagos, Adesola Adeduntan, the Chief Executive Officer of First Bank of Nigeria, said: “We do not shy away from taking difficult decisions. We used to have above 8,000 people.

FG intervention Following the gale of job losses,

the Federal Government through the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, directed the banks to stop the retrenchment exercise.

The minister further directed that all the retrenchments done in the past four months should be put on hold pending the outcome of a proposed stakeholders’ summit for employers and employees of the banking, insurance and financial institutions scheduled for the first week of July.

Also, the Senate had since last week summoned the CBN governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele and other bank chiefs to appear before it, so as to explain why the sudden retrenchment in the commercial banks.

Banks stance Commenting on what the banks are doing to address the issue in view of the threat by the Federal Government to withdraw the licences of errant banks, Managing Director, Standard

Chartered Bank, Mrs. Bola Adesola said that mass sacking of workers was not limited to the banking sector.

She said the mass sacking in the sector was discussed at the at end of its 327th Bankers’ Committee meeting recently.

Adesola noted that while the banks understood the economic situation in the country, there would always be reasons for workers to be relieved of their jobs.

Labour Unions position The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), had on same day CBN had their meeting said that they would start to picket banks that indulge in further mass sack of their employee. They added that the Federal Government was right to have warned the erring banks with withdrawal of their licenses if they refused to halt the gale of mass retrenchment of workers.

The two Labour groups stated that just like the bank disobeyed the laws of this country, when it comes to retrenching their (unions) members, “we will picket them to show them that they do not have monopoly of law of disobedience.”

Both the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba and the TUC President, Bobboi Kaigama, who frowned at the refusal of the banks to allow their workers to unionize, said the pronouncement of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige was expected.

“If it however after correcting themselves desires to insist on sacking the affected workers, it must comply with the laid down procedure for embarking on such unfortunate exercise. Congress will be forced to take all necessary steps to assist the banks see the need to comply with the laws of Nigerian if after 21 days of this release the illegally sacked work-

ers are not recalled by the affected banks. We advise all affiliates and state councils to start immediate mobilization against these banks as we work with other segments of the society to compel them to work within the ambits of our laws and the traditions and ethos governing Industrial Relations Practice in Nigeria.”

The President of Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), Comrade Olusoji Salako, however, has aligned his position with that of the Federal Government to arrest the disturbing mass sack in banks and financial institutions in the country.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, June 14, 2016

CHAMPION DIAMONDBNK NEM ACCESS FIDELITYBK UNILEVER FCMB REDSTAREX NASCON UCAP

2.87 2.24 1.00 5.75 1.30 33.02 1.65 4.10 8.00 2.29

5.9% 5.7% 4.2% 4.2% 4.0% 3.2% 3.1% 2.5% 1.3% 0.9%

FBNH FCMB ZENITHBANK UBA ACCESS UCAP TRANSCORP DIAMONDBNK SKYEBANK GUARANTY

40.0 19.1 11.0 9.7 9.0 8.6 8.5 7.2 4.8 4.7

-0.5% 3.1% 0.0% -0.7% 4.2% 0.9% 0.0% 5.7% -0.9% 0.7%

UNITYBNK OANDO HONYFLOUR INFINITY WAPCO MAYBAKER CONTINSURE BERGER NESTLE CADBURY

1.13 6.65 1.65 1.47 76.50 1.13 1.05 8.00 757.00 18.00

-5.8% -5.0% -4.6% -4.5% -4.4% -4.2% -3.7% -3.6% -2.9% -2.8%

NESTLE ZENITHBANK FBNH GUINNESS GUARANTY DANGCEM NB ACCESS UBA WAPCO

1248.7 165.7 151.1 107.2 88.9 60.0 53.2 51.3 42.1 34.3

-2.9% 0.0% -0.5% 0.4% 0.7% -0.7% 0.0% 4.2% -0.7% -4.4%

29,500

Naira Value (m)

NSE All Share Index

13,000

9,500

27,000

6,000 24,500 2,500

13-Jun

10-Jun

07-Jun

(1,000) 04-Jun

`

01-Jun

29-May

26-May

22,000 23-May

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20-May

B8

Life &

Times Tuesday, June 14, 2016

CDQ On career, fashion and collabos L P

2

5 ways to improve your love life this season PL3

Effective weight loss with just one spoonful PL7

Interview L2

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday June 14, 2016

My competitors are not my challenges

-CDQ How did you come about the name CDQ? When I was in secondary school, I was one of the social directors then and I was so familiar and close to the Abokis, so they said every artiste do have a stage name, so let’s create one for you. My name CDQ was carved out from my name Sodiq and along the line when I met Banky W, because he happened to be the patron in the music industry, so he gave full meaning of the name.

He said when you go to the market to purchase a CD in the olden days and the music in the CD is good, you will say the CD is quality. So CDQ also means CD quality at the same time.

How has the journey been so far?

The journey has not been easy. You know the first thing that almost all upcoming artistes face is capital problem, it wasn’t that easy.

So thanks to my label, General records, for being supportive right from when I got signed in. My first video, Godfather, was shot in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was subtitled by Mastercraft. So, I think that was when the whole recognition really started but when Olamide tweeted the whole lines of the song on twitter, I got recognised by Davido and he told me he wanted me to join HKN but unfortunately I am already under a record label, so I couldn’t go.

Life&

T E A M

Yussuf Abubakar Sodiq popularly known as CDQ is a hip hop Nigerian artiste who is currently under the record label of General records owned by Mastercraft. The Kwara Stateborn artiste has done a lot of popular songs like Ogini, Indomie, Salaro amongst others. In this chat with MUTIAT ALLI and ABIMBOLA OBATAYO, CDQ talks about his career, collaborations and his love for fashion.

Enjoy…

Entertainment Correspondent Mutiat Alli

Society Correspondent Abimbola Obatayo

Would you say that there are still challenging moments for you?

The time of challenge for me is over. I think the time of challenges has gone. The time of challenge was when I started, when there was no capital. But now, people will say my competitors in the game will be my challenges but I don’t see them as one because we all have our own different sound. There is a way I sound and people like it and another artiste will also have a particular sound that people will also like, so I don’t have any challenge.

The industry is blessed with several female musicians; do you have a crush on any of them?

Well like you said, the industry is presently blessed with lots of female talents and talking about crush, I wouldn’t mind being close to Niyola because she is beautiful and I love her voice. Sometimes, I can’t do without listening to her songs every day. I love her

Photography Quadri Olowolagba

Graphics Daniel Ekiye

physique but my mind got busier along the line because of the pressure of work. In simplicity, I love her personality.

Are there plans to work with any female artiste?

Definitely, I have worked with Olasunkanmi on the song Marry Joana. I look forward to working with divas like Yemi Alade, Tiwa Savage and Niyola in the nearest future.

In your words, what do you understand as fashion?

Fashion is a lifestyle depending on how you see it, but to me, it’s a lifestyle. That’s how we express who we are. Merely looking at what someone is wearing, you can easily say that this person is like this or like that.

How can you describe your personal style?

Well, with my music, I am just street with my bandana tied to my head.

Does your personal style influence your choice of music?

Yes, because I am a soul rapper. If you listen to my music, you will realise that I am very skilful. My kind of music can be picked out from my person.

Who is your fashion icon?

Jay Z Has fashion influenced your perspective towards art and music?

I will say yes, somehow.

What are the major items you cannot do without on stage?

My woosss! Whenever I am on stage, I must say ‘woosss’ and I cannot do without my bandana.

What is your most sentimental garment so far in your music journey?

I don’t have any one.

What is your fitness secret?

I go to the gym.

Do you have a particular fashion style for your choice of woman?

Basically anything good so far she looks beautiful in it. I don’t have any particular fashion style for women.

Daily Times Nigeria

Tuesday June 14, 2016

L3 Relationship

Mutiat Alli

5

ways to improve your love life this season

“Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it” —Edmund Burke While the quote above may not have been written with greatest thing you can do for your love life. As you own up relationships in mind, it totally applies, so let that quote sink to your baggage, continuing to bring it before the Lord in in for a moment. Often, we go into dating relationships year confession and for healing, you will inevitably impact the after year continuing to behave in the same ways and repeat health and quality of your relationships in a really positive way.

The best thing you can do for any relationship is to leave as the same patterns.

Whether it’s rushing into relationships, saying “yes” to the much of the baggage as you can at the door by learning the wrong ones, or simply not knowing enough about ourselves— value of confession, healing and transformation. many times, these patterns leave us with a lack of progress, feelings of frustration and shattered pieces to pick up along Say No to One-Sided Relationships the way.

Maybe you’ve found yourself stuck in a pattern of give-giveThis is why our history is so important. Because if we don’t give, all the while receiving little to nothing from the other side. take the time to look back and learn, our past patterns and One-sided relationships are draining, because they’re not relationship history will continue to determine the kind of what God meant for relationships. And behind every onerelationships we will choose to engage in our future. sided relationship is a person who is giving too much, but also For some of us, these patterns of relationships are a expecting too little. combination of ingrained and learned behaviors If you find yourself stuck in a one-sided relationships, that aren’t always easy to identify and it’s time to dig deep and ask yourself why. Why do sometimes need the help of a professional. you allow this kind of interaction to be a part of Understanding But for most of us, with a little bit of looking your life? Why don’t you believe you deserve your unique back combined with a little bit of planning better? What is it you’re afraid of? ahead, we can really make some major At the end of all these questions, the struggles and changes in the area of relationships this truth is you have the power and the taking responsibility coming year by doing just a few things responsibility to teach people how they differently: can or can’t treat you. This year, resolve to for them is the believe for God’s best by saying no to onegreatest thing you sided relationships.

Own Up to Your Baggage The biggest game changer when it can do for your comes to our relationships has everything Be Willing To Take Risks love life. to do with ourselves—because you are the One thing I’ve noticed when it comes to life most influential person you will ever know. choices—and relationships in particular—is that Understanding your unique struggles and taking many of us are so afraid of making the wrong decision, we responsibility for them is the greatest thing you can do for your don’t make any decisions at all. We remain passive, because love life. we’re driven by fear in so many things—fear of failure, fear of We’re all human, and we enter relationships with fears, commitment, fear of rejection, fear of abandonment, fear of insecurities, flaws and weaknesses. Understanding your being alone. unique struggles and taking responsibility for them is the

But what if this year, we resolved to live out of faith instead of fear? Faith in a God who loves us and has our best interest in mind. Faith that when we are walking toward Him, He will guide us and lead us in the right direction. Faith to believe that God has empowered us with wisdom and courage to make good choices. And then faith to go ahead and make those choices.

Whether it means ending a relationship or starting something new, let’s choose to honor God first and foremost as we make choices that reflect our faith and not our fears.

Learn to Love Here and Now So often we wait for a relationship to teach us how to love or to pour our love into someone else. While there’s a lot to be learned about love within a relationship, there’s also a lot to be learned about love before a relationship ever comes our way.

Seeking to enhance our love lives starts with learning how to love the people God has put in our lives here and now. As we learn to love our family, friends, co-workers and neighbors with selflessness, forgiveness, grace and healthy communication, we ultimately learn the art of romantic love, as well.

Practice the art of loving by pouring out your love on God and the people He’s placed in your life. Your future love life will benefit, as well.

Keep Sight of the Big Picture, But Savour Every Step Practice the art of loving by pouring out your love on God and the people He’s placed in your life. Your future love life will benefit, as well.

I’m a very “destination-focused” person. I have a tendency to see life as a series of “significant” moments: birthdays, graduations, career, marriage, and children. But the unfortunate part of that mentality is that I’ve missed a lot of really meaningful joys along the way.

L4

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday June 14, 2016

Daily Times Nigeria

Tuesday June 14, 2016

L5

L6

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday June 14, 2016

Daily Times Nigeria

Tuesday June 14, 2016

L7

Eyola

eyola@aol.com

Effective weight

loss with just

one spoonful Although Mary Poppins’ hypothesis ‘just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down’ has yet to be scientifically proven, there are other spoonfuls that are guaranteed to help with weight loss alongside a healthy diet and regular exercise.

A spoonful of...

1ne

Apple Cider Vinegar will keep you hydrated, gives you a feeling of fullness and stabilizes your blood sugar levels - a great way to maintain your weight and prevent you from adding extra pounds once you’ve reached your goal. Limit consumption to 1-2 tablespoons (mixed with water) per day.

2wo

Rich in fatty acids, Coconut Oil contains saturated fats. So you can enjoy its delicious taste without worrying about pilling on the pounds. Use a teaspoon while cooking or take it orally to stop you snacking in between meals while also increasing your metabolism, which helps you burn fat naturally.

3hree

Simply add a spoonful of

chopped or grated Ginger to your cooking or add it to freshly squeezed juice. This spice gives food and drinks a deliciously spicy kick and specifically targets fat - ridding the body of fat - while also improving digestion and metabolism, reducing joint inflammations and blood pressure, regulating cholesterol levels and boosting the immune system.

4our

Thyme is perfect for seasoning and adding flavour to many dishes (chicken, turkey etc) but did you know that it also helps you to shed the pounds? Filled with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, cells in the body are kept healthy and protected. This herb helps the body to manage stress and also releases water weight and toxins from the body.

5ive

Turmeric is jam-packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Also a fat-burner and pain reliever, turmeric can be consumed in many ways. A spoonful will add flavour to your cooking or can be enjoyed as a hot beverage by simply mixing with water.

6ix

Flaxseed

(or

Flax) contains antioxidants and is packed with omega-3 which prevents nutrient deficiency. There are lots of different ways to add flax to your diet.

Sprinkle a tablespoon over salad, soup, and yogurt or add to a glass of water.

Flax also dissolves unhealthy fats in your digestive tract which would otherwise have been stored as body fat.

7even

Cinnamon helps you to maintain a healthy weight after weight loss.

A tablespoon added to hot water will boost your body with the recommended daily intake of minerals including potassium, iron, zinc and magnesium.

Add cinnamon to a small portion of your favourite dessert on your cheat days as a naughty-but-nice way to include it to your weight-loss dietary plan.

8ight

An excellent source of Vitamin C, Lemon Juice cleanses the body and ensures that the immune system, colon, lymphatic system and digestive system are all functioning properly, while keeping bad breath at bay and giving your skin a healthy glow. Add a spoonful of freshly squeezed lemon juice to hot water first thing in the morning to get the best results.

L8 TV guide

Daily Times Nigeria

Tuesday June 14, 2016

Showing on

Showing on

Movies ACTION+ Channel 106

Movies Comedy Channel 104

11:20

18:00

Tue, 14 June |PG

Tue, 14 June | PG 13

Gru, the world’s most lovable villian, and his minions are back in this Oscar-nominated adventure.

This time Gru is recruited to help bring down a bad guy. Benjamin Bratt, Kristen Wiig, Russell Brand, Steve Carell. (2013) Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud.

Andrew Garfield returns for a second round of web-slinging action. Dangerous new enemies and family secrets weigh heavily on young Peter Parker as he struggles with his destiny. Jamie Foxx, Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone.(2014) Marc Webb

101 M-Net West

23:30 Chicago PD 00:30 The Real Housewives Of Atlanta 01:30 The Longest Week 03:00 Other Plans 04:25 Away And Back 06:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 07:00 MasterChef Australia 08:00 The Big Bang Theory 08:30 The Last Ship 09:30 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 10:30 Begin Again 12:30 The Middle 13:00 MasterChef Australia 14:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 15:00 Code Black 16:00 Blue Bloods 17:00 Made In Hollywood 18:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 19:00 Mom 19:30 MasterChef Australia 20:30 Chicago Med 21:30 Chicago Fire 22:30 Chicago PD

23:40 The Face Of Destiny 00:30 Elena's Ghost 01:20 Broken Angel 02:10 Broken Angel 03:00 The Face Of Destiny 03:50 Fearless Heart 05:20 Elena's Ghost 06:10 Husband For Hire 07:00 The Face Of Destiny 07:50 Fearless Heart 08:40 For Love And Justice 09:30 Cruel Love 10:20 Husband For Hire 11:10 The Face Of Destiny 12:00 Fearless Heart 12:50 For Love And Justice 13:40 Cruel Love 14:30 Husband For Hire 15:20 The Face Of Destiny 16:10 Fearless Heart 17:00 Broken Angel 17:50 Broken Angel 18:40 Husband For Hire 19:30 The Face Of Destiny 20:20 Fearless Heart 21:10 Broken Angel 22:00 Broken Angel 22:50 Husband For Hire

152 AfricaMagic Epic

23:17 Mary And Martha 01:01 Behind The Scenes: The Place

01:10 Royal Guard 03:13 Forest King 05:10 Twins Of The Rainforest 05:38 Behind The Scenes: Secret Room 06:03 Secret Adventure 08:43 Behind The Scenes: October 1st

09:11 Behind The Scenes: The Place

120 BBC Brit Entertainment

118 Telemundo

09:20 Igbotic Love 11:19 Igbotic Love 13:13 Healthy Snacking 13:25 Implication 15:29 Above Implication 17:50 Behind The Scenes: Next Dean 18:00 Africa Rising: Behind The Scenes 19:00 The King Is Coming 21:21 The King Is Coming

23:22 Moone Boy

11:10 Would I Lie To You?

23:47 Moone Boy

11:45 QI

00:12 An Idiot Abroad

12:15 The Cube

00:58 The Cube

13:05 Top Gear

01:46 Police Interceptors

14:15 Police Interceptors

02:33 Ben And James Versus The Arabian...

15:05 Undercover Boss USA

03:25 Undercover Boss USA

16:30 QI

04:12 Pointless

17:05 Pointless

05:00 The Cube

18:00 Top Gear

05:45 Would I Lie To You?

19:00 Youngers

06:20 QI

19:30 QI

06:55 Police Interceptors 07:40 Top Gear

20:00 Travel ManThe Graham Norton Show

08:45 Pointless

21:05 Top Gear

09:35 Undercover Boss USA

22:05 Very British Problems

15:55 Would I Lie To You?

10:25 Ducks Quacks Don't Echo

155 AfricaMagicWorld 23:15 Music On Africa Magic 00:15 Behind The Scenes: The Place 01:15 Good Morning Africa 02:15 53 Extra 02:45 Star Gist 03:15 Star Gist 03:45 Jara 04:20 Jara 05:00 Goodmorning Africa 06:00 Deal Or No Deal SA 07:00 53 Extra 07:30 Star Gist 08:00 Jara 09:00 Good Morning Africa 10:00 Lies That Bind

10:28 Lies That Bind 10:53 Lies That Bind

11:20 Lies That Bind 11:41 Behind The Scenes: Broken 12:00 Deal Or No Deal SA 13:00 Music On Africa Magic 14:05 Music On Africa Magic 15:00 Music On Africa Magic 16:00 Star Gist 16:35 Deal Or No Deal Sa 17:25 53 Extra 18:00 Jara 18:30 Tinsel 19:00 Lies That Bind 19:30 Lies That Bind 20:00 Princess Tyra 18:00 Star Gist

128 SONY MAX

23:00 Most Shocking 23:45 World's Wildest Police Videos 00:35 World's Wildest Police Videos 01:25 Enemy Territory 02:55 Sexy Car Wash 03:20 Sexy Car Wash 03:45 Video Zonkers 04:10 South Beach Tow 04:35 South Beach Tow 05:00 World's Wildest Police Videos 05:45 World's Wildest Police Videos 06:35 Top 20 Countdown: Most Shocking 07:25 Video Zonkers 07:50 South Beach Tow 08:15 South Beach Tow 08:40 Most Shocking 09:35 World's Wildest Police Videos 10:30 World's Wildest Police Videos 11:30 Baywatch 12:30 Top 20 Countdown: Most Shocking 13:30 South Beach Tow 14:00 World's Wildest Police Videos 15:00 World's Wildest Police Videos 16:00 Most Shocking 17:00 Top 20 Countdown: Most Shocking 18:00 South Beach Tow 18:30 South Beach Tow 19:00 Baywatch 20:00 Extreme Reality Clips 20:30 Rude Tube 21:00 Rude Tube 21:30 Freakshow 22:00 Sexy Car Wash 22:30 Sexy Car Wash