Dtn 16 9 15

Ibori’s mistress, UK prosecutor renew legal battle over £21m benefits Ngozi Okafor, London

ÎÎÎThe bitter legal tussle over the recalculation of the actual amount of accrued ben-

efits between crown prosecutors and the defence team of Udoamaka Onuigbo, mistress of former Delta State governor, Chief James Ibori, will resume with a pre-hearing at the

Southwark Crown Court on Thursday.

Udoamaka , who’s currently in Nigeria, after serving her jail term in Her Majesty’s prison, was convicted on the premise that

she benefitted to the tune of £21 million as a result of being one of the conduits through Continued on page 6 www.facebook.com/dailytimesngr

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 VOL. 1. NO.191

GAINERS

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LOSERS

NSE GAINERS AND LOSERS AS AT 15th September 2015.

UNILEVER

45.8

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WAPCO

99

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GUINNESS

162.45

-5.32

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FO

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CADBURY

22.93

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4.45%

FLOURMILL

22.6

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PZ

26.65

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STANBIC

22.11

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Students protest rocks Osun over Development levy

Outrage as Ekiti govt imposes fees on pupils Ï n & ƅƐë dê ƾæơçë ‘Every government in Nigeria shall provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age’ Gbenga Sodeinde, Ado Ekiti, Sodeeq Adekunle, Osogbo & Augustine Okezie, Abuja

ÎÎÎ Pupils from primary to junior secondary school levels cannot be compelled to pay any form

of fees before having access to education.”

Those were the words of legal

practitioners who spoke on Tuesday to the Daily Times over the introduction of school fees in pri-

mary and secondary schools by the Ekiti State Government.

Continued on page 6

FG’s Ɨ ƌƆ Ɛƈƅ debt portfolio hits g6 MƤêƢÖƐ

Giesi family submits two g 6 names for Ooni stool

Northern leaders Ɗ Ƒ Əƈ to dump Confab report g 7

Bsleek

Quitting banking hall for music g L1 Life&

Times Wednesday, September 16, 2015

President Buhari (right) at a high level business breakfast session with French and Nigerian CEOs, including Tony Elumelu of UBA, Wale Tinubu of Oando as well as Governors Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar (Zamfara), and Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) at the MEDEF Headquarters in Paris, France on Tuesday.

PHOTO: STATE HOUSE

2

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

3

Politics Page Three Æ s Editorial Dissolution of Medical and Dental Council

R

ecently, the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) raised objection over the dissolution of Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) by President Muhammadu Buhari. According to the council, the dissolution will not only promote quackery in the health sector, it will allow cases of malpractices to continue unabated. Making a case for its reinstatement, President of NPMCN, Prof. Rasheed Arogundade argued that MDCN be exempted as was in the case of the Universities Governing Councils because such premature dissolution had caused disastrous consequences in the past. Definitely, we are in line with this plea because as a regulatory body set up by statute, the dissolution of MDCN is the same as stopping all the functions.

For example, the Council’s functions include medical education, accreditation of professional institutions, maintenance of standards, enforcement of discipline and monitoring of health institutions that are training doctors all over the country among others. We recall that the board of MDCN has been dissolved several times in the past 20 years and which is responsible for the unsavoury developments and instability in medical education, practice and discipline in the country. For the avoidance of doubt, the Medical and Dental professions are regulated by the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act Cap 221, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1990 and prescribes the kind of sanction that could be imposed on a medical doctor who is found liable for misconduct.

Without the council, there is no regulation for medical colleges and medical curriculums to train doctors, even as there will be no disciplinary body to sanction unethical conduct. Incidentally, dissolution of the council not only had devastating and detrimental consequences to both the professions and society, it encouraged sub-standard medical and dental schools, even as programmes were granted accreditations; thus producing incompetent practitioners.

In addition, curricula for education remained un-reviewed and updated for decades; codes of ethics remained obsolete and could not meet the challenges of time while practitioners engaged in unethical conducts without trials and sanctions. We believe the council and other professional regulatory bodies should be shielded from political influences, as meddling with its functions will be detrimental to the medical profession.

In a country where the ratio of medical practitioners is still well below the accepted international standards, it would amount to encouraging all manner of quacks into the profession if the recent council dissolution holds. In the end, it will be detrimental to the health of Nigerians and the reputation of the country. Ironically, with the government action, it means that any unaccredited institution can go on to enrol and graduate unqualified dentists and other medical practitioners. It is pertinent to point out that one of the reasons given by well to do Nigerians for travelling overseas for medical treatment is that the country not only lacks modern and well equipped hospitals, the medical practitioners also do not meet up to world standards.

It would therefore amount to compounding the matter if the institution duly accredited to rectify such perceived anomalies gets caught in the anvils of politics and is disbanded by an administration that promises to address all deficiencies plaguing the country.

Before now, Nigerians have been calling on the government to direct all political officeholders to henceforth seek medical attention in Nigeria and ban them from going overseas for treatment. Nevertheless, the dissolution of the agency in charge of regulating those manning our health institutions would give grist to the arguments of those flouting such order. We therefore appeal to the Federal Government to reinstate the existing council of MDCN that has barely spent one and half years of the statutory four years.

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Okorocha: When love for grandeur beclouds reason Sam Nzeh

ÎÎÎThere

appears to be no let-up in the love of grandeur by Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, most often, at the expense of the tax payer.

Take his jetting out of Nigeria last Wednesday, leading a 100-man delegation to Turkey on a threeday visit, which according to his handlers, is to explore business and investment opportunities in that country.

This is Okorocha’s second trip in less than a year to the selfsame Turkey on the nebulous ground of exploring business and investment opportunities.

The governor had traveled with a large contingent to the same country some months ago. The trip of course was bankrolled by the state. When asked upon return from the trip, Okorocha said the gains would be seen in no distant time.

Sadly, months after, the gains of the trip are yet to materialise despite the huge amount expended.

But Okorocha is not moved and this can be seen in his second trip with yet another large delegation.

The Governor’s penchant for foreign trips and the large delegation that accompanies him on each occasion consumes a huge chunk of money and clearly hurts Imo’s economy.

It is sad that the governor of a state which still

Words On Marble :

owes its workers arrears of salaries, which cannot pay workers and pensioners as and when due, can afford to take a 100-man delegation on a foreign trip, the cost of which course is borne by the state.

Many would have thought that in these days when governors are cap in hand begging for bailout from the Federal Government, Governor Okorocha, would cut costs and channel resources to solving basic challenges confronting Imo State.

If for nothing else, the governor should realise that in these days of Change, public officials are expected to cut down on flamboyant lifestyles, frivolities and non-essentials which drain public resources.

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“If you get a strong government, then I can assure you will have a strong economy. If you have a strong economy, I can assure you, you will have peace and security”.

“Material wealth alone cannot guarantee the stability of a country. There is need for rule of law and rule by law.”

“Africa has yet to play a major geopolitical role because she has not yet succeeded in realising her unity.”

4

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

5

News 6

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Outrage as Ekiti, Osun impose fees on pupils Continued from page 1 A similar reaction greeted the demand by the Osun State government that pupils produce receipts of development levies by their parents before gaining access to schools.

Secondary school students in Osun State trooped to the streets on Tuesday to protest the development levy.

Two Ikeja, Lagos State, based lawyers, Mr. Tunde Popoola and Oyewole Olurin, told the Daily Times that the decisions by both state governments to in-

troduce conditions for students to access education at those levels flout the UBEC Act. The Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme is a nine-year government policy “to eradicate illiteracy, ignorance and poverty as well as stimulate and accelerate national development, political consciousness and national integration,” according to information posted on http://ubeconline.com.

The then President Olusegun Obasanjo signed the National Assembly bill into law on 26th May 2004.

Section 2(1) of the Act states: “Every Government in Nigeria shall provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age.”

Attributing its decision to be a part of the resolutions arrived at during its recently held Education Summit, the Ekiti State government announced that students of public secondary schools would pay “a token” of N1, 000 per term towards educational development in the State adding that a sum

of N500 proposed for primary school is yet to be approved by the Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose.

The State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr Jide Egunjobi, in a press statement issued in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday, said all stakeholders in the education sector, including parents and teachers consented to the introduction of the Education Development Levy.

He said: “Before now, secondary school students were paying N100 as PTA levy, N300 for Extra Lesson

FG’s domestic debt portfolio hits N8.39tn ÎÎÎA

peep into Nigeria’s economic debt crisis emerged on Tuesday at the continuation of the public hearing of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee on the implementation of the 2015 budget.

The domestic debt portfolio of the Federal Government alone stands at N8.396 trillion.

The Federal Ministry of Finance, which was represented by the Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Alhaji Aliyu Yahaya Gusau made the disclosure during a two-hour grilling by the

legislators.

Gusau stood in for the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Anastasia Nwaobia.

The ministry added that while the domestic debt of the Federal Government is N8.396 trillion, the external debts of the whole country is $10,31b, broken into $7.04billion by the federal government as at June 30, 2015 and $3.42billion for states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“Debt service to revenue ratio however needs to be kept under close watch.

Given that it was 19.63% by the end of June 2015; against the cognate arbitrary threshold of 28%.,” the ministry said.

It added: “External debt as at June 30th 2015 stood at $7.04billion for the federal government and $3.42billion for states and the FCT; bringing it to the total amount of $10.31billion”.

The ministry added that the global economic growth forecast was projected at 3.3%, precipitated by falling oil price and currency depreciation in major world economies such as balancing in China, Europe and fluctuating stock values in major world markets.

The ministry said that the Nigerian economy is experiencing a very slow start to the fiscal year with growth forecast dropping to less than 3% of projected

lost glory in the education sector, saying; “Ekiti State recorded 36.5 percent performance in WAEC this year as against 25 percent last year and that only happened because strict measures were introduced and teachers were greatly motivated and encouraged.

“It should be recalled that in 2003 when Governor Fayose assumed office then, Ekiti State was number 35 in WAEC and by the time he left office in 2006, the State was number eight. That feat can still be recorded and we are working assiduously towards returning the State’s lost glory.”

In Osogbo, Osun State, secondary school students staged a protest against the government’s policy that students who cannot produce their parents’ tax clearance should not be allowed into school.

Students of Osogbo High School trooped out in hundreds and trekked from their school, through the Ogo Oluwa area to the Governor’s Office singing anti-government songs.

Armed with leaves, the students were joined on the roads to the GoverContinued on page 12

Giesi family submits two names for Ooni stool

A section of stranded FCT pilgrims at the Nnamdi Azikwe airport Abuja… on Monday

Henry Omunu Abuja

and N600 as Examination Fee while primary school students were paying N100 as PTA levy, N300 for Extra Lesson and N200 as Examination fee, making N600 per term.”

Apart from the Educational Development Levy (EDL) of N1,000, Secondary school students will pay N500 as Parents Teachers Association (PTA) levy, N600 for Examination, N300 for Extra Lesson, making a total of N2, 400 per term while it is proposed that Primary school students will pay N100 as PTA levy, N100 for Extra Lesson, N100 for Examination, a total of N800 per term.

There are 178,263 students in the 879 public primary schools; 48,960 in Junior Secondary Schools and 55,677 in Senior Secondary Schools in Ekiti State, in all, 282,900.

The Commissioner, who said the levies were not new in the state, added: “Students of public schools in Ekiti were paying PTA, Examination and Extra Lesson levies before Governor Fayose assumed office.”

He reiterated the government commitment to the restoration of the state’s

growth.

It disclosed that the attempted delisting of Nigeria from the JP Morgan index watch “has further heightened the fear of currency devaluation, import restriction and inflation”.

On the 2015 budget performance, the ministry disclosed that N3.45trillion was budgeted for 2015 out of which capital appropriation was N557billion, adding that of the amount, N194.492billion has been released as at September 15th representing 34.89% of total releases.

The ad hoc committee however expressed dissatisfaction with the MinisContinued on page 12

Sodiq Adekunle Osogbo

ÎÎÎThe Giesi Ruling Fam-

ily of Ile-Ife has resolved to present two princes, Adeyeye Ogunwusi and Taye Ogunleye, to kingmakers for screening.

The Daily Times authoritatively learnt that the family had to call on the father of the two Ogunwusis initially contesting to emerge Ooni to pick one.

It was gathered from a source that if the kingmakers reject the two candidates on the ground that they are young, Prince Peter Adetola Ogunleye would be presented.

Prince Peter Adetola Ogunleye is an 83-year-old lawyer who earlier contested with the late Ooni

of Ife, Oba Sijuwade Okunade II. Before now, no fewer than 31 candidates had indicated interest to occupy the stool, but the number was reduced to 17.

In a press conference held on Monday at the Ile Oodua, the king makers and the Osun State government had asked the Giesi family to submit the names of candidate for screening.

It was gathered that at press time on Tuesday, the two local government councils had written to the ruling house conveying the decision of the state government and Ife kingmakers restricting the chances to fill the stool to Giesi Ruling House given the 1980 Ife Chieftaincy Declaration.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

7 News

Buhari woos French investors, to receive trade mission Egena Egena Abuja

ÏÏÏPresident

Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Paris said that one of the key objectives of his administration's ongoing economic reforms is to restore the confidence of investors in the Nigerian economy.

Addressing leading French businessmen and investors at the headquarters of the Movement of the Enterprises of France (MEDEF), President Buhari also reaffirmed his government's determination to curb corruption in Nigeria.

"Our ongoing economic reforms are designed to restore business confidence and block leakages and wastage of public resources.

We are also focused on the recovery of stolen wealth belonging to the country," the President told participants in a Nigeria/France Investment Forum.

A statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and

Publicity, Garba Shehu, quoted Buhari as saying that his administration would do all within its powers to sustain Nigeria's position as the number one investment destination in Africa.

"With a blessed land, rich in agricultural and mineral resources, skilled and lowcost labour, large market, a robust and competitive private sector anchored on investment policies and legislation to guarantee predictability and consistency with global business practices, we are poised for double digit growth.

"There is much more to our country than oil and we are determined to consolidate on industrializing Nigeria and diversifying its economy.

"The privatisation of key sectors of our economy, which was started under previous administrations, will be pursued and expanded to include other sectors.

This exercise will be conducted in an open, transparent and competitive manner.

Only 293,072 voters were accredited for Rivers Gov poll- INEC Andrew Orolua Abuja

ÏÏÏThe Rivers State Gov-

ernorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, heard that only 293,072 registered voters were accredited to vote on April 11,2015 governorship election in the state.

An assistant director in charge of the ICT department and the database, of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) database, Mrs. Abimbola Oladunjoye, disclosed this to the tribunal. She was

subpoenaed to testify on the election dispute between Dakuku Peterside and Governor Nyesom Wike.

Mrs. Oladunjoye told the tribunal that the data was all the commission got from governorship election in Rivers State at its database.

According to her, the documents as presented to tribunal were all that were brought from the Rivers election, adding that "it was possible all the results were not uploaded following the order from INEC that servers were to be shut down after six weeks," she said.

Expunge federal character from constitution, Agbakoba counsels Peter Fowoyo

ÏÏÏFormer Nigerian Bar

Association (NBA) President, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), on Tuesday, called on the President, Muhammadu Buhari, and members of the National Assembly to expunge the principle of federal character from the constitution.

The legal luminary made the call on Tuesday, at a press briefing, held in

Ikoyi, Lagos State, while examining the President's achievements in his 100 days in office.

Although President Buhari is yet to make most of his statutory appointments, various ethnic groups, particularly the South-East and South-South have described the President's appointments in the last few weeks as lopsided, skewed in favour of the North.

L-R: Chairman, MTN Foundation, Prince Julius AdeluyiAdelusi; Director, MTN Nigeria, Mr Sanni Bello; Executive Director, British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation, Mrs. Seyi Ashade; Chairman, MTN Nigeria, Dr. Paschal Dozie; Head of Government Affairs, West Africa Area, British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN), Odiri ErewaMeggison, during the MTN Foundation 10th anniversary held in Victoria Island, Lagos… on Tuesday

Northern leaders ask Buhari to dump confab report Lateef Ibrahim

Abuja Bureau Chief

ÏÏÏSome

prominent Northern leaders have kicked against the implementation of the 2014 report of the National Conference convoked by the administration of the immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan.

They based their opposition to the report on the fact that it did not address the key issues affecting the Northern region and its people.

They therefore suggested to President Muhammadu Buhari to convene a fresh conference that would take into cognisance the challenges facing them.

The northern leaders comprised mostly former political office holders under the aegis of Northern Reawakening Forum (NRF).

The group is under the leadership of a former member of the House of Representatives, Mohammed Kumalia.

They made it clear that it would be wrong for President Buhari to implement the report of the conference called by Dr Jonathan.

The group, after a crucial meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, asked for the dumping of the report in the interest of Nigeria.

Kumalia, who read the communiqué on behalf of the NRF, said: "The last conference was convened by the PDP government. You do not expect this government to take hook, line and sinker what was put in place by the last government.

“It was convoked by the PDP government and unfortunately, the PDP lost election. You do not expect the opposition to accept the

resolution of the previous government which has its own objectives which this government is not aware of," the chairman of the NRF said.

Kumalia and some other members of the forum, were delegates to 2014 National Conference.

The group is demanding a new conference that will focus on how to rebuild the North and cater for those who have been displaced by terrorists, who have been attacking the Northeast for years.

Kumalia said: "What are the problems in the North East? Has anybody tried to ascertain the problems in the Northeast?

"The essence of the national conference (being canvassed) is to analyse the extent of damage done to the Northeast. The working document would be used to

Pensioners want Buhari to declare state of emergency in Osun Sodiq Adekunle Osogbo

ÏÏÏNigerian

Union of Pensioners (NUP), has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in Osun State following the inability of Governor Rauf Aregbesola to pay their 10 months pension and gratuities.

The Osun State Chairman of the Union, Comrade Tunde Ogunniyi, said this

during a press conference in Osogbo, the state capital.

Said he: "Considering the spate of death of pensioners and government workers in the state as a result of insensitivity of the state government to their welfare, and the tension it has generated in the state, it is clear that the governance of the state is beyond the control of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

“Since threat to peace and security is a major con-

stitutional reason for the declaration of the state of emergency, we hereby call on the Federal Government and the National Assembly to take over the affairs of the state by declaring state of emergency in Osun state.

"This fraudulent government is owing pensioners backlog of unpaid pension of between 10-15 months, and gratuities have not been paid since December 31st, 2012, till September 15th, 2015.

rebuild the region.”

He stated further: “There is no resemblance between the conference we are proposing and the 2014 National Conference. Many things have been destroyed and we need people with experience to discuss how the area will be settled. The North has the highest number of people below $2 a day. 71.5% of the population in the Northeast live in poverty and more than half are malnourished.

A 2013 World Bank Report showed that poverty in 16 out of the 19 Northern states have doubled since 1980.”

Buhari

"This actions of Osun State government, led by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, amount to deliberate display of callousness, greediness, wickedness, flagrant disobedience to the rule of law, mal-administration and fraud."

They also called on the Central Bank of Nigeria to take over the direct payment of money to each pensioner.

According them, the continuous operation by contractors handling road projects in the state is impeding the payment of pensions.

8

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Politics

Æs

The politics of Ige’s remembrance As controversy still rages on between the Organized Labour and Osun State government, over unpaid salaries a group, the Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEO) has called on the State governor, Mr. Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola to stop politicising the 14-year old remembrance of late Cicero of Esa-Oke, Chief Bola Ige. CSCEO said death of the for-

mer governor of old Oyo State should not be used to draw public sympathy over his government inability to pay the backlog of salaries to the State workers and retirees alike for period of seven to eight months.

Reacting to claims by Governor Aregbesola that, ‘Ige’s killers were behind the plot to destabilise the state’, the group, in a statement by its Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Sulaiman the group carpeted

Aregbesola for drawing the spirit of Late Ige into his failure to perform the simple constitutional role of a governor of paying the workers and retirees alike as at when due, insisting that spirit of good governance which the late Attorney General of the Federation represented while alive, would continue to haunt Aregbesola till the end of his deCONTINUED ON PAGE 9

Bola Ige

Aregbesola

Kontagora to Buhari:

Attend to economy now Colonel AMINU ISA KOTANGORA (Rtd), former Military Administrator, Benue and Kano states, had expressed interest in the governorship position in his home state, Niger, in the 2015 democratic election without success. In this interview with VICTOR JIBRIN, he took a look at the three months in office of the All Progressives Congress (APC) saying it was an opportunity for Nigerians to assess the two major parties and make a choice in the 2019 general election.

He also called on the APC leadership to make economic pronouncement with a view to reducing the current hardship in the country. Excerpts:

Kontagora

Buhari

How do you see the 100 days of President Muhammadu Buhari in office?

Let us first and foremost give glory to God for a successful election. Not only Nigerians, even our friends outside Nigeria did not give us chance to survive as a country and that formed part of those predictions of US that by 2015 Nigeria may cease to exist.

Those are the permutations and strategic analysis made having taken into considerations so many things. It was good that we took note of that and worked tirelessly for it not to materialise. Now we have a country becoming secured by the day and Nigerians believing in their country. The APC defeated my party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at the presidential poll. It is a good development because the people will now have something to assess. If PDP did not do well in power, they should expect APC to do better, and the PDP did excellently well in power and which I believe we did as a party, despite what is said about our party and leaders. We believed PDP as a party really understood Nigerians and took care of the common man in Nigeria. It was just that we may not have met

the expectations of Nigerians. For those that felt like that, I am not the party chairman but we apologise and pray that they give us another chance. Come 2019 we will proof them right that they have made a better choice that time. At that time the PDP will give them the real change. 100 days is gone.

We thank God. No celebration, no funfair. That is the style of government. We are grateful to God that at least we have survived to see the 100 days.

Like a baby that one is looking up to for a future, how do you see the steps taken so far by the government?

The PDP has done some mistakes but in governance, what should be looked into is not the maker of the law or the maker of the policy but the beneficiary of that law or beneficiary of that action taken by a government. Yes there have been wanton corruption, we are not denying that and we still believe it is continuing because it is the same Nigerians, the same laws that are still being operated, it is just that maybe, people may not be too bold to do it as they used to do it but I don’t think there CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

9 Politics

Corruption is still continuing, Kontagora tells Buhari CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

is a structure yet in the Nigerian society to reduce corruption. We are treating malaria always but we are not killing the mosquito that causes malaria. So we still have a long way to go when it comes to fighting corruption of which I know the PDP will take its own lesson to perform better because we have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. The APC is yet to make any economic pronouncement three months after. That is a quarter. A quarter in a business is a very long period. So I think the hiccups, the stress now being witnessed is the economy, not that we are jittery but the popular saying sit down and look. Once our construction companies are not functioning, the productions are not sure of the next policy the government will produce, no investor will head into Nigeria now without getting a clear direction of where the economy is going.

This is what we are suffering now.

I believe the government should as quickly as possible attend to the economy. For instance, this construction companies that have stopped work, thousands of workers have been without salaries for months now. It will show in the market, there is no doubt. That is why you hear people screaming no money, no money. Yes it is true that there is no money because nobody has gone to spend money in the market. The categories of people that they employ are the

Buhari people that once they get money, they head straight to the market. It is not you and me that will bank maybe till next month or next week. They are the one that lubricate the market. They don’t go to stock exchange for speculating trading or anything, no; they go directly to the market. So let the government as quickly as possible look into the economy and

make pronouncement. I know if it has been the PDP government, we know it would have been stressful but at least we had a direction for economy and the PDP grow the economy to be the largest economy in Africa. We hope and believe this should be maintained so that people should benefit.

As an administrator, what is really responsible for the hap-

penings now?

I don’t know what is contained in the handing over note between the APC and PDP government. I know that the Nigerian state was terribly indebted. We had a staggering domestic debt of overN12 or N15trillion. It may look like oh! No, these are loans to be paid in 30 years. What it means is that you have to check that … which I believe maybe that is what they are doing. But you cannot achieve proper economic growth without elements of inflation, you can’t achieve any goal without element of risk and you cannot achieve any economic development to deal with people out of work. So, you have to make the people work.

It is not until you create new office but there are so many ways you can engage people to grow the economy. I believe despite the cries and hew, that was one aspect that the PDP did well - the SURE-P for instance. All the SURE-P workers have been laid off and they were over 20million enjoying that programme all over the country.

They are now without an income.

Whether SURE-P was corrupt or not, the beneficiaries may not understand it on that aspect, and the beneficiary is the society, the local market. That is the issue. So, as a party, the APC should get its acts right and give us a bearing because, yes, the Christmas and the honeymoon are still on. But once the economy continues to bite at CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Nobody can divide Nigeria – Eze Kalu HRM Eze Kalu Kalu Ogbu IV is the Enachioken of Abiriba, and the paramount ruler of Abiriba Kingdom in Bende LGA of Abia State. He is the 17th in the line of succession from the royal lineage of Oke Ukpabi Nnachioke, the founder of Abiriba. The Enachioken – in-Council recently marked the traditional Abiriba New Year -new yam festivals. In this interview with SUNDAY NWAKANMA in his palace in Ameke Abiriba, Eze Kalu spoke on many issues stating that Nigeria is a country where there is nothing anybody can do to divide it.

Excerpts: Your majesty, your kingdom is in a festive mood today?

Yes, today is a new day in Abiriba and marks the beginning of a new year in the Abiriba traditional calendar. Today is what we call the “Eke mbu”, (first Eke) in Abiriba and a day we celebrate the new yam. It is the end of the year traditional and then the day we celebrate the new yam festival.

How do you see the proliferation of autonomous commuities in the state?

Abiriba is made up of 17 semiCONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Group tasks Aregbesola not to politicize Ige’s remembrance CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

ceitful tenure for subjecting the workers and retirees with their families to untold hardship.

Comrade Sulaiman however reiterated its group call on the President Muhammadu Buhari led-Federal Government to immediately take over the payment salaries of workers and retirees alike of the state, alleging that Aregbesola has not paid the backlogs of workers despite the fact that the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) released N34billion bailout to the State government for the settlement of outstanding salaries.

It declared its unalloyed support for the state workforce through its Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that non-payment of salaries to workers were act of corruption of the state governors, especially Governor Aregbesola, saying that Mr. Aregbesola should stop dragging the god name of Ige into his deceitful government, instead of doing the needful of giving dividends of democracy as promised during his electioneering campaign.

According to the group: “It is a very unfortunate for Osun State governor, to drag the good name of Chief Ige into his poor performance in office by criminally and recklessly mismanag-

ing the resources that accrued to the state from the Federation Account and as well subjecting the state into bankruptcy.

“Aregbesola is ruling the state since November 2010 till date with deceit; all sectors of the state are nothing to write home about. Mr. Governor has raised the morale of the workers and retirees in many fora that whenever the Federal Government through Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) released their promised bailout fund to the state, the government of the state will not waste time to pay the outstanding salaries of workers and retirees alike. But to our dismay, payment of outstanding salaries

from the bailout fund is still in crisis.

“It is high time President Muhammadu Buhari led-Federal Government acceded to our clarion call to take over the payment of workers salaries and pension of retirees. Mr Arebesola has shown that he does not have mental and physical capability to govern the State again because he cannot perform the simple duty of a state governor of payment of salaries. We are using this medium to reiterate our call that the Federal Government should come and help Aregbesola on the payment of salaries to the state workforce and retirees.

“Those who are making jest of us when we were pronouncing that Aregbesola hates workers and retirees with passion and also insensitive to their plight, will now see reasons in our earlier call. We believed that the spirit of Bola Ige’s good governance will continue to haunt Mr. Aregbesola till the end of his deceitful government in the State”.

Sulaiman enjoined the organized labour including NLC, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) others in the state, not to allow Aregbesola shortchange and coerce their members again over backlogs of salaries and pension dues.

Politics 10

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Battle against corruption should start from churches, villages – Eze Kalu CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

autonomous villages, but under one kingdom. Abiriba people do not like this issue of balkanization of communities in the name of creation of autonomous communities. When we saw that everybody was creating autonomous community, Abiriba kingdom tried it and it did not augur well.

As a result we lost many things through destruction in Abiriba.

By 2010, government in its wisdom knew that the only thing they can do to return Abiriba to its former status is to abolish all forms of autonomous communities and return to its status as a kingdom and apparently the only kingdom that is still remaining in the whole of Abia State now.

The fight against corruption is being undertaken by the ad-

Eze Enachikoen

Buhari

ministration of Muhammadu Buhari. As a traditional ruler what is your opinion on this fight?

We support the present administration in its fight against corruption in this country because that is the only way we can survive.

The resources are in the hands of few individuals, while every other person suffers. So the fight against corruption is a laudable one. Fight from corruption should start from the villages, churches, everywhere so that it will be easier.

The president alone cannot do the fight without our own help.

Many people do not farm, yet they celebrate the yam festival?

I heard about that but it is not the same thing in my community.

As a matter of fact, we even set up an award for yam farmers in the community and give awards to the

Eze Ji (King of yams) in the communities and finally the Eze Ji in Abiriba will emerge and will be rewarded. As I am talking to you, the competition is still on and we are going to the farms to assess the farmers. A committee has been set up which will go to the farms and determine who the Eze Ji is. We farm and then celebrate the yam.

Can Abiriba yams be found in the market or are they on subsistence level?

As a matter of fact, we cannot claim that we have commercial agriculture going on in Abiriba, what is going on to a large extent is subsistence agriculture where people are farming to feed themselves and their neigbhouring communities. The previous day, anyone that visited the Abiriba CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Come 2019, PDP will bring the real change – Kontagora CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

the current level, I think the honeymoon will soon be over.

Nigerians are worried and surprised why Mr. President is finding it difficult to put necessary things in place, having being a military governor, minister and Head of state as a result of which nothing should be new to him?

If you look back to when he was governor, there was still serenity in the economy, a small economy, so the problems then and now could not be the same. When he was the minister of petroleum, the economy was growing at that time and so they were not battling with how to run, but battling with how to develop. That is not the situation now. When he was Head of State, it was almost a similar scenario in 1983 and what obtains now. The economy was almost at a standstill. Obasanjo left over 8billion dollars in foreign reserve in 1979 but by the time he took over, there was nearly an empty foreign reserve. In short, some analysts said if you calculate it, it was about 2oo million dollars, some said 8billion. This reserve evaporated in four years – 1979 to 1983. Everybody knew what happened – we have to go for trade by batter. Then there was problem of essential commodity, so a lot of things have to be done at that time and he did it well. I think

Secondus

Metuh

it is that echoing of that period that endeared him to Nigerians wanting him to be elected and turning the country. Not that our foreign reserve is bad, not that the economy is not good. We are not looking for essential commodities this time around because we don’t queue to buy salt, sugar or soap. The reserve is still there, though it has gone down due to oil prices. It is ok but that must have necessitated the CBN monetary and foreign exchange policies. It is good but it shouldn’t last too long. They should make amends to that suspension of local domiciliary account. What it has done

is that it has slowed down unnecessary import, it has slowed down capital flight which is ok and then it has brought back some confidence on the Naira. I believe that we can do better in the economy.

I agree with some analysts that the PDP government fastract the growth of the economy but we were not prepared with the side effect and it was the side effect of that asseveration that led to some of the declines we have faced in the economy. I believe he knows that, he has been handed over this document. The scenario now is that the people now are not as patient as the one in 1983 or when

he was a minister or governor.

The citizens now are not as patient as those days. The economy has grown wider and lager that it cannot take a long break. That is the difference. So, if that is the difficulty, his aim, I think the earlier the better he sources for a team, either economic or political, anything to get the economy going because once the economy is booming, nobody bothers those in government but when there is slow down, there have to a struggle, they have to do this, then that is the problem. Let us not always forget that there are some people that need to work every day to feed. If they don’t get a job for that day the house goes hungry, so we have to know that we can’t match the break for too long on the economy. Let us release the break.

One of the cardinal agenda of Buhari regime is fighting corruption. From the foregoing, do you see him succeeding in view of dissenting voices from some quarters asking him not to jail anybody, forget about the past and focus attention on what will happen from now on?

I believe that Mr. President will succeed. He will succeed not in eliminating corruption but in bringing back consciousness of Nigerians that corruption is bad for the economy. He will succeed if structural issues are addressed.

He will succeed if laws pertaining to corruption are looked into.

What do I mean by this is that it is good to investigate what happened so that we can know where to go. It is a natural thing. People just take investigation always from the negative side. Even in your house, if you don’t sit down and appraise some family issues, you don’t move forward. It is either you keep something bugging you, but once you appraise, you know where to start from and what to do. I am in support of recovery, after all the money came out of the commonwealth fund, therefore it should come back to it. Now, what are the structures to stop people from being corrupt?

That is what I believe have been lacking not with Jonathan, not with Buhari but for long we have not addressed that issue of structure. We have the BPE, Bureau for Public Enterprise, but the BPE as a structure is weak. It is supposed to regulate spending from the treasury from local government to the federal government.

That means if I am going to award contract for the purchase of Hellos vehicle, for instance, I should know what is the current cost, what the law permit as profit, what the law permit as tax, what goes to the government as value added tax so that when I give company x LPO to purchase that helCONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

11 Politics

Buhari’s appointment unacceptable – Eze Kalu CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

market would have seen that only Abiriba yams were sold in the market. But there is no way we can eat all we got from the farm, it is not possible. Sometimes, people come from Aba, Umuahia and the neighbouring communities to buy yams. So we are not producing in a large and commercial quantity.

What is your opinion on the dilapidated nature of AbiribaOhafia road as it affects agriculture and commerce in your area?

It is very unfortunate and I cannot manufacture the exact words that will fit the condition of Umuahia – Uzuakoli – Ohafia – Arochukwu road. The road is too bad and from Ohafia, the Army garrison area of the road is a death trap and has affected agriculture in no small measure as well as other commercial and economic activities because of its bad nature. So I am appealing to the Federal Government that the road is a federal road. They should come to our aid and make sure that the road is dualized to enable the evacuation of farm activities. This road joins the area with Akwa Ibom people and if done, it will make vehicular movement easy and will also bring about increase in economic activities.

Some people on grounds of religion do not join in the celebration of new yam. What will be your advice to such people?

It is very unfortunate for anyone to say that because of religion, he will not join in the new yam festival. I don’t know what the person is trying to achieve.

This is our culture. If God did not want us to be here, maybe he would have created us as Americans or Israelis, but in His wisdom, He created us Igbos and gave us this culture. We did not just come out from nowhere and this is a culture that has been in existence for many years. So anybody that says he will not do it because of religion, that person is not serious. One cannot be better than the Israelis. They have their own culture and you have your own. Their culture they still keep till today. So I cannot see why one should hide under the religion to shun new yam festivals. After all, what is new yam festival? Are we committing any crime here, are we killing anybody here? It is only to thank God and to pray for good yield in the year.

What is your feelings on the lopsided appointment so far made by President Buhari?

My position on this issue is that there is no explanation that anyone can give. For the fact that the president has made more than 30 appointments which people called “kitchen appointment” I said it is unacceptable. I ask; is there no single person from the south he can trust? If he cannot trust any single person from the south east, then I don’t know what these are all about. But I feel strongly that he is a strong leader and I am sure he would not want to supervise the division of Nigeria. A father cannot deliberately cut out his kingdom. What he is doing now is to cut out some people from his kingdom, telling them they do not belong to him, but I am sure that is not what he means. He has prom-

Eze Enachikoen ised that he will try to balance the appointments, let us watch and see what happens in the coming days.

Can this be enough to cause the disintegration of the country?

I believe that this country is one and there is nothing anybody can do to divide it. We should all stay to contribute to its development. The Igbo nation would not be involved in anything that would lead to the division of this country.

Are Ndigbo marginalised in this country?

I wouldn’t like to use the term “marginalized” because the word

has been bastardised by so many people. This is beyond marginalization. We are talking about a section of the country where the president has not found anybody trustworthy to work with. I don’t what to say; that Igbos should go and think that the president has found none of them worthy to work with or what they have done wrong to deserve this kind of treatment.

Igbo language is gradually going into extinction. What are you doing to inculcate the language in your subjects?

It is not an issue that can be handled from the government side alone, we must also talk about individuals, both at home and abroad. All we have to do is serious work to ensure that Igbo language does not die. It is now an emergency situation and all has to help. Somewhere in the US, a Yoruba lady opened up a Yoruba language school for Yorubas and foreigners. We are yet to hear that an Igbo person has done something similar. From our own side here, we are working with some women led by one inyom (woman) Elder Anya O. Anya, who is trying as much as possible to lead a campaign about teaching our young mothers their roles to teach their children to speak their dialect.

Some years back, this kingdom was engulfed in trouble and now is witnessing relative peace. What is the magic?

The truth is that nobody can claim that he did anything specific in relation of the peace we are having now. I think it is to the glory of God. He promised that he was going to bring peace to this

kingdom and he has not failed us.

So we just give glory and honour to the Almighty for the peace in the kingdom.

Crude oil seems to be failing nigeria. What is your advice to state and federal governments about their policy on agriculture?

It is long overdue for people to start thinking about agriculture and in that direction. Before independence, Nigeria depended on agriculture for its survival.

But once crude oil came into existence, everybody tended to forget the food basket and groundnut pyramid and went for the easy Dollars that were coming in thinking it is the easier way of making money while forgetting the means of getting viable economy through agriculture. The administration of Jonathan made a good stride in the direction of food and agriculture. The whole thing is a process that is still on-going and I think that Buhari has showed that he is going to tow the line of agriculture. Bringing it down to the state, the governor of Abia State Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has made it clear that he is going to encourage agriculture and I have it on good authority that he has contacted the Songhai project, which is like a magic in the field of agriculture where small land can be used to produce what can feed a nation.

That means he already knows what agriculture can do to the revenue of Abia State and I would wish him success in that direction and pray that God would guide him. So agriculture is the key to our survival now and nobody can run away from it.

Corruption is still continuing, Kontagora tells Buhari CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

los vehicle, if you take that price from Abuja to Port-Harcourt, Lagos or Sokoto, anywhere nobody should be able to challenge that price and I can go home and sleep. But in a situation where somebody may buy that same vehicle for N5million, another man in the local government is buying the same vehicle for N17million, you see the structure is weak. The public don’t have a mechanism of feedback for what is happening in the government, local or state and federal. Everything has this big tag – SECRETE or you shouldn’t allow people to hear. Why? It is public fund. I should be able to go to my local government headquarters and look at the notice

board and see that the construction of a primary school in my village was awarded at so and so cost and these are the items that made up that cost. If the structure insists that the official must do it, he will not buy cement of N2000 for N5000 because he cannot publish it like that. This way you are checking corruption through a structure. If you say you have awarded a road construction contract, 200km for N50billion, I should have a right to get the bill of quantity. It should even be on display there and if there is anything, raise your observation. Gradually the structure is reducing corruption. The concept of 10 percent, what we were told was that the contractor will say out of my profit, I will give you

10 percent, not that you should add 10 percent to the job to bring to me. Now it has deteriorated to over inflation of everything, over invoicing. We have talked of pricing; the next issue is there should be a deliberate effort to create a law to reward whistle blower.

Anybody that comes to report a case of corruption in the making, not until it is finished, and you attest that what the government could have lost in that corruption process, if executed would have been so, so amount, protect the identity of the whistle blower and compensate. Now, you are making people to be aware that if we do this way, somebody may report.

In this case, the person is not reporting you to be jailed, he is reporting you to stop and when it is

proofed that there was this thing, you don’t know him, it is only the security agency that know him and so the law must protect the identity. These are the things I believe Mr. President should come out from his break and face squarely. We need it because in all aspects of our lives there is corruption. It is systemic. It starts from the root to the fruit and with a guard going to buy you N50,000 worth of goods and refused to give you your change. That is his own level of corruption because that is what he is exposed to. Expose him to N1million he will still do it. Nobody is saying that only a certain group of people do corruption.

No. it is wider than that.

Though people are still waiting to see the composition of

his cabinet, within the period of three months, he has made some key appointments. This has not gone down well with some people who felt it is lopsided in the sense that only one region was considered. How will you react to this?

I don’t think he has made appointment that made people to be screaming. All the appointments he made are literally personal staff. So allow him to take the staff he thinks he can work with.

Do you want him to take somebody he doesn’t know? I don’t think the complaint is necessary.

These are personal appointments.

It is when he decides to appoint all the ministers from Katsina that is when I think people should start screaming.

News 12

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Ibori’s mistress, UK prosecutor renew legal battle Continued from page 1 which Ibori siphoned looted funds from the oil rich state.

But she took her case to the Court of Appeal, where it was ruled that the benefits that accrued to her were overstated, and therefore must be recalculated.

Although the full hearing to determine the exact amount of benefits is to begin on December 7, the reason for Thursday’s sitting is to ensure that the case does

not suffer any delays as it did in April. It is to also know whether Onuigo’s request to be present at the hearing in December has been properly addressed and sorted.

In April, the atmosphere was highly charged and both sides of the bench fired insults at each other a day after Ibori’s confiscation of assets hearing was postponed.

That day, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Udoamaka’s counsel called each other names inside

courtroom 8, before judge Anthony Pitts adjourned hearing till December.

It all started when the lead Crown prosecutor described the case as “easy , simple and easily digestible,” and “ridiculous” for the other side not to be ready to proceed if given 10 days or a little more.

The defence later referred to her behaviour as “aggressive,” after both sides terminated a meeting which was to resolve their differences.

Tempers gradually rose as

the Crown prosecutor, Sasha Wass, made a case for the hearing to begin the following week, while Mr. Feder for Onuigbo, reiterated their position that his client wanted to be present in court.

Wass drew the first blood when she told the court that not only is Onuigbo’s part in the Ibori case narrow, besides, her case is not live like those of Ibori and Brandresh Gohil, adding that Onuigbo didn’t need to be physically present in Court as arrange-

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Public Service Office, Lagos State, Mr. Adesina Odeyemi; Head of Service, Mrs. Sade Jaji and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, Mr. Jafar Sanuth at a stakeholders’ meeting on the review of administrative procedures in local governments held in Lagos…on Tuesday.

Photo: OLAWALE ROTIMI

Outrage over tuition fees, levy in Ekiti, Osun Continued from page 6 nor’s Office by their colleagues in other schools.

The Head Boy of Osogbo High School 1, Taiwo Oyewole, said the students were protesting because most of their parents who were government workers had not been paid for months, making it impossible for the parents to pay N4,500 for tax clearance.

The students called on the state government to pay the salaries of their teachers and parents without further delay so that everything would go back to normal.

Addressing the students, Mr. Lawrence Oyeniran, the permanent secretary of the state ministry of education, stated that the tax scheme was introduced so that the parents could pay their taxes.

He urged the students to go back to their classrooms with the assurance that the matter would be resolved.

Popoola and Olurin expressed surprise that the state governors of both Ekiti and Osun states were carrying out acts that were in flagrant disobedience of the UBEC Act. “In other climes, even children of illegal immigrants get direct access to education. Access to education is a basic right, not an item to be left at the whims and caprices of state actors,” Popoola told the Daily Times.

According to Olurin, it is worrisome that both states belong to the two major political parties in the country. Ekiti is under the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while the All Pro-

gressives Congress (APC) is in power in Osun.

“It means that both major political parties have no plan to find an enduring solution to the leadership challenges of the country. Why can’t Nigeria borrow a leaf from the United Kingdom, for instance, which has a National Insurance scheme which provides funding for education, health and child support? Why breach a national law to meet an atomized part of a bigger national challenge?”

The UBEC described the introduction of the levies as a contravention of its enabling Act which, it states, denies state governments the power to do so.

The assistant director, social Mobilization, of the Commission, Mr David Ape, told Daily Times in Abuja that the action

of the Ekiti State government is a major setback to the optimal realization of the mandate and set objectives that informed the setting up of the commission He said: “It is unfortunate that a state which is yet to access its counterpart funding is resorting to tasking poor parents on phantom levy charges’’.

Ape maintained that the commission is helpless in checking the action of the government as the current law is not specific enough.

He said: “Since the federating states exercise some measure of jurisdiction, there is not much the commission can do for now. We have been calling on the National Assembly to expedite action in the amendment of the UBEC Act to give it more bite, yet nothing has been done about it”.

ments had been made for her to give her evidence through video link at the DFID’s ( Department for International Development) office in Abuja the following Monday.

On his part, Feder insisted on fighting his client’s corner and following her wishes to the letter. Leaning heavily on the Court of Appeal’s ruling that ordered Southwark Crown Court to reassess her “realisable benefits” and the other strand of the upper court’s ruling that Judge Hardy got it wrong a few years ago when he ruled that Onuigbo had benefits to the tune of £21m, he argued that with almost 50 years experience on the bench, he knew that going through the hearing bundle of about 13,000 pages to prepare his case was not going to be easy as the Crown prosecutor was making it. Also, he argued that he could not prepare a good defence within a couple of days and much less, going against the wish of his client. He also argued that a particular document which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission , EFCC raided in the business address of Onuigbo was very crucial to her defence and they needed the Crown to make it available.

But Wass insisted: “We

cannot see her case taking more than three days. What we invite your honour to say is that the matter can proceed. There is no reason that Mrs Onuigbo’s hearing should be attached to Mr Ibori and Gohil.”

She equally urged the judge to order the case to proceed and use part of the six weeks initially reserved for the entire Ibori hearing.

Wass told the court further that adjourning the case would be a waste of public money.

However, Feder continually sang a different and opposing tune. “The idea of video link in Abuja doesn’t excite us.” He added that not only should the “whole issue of benefits” be dealt with “thoroughly,” he went further to give the reasons.

“Benefits as an English word and benefits in confiscation are two different things.”

Even though Pitts initially reasoned along with Wass, saying that “it doesn’t seem to me it must be joined with the other two next year, “ and that “ it is something we can do much more before,” Feder didn’t shift ground. He told the judge, “I hear what your honour says, but the idea of doing it via video link,” just doesn’t excite us by any stretch not the imagination.

FG’s domestic debt portfolio hits N8.39tn Continued from page 6 try’s presentation.

Its chairman, Hon. Aliyu Ahmad Patigi (APC/ Kwara) described the report as lacking in details.

He said: “My own of view of the presentation is that it is very sketchy and does not give a holistic view for full understanding of what the 2015 budget implementation is all about.”

Patigi added: “We had expected you to provide vivid insights into the regime of import duty waiver using explanatory notes to describe how what was done and why.

“You have not done that and we can’t say for sure that the position you presented before us is the right one because each day, companies keep declaring prof-

its running into hundreds of billions and yet they are given incentives and waiver when sectors such as the textile industry has no such consideration for revival”.

He said further: “On domestic debt of N8.396trillion, we are interested in knowing who the Federal Government is indebted to, what necessitated this huge amount of borrowing as well as how this money so borrowed was spent. We also want to know from when to when did this debt accumulated and how this amount will be liquidated in both short and long term”, he queried.

He urged the Ministry to give details in order to avoid going back and forth with the explanation as to what budget financing is.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday September 16, 2015

13 International

Putin defends Russian military aid to Syria

Putin

ÏÏÏRussian

President Vladimir Putin defended his country's military support for Syria, saying Tuesday that Russia will continue to aid President Bashar al-Assad's forces in their "fight against terrorist aggression."

Speaking at a regional security

conference in Tajikistan, Putin said Assad is open to working with the "healthy" opposition in Syria on a political solution to the conflict that has stretched on for four and a half years, but that the focus must first be on terrorism.

Assad has routinely used the word "terrorist" to describe rebels who have opposed his forces in the fight that has grown in complexity with the addition of Islamic State militants in large areas of the country.

Putin also pushed back against

We’re unable to handle migrant influx, says Serbia

allowed to cross the border. They chanted, "Open border, open border!" while police stood on the other side.

Local volunteers handing out food and supplies said about 200 people crossed through there Monday. Monday evening, the tents the volunteers had set up near the fence which, until a few days ago, were full of migrants resting after a long journey, were completely empty.

Only a kilometer or so away, at the legal crossing point from Serbia into Hungary, police had set up a barrier to keep journalists or volunteers away while the migrants arriving at the border were being whisked away in buses to the Röszke train station.

At the station, people sat for hours, either in buses, or by the side of the tracks, waiting for the next train to arrive. Tired, sleepless children wailed as volunteers distributed food and water.

There seemed to be a lot of confusion, largely resulting from the inability to communicate. Most of the migrants did not speak Hungarian and the police guiding them through gestures and occasional English words did not know Arabic. However, some migrants who spoke English had been told the train would take them to the Hungarian border village of Hegyeshalom, where they could walk over into Austria and take a bus or a train to Vienna.

Turnbull sworn in as Australia’s PM

ÏÏÏSerbia

says it is not able to handle the vast number of migrants gathered on its sealed border with Hungary, after Hungarian officials closed the gap in its fence with Serbia as part of a crackdown on the migrants.

Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Tuesday that Serbia is not a "collection center." He said it is unacceptable for migrants to have to return to Serbia while at the same time more were arriving from Greece and Macedonia.

Earlier Tuesday, Hungarian officials closed two official border crossings due to what they said were inadequate controls on the Serbian side. Hungary also declared a state of emergency in two southern counties as part of a crackdown on migrants trying to reach the European Union.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said under new security measures that went into effect Tuesday, his administration will be tough on those who cross the border illegally.

On Tuesday, hundreds of migrants pressed against the new barrier and demanded they be

ÏÏÏMalcolm

Turnbull was sworn in Tuesday as Australia's new prime minister, becoming the country's fourth leader in just over two years.

Turnbull emerged as leader of the Liberal Party following a surprise party vote late Monday that ousted Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

The 60-year-old ex-banker, lawyer and journalist told reporters he was "filled with optimism" as he headed for his swearing-in ceremony.

"This is a turn of events I did not expect, I have to tell you, but it's one that I'm privileged to undertake, and one that I'm certainly up to," said Turnbull.

Turnbull has vowed to oversee a less divisive government than the conservative Abbott, who on Tuesday pledged to make the leadership transition as smooth as possible.

"There will be no wrecking, no undermining, and no sniping. I have never leaked or back grounded against anyone and I certainly won't start now," Abbott said.

The outgoing leader also de-

critics who say Russia's involvement in Syria is increasing the flow of people fleeing the region.

He said without Russia's support in Syria, the situation would be worse and the flow of refugees greater.

His comments come a day after the U.S. Defense Department confirmed reports that Russia appears to be setting up an air base in Syria.

Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters Monday that the movement of Russian personnel and equipment into an area near the coastal city of Latakia "suggests the establishment of a forward operating base."

Western news agencies earlier Monday quoted unidentified U.S. officials as saying Russia has sent artillery and seven T-90 tanks to a Syrian air field near Latakia.

Late last week, the Pentagon said Russia recently sent 200 naval personnel and modular housing for up to 1,500 troops to Syria, along with artillery, a short-range guided missile controller and about a dozen armored vehicles.

Syria's ambassador to Russia, Riad Haddad, on Monday called talk of a Russian troop presence in Syria "a lie."

cried the "poll-driven panic" he said has produced a "revolvingdoor prime ministership" and a "febrile media culture" that he claims "rewards treachery."

Abbott, who was elected in September 2013, has seen his popularity ratings suffer in recent months, thanks in part to a series of internal leaks, unpopular budget cuts, and an inability to spur economic growth.

Turnbull differs from his predecessor on several key issues: most notably, he supports gay marriage and more stringent anti-pollution policies. Those differences are expected to be highlighted later this week when Turnbull announces his new cabinet.

The shakeup is expected to improve the chances of the Liberal Party, which faces a tough challenge from the opposition Labor Party in elections that are set for next year. Turnbull has for now ruled out early elections.

Turnbull

North Korea nuclear site 'in operation'

ÏÏÏNorth Korea says its main

nuclear facility, the Yongbyon complex, has resumed normal operations.

The country was improving its nuclear weapons "in quality and quantity", state-run news agency KCNA reported.

Yongbyon's reactor was shut down in 2007 but Pyongyang vowed to restart it in 2013, following its third nuclear test and amid high regional tensions.

The reactor has been the source of plutonium for North Korea's nuclear weapons programme. Experts believe that if re-started, the reactor could make one bomb's worth of plutonium per year. The announcement about Yongbyon is the first official confirmation from North Korea that it has restarted operations there.

A US think-tank said earlier this year that satellite images suggested that work had started at the plant.

Jerusalem clashes 'may ignite violence beyond its walls' – UN ÏÏÏA UN envoy has warned that

unrest in Jerusalem "may ignite violence beyond its walls" after clashes continued for a third day.

UN Special Envoy Nickolay Mladenov urged all leaders "to ensure visitors and worshipers demonstrate restraint and respect" at holy sites.

Israeli police clashed with protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

Al-Aqsa is one of Islam's holiest sites and is in the Temple Mount/ Haram al-Sharif site also revered

by Jews.

The holy compound is a source of religious and political tension between Israel and the Palestinians. It is a frequent flashpoint for violence.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AP that police entered the Al-Aqsa mosque compound early in the morning to disperse protesters who had stayed inside the mosque overnight.

The protesters threw projectiles at officers, Ms Samri said, adding that two Palestinians were arrested and five police officers were slightly injured in the violence.

Twenty-six Palestinians were injured on Tuesday, none of them seriously, the Director of the Palestinian Red Crescent emergency unit, Amin Abu Ghazaleh, told Reuters.

News14

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Bamanga Tukur quits partisan politics as PDP BOT shuns birthday

Ganduje advocates framework for women growth, commissions N137m water plant

Lateef Ibrahim

Yakubu Salisu

Abuja

ÏÏÏFormer National Chairman

of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and erstwhile Governor of old Gongola State, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, on Tuesday, announced his retirement from partisan politics.

Tukur made the announcement at a lecture in Abuja to mark his 80th birthday.

The former Governor and onetime Minister premised his decision on the need to give younger generation the opportunity to actively participate in politics.

Curiously however, members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) and Board of Trustees (BoT), shunned the event.

The BoT secretary, Senator Walid Jubrin who graced event explained that he came as a friend of Bamanga Tukur.

The PDP, after the lecture, later issued a goodwill message through its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, where it urged

younger generation of leaders to emulate Tukur’s humility, honesty, sense of duty and dedication to the national interest.

The former PDP National Chairman who traced his business and political journey so far, noted that Nigeria as a nation has given him so much and for him, it is a payback time.

"I want to rededicate my time, life and resources to the service of our nation as an elder statesman and father. My aim is to help to take Nigeria to the land of promise, to make her truly great and to ensure that she assumes her rightful position in the comity of nations.

"At the age of 80, I feel I can serve our dear nation more in the capacity of a statesman and father figure.

"My doors are open to all politicians, businessmen and businesswomen and all Nigerians who may seek my advice or opinion on any issue affecting our country and be-

yond," he said.

Tukur however, enjoined Nigerian politicians to play the game according to the rules and take the interest of the country at heart.

His words: "Politics should be seen as an avenue for rendering service to the country. Politics should not be a bread and butter affair. All politicians should rededicate themselves to the service of the people.

"Elected officers and government officials should regard their positions as sacred trust and it must be used to serve the nation and more," he added.

He regretted that Nigerian politicians have not yet internalised and applied the principle of internal party democracy, but blamed this on the long period of military rule in the country. Tukur noted that political parties are stronger when members submit themselves to the rules and regulations of the parties as well as subscribe to the ideologies.

Kano

ÏÏÏKano

State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has advocated a blueprint that would provide sustainability frame work for development of womenfolk in the state.

He gave the advice when he declared open the 1st Kano Women Development and Strategic Empowerment Forum organized by the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development held at Africa House, Government House, Kano, on Tuesday.

The governor noted that women, especially in developing countries like Nigeria are exposed to among other things, poverty, violence, discrimination and harassment, making it impossible for them to contribute meaningfully to national development.

“We must approach these problems holistically, systematically and in a way that it is measurable and favorable for our womenfolk.

But a crucial part of the solution is increasing their access to education, economic and social opportu-

nities in line with their lifestyles and cultures”, he said.

The governor, therefore, charged participants at the conference to come up with educational, preventable and protective measures that would be adopted to promote and protect the dignity of womenfolk in the society.

Saying the state government is worried over the increasing rate of divorce in the state, leading to broken families and its attendant consequences, the governor announced that his administration would soon enact a legislation that would make divorce easier said than done.

Earlier, the state Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Barr. Zubaida Damakka Abubakar explained that her ministry organized the summit with a view to finding lasting solution to problems clogging the progress of women not only in the state but in the nation at large, adding that many scholars and Civil Society Organizations were invited to give their input in the one – day event.

UI releases Post UME, awards scholarship to five best students Remi Oladoye

ÏÏÏThe authorities of

L-r: Chairman, Christian Forum for Governance in Righteousness, Rev. Chucks Alozie; Zonal Director, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Enugu Station, Mr Emeka Odikpo and a delegate, Mr David Ugwu, during an Advocacy visit to FRCN in Enugu… on Tuesday

the University of Ibadan (UI) has released the result of the just concluded post UME screening conducted for applicants.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Isaac Adewole yesterday disclosed that the institution would only admit 3,700 candidates out of 8,992 that wrote the post University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) last weekend.

He also added that five candidates who scored highest scores will be given scholarship by the

Buhari vows to fight violence against children Akor Ejumene Abuja

ÏÏÏWorried by the high rate of

violence as revealed in the Nigeria Violence Against Children Survey, released last week, President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, vowed to fight and bring to justice any act that violates the right of children in the country.

The president who hinted this at the launched of the “Year of Action to End Violence Against Children” in Abuja said his administration would not tolerate any offensive act targeted at children, saying children are the future of the country which his administra-

tion is working towards.

Represented at the occasion by the Head of Service of the Federation, Danladi Kifasi, the president said the finding in the report was an urgent call to action not only for the Government, but also for civil society organisations, religious and traditional groups, the media, the private sector, communities, parents and families to come together to tackle violence against children.

The President pledged the full commitment of his government to tackle violence against children and make life comfortable for even the generation unborn in

the country.

He commended the organizers of the event, saying “this is a historic day, a day when Nigeria stands up and says to our children - we commit to protecting you from violence.”

According to the Nigeria Violence Against Children Survey, carried out by the National Population Commission, with support from UNICEF and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Millions of children suffer violence every year in Nigeria - approximately 6 out of every 10 children under the age of 18 years experience some form of physi-

Buhari cal, emotional and sexual violence before the age of 18 years.

The survey found that one in two children experience physical violence while one in four girls and one in ten boys experience sexual violence as one in six girls and one in five boys experience emotional violence.

premier institution.

Prof. Adewole who was represented by the Deputy-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Emilolorun Ayelari while addressing journalists disclosed that the result is now available at the institution's website for candidates to view.

The award winners are: Adetunji AbdulRaham-55328333ED, scored 86, Law; Amaji Obinna Charles, 55110959DE scored 86, Medicine and Surgery, Adebiyi Tijesunimi55361970BC, scored 85, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Oke Dorcas-55974720AJ, 83, Medicine and Surgery and Olowosulu Cassandra Olawumi-56630251JB, 83 and also of Medicine and Surgery.

Adewole said:"23,200 candidates scored above 200 in UTME, 20,800 applied for the post UTME in our institution and only 19,268 took the screening and examination.

Our new method of admitting students with the O'levels and UTME result has really reduced students from withdrawing at the first year due to poor performances.

"The performances of the five best candidates that were given automatic scholarship from this institution will be monitored and they may be retained after their studies here" he said, warning members of the public not to influence the institutions admission officials for admission into the institution.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

15 Opinion

Buhari and assets declaration fraud

A Lawrence Chinedu Nwobu

s the days go by, President Muhammadu Buhari is turning out to be the most deceptive leader in Nigeria’s history. Almost everything he said in the course of the campaign has turned out to be lies, while some others like his most prominent campaign manifesto “my 100 days covenant with Nigerians” has been roundly denied by his spokesmen and party chairman. The document detailed his pledge and the first steps and initiatives to be taken in such cases as corruption, insurgency and insecurity, Niger-Delta, Diversity, Health care, Education, Agriculture, Economy, Power, Youth and ICT development. The document laid out the chief thrusts of his administration and the benchmarks it set out to achieve within a 100 days.

While the document is loaded with hypes, as was characteristic of the APC campaign, in the area of insurgency it specifically promised to rescue the Chibok girls within the 100-day timeline. As would be expected, this document was widely circulated in the print, electronic and social media and formed part of

the most fundamental drive of the Buhari/APC campaign. Curiously, Buhari never denied nor disowned the document that he purportedly signed as it went viral, but fast forward to September 2015 just as the 100 day timeline was about to be reached and all of a sudden a flurry of denials is coming from the presidency and the party. Buhari now claims he never saw nor authorised the document, that some out of control APC apparatchiks were behind the document.

How strange? Buhari went to rallies where posters of the same manifestoes were emblazoned on, walls and vehicles, he read newspapers were headlines screamed with his 100 days covenant, he watched television programmes where APC leaders serialised the covenant and in all that period Buhari kept quiet only to now tell us he was never aware of those campaign promises.

How about the assets he hurriedly declared after public opinion began mounting against him. We recall that Buhari had also previously denied promising to publicly declare his assets, a promise that was included in the 100 days covenant.

As the upsurge of negative opinion began, he made an asset declaration that was purely as deceitful as it was

a propaganda document.

Again not only did the assets contain a lot of semantics intended to hoodwink the gullible it was filled with inconsistencies that starkly contrasts with what Buhari had previously said with regards to his assets. During the presidential campaign, Buhari had said barely had one million naira was in his account and had to borrow money from his bank to buy the presidential nomination form. Few months later, we learn there is close to N30 million in his account, Buhari had also said he owned only two houses, one in his hometown of Daura and another in Kaduna. His landlord had reportedly kicked him out of an apartment in Abuja because he could not afford to pay the rent. Now we learn that Buhari has five houses including one in Abuja of all places.

When these are added to the acres of land in Port Harcourt that was previously not disclosed, the humongous shares in three banks that were also never disclosed and the number of cows that have jumped from 150 before the campaign to 270 and his inability to tell us how many vehicles he actually owns because they are too many, you get the full picture of a deceptive 419 President.

While Buhari has tried to de-

ceptively push his cash stock of 30 million in our face, his total assets when his property in Abuja, acres of land in Port Harcourt, 270 cows and millions of shares in banks are factored in are possibly more than N1billion. This does not include other possibly hidden or diverted assets we might never know of, including those in the name of his wife, relations, in-laws and siblings.

Essentially, Buhari is a manipulative smooth operator. From his certificate scandal all through to the presidency, he has laid his way to power, pulling off the most elaborate fraud in Nigeria’s history.

He used the campaign promises and a carefully cultivated image of honesty and probity to deceive Nigerians while bidding for time.

As soon as he got the presidency, he started unmasking, not intending to fulfill any of his campaign promises he went on a denial binge.

Buhari not only deceived Nigerians, he also deceived the enablers who made his presidency possible.

Bola Tinubu and the party henchmen are already licking their wounds having been ostracised by Buhari who used and dumped them.

We have been conned and duped.

Brace up for the bumpy ride that is sure to come with it.

Democracy in Africa, My Perspective

O

Jeff Okoroafor

ne would have thought that years after independence of many African countries, concrete development at all levels of its sectors would have been achieved. Today in Africa, there are still countries that are suffering one form of poverty, democratic backwardness, social decadence and degraded foresightedness. The vision is not there. The political will is missing. Peoplecentered policies cannot be found and the moral value in leadership is a distant feeling. African leaders are not doing so well in attempting to make the needed change. The people that follow want change to take place but practically doing very little to make it happen. It is still chaos in African politics, and good governance is not paramount to the Leaders. In all these, what can one say is the problem and the likeable Solution to fixing it?

Before I delve into this, let me reiterate my often-stated fact about Africa, democracy and the western belief. Political observers and leaders of the western world have already judged African countries to be practicing Democracy only since the beginning of the 90s, bringing about an Improvement in security,

economic stability in various parts of the Continent et al. They also came to the conclusion that unless Africa Accepts and adopts the western ideas of democracy, especially as formulated In conditionalities of donor countries and international financial Institutions like the IMF and the World Bank etc, the future, for Africa is bound to be bleak. In my opinion, this is rather an arrogant and erroneous claim which seeks to deny the African originality as well as organizational ability in the matter of governance.

Contrarily, as studies in history puts it, traditional governance on the continent confirms that democratic ideas are not knew to Africa, and that the majority of pre-colonial systems of traditional governance in Africa had, still have in many cases, very robust democratic elements. In between the 90s and the millennium, quite a lot has changed and it has affected the mindset of African generations in no smaller ways, this is what we must figure how to fix ourselves.

Its easy to confuse what is with what should be, especially when what is, is in your favour. A great number of the leaders that Africa has had over time, likes to settle for what is and not what should be.

Now according to a report released earlier this year, no African

President have been able to win the award set aside for a “corrupt-free president in Africa”, a prize that involves a very huge sum. Is anyone ever going to get it, can’t say.

Globally, democracy is a contestable system when it comes to actual definition as it relates to importance, but generally, it is agreed that its a system of government where the people have the ultimate power. There are different factors in Africa that infringes on the smooth operation of democracy -culture, religion, socio-political variances, ethnicity, corruption, lack of strong institutions et al. The biggest of these problems comes from the importation and raw application of foreign concepts. In Nigeria for example, the colonial masters brought us all together, taught us to work together for their advancement and power consolidation. After they left, those who took over from them, failed to teach others to now work together for the growth of the one-united entity called Nigeria. That was the point where everything fell apart and factors such as cultural, religious and ethnic differences set in and since then, we have been running from one end of the problem to another without much success.

I cannot end this topic without touching on the core aspects of

leadership that can lead to better governance in Africa, but often neglected. The outlined factors above which in the strongest of my opinions, impede democracy, emanates from the failure of leadership. We still have individuals in Africa today who cannot become political office holders unless they throw in the coin of religious differences, incite ethnic sentiments or cultural divides, cause chaos or some form of political unrest. A sustainable democratic progress that cuts across all levels of development can be achieved but not with the way African leaders are taking it. What we need now more than ever, are leaders who will work together to address Africa’s greatest challenges, achieve extraordinarysocial impact and accelerate the continent’s growth. This can only be doneby completely eradicating corruption, addressing the issues of governancewithout being partisan, building strong institutions, harnessing the abundant skills of African youths with complete equity in gender. But most importantly, coming up with original solutions to Africa’s unique problems rather than importing foreign solutions that don’t work for us. If we cannot get these to work, we cannot get Africa to work.

News 16

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

NGO trains 350 PLWHA in capacity building ÏÏÏNo

Scene of a fire incident that gutted a three storey plaza at Broad Street, Marina, Lagos… on Tuesday. Photo: BOLAJI OLASUNKANMI

Set blueprint for anti-corruption campaign, Oyintiloye charges Buhari ÏÏÏPresident

Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to initiate a national blueprint on his anti-corruption war in order to establish a means of ensuring international standard in executing government business.

Hon. Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, a member of the Osun State House of Assembly, made the charge s at the end of a capacity building workshop on Transparency and Accountability for members of Houses of Assembly of states in the South West geo-political zone, organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) in Abuja on Thursday.

According to him, the President should establish a Transparency Charter that would re-awaken value and promote compliance with the established protocols of doing government business such as Due Process that has been abandoned

by MDAs and most states governments.

Oyintiloye said the charter must see to it that the costing of public

work is done in such a way that the citizens are not short changed.

He said the charter, if properly developed, would ensure adherence to global standard in executing government projects, and activities, thereby eliminating cutting corners and shady deals, hence discourage corrupt practices.

The lawmaker stated further that the survival of the nation’s economy depended on the success of the fight against corruption, stressing that the nation is faced with myriads of challenges.

Oyintiloye maintained that the war against corruption should not be that of the President alone, but a campaign that must be supported by all Nigerians in a bid to place the country on the path to greatness.

“This Transparency charter would reduce the psychological pressure on the Presidency and make Nigerians take ownership of the battle through in-built mechanism to monitor government and question it's authority.

“It will ensure standardised procedure in doing business, destroy cutting corners and will be a platform that direct attention to the best international practice on executing public activities or business.

“By Transparency Charter, I advocate a Compendium that connects with the people, reshapes conduct, resets value orientation and influences comportment in tandem with the reality of the nation's resources. As soon as the charter is well internalised by Nigerians, it will become norms to live by. It’s all about a new mindset”, he added.

The lawmaker expressed confidence in Professor Sagay- led Committee on War Against Corruption, which he said would serve as a catalyst for battle against corrupt practices. Oyintiloye further called on Nigerian elites to join the president in the bid to eliminate corruption, warning that if they allow the campaign to fail, corruption may eventually paralyze the nation’s dwindling economy.

fewer than 350 Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) have benefited from capacity building of an (FH360) Health, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) on different economic trade for self reliance, the State Technical Officer, Dr. Ahmad Abdu Bola has hinted.

These included pomade making, sewing, knitting, apart from provision of health services, counseling in rehabilitation of people with vulnerable diseases.

The NGO which works closely with other relevant CSO provide all forms of support like Education, Health, among others aimed at uplifting the lives of people at

the grass-roots.

According to him, the NGO plans to train additional 200 targeting larger society. It is currently working in 8 LGA's in Jigawa State.

They are: Ringim, Dutse, Hadejia, Jahun, Malam-Madori, Kaugama, Gumel, and Birnin Kudu local government areas respectively.

In a related development, communities across Jigawa State have been advised to guide against all forms of child abuse.

Giving the advise while presiding over a seminar on prevention of children from all sorts of abuses, Dr. Bola of the FH360 (Health) cautioned communities and stakeholders on the need to uphold all guides on protection of rights and privileges of the child."As health professionals, we are duty bound to propagate, assist and act positively on prevention of all form of abuse on child rights", said.

Group pledges to empower, assist enterprising youths ÏÏÏThe

President of Africa's Young Entrepreneurs (A.Y.E), Summy Francis, has made it known that A.Y.E is not only committed to networking entrepreneurs across Africa but to also assist them in achieving their entrepreneurial goals.

He said this at the inauguration of a new chapter of Africa's Young Entrepreneur Students Association (A.Y.E.S.A) at Covenant University in Otta, Ogun State.

According to Francis: "For students to be creative, innovative and entrepreneurial, we cannot merely have them memorize what the curriculum requires, and cannot just keep them in the classroom.

"Real innovation and creativity happens in interaction with real life. Hence our platform (A.Y.E.S.A) will help them interact more with independent entrepreneurs within the A.Y.E. network present in 19 African

countries. It is about the university working closely with the surrounding society and private sector. It is initiatives and proactive attitudes to solving problems that matter to people," Francis said.

Prof. Charles Ayo, Vice-Chancellor, Covenant University, while delivering his speech at the inauguration noted that the institution shared similar vision with A.Y.E., pointing out that the institution is envisioned to raising a new generation of leaders in all fields of human endeavour.

Also, he added that lack of leadership capacity is evidenced in all businesses in the continent.

He said, "If you ask me what we have as a continent, I would say the whole continent is in disarray, therefore making it practically impossible for anybody to maintain development. And when you think of development, you will remember an environment that is beclouded with anarchy, no way to survive."

Appeal Court Judge advises govts to pay attention to agriculture Sunday Nwakanma

Umuahia ÏÏÏAn Appeal Court Judge, Justice Onyekachi Aja Otisi, has advised states and federal governments to pay much attention to agriculture, especially the states of the south east.

Speaking with Daily Times when the Abiriba Nnachioke in Bende LGA of Abia State and the Abiriba community stepped into their new year in line with Abiriba culture of celebrating it with new yam festivities and community peace.

Justice Otisi, who is the ADA ENA ABIRIBA of Abiriba Kingdom urged governments at all levels in the country to realise that agriculture is important as everyone cannot work in the civil service in the urban areas.

“We need to feed our children, we need to feed our people, everybody cannot be found in the town working in the civil service”, she said.

She expressed joy, stating that the occasion signifies the gratitude of Abiriba people to God over bountiful harvest in the year and

the initiation of Abiriba New Year.

Accepting that farming has to a large extent been left for women alone, Justice Otisi called for all hands to be on deck to revitalize the farming spirit for which the nation is known.

Also speaking, an Abiriba erudite scholar and Chancellor, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Prof Anya O. Anya said culture is worth celebrating and advised that farming should be enhanced to support the revenue base of governments at all levels.

According to another son of Abiriba Kingdom, Dr. Nnanna Kalu Onuma, an attaché in the Presidency, the occasion which started with the creation of Abiriba kingdom, but resuscitated in 2013 after the disturbance in the kingdom, describing it as worthwhile.

“We don’t have a choice but to go back to olden days’ groundnut pyramid and that is back to agriculture”, he stressed.

Speaking with Daily Times in his obi (palace) in Ameke Abiriba, after the occasion, the chief cel-

ebrant and Enachioken of Abiriba, Eze Kalu Kalu Ogbu IV said though Abiriba cannot claim to have commercial agriculture at the moment, “what is going on to a large extent is subsistence agriculture where people are farming to feed themselves and their neigbhouring communities, disclosing that still, people come from Aba, Umuahia and the neighbouring communities come to buy yams.

He described as unfortunate people because of religion, who will not join in the new yam festival, pointing out that it is not fetish.

Business Times Æ s

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

17

NAMA upgrades pilot communication equipment Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo In keeping with its September 2015 deadline for the takeoff of the Automatic Dependent Surveillance- Contract /Controller Pilot Data Link Communication (ADS-C/CPDLC) in the country, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) yesterday commenced the installation of project facilities in Kano and Lagos Area Control Centres (ACCs) simultaneously.

The equipment which include both hardware and software systems consists of SITA AIRCOM ATS systems, controller working positions, switches, display systems, modems and redundant power systems.

Others include link connectivity platforms, Human Machine Interface (HMI), Air Traffic Situation Awareness Display, ACARS Access Gateways (AAG), FANS Front End Systems (FFE), Fame Simulators, work stations as well as recorder/replay systems.

Speaking on the installation, the Managing Director of NAMA, Engr. Ibrahim Abdulsalam expressed optimism that the quality of infrastructure being deployed by the agency and the expertise of trained personnel would further enhance the ongoing digitalization of air traffic management systems in country.

Abdulsalam

Over 20 million Bank customers get BVNs

L-R: Mr Ifie Sekibo, MD/CEO Heritage Bank Limited, Ms Sally Mbanefo, Director General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation and Otunba Debola Osibogun, President, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, CIBN during the 9th Annual Banking and Financial conference of CIBN in Abuja recently

Regain investors’ confidence quickly – Analysts urge Buhari Emmanuel Ogbonnaya, Business Editor The recent decision of J.P Morgan to delist Nigeria from its Government Bond Index for Emerging Markets “GBI-EM” has continued to provoke commentaries and analyses of the implication for Nigeria and a cross-section of analysts believe that the country might have taken a battering thereby losing its economic attraction.

Hecker Jurgen, renowned financial analyst based in France in a mail to Daily Times noted that the early timing of J.P Morgan’s move was surprising, but not the reasoning behind it.

“Three months into his term, President Buhari has not appointed a full cabinet, and especially, a finance minister. This is a real worry for international investors. Expectations that the

Adesola Akindele As the October 31st deadline for Bank Verification Number (BVN) exercise approaches over 20 million bank customers have been enrolled by their various banks.

naira should already have been devalued are another reason.

This move by JP Morgan will oblige many fund managers to sell Nigerian bonds, as they can only invest in securities included in the index.

“This will put additional pressure on the naira, and the government would do well do react, decisively this time. But now it will probably have to devalue by more than it would have had it acted earlier. It is a pity that it has come to this, and now it’s going to be more difficult than before to regain investor confidence. There is a lesson here for the future,” he said.

He said that what President Buhari needs to do is now even clearer – “Devalue the naira, appoint a credible finance minister, and announce credible and rapid measures to diversify the economy and fight corruption.

If all of this is swift and credible, investors will be demanding Ni-

gerian bonds again. And in that case, JP Morgan will very likely reverse its decision,” he said.

In a similar vein, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry LCCI rising in its third quarter review stated that the CBN foreign exchange policy needs to be urgently reviewed to encourage the inflow of autonomous funds into the foreign exchange market.

“The current tight exchange controls is a major disincentive to the inflow of diaspora funds, export proceeds and other autonomous funds into the economy, thus worsening the foreign exchange crisis. The CBN needs to be creative in its fight against money laundering in order to minimize disruptions to economic activities. Its current approach has caused considerable disruptions to economic activities in the country.

“The biggest challenge facing investors currently is the

disruptions and dislocations caused by the recent foreign exchange policies of the CBN. The Chamber noted that the sovereign risk perception of Nigeria has worsened over the last two months. Several credit lines for Nigerian investors have been lost following the numerous cases of payment defaults to foreign suppliers. Even reputable blue chip companies have defaulted for the first time in the several years of business relationship with their foreign suppliers.

Considerable damage has been done to the image of many companies and the country in the international trade and investment arena. A major confidence crisis has been created for investors,” the Chamber said.

“We call on the President Muhammadu Buhari, to urgently intervene in this matter before further damage is done to the private sector and the economy at large.

This information was disclosed

by Nigeria Inter Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS) who have also collaborated with telecoms firms to create a platform through which bank customers can confirm their registration status.

Already, NIBSS has collaborat-

ed with one of the country’s telecoms service providers, Etisalat to roll out the BVN Query Service.

The service, which was unveiled at the NIBSS headquarters recently, is designed to help the banking Nigerian public Query their BVN on-the-go via their mo-

bile phones.

Speaking on the service, the Managing Director of NIBSS, Ade Shonubi, said the initiative was in response to growing public demand for confirmation of BVN status by those, who have enrolled on the platform.

Insurance 18

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Leadway Pensure parleys clients on social media Stories by Isaac Agber

Leadway Pensure PFA has gone face to face with its clients on social media platforms. The aim is not just for mere chatting, but an earnest move to step up pension education and deepen awareness to its clients and prospects.

With this development, all clients and prospects of Leadway Pensure PFA won’t be struggling

to obtain information as the company has rolled out several social media features ranging from a full-fledged cartoon series to pictorial dos and don’ts for job seekers, customer service chat touchpoints for enquiries and service requests, according to a press statement.

Other educative contents in this package will also focus on the pension industry and creation of a work-life balance. The

enjoyable cartoon series, “The Life of Mr. P,” for example, is said to capture elaborate stories detailing the importance of Wills, financial prudence, preparing for retirement early and much more, the statement hinted.

These educative activities will assume a frequent and regular feature on the Facebook and Twitter, the very popular conduits through which the organization engages its clients. In ad-

dition to this, Leadway Pensure has recently launched its mobile app to provide full account access to registered clients to monitor their accounts, carry out changes and updates, rate services rendered, amongst other features.

These initiatives are not gimmicks but sincerely motivated to create a seamless customer touch-point where clients and prospects can easily contact the organization at no added cost.

Ronke Adedeji, MD Leadway Pensure

STI shareholders to expect better dividends henceforth

Chairman of Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc, Dr. Ephraim Faloughi; MD/ CEO Sovereign Trust Insurance, Mr Wale Onaolapo;Vice Chairman of the Company, Mr Oluseun Ajayi and Mrs Adefemi Abeke Taire, Director of the company at its 20th Annual General Meeting held in Lagos.

Contributory pension scheme has enormous benefits, says PenOp The Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp) has said that the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) remains one of the best things to have been afforded for workers who deserve comfortable lifestyle at retirement.

The Executive Secretary PenOp, Ms. Susan Oranye, who disclosed this in a statement, said the new pension scheme has helped to shift the exercise from stem to stern, discarding the rigorous challenges associated with the old scheme, which in time past, denied workers their rights and entitlements.

Oranye noted that the new scheme, which has been placed in the hands of the employers and employees, has eradicated undue hardship pensioners were subjected to in a bid to access their pensions, stressing that the era of long queues by

retirees when accessing their benefits has faded away and that retirees now get their pensions on or before 24th of every month, that is, even before active workers.

According to her, the scheme has put in place a total package for workers and retirees, adding that this can be attested to by the recently released draft guidelines on mortgage finance by the National Pension Commission (PenCom). And, if approved, the new scheme will allow workers access 25 per cent of their RSA balance as equity for mortgage financing of their primary home.

It would be recalled that as at May 31, 2015, the scheme had approximately 6.6 million contributors and assets in excess of $25 billion. Oranye also explained that Pension Fund Administrators have paid N300 billion to re-

tirees between 2007 and 2015.

According to statistics produced by the Regulatory body, PenCom,111,756 retirees were paid monthly pension of N3.4 billion by PFAs and 18,468 received N917 million monthly from insurance firms.

Oranye said that PenCom had confirmed that, in the first quarter of this year, N4.44 billion was paid as death benefits to the next of kins of 1,450 deceased employees, stressing that N77.18 billion had so far been paid to the next of kins of 27,321 deceased employees from inception to the end of the first quarter of 2015.

And, in line with the provisions to cater for workers who were disengaged over the years, 96,002 of them were paid 25 per cent of their Retirement Savings Account (RSA) balances last year, amounting to N20.72 billion.

One of Nigeria’s underwriting firms, Sovereign Trust Insurance (STI) Plc. has assured all its stakeholders of better and positive financial results in the years ahead.

The company also assured investors of payment of dividend in the next financial year, stating that the company is more than ready to improve on its 2014 financial account and pay dividends when due.

Speaking on the performance of the firm in the year under review, Wale Onaolapo, Managing Director of the insurance company blamed the performance on the harsh operating terrain experienced in the course of the year and the company’s response to several regulatory interventions.

“At the back of the several strategic measures adopted by the company to withstand challenges and realities of the operating environment, the company

Onaolapo, MD STI

headline performance was somehow affected by the combination of the harsh operating terrain experienced in the course of the year and our response to several regulatory interventions,” he stressed.

A top management staff of the company, Dr. Ephraim Faloughi, speaking at the company’s 20th Annual General meeting held in Lagos, said with the level of businesses STI has undertaken in the current year (2015), coupled with its recently concluded capital raising processes via a rights issue exercise, the future looks positive to all its shareholders.

“We believe that the future of the company is really bright, particularly, with the implementation of our new business model and deployment of competitive strategies to control better market share and improve our profit level. We will direct our oars towards realisation of our industry leadership ambition while keeping the company very profitable,” Faloughi explained.

STI recorded 16 per cent drop in the Gross premium written for the year ended 31st December, 2014, Faloughi disclosed.

Meanwhile, gross premium for the year under review stood at N7.2 billion, a performance that represent 16 per cent decline over a sum of N8.6 billion recorded in the previous year. Profit before tax also declined 62 per cent from N857.8 million for the million recorded in the year ended December 2013 to N326 million for the year ended 31st December, 2014.

Also , profit after tax decreased by 68 per cent to close the year at N294 million from N929 million reported in 2013.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

19 Interview

10th Abuja Trade Fair will have many international participants - Imomoh

Mr Osi Imomoh is the Vice President Finance, of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) as well as the Chairman of the Organising Committee for the 10th Abuja Trade Fair. He told Daily Times’ MATHEW DADIYA that the 2015 Abuja Trade Fair Exhibition has assumed an international dimension with an unprecedented number of foreign exhibitors jostling for limited space.

How prepared is the Abuja Chamber of Commerce in hosting the trade fair?

I must tell you that we are very much prepared because we started early – about eight months ago.

And with the experience we’ve got, we hope to get things better.

We have done it now for ten years.

How many participants are you expecting at this Trade Fair?

We are expecting something close to four hundred and eighty six participants and the exhibitors, but judging by what happened last year, by our own estimation and records over 10,000 people came to the Trade Fair. At one point, it was more like a carnival, families were coming here for Christmas shopping, and so on, and it was quite a good story.

I recall last year we had challenges–very bad challenges: Security, that was when Boko haram was at its peak, we also had the challenge of Ebola disease but even at that, the turnout was superb.

And this year, these challenges have been tackled; we are going to expect quiet a lot more people coming.

The mineral sector is part

‘‘Ghanaians have called us asking us to reserve about thirty-nine slots for them, but unfortunately the call came a bit late, but now we are reserving 29 spots for them.’’

Imomoh

of your Chamber, what is the organisation doing to ensure that the issue of funding the solid mineral sector is addressed?

Well, you are not too far from the truth concerning the mineral and mining sector, but recently we started doing something about it, and as I speak, one of our Vice President is about preparing to go to travel abroad where one of these mining issues is going to be discussed and during this Trade Fair also a particular date has been set aside for our members to come and listen to experts, and Banks on the benefits of getting involved in mining. So apart from what you are going to be seeing as exhibition we also have a colloquium, that is a group will appear on a particular day and we would tell our members, those who are interested in anything concerning that particular sector. So I am glad you asked that question on mining, we have set aside a day but I can’t remember the particular date where Eco Bank to be precise is coming to talk to our

members on the benefit and what they need to learn and gains from venturing into mining.

The issue of getting funding from bank has always been a big challenge to the mining sector what are you doing to address this bottleneck?

It’s not just about loaning, the Nigerian banks will be willing to lend the mining sector once the necessary things are done, and they haven’t done any wrong but I want to hear what this (Eco Bank) bank has to tell us. So right now we want to hear what they have to tell us because they said they want to come. That mean, we are going to challenge them or ask them that if they are ready to give loans to the mining sector even if it is short or long term loan we would appreciate because they told us that they are going to give them loan for ninety days, and I don’t think that is good enough in fact even a one year loan is too short, it has to be a long package, we will like to hear from them, and I will not want to pre-empt.

Hosting such an exhibition like this would definitely cost a huge sum, how did it cost you to organise this and how much are you likely to make at the end of the Fair?

Well, no matter what we earn, I

think we are not actually here to make profit, because we are doing this as a service to our members, even if we break-even it cannot be enough but I can tell you that we won’t make enough.

Do you have foreign participants?

Yes! That’s an interesting thing, you wouldn’t believe it that from West Africa the Ghanaians have called us asking us to reserve about thirty-nine slots for them, but unfortunately the call came a bit late, but now we are reserving 29 spots for them. But I think out of the 39 they asked for, we could only offer them 25, because of the kind of demand that we were getting for this exhibition. Apart from the Ghanaians, the Egyptians are coming, and as well as the Pakistanis and that’s why we call it the International Trade Fair.

The issue of JP Morgan’s plan to delist Nigeria from the Bond Index, how concerned is the Abuja Chamber of Commerce?

The association would as a mentoring body tell our members the necessary steps to be taken because what JP Morgan has done was making it more difficult for our importers because it’s going to imply stricter condi-

tions. What we are trying to do is to educate our members on how to mitigate some of these challenges and possibly surmount them because there is no way you can go and invest where there is uncertainty but the only thing is to work around it.

Access Bank is also coming to do a colloquium for us on how to surmount these challenges. So whichever way it goes our own job is to make sure that members of this Chambers, can continue their businesses regardless of the panic JP Morgan is trying to inject into the economy.

President Muhamadu Buhari is yet to constitute his cabinet, in what way do you think this is affecting the Nigerian economy?

It has affected the economy in many ways, because whenever investors or people want to come into a country, the first thing they look at is the political stability and if they are happy with the stability, then, they would come in. constituting a cabinet is a very important thing to every economy because when investors come into a country sometime, they would want to see person in charge of a particular agency or ministry. In our business environment in a situation whereby, we have minister appointed to look after business activities, of course we cannot all run to the President but when you have issue you can go to the minister.

Therefore it is very critical to the economic stability of the country.

Although you cannot actually determine how the President will run his government but whichever way he is doing it provided we will all come out happier, so be it.

Money 20

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Lenovo unveils ‘Phab’, increases investment in Nigeria Opeoluwani Akintayo

L-R: Chief Editor, TW Magazine, Adesuwa Onyenokwe; Chief Executive Officer, WAKANOW, Obinna Okezie; Chief Executive Officer, Blue Camel Energy Limited, Suleiman Yusuf and Group Head, Strategy and Communications, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Shina Atilola,, at the bank’s ‘Get Ready For Work’ programme in Lagos…weekend

Dangote an example for African Investors — Oshiomhole Charles Okonji Aliko Dangote, President/ Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Ltd, has been lauded for his investment model in African economies which has surged capacity utilisation as well as created thousands of jobs.

Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole while speaking to a cross section of international journalists at the commissioning of the 1.5 million metric tonnes per annum Dangote Cement Grinding Plant in Douala, Cameroon, lauded the Nigerian-born industrialist for providing massive job opportunities in several African countries.

According to him, Dangote has spurred the industrialization of many African economies through the establishment of integrated cement plants which are geared towards making those countries self-sufficient in cement production.

He said the real sector is the engine room of any economy therefore investments in the

sector will have a multiplier effect on other sectors leading to massive direct and indirect job opportunities.

Oshiomhole said that contrary to the jobless growth experienced in many economies, the growth resulting from Dangote’s investments is job propelled which is what African countries need.

“Many of the so called entrepreneurs are mere traders whose business activities could hardly rejuvenate the economy and that is why when they reel out figures to indicate there is a growth it does not reflect on the economy and the people”, the governor noted.

He described Dangote as the true symbol of black capital, where capital for investment in Africa is expected to flow from Africans into African economies. He explained that it is better for the likes of Dangote to invest in Africa than African countries looking for loans which come with outrageous interest rates.

Also, former Governor of Ekiti State, Niyi Adebayo in his comments said that Africa

needs home-grown investors like Aliko Dangote to become industrialized. According to him, investors like Dangote are at home in Africa. They understand the continent, its needs and where to invest.

Dangote Cement is the continent’s foremost indigenous cement growth with presence in about 16 African countries. The Cement group which strives to make Africa self-sufficient in cement production recently signed a $4.34 billion contract with Sinoma International Engineering Company Limited, a Chinese construction giant, for the construction of 11 new cement plants in 10 African countries, and Nepal in Asia.

Recently, the Company had inaugurated his cement plants in Ethiopia, Zambia and Cameroon with each capable of producing 1.5 million metric tonnes per annum.

The Company has also set machinery in motion to commission its plant in Tanzania after which it would be the turn of Senegal to host the commissioning of another 1.5 mmtpa capacity cement plant.

Lenovo Technologies has unveiled its latest innovation – ‘Phab’ a device which is a cross between a tablet and a phone.

While unveiling the new phone, Phab, the Lenovo’s Africa General Managing Director, Graham Braum said the new innovation is part of the company’s first quarter results and its recent investment into the Nigerian market.

According to him, Phab was manufactured to fill the gap between tablet and phone.

“It’s great to be in Nigeria again, this time, to introduce our latest achievement in the first quarter of the year. It’s our latest investment and one of its kind in the country. We at Lenovo felt the need to close the gap between the tablet and phone, that why we came up with Phab. “ The Phab is more fashionable, flexible, more balanced, more diversified and stronger.

He noted that top on the list of phone users around the world is Internet browsing.

According to him, due to modern technology, phone us-

ers use their phones more, first for Internet surfing, then messaging, music, photos, lastly for phone calls.

He also revealed that Lenovo now has a team of 14 in Nigeria as against two when they first arrived the country.

Delivering the opening remarks Lenovo Technologies Africa executive, Mr. Oyekanmi Balaji hinted that over the years, Lenovo which is one of the leading manufacturers of PCs in the world, has continued to work harder in making sure that its customers get the best in terms of up-to-date technology devices.

Dockworkers complain of safety negligence by Stevedoring firms ...accuse NPA of flouting tally clerks payment agreement Funmi Coker The Dockworkers branch of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has raised the alarm that some stevedoring companies operating inside Nigeria’s seaports have neglected basic health safety measures including not having ambulances.

Revealing this to journalists, President of the Dockworkers branch of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju stated that the labour union will soon be picketing some stevedoring firms that lack up to date safety equipment inside the seaports.

According to him, “some service providers who work under the terminal operators at the seaports don’t have up to date safety equipment. Some don’t even have ambulance and we are going to picket some of them very soon.

“Like some stevedoring contractors under the terminal operators which i will not like to mention their names now, their ambulance is not up to standard. We are talk-

ing about the third parties in the job chain at the seaports, the stevedoring contractors; they are the ones who are responsible for the welfare of the workers under them. Some dockworkers work with them, yet their ambulance is nothing to write home about.

“We have noticed some of the ambulances are sub-standard and we will be going about to inspect this safety equipment. When we go around, we will then make public the names of the stevedoring contractors who operate sub-standard equipment at the seaport.”

On the implementation of payment to tally clerks recently agreed with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), he explained that some of their members are yet to get paid.

“As I am talking to you now, the tally clerks’ salaries have not been paid. We had earlier issued out a fourteen day ultimatum which has elapsed, but due to the promise of the NPA management and the involvement of the Ministry of Transport then, that was why we shelved our strike.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

CHRIST FAITH CHAPEL OF RESTITUTION 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 Act of 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1 Adeoku Martins 2 Emmanuel Ogundairo 3 Damilare Akinola 4 Ojo Racheal 5 Bolanle Obajagun 6 Gbenga Akinola 7 Folashade Abiola 8 Toyin Emmanuel 9 Tobiloba Abraham.

21 Public Notice

YABA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY CLASS OF 1989-1999 OLD STUDENTS ASSOCIATION The general public is hereby notified that the above named body association has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part

LIFELINE IMPACT CHRIST IAN FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL The general public is hereby notified that the above named club. has applied for the change of trustees to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

“C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

Trustees.

(1) Charles Olubor Kenneth

(2) Adebayo Catherine Ibitayo

(3) Akinsanya Olumide Kayode

(4) Prince Adedapo Araromi

(5) Osonuga Bankole Olusegun

(6) Ivagba Daniel Omoarebun

(7) Harris Aderemi

(8) Alalade Emmanuel Oyeleke .

AIM AND OBJECTIVE : To preach the gospel of our lord Jesus Christ

Aim and objectives.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, P.M.B 198, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication Signed: Secretary.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-Gen-

To promote unity among members

eral, Corporate Affairs Commission, P.M.B 198, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication Signed: Secretary

Trustees.

1. Rev. Bar. Samuel Iroye. 2. Mr. Akinrotimi Sunday Martins 3. Bro. Paul Iroye.

4. Pst. Bar. Abraham O. Anthony 5. Prof. Chima Mordi 6. Pst. Taiye Olugbenga Olusegun Aim and objectives.

1. To preach the Gospel of Christ Jesus for the liberation and deliverance of mankind.

2. To carry out empowerment, enlightenment and motivational campaigns for the total development of mankind.

3. To establish worship and teaching centers, schools, orphanage, hospitals, printing press for the promotion of Christ Gospel Any objection to the change of trustees registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, P.M.B 198, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication Signed: Secretary

LIBERTY MANDATE MINISTRY

HIS WORD GLOBAL SENSE MINISTRY

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Association has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

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

The general public is hereby notified that the above named body has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for Registration under part C of the Companies and Allied Matter Act 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Ajah Simon Ivoke - Chairman.

2. Mgbemchertara Marcel - Vice Chairman 3. Okoro Franklin Onwudiwe- Secretary.

Trustees 1. Oluwafisayo Olayinka-Bello, - President.

2. Mrs Yemisi Abanikanda, - Secretary.

3. Peter Ibeziako, - Member.

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. Nwanze Nwabueze Israel 2. Nwajaku peter chukwudi 3. Nwagwu Jude Izuchukwu 4. Osuji Ngozi Sylvia 5. Nwabueze chinelo lhenaga.

The Aims and Objectives: To organize and unite all qualified and practicing leather artisans and merchants of leather and leather products in Abia states into one professional body.

Aims and objectives.

1. Dissemination of freedom message through the preaching of the word of God. 2. Empowering humanity.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES : To evangelize, teach and preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ

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

Signed: Secretary

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, P.M.B 198, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication Signed: BABADEMI LUCY – Lawyer

SUB – SAHARAN ENERGY CLUB

ORGANIZATION OF NIGERIA NORWAY INTSOK OIL & GAS PARTICIPANTS IN NIGERIA

ORIENT LEATHER ARTISANS & MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION

The general public is hereby notified that the above named club 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. Oluwasheyi Lisk-Carew - Chairman 3. Mr. Abba Issa Abubakar - Secretary

2. Mr. Olufesobi Bright - Vice Chairman 4. Mr. Osahon Akharoh - Treasurer

AIMS AND OBJECTIVE 1. To hold Conferences, Meetings and Seminars and other events and do promotes the reading of learned papers.

2. To develop and promulgate codes of best professional practice, to prescribe standards of business ethics, training and experience in profession or activities related to the objects.

3. To nurture and poster Coaching relationships 4. To discuss and deliberate on oil & gas issues.

The general public is hereby notified that the above named BODY has applied to the corporate Affairs commission Abuja for registration under the part C of the companies and allied matters act NO1 of 1990.

The Trustees are: 1. Prophet Agboola Oluwasegun Joshua- Chairman 2. Engr. Salami Sule James- Secretary 3. Albert Ojo Adelakun.

4. Gabriel Ibitoye 5. Agboola Olamide James 6. Agboola Ola-Oluwa John 7. Mrs. Orimoloye Olumadamilola Deborah AIMS AND OBJECTIVES : 1. To increase Nigerian participation in Nigeria / Norway oil and gas industry.

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

Signed: Trustees.

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 28days from the date of this publication.

Signed: Secretary

UMUERI GENERAL ASSEMBLY

POSITIVE EFFECTS INITIATIVE

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs Commission (C.A.C) P.M.B 198, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent off Aguiyi Irosi Street, Maitama Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication.

Signed: Barrister Alisigwe 08023414808

SPONTANEOUS ACTS OF LOVE FOUNDATION The general public is hereby notified that the above named Foundation has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990 Trustees 1. Wellington Theophilus - Chairman 2. Wellington Doris Nengi - Secretary 3. Waritimi Ekpobomene 4. Nemi Olusegun AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. Literacy for all age group.

2. Gender equality in education.

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

Signed: BARRISTER V. T. UGOCHUKWU (08037266121)

CALVARY POWER & EDENIC LIFE GOSPEL MINISTRY INTERNATIONAL

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Assembly has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Initiative has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Ministry has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990

Trustees 1. Comrade Chike Odili -Chairman, 2. Hon. Peter Onyeaka -Secretary, 3.Sir Charles Emeka.

4.Major Chris Okaa RTD.

TRUSTEES: 1. Chinedu Obi 2. Kelechi Ihekire 3. Ikenna Nnamani 4. Nkene Enukeme 5. Rakiya Tekune 6. Mosebolatan Ayodele 7. Chigozie Mgbaegbu

TRUSTEES: 1. Pastor Ezekiel Olumide Popoola 2. Mrs. Yemisi Olubunmi Popoola 3. Sis. Omonogun Bukola Iyabo 4. Mr. Divine Ilenlo 5. Mr Adebayo Raphael Shola

Aims and objective I. To promote development in the community.

2. To carter for the welfare of members Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Sign: Barr. Jude Ekwenze 08037174852

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

SIGNED: BARR. EUGENE EGU FOR: EQUINOX SOLICITORS, ABUJA. 08092145386.

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

SIGNED: BARR. EUGENE EGU FOR: EQUINOX SOLICITORS, ABUJA- FCT. 08092145386.

ETERNALLIFE UNIVERSAL GOSPEL CHURCH

USMAN DANFODIO UNIVERSITY MEDICAL EDUCATION TRUST

LARGE FORMAT PRINTS OWNERS ASSOCIATION SOUTH CENTRAL DELTA STATE

The general public is hereby notified that the above named Church has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

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 Act, LFN, 2004.

This is to inform the general public that the above named Association has applied for Registration to the Corporate Affairs Commission under Part “C” of the Companies And Allied Matters Act 1990.

The trustees are: 1. Nwachinemere Emmanuel - Founder/ General Overseer 2. Mr. Nzenwa Chancellor 3. Uzorma Brendan 4. Mrs Emmanuel Lawrenta - Secretary

Trustees 1. Dr Said Amin -:Chairman 2. Dr Ima Kashim - Secretary 3. Dr Adekunle Ola 4. Dr Tawa Ayuba.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Akhagbemhe Godwin Enike 3. Laye Eselemo 5. Otuwho Keno 7. Evangelist Festus Ogbogoro

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

Aim and objectives 1. To protect the interest of members.

2. To hold seminars, workshops, conferences, symposium and dissemination of information on . USMAN DANFODIO UNIVERSITY MEDICAL EDUCATION TRUST.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To promote the development, progress, well being and unity of the people.

2. To promote development at the grass root.

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

Signed: Emakhu Okoeko 08053401922

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Maitama, Abuja Signed. : SECRETARY.

2. Mrs. Courage Amanloughe 4. Pastor Innocent Anuku 6. Leo Oziegbe

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

Signed: JEMIMA ANIGBORO 08023619207

Public Notice 22 ANAMBRA PEOPLES EROSION CONTROL INITIATIVE

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

NSUKKA SABBATH ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA

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

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

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Mr. Johnpaul Ofodum 2. Pastor Emmanuel Agi 3. Barr. Chris Atibaka 4. Arc. Arome Felix 5. Mrs. Gloria Ofodum

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Rev. Dr. Eze Innocent Ik. -Chairman 3. Apostle, James Ugwu. -Member

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To help provide good drainage system and Erosion Control in Anambra State.

2. Priest, Thomas .C. Eze -Secretary 4. Rev Martine Asogwa - Treasurer.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To promote and encourage members in preaching the gospel of our lord Jesus Christ in our society.

2. To preach and train Christians to possess the good Christian virtues and shine as light in the world and salt of the earth.

3. To organize bible studies, teachings, seminars, revivals, discussions and any other programmes to facilitate the study, understanding, knowledge and learning of the bible propagate the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, P.M.B 198, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication Signed: CHRIS ATIBAKA Solicitor

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, P.M.B 198, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication Signed: BARR. JOSEPH .C. ABONYI. (SOLICITOR) Tel: 07035562366

HOLY LAND HOUSING ESTATE NKWELLE EZUNAKA, OWNERS ASSOCIATION

GOLDEN ROCK FOR DEVELOPMENT & EMPOWERMENT FOUNDATION

KINGS OF LIFE CHRISTIAN CENTRE (A.K.A KLCC) The General Public is hereby notified that the above named body has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja, for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act of 1990.

Trustees.

1. Prescily Reuben.- President 2. Fidamin Prescily.- Vice President.

3. David Iseoluwa Babale.- Member, 4. Dan Favour Bulaun.- Member, Bot – Aims and objectives.

Raising kings unto God. Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, P.M.B 198, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication Signed: Arnold Ushiadi, Lawsworth Legal Practitioners, Suites TF 10/11, 3rd Floor, Metro Plaza, CBD, Abuja.

08037939054.

THE SERVING HANDS SOCIETY FOR THE EMPOWERMENT OF LESS PRIVILEGED PERSONS

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

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.

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

Trustees.

1. Orazulume James - (President).

2. Chukwu Charles Chima (Secretary).

3. Obi Philip Echezona (Fin secretary) 4. Onwuchekwe Charles Afamefuna - (Treasurer)

Trustees The Trustees are: 1. Mr. Akinsulire Adewale 3. Mr. Akinsulire Jasmine Aramide 5. Mr. Olowogboye Idowu Obateru

The Trustees Are: 1. Chandra Gopinath 3. Abha Khurana 5. Anita Senan

2. Mrs. Ifeolu Damilola Evelyn 4. Mrs. Akindele Omolade 6. Mr. Sule Abiona Marufu

2. Sindhu Ramesh Kurup 4. Nisha Bansal

Aims: To empower and enhance the youths, women, handicaps, physically challenged, widows, aged people and single parents for complete transformations by turning around their hopeless situation.

The Aims and Objectives Are: 1. To provide for the less privileged 2. To assist the disabled in the society 3. To assist and provide for abused women

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, P.M.B 198, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication Presenter J. E Anaekwe & Co. - 08055847466

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, P.M.B 198, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication Signed: Trustee

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

Signed: Secretary

FOUNDATION FOR ENHANCING THE WELFARE OF THE NEEDY

FAITH IS POWER SOLUTION MINISTRY

LIVING WORD EVANGELICAL MISSION WORLDWIDE

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 matter Act 1 of 1990.

The general public is hereby notified that the above Ministry has applied to the Corporation 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 mission has ap-

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Prophet Vincent Aneke Onyebuchi 2. Evag. Nwatoulo Chinyere Esther 3. Evag. Onuzulike Aneke Anthony 4. Prophetess Nweke Oluchukwu Nwankwo 5. Evag. Igwe Esther Ebere

Trustees

Aims and objectives To promote the welfare of registered members.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Chukwuka Agbapuonwu 2. Maduabuchi Enenwali 3. Okechukwu Ogunka Nnabuchi AIMS & OBJECTIVES: 1. Locate and alleviate the lot of the less privileged and deprived people in our society 2. Support poor and marginalized people to strengthen their community organization, social institutions and capacity to fight poverty and discrimination.

3. Empower orphans, street children, internally displaced persons and the needy.

plied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990

1. Pastor Kolawole Michael

2. Pastor Omololu Olubakinde

3. Mr. Joko Olupe

4. Pastor Olushola Adejumo

5. Mr. Andrew Atie

6. Pastor Mrs Adejumo Adaora Karine

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To preach the word of God worldwide

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To spread the Gospel

2. To win souls for kingdom of Christ.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to registrar – General Corporate Affairs Commission. Plot 420 Tigers Crescent off Aguiya Lionsi Street.

Maintama Abuja within 28 days from date of this publication.

Signed: OKECHUKWU OGUNKA NNABUCHI, ESQ. (SECRETARY)

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

Signed: Basil Obijuru ESQ.

OLUFEOTITO EVANGELICAL MINISTRY

AGBOR COMMUNITY UNION

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

Signed: SECRETARY

MRS JESSIE CHINWE ONWUAKPA FOUNDATION

The general public is hereby notified that the above named ministry has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990

The general public is hereby notified that the above named union has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990

The general public is hereby notified that the above named foundation has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990

Trustees 1. Rev. Philips Abbey Alakhume 2. John Buryan Akpodovhan 3. Mr. Nwagboo Norbert Ifeanyichukwu 4. Evangelist Adeleke Adeniran Adebisi 5. Mr. Bamijoko Okupe

TRUSTEES: 1. Rtd. Gen. Nick Agbogwun 3. Paul Osiele 5. Ibude Eziokwu Francis 7. Imafidon Felix 9. Kingsley Ozele

TRUSTEES: 1. Obi Onwuakpa Jp 2. Mrs Ubiageli Onwuakpa 3. Rev. Dr. Jonny Onyeizu 4. Dr. Sam Onwuakpa

2. Mr. Emmanuel Iduh 4. Mgbeken Lucky 6. Engr. Nkemachor Jude 8. Tony Onyeagwu

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To spread the word of God. 2. To take care of members.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To support developmental projects in Agbo and in Nigeria at large.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To empower the less privileged in the society.

2. To empower widows and orphans through education, skill acquisition, career seminars, workshops, program guidance and counseling.

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

Sign: SECRETARY

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

SIGNED: SECRETARY

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

SIGNED: SECRETARY

CARLTON GATE ESTATE IBADAN HOME OWNERS & RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION The general public is hereby notified that the above named association has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

The trustees are: 1. Otunba Olumide Osunsina - Chairman 2. Mr. Eleshinla Ayobode Fred 3. Mr. Morakinyo Olumide 4. Mrs Aluko-Olokun Oluyemisi 5. Ms Funmilayo Fatoberu - Secretary AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To promote and support the maintenance of all properties within the estate.

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

Signed: SECRETARY

RAINING OF FIRE FAVOUR MINISTRY The General Public is hereby notified that the above named ministry has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja, for registration under Part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, LFN, 2004.

HEARTBEAT OF CHRIST MISSION This is to inform the general public that the above named ministry has applied for Registration to the Corporate Affairs Commission under Part “C” of the Companies And Allied Matters Act 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: (1) Pastor Okemadu Emmanuel Obi (2) Pastor Godspower Ogbonna Emmanuel (3) Pastor Johnson Obinna (4) Deaconess Okemadu Chioma Goodness.

(5) Pastor Alanso Fidelis.

Trustees (1) Ogechukwu Favour Ebele Okoye, (2) Sunday Isaiah Nwora Okoye (3) Sunday Chukwuemeka Okoye (4) Deborah Okoli

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To preach the gospel to the world.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To preach the gospel to the unsaved.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, Maitama, Abuja Signed. : SECRETARY.

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

Signed: SECRETARY

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Ajimobi, Aregbesola renew call for regional integration Remi Oladoye

ÏÏÏThe

clamour for regional integration in the western part of the country was again boosted on Tuesday as Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, and his Osun State counterpart, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, renewed their call for the regional integration.

The duo described regional integration as the only solution to the present dwindling in oil pricing in the world market.

Speaking on the theme; Dwindling oil revenue: A case for regional integration during the official unveiling of the regional newspaper, named, Western post in Ibadan.

Ajimobi, who was represented by the State deputy governor, Otunba Moses Alake-Adeyemo said it was lack of good governance in the past that made people advocate regional integration.

"The six southwest state of Nigeria, which comprises Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo Osun, and Oyo have firmly expressed their desire to work and act together under a common set of development strategies, leveraging common synergies and economies of scale, whereby the region and its people will experience enhanced human and social development outcomes across the spheres of existence.

"The economic dangers of extreme dependence on a single product are too obvious to need repetition. I usually emphasis on present concentration and dependence on oil is structural imbalance, which need to be rectified in the interest of Nigeria's future growth and prosperity.

"It was the lack of good governance and transformational leadership at the centre that made people to start looking back into regional integration.

"Succinctly put, the depression of the last leadership at the centre led to agitation of what Bola Tinubu called common sense revolution.

"This was a remarkable step taken by homogeneous people of the southwest Nigeria, whose focus, dream common inheritance and development, had been thwarted by the giant father Nigeria. The pursuit of the state government to formally establish the technical arm of the regional integration dream, called DAWN, commissioned at floor No 10. Cocoa House, Dugbe, Ibadan, it is what Chief Obafemi Awolowo would called the blessing of courage" Ajimobi added.

Speaking in the same vein, the Osun State governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who was represented by the Director of Communication and Strategy to the governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said the state governor

ESTHER EHIGIE CHIEMEKE

ALANEME CHINONSO HOPE (MRS)

I, Formerly known and addressed as

I, formerly known as Esther

I, Formerly known and addressed

Kalejaiye Deborah Oluwatobi, now

Ehigie Angyu, now wish to be

as miss Chiji Chinonso Hope, now

AKINYOSOYE DEBORAH OLUWATOBI

wishes to be known and addressed as Akinyosoye Deborah Oluwatobi.

All former documents remain valid.

known and addressed as Esther Ehigie Chiemeke. All former

The general public should also take

documents

note

General public please take note.

ONU-CHINEDU CANDID CHINONYE(MRS.)

remain

valid.

MRS. JACOB’S WENDY NAOMI

I, Formerly known and addressed as

I, formally known and addressed

miss Ibeabuchi Candid Chinonye,

as Miss Ocheje Wendy Naomi

now wishes to be known and addressed as Mrs

Onu-Chinedu

Candid

All

Chinonye.

documents

remain

former

valid.

The

general public should also take note

now wishes to be known and addressed Wendy

as

Naomi.

Mrs.

Jacob’s

The

general

public please take note.

All former documents remain

OBIORA IGNATIUS GERALD I, Formerly known and addressed as Ejike Obiora Ignatius, now wishes to be known and addressed as Obiora Ignatius Gerald. All former documents remain valid. The general public should also take note

OMODELE KEHINDE TEMITOPE

I, Formerly known and addressed

I, Formerly known and addressed as Engr. (Mrs) Helen Eseoghene Egha, now wishes to be known and addressed as Engr. (Mrs) Helen Oshevrie Rex Akpofure. All former documents remain valid.

The Ministry of Petroleum, NNPC, Banks and general public, take note.

I, Formerly known and addressed as Akinmola Kehinde Temitope, now wishes to be known and addressed as Omodele Kehinde Temitope. All former documents remain valid. The general public should also take note

as

Olaoluwadunjoyelo

Isaiah

Oluniyi. All former documents remain valid. The general public should also take note

UMAGBANIMA ASSOCIATION

was in full support of the regional integration since the inception of his administration.

“Governor Aregbesola is fully in support of the regional integration from the onset. Aregbesola has been advocating for the concept of the regional integration so as to make the south west region unique in Nigeria.

"The first thing we need is to understand the comparative advantage of the concept. Each of the state has what they have in common and they need to utilise it. For instance, if you are talking of agriculture in the south west, you will go to Ondo, and if you are talking about education, maybe you talk of Ekiti. So, we are going to build on what each state believe on and make it works. That is what we are saying and it will be helpful if the region could adopt this concept" Aregbesola said.

Aregbesola

MRS. OLAYEMI IBUKUN BLESSING I,

formerly

known

as

Miss

Jogbodo Ibukun Blessing now which to be known and address as Mrs. Olayemi Ibukun Blessing, all

formal

document

remain

valid, general public take note.

MRS. ADA MAUREEN AJUFO I,

formally

known

and

addressed as Miss. Ada Maureen Onwudinjo

now

wishes

to

be known and addressed as Mrs. Ada Maureen Ajufo. The general public please take note.

LOSS OF DOCUMENT

The general public is hereby notified that the above named association has applied to the corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration under Part C of the companies and Allied Matters Act, Cap. C-20, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

This is to inform the general public of the Loss of

The Trustees Are: 1. General Charles Omoregie (Rtd) 3. Barr. Nicholas Osadolor 5. Barr.(Mrs) Ota Osagie 7. Ms. Iyasere Imuentiyan

Stop, Alagbado, Lagos, belonging to Late Mr. Eze-

2. Mr. John Osazuwa; 4. Barr. Osazuwa Omonuwa; 6. Mr. Uyi Ogbebor; 8. Mr. Okungbowa Osayande.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To promote and protect the welfare and interest of members Any objection to this registration should be addressed to the Registrar General corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication.

Signed: SECRETARY

Abuja ÏÏÏThe Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Samuel Echono, has said that the country is capable of producing locally ove 280,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer annually, should the bill before the National Assembly scale through.

Echono said this onTuesday in Abuja, while launching a programme supported by the Alliance for a green Africa (AGRA) project, in a view to establishing and the

Ondo disburses N4m loan to SMEs 'Tosin Ajuwon Akure

ÏÏÏThe Ondo State govern-

ment, on Tuesday, disbursed the sum of over N400 million as loans to beneficiaries under the Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SMEs) in the state.

The Governor of the state, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko made the disbursement at the Adegbemile Cultural Centre in Akure, venue of the event.

Addressing beneficiaries, Mimiko said the loan was in partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),

implementation of fertilizer quality control system in Nigeria and other West African countries.

Mr. Echono, who was represented during the occasion by the Director, Farm input Support Services, in the Agriculture Ministry, Mr. Akingbola Oso, said that his ministry, since last year, has sent a bill to the National Assembly to see to the establishments of the policies that will ensure that the importation and production of fertilizers are well controlled in the country. in driving a unique programme for an all-inclusive development.

He disclosed that the loan under the Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SMEs) was another giant stride towards delivering dividends of democracy to the greatest number of people in the state.

The governor maintained that access to credit loan facility was another critical part of the variables that add up to the catalysed economic development after the provision of physical infrastructures.

He noted that the first leg was in January where the state disbursed the sum of N534.43million under the micro enterprise scheme.

also take note

ENGR. (MRS) HELEN OSHEVRIE REX AKPOFURE

wishes to be known and addressed

Idu Jude

valid. The general public should

OLAOLUWADUNJOYELO as Kehinde Isaiah Oluniyi, now

Fertilizer production: Nigeria to hit 280,000 metric tons locally

wishes to be known and addressed as Mrs Hope Chinonso Alaneme.

23 News

Original Deed of Assignment of a landed property situated at No. 15 Subeni Oje Road, Casso Bus kiel Diedjomaho in Alimosho Local Government Area, Alagbado , Lagos State.The above named property is having hotel business named Z PLACE RELAXATION CENTRE build on it.

All efforts made to trace the said documents proved abortive, if found kindly return to the nearest police station.

DIPO FAKOREDE EMPOWERMENT 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, Cap. C-20, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The Trustees Are: 1. Mr. Oladipo Akinlabi Fakorede - Chairman.

2. Mrs. Adenike Monisola Fakorede - Secretary.

Aims and objectives 1. To make soft and interest free loans available to small scale traders.

2. To give business development advice to small scale traders.

3. To develop small scale entrepreneurs.

4. To organise regular empowerment talks with micro scale business owners.

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

Signed: Trustees

EASYWELL FOOTBALL CLUB The general public is hereby notified that the above named football club has applied to the corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja for registration as an incorporated trustee Under Part C of the companies and Allied Matters Act, Cap. C-20, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The Trustees Are: 1. Asuquo, Eddie Okon 2. Agiode, Agatha Ilamosi (Miss.)

3. Onyemali Kingsley Aims and objectives 1. To discover and nurture young talents in football.

2. To provide opportunity for local and foreign exposures for our players through local leagues, sports tournaments and foreign training programmes.

3. To participate in various levels of football championships and tournaments.

4. To educate our players on other future careers other than football.

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

Signed: Secretary

News 24

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

PDP’s 16 years misrule delayed Buhari’s ministerial list, Ondo APC alleges ’Tosin Ajuwon

Akure ÏÏÏThe All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ondo State, has said that the delay in the ministerial nominees of President Muhammadu Buhari should be blamed on the 16 years of the misrule by the erstwhile government of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Its Publicity Secretary, Omo’ba Abayomi Adesanya, told journalists, in Akure, that the inherent obstacles such as maladministration, unprecedented corruption and misman-

agement of state treasury, under ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, had affected the smooth take-off of the Buhari administration.

Abayomi said the ranting of the PDP about President Buhari’s ministerial list was unnecessary, diversionary and unfounded.

“It is logical for anyone who intends to make a nearly-collapsed building habitable, to first demolish it and then lay a solid foundation before building on it.”

He disclosed that the APC government met a virtually empty treasury and

a battered system handed over by the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan led-PDP government.

“Nigeria, as a country, was in comatose, when Buhari took over government on May 29, 2015. Anarchy and impunity were the order of the day, and, in fact, the nation was rock- bound.

Even the Bible demanded, “what can the righteous do, when the foundation is destroyed?", he said.

“We expect Dr. Jonathan and PDP to be remorseful and bury their heads in shame. They should apologise to Nigerians for

running the country like a Banana Republic. Yet, they have the temerity and audacity to fault a government that has good plans for Nigerians”, it said.

The APC said the leadership of the PDP lacked morals, adding that, “who in this country, doesn’t know that Jonathan and his party are responsible for the messy and sorry state of affairs we find ourselves?”

It, however, said Nigerians – both at home and in diaspora – know better and can rule that Dr. Jonathan and PDP were only playing to the gallery.

L-R: Nollywood Actress, Bimbo Akintola; Keppy Ekpenyong Bassey; Head Marketing and Corporate Communications, UBA Plc, Mr. Charles Aigbe; American Actor, Tim Reid and Legendary Hollywood actor, Danny Glover at the World conference organised for the unveiling of the cast of 93 Days ...on Tuesday

34-yr-old Ekiti unemployed graduate in mysterious death Gbenga Sodeinde Ado Ekiti

ÏÏÏA

34-year-old man, Suraju Muyiwa Fadaunsi, has died in circumstances that have defied explanations.

According to Fadaunsi’s mother, Mrs. Bimbo Yusuf, the deceased could have been killed through magical power that was alleged to have been used on him by someone, who had allegedly confessed to using fetish power to terminate the life of the innocent man.

Yusuf, told newsmen, at her residence in Nova area of Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State capital, that the suspect confessed to killing her son after a strange development occurred at the deceased’s

grave site. She said that the suspect, had gone to Suraju’s grave to collect sand on it, when he began to cry that deceased’s ghost was haunting him.

Said she: “My son had reportedly died a few minutes after answering a phone call on a site he was inspecting in Ibadan. He was to be buried almost immediately according to Islamic rites, but just before he was laid to rest, some aggrieved friends of his asked the Muslims clerics to wait and allow them perform some rituals that would make Suraju’s ghost haunt his killer. And they eventually did so.

“After the burial, a man came to take the sand of

his burial place and there he started crying that the ghost was slapping him. He became restless and rushed to his family house and asked them to open door for him. The man (names withheld) had gone to collect the sand on the grave at about 9 p.m. That was when the ghost of Suraju was said to have started to haunt him.

“He, thereafter, confessed that he was responsible for my son's sudden death; that he had used diabolical means to call him to death on phone. The suspect said that he decided to kill my son that way because he had hindered him from marrying a lady, who was already pregnant with his child. He made these con-

fessions to the police here in Ado-Ekiti. The man resides in Ifaki Ekiti and he’s well known for evil deeds in the town.”

Daily Times gathered that the suspect had used fetish means to escape justice after committing some crimes and had even been accused of murdering three other people in a diabolical way earlier, Suraju’s mother said.

Yusuf, who fought back tears as she narrated the development that led to her son’s death, said the deceased was a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the Ekiti State University and was a very responsible, but unemployed man."

Jacob Mbam Abakaliki

ÏÏÏOver

N10 million worth of medical and health facilities and equipment have been handed over to Federal Teaching Hospital (FETHA) Abakaliki for blood donation, transfusion and treatment of diseases by the doctors.

Handing over the equipment at the hospital, Ebonyi State Governor, Engr.

Dave Umahi, said that it would serve the state, the neighbours and beyond.

He said he discovered that the hospital was lacking the equipment which he described as very vital and which made him to procure it for patients.

Umahi, who was represented by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dan-

Niger sacks 29 Permanent Secretaries Pita Chikwem Minna

ÏÏÏThe

Niger State Government, on Tuesday, may have relieved no fewer than 20 permanent secretaries of their positions. The action takes immediate effect.

Out of the 54 Permanent Secretaries, only 25 were retained to reduce cost.

Most of those sacked were appointed by former governor Babangida Aliyu.

FETHA gets over N10m medical equipment iel Umezuruike, expressed the determination of his administration to tackle health challenges, adding that the Ministry of Health had controlled cholera outbreak, which had ravaged the state.

Receiving the equipment, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Emeka Ogah said Umahi came to see his sick friend in the hospital and discovered that there was a need to have the equipment in the hospital and asked the consultant managing the patient to come to him and arrange for procurement of the equipment.

Daily Times gathered that all the General Managers promoted to the post of Permanent Secretaries were directed to revert to their former positions.

One of those affected said they were asked to await for letters of re-assignments.

The news was broken to the permanent secretaries at a meeting held at the Government House.

Efforts to get confirmation from the Head of service was abortive. The Chief Press Secretary to the governor could also not be reached at the time of filling this report.

Ex-Imo lawmakers accuse Okorocha of flouting the constitution Val Okara Owerri

ÏÏÏFormer

members of Imo State House of Assembly have accused Governor Rochas Okorocha of constitutional breaches following his recent appointment of serving lawmakers as chairmen of local government councils.

The ex-lawmakers alongside former chairmen of local government areas, described the action of the governor as “odious aberration totally strange to the Nigerian constitution, and asked him to rescind the appointments.

In a communique issued and signed on behalf of the ex-lawmakers, Dr. IkechukwuNjoku (Chairman), Hon. Declan Emelumba, (Secretary General), Hon. Jasper

Ndubuaku (Provost), Hon. Ngozi Ogbu (Organizing Secretary) and Hon. Ray Emeana (Director of Publications) argued that appointing state legislators as local government chairmen “will encumber their representatives and obstruct their oversight functions over the governor and the local governments.

“It is clear that an appointee of the governor cannot effectively oversee the executive arm of the government as provided for by the 1999 Constitution as amended.

Okorocha

Features Æ s

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

25

Awka: Tongues wag as one ... two ... three... four women die in one room It was double tragedy for a family as wife and three others were found dead days after depositing the corpse of her husband in the morgue. NKIRU NWAGBO reports.

If Mrs. Chinwe Obi, a staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Awka, had a premonition of her death, she didn’t show it; rather, she was busy making preparations to give her dear departed husband a befitting burial.

The husband, a business man based in Cotonou reportedly died in a in unclear circumstance a week before Chinwe’s death. He had come to visit his wife at their Olisa Onyeka Street, Awka apartment when he fell ill and died. His corpse is still at the morgue where Chinwe deposited it before she met with her death.

According to sources, Chinwe had invited three other women of her church, the Omega Power Ministry (OPM) for an all night special prayers. The first inkling that something could be amiss was when all calls put across to Chinwe’s telephone line went unanswered. Thereafter, her neighbours started perceiving a foul smell coming out from her apartment.

In a chat with Daily Times, Mrs. Ify Onyebumo, the landlady of the apartment where Chinwe lived for close to a year, disclosed that she was contacted on phone by one of her tenants saying they have been looking for the deceased since Sunday.

Onyebumuo noted that the ten-

Building where the tragedy struck

ant informed her that a foul smell and water was coming out from Chinwe’s room, adding that she had not picked her calls since Sunday.

A similar call was also placed to the caretaker of the house, Mr. Machie Ignatius to intimate him of the development going on at the house.

This prompted the landlady and the caretaker of the house to invite a detachment of policemen led by the Anambra State Police Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hassan Karma to the building.

On arrival, Karma took an inspection of the compound along with his officers and men of the command and ultimately forced one of the burglary proofs to a window open where the already decomposing bodies of the four women was discovered, clutching their Bibles.

An ambulance was called in and morticians evacuating the four corpses out of the building to the mortuary.

Simon Nwoye, one of the residents in the area who saw the corpses posited that the deceased

2015 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN CONFERENCE: Raising Action, as the adage goes, speaks louder than words. The need to match words with action as a catalyst for success formed the nucleus of discourse at the 2015 International Women Conference which took place at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. ENITAN COMFORT captured the confab and reports.

Multiple-award winning female entrepreneur and CEO of ‘Ruff n Tumble’, Adenike Ogunlesi has admonished that the key to success in business goes beyond mere talk, but in putting the plans into immediate action.

“Before going into a business, you must discover the reason for going into the business. You need

could be victims of carbon monoxide inhalation. ‘’You could see from their faces and what I saw around the flat, they may have been killed by the smoke from the generator,” he said.

Mrs. Uloaku Madubugha, another neighbour who lives few buildings away from the scene noted that there is no suspicion of foul play in the death of the victims.

“If someone had broken into the flat, we would have seen evidence of breaking and entry,

either through the window or through the door, but there was nothing like that,” she said.

The commissioner of Police in a chat with Daily Times also ruled out foul play in the death of the deceased, but said that investigations will be carried out to ascertain the cause of their death.

In his words, “It’s quite unfortunate; it is something nobody should pray for. There was no sign of violence on their bodies. We also saw a power generating set but there was no fuel in the tank; we also saw a pot of soup there, so we are suspecting carbon monoxide or food poisoning.

“The soup and their bodies would be examined; it is left for an autopsy to be carried out on them in order to find out what killed them,” he said.

One of the last people to see the deceased alive is a motor mechanic, who was contracted by the deceased to help get fuel for her generator; he shared with Daily Times events that preceded the discovery of the women’s corpses.

“When I came back from Onitsha, I went to see the woman who is my customer, only for her to tell me that her husband is dead and now in the mortuary, she later told me to buy fuel for her power generating set which I did; when I came back with the fuel, I saw three other women in her flat. It is shocking that these four women just died like that. In fact, it is difficult to believe this,” he lamented.

Sources said that Chinwe and her late husband had no children hence it was difficult to trace her relatives or the relatives of the other three dead women whose identities are yet to be revealed.

mothers as leaders to ask yourself the following questions; why do I have to do this, why am I here, what is my purpose and what is it that I want to achieve in this business?”

“After answering the why’s for yourself, then you look out for what you think the market lacks; that is, the needs of the market because you have to move from

awareness to delivering. After getting this, you must be self-actualising by making the industry’s weakness your own strength, and build a culture of value that your workers will follow.” She explained.

Ogunlesi further advised that anyone venturing into business CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Features 26

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

OHUHU COUNCIL OF TRADITIONAL RULERS FEUD:

New Yam festival of old yarns

In controversies rocking Ohuhu Council of Traditional Rulers, the clan’s 2015 New Year celebration flag-off amidst warning to an alleged dissident royal father, Eze Iheanyichukwu Nwokenna to retrace his steps and repent. SUNDAY NWAKANMA reports from Umuahia.

The ceremony which was held at the palace of Eze Bobby Aguocha of Umuohuru, Nkwoegwu, under the auspices of the new Chairman of the Royal Father’s Council of Ohuhu, Eze Kingsley A.N. Emekobum, had 11 out of 14 traditional rulers in attendance, while the alleged suspended former Chairman of the council,

Eze Iheanyichukwu Nwokenna, alias ‘Oba the Great’ of Ekeoba allegedly had with three other traditional rulers on his side stayed away..

Having unsuccessfully countered the radio announcement of the ceremony that would enable individual autonomous communities to start their new yam festival, Eze Nwokenna and the two other royal fathers’ shunned the occasion that was described by the people as successful and traditional.

All attempts made to reach him for his reaction, including telephone calls put across to him, were Ignored as he refused to make himself available.

Speaking at the occasion, the chairman, Ohuhu Traditional

Some Traditional Rulers at the occasion.

Rulers Council, Eze Kingsley Emekobum said the occasion was observed in low key in honour of two traditional rulers, a wife of another and the death of some eminent sons of the land.

He described new yam ceremony in Ohuhu as not fetish, but with prayers to God for the good harvest season.

Also speaking, former 1st Deputy Chairman of Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers and Egwu Uga 1 of Umuosu Oaiugu Nkwoegwu autonomous community, Eze Nzenwata Mbakwe assured that in Ohuhu land,

there is peace, stressing that new yam festivals call for celebration and is not fetish.

According to the traditional ruler of Oriendu community, Eze Pastor Philip Ajomiwe, said that after the ceremony, communities in the land can then start their individual new yam celebrations.

For the Traditional Prime Minister of Ibeku Ancient Kingdom, Chief Uche Akwukwaegbu, yam is the chief farm product in Igbo land, hence the traditional title of Eze Ji (King of Yam) and not that of cassava or cocoyam.

He expressed his belief that

with the disappointment from crude oil, the country has gone back to farming and no longer dependent on crude oil.

Akwukwaegbu advised the people, especially the young ones, to go back to farming through the mechanised system to boost food production in the state and in the country generally.

The occasion featured presentations by Ndinyom Ohuhu (women of Ohuhu land) led by their President, Mrs. Chiabuotu Cecelia Ibe and the group’s former President, Lady Aguocha.

IWC: Women show more commitment and dependability than men Abiola Salami, the brain behind the event revealed the reason for the conference. “The need to unravel the entrepreneurial skill in women and to make women all over the country independent is my motivation. Success is not all about the acquisition of wealth but, when you are willing and able to give shoulder to the needy,” she said.

The well attended event had important personalities like Senator Oluremi Tinubu who was represented by the immediate past Chairman of Coker Aguda (LCDA); Hon. Omobolanle Akinyemiobe; the acting ConsulGeneral of the United States of America, Dehab Ghebreab, amongst others in attendance.

The event was not only about

speeches as deserving women who have distinguished themselves were recognised. Award recipients at the conference include: Her Excellency, Oluremi Tinubu, Amina Oyagbola (Human Resources Executive at MTN Nig.), Prof. Remi Sonaiya ( Presidential Aspirant at the 2015 general election ) and Yetunde Ilori.

Ogunlesi and some of the guests at the confab

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

should expect probable challenges in the course of conceiving the idea for the business, going through the developmental stage as well as having to contend with the competitiveness of the market.

“I advise you also affiliate yourself with partners and professionals in the area of accountability; you have to partner with those that have vision and can also render constructive advice to implement your idea.”

Ogunlesi also shared with the teeming audience the success secret of ‘Ruff n Tumble’ which she identified as the Three C’s; Character, Competence and Capacity.

She highlighted that any business that possesses these attributes will go far.

The keynote address was delivered by Michelle Patterson, President, California Women’s Conference & Women Network. She highlighted the role of women in leadership and maternal care.

Leadership, according to Patterson, is the ability to do the right thing; leadership encompasses the quality inherent in the individual.

“Who says a woman cannot be in power? Women show more commitment and dependability than men in the workplace. To be a good leader, you have to be a good listener as this shows that you have spirit of perseverance in you,” she enumerated.

Patterson also admonished that as more women take up leadership roles, they shouldn’t do so at the detriment of the home front.

JUST HUMAN

3.10pm, Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Lagos. Photo God’s Covenant Snr 071.

Education Times Æ s Benue to merge state varsity, Agric. College

THE Benue State government has concluded plans to merge the state owned College of Agriculture, Yandev and the Benue State University as part of measures to ensure prudent management of resources and to access TETFUND interventions in the area of Agricultural development and infrastructure.

The state governor, Samuel Ortom, who dropped the hint in Abuja while on a courtesy call on the Executive Secretary of TETFUND, Professor Elias Bogoro, said making the college an arm of the university will enable his government channel funds towards upgrading the college.

He said: “It is part of our plan to merge College of Agriculture, Yandev with Benue State University, so hearing from Executive Secretary today I will go back and fast- track the plan.”

While pleading with the interventionist agency to intensify its intervention on educational institutions in the state, Ortom said by so doing the impact will be felt more and that will be adding value to what they have on ground. The state, according to him, will support other levels of education in the state and ensure the judicious use of the funds.

In his remark earlier, Bogoro said the agency can legitimately put its money to fund research in tertiary institution provided they are not Monotechnics.

He further added that the agency is conscious of what to do to push up the quality of the tertiary institutions in the country and promised to keep extending their intervention in the state when funds are available.

Ortom

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

27

Govt’s inaction on technical, vocational education worries stakeholders Stories by Augustine Okezie Abuja Stakeholders in the Education sector have lamented ‘lip-service’ successive governments have placed on the promotion of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), which they noted, was the direct consequence of the inability of the education sector to produce the requisite manpower skills to address the developmental challenges of the country.

These concerns were expressed

by Education experts at a meeting held at the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja to chart the way forward for Technical and Vocational Education and Training in the country.

In her opening address, the Acting Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Hindatu Abdullahi, noted that technical and vocational education is one critical areas of the Educational system that can be used to address the challenges relating to skill development and eradication of poverty.

Represented at the occasion by the Director of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Department, Mr. Ifegu Oji, she noted that over the years, various policies, including establishment of the National Vocational Qualification Framework, have attempted to place TVET on the

L-R: Professor Sunday Isehunwa, Acting Dean, Faculty of Technology, University of Ibadan (UI); Uzo Odenigbo, Head, Public Affairs & Communications, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC); Professor Titilayo Ajuwape, Dean of Students Affairs, UI; Senior Human Resources Partner, Manufacturing & Supply Chain Services, NBC, Mrs. Yetunde Adesunloye; and Professor Biodun Onibule, Dean of Science, UI, Ibadan, during the NBC Campus Recruitment Drive that held at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State... on Tuesday.

front burner to achieve overall national development.

According to her, the forum provides an avenue to brainstorm on emerging issues with a view to proffering ways of addressing the challenges of enrolment into technical colleges, selection and placement of students in technical trades in the Federal Science and Technical Colleges, and address compliance with admission ratio of 70: 30 skewed in favour of the technical trades as approved at the 60th meeting of the National Council on Education held in Abeokuta,

the Ogun State capital.

In a welcome address, Director, Technology and Science Education, Mrs. Rosetta Isiavwe, recalled that the Technical Colleges were established with high hopes to provide technological training that would enable the students on graduation to be self-reliant.

She said Technical Colleges have been be-devilled by myriad of challenges, particularly in areas of low enrolment, poor state of workshops and lop-sidedness in admission of students in favour of the sciences, dearth of qualified TVET teachers and the

lack of interest of parents and children alike to sit for NABTEB examination, among others.

She disclosed that as part of efforts to strengthen and promote technical and vocational education, a Draft Bill has been forwarded to the National Assembly for the establishment of a National Council for Vocational Education (NCVE), while all Teacher Training institutions have been directed to include Technical and Vocational Skill Components as general studies courses in Teacher Education Curricula.

UNIABUJA student bags first class honours in Law A Law student at the University of Abuja, Sani Fatima Bombom, has performed an exceptional feat by bagging a first class honours degree in the May, 2015 Bar Final Examination results which was released recently.

A release signed by the Deputy Registrar, Information, Mr. Garba Waziri, said the Council of Legal Education in a commendation letter to the Vice Chancellor, Professor Michael Adikwu, thanked the Management of the University of Abuja on the achievement of one of the University’s Law graduates at the Bar Final Examination.

The Secretary to the Council of Legal Education, Mrs. Elizabeth Max-Uba, in the letter of commendation to the Vice Chancellor, said: “On behalf of

Adikwu, UNIABUJA VC

the Council of Legal Education, I congratulate you, the entire University Management and particularly the Faculty of Law for this excellent performance”.

Mrs. Max-Uba further enjoined the University Management to publicize Fatima’s achievement to its Law students to motivate them.

Recall that the students of the Faculty of Law of the University had emerged second in a 20-nation international Law students’ competition held at the College of Law, Nebraska University Lincoln, USA in April this year.

The students who emerged first in the country and were the only African students in the international consultation competition tied on the second position with their counterpart from Georgia while England/Wales emerged the eventual winners of the 2015 edition of the completion.

Commenting on the Students’ achievement, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Adikwu, said that the University Management would continue to create an enabling environment for seriousminded academics and students to realise their potentials.

Education Times 28

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

NPMCN seeks reinstatement of MDCN board Sam Nzeh

Buhari

Bogoro Bags FUT Minna Science journal award Augustine Okezie Abuja The Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, Niger State, has honoured the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Prof. Suleiman Elias Bogoro and the immediate past Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Dr. Musa Babayo, with Corporate Awards in recognition of their support for the University’s Journal publication.

The award was presented on the occasion of institution’s 20th anniversary of Nigerian Journal of Technological Research (NJTR) celebration as well as the unveiling of special edition of the Journal held at the school’s lecture theater hall.

Receiving the awards on behalf of the recipients, the Director, Education Support Services of TETFund, Barrister Ifiok Ukim, expressed gratitude for such recognition accorded to the two TETFund scribes, while congratulating the institution on the NJTR’s 20th anniversary celebration.

He noted that TETFund has always been at the forefront when it comes to providing support for research and as well as journals publication and book development, promising that TETFund would not relent in this regard.

In a keynote address presented by Kaduna State Commissioner for Health, who is also one of the awardees, Prof. Andrew Jonathan Nok, who spoke on the theme: Research and Technology Sustainability in Information and Communication Technology Advancement described research as an instrument for achieving academic freedom and must be original.

Science or educational research, according to him, entails careful, critical, disciplined inquiry, varying in technique and method according to the nature and conditions of the problems identified which is directed towards the clarification and/or resolution of the problems, and when within an institutional framework, supported by an appropriate infrastructure.

Bogoro

The National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) at the weekend appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to reinstate the dissolved board of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), saying the dissolution if not reversed, will promote quackery in the health sector and allow cases of malpractices continue unchecked.

President of NPMCN, Prof.

Rasheed Arogundade, made the appeal at a press conference in Lagos to herald the 33rd Convocation of the college.

He argued that MDCN should be exempted like Governing Councils of universities in view of the disastrous consequences that such premature dissolutions had caused in the past.

According to him, since MDCN is a regulatory body set up by statute to carry out specific functions, dissolving it is the same as

completely stopping all the functions.

He said: “The Council’s functions are strictly professional and regulatory in nature, including medical education, accreditation of professional institutions, maintenance of standards, and enforcement of discipline and also monitoring of health institutions that are training doctors all over the country among others.

“Almost all the members of the Council are by representation except the Chairman who is usually not a political appointee but a senior member of the profession appointed by Mr President.”

Arogundade further lamented that the existing Council has barely spent one and half years of the statutory four years and should therefore be allowed to continue its work.

On the forthcoming convocation holding on Thursday, September 17, 2015, the College President said no fewer than 341 persons will be awarded Fellowship cer-

NBTE accredits first Ekiti private Health institution

Gov. Fayose

Gbenga Sodeinde, Ado Ekiti National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, has granted full accreditation to a private health institution in Ekiti State, Fabotas School of Science and Health Technology, for the running of six courses in the institution.

The institution, which commenced operation about four years ago and had graduated about 200 students, assured that all the courses in the monotechnic will be accredited soon, for the College to serve as a platform for the training of higher and middle cadre health experts in the State.

Addressing newsmen in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, the founder and President of the institution, Chief Boboye Olanipekun, said the College is desirous of train-

ing students that would help in strengthening the country’s health institution and add values to the sanctity of human lives.

Olanipekun, who was a former Commissioner for Agriculture in Ekiti State, said the institution had built state-of-the-earth laboratory, a model clinic and other practical –oriented structures to be able to impact proper knowledge in the students.

He noted that the institution had gotten approvals and recognition from great health institutions and other stakeholders like: Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State Hospitals’ Management Board, among others.

According to Olanipekun, graduates from the institution have both theoretical and practical experiences, to be able to compete favourably with their counterparts from the public schools

tificates on the occasion.

He disclosed that College will be awarding Honorary fellowship to the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, for his achievements in the health sector while Prof. Emmanuel Otolorin, an erudite scholar and professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology will deliver the convocation lecture.

Arogundade, who lamented poor funding of the institution said the college has not been able to complete all the buildings in the original master plan due to lack of funds. He disclosed that the college has graduated 5,046 since inception.

Arogudade used the occasion to announce the award of diploma certificates in Family Medicine to 367 general medical practitioners who underwent an 18-month part-time training at the college.

This is the first time the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) is a warding such diplomas.

in the labour market.

He said his students had been contributing immensely in developing health sector in the State, through participation in Immunization and other health related programmes organized by the State government.

“What I am trying to do is to contribute to man power development of this country and that we are achieving gradually.

“Though we have many health experts in Nigeria, but didn’t have the requisite technical know how to handle complex situations. This is what we are trying to address.

“Our students are majorly exposed to practical areas because that is what they would be tasked to do after graduation. Our country needs effective and efficient health personnel and both private and public health institutions must rise to the occasion,” he said.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

29 Education Times

Pan African Olympiad: When African girls come of age in Mathematics

stone of science and technology.

It is often argued that without a good knowledge of Mathematics, any effort in the area of science is tantamount exercise in futility.

Mathematics is the Queen of the Sciences and Science is the bedrock of modern development and improvement.

Championing Science for Africa’s development While pledging to champion Africa’ development through Science and Mathematics, government’s pledge to lead the campaign in Africa’s speedy development through aggressive promotion of science education, research and development, remains commendable ,and deserves support.

For Africa to keep abreast with global trends of technological advancement and perhaps succeed in solving its multifarious problems, efforts must be geared

towards science and educational research as the bedrock, with Nigeria playing a leading role.

Mathematics as the bedrock for any meaningful human activity and endeavour, a reason why the staging of the Pan African Science Olympiad and the Pan African Mathematics Olympiad for Girls, is timely and very much relevant in the struggle for economic growth and development.

As the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Julius Okojie, pointed out during the competition,’’ Without effective training and research, Africa will be unable to build the knowledge base and capacity needed to help the continent achieve its much needed sustainable socio- economic growth and create world class centers of excellence in Mathematics.’’

The Director General of the

National Mathematical Center, Professor A.R.T Solarin, was more succinct in his declaration of a ‘’State of Emergency on Mathematics’’, as part of effort aimed at addressing the various challenges confronting the teaching and learning of Mathematics in Nigeria.

He said: “Most of the present crop of teachers of Mathematics are not qualified, certainly not the best and not properly motivated. There is the urgent need for concerted training of teachers of Mathematics and the review of the curriculum on the subject.’’

South African females were crowned the overall Mathematics Queen at the competition involving about 10 countries, including representatives from South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Ghana, Mali, Tanzania, Niger and Tunisia.

Nigeria however swept the medals in the male category of the Mathematics competition.

Each country was represented by six students (male and female apiece).

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Julius Okojie, called for the elevation of the teaching profession to a lucrative level so as to make Mathematics easy for students to learn.

Citing Finland as an example of a country where people are often happy to pick up a teaching job, Prof. Okojie said that Nigeria must devise a means of teaching Mathematics in an attractive way to children and students. He also called for improved teachers’ welfare.

It is clear therefore that if given the same competing environment and opportunity, the Nigerian girls and indeed those from other part of African can stand up to their peers in any other part of the world with Mathematics.

Education to explain the reasons for the absence of Nigeria in a recent ranking of top 1,000 world universities.

Although the president was partly pleased that 28 Nigerian universities appeared on a ranking of top 100 institutions in Africa, he felt there could be more.

The officials informed Buhari that low funding was the fundamental reason for the poor performance of Nigerian universi-

ties, and the president decided that strengthening university funding would be a top priority of his administration.

Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund or TETFund, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, confirmed that the government had started the process required to increase the current two per cent education tax, with which it supports TETFund, to between three per cent and four per cent.

He said the Education ministry had made this recommendation in a comprehensive report to the presidency.

Once the proposal to raise the education tax had been reviewed and the National Assembly had begun amending the TETFund Act to accommodate it, “the fund will play the expected role to ensure that Nigeria’s universities conform to international standards,” he said.

At the recently held maiden edition of the Pan African Olympiad, the girls who represented their respective countries at the competition presented a commanding performance in Mathematics, hence the rising enthusiasm on whether the girls can now take their rightful positions in the field of Mathematics. AUGUSTINE OKEZIE writes.

Providing an insight on what is at stake as part of the flagging off ceremony, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry Education, Hajia Hindatu Abdullah, noted that girls in pan African Science Olympiad and Pan African Olympiad have a positive opportunity to showcase their skills and display their inmate raw talents.

She also informed her audience that Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) as an annual event organised by the African Mathematical Union (AMU) to encourage youthful talents in Mathematics and Mathematical Sciences, is expected to develop and reward African Youths, establish friendly relationship between African and European Mathematicians and to exchange information on curricular and teaching methods in Mathematics across the African continent.

According to her, the mandate to organise and host this Olympiad is therefore commendable as it is a clear manifestation of the collective determination to give the girl-child a productive future. She further acknowledged the efforts of local and international organisations who have dedicated both human and material resources to help advance the cause of the girlchild in Africa. Such initiatives, she noted, are what the society needs to effectively integrate the female child and provide a secure future for them.

Support from government Hajia Hindatu while pledging government support, called for proactive support from other organisations in whichever practicable way to raise the standards

and build the capacities of the girl-child, maintaining that her influence on humanity has a multiplying effect.

It remains glaring therefore that the laudable objective of sustaining Girl-child training especially in the area of Mathematics Education can only succeed with the needed support from all and sundry.

She said: “Let me stress that the present government of Nigeria will be encouraged to liaise with various organisations and agencies to draw up sustainable strategies for the development of the girl-child to meet the expectations of Nigerians and the standards established globally’’.

“Recall that PASO has the objective of promoting positive interaction and healthy competition among youths at national, regional and continental levels.

The organisation was founded by the African Academy of Science and has the potentials of addressing and encouraging the development of Science Education in the early educational development of children and youths”.

PAMO-G competition The Pan-African Mathematics Olympiad for Girls (PAMO-G) was inaugurated last year by the organisers of the Pan-African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) in order to improve and promote the girl-child science education for the developmental needs of the girl-child at the secondary school level.

The importance of Mathematics in the quest for national / continental development remains visible with the recognition accorded the subject as the corner-

Buhari pledges increased funding for universities

Sam Nzeh with agency reports President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged increased funding for universities in the country and has instructed the National Universities Commission and the Federal Ministry of Education to work out how this might best be done.

According to reliable sources, Buhari summoned officials of the National Universities Commission and the Ministry of

Hindatu Abdullahi

30

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Inside Campus Æ s Stakeholders brainstorm on technical, vocational education training in tertiary institutions

Cross section of the guest lecturers and management team at the conference

Emeka Onwudinjo Anambra At the maiden National Conference and Exhibition of the School of Industrial Technical Education (SITE) held at the Fed-

eral College of Education (Technical), Umunze Anambra State, professionals in many fields of endeavours as well as students brainstormed and charted a way of tackling the challenges of Technical and Vocational Educa-

tion and Training (TVET) for national development.

Presenting his lead paper titled, ‘Challenges of TVET in Skill Development Management Issues in Nigeria,’ Prof. Reko Okoye, Professor of Electrical/Elec-

tronics Technology Vocational Education Department, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, identified the challenges surrounding TVET as Leadership role and apathy to TVET professionals, Nonadherence to indigenous provisions, Standard of Training and Inadequate TVET sponsorship.

His words: “The personnel in administrative and leadership roles are mostly chosen from people with a general education background or other related fields. It was only in 2013 that a Vice Chancellor (first of its kind) of TVET background was appointed in Nigeria after 55 years of independent. It is assumed that if leadership positions are comparatively given to TVET graduates, there is likelihood for more emphasis on skills development and provisions made for success. The Scheme of events

on TVET programs in TVET provider institutions was rather modelled after those of the colonial masters instead of addressing issues of local interest.

Present at the event were Prof.

J.O Ogbuagu, Provost of the College ably represented by the Deputy Provost, Mrs. J.C Madichie, Dean School of Industrial Technical Education, Dr. H.O Omeje.

Also speaking on the conference, the Dean School of Industrial Technical Education, Dr. H.O Omeje, noted that education is the all-round development of a child. According to him, the panacea for these challenges must be realised in all ramifications through adequate impartation of requisite technical skills for a near perfect human capital development which is synonymous with personnel development.

NIDSUG boils as SUG President is impeached Storm is gathering in the Niger Delta Students Union Government (NIDSUG) after its National President was impeached last week. Some believe that the impeachment cannot stand as the union has no authentic Senate President.

EMMANUEL AHANONU examines the scenario.

The Niger Delta Students Union Government which is the highest Students’ Union governing body for students of Niger Delta region has known no peace recently. It started like distrust between the Executive members and suddenly turned to verbal attack, and then petition galore.

All the executives in July 2015 (with exception of the Treasurer) petitioned against the National President, Comrade. Obada Akpomiemie, for financial racketeering and impersonation of their offices among other perceived irregularity to the Senate.

In an extraordinary Senate sitting held at Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Obada received the Senate boot.

The Senate sitting had more than 20 Senators who are the representative of their Institutions. The Senate President, Comrade Chimdi Obiarandu of Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State acting within his constitutional powers

began by appointing a Senator Comrade Wisdom Ogbonna of Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Port Harcourt, to act as Deputy Clerk as the Deputy Clerk Comrade Bianca Alagwu wasn’t on the seating.

However, the chief item on the agenda of the sitting was the re-consideration of the petition brought to its floor by National Executive Council against Comrade Obada Akpomiemie.

A 7-man Committee headed

by Comrade Iwu Franklin of Imo State University, Owerri, who were formed earlier to look into the petition were called for their report. Rendering their report, Comrade Iwu alleged that Comrade Obada Akpomiemie declined all the invitations from the committee and resorted to continuous verbal threats to the lives of the committee members.

The Senate while frowning at Obada’s action invoked the constitution of NIDSUG section 17. Consequently, Comrade Williams Welemu of Niger Delta University, Amasoma, Bayelsa State moved the motion for Obada’s impeachment which was seconded by Comrade Richard Chukwu of Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State.

As the controversy surged, the Senate President called on the Congress to vote for or against

the impeachment. 71 voted for, 2 voted against while others where on the fence.

Thus, the Senate President ruled for the impeachment of Obada Akpomiemie as National President NIDSUG while the Vice President Administration Comrade Bariture Ngbee was empowered to fully take over as the New National President of NIDSUG as enshrined in section 18 of body constitution.

But in a twist reaction, the acclaimed impeached president, Obada, who was the former Senate President of the union, laughed off the impeachment and called it a baseless kangaroo seating that lacked both authority and common sense.

According to him, NIDSUG is yet to get both Senate and Deputy Senate President. He alleged that he is yet to hand over both the documents belonging to the lawmakers as well as the mace of the body which is the staff of authority which give power to lawmakers to convene and deliberate.

He further alleged that the election that brought in Comrade Chimdi Obiarandu as the Senate President was declared inconclusive when the electoral committee noticed that Chimdi is no longer a student as he claimed.

Obada asserted that his administration is still putting things in

The Chairman of the committee reading the report.

place to conduct elections for the Senate House.

However, a senior member of the union who doesn’t want his name in print, said that the major issue is that Obada was using the name of the association to make money and eat only with the Treasurer so the executives

felt alienated and kicked Obada aside so as to have a feel of the government.

“It is normal that when you chop alone you will die alone” he summed. The sitting witnessed students from more than 30 different institutions attended the congress/seating.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

31 Opinion

Fast and furious

ÎÎÎ

“That’s the vicious cycle of life which everything that has breath must undergo.

Instructions and training dispensed by our parents and guardians guide us through adolescence into adulthood”.

She’d just taken off the braids. Her children helped her to remove the plaits one by one. She held the wooden comb but one of her girls offered to comb through the hair. She combed the hair back, she combed it forward. She parted the hair into two and suddenly the young girl exclaimed: - Mummy, I find one white hair.

She plucked it and showed her mother who said: - Look through to see if you’ll find some more.

Remember the first strand of white shaft you discovered among your crown of hair. Did you pull it out? Few days or weeks later many more appeared; did you still pull them out one by one? Or did you just shrug your shoulders and get on with it? Or did you roll back the years like some people? Old age attacks every living thing.

To some aging is benign to others it descends like an avalanche. It affects a onceupon-a-time beauty queen.

It doesn’t spare the has-been sex idol either. Some of us try to beat it and do nip and tuck. But even if we cheat in some areas - the face or the tummy - our necks and

fingers give us away. For the day breaks, then comes noon followed by night.

Man’s life follows same pattern - childhood, adulthood, old age. ‘The stage of every living thing is in stages.’

That’s the vicious cycle of life which everything that has breath must undergo. Instructions and training dispensed by our parents and guardians guide us through adolescence into adulthood. Also habits we pick up from the environments stick to us.

We sometimes manage to shake off some of these habits when they prove to be detrimental to our goals or that person we’re striving to be.

Success or failures also make an impact on us. Future partners too will bring their baggage - emotional and otherwise - into our lives. One’s ‘shock absorber’ should be sturdy to withstand all the extras that are thrown our way in life’s journey.

Whatever we sow during

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the years preceding adulthood will be harvested in the twilight of our life.

Which brings me to the 30 July book launch event at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs to honour Sam Amuka on his 80th birthday. When the celebrant got up to respond to all the encomiums being showered on him - and did he deserve them! - he asked the house to stand. He then prayed - yes he believes in prayers, our own Uncle Sam - that we all would be celebrated in our lifetimes.

When next you hear the Yoruba prayer, K’ale san yin j’owuro lo shout out a loud AMEN. I also will join you for I want the twilight of my years to be much better than the dawn. I grew up seeing Bonanza, Ivanhoe and 77 Sunset Trip on the television. It was only white American families I saw in those television series.

Not until the Bill Cosby Show – Dr. Cliff Huxtable and his family - did I see an African-American family

on the screen for the first time. After Bill Cosby, I got to see some other AfricanAmerican artistes like Cicely Tyson, Sidney Poitier. If I was expecting these black artistes to behave different from their white counterparts, I was highly disappointed. My impression then was that they were very white. What I had in common with them was the skin. But did I love their show!

Not much was heard about Bill Cosby for a while.

Could it be because of old age or because of the son he lost? And came that day when the first allegation of sexual abuse against Bill Cosby was aired on the radio. I wished it would go away. But it wouldn’t because more women started coming forward with their sexual assault accusations and when we thought we had heard the last of the accusations another one would just pop out. Fast and furious these accusations came. And that man I used

to idolise began to melt in my esteem. Instead of him being celebrated in his old age, in his lifetime, heaps of sexual accusations alleged to have been committed in the prime of his life are being thrown at him. There seems to be no end to these accusations. And lower and lower in my esteem my idol crashed as we hear of court cases here and there.

I’m not sure if we have heard the last of these cases.

I just can’t match them with the man who was my hero.

How could he fall so low as to be in the same classification as Jimmy Saville of unblessed memory? Jimmy Saville, the high-profile DJ, who wined and dined with the high and mighty was outed as a monster. Only the accusations of sexual abuses came after his death.

If it’s true that the love of those we leave behind keeps us warm in the hereafter, the outpour of venom for Jimmy Saville would char him.

A recent photo of Bill Cosby showed him looking gaunt. Gone was that his broad smile that used to light up his face. I wonder if he even has anything to smile about these days. Wasn’t it HRH Prince Charles that said something like - sometimes the past comes back to give us a knock on the teeth? Would we ever see that smile again?

Some of Bill Cosby’s accusers spoke of being drugged by my ‘hero’. I think of him and see Jimmy Saville. Even that his broad smile is so distorted in my thoughts nowadays.

Accusers of ‘Dr Huxtable’, why have you destroyed my childhood memories?

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015

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Price: N150

RONALDO

HAT-TRICK S IN REAL’S 4-0 THRILLER OVER SHAKHTAR

uper striker Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday bagged a hat-trick in a 4-0 win for Real Madrid over Shakhtar Donetsk, while fellow Group A rivals Paris St-Germain opened their campaign with a victory over Malmo.

Wolfsburg have beaten CSKA Moscow courtesy of a Julian Draxler goal, while Atletico Madrid won 2-0 in Galatasaray.

Borussia Monchengladbach were back in Europe’s top competition after a 37-year absence but lost 3-0 to Sevilla and Champions League debutants Astana were beaten 2-0 by Benfica.

DJOKOVIC

THREATENING RECORD BOOKS X7

M

Z E R AH

Arsenal targets Mahrez in January X8 deal

Life&

Times Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Bsleek Quitting banking hall for music

L2

P

Interview L2

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

I once starved myself to pay for studio bills –BSLEEK

Graduate of Business Administration from Leads city University, Olomola Bankole Oluwaseun with the stage name BSLEEK is one of the fast rising new act to look out for in the entertainment industry.

The new dude, having watched performances by institutions mates including Skales, Wizkid amongst others is not resting on his oars in creating a stable musical career for self.

In this chat with OPEOLUWA AKINTAYO, B SLEEK revealed his love for music, future collaborations and how he intends to be more relevant in the music scene.

How did you come about your stage name?

Well, coming about a stage name wasn’t difficult for me. The ‘B’ represents two things, one is my name Bankole, second is the ‘Blues in RnB’. I got the SLEEK from my kind of person. I am very smooth, easy going and calm.

Now bringing the Blues and the sleekness together in the music, you already know what that means.

Life &

T E A M

What was growing up like for you?

Growing up was strict, and at the same time fun for me. My dad

was an officer, and my mum was an evangelist, that should explain, all right? Although they were choristers, likewise my elderly one; so definitely I got the interest in music right from when I was 0.1 years old. We would all sit when less busy, distribute parts amongst all of us and make a perfect complete harmony.

What kind of training did your parents give you that made you into the man that you are now?

Like I said, they are very strict, but then they give you the right to make your decisions. They used to impose on you doing the right things when we were very young, but later changed to advising us and guiding us spiritually. What you choose to do or whom you choose to be is your choice. Even though I grew up with a silver spoon, but then came along the rod and cane and belts and slaps too, to balance up with the silver spoon.

What was the reaction of your family when you told them you wanted to do music?

At First they both disagreed, with lots of persuasion from my relatives and those that know about the music industry and the gains and opportunities that come with it, they started giving in. They thought there’s no harm in trying.

Music Correspondent Akintayo Opeoluwani

Movie Correspondent Mutiat Alli

And they listened to the kind of music I make especially the latest major single: watch and see, then they started loving my music and even it got to a stage my dad was giving me lyrics. And my mum would give me concepts.

When did music start for you?

I anticipated doing music right from childhood. I would compose gospel songs for juvenile choir in my church, mime and perform R. Kelly songs in school, compose songs and record on tapes for my siblings and parents to listen to. Some they would make jest of me and some they would appraise me. Music never left me even all through my high school and university days. But I started music professionally two years ago, when my Uncle, Frederick Olalekan Jacobs C.E.O of Supadon Entertainments (UK) spotted my passion and talents.

And he thought why spend on an artiste outside when there’s one right beside him. I was happy and he gave me the whole support, advice and guide I needed all through my artiste developments stages. It took us one and a half years to really understand the music business and the industry.

And right now, I believe we are ready to venture into the top places in the industry.

Society Correspondent Isaac Oguntoye

What kind of songs do you do?

I do any genre of music that comes my way, but my major is Afro-pop. I can infuse Fuji into Highlife and it will really sound good; I can fix juju into Reggae and it will still sound nice. But all would still sound Afro beats, because that’s what we preach.

Where do you get your inspirations from?

I get inspired by anything. I get inspired when listening to other good music, I get inspired when taking a walk on the street, I get really creative mostly when I am weak, for instance hangover, moody, body pains amongst others.

What were the challenges since you started?

A lot of challenges any hustler would face. I would starve myself to get a studio session to record a song, I left banking job to go into music and people were like I don’t know what I am doing. And seeing the looks on their faces, that alone is a challenge for me as to how do I impress and prove to these people that I actually know what I am doing. It was indeed a big challenge getting my parents to succumb to my music career. It was a big challenge raising money

Photography Quadri Olowolagba

Graphics Luke Utomi

to buy different wears for different shows and different interviews.

How many singles have you dropped and what are they about?

I have dropped four singles; First song recorded was waist palava produced by Samklef; while others include Yaga groove, Body bad like that featuring Skales and the most recent watch and see produced by Ghanaian producer, hype lyrix.

Which big artistes, locally and internationally do you wish to collaborate with in the future?

Would love to work with any good artiste, but majorly, my plans right now is to work with, Wizkid and other stars that include Kiss Daniel, Reminisce, Patoranking, Olamide, Wande Coal amongst others.

Are you in this game for real and how do you plan to withstand the stiff competition?

My Philosophy is anything worth doing is worth doing well, I am not here to play. I am here to beat the best to be the best. And yes I have God behind me, Plus I have a great team and management strategizing and working and moving. We are here to win.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

L3Global fashion and beauty news

Tobi Dada

Temitope Olanre-Alade

Koker rocks Elu Clothing’s

Koker

Danshiki Chocolate City’s Artiste, Koker is undoubtedly everyone’s toast and heart throbs shortly after the release of his hit single, Do Something, a contemporary African song. Koker, as he is called has lately been clammed up in Bespoke Pieces of

‘KK’ Embroided Danshiki from Nigeria’s Leading Couture Designer, Elu Clothing.

Paying attention to details, Elu Clothing has perfectedly made this ‘KK’ outfit one of no kind and truly a statement for the Classic Man.

Cristiano Ronaldo out with fragrance line

Ibile Vogue launches Academy website Afropolitan Fashion designer, Temitope Olanre-Alade, CEO of Ibile Vogue has disclosed exclusively to Life &Times that all is now set as she officially launched her fashion academy website for the general public.

According to her: “In the course of the creation of the fashion academy, we are proud to say we have trained 150 successful fashionpreneurs since the conception of Ibile Vogue Academy and we are still bent on doing more”.

Temitope who is a proud African fashion designer in a recent interview with Daily Times revealed that she will not be caught dead wearing 100%English attire noting that her fashion academy approach to learning is incorporated in the traditional forms of classroom training, assessment activities and industry internship. Here, “all assessment is geared towards ensuring a seamless transition into the establishment of your own business”, she added.

Temitope doubles as the Secretary of the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria, FADAN.

Noble Igwe goes Nobs Socialite, Noble Igwe has teamed up with MODE to produce a new line of tees for bubbling and vibrant boys. The excited and social media personality took to his social media page to announce his yet to be released brand.

He said ‘Nobs by Mode, I’m excited about my first tee shirt line.

Collaboration with @itsjustmode, you can preorder via DM, I will be producing only 10 Tees Per Design’.

Christian Louboutin releases new lipstick brand

Cristiano Cristiano Ronaldo has unveiled his first ever fragrance, ‘Legacy’. The footballer who owns an underwear brand makes his way into the fragrance business with the unveiling of his first ever Eau De Toilette ‘Legacy’.

The line also includes a deodorant stick and

spray, aftershave and aftershave balm; shower gel all soon to be released and all set between 17-39 pounds.

He featured in the sexy video for the fragrance spraying on the perfume and instantly attracting a lady.

Luxury brand, Christian Louboutin has unveiled its new brands of lipstick featuring three variations with multiple shades from bold red hues to deep brown. Each lipstick container is designed with an open space detail, perfect for looping a ribbon or chain through to make a 2-in-1 necklace.

The new brands of lipstick are in Velvet Matte, Silky Satin and Sheer Voile lipstick options and are priced at $90 each.

Fashion & Style L4

Beyonce

Genevieve Nnaji

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Mercy Aigbe-Gentry

Go trendy in

jump suit!

Omobolaji Afolabi & Hussenat Ohize Jump suit is one fashion accessory that doesn’t waste time to get on your beautiful body, it comprises of both a top and a trouser and the beauty of jump suit is that it can be worn to any location either formal or casual. Jump suit gives you that casual and formal look at the same time. It looks effortlessly cool on celebrities and style bloggers it can also look good on you depending on how you rock it, and how you choose your jump suit How to wear the jump suit and make it work for you

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To start with, To pick that jumpsuit for any event make sure the jump suit fabrics are like polyester blends, silk-jersey, these fabrics are more comfortable, than linen they tend to crush easily.

Make sure the jump suit is of your size Also; the jumpsuit should be snug around your assets, but fall like a drape everywhere else.

Make sure you love your body and also know the type of shape you have before putting on a jump suit for example if you are round-shaped, shorter length or pants with cuffs is meant for you, If you are pear-shaped long coloured jump suit woks for you, for the figure 8 type styles with the cinch at the waist that would emphasizing your small waist

•

•

•

Ashley Madewe

is best for you if you are petite a single-toned jumpsuit creates the illusion of height for you Don’t forget to stare your jump suit with other fashion accessory such as necklace, bangles, belts, ask heel shoe that would complement the jump suit ,and if it is an arm jump suit a smart blazer or broach with a fancy purse would do the trick of gaining attention When choosing a jump suit keep the occasion in mind, wear what suit the event, and don’t over stress your dressing when putting on a jump suit. comfort begins fashion be comfortable with your jump suit it won’t fail you if you rock it in a gorgeous and stylish way.

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

L5 Fashion & Style

Monalisa Chinda

Juliet Ibrahim Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde

Toke Makinwa

Toyin Lawani

Dakore Akande

Moet Abebe

Fashion & Style L6

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Oparaugo Christian It’s hot and cool, now the new trend in fashion style lately. You know them as belly shirt, half shirt, midriff shirt, midriff top, tummy top, short shirt, or cut-off shirt, but they are generally known as Crop tops.

Crop tops are something to play around with either you wants to look dressy, go to the beach, to the movies, the club or even on red carpet. It’s easy to wear and can be rocked by all body types whether plus size, skinny ,curvy, long and short, it can be rocked correctly ,they are very flattering and cute if worn properly Designers are now taking advantage of the concept, using local materials to make hot styles that attracts including the usage of our local Ankara fabrics.

Trying to create that fabulous crop top inspired wear? Try this • Get a pair of jean; crazy jean brings out the beauty • Desirable crop top • Arabian ear-ring • Heels to bring out that curvy and smart look • Compliment with a good bag

Tiwa Savage

Victoria Kimani

Mocheeda

Crop

it like it’s hot!!!

Yemi Alade

Juliet Ibrahim

Seyi Shay

Channel bag

Arabian Earring

Rihanna

Lupita Nyong

Heels

Crop top

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

L7 Fashion & Style

Bead inspired Tobi Dada A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood or pearl and that a small hole is drilled for threading or stringing.

Beads have been in vogue since the 90s it was usually used by the obas, but it’s always in one form. But now it has resurfaced and it now adorns ladies neck and hands in place of gold chain. Bead Jewellery comes in many types and sizes, and in many different materials, such as: glass beads, wooden beads, clay beads, plastic beads, shamballa style beads, shell beads, metal beads, pearl beads, semiprecious stone beads, Swarovski and pendants.

Fashion conscious people are seen gorgeously adorned with beads of different styles and shape at glamorous social events.

Go trendy in beaded jewelries

Liz Anjorin Anita

Oluwabukola Ogunmokun

Tonto Dikeh-Churchill

Beauty: Experience the power of

Iyabo Ojo

Shea butter Omobolaji Afolabi

•

Ori as the Yoruba people call it, Abubaeke as the Igbo call it, mankada as Hausa call it, whatever you call Shea butter in your language doesn’t matter, because one cannot underestimate its uniqueness and the importance of Shea butter. Shea butter is a gentle and effective moisturizer. It contains oleic acid, a saturated fatty acid, it is highly placed because it is very nourishing, as well as being gentle and easily absorbed Shea butter is gotten from the ivorycoloured fat that’s extracted from the nut of the Karite tree. It contains vitamin A,E and F. It offers UV protection, Shea butter is mainly used in the cosmetics industry for skin and hair related products like lip gloss, skin moisturizer creams and emulsions, and hair conditioners for dry and brittle hair, unlike most expensive lotion Shea butter is cheap and natural.

Benefits you derive from Using Shea butter

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Smooth skin; Shea butter helps your skin to glow despite your skins condition; it aids the skin’s natural collagen production and prevent drying. When using Shea butter the skin start to softening and strengthening and wrinkle reduces dramatically.

Moisturizing: Shea butter makes it incredibly nourishing and moisturizing for skin. It is used for as a remedy for dry skin and its help protect the skin’s natural oils.

Strengthens your hair; natural Shea butter helps your hair scarp to be oily there for avoiding hair breakage and dandruffs it gives your hair this healthy and beautifully look Shea butter is one oily treatment that has been used in making shampoo and other oily treatment . it also control the growth of the hair and restores the

hair follicles and the scalp, giving birth to healthy and fast growing hair. Shea butter improves the performance of scalp and hair.

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Healing; Shea butter has the ability of healing the skin. Shea butter is helpful against different skin conditions like rashes, scars, tanning, burns, insect bites, arthritis, muscle fatigue and stings.

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Used as a baby care product; Shea butter is a natural moisturizer.

Due to this, it can be used on soft and gentle skin and as a baby care product. It can be used for diaper rash and healing eczema on the skin of babies.

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As a lip care product; Shea butter contains the nutrients and moisturizer in it, which are helpful for summer and winter seasons. Its help us keep our lips against cold and dryness

Mercy Johnson

Daily Times Nigeria Wednesday, September 16, 2015

L8 Television Showing on

Showing on

150 Channel

140 AMC Channel

Wed, 16 Sep | 16

Wed, 16 Sep | PG13

09:05

02:30

140 AMC Channel When Sarah Hopson realises her successful New York lifestyle is devoid of meaning, she packs her bags and heads for her home town in the Scottish Borders to look for Sam, her childhood love.

Valerie Gogan, Gerard Butler. (1999) Vadim Jean.

‘S1/E74 - 1/74’. Ibrahim Musa-Philips and Jonathan Pepple, patriarchs of two competing sugar-growing families and former best friends are locked in an unending feud.

101 M-Net West

118 Telemundo

120 BBC Entertainment

128 SONY MAX

00:02 Sniper: Legacy 01:36 Behind The Scenes: No Good Deed 02:00 47 Ronin 04:00 The Voice 04:45 Behind The Scenes: Step Up All In 05:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 06:00 The Goldbergs 06:30 Mysteries Of Laura 07:30 Grey’s Anatomy 08:30 The Lego Movie 10:30 Mike & Molly 11:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 12:00 The Voice 13:00 Battle Creek 14:00 Elementary 15:00 Chicago PD 16:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 17:00 The Middle 17:30 The Voice 18:30 The Big Bang Theory 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 19:30 The Good Wife 20:30 Secrets & Lies 21:30 Battle Creek 22:30 American Crime

00:30 The Del Monte Dynasty 01:20 The Impostor 02:10 Labour Of Love 03:00 Part Of Me 03:50 Queen Of Hearts 05:20 The Del Monte Dynasty 06:10 Labour Of Love 07:00 Part Of Me 07:50 Queen Of Hearts 08:40 The Impostor 09:30 Forbidden Passions 10:20 Labour Of Love 11:10 Part Of Me 12:00 Queen Of Hearts 12:50 The Impostor 13:40 Forbidden Passions 14:30 Labour Of Love 15:20 Part Of Me 16:10 Queen Of Hearts 17:00 The Impostor 17:50 Forbidden Passions 18:40 Labour Of Love 19:30 Part Of Me 20:20 Queen Of Hearts 21:10 The Impostor 22:00 Forbidden Passions 22:50 Labour Of Love

00:20 Most Shocking 01:20 Poorman’s Bikini Beach 00:40 The Weakest Link

11:00 My Family

01:45 Rude Tube

01:25 Scott And Bailey

11:30 Hell’s Kitchen USA

02:15 Poorman’s Bikini Beach

02:15 Come Dine With Me

12:20 Top Gear

02:45 Upload With Shaquille O’Neal

03:10 EastEnders

13:15 Come Dine With Me

03:15 Hip Hop Squares

03:40 QI

14:15 Hell’s Kitchen USA

03:45 Most Shocking

04:10 Top Gear

15:05 The Weakest Link

04:35 South Beach Tow

05:00 Mr. Bean: The Animated Series

16:00 EastEnders

05:00 Criss Angel Mindfreak

05:25 QI

16:30 Deal Or No Deal

05:25 Exposed

06:00 Miranda

17:10 The Cube

05:50 Exposed

06:30 EastEnders

18:00 Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

06:15 Video Zonkers

07:00 Antiques Roadshow

19:00 Dragons’ Den

06:40 Video Zonkers

07:55 The Weakest Link

20:05 Top Gear

07:05 What Went Down

08:45 The Cube

21:05 Hell’s Kitchen USA

07:35 Caught On Camera

09:30 Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

22:00 Live At The Apollo

08:35 Hardcore Pawn: Chicago

10:20 Deal Or No Deal

22:50 QI

09:05 South Beach Tow

155 AfricaMagic World

154 Africa Magic Family

00:00 Tinsel 00:30 Star Gist 01:00 At Home With Michelle Attoh 02:00 Music Block 03:00 Good Morning Africa 04:00 Music Block 05:00 At Home With Michelle Attoh 06:00 Good Morning Africa 07:00 Star Gist 07:25 Back Stab 08:30 Tenant

09:20 Mashariki Mix 10:00 Good Morning Africa 11:00 Tinsel 11:30 Star Gist 12:00 Music Block 13:00 At Home With Joselyn Dumas 14:00 Jara 14:30 Comfort Zone 15:00 At Home With Michelle Attoh 16:00 Prem 16:30 Tenant 17:30 Mary Slessor 18:00 Jane And Abel 18:30 Jane And Abel 19:00 Tinsel 19:30 Star Gist 20:00 Airtel Touching Lives 20:30 Losers Take It All 22:00 Tyme Out With Tee-A

00:00 Music Block 01:00 Good Morning Africa 02:00 Deal Or No Deal SA 03:00 Music Block 04:00 The Dzigbordi Show 05:00 Good Morning Africa 06:10 Return Of The Messenger

Great

07:55 Star Gist 08:30 Star Gist 09:00 Good Morning Africa 10:00 The Dzigbordi Show 11:00 Deal Or No Deal 12:00 Deal Or No Deal 13:00 Music Block 14:00 Star Gist 14:30 Star Gist 15:00 Star Gist 15:30 Lies That Bind 16:00 The Dzigbordi Show 17:00 So Wrong So Wright 17:30 So Wrong So Wright 18:00 The Dzigbordi Show 19:00 Through The Eyes Of An African 19:30 Through The Eyes Of An African 20:00 Kawanu 21:45 Jara 22:15 Music Block

09:35 Most Shocking 10:35 Most Shocking 11:35 Video Zonkers 12:05 Video Zonkers 12:35 What Went Down 13:05 Caught On Camera 14:05 Hardcore Pawn: Chicago 14:35 South Beach Tow 15:05 Most Shocking 16:05 1000 Ways To Die 16:30 Video Zonkers 17:00 Video Zonkers 17:30 Caught On Camera 18:30 What Went Down 19:00 South Beach Tow 19:30 Hardcore Pawn: Chicago 20:00 Jerks With Cameras 20:30 Impractical Jokers 21:00 Rude Tube 21:30 Poorman’s Bikini Beach 22:00 Poorman’s Bikini Beach 22:30 Most Shocking

ADEBAYOR SENDS g X2 TOTTENHAM MESSAGE

Xavi 1996 Atlanta

Team

Poster!

HAKEEM OLAJUWON

BIDS FAREWELL TO COMPETITIVE RUNNING g X7

GUARDIOLA

PREVENTED

FROM JOINING BAYERN g

GEBRSELASSIE

Olajuwon

Hakeem

Olympic Games Gold medal – first place competition

Blocks 3,830 (3.1 bpg) Medals Men’s basketball Competitor for the United States

Career NBA statistics Points 26,946 (21.8 ppg) 13,747 (11.1 rpg) Rebounds

SWC Player of the Year (1984) NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1983) No. 34 retired by University of Houston

NBA all-time blocks leader Houston Rockets all-time leading scorer No. 34 retired by Houston Rockets NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team Consensus first-team All-American (1984)

2x NBA rebounding leader (1989-1990) 3× NBA blocks leader (1990-1991, 1993)

3× All-NBA Third Team (1991, 1995, 1999) 2× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1993–1994) 5× All-Defensive First Team (1987–1988, 1990, 1993-1994) 4× All-Defensive Second Team (1985, 1991, 1996–1997) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1985)

Career History Houston Rockets 1984–2001 Toronto Raptors 2001–2003 Career Highlights And Awards 2× NBA champion (1994–1995) 2× NBA Finals MVP (1994–1995) NBA Most Valuable Player (1994) 12× NBA All-Star (1985–1990, 1992–1997) 6× All-NBA First Team (1987–1989, 1993–1994, 1997) 3× All-NBA Second Team (1986, 1990, 1996)

Selected by the Houston Rockets 1984–2002 Pro career: Position: Center Number: 34

Weight: 255 lb (116 kg) Career Information College: Houston (1981–1984) NBA draft: 1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall

Hakeem Olajuwon Name:” January 21, 1963 Born: Lagos, Nigeria Nigerian / American Nationality: 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) Height :

g X4,5 PERSONAL INFORMATION

X4 Wednesday, September 16, 2015

EXTRATIME

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

EXTRATIME

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Moses talks tough on West Ham, g X3 Man City clash

X8

X5

X2

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

EXTRATIME

ADEBAYOR SENDS TOTTENHAM MESSAGE

D

espite having parted ways with Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend, Togo international striker Emmanuel Adebayor has wished the club the best of luck for the future.

British media broke the news that the Lily Whites have released the 31-year-old former Arsenal and Manchester City hitman.

However, the player took to his Facebook account to send a message to the club, thanking them and also confirming the move.

“I can confirm that I have reached an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur to terminate my contract,” said Adebayor.

“I wish to thank the club and the fans for my time there and I wish them well for the forthcoming season.”

Regarding his future, the Togolese international could join his exTottenham coach Tim Sherwood at Aston Villa. It has been reported that Sherwood is keen on landing the player in January, that’s according to report.

Meanwhile, the report suggests that Adebayor was registered as a Tottenham player at the end of the transfer window and he cannot sign for anyone else until the window re-opens.

Keita, Salah and Gervinho to face Barca

I

talian Serie A giants AS Roma are getting their preparations on course as they face Spanish La Liga football powerhouse, Barcelona tonight (Wednesday) in the UEFA Champions League, Group E match.

Three Africans will be the centre of attention in this crucial tie as Mali skipper, Seydou Keita, Egyptian winger Mohammed Salah and Cote D’Ivoire striker Gervinho could be in action against the defending champions.

Both Keita and Gervinho started their previous encounter against Frosinone as they won 2-0, but the former Chelsea forward started on the bench, however, the match at home against one of the world’s top football sides could hand Keita a chance to face his former bosses.

Keita

EMENIKE

VOWS TO KEEP SCORING FOR AL AIN Stories by Mike Otanwa

N

igeria international striker, Emmanuel Emenike, has said he hopes to continue scoring goals after he netted a brace on his league debut for

Al Ain. The former Karabukspor of Turkey star scored twice in a 2-0 win over Al Wasl on Sunday to take his goals’ haul to four in three games in all competitions.

“I am happy to continue the scoring form for Al Ain, it’s something I always want to do and I hope to keep it up in

the subsequent games,” Emenike said.

“Scoring goals means a lot to me especially at this time because everybody expects goals from me and so I am working hard every day to justify their confidence.

“It’s good to keep the club in front and my goals have a lot to do with that.”

He continued: “I need to justify the confidence many have in me as well as the huge expectations of the club and fans.

“I believe I will score more goals with the help of my team mates.”

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

EXTRATIME

Martins

MARTINS

REFLECTS ON HIS FOOTBALL JOURNEY

Stories by Mike Otanwa

N

igeria international Obafemi Martins has taken time off to reflect on his football journey

so far.

The former Newcastle United striker who now does ply his trade at Major League Soccer (MLS) club, Seattle Sounders spoke to the voice of Sounders, Ross Fletcher in an interview.

The former inter Milan forward, Martins whose back flips is a delight to watch each time he scores a goal said his love for football has no limit when he was asked

about what makes him perform at the highest level where ever you plays.

“I love playing football, my love for football keeps me going and I want to tell my kids that I’ve been everywhere playing football and that I’ve scored so many goals everywhere I go to,” said Martins “I love it when I’m not known where I go. When I joined Seattle Sounders a lot of people didn’t know me so I enjoyed it more that I have to prove myself for them to know who I am.

“I think I love it that way because if they already know me they’ll predict

what I’ll deliver, but when they don’t know so much about me and I deliver so well then it brings more joy,” Martins stated.

Obafemi Martins who is popularly known as ObaGoal talked about how the back flip celebration started.

“The back flip started when I was twelve years old playing on the street I was so good at it but my friend told me that it’ll be nice if I do it each time I score a goal.

Initially I thought I’ll be too tired to do that but he insisted that I should do it. When I did it after scoring a goal the fans loved it and even asked me to do it without scoring a goal,” Obafemi Martins explained.

Strugglers DOLPHINS

vow to stay up Egwim

D

olphins coach Stanley Eguma has vowed his team will keep fighting to stay up in the Nigeria

top flight.

The Port Harcourt club have been sucked back into the drop zone after they lost 2-0 at Enyimba on Sunday.

They are now 18th on the table with 31 points from 29 matches.

“The league is not over, we still have nine games to play so we can’t write off ourselves. We will work hard so as not to go down at the end of the day,” Eguma said.

Dolphins defender Jonathan Zikiye shared the optimism of his coach.

“I believe we can escape relegation, this is football where anything can happen. We are hopeful and have not given up,” Zikiye said.

Eguma blamed the poor state of the

Enyimba Stadium pitch for his team’s loss on Sunday.

He said though his team lost concentration and conceded the goals, a good pitch would have allowed his team play better.

“We lost concentration in the second half after playing well in the first half.

We conceded the goals due to loss of concentration,” he lamented.

“The bad state of the pitch did not allow us play our normal game. We prepared well for the game, but unfortunately we lost.”

X3

Moses talks tough on West Ham, Man City clash

V

ictor Moses has said West Ham are capable of upsetting Manchester City when both clubs clash at the Ettihad this weekend.

“We can upset Manchester City and get the three points,” said Victor Moses after he got off to a winning start at West Ham with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United on Monday.

The Chelsea loanee showed his pace, power and overall ability in a debut that won over the West Ham faithful at a sell-out Boleyn Ground as he received standing ovation when he was substituted for Andy Caroll.

“I thought all the lads did really well out there. We knew what to expect, the manager said ‘Go out and express yourself, make sure you enjoy the game,” he said.

“I thought we worked hard together as a team, we deserved the game and we dominated really. We created a lot of chances really.

“I think I’ve settled in quickly. I just wanted to go out there and enjoy it.

Moses

Everything fell into place and it felt good out there.

“You can see that we’ve got a lot of quality. Going forward we were all enjoying ourselves. Payet and Sakho were excellent and Lanzini as well. Our full-backs pushed on well which also helped, we just enjoyed ourselves really.”

The 24-year-old almost capped an impressive performance with a dream debut goal.

The winger sprinted 50 yards and beat two defenders before unleashing a venomous shot which beat Tim Krul, but it smacked against the crossbar.

MORE CHARGES COULD FOLLOW IN FIFA CORRUPTION SCANDAL

M

ore charges could follow in investigations of corruption surrounding football world governing body FIFA, US attorney general Loretta Lynch said Tuesday.

In May, 14 people including nine former football officials and five sports marketing executives were indicted on racketeering charges in the United States involving more than 150 million dollars.

The investigation has expanded since then and investigators “anticipate pursuing additional charges against individuals and entities,” Lynch said.

“As I made clear at our initial announcement, the scope of our investigation is not limited, and we are following the evidence where it leads,” she said.

“I am grateful for the significant cooperation and substantial evidence

that we have received from all quarters.”

Lynch could give no timescale on the investigations but both she and her Swiss counterpart, Michael Lauber, indicated their probes could be lengthy affairs.

The Swiss probe into the bid process and election of the 2018 World Cup hosts Russia and 2022 hosts Qatar “is not even at the halfway stage,” Lauber told a joint news conference in Zurich.

As part of the investigation, a number of apartments and houses in the Swiss Alps have been searched and evidence seized, Lauber said.

FIFA has been hit by a number of corruption allegations. Ahead of the FIFA congress in Zurich on May 29, seven football officials were arrested as part of the US investigation, including two FIFA vice-presidents at the time.

Medals

Career NBA statistics Points 26,946 (21.8 ppg) 13,747 (11.1 rpg) Rebounds Blocks 3,830 (3.1 bpg)

SWC Player of the Year (1984) NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1983) No. 34 retired by University of Houston

NBA all-time blocks leader Houston Rockets all-time leading scorer No. 34 retired by Houston Rockets NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team Consensus first-team All-American (1984)

3× NBA blocks leader (1990-1991, 1993)

5× All-Defensive First Team (1987–1988, 1990, 1993-1994) 4× All-Defensive Second Team (1985, 1991, 1996–1997) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1985) 2x NBA rebounding leader (1989-1990)

2× NBA champion (1994–1995) 2× NBA Finals MVP (1994–1995) NBA Most Valuable Player (1994) 12× NBA All-Star (1985–1990, 1992–1997) 6× All-NBA First Team (1987–1989, 1993–1994, 1997) 3× All-NBA Second Team (1986, 1990, 1996) 3× All-NBA Third Team (1991, 1995, 1999) 2× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1993–1994)

1984–2002 Pro career: r Cente Position: Number: 34 Career History Houston Rockets 1984–2001 Toronto Raptors 2001–2003 Career Highlights And Awards

Weight: 255 lb (116 kg) Career Information College: Houston (1981–1984) NBA draft: 1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall Selected by the Houston Rockets

Hakeem Olajuwon Name:” January 21, 1963 Born: Lagos, Nigeria Nigerian / American Nationality: 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) Height :

PERSONAL INFORMATION

X4 Wednesday, September 16, 2015

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Team

Olajuwon

Hakeem

Men’s basketball Competitor for the United States Olympic Games Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta competition

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

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X6

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

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FEATURES

GOD CREATED FOOTBALL FOR POOR PEOPLE

– BARRERA

J

uan Barrera is a player who catches the eye for a host of reasons, whether it be his smooth two-footedness, creativity on the ball or the leadership qualities befitting a talented captain. Yet it is an off-the-field attribute that makes him stand out still further: Barrera is the first Nicaraguan player ever to sign for a European club.

In April this year, shortly before turning 26, Nicaragua’s No.10 boarded a plane to Austria to add another chapter to his footballing story. However, he is back in his homeland, determined to keep driving Los Pinoleros towards a historic berth at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.

Escaping poverty Born into a very humble and working-class family, Barrera’s route to the top was anything but straightforward. At just five years of age, the political situation in Nicaragua led his family to make the move to Costa Rica, and it was not until ten years later that Barrera would return to his country of birth – this time leaving his parents behind.

“It’s like a coach of mine used to say: ‘God created football for poor people’. So, ever since I was a child

I’ve been chasing the dream to try and make it out [of poverty],” the Rheindorf Altach playmaker told FIFA.com. “I was quite surprised when there was interest in me from an Austrian club. I’d had coaches that told me I was capable of playing in Europe, but a genuine opportunity had never come about.

When I signed the contract I was so happy: I was fulfilling one of my lifelong dreams.”

The move to the Old Continent also meant the Ocotal-born schemer, nicknamed El Iluminado (The Visionary), assumed a leadership role for his country.

“I’d not captained the senior side before and what makes it even nicer is the fact that I was chosen by my team-mates,” he explained.

“Now there’s more responsibility on my shoulders because I’m not in Nicaragua any more. I have to try and do a good job so that other Nicaraguan players can follow my example and also get the chance to move abroad.

“When I go back to Nicaragua I tell the guys that football’s a global game now and that people don’t worry about your nationality so much. The international game doesn’t just belong to the Italians, the English or Argentinians any

longer. If you’re good enough it doesn’t matter where you come from. [Nicaraguan players] need to work hard, keep fighting and keep dreaming in order to make it to a more competitive league and have a better life.”

Conquering Jamaica When asked to sum up the senior national side’s current good run of form, Barrera said: “When things start well they end well. The new coach has changed our mind-set: Henry Duarte has made us believe. He works on the mental side of the game and we’ve achieved loads in that area.

Nicaragua are no longer scared or anxious when travelling to take on

other countries.”

Even so, Los Pinoleros’ new project could barely have been handed a tougher test in Round 3 of North, Central America and Caribbean Zone qualifying for Russia 2018, in the shape of 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup runners-up Jamaica.

“We were confident that we were going to pick up a good result over there,” said Barrera, reflecting on the mental strength that helped secure Friday’s hard-fought 3-2 first-leg win in Kingston. “We had faith in the work we’ve been putting in for months, because this isn’t the result of one week’s work, it’s taken some time. We

approached the game calmly, though we gave it the importance it deserved, because we knew it’s an all-or-nothing tie. Speaking for myself, I felt more mature and composed thanks to my time in Europe, and I think I made the most of that,” added Barrera, who has also played club football in Panama and Venezuela.

“We really took advantage of their mistakes and we were always in the lead,” he continued on the narrow first-leg success, which gives Nicaragua a valuable advantage ahead of tonight’s return in Managua. “I think that our performance dipped a little in the second half because of the climate.

The humidity in Jamaica makes playing there very difficult.

“It’s in our hands. We’re keeping our feet on the ground because we’ve not won anything yet and there’s 90 minutes still to go. But we’re hoping to successfully close the tie out. We have to finish the tie in Managua playing the way we did over in Kingston, by fighting and battling hard. That’s the only way.”

He should know, having made Nicaraguan football history on the back of sweat, tears, hard graft and, of course, ability. And Juan Barrera is not finished yet…

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

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X7

Tennis

DJOKOVIC

THREATENING RECORD BOOKS W

ith Novak Djokovic’s 10th grand slam title secured and the year-end number one ranking already in the bag, his stranglehold on men’s tennis looks unshakeable and records beckon.

The 28-year-old Serb’s initial slow accumulation of major silverware after his breakthrough at the 2008 Australian Open has accelerated to such an extent that talk of him surpassing the likes of Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal and even Roger Federer is no

longer fanciful.

Djokovic’s four-set defeat of 17-times major champion Federer in a spellbinding US Open final on Sunday was achieved despite a relentless Federer onslaught and with virtually the whole New York crowd roaring every winner from the Swiss maestro.

At times, Djokovic appeared the loneliest man in the world but he soaked up the pressure, sucked in the night air, and showed why beating him on the biggest of stages is almost mission impossible.

Athletic

GEBRSELASSIE BIDS FAREWELL TO COMPETITIVE RUNNING

E

thiopian long distance great, Haile Gebrselassie, says returning to Glasgow to run the 10km will be “quite an emotional day” Following his announcement earlier this year that he would be retiring from competitive running, Haile Gebrselassie is set to bid farewell to racing at the Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run on October 4.

The Ethiopian long distance great set numerous world records during a career which also saw him claim two Olympic and four world gold medals over 10,000m as well as four world indoor titles and a world half-marathon gold. His road running career also saw him become the first to go sub-2:04 for the marathon when he ran 2:03:59

in Berlin in 2008, a time that still places him fifth on the all-time list for 26.2 miles.

The 42-year-old, who is due to run the 10km in Glasgow next month, returns to an event at which he won the half-marathon race in 2013.

“I love the city of Glasgow and the atmosphere in the city,” said Gebrselassie. “It will be quite an emotional day for me as I say farewell to competitive running.

“Returning to this year’s event is a great opportunity for me to say thank you to the people of Glasgow by running the 10km.”

After taking on the 10km, Gebrselassie is expected to assist with honorary starting duties for the halfmarathon.

A

sian Tour stars Scott Hend from Australian, Thailand’s Thongchai and Anirban Lahiri of India are set to battle out for the UBS Hong Kong Open title slated for October.

The highly accomplished trio hold a combined 26 Asian Tour titles and are poised to make Hong Kong’s oldest professional sporting event an epic showdown with many of the world’s top players assembling at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

Dustin Johnson of the United States and England’s Justin Rose, both ranked in the world’s top-10, will headline the elite field alongside Ryder Cup stars Victor Dubuisson of France, Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland and American Patrick Reed. Four-time Hong Kong Open champion and fan favourite Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain has also confirmed his appearance.

For title holder Hend, he still remembers his play-off triumph over

HK Open: Hend others in an epic showdown Golf Filipino Angelo Que at the Hong Kong Golf Club vividly and is looking forward to repeating his heroics.

“I find it very rewarding to play in front of the big crowds at the Hong Kong Golf Club. The atmosphere at UBS Hong Kong Open is always great. It’s one of the best tournaments on Tour and has a great history behind it,” said Hend.

The big-hitting Australian star is one of the most successful international players on the Asian Tour, having amassed six titles on the region’s premier Tour and finishing inside the top-five of the Order of Merit in 2014, 2013, 2009 and 2007.

Hend

Singapore Grand Prix is under threat

T Gebrselassie

Djokovic

his weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix is under threat as a haze continues to engulf the country, with the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) continuing to rise.

The PSI has hit the ‘very unhealthy’ bandwidth of pollution, with a year high of 222 on Monday, with the 24-hour PSI being estimated to be between 130 and 161, according to Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA).

Several local outdoor events have already been cancelled as a result of the

haze, including a charity race for cancer scheduled for Sunday, while several air flights being diverted due to low visibility.

“The haze situation could further deteriorate should the current unfavourable winds blow in denser haze from Sumatra,” said the NEA in a statement.

“Thundery showers are forecast for Singapore in the pre-dawn and early morning hours, but this may only bring a brief temporary respite to the hazy conditions.

FORMULA ONE

Haze Singapore

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Wednesday, September 16, 2015

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CISSÉ

Transfers…Transfers…Transfers…

IS ‘GOING NOWHERE’ N Cisse

ewcastle United head coach Steve McClaren has insisted that Papiss Cissé is part of the club’s future and is going nowhere.

The Senegal international, who joined the Magpies from SC Freiburg on a five-and-a-half-year deal in January 2012, has been repeatedly linked with a move away from St James’ Park this summer.

However, McClaren confirmed he was in no mood to let go of the 30-year-old as Newcastle are preparing for their trip to West Ham United on Monday.

“Papiss is not going,” the former England manager said.

“We’ve never discussed that. I know there’s been spec-

Arsenal targets Mahrez in January deal

EBERE delighted to join PSG S

uper Falcons defender, Ngozi Ebere has said she is delighted to join top French club PSG and looking forward to win trophies for the team.

Ebere

The former Rivers Angels left-back sealed a twoyear deal with PSG ladies team.

The 24-year-old has 29 caps for Super Falcons and won the African Women’s Championship with Nigeria in 2014.

“I am here to give my best to the team to win trophies. I am very motivated by this new challenge that awaits me here in Paris. It’s a dream come true,” Ebere told the club’s website.

The team coach Farid Benstiti welcomed the Nigeria star and said he believe she has the qualities to make the team once she has adapted.

“Ebere is a Nigerian who plays left-back. She will compliment Laure Boulleau. She has great potentials and qualities that showed in the last World Cup,” said the PSG coach.

“She will need time to adapt, but her qualities will enable her to be ready fairly quickly.”

ulation, but I said to his agent – he scores goals.

“When I came here there was a lot of debate about Papiss whether he was staying or going. I said to our managing director, Lee Charnley, ‘Crikey, look at his record, it’s fantastic – 11 goals in 22 games last season’.

“To be perfectly honest, he was the one who was missed when they weren’t winning, because he’s always a threat.

“He’s a goalscorer and once you have Papiss in the team, you always have a better chance of winning. That’s what I always thought when I watched Newcastle last season.”

A

Mahrez

lgerian star, Riyad Mahrez, has emerged as a target for Arsenal in the January transfer window, according to report.

Mahrez has been one of the Premier League’s best players in the early stages of the 2015/16 season. having racked up four goals and two assists in Leicester City’s first five matches.

As a result of his form, the 24-year-old Fennec Foxes player has been linked to the Gunners, with manager Arsene Wenger having reportedly identified the winger as a target for the next window.

The Gunners boss is thought to have shown interest in Mahrez over the summer but ended up only signing goalkeeper Petr Cech from Chelsea.

Barcelona has also been linked with a move for the Foxes player.

Guardiola prevented Xavi from joining Bayern

B

arcelona icon Xavi has revealed he rejected a move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2008 because of a vital intervention from Pep Guardiola.

The 35-year-old currently plays for Al-Sadd in Qatar after turning down the chance to join Guardiola in Germany in the 2014 closeseason to spend one more year with Barcelona, a decision which proved successful as the club won the treble under Luis Enrique.

Xavi said he had a similar opportunity to join the Bundesliga side while he was in his prime as a 28-year-old, having just helped Spain to glory at Euro 2008, when Guardiola was on the other end of the conversation and persuading him to stay put at Camp Nou. “After Euro 2008, I got the feeling that Barcelona were ready to sell me,” the World Cup winner told Marca.

“Real Madrid were winning things and we didn’t and I went to

the national team knowing that the club would be open to selling me if a good offer came in.

“I spoke with my agent, Ivan Corretja, and he told me there was an offer from Bayern. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge wanted me.

“But then Pep Guardiola became the new coach at Barcelona and I played a great Euro 2008. Pep told me that I was not going anywhere and explained how he could not imagine a Barcelona without me. I was captivated by what he said.”

Xavi