Dtn 19 11 15

Arms contracts: FG’s allegations sheer propaganda – Dasuki Andrew Orolua, ƄƑƉ

ÎÎÎFormer National Security Advis-

er (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), on Wednesday, described the AVM Ode-

led interim report on Arm purchase which indicted him as propaganda and “ambiguous findings”.

Dasuki stated this in a statement he personally singed, adding that he was

not invited by the panel and that he is ready defend himself over the alleged N644 billion fictitious arms deal uncovered by the probe panel.

The ex-NSA said he acted in the in-

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terest of the country and with the fear of God in office.

He also said that contrary to the Continued on page 6

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2015 VOL. 1. NO. 234

GAINERS

N150

LOSERS

NSE GAINERS AND LOSERS AS AT 18th November 2015.

SEPLAT

226

230

4%

ASHAKACEM

22.01

22.4

0.39%

FO

290

275.5

-14.5%

OKOMUOIL 28.9

27.48

-1.42%

BERGER

9.13

9.58

0.45%

ZENITHBANK

16.24

16.49

0.25%

NB

122.46

120.6

-1.86%

7UP

184

-0.99%

184.99

Buhari seeks N1.6tr loan to finance 2015 budget Ï ^ƏƆ Ɔ Ɛ MƿÕǀêÕƄ ƑƍƍƋƆƌƆ Ɛ Əƕ ƄƑƗ ƆƐ Ɛ dƆ ƐƆ Ƈ Ə ƍƍƏ ƒ Ƌ Ï Mƈ ƆƏƈ ô 1#^ ƏƆƅ ƏƗ ƾêƤƿ ü Ə ƓƐ ƈ ƢƏƗ ƎƑ ƏƐƆƏ – NBS Olufemi Samuel, ƄƑƉ

ÎÎÎPresident Muhammadu Buhari

on Wednesday laid a Supplementary Budget of N465, 636, 926, 857 before the Senate, just as he sought the

lawmakers support to raise the government’s borrowing from N882.1 billion planned in the 2015 budget to

N2.103 trillion.

The sum of N2.103 trillion, according to the President is required

to finance the deficit in the 2015 budContinued on page 6

ETI shops for new MD for Ecobank Nigeria g17 15 killed in suicide bomb attacks in Kano g5 How Suswam paralysed LG system, by Ortom’s aide

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2

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 12, 2015

3

Politics Page Three Æ s Editorial UNESCO and 62m illiterate Nigerians

R

ecently, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) disclosed that more than 62 million Nigerians are illiterate.

According to UNESCO’s National Programme Officer in Nigeria, Dr. Muhammad Alkali, it will take no less than 58years of investment to eradicate illiteracy in the country, even with innovations like Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and other learning mechanisms. Alkali’s disclosure is coming barely two years after the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of 2013 set by the United Nations for the eradication of illiteracy in the world.

In fact, recent statistics reveal that aside the staggering 10.5 million children said to be out-of-school, some 60 million Nigerians cannot read and write. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, adult illiteracy rate in Nigeria stands at 60 percent.

The implication of this is that more than 70percent of Nigerians are illiterates.

We are alarmed but definitely not surprised at these figures, given the shoddy and even dispassionate attitude of governments at all levels towards education in the country.

Unfortunately, this swelling tribe of illiterates among the Nigerian populace is inimical to development, to say the least, even as it is common knowledge that no nation rises above the quality of its human capital.

For long, the increasing rate of illiteracy among Nigerians has continued to occupy prime place in national discourse, even when nothing is being done to ameliorate the situation. This is shameful. That Nigeria ranks, as one of the countries with the highest level of illiteracy, coupled with the fact that it had the highest number of out-of-school children in the world is

both embarrassing and unacceptable.

Such indictment is eloquent testimony of the fact that Nigeria’s educational policies, over the years, have failed to achieve the desired results.

The stubbornly high illiteracy level is only symptomatic of the poor funding accorded education in the country. Going by UNESCO’s benchmark every country should allocate 26 per cent of its annual budget for education. Sadly, that of Nigeria is between 10-13 per cent. The stark statistics of illiteracy among Nigerians is a call to action. It is therefore pertinent that the Federal Government and all stakeholders in the education sector come up with far reaching policies to tackle this national embarrassment.

We are saying this because past governments have been known to abandon the policies of their predecessors with intention of spiting them.

Such short sightedness is responsible for the present sorry pass in the education sector. There is no denying the fact that for Nigeria to tackle the myriad of challenges confronting her, she must urgently arrest the rising illiteracy among the population.

Moreover, to successfully confront poverty, disease, religious fanaticism, political chaos, ethnic bigotry, gender discrimination, and economic depression, among others, there must be concerted efforts to enhance the literacy level in the country.

To achieve this, all governments must budget adequate resources for education. Equally, literacy inclined groups and other related NGOs should step up activities and campaigns to increase awareness of the importance of being literate. Without a doubt, literacy is essential to individual and societal development. For a society to attain sustainable development, and environmental integration, literacy is one of the required key elements.

TSA: Beyond the controversies Sam Nzeh

ÎÎÎWhen

in August President Muhammadu Buhari ordered Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to migrate their accounts to the Treasury Single Account (TSA), little did he and Nigerians expect that the mechanism which aims at ensuring transparency and accountability in the operations of public accounts will run into controversy so soon.

But just like other past attempts to curb leakages in government revenues, the TSA is now engulfed in controversies which unless quickly resolved

may sound a death nail to it.

The controversy took new twist last week shortly after Senator Dino Melaye during a plenary by the Senate alleged that SystemSpecs, the owner of the Remita e-payment and e-collection software platform used for the management of the TSA, pocketed a whooping N25 billion as commission for its services so far.

Expectedly the firm in the eye of the storm, Managing Director of System Specs, Mr. John Obaro, at the weekend, came out to debunk the allegation, admitting however that the firm only collected N3 billion as commission.

While the controversy is yet to abate, some salient points needs to be addressed. First is the need

Words On Marble :

review downwards the commission payable to SystemSpec. Fact is that whether the commission so far collected is N25 billion as alleged by Senator Melaye or N3 billion as admitted by the CEO of SystemSpecs, it still baffles Nigerians how a government that says the nation’s treasury was almost emptied by the immediate past administration will sanction payment of a large sum, even if it is N3billion, as commission to a private firm.

There is also the need for a review of the processes that led to the selection of the firm as well as ascertaining whether the firm paid the necessary taxes on the commission to government coffers.

STATEMENTS BY THOSE WHO MATTER

Publisher/Editor in Chief – Fidelis Anosike Editor Biodun Durojaiye Deputy Editor/Southern Bureau Chief Sam Nzeh Deputy Editor/Northern Bureau Chief Lateef Ibrahim

Group News Editor Segun Adio Politics Editor Akintola Akinjide Business Editor Friday Atufe Head, Graphics/Design King Ododoru

Group Managing Director Noel Anosike Group Executive Commercial/ Business Developement Ifeoluwa Isijiola 08086296714 Group Head Accounts & Control Samson Abiodun

Technical Adviser To Publisher Innocent Nwankwo 08033072614 Ag Head Operations Segun Bamigboye Adverts/Partnerships/ Corporate Subscription Ifeanyi Emefu 08086296714 Konnie Agu 09033765031

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Oby Ezekwesili

Odia Ofeimun

Femi Fani-Kayode

“Citizens must realise that we cannot afford to permit our public officials to continue with the habit of privatising democratic institutions.’’

‘’We must describe our future before we move into them. That doesn’t mean you should neglect the past.’’

‘’We want peace but it cannot be at the expense of our lives and the liberty and safety of our people’’.

4

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

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5 News

15 killed in suicide attacks in Kano

Yakubu Salisu Kano

ÏÏÏTwo

female suicide bombers, on Wednesday, blew themselves up at the opopular GSM market in central Kano, killing about 15 people.

No less than 53 others were said to have sustained serious injuries from the blasts. There is however conflicting casualty figure from the blasts as some put is as high as 28 people dead.

This is coming barely 24 hours after over 30 people were confirmed dead in an explosion that rocked Yola,

…Buhari calls for increased vigilance among Nigerians the Adamawa state capital.

Commissioner of Police, Kano State, Musa Katsina, told reporters that investigations had commenced into the incident.

In the meantime, President Muhammadu Buhari has called for increased vigilance among the civilian population to help ward off suicide terror attacks on soft targets around the country.

A statement issued yesterday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and

Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the President condemned in strongest terms the barbaric suicide terrorist attacks which took place in Yola on the evening of Tuesday and in Kano on Wednesday causing numerous deaths and injuries among civilians.

As at press time, no group claimed responsibility for the attack, but it was believed to have been carried out by a terrorist group, the Boko Haram.

The group had carried

out similar attacks in some northern states in the past.

An eye witness said the first explosion occurred at the market entrance while the second device exploded near a pavilion in the centre of the market.

The witness informed further that two vans filled with victims were driven away from the scenes of the explosions, adding that a teenage suicide bomber is believed to be behind one of the explosions.

While an elderly suicide

bomber ferried the second device right into the centre of the market.

A detached human leg, believed to belong to the teenage suicide bomber, was also sighted near the gate of the market, which was filled to capacity at the time of the incident.

President Buhari, in his message, extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims as well as to the Government and people of Adamawa and Kano states respec-

tively.

He reassured Nigerians that his administration was very much determined to wipe out Boko Haram in the country and bring all perpetrators of the heinous crime against humanity to justice.

The President urged all Nigerians not to despair in the face of cowardly terrorist attacks but to have confidence in the ability of Nigeria’s reinvigorated, well-equipped and well-motivated Armed Forces and security agencies to overcome Boko Haram very soon.

Senate approves $200m World Bank loan for Lagos ÏÏÏThe

L-R: Managing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Adeola Adetunji; beneficiaries of Nigerian Bottling Company’s (NBC) Technical Training Centre (TTC), Aderogba Akinyemi; Soyinka Dayo; Ibeh Joseph; Managing Director, NBC, Ben Langat during the presentation of certificates to graduating students held at NBC’s Ikeja Plant, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos… on Wednesday.

Appeal Court upholds Gov Ortom’s victory Monday Agu Jnr

ÏÏÏA

Court of Appeal sitting in Makurdi, Benue State capital, has again upheld the election of Governor Samuel Ortom of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the April 28 governorship election, Mr Terhemen Tarzor, in October, appealed against the decision of the lower tribunal which dismissed his petition and subsequently upheld Mr Ortom.

The Appellate Court dismissed all issues formu-

lated by the appellant, Mr Tarzor, challenging the nomination process where Governor Ortom emerged the consensus candidate of the APC. In reaction, Governor Ortom described his victory at the Appellate Court as an act of God, who promised to make him Governor in 2015.

He made the disclosure at a meeting with his legal team and party supporters at the Government House, shortly after the court upheld his election for the second time in three months.

Interestingly, Governor

Ortom led the gathering in a worship song to return glory to God for his faithfulness against all odd during and after the election, coming from the opposition to beat the then ruling PDP in the state.

Ortom

Senate on Wednesday, approved the request of President Muhammadu Buhari for 200 million dollars World Bank loan for Lagos state’s Development Policy Operation.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the approval followed the recommendation of the Senate’s Committee on Local and Foreign Debt.

The Chairman of the committee Sen. Kabiru Gaya (APC Kano South), while presenting the report said that the state had met the requirements for the loan.

He added that the key

objective of the loan was to support benefiting states to build infrastructure and improve investment climate.

According to Gaya, the loan is the third tranche of a development policy operation of the world’s apex bank, which was released in three tranches.

He said that the committee visited projects funded with the first and second tranches of the loan and was satisfied with the way the fund was utilised for the purpose intended.

He explained that the loan was released in tranches to ensure accountability.

TSA: Ex- Rep Lagos Assembly, military, Majidun residents reach accord warns Saraki Alade Tasma

ÏÏÏThe Lagos State House

of Assembly through ıts Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the activities of Military Officers currently occupyıng Majıdun communıty ın Ikorodu area of the state following the activities of pipeline vandals, have fınally reached an understanding with the military to help restore economic activities to the area.

Members of the commıttee led by ıts Chaırman, Hon. Rotımı Abıru, on Wednesday, embarked on assessment and fact fındıng vısıt to the communıty havıng earlıer ınvıted the commander of the joınt mılıtary task force

ınto the Assembly followıng the petıtıon sent to the Assembly by resıdents of the communıty allegıng the mılıtary offıcers of sackıng some of the resıdents from theır homes, with their constant harassment, rape and blockage of only entrance ınto the communıty, thereby paralysing economıc actıvıtıes ın the communıty.

However, the lawmakers were able to get the military and the community leaders to agree to a roundtable talk and to work out the best ways to relax security in parts of the community with a view to helping restore economic life that has been missing ın the community since the military moved in.

Gbenga Sodeinde Ado Ekiti

ÏÏÏA

member of the seventh House of Representatives, Hon Bamidele Faparusi, has warned the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki against being used to scuttle the implementation of the Treasury Single Account by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.

He said the mere fact that Saraki is being tried for improper declaration of assets by the Code of Conduct Tribunal while serving as the Kwara State governor should not be misinterpreted to mean a battle between the Senate and the Presidency.

News 6

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Buhari seeks N2.1tr loan to finance 2015 budget Continued from page 1 get prepared by the past government.

The request by the President represents an upward review of the fiscal deficit from of 1.09 per cent of GDP to 2.19 per cent of GDP. The President said the expected deficit arising from the above is projected at N2.103 trillion representing 2.19 per cent of GDP and which will be financed by additional borrowing of N1.601 trillion through the debt management office.

The Senate President Bukola Saraki during Wednesday’s plenary, read the President’s communication to the

Senate on the 2015 Supplementary Appropriation for which he requested a speedy passage.

The President’s request has revealed the extent of distress in the Nigerian economy, as he blamed the shortcoming on the dwindling oil revenue at the international market.

According to Buhari, the government required the new funding initiative to address security challenges and other important obligations with the sum of 465.64 billion.

Buhari in the letter told the Senate that the 2015 budget was initially predicated on oil production of 2.2782million barrels per day, and on a benchmark oil price of 53 dol-

lars per barrel based on an exchange rate of 190 per dollar.

According to the President, the government had targeted revenue of N3.452 trillion made of share of oil and mineral revenue, while the sum of N1.645 trillion was expected from non-oil revenue FGN aggregate expenditure was estimated at 4.485 trillion, comprising statutory transfers of N354.34 billion, debt service N953.6 billion, recurrent-non debt personnel cost N1.828 trillion, recurrent non-debt overhead N791.2 billion and Capital expenditure N536.6 billion According to the President, the implementation of the 2015 budget has unexpect-

edly ran into a hitch owing to revenue shortfalls as well as the continuous decline in oil price.

He said there has also been oil production shortfall and non-oil revenue.

Buhari said his government required the increase in the 2015 budget to the tune of N465.64 billion and the planned borrowing on the need to sustain the current progress in the addressing the security challenges and other important obligations of government, emergency.

The Senate has promised to grant the President’s request an expeditious passage after going through the 2015 Supplementary Appropria-

Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki (right) being decorated with 2016 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Emblem by the National Chairman, Nigerian Legion, Col. Micah Gayya (rtd) at the National Assembly Abuja… recently.

tion bill.

The Senate Committees on Appropriation and Finance just inaugurated by the Senate President vowed to resume work immediately to consider the request by the President.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 2.84 per cent year-on-year in real terms in the third quarter of 2015, statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), has shown.

This is contained in the country’s GDP report for the 3rd Quarter of 2015 released by the bureau on Wednesday in Abuja.

The figure was higher by 0.49 per cent points from growth recorded in the preceding quarter, yet lower by 3.38 per cent points from growth recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2014.

The report said that real GDP increased by 9.19 per cent, quarter on quarter. ``During the quarter, aggregate GDP stood at about N24, 313, 636 million (in nominal terms) at basic prices. ``Compared to the third quarter of 2014 value, nominal GDP was 6.02 per cent higher. ``Nominal GDP growth was also higher relative to growth recorded in first quarter of the year by 0.85 per cent points,’’ it said.

According to the report,

the Nigerian economy can be more clearly understood according to the oil and non-oil sector classifications.

The report said that oil production rose to 2.17 million barrels per day in the third quarter of the year which was higher than the 2.05 million barrels produced in the second quarter.

The latest figure is also higher than the 2.15 million barrels per day produced in the third quarter 2014. ``Growth in the non-oil sector was largely driven by activities of crop production, financial services, telecommunications and trade among others. ``The non-oil sector grew by 3.05 per cent in real terms in the third quarter of the year. ``This was 4.45 per cent points lower from the corresponding quarter in 2014 and marginally lower from the second quarter of 2015. `` In real terms, the non-oil sector contributed 89.73 per cent to the nation’s GDP. ``The figure is marginally higher from shares recorded in the third quarter of 2014 which stood at 89.55 per cent but lower from the second quarter of the year.

The report, however, estimated the growth in the manufacturing sector at 4. 80 per cent year-on-year compared with 21.58 per cent in third quarter of 2014.

Arms contracts: FG’s allegations sheer propaganda – Dasuki Continued from page 1 claim of the Presidency, he submitted a comprehensive list of arms procured to President Muhammadu Buhari before leaving office.

Dasuki said all contracts and payments were approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

He declared that he was prepared to meet the Federal Government in court.

The ex-NSA said he had a lot to tell Nigerians except for the security of the country which was guiding him.

He said: “In a theatrical manner, the Presidency fed the public with many allegations against my person and yet to be named former public officers.

“To draw sympathy, the

Presidency quoted some absurd findings including extra-budgetary interventions, award of fictitious contracts, 53 failed contracts, and payment for jobs without contractual agreements and non-execution of contracts for the purchase of four Alpha jets, bombs and ammunition.

“For undiscerning Nigerians, they may tend to assume that the allegations were true and pronounce the former National Security Adviser guilty as charged.

“The statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Mr. Femi Adesina, who should know better as a former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and a witness to history, was

nothing sort of propaganda to cast aspersions on Dasuki.

“To set the records straight, Nigerians should appreciate that the AVM Jon Ode-led panel did not invite the ex-NSA under any guise before arriving at its ambiguous findings.

“At least, fairness demands that the panel ought to hear from Dasuki instead of its recourse to hasty conclusions.

“If the panel had been more patient and painstaking, it would have been availed of all relevant documents on some of the jaundiced findings.

“As if acting a script, the Presidency alleged that the panel accused Dasuki of awarding fictitious contracts between March 2012 and

March 2015.

“Contrary to this claim, Dasuki was not the NSA in March 2012 and he could not have awarded any contract in whatever name. The ex-NSA was appointed by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on June 22, 2012.”

He said that the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Adesola Amosu, in a memo acknowledged the receipt of the 4x Alpha jets attack aircraft and the helicopters and that the Chief of Air Staff also confirmed the receipt of F-7 N1 aircraft combination of 250kg bombs and accessories at $2,894,000 with the cost of freight at $1,200,000. The same Air Force, the former NSA said, confirmed getting 2xTri Shield 36DG Tactical

radars.

Furthermore, Dasuki in the statement said: ‘’And Nigerians should note that all the services generated the types of equipment needed, sourced for suppliers most times and after consideration by the Office of the NSA, the President will approve application for payment. For sensitive sectors (military/security), there was no room for awarding fictitious contracts. The conclusions of the panel were presumptive, baseless and lacked diligence. ‘’There were no fictitious contracts; contract sums were not diverted and the relevant services in writing acknowledged delivery of equipment. For all procurements, the Nigerian Army,

the Air Force and the Nigerian Navy have their contractors. ‘’While awaiting judicial process on these allegations, it is proper to make some references to show that the presidency was just desperate to hang some former public and military officers who served this nation at the risk of their lives. ‘’It is laughable for the panel to assume that 4 Alpha jets and 12 helicopters were undelivered. In a memo to the Office of the National Security Adviser(ONSA), referenced NAF/905/D/CAS of November 28, 2014, the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Adesola Amosu acknowledged Continued on page 12

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

7 News

Medview Airline promises cash rewards to top agents Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

ÏÏÏAhead of its inaugural

flight to London Gatwick, on Thursday, Medview Airline management has promised cash incentives of between N100,000 and N1,000,000 for travel agents who would sell multiple tickets of 20 to 200 between now and December 25, 2015.

The Managing Director, Muneer Bankole, made the promise while rewarding travel agents who came top in the sale of its tickets over the years.

A total of 23 travel agents went home with items ranging from large flat screens television and microwave ovens.

Still in the package on Lagos-London as unfolded by Bankole, passengers flying with the airline to London would have free domestic

connection from Enugu, Abuja, Yola, Port Harcourt and Maiduguri.

Another package is free connection from Gatwick Airport on Gatwick express train to Victoria Station for economy class passengers, while Business Class passengers will enjoy limousine services free from and to the airport.

For in-flight entertainment, travel agents were delighted when told that a variety of continental and African dishes would be served on board.

Bankole also disclosed at a news conference in Lagos that Medview Airline would start with N149,000 (Economy) and N599,000 (Business class) with a 32kg (2-piece) baggage allowance on economy and a 32kg (3-piece) baggage allowance on Business class.

Kwara NUJ lauds Lai Mohammed’s appointment Kehinde Akinpelu Ilorin

ÏÏÏThe

members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Kwara State Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) have congratulated the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on his appointment.

In a press statement signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the chapel, Comrade Layi Olayiwola and Biola Azeez, respectively, the union said that Alhaji Mohammed had the pedigree and competence to improve understanding, peaceful co-existence and development in the country.

The correspondents also expressed the belief that the emergence of Alhaji Mohammed would further help press freedom and brighten the working environment for journalists.

The union called on Nigerians, particularly, media practitioners and politicians of different leanings, to support the new minister as he set to tackle set goals.

The union also prayed God to give the new minister good health, wisdom and understanding to have a successful tenure.

Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun ( middle); International Monetary Fund (IMF), Country Director, Gene Leone (right) and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Alhaji Mahmoud Isa-Dutse during a courtesy visit of the IMF delegation to Adeosun in Abuja... on Tuesday.

Saraki inaugurates 8 Senate committees Olufemi Samuel Abuja

ÏÏÏSenate

President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday, set the tone for commencement of technical aspect of Senate's legislative business, as he inaugurated eight Standing Committees, charging each of them to discharge their duties diligently and responsively.

Saraki had, during the plenary, announced the composition of the 65 Committees, just as he embarked on the process of inaugurating them beginning from today.

The Committees included, Appropriation, Finance, INEC, Banking and Insurance, Communication, Public Account, Security and In-

telligence and Agriculture.

Saraki, however, warned that the leadership would not hesitate to wield a big stick against any committee or its members found wanting in unwholesome practices.

He said the Senate would set up a structure specifically for monitoring the Committees and ensure their compliance with the legislative agenda.

He charged the Committees to always expose inefficiency in the system of government, as well as corruption by public officers.

He urged the Chairmen of the Committees, the Deputies and members to always think outside the box in the discharge of their

responsibilities, just as he urged them to run inclusive structures, while refraining from making them a oneman show.

He equally charged them to observe the highest ethical standards, while performing oversight functions, just as he assured them of adequate funding for them to perform optimally.

The Senate Committees, Saraki said, must always be seen to be working closely with the government of the day towards driving the change that the government had committed itself to.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Danjuma Goje, who spoke on behalf of the

Committees, said the Senate had no time to consume in the process of ensuring the progress of democracy in Nigeria.

He said that the Appropriation and Finance Committees would start work immediately to consider the 2015 Supplementary Appropriation just submitted to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Saraki

Five High Court judges named in Niger Saka Bolaji

Minna.

The National Judicial Council has approved the appointment of five High Court Judges to fill the vacancies in Niger State judiciary, following an advertisement placed in national dailies by the state Judicial Service Commission.

ÏÏÏ

Lai

Investigation revealed that the following were appointed to the positions, Hajiya Maimuna Talatu Abubakar of the Chief Magistrate Court 2 Minna, Hajiya Maryam Mahmud Magaji, who presided over Suleja Chief Magistrate Court, Hajiya Zainab Tahir Gani the current Secretary of Niger State Judicial Service Commission.

Others are Barrister Mohammed Mohammed, a principal partner of Liberty Chambers, and Barrister Minkailu Mohammed an Abuja-based lawyer.

However, with the current appointments the number still falls short of the required strength of High Court Judges in the state.

It was reliably gathered

that at the Minna High Court division there exist six (6) High Courts without a presiding Judge; likewise three other High Courts in Suleja and New Bussa divisions, being over seen by a visiting Judge, who shuttle between Minna, Bida, Suleja and New Bussa monthly at a price of speedy dispensation of justice.

Ex-IDP shares educational materials to displaced pupils Dan Garba Kurama Yola

ÏÏÏA 19 year-old, iternal-

ly displaced person (IDP), Mr. Gideon John Mazila,

popularly known as Gidi Dan Auta, has formed a non-governmental organisation NGO that is mainly to help the needy.

He has to donate educational materials to primary schools pupils in eight different centres, in Michika Local Government Area.

The donation was made under the umbrella of Adamawa Youth Empowerment Forum, to complement the work of the

present government by relieving the suffering of the IDPs in the state.

Auta said that since he left Michika as a result of

Boko Haram attacks life had been hell on earth, until when God rescued him by given him a job that he was now doing.

8

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Politics Ekiti LG Poll: To be or not to be?

Æs

Gbenga Sodeinde Ado Ekiti

The coast seems clear now that the much awaited local government election slated for December 19 in Ekiti State seems unstoppable.

This followed a declaration by the State Governor, Bashorun Ayo Fayose popularly known as Oshokomole whose posture appears to be that of a bulldozer ready to crush any obstacle that may want to stand in the way.

Fayose himself has said: “Nothing can stop the election”.

This situation is contrary to what obtained during the fouryear tenure of ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi, when no successful local government elections was held in Ekiti State as a result of different court actions filed by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The last time the people queued to elect their leaders at the third tier of government was December 20, 2008, during the regime of exgovernor Segun Oni. This time, it is the PDP members who are championing the opposition to

the election.

Although Fayemi made efforts to conduct the election which was then slated for February 4, 2011, the plan was stalled by the verdict of an Ado Ekiti High Court in favour of the PDP which had aproached court to challenge the composition of the Ekiti State Independent Electoral Commission (EKSIEC).

The PDP, which was the main opposition then had approached he Court through its chairman, Mr. Makanjuola Ogundipe, to CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

How Suswam paralysed LG system, by Ortom’s aide

Dzam

Suswam

Ortom

Hon Titus Tartenger Dzam is Special Adviser to Governor Samuel Ortom in the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. A former Chairman of Gwer West Local Government Council and one time Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in this interview with FRED ADAMGBE decried the rot in the 23 local government councils in the state and the over bloated workforce. Excerpts: What did you inherit from the past administration?

I met a bastardised local government system. I met a system that has lost its value, so to speak as provided by the Freeman’s constitution of Nigeria which recognised it as a third tier of the Nigeria Federal system. A situation where the local government system became a mere department of the bureau for local government and chieftaincy affairs. A local government system which was not able to pay staff

salaries, whose staffers have lost interest even in their jobs as a result of several abuses that were meted out to them by the previous administration. So I met a tired and demoralised work force, a tier of government that was reduced to a mere department under a bureau and almost lost its identity as a tier of government due to the interference from the state.

What measures are you employing to address these abnormalies. Was the recent suspension of Gwer East

Caretaker Chairman part of the reforms?

Yes. But very unfortunate as on assumption of office, Governor Samuel Ortom made it clear to every one in the state that he will fight corruption and respect the rule of law as well as the feeling of Benue people who voted him into office and sanction those who abuse their offices. After three months having conducted our monthly Joint Allocation Account as provided by the local government law, and monies allocated to the Caretaker Chairmen

to effect payment of staff salaries for the month of July as directed by the state government, the Gwer East Caretaker rather paid the arrears of November 2011 which he inherited without due approval from me or the authorisation of the state government.

And so, he was considered to have violated the directive given to him by the state governor. So for this and paying for the month he did not work for when he was not even in office as at that time, CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Fayose

Bayelsa Guber polls: APC, PDP trade accusations over plot to rig Ahead of the December 5, 2015 governorship election in Bayelsa State, leading parties at the polls, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), have been trading accusations and counter accusations over plots to rig at the election.

The APC was the first to level allegations that the PDP was planning to use state might at its disposal to rig the elections in order to win and retain the state at all costs.

Now the PDP has responded saying it has discovered the APC has perfected plans to rig the Bayelsa State polls.

The alarm was raised by the Director- General of the Bayelsa Restoration Campaign Organisation, Hon Jonathan Obuebite while addressing Newsmen in Yenagoa.

According to him, his organisation has discovered that the APC CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Sylva

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

9 Politics

LG Poll:Fayose moves against any obstacle seek the dissolution of the SIEC as composed by the governor.

The crux of the argument then was that the Chairman of the Commission, Mrs Cecilia Adelusi was a card-carrying member of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Precisely two days to the elections, the Ekiti State High Court handed down the bombshell that some members of the electoral commission were truly members of ACN. This sounded the death knell on the entire electoral process and set a pace forcontinued administering of the local government structures via the much vilified contraption called caretaker committees.

Fayose, whose campaign promises for the June 21, 2014 Governorship election in the state centred on grassroots’ development had consistently declared that he would conduct the Local Government election within six months of his assumption. This according to him would draw government more nearer to the people so as to ensure more dividends of democracy to the common man.

However, Fayose who did not take step until about eight months after his assumption of office met a brick wall when he finally constituted the election commission as barely five days after the announcement by the EKSIEC, fixing date for the election, that the factional PDP Chairman in the state, Mr Tunde Olatunde, dragged the EKSIEC to court over candidates presented by the embattled PDP State Chairman, Mr Idowu Faleye, insisting that the election can not hold with the Faleye presenting candidates for the election in the state.

Olatunde’s faction, in a petition dated September 21, 2015 , signed by Oluwatobi Fatoki of Lekan Olatawura Chambers in Ado Ekiti, and addressed to the Chairman of the electoral body, Justice Kayode Bamisile, warned that Faleye and other Caretaker committees are impostors and that the commission should stop relating with them in matters concerning electoral issues.

In the petition entitled: ‘2015 Local Government Election Time Table’, Olatunde warned the commission against recognising candidates of the PDP presented through Faleye: “Our clients came about the notice of Election to wit: the Ekiti State 2015 Local Government Election as scheduled in your time table published in the national daily on September 10, 2015.

Ogundipe

“Our clients hereby wish to lodge their reservations to the extent that their rights as the State Executive Committee is for a four-year tenure, which will lapse March, 2016 as they were duly elected into their respective offices in March, 2012.

“In respect of our clients rights, a faction of the executive committee of the PDP, spearheaded by Mr. Idowu Faleye sprang up as the factional acing Chairman. As a matter of fact, the said division in the party affecting our clients’ vested rights is already a subject of litigation before Ekiti State High Court via suit number HAD/15/ 2015.

“Our clients were the SWC before the matter was lodged in court of justice and they still remain in that position till 2016.

We hereby advise that you maintain the status quo and do not reckon with any other faction except that of our clients as the court has not decided otherwise.

“Most obliged as you follow the paths of law and justice as our clients shall not hesitate to file an action against your office, if you go contrary to maintaining the status quo before suit number: HAD/15/2015”, it con-

Fayemi

cluded.

It is no longer news that the party had been embroiled in factional crisis, with Olatunde, former Vice Chairman (North) senatorial district elevated to Acting Chairmanship position, following the purported resignation of Faleye. The embattled Secretary of the party, Dr Tope Aluko said, Faleye, who succeeded Mr Makanjuola Ogundipe, sequel to his appointment as PDP National Vice Chairman (Southwest) in acting capacity, purportedly resigned as chairman due to irreconcilable differences with SWC members.

Aluko averred that it would be a great infraction and breach of constitution for the State Electoral body to honour any correspondence forwarded to it by Faleye’s group, including the list of candidates. With the way Aluko had spoken, his group is not ready to relate with the electoral body and this may constitute a constitutional snag that may mar the conduct of the polls.

Following this, the All Progressives Congress (APC) went to court to challenge the composition of the electoral body. This is similar to what the PDP did

Fayose

under Fayemi that stalled the elections for four years. Aside the foregoing, feelers from the APC gave a clear indication that the party is not ready to participate in the polls as available information confirmed that they did not buy the nomination forms, just as the case it filed against the composition of the EKSIEC is yet to be decided.

But contrary to the fears being nursed by people of the state that the local government election might be jinxed again the way it happened under Fayemi’s administration as a result of court cases against it, Fayose has declared that there is no going back on the election, pointing out that the threat that members of the opposition parties may boycott the proposed local government elections won’t stop the state from doing what is necessary at the third tier of government.

Fayose, who spoke at a thanksgiving church procession marking his 55th birthday in Ado Ekiti, last week posited that the threat of boycott notwithstanding, the State would go ahead and conduct the elections adding that the third tier of govern-

ment would have to be strengthened for effective delivery of democratic dividends to the people and that putting elected officials in place remains one of the ways to achieve this. He posited that the state government cannot provide all the basic needs of the people, hence the need to fortify the local government administration, to be able to respond to the yearnings of the people.

“Our duty is to make the local government very functional, because the state cannot do it alone. People cannot be coming from all the local governments to see the governor here in Ado Ekiti. So, if it is only one political party that registered its intention to participate in the elections, we shall go ahead and do the elections. No going back on our stand. Electoral Act is very clear, boycott of election doesn’t nullify the outcome of any election. Just like I have said, we will not compromise anything. We shall allow the people to choose who to govern them”, Fayose assured.

The saddled commission has already started the process and CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Politics 10

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Why we bought 23 cars for LG bosses – Ortom’s aide CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

he breached the operational guideline that was given to him.

That was the reason why he was given the suspension order by the Benue State House of Assembly.

Can you explain the purchase and donation of vehicles to the 23 Caretaker Chairmen in the state by the state government at the cost of over N7 million each considering the economic realities on ground?

There is no need for any concern. On our assumption of office, we discovered that the vehicles that were given to the local government were taken away by the past council chairmen in the name of monetisation. You know we are not in a position to force them to return the vehicles because the circumstances by which they were given the vehicles guaranteed that they become their personal property after leaving the office at the end of their tenure. So the new council chairmen that were appointed by the new administration also need mobility. You don’t expect the Caretaker Chairmen to go to their councils on motor bike considering the level of insecurity, the issue of protocol and the issue if efficiency on the job and the issue of linking up the chairman when he is needed here in the state capital. That is what informed the decision to purchase these vehicles for them. Let me make it clear that these vehicles were not bought by the state government but were bought from the allocation of the local government.

What the state government did was just to supervise that there was no abuse. The money for the purchase of these vehicles was sourced from the Joint Account.

Let me point out here that each

of these vehicles was bought for as low as N7.3 million. They are the latest model of Corolla and so anybody who feels concerned is free to go to the market and find that out. It is more or less the council chairmen themselves that bought the vehicles. The state government only supervised.

The major challenge confronting the LG System is the issue of ghost workers. How do you hope to address this issue?

The issue of over bloated work force in the local government is disturbing. Recall that I was a council chairman 10 years ago and that time, we had the capacity to carry out developmental projects. The resources available at that time were enough to pay salaries and still carry out some development projects. The situation has changed now due largely to the leakages that have become part of the local government system. This was a result of the character of the government that was in place before we came on boardBut when we came on board we discovered that what accrues to the LG from the Federation Account cannot cater for the salaries and other allowances of the LG and at the same time give the chairmen the leverage to embark on development projects. We saw that something was wrong. The state government has to execute projects while the local governments too have to complement. But when you have the LG system that is paying salaries, it defeats the purpose for which the local government was even created. So, faced with this ugly trend, Gov. Ortom directed that we block the leakages that were created by the past administration and streamline the local government work force to make it pro-

Dzam ductive, effective, efficient and manageable beyond just salary payment alone. So we embarked on a survey to find out some solutions and I am happy to tell Benue people that through the ICT Centre that we met on ground and the Biometric that was done, we discovered that the Twenty 27,000 workforce we were told that work in the 23 local government councils of the state is not true. The problem is that the past government did not have the willpower to implement the out come of the biometric system it set up.

With this system on ground, we have been able to reduce the lo-

cal government work force from 27,000 to about 19, 000 or 20,000 while the process is on going. We are still verifying and working on the records to ensure that the outrageous workforce is reduced and the leakages blocked. So the interim report handed over to me so far by the consultant to fish out ghost workers has shown that it is even possible to reduce the number from the 20, 000 to as low as 14,000 or 15,000 workers. Most of these figures that were put in the payroll are non existent and I believe some people were benefitting from that arrangement. That was why even the biometric that

was done was not implemented.

The good news is that from the wage bill of N1. 7 Billion inherited from the past administration, the verification exercise has reduced it to N1.4 Billion. So for this month we are going to save as much N429, 587, 600. This is not a small feat because if such money is continuously protected, it will accumulate so much that the council chairmen will be able to execute people oriented projects and the government of Governor Ortom will be touching the lives of the people. The LG will come on board as independent body with the capacity to operate and complement the efforts of the state government for the overall development of our state.

What is the exact position on the disbursement of bail out funds to the 23 councils in the state?

We are still disbursing the N15.5 Billion bail out funds given to us by Governor Ortom to take care of the backlog of salary arrears left behind by the past administration which he inherited. So far we have disbursed for April and March for primary school teachers and as I speak to you we are disbursing January and February arrears for them.

When we complete disbursement for primary school teachers we will come back and disburse to local government staff the remaining two months plus.

I say two months plus because their arrears cover a period of four months: January, February, March and April. Besides, there are pockets of arrears for 2011, 2012 and 2013 which we are going to clear with the amount from the monies approved to us by the governor. At the moment, we are focused on the ones for the months CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Ekiti LG Poll: To be or not to be?

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

all arrangements necessary to ensure that the election holds as scheduled with massive sensitisation campaign to educate the public on the importance of maintaining peace before, during and after the election in the state. It also solicited assistance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the State Command of the Nigerian Police Force towards ensuring smooth, free fair and credible local government elections scheduled to hold on De-

cember 19, 2015.

The Chairman of EKSIEC, Justice Kayode Bamisile (Rtd) who made the plea, explained that his commission intends to utilize INEC’s voters’ register and voters’ cards. He stressed further that support of the Federal agency in the area of human development amongst others would be invaluable. Reiterating the commitment of EKSIEC to the successful conduct of lawful and democratic local government elections as scheduled,

Bamisile said that all relevant forms had been dispatched to all interested political parties in the state, adding that all candidates have also been screened accordingly. He emphasised that the elections was imperative since the constitution of Nigeria recognises only democratically elected officials and not caretaker committees at the local government.

With all arrangements set, and the determination of Fayose to go ahead and give what it will

take to make sure he conducts the election as scheduled, pundits belief that the election may not hold in view of the court cases and injunctions against the EKSIEC. But Fayose’s supporters who nursed no doubt in the conduct of the election were of the belief that “Fayose is a bulldozer” who will crush any obstacle that may want to hinder his ways once he is determined to achieve a thing like this, no matter the strength of his enemy or detractors.

Fayose

11 Politics

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November19, 2015

Senator Ashafa: Ministers have lifetime opportunity to do the incredible Senator Gbenga Ashafa representing Lagos East Senatorial District at the 8th Senate has challenged the newly sworn-in Ministers to be Crusaders of Change in the country.

In a statement, he said they have been given an opportunity of a lifetime to do the incredible of making Nigeria the greatest nation on earth.

His words: “My challenge to the newly-appointed ministers is that they see themselves as Crusaders of Change. They have been given an opportunity of a lifetime to do the incredible; making Nigeria the greatest nation on earth”!

He charged them to remain disciplined and focused, saying: “Selfless service, focus, integrity and patriotism must guide every assignment. Wherever they may go and whomever they may meet, they must leave people with the best impressions of Nigeria”.

According to him, their job is to market Nigeria the best way possible, adding: “All eyes are on you. Our youth will watch

you via social media and expect you to get it right all the time.

Experts will criticise and praise you - sometimes fairly, other times harshly. Your boss will make strenuous demands on your time and your abilities.

“When all looks bleak, remember you are doing it for the disadvantaged children of the war-ravaged North East; recall that there are thousands of innocent Nigerians in various jailhouses crying out for justice; reminisce on the pregnant women who require delicate but unavailable healthcare; think of the fathers who faithfully till the ground for little harvest; consider that young entrepreneur with life-changing ideas but has no funds to give them wings; ponder the struggles of our soldiers as they lay down their lives to defend the nation.

These thoughts should spur you on and evoke a sense of total commitment to your jobs. Nigeria needs you to give your best”, he charged.

He said November 11, 2015, will go down in history as the day President Muhammadu Bu-

Ashafa hari Government was officially formed and congratulated the select 36 courageous men and women, who made the grade and have been saddled with the responsibility of delivering the Change the All Progressives

Congress (APC) promised in its campaigns.

“For months, Nigerians waited with baited breath to see the team President Buhari was going to work with. Given the deplorable state of the economy we inherited from the last administration, the anxiety displayed by the people who voted for us has been palpable but understandable”, he said, pointing out that the time to roll up the sleeves and wrest Nigeria to prosperity is now!

He reminded all the ministers of what President Buhari once said that they “will be judged by the number of Nigerians they bring out of poverty, not the number of contracts you sign, or meetings you have. Every decision you take must first pass this test: ‘How many jobs will this choice create?’ remember, that this is what will save this nation – jobs”.

He prayed that the Almighty guide their hands and keep them from harm and surround them with the people and resources they need to deliver on their mandate.

Ortom’s LG reforms will reposition the system – Adviser CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

I mentioned in respect of 2015 and after that, we will go back and capture the areas.

Why has it taken so long to disburse this fund considering the plight faced by the staff ?

The procedure for the disbursement is a bit scientific. It is not a matter of picking money from a particular point and throwing it into individual workers accounts. You will recall that there were two schools of thought as to how the funds will be disbursed.

Some people were of the opinion that these funds should be given to the local government areas for onward disbursement to local government staff while others suggested that money should be given directly to the individual local government staff accounts reason being that LG areas have all manner of indebtedness and challenges that require financial attention. Possibility exists that if you pass these monies wholesome, some local governments may not get their due. Some LG

may have no problems but many will have problems that may lead to touching the bail out funds.

But you and I are aware that this money is meant for special purpose which is the payment of salary arrears so it makes better sense to adopt the e-payment procedure which we are going through now. The little delay we are experiencing is a result of two major reasons. First, the volume of money; N1.5 Billion to be disbursed to up to 40,000 workers, representing primary school teachers and local government staff is not a small task. The system is working in such a way that we at the Bureau Headquarters are disbursing to the direct salary accounts of local government workers and primary school teachers through the electronic payment system. There is a system called the Interswitch, the central medium through which this money is disbursed and then they now share it amongst individual workers through their bank accounts in various banks in the Federation.

We at the Bureau here at our ICT Centre are to identify your bank, identify how much you are supposed to collect and then send the money to the central control system (Interswitch) who are now going to distribute this money to each individual worker.

And so picking the account of individual workers here from 40,000 requires a lengthy process.

What are the factors inhibiting the execution of projects at the local government level?

Local governments used to execute projects. If you remember the period between 2003 up to 2007 when Dr George Akume was governor and I was the chairman of my local government council, I embarked on many projects which the members of the House of Assembly went round to supervise across the 23 councils. The situation only changed in the recent past because of the leakages and corruption and unwholesome activities. The money that was meant for the councils was hijacked at the centre here.

But I want to assure you that the

Ortom government can no longer allow that to happen again because he already clearly stated that if any government official chopped the money that is meant for development, the money will also chop them. Already, that has been demonstrated in the case of the Gwer East council chairman.

In fact it is no longer business as usual. We are going to reposition the local government to go beyond just payment of staff salaries.

Dzam

Dickson

Bayelsa Guber polls: APC, PDP trade accusations over plot to rig CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

in Bayelsa State is hell- bent on rigging the election and categorically expressed assurance that such immoral and indecent strategies to achieve its inordinate ambition would fail.

He further stressed that such rigging can only take place with the connivance of key government institutions and agencies of government such as Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials and the security agencies. “We can say without any fear of contradictions that a lot of efforts have been made by the APC leadership in Bayelsa State to infiltrate INEC at the national level to ultimately rig the election”, he alleged.

He also disclosed that APC has gone further to be cloning and buying of Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) which they hope to use to distort the outcome of the election by falsifying results of the card reader as well as compromising the card reader that would be sent to PDP strong holds throughout the state.

He also alleged that APC has sewn both police and Army uniforms to be given to APC thugs on Election Day to enable them hijack both electoral materials and result sheets.

In the forthcoming election, incumbent Governor Seriake Dickson who is seeking re-election on the platform of the PDP is being hotly challenged by former governor Timipye Silva who is flying the banner of the APC.

News 12

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Pro-Biafra protesters ignore Army’s warning, shutdown Aba

Ï ƑƏƐ ƏƗƆƏ #dd Ɛ ƍƏ ƗƑƅƆ E Ƒ M ƒê ƾƢ Sunday Nwakanma, Umuahia and Andrew Orolua, Abuja

ÎÎÎIn spite of

the warning by the Nigerian Army to secessionists that it could be forced to use force against them, pro-Biafra groups on Wednesday shut down socioeconomic activities in Aba, Abia State for the second time in two weeks.

The groups, comprising the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), marched on the city to protest the detention of the director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, by the federal government, in spite of appeal by the Abia State government to them

to discontinue the street march approach and explore avenues for dialogue and negotiation.

The General Officers Commanding 81 and 3 Divisions of the Nigeria n Army, Majors-General Isidore Edet and Hassan Umaru had issued the warning to secessionists on Monday.

While General Edet said

the Army could be forced into using minimum force in dealing with those agitating for Biafra Republic, General Umaru had said “It is inexcusable for troops to stand aside and watch situation deteriorate and for the avoidance of doubt, the rule of engagement for internal security operations include principle of minimum force

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (left) and GMD/CEO, United Bank for Africa Plc and Member, Board of Trustees, Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Mr. Phillips Oduoza, during the inauguration of LSSTF held in Lagos… on Tuesday.

and proportionality must be applied at all times.”

On Wednesday, the protesters again marched through the major streets including Aba Owerri Road, Umungasi, among other roads with trumpets singing, dancing and calling for the release of Kanu All the major markets in the city including Ariaria International market were shut while the protest lasted.

The protest in Umuahia on Monday did not record the large turn out of protesters like Aba notwithstanding that Knau is from Umuahia.

Abia State government and the Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) had appealed to the protesters to stop since the attention of the authority has been drawn to the agitation. The OYC even gave notice of the meeting it has scheduled for Enugu next Tuesday with the protests topping the agenda.

Meanwhile, A Wuse Chief

APC plotting to kill Ekweremadu, Akpabio, Secondus, others, PDP alleges Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

ÎÎÎThe

Arms contracts: FG’s allegations sheer propaganda – Dasuki Continued from page 6 the receipt of the 4x Alpha jets attack aircraft and the helicopters.

On 10/21/14, the Chief of Air Staff also confirmed the receipt of F-7 N1 aircraft combination of 250kg bombs and accessories at $2,894,000 with the cost of freight at $1,200,000. The same Air Force confirmed getting 2xTri Shield 36DG Tactical radars. ‘’In another letter of December 1, 2014 signed by L.S. Alao (on behalf of the Chief of Air Staff), the Air Force said it received five containerized fuel storage and dispensing units with equipment. ‘’The Nigerian Army wrote the ONSA to acknowledge the delivery of 14 armoured tanks. In a December

13, 2014 memo, the Brigade of Guards thanked ONSA for releasing N30m for RCA, Operation allowance for Troops on Op Urban Sweep II for third and fourth quarters of 2014. This is apart from the installation of CCT Cameras at the Brigade Headquarters, 2 backscatter bomb detection vans and other equipment. ‘’On November 26, 2014, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh sought for approval of the award of one pair of uniform (in the interim) for the Armed Forces at N165, 375 to ElJahab Mubarak Nigeria and N330,750,000 for two pairs. ‘’These are some of the acknowledgment letters submitted to me by the end-users (the services). It is not for me to go and find out whether the equipment were deliv-

ered or not. I am not the one keeping the inventories. ‘’To show that I have nothing to hide, I submitted a comprehensive list of all requests for procurements by the services, the items bought and those equipment being awaited to His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari long before I left office. If there were issues, I should have been questioned. I was just the clearing house, I did not award contracts to my company or proxies. There was no contract awarded or equipment bought without approval from the then President and Commander-In-Chief. I am not a thief or treasury looter as being portrayed. ‘’In order not to endanger the nation’s security, there are many salient issues and contracts which I cannot

put in public domain. I am ready for trial on all these allegations in order to prove to Nigerians that I did nothing untoward in office. We will certainly meet in court. ‘’I have a lot to tell Nigerians but in the interim, they should not believe some of the allegations as the gospel truths. The good thing is that some of the key actors in the present administration were parts of the past process being viciously challenged. ‘’As for my tenure as the nation’s NSA, I acted in the interest of the nation and with utmost fear of God. I did not use the office for any selfserving agenda. I occupied the Office of the National Security Adviser at a difficult moment in Nigerian history when terrorism was at its peak and I am leaving posterity to judge me accordingly’’.

Magistrate Court, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has ordered the Department of the State Security Service (DSS) to produce the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu in court on Monday, November 23.

He is to appear in court to answer criminal charges brought against him by the federal government.

Chief Magistrate Shauibu Usman gave the order on Wednesday, following the absence of the accused in court when the trial was to commence.

The DSS had refused to bring Kanu to court despite earlier order made on October 23 to that effect.

Magistrate Usman insisted that no trial can continue in a criminal case in the absence of the accused, adding that the only condition that can make a court to excuse the absence of an accused has not come up.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Wednesday, accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) should be held responsible for the Tuesday’s attack on the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

The declaration came even as the party raised the alarm that some of its key members are now being targeted.

Those the party claimed were being targeted for elimination by the ruling party were Acting National Chairman, Uche Secondus, the Acting Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Dr. Bello Harilu Mohammed, the National Secretary, Professor Adewale Oladipo and Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, made the declaration at a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja.

Metuh pointed out that the attempt on Senator Ekweremadu’s life brought to the fore the fears that the era of politi-

cal assassination may have returned to the country.

Media reports on Wednesday had indicated an alleged attempt on the life of Senator Ekweremadu by a suspected unidentified foreign mercenary.

Metuh, at the press conference, said, “We had also informed Nigerians that key PDP leaders were being trailed and that the government should be held responsible should any of them suddenly become victim of ‘terror attacks’, unexplained accidents, kidnapped or suddenly killed by ‘armed robbers.

“This government should be held responsible should any PDP member be visited by death, kidnapping, poison, accident or assassination,” he stated.

The APC leaders, Metuh said, have not hidden their bitterness and resentment towards Senator Ekweremadu, for emerging as Deputy Senate President, “in line with the Standing Rules of the Senate and provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

13 International

ASEAN leaders to discuss security, economic community Swaziland makes

progress to eliminate malaria

ÏÏÏThe latest high-profile meet-

ing of Southeast Asia's primary political and economic organization began Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur amid what Malaysian officials describe as a doubling of security in the wake of the fatal attacks in Paris.

After the bombings and shootings by followers of the Islamic State group last Friday in the French capital, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit is expected to put more emphasis on regional security and countering terrorism.

The attacks in Paris also partly overshadowed the G-20 meeting in the Netherlands and the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the Philippines in the past week.

ASEAN summits, however, are not known for their headlinegrabbing announcements. Critics deride the organization as a mere discussion group rather than an effective forum for regional diplomacy and conflict resolution.

China, one of the ASEAN outsiders invited to participate, has no problem with that characterization.

On Tuesday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said the territorial dispute should also not be a focus of the East Asia Summit, held after the ASEAN meeting.

Denmark raises threat level after Paris attacks

ÏÏÏDanish police on Wednesday

raised the country's threat level by one notch to the next-highest level, citing the elevated risk of a terrorist attack after last week's Paris attacks. "Following the terrorist attacks in Paris, the Danish police is now raising its internal preparedness level" to "significantly heightened preparedness", it said in a statement. Police cited the "uncertain situation in a number of European countries".

However, it said the Danish intelligence service PET had "not changed its assessment of the terrorist threat against Denmark, which is still considered serious."

The Danish public would not see any difference in their daily lives as a result of the change, police said. In February, a Danish-born Islamist extremist killed a Danish filmmaker outside a cultural centre where a debate on Islam and free speech was taking place.

Hours later, he killed a Jewish man was killed at a synagogue, as a bar mitzvah was being celebrated outside.

ÏÏÏAn international health ex-

U.S. President Barack Obama, second from right, reaches to shake hands with Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Cuisia Jr., left, after arriving at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines, Nov. 17, 2015.

Liu maintained that China is a victim in the South China Sea dispute, because it has islands and territories occupied by other countries and Beijing has shown “great restraint” in not seizing territory.

The United States, Vietnam, the Philippines and other nations have expressed alarm at China’s rapid island-building in parts of

the disputed territory, arguing that Beijing is trying to assert its disputed claims without discussion in international forums such as ASEAN gatherings.

U.S. President Barack Obama, in his meetings at ASEAN, “will continue to urge all claimants in the South China Sea to halt further land reclamation, construction of new facilities, and milita-

rization of features they occupy, in order to reduce tensions and create diplomatic space for lasting, lawful and peaceful solutions to emerge,” according to a White House statement.

China, earlier this month, successfully blocked a joint statement of ASEAN defense ministers amid disagreement over how to refer to the maritime dispute.

US seeks Russian focus on Islamic State ÏÏÏPresident

Barack Obama said Wednesday the U.S. would welcome Russia shifting more of its efforts in Syria to confronting the Islamic State group instead of "propping up" Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Obama called Islamic State "the principle threat," and noted that the downing of a Russian jet last month in Egypt may push President Vladimir Putin to change his focus.

Islamic State militants have claimed responsibility for bombing the jet and Putin on Tuesday said his military should intensify its Syria campaign "so that the criminals realize that retribution is inevitable."

Obama

Russian long-range bombers pounded the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa in northern Syria.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said these strikes were the first in which Russia shared pre-flight information with U.S. commanders since the two sides agreed on flight safety protocol aimed at averting airborne collisions over Syria.

Cook also confirmed Russian claims that its bombers had destroyed a large number of targets in Raqqa. Other U.S. officials were quoted as saying the Russian navy fired about 20 cruise missiles Tuesday from the Caspian Sea, striking targets in and near Raqqa.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, second right, flanked by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, third right, and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, right, attends a meeting on Russian airspace forces' activities in Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, second right, flanked by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, third right, and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed

Forces Valery Gerasimov, right, attends a meeting on Russian airspace forces' activities in Syria.

France, enraged by last week's Islamic State massacre in Paris, also bombed the city of 220,000 near the Turkish border. French Defense Minister Jean Yves Le Drian, speaking late Tuesday, said 10 fighter jets were still bombing Raqqa, with 36 more warplanes able to launch strikes in the coming days.

"I think these airstrikes will be very harsh for Daesh," he said, using another name for Islamic State.

The Kremlin said Putin and French President Francois Hollande had agreed to "ensure closer contact and coordination" in their airstrikes. It also said Putin ordered an additional 37 warplanes into action and directed the Russian navy in the eastern Mediterranean to work "as allies" with its French counterparts.

The question remains, can more firepower prevent future Islamic State attacks?

Andew Tabler of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy thinks the answer is no.

pert says Swaziland could eliminate malaria by the end of 2016 or in early 2017, likely making it the first mainland country in subSaharan Africa to get rid of the deadly disease.

Richard Feachem, director of the Global Health Group at the University of California in San Francisco, said on Tuesday that Namibia, Botswana and South Africa are also making "excellent progress" toward eliminating malaria.

Feachem, whose group has worked to curb malaria, told The Associated Press by telephone from Swaziland that the small mountain kingdom would have to have zero cases for three years and undergo a UN World Health Organisation audit to certify the disease has been eliminated within its borders.

He said the Indian Ocean nations of Mauritius and the Seychelles are malaria-free.

US to Kagame: Respect term limits, leave in 2017 ÏÏÏThe Obama administration

is telling Rwanda's leader, one of America's closest allies in Africa, not to consider a third term as president.

State Department Mark Toner says the US is greatly concerned after Rwanda's Senate voted Tuesday to proceed with a constitutional referendum that could allow Paul Kagame to extend his presidency. His current term expires in 2017.

Kagame, who has led Rwanda since 2000, said on Tuesday on Twitter that if he ran again, it would be to improve the well-being of his country's citizens.

Instead, Toner urged Kagame to follow through on his previous commitments to "foster a new generation of leaders".

Toner said the US wants leaders everywhere to respect term limits set by their constitutions

Kagame

News14

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Group urges probe of Obasanjo, Jonathan’s housing policy Lateef Ibrahim Abuja

ÏÏÏThe Movement for the Restoration and Defence of Democracy (MRDD), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to commence the process of probe and recovery of federal government houses that were sold with impunity to some members of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan administrations.

Similarly, the Movement has also urged the Federal Government to investigate

the allegations of lopsided allocation of lands in the FCT to the former First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan and other senior members of the immediate past administration.

The Movement made the call through a statement signed by its National Chairman, Danjuma Muhammed in Abuja on Wednesday.

According to Muhammed, "As part of our party’s effort and commitment to support the on-going war against corruption in the country, we call on the Federal Government under the

leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, to commence the process of probe and recovery of federal government houses that were sold with impunity to some members of Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan administrations.

"As a democratic political party, we are not opposed to the sale of government lowcost houses to Nigerians. As a matter of fact, we urge the federal government to build more low-cost housing estates for outright sale to low income earners.

"What our party rejects is

the sale of establishment houses like the official residence of the Governor of Central Bank and the official residences of other heads of federal agencies.

"Similarly, we call on the federal government to investigate the allegations of lopsided allocation of lands in the FCT to the former First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan and other senior members of the immediate past administration.

"The on-going war against corruption deserves the support of every well-meaning individual and organisation

Enugu State Governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (middle); Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka and Managing Director, Acqua Rapha Investment Nigeria Limited, Mr. Sunday Nwankwo during the official commissioning of Acqua Rapha Investment held at 9th Mile Corner, Enugu State… on Wednesday.

Ugwuanyi lauds Fr. Mbaka for creating 4,500 jobs for Enugu residents Moses Oyediran Enugu

ÏÏÏGovernor Ifeanyi Ug-

wuanyi of Enugu State has commended the Chairman of an indigenous company, Aqua Rapha Investment Nigeria Limited, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka for using his company to provide 4,500 jobs for the people of the state.

The governor made the commendation during a visit to the company at 9th mile corner, Ngwo, for the launch of her new products lines Rapha Groundnut oil, Rapha Soya oil and Rapha

Carbonated drinks.

Ugwuanyi noted that the Enugu state government is interested in such business initiatives that create jobs for the people of the state and turn around its economic fortunes, adding that the inherent benefits are enormous and deserve the commendation of the state government.

He expressed delight that the gesture has further reduced crime in the state as a lot of youths are now meaningfully engaged by the company.

“As the governor of Enugu

State, I am happy that this development is taking place in my state. I am happy that this company is providing employment for 4,500 people. It means a lot to the state. It has added value and improved the standard of living of our people. Be rest assured of the support of the Enugu state government”, the governor said.

In his response, the Chairman and Spiritual Director of the company, Fr. Mbaka thanked Gov. Ugwuanyi for finding it important to come and launch the products in spite of his tight

schedule.

He assured the governor of their unquantifiable solidarity and persistent support of his goodwill and sound vision for Enugu State, adding that the joy of the company is to give people job, reduce unemployment, fight poverty and maintain peace in the state.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Managing Director of the company, Engr.

Sunday Nwankwo disclosed that the new products were designed on the principle of quality which the company is known for and applauded Governor Ugwuanyi for his magnanimity in providing a level playing ground for businesses to thrive in the state.

Titilope Joseph

the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on a one-count charge.

Yaya pleaded guilty to the offence when the charge was read to him in Yoruba.

While addressing the court, the prosecutor, Mr. Jeremiah Aernan, told the court that

the convict was arrested by NDLEA officers on August 10, 2015, at Abule-Oki Bus Stop, Iyana-Ipaja, while selling Cannabis Sativa alias Indian hemp.

He maintained that Yaya was found in possession of 800 grammes of Cannabis

A 37-year-old man, GaMan bags 5-yr ÏÏÏ far Yaya has been sentenced

imprisonment over drug dealings

to a five years imprisonment by a Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos, for dealing in hard drugs.

The convict was arraigned before Justice John Tsoho by

in Nigeria.

"For Nigeria to succeed in the fight against corruption, all hands must be on deck to bring the perpetrators of corruption and impunity to justice.

"We also salute the gallantry of the Nigeria Army, the Police, and the Department of State Security (DSS) in the effort to rid the nation of terrorism.

We urge the government to do everything within its powers to ensure that the December deadline for the eradication of Boko Haram from Nigeria remains real-

istic. "It is on this note that we crave the indulgence of Nigerians to support our brave Armed Forces, Police and all security agencies in what appears to be the final onslaught against Boko Haram in Nigeria" the Movement said.

ÏÏÏA

highway sweeper under the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), on Wednesday, lost her life when a vehicle knocked her off the Third Mainland Bridge to the ground.

A Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who was at the scene of the accident reports that the sweeper was hit when the vehicle had a bust tyre.

NAN reports that the accident occurred at about 11 a.m. behind Kam Salem House, the Police Headquarters annex at Obalende, Lagos.

The driver of the vehicle, military personnel, was said to be speeding when his tyre burst and the vehicle somer-

Highway sweeper knocked to death in Lagos

Chinese envoy urges coys to be responsible Ambassador to Nigeria, Gu Xiaojie has moved to debunk insinuations in some quarters that Chinese companies operating in Nigeria are putting profit-making ahead of the well-being of Nigerian workers, while urging the companies to be law abiding and engage in their Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) in their host communities.

Speaking to newsmen in Lagos, Amb Xiaojie said that Chinese companies operating in Nigeria will obey Nigeria’s local content and labour laws and henceforth sanction erring companies.

“Specifically, I am not aware of these isolated cases of complaints that Chinese companies are not obeying Nigerian labour laws. We have always reminded our companies not to put profit above the wellbeing and interest of Nigerians working with them,” he said.

Speaking further, Xiaojie said that China is interested in creating job opportunities for Nigerians.

Sativa "a narcotic drug similar to Cocaine, Heroin and LSD" and that the offence was contrary to and punishable under Section 11(c) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap 30, LFN 2004.

The prosecutor also ten-

dered a transparent envelope containing remnants of the drug and urged the court to convict Yaya based on his plea and the evidence produced. Justice Tsoho held that he was satisfied with the evidence tendered by the prosecution.

Babajide Okeowo

ÏÏÏChinese

Obasanjo

saulted severally.

The victim, according to eyewitnesses, was flung into the air and thrown over the bridge to the ground.

The unconscious military personnel was taken to the nearby Military Hospital in Ikoyi in a tricycle, popularly known as ``Keke Marwa’’ by his colleagues.

The victim, who was identified as Bisi by her colleagues was said to be a dutiful worker who loved her job with passion in spite of the little salary she earned.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

15 Opinion

Nigerian politics,leadership and nation-building (2)

W

Amb. George A. Obiozor

ithout mincing words, the disparity between claims to nationhood and the political realities in Nigeria are responsible for the political instability, military coups, sporadic guerilla warfare, crises and violence that have characterised Nigeria’s history. It is the same realities that compel the Nigerian political elites – military and civilian – once in power to quickly split along many lines, particularly, the lines of ethnic origin, religion and region. The result has been inter-elite rivalries, reciprocal suspicion, hostility of position and status conflict among them. Consequently, throughout our history, the national elites have been engaged in deadly competitions and conflicts of hostile sub-cultures, resulting in various danger signals that often threaten the survival of the country. Our incoherent national political elites would accept consensus over hardly any national issue.

Every issue is subject to political maneouvers and intrigues, conspiracies and sabotage of one another or of one group against another. Hence, there exists in Nigeria, almost on a permanent basis, a heightened level

of elite insecurity, with its inevitable national psychosis.

One thing is clear and has always been clear; Nigeria needs credible and committed leadership for unity, nation-building and development to be achieved and sustained in the country. In fact, we need not just leadership in the ordinary sense of the word but heroic leadership because our national problems, now more than ever require the talents and inspirational articulateness of an extraordinary person or persons for the design and execution of sustainable solutions. Certainly, ordinary people or mortals have tried over the years and failed; so, perhaps, only heroes or heroic leaders can transcend the various cleavages and conflicts that continue to hang around the country’s neck like the proverbial albatross. We need heroes, crises managers and leadership capable of carrying people along. In the history, of nations at crossroads like ours, France had Charles De Gaulle, Indonesia had Surkano, Yugoslavia had Tito, Egypt had Nesser and Turkey had Kermal Mustafa Ataturk, to name just a few. These were all self-confident, visionary leaders and, without doubt, patriotic and genuine nationalists. As Richard Nixon said, “a leader is one who has the emotional, mental and physical

strength to withstand the pressure and tensions, and then, at the critical moment, to make a choice and to act decisively. The men who fail are those who are so overcome by doubts that either crack under the strain or flee”.

In fact, the worst leaders in the world have been those who refused to make decisions on critical national issues.

Nigeria as a country needs a leader who is a political man who can direct the attention and affection of the people toward himself and the collective aspirations of the entire nation. The irony is that in the past when our leaders vacillated and refused to make critical decision, they indirectly invited challenges to their own authority and legitimacy.

And our experience ought to point to the fact that in spite of our pretenses of unity as the 2015 Presidential Election revealed the Nigerian society actually remains sharply divided by mutually reinforcing cleavages with each segment of the population living in its own separate world.

The consequences have been that all along the dangers of a breakdown of the system have been clear to any reasonably interested observer of Nigeria politics, locally as well as internationally.

We must therefore reform – if you like, transform – and restructure the political system in a way that

compels the allegiance of the various peoples and that complies with their national or group aspirations. We need a system that can effectively contain or reduce the level of the disintegrative tendencies in Nigerian society. The leadership must also recognize that any new system for the country must take cognizance of the present national reality that today no single group or bloc, no matter their pretenses to power, can again dominate the Nigerian political system.

We need a system that commands the respect of our people and is seen as fair, just and equitable to all.

Restructuring the political system Nigerian politics needs restructuring and institutionalization as a way to contain its adverse effects on efforts towards nation-building, national integration and national development. It is possible that with appropriate political structures, the leadership and other national problems can be reasonably managed through the democratic process. In that regard, Nigeria needs a system of shared power, bearing in mind that political decency flourishes best in societies in which stable, peaceful and just political institutions make it difficult for reckless and lawless political. adventurers to thrive.

To be continued

Customs in anti-terrorism operation

T Achum Tobechukwu Valentine

he Nigeria Customs Service has, as its core functions, the collection of excise duties and accounting for same; and prevention and suppression of smuggling. Some other of its functions include: trade facilitation, collection of levies and charges, implementation of government fiscal measures. They also support the combating of illegal trade in arms and ammunition, illegal trade in endangered species, illegal trade in cultural artefacts, import of fake and substandard goods, importation of pornographic materials, traffic in illicit drugs and money laundering. This places the institution as a steward of Nigeria’s trade and border management, and, as such, it is given the task of policing the nation’s borders against external aggression. However, threats come in various forms. But, currently occupying top concern, is the terrorist activities, which have destroyed too many lives and property, especially in the north-east region for more than half a decade without any sign of abatement.

Both women and children have now been indoctrinated into this deadly activity and have been seen to be as deadly as their male counterparts.

This has raised some pertinent

questions such as: why do they kill?

How do they procure their weapons? Where do they procure their weapons? Who are their sponsors?, amongst a litany of other related questions.

I will not bother attempting to provide answers to any of these questions because I do not have an answer myself. But I could guess that their weapons definitely cross our borders to get into the country.

Or how else do they acquire their weapons if it’s not being transported through our borders from neighbouring countries? That is why there must be proper managing, securing and controlling of our borders which is described as too porous and vulnerable. And this is where the Nigeria Customs Service – alongside other border-patrolling agencies need to up its ante by stretching its scope to come up with an intelligence-based border control framework to prevent terrorist weapons and materials from gaining entry through Nigerian borders.

In the United States of America, the U.S customs agency, while charged with the mandate of fostering economic security, through lawful international trade, also declared in its mission statement that, ‘‘we are the guardians of our nation’s borders’’, ‘‘we safeguard the American homeland at and beyond our borders’’, ‘‘we protect the Ameri-

can public against terrorism and the instruments of terror’’, amongst others. This declaration is no mere catch- phrase as they currently operate an automated inter-agency border inspection system that helps detect suspected terrorists as they attempt to pass through any of the 350 U.S. border entry points. This, according to their state department statistics has allowed the U.S customs to intercept a total of 196 suspected terrorists from 56 countries at 44 U.S. border points. They also have, as a part of their strategic goals, a plan to constantly improve upon the identification and targeting of potential terrorist weapons across its borders.

Nigeria which modelled her administrative structure after that of the U.S., also faces similar security threats with them. However, the difference between the two is that while the world superpower has been able to, appreciably, nip it’s in the bud, through a well-co-ordinated effort, by synchronising the activities of relevant security agencies to boost its intelligence and combat power, in order to bring terrorism to its knees, Nigeria, Africa’s ‘superpower’, has not been able to conquer its terrorism challenges. Too much pressure is being placed on the Nigerian armed forces, which includes the Nigerian Army, Air Force and Navy, without recognising the roles other agencies

have to play in this fight. The Nigerian Customs and other border-control agencies must also be prepared to address terrorism threats. There is a need to maximise border security, especially in the north-east region, through an appropriate balance of personnel, equipment, technology, communications capabilities and tactical infrastructure. There should, also, be proper identification of ‘unidentified’ entry points into the country, because there are alleged stories of illegal and unidentified entry points in the country, which is being exploited by smugglers to bring in contrabands into the country, with necessary duty for their goods paid, thereby endangering the people and bringing about a loss in revenue. These so-called unidentified entry points could, as well, be used by sinister-minded people to bring in materials that could be used for terrorist activities. When the total number of entry points have been ascertained, at least, in the northeast, for now, border-control agencies must, then, be equipped with radiation detection equipment, such as personal radiation detectors, radiation isotope identification devices, radiation portal monitors, or other screening technologies which support layered inspection process. Only then could we be said to be on track in terms of globally recommended standard in combating terrorism.

16

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Business Times Æ s

ETI shops for new MD for Ecobank Nigeria Stories by Friday Atufe Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) is shopping for a new Managing Director as the incumbent Managing Director, Mr. Jibril Aku, will be stepping down at the end of this year.

Chairman of the bank, Mr. John Aboh said the board would immediately activate the process of selecting a successor and the

successful candidate would be announced before the end of next month In a letter to the Director-General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange ETI yesterday informed the NSE of the leadership change in its largest subsidiary, Ecobank Nigeria Limited.

“By the bank’s internal policy, Mr. Jibril Aku, the current Managing Director of the subsidiary, having concluded his five-year tenure as managing director, will

step down from his current role at the end of this year.

Mr. Aku will take on another senior role in the firm in the first quarter of 2016. Mr. Aku, a distinguished banker, spent the most part of his banking career with Citibank (Nigeria International Bank), before joining former Afribank Nigeria Plc as Executive Director, Operations & Technology from 2003 to 2005. Thereafter, he joined Ecobank Nigeria in 2006 as Executive Director

responsible for the Bank’s Treasury & Financial Institutions business, following which he was subsequently appointed Managing Director of Ecobank Nigeria in 2010,” the letter said.

The Group’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ade Ayeyemi, said: “Jibril has been instrumental in leading the Ecobank franchise to its position in the Nigeria banking industry today. With the Oceanic Bank acquisition, Jibril positioned the bank from num-

17

ber 13 to its current position of number six.”

Mr. Aku said: “I am proud of what the team and I have achieved together, and I thank them for the good work and their unwavering commitment to Ecobank. Our Board stood with us, and was steadfast in its support.

I must, therefore, extend my sincere appreciation to the Board and the team. Despite some of the market challenges that we faced over the years, our customers have always been loyal, and it is their patronage that led to the achievements we see today.”

The Chairman of the Ecobank Nigeria Board, Mr John Aboh, also congratulated Mr. Aku for the good work achieved, and said he looked forward to the bank improving on the good work that the team had accomplished.

CBN upgrades Wema Bank licence to national

Oloketuyi, MD/CEO Wema Bank

From left: Director General Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Mounir Gwarzo presenting the Ten Year Capital Market Master Plan to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo when he visited him in Aso Villa recently.

Stock market report

Large cap stocks weigh down index Adesola Akindele

The equity market was weighed down yesterday by highly capitalized stocks, as the NSE ASI depreciated by 0.47 percent to close at 28,219.44 points yesterdayy, compared with the depreciation of 0.64 percent recorded the previous day.

Analysis showed Year-to-Date (YTD), it has depreciated by 18.58 percent since the beginning of the year. The depreciation record-

ed in the index yesterday could be attributed to the losses recorded in the share prices of Nigerian Breweries, GT Bank, Transcorp, Forte Oil and Oando, amongst others.

Similarly, the market capitalization depreciated by 0.47 percent to close at N9.70 trillion, compared with the depreciation of 0.64 percent recorded on Tuesday to close at N9.75 trillion.

The total value of the stocks traded on the floors of The NSE

was N1.45bn, down by 42.11 percent from N2.51bn traded the previous day.

The total volume of stocks traded was 143.69 million in 2,406 deals. The three most actively traded stocks are: FBN Holdings (53.21 million), UBA (11.52 million) and Access Bank (10.49 million), while the most actively traded sectors are: Financial Services (113.94 million), conglomerates (11.28 million) and Industrial Goods (6.40 million).

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has upgraded the commercial banking licence of Wema Bank from regional authorization to national authorization with effect from November 17, 2015.

The bank in a letter to the Director-General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), signed by its Chief Finance Officer, Mr. Tunde Mabawonku and Mr. Oluwole Ajimsinmi, company secretary and legal adviser, noted that the upgrade was conveyed in a CBN’s letter dated November 17, 2015.

It will be recalled that Wema Bank had recently unveiled a new logo and reiterated its commitment to re-apply for a national banking licence.

Chief Executive Officer, Segun Oloketuyi, said the bank was considering re-applying for a national banking licence to

enable it meet the increasing financial needs of its customers.

The bank, he noted, has secured the needed regulatory capital that would aid its comeback as a national bank.

“We will come back as a national bank. We now have the required capital to come back as a national bank,” he said.

The bank chief added that as a regional bank, Wema Bank has been able to boost its e-payment infrastructure, and now has “over 200 Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), making banking easier for its customers.”

According to him, the bank is always willing and committed to offering its customers the best quality of services.

Oloketuyi said the bank has survived the worst of times, because of great support it enjoyed from customers, shareholders and regulators.

Business News 18

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

L-R: Mr. Gboyega Balogun, Chief Executive Officer, CSL Stockbrokers; Mr. Wole Abegunde, Chief Executive Officer, Meristem Securities; Mr Aledare Amos, Chief Executive Officer, GTI Securities Limited; Mr Ade Bajomo, Executive Director, Market Operations and Technology Division, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); Mr Ade Ewuosho, Head, Market Services, NSE; and Mr Oluwole Awe, Chief Executive Officer, Investment One; at the launch of Trade Smart press conference held on Wednesday at the Nigerian Stock Exchange

Shippers group threatens court action over cargo tracking note charges Funmi Coker Importers and exporters under the aegis of the Shippers Association of Lagos State have kicked against the payment of charges on the controversial advanced cargo tracking note recently introduced by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).

In a public notice, the shippers’ association expressed shock that the controversial cargo tracking note scheme, which was sold by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council as being at no cost to importers/ exporters, would now attract charges to be borne by shippers.

“The Nigerian Shippers Council, time and time and again stated in all meetings with shippers and in various media and fora

that cargo tracking note would be at no cost to the Nigerian shippers.

“We hold firmly to that public declaration and on that declaration we stand.

“In a letter dated 02/11/20 15 addressed to the Nigerian Shippers Council, we made it clear that “the proposed ACD/ICTN must not attract any costs (direct or indirect) to the importer or exporter of cargo in Nigeria including their agents and partners (local and abroad),” the association said.

It said shippers in Nigeria have no objection to the introduction of the cargo tracking note, “so long as it does not entail any cost to the Nigerian shippers.”

“The Nigerian Shippers Coun-

cil may do well to clarify who bears the cost of Cargo Tracking Note administrative fees on import into Nigeria within the next seven days as delay in doing this may compel Shippers Association Lagos State to seek judicial protection in this regard,” the association added.

Stakeholders including importers, freight forwarding associations and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) have protested against the additional cost burden imposed by the implementation of the cargo tracking note by the NSC. They have variously called on the Federal Government to suspend the scheme until the controversy surrounding its implementation was resolved.

FG bans importation of I-pass-my-neighbour generators Funmi Coker The Federal Government has banned the importation of small generators popularly called I pass my neighbour, used mostly by the masses.

Controller, Federation Operations Unit Zone A, Lagos of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Comptroller Madugu Sanni disclosed this in Lagos while speaking with newsmen.

Sanni also said that the command seized 4,733 goods worth N52 million and arrested some suspected smugglers since he assumed duties one week ago.

He said the seizures were made possible through intelligence gathering and other measures put in place by the unit with a view to ensuring that the supply

chains of smugglers were fully blocked.

Conducting journalists round the seized items which included 239 bales of used clothing valued at N10 million, 1,120 cartons units of the small generators valued at N13.4million among others, Madugu said the unit would not relent in its effort in ensuring that prohibited items are impounded and

those involved in its importation prosecuted.

“The smaller generators have been banned by the Federal Government because it is causing air pollution and destruction of our lungs and breathing system.

That is why they have banned it but people are still interested in smuggling them in, that is why we intercepted them.

“If you go to the market, you still see them because people have imported them before the ban. So it is the leftover they had before the ban that they are selling because the law did not backdate the ban and it is not an absolute prohibition.

“It is prohibition by trade which means you cannot bring it in large quantity and sell to the public.

The deplorable state of roads across the country and the attendant losses to the nation was one of the high points of discussion at this year’s conference of the Nigerian Society of Engineers even as the speakers made a case for the authorities at all levels of government to consider the use of concrete as alternative option.

With about $1.5 billion economic loss yearly due to bad roads, the engineers at the confab themed “National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (NIIMP): Strategies for Implementation” held in Akure bemoaned the infrastructural deficit that has been the lot of the country with a submission that infrastructural policy implementation should be taken serious by government and her agencies.

They argued that the major issue with the Nigeria’s road infrastructure is the absence of effective and sufficient regulatory framework for effective road construction.

The reaction to the unsavoury condition of the road infrastructure in the country was ignited by the paper on “Improving Service Delivery in Transport Infrastructure: The Concrete Road Option” presented by the Regional Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Arvin Pathak who disclosed that Nigeria records an estimated economic loss of economic of between $1 billion and $1.5 billion every year, due to poor condition of roads.

$1.5bn annual loss: Engineers advocate concrete payement option to restore sanity Pathak, an engineer said, “Using concrete roads will result in less fuel consumption and less emissions. Small percentage reduction of life time energy use associated with road will have significantly positive implications on sustainable development.”

He pointed out that concrete roads are durable and safe. Less prone to wear and tear and low maintenance requirements is one of the principal advantages of concrete roads.

Advocating for a new policy that will accommodate the use concrete roads in the light of the defects of bituminous road and its attendant strain on the nation’s lean economy, Pathak, said the country free itself of frequent maintenance and overlay repeatedly increase cost and cause inconvenience to users.

He added, “Present cement capacity in Nigeria is around 41 million ton per annum while the expected demand of cement is 20 million in 2015. The capacity of cement plants under construction is 8.5 million ton per annum.

Also there is adequate quantity of cement of international quality is now available within the country.

NSE, stockbrokers launch mobile app for retail investors Adesola Akindele The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in conjunction with leaders of the Stockbroking community has brought innovative and enhanced trading capabilities to further empower the Nigerian Capital market through the advent of mobile trading technologies to its retail customers.

This technology highlights the tremendous potentials that can be harnessed by the Nigerian Capital Market, as explained by Mr. Ade Bajomo, Executive Director, Market Operations and Technology, in his presentation themed- “Trading smartly: Technology foundation for a best in class capital market” Statistics analysed by him showed that “Current retail clients registered with CSCS is approximately five million trading accounts. When we allow for duplicated accounts, we can say 2.5 million accounts are currently active.”

According to Mr. Bajomo, these clients have a 900 percent potential to grow from its current 2.5 million account holders with CSCS to 25 million, with Nigeria’s current working population and seeing that Nigeria ranks number eight amongst the world’s internet users, with over 55 million subscribers.

The mobile apps launched by several Stockbroking firms such as CSL, GTI, and Meristem to complement the X-Gen trading platform of the NSE has so far helped improve market order flow, increase the number of trades, create direct market access, remote trading, income diversification and above all, free up time and resources to enable the stock brokers become creators of value rather than mere traders of value.

Confirming this feat was the CEO of Meristem, Mr. Wole Abegunde, who stated that “With over 20 countries currently trading on our platform, the entire world is our customer.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

19 Brands & Marketing

Merck opens first office in Nigeria

Oschmann

Stories by Godwin Anyebe Merck, a leading science and technology company, yesterday announced the opening of its new office in Nigeria by Stefan Oschmann, CEO-elect of Merck, and Karim Bendhaou, President of North & West Africa. It’s the company’s first in the country and part of its strategy to grow its market share in the West African

region.

Merck products have already been present in the country for several years and today the company announced that this portfolio was expanded with the launch of the Muse Auto CD4/CD4% System(1), a compact and easy to use HIV/AIDS Diagnostic Kit, which is able to monitor the progression of the HIV/AIDS virus in patients.

“Nigeria is an evident choice

for us. With a population that is known for its entrepreneurial spirit and innovative ideas, this is a perfect match with Merck,“ declared Oschmann, adding that “Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, has one of the fastest growing economies in the world(2) and we believe that through our high quality and innovative Healthcare and Life Science specialty products and services we can contribute to that growth.”

Charles Ajibo, General Manager Nigeria for Biopharma, added “Nigeria is a very important market for us and this will only increase in the coming years. We plan to expand our current portfolio in a steady pace and introduce many more products that are targeted to the unmet medical needs of Nigerian patients and help them improve their daily lives.”

Besides a presence through their products, the company has been working closely with the Nigerian government and international organizations to increase access to health solutions in Nigeria. Together with the Federal Ministry of Health, Merck organized a panel discussion on November 17th that focused on the role the private sector can play

in helping countries like Nigeria accelerate progress on Universal Health Coverage and the importance of forging partnerships to deliver health solutions for the population. It also took a closer look at the challenges of scaling up and sustaining public-private partnerships and private-private partnerships that seek to improve access to affordable and quality care.

Furthermore, as part of its commitment to improving access to healthcare in developing countries, the company is supporting the World Health Organization (WHO) in the fight against schistosomiasis in Africa. Since the start of the Merck Praziquantel Donation Program, Merck has donated over 290 million praziquantel tablets. To date, more than 64 million patients have been treated, consisting primarily of school children. Nigeria is currently the largest recipient of the Merck Praziquantel Donation Program.

Praziquantel is the most effective treatment for the parasitic worm disease schistosomiasis. Until now, Merck has donated nearly 71,000,000 tablets to WHO for Nigeria and another 34 million will follow by the end of this year.

3D Makery launches state-of-the art technology 3D Makery Nigeria has unveiled the latest 3D scanning and printing technology in Nigeria and Africa.

Speaking at the 3-day unveiling ceremony in Lagos recently, Chairman and Founder, Israel Ovirih of the company explained that the new technology was one of a kind destructive technology that would outshine every other technology availing youth employment through self-dependence in the country.

According to him, 3D technology is opening up a whole new world of possibilities and the reward of 3D printing technology is that the scan could be used to produce a full color figurine known as a ‘Shapie.’ So, rather than a half-

Nobel Carpets inspires talented artists

cocked snapshot you can have a 3D printed sculpture to either keep as your own or give as a gift.

“The so-called “shapies” use 3D

printing technology and are designed to bring joy and happiness each time a person gazes upon the “Mini-Me,” he said “We’re thrilled bringing this advanced 3D tools and knowledgeable support team to help grow Nigeria’s technology business.

We have had success and satisfaction with this technology and, upon experiencing the technology ourselves, knew it would be a benefit to Nigerians. We are confident customers will embrace this technology. While it’s still wonderful to have collections of photos, this 3D technology offers a new way to revisit a memory with a 3D portrait,” he said.

On the mechanics of the 3D Technology, the Chief Operat-

ing Officer, 3D Makery Nigeria, Damola Kolawole explained that the booth where all this magic happens contains four wide-view, high-resolution scanners that rotate around the person inside in order to capture them from all angles. The level of detail that can be captured by these scanners is such that it will even pick up things like a logo on a shirt or the jersey of your favorite sports team.

“The hundreds of images that are generated in this way are then automatically stitched together with special software and a 3D model is generated from that composite. After the digital model is created, the figurine can then be produced,” he said.

Lucky Fibres Plc, makers of Nigeria’s leading brand of rug and carpet, Nobel carpets & Rugs, is set to reward exceptional creative designers at a competition tagged ‘Reward Your Creativity.’

The competition which will open on November 22 will last till November 25th 2015 and is specially designed to engage, celebrate and reward creative indi-

viduals whose original ideas and concepts are displayed through appealing designs.

Speaking on the competition, General Manager, Lucky Fibres Mr. Jitesh Pamnani, stated that the competition would offer a platform for creative designers across Lagos, regardless of age and experience, to showcase their exceptional talents in designing a

beautiful carpet.

“This competition is to create a global awareness and understanding for great design practices and principles by highlighting best designs and rewarding creativity. At the end of this competition, the first prize winner will be endowed with Nobel Carpets and Rugs for his/her house and an award, worth N100,000.

Custom 3D Shapie

Ogunsanya, MD Airtel Nigeria

Airtel unveils mobile education platform Airtel Nigeria has launched a mobile education platform aimed at enhancing the learning experience of children in the age bracket of five to sixteen across Nigeria.

The learning tool which is branded Airtel SmartTrybe Junior, integrates three of the major aspects of education: audio visual, textbooks and test, to deliver more than 120 courses to pupils and students in primary one to basic three in senior secondary school.

The tool offers a 3D interactive multimedia based learning environment designed to help students achieve deeper understanding and higher retention. It also features highly engaging animations of laboratory experiments and lecture notes, classroom approved textbooks and an in-depth compilation of key points and definitions presented as quick study Flash Cards.

In addition, Airtel Smart Trybe Junior enables user access to preloaded eBooks, which are exclusively developed for Airtel by the renowned Evans publishers and all the courses are based on the current academic curriculum in Nigerian schools. The study materials are developed in compliance with the Federal Ministry of Education and adapted for pupils and students in the West African sub-region, especially Nigeria.

Speaking on the product, the Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Ahmed Mokhles, explained that Airtel Smart Trybe Junior was part of the company’s contribution towards the development of Nigerian educational sector and also to provide empowerment opportunities for children in the primary and secondary schools.

According to him, our aim is to make learning fun for these kids and for them to gain deeper understanding of what they learn in school, using the platform.

Motoring 20

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Macan GTS hits auto mart in 2016

Stories by Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo The deliveries of the Macan GTS will commence in March, 2016 in the allnew GTS version of Porsche’s compact SUV provides driving experiences that surpass those which have become customary with the Macan. Like all Porsche models that bear the three letter insignia, the

Macan GTS is inspired by motor racing. A re - engineered chassis, 20 hp more than the Macan S and re-inforced brakes are some of the features on offer in the latest addition to the Stuttgart-based manufacturer’s GTS line-up.

With an output of 360 hp and 500 Nm of torque, the Macan GTS places in-between the Macan S and the Macan Turbo. The technical basis

for this comprises of a threelitre V6 bi-turbo engine from the Macan S, accompanied by the Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) and Porsche Traction Management (PTM) with flexible power distribution between front and rear axles. Completing the zero to 100 km/h sprint in 5.0 seconds with the optional Sport Chrono package, the Macan GTS has a top speed of 256 km/h.

PWC: Nigeria’s auto industry to produce 4m cars yearly by 2050 PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) on Thursday predicted that the Nigerian auto industry is expected to produce about four million cars annually by 2050, noting that given the nation’s growth projections to be the ninth largest economy in the world and continued government support, the industry is expected to begin actual manufacturing with components locally sourced.

A PWC report presented by a Partner at the firm, Mr. Andrew Nevin,PIX3 explained that the projected growth requires sustained and effective investment in the auto industry made only possible by the government implementing political, economic and legal policies that create a suitable environment for such

investment.

Nevin who did the official presentation of the PWC auto industry report, during a seminar organised by the automobile and allied product group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), added: ”We created three scenarios in this case depending on growth rate and the government support to the auto industry. By 2050, production in this country will hit almost seven million vehicles.

This sounds like an extraordinary number, but the population of Nigeria in 2050 could be larger than the population of the United States and the production currently in the United State is about 18 million vehicles and since Nigeria is going to be the ninth largest economy in

VW offers credit cards to US customers

the world by 2050, we expect that with an indigenous auto industry, it would be large.”

He however stated that imported used vehicles popularly referred to as ‘Tokunbo’ cars will become non-existent by 2034 as a direct result of local production.

“We believe that by 2050, Nigeria should produce over 4 million vehicles. We have also created a pessimistic scenario, which is the third scenario because the world might not turn out the way we think, but even with the pessimistic scenario, Nigeria will be producing about two million vehicles. Essentially, PWC is saying that by 2050, Nigeria is going to be a market that makes at least four million new vehicles a year and would also stop importation of used vehicles,” he added.

Volkswagen is taking new steps to appease US customers and German union leaders unhappy with the company’s response to a sweeping emissions cheating scandal that has claimed another high-profile executive, as head of corporate

Nevin

communications Andreas Lampersbach resigns.

The company is offering $1000 in credit, of which half is to be spent at VW and Audi dealerships, to US owners of certain diesel models that do not comply with government emissions

standards.

The automaker said eligible US owners of nearly 500 000 VW and Audi models with two-litre TDI diesel engines could apply to receive a $500 prepaid Visa card and a $500 dealership card, and three years of free roadside assistance services.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

21

Daily Times Advert Rates Sizes

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OPERATIONAL HEADQUARTERS DTN COMPLEX LATEEF JAKANDE ROAD, AGINDIGBI, IKEJA, LAGOS CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS 44 ADETOKNBO ADEMOLA CRESCENT WUSE 2, ABUJA

News 22

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Lagos lawmakers greet Fashola, seek refund of N52b spent on Fed roads Alade Tasma

ÎÎÎMembers of the Lagos

State House of Assembly have congratulated former Governor of the State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, on his appointment as the Minister for Power, Works and Housing.

The lawmakers at the plenary took turn to shower encomium on Fashola, while urgıng the Federal Government to accord special recognition and status to Lagos State as a former capital and economic nerve centre of the country.

Hon. Jimoh Wahab, representing Apapa Consistuency II, urged the Federal Government to hasten the payment of the outstanding debt of N52 billion expended on Federal roads by the State Government.

“I congratulate the Hon. Minister, who happened to be the former Governor of this State. Lagos is the commercial hub of Nigeria and sub-Sahara in Africa and there is a need to rehabilitate our roads to boost our economy activities,” he said.

Hon. Sola Giwa, representing Lagos Island Constituency II, emphasised a need for the rehabilitation of Federal roads in the State “Lagos State is a megacity that provides 70 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) but has now been reduce because of the gridlock in Apapa. Therefore, we urge Mr. Fashola, at this moment, to consider the construction of the Fourth Mainland bridge that we’ve been craving for.”

The Speaker, Hon. Mu-

dashiru Obasa, said, “The House unanimously resolves to call on the Minister for Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, to refund the outstanding debt.”

He enjoined Fashola to consider the state for infrastructural and developmental projects before

bombardments from other interest across the country.

In another development, the lawmakers presented their reports on the stakeholders/town hall meetings held on the 10th of November 2015 across the State.

They described the event as a welcome initiatıve that showcased the legislative

duties, responsibilities and commitment to the people.

The report highlighted some of the challenges facing the people in each constituency, which included, rehabilitation of roads, provision of secondary schools, health centres, inadequate power supply, security, unemployment etc.

Obasa explained that the event had become an annual programme and urge members to always liaise with their constituencies as collated reports would be forwarded to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for ıncorporatıon and implementation in the 2016 budget.

Prof. Pat Utomi (right) presenting the Centre for Values and Leadership ‘Master Farmers’ Award for Agriculture to Country Head, OLAM Nigeria Limited, Mukul Mathur (middle) and Sustainability Manager, OLAM Nigeria, Jennifer Abuah held in Lagos… recently.

N2.7b fraud: NERC denies wrongdoing Augustine Okezie, Abuja

A’Ibom gov advocates better training for ex-militants ÎÎÎAkwa

Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, has advocated a re-appraisal of the training scheme offered to the Niger Delta ex-militants, under the Presidential Amnesty Programme, to enable them deploy the knowledge gained for selfsustainability and economic development.

Emmanuel made the suggestion during his interaction with the Co-ordinator of the Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty Programme, who called on him at the Government House, Uyo. He said the training offered through the programme does not address the local content demands of the Nigerian society, especially in the oil- bearing communities and that the trainees found it hard to bring their knowledge to bear with the available opportunities in the oil industry .

He suggested a liaison with the National Directorate of Employment for the development of the scheme, stating that the ex-militants would be trained in line with the manpower needs the Nigerian society.

He said that as a practical step towards reintegrating the ex-militants, motivational talks should be used to encourage them to earn a living rather than engage in agitations and called on the companies operating in the coastal communities to device modalities for dialogue to address issues of environmental degradation, which he said were the root causes of their agitation.

Management of Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), on Wednesday, in Abuja, denied allegations by a newspaper that members of its board had shared the sum of N2.7b amongst themselves as severance package preparatory to their retirement

from active service next month.

The Chairman of the Commission, Sam Amadi, who addressed a crowded press conference, at the Commission’s headquarters, said since the publication of the allegation in the daily, the agency had come under serious attack by an alliance of internal and external forces

that aimed at damaging the reputation and credibility of the agency.

He said, “On Monday, November 2, 2015, the Daily Trust newspapers carried a banner headline: NERC Board Shares N2.7billion. In that report it stated that the board approved to share N2.7billion as severance for the seven board mem-

bers. It falsely stated that in that sharing formula the Chairman takes away N400m and the Commissioners take N300m. On Monday, a faceless group claiming to be a Vanguard of Unemployed Youths printed Tee-shirts, handbills and face caps to protest against NERC commissioners stealing N2.7billion of tax payers.”

ALABI ADIJAT KUBURA ORITOKE

CHINWE NWACHUKWU

PRINCESS HELEN OSIGWE

AHMED ABOSEDE TEMITOPE

LEKAM PETER

I, formerly known and called ALABI ADIJAT ORITOKE now wishes to be known and called ALABI ADIJAT KUBURA ORITOKE. All former document remain valid, General public should take note.

I, formerly known and called NONYECHI NWACHUKWU AND AGBAEGBU LETICIA NONYE now wishes to be known and called CHINWE NWACHUKWU. All former document remain valid, General public should take note.

I, formerly known and called ADJUSHI ONA now wishes to be known and called PRINCESS HELEN OSIGWE. All former document remain valid, General public should take note.

I, formerly known and called FATADE ABOSEDE TEMITOPE now wishes to be known and called AHMED ABOSEDE TEMITOPE. All former document remain valid, General public should take note.

I, formerly known and called UBILEKAN PETER now wishes to be known and called LEKAM PETER. All former document remain valid, General public should take note.

I Mrs Ikpe Becky Herculine Jazzmine Devine. (Female) I am citizen of Nigeria. I was born in Delta state Warri, my state of origin, Ngor Okpala Local Government Area, Imo State of Nigeria, Immigration passport take note, all former document remain valid.

General public please take note

ADEYEYE RUTH BUKKY

OLANREWAJU MODUPE SEKINAT

ADEGBEMILE FRANCIS BABATUNDE

ADEYEMI STEPHEN AYOOLA OLUWASEYI

OBAYOMI GLORIA

I, formerly known and called ADEYEYE BUKKY OMOSALEWA now wishes to be known and called ADEYEYE RUTH BUKKY. All former document remain valid, General public take note

I, formerly known and called YUSUF SEKINAT MODUPE now wishes to be known and called OLANREWAJU MODUPE SEKINAT. All former document remain valid, General public take note

I, formerly known and called ADEGBEMILE BABATUNDE YUSUF now wishes to be known and called ADEGBEMILE FRANCIS BABATUNDE. All former document remain valid, General public take note

I, formerly known and called AHMED STEPHEN AYOOLA OLUWASEYI now wishes to be known and called ADEYEMI STEPHEN AYOOLA OLUWASEYI. All former document remain valid, General public take note

ÎÎÎThe

AYODELE WILLIAMS I, formerly known and called TOMSON ISAH now wishes to be known and called AYODELE WILLIAMS. All former document remain valid, General public take note

AUGUSTINA SHEDRACK HART I, formerly known and called AUGUSTINA CECILIA PEPPLE now wishes to be known and called AUGUSTINA SHEDRACK HART. All former document remain valid, Ecobank Plc and the general public take note

MRS IKPE BECKY HERCULINE JAZZMINE DEVINE

I, formerly known and called AMU GLORIA now wishes to be known and called OBAYOMI GLORIA. All former document remain valid, General public take note

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Banish oil cartels from Nigeria, Guru Marahaj tells Buhari Remi Oladoye

ÏÏÏThe Living Perfect Mas-

ter and leader of the One Love Family, Satguru Maharaj ji, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to pull the Nigerian economy off the grip of what he called “killer cartels,” in the oil industry and banish them to Snake island.

He also described the concept of zoning and federal character as “prime enemies of Nigeria’s destined progress,” Maharaj ji made these submissions while addressing journalists at a press conference organised to celebrate the Golden Age

Festival (GOLDFEAST 2015 edition), held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan, on Wednesday.

He said zoning of public offices was a political practice, which had robbed the country of the ability to build the right political capital, and noted that every man must qualify for any position of leadership he sought to occupy.

While identifying the absence of a nationalist vision and drive as the bane of economic advancement in Nigeria, Maharaj ji called for a thorough overhaul of the operating system of the oil

industry to salvage the sector from corruption.

On insecurity and insurgency, the religious leader charged Buhari to address the emerging variant of Boko Haram insurgents operating as cattle herdsmen and recommended the immediate construction of a cattle ranch each in Lagos, Oyo, Enugu, Rivers, Edo, Benue and Kano states.

He also lamented the relegation of traditional rulers to the background of public administration and suggested that seven traditional rulers from each of the six geopolitical zones should be given constitutional roles in

the National Assembly.

Maharaj ji, who denounced partisanship in politics, said he was the current custodian of the power that sustained the universe, while also expressing his readiness to support the progress and enhancement of the fortunes of Nigeria and the whole world.

His words: “I will, as such, always give my full divine support to whoever leads Nigeria to the very last minute of his tenure. Divinity is not biased. It is perfectly fair. Maharaj ji never disappoints! My divine presence is for progress of all Nigerians!’’.

23 News

Association urges Fashola to ensure smooth privatisation of TCN

ÏÏÏThe Association of

Nigerian Electricity Distribution (ANED), on Wednesday, urged the Minister of Power, Mr. Raji Fashola, to ensure a smooth privatisation of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in order to boost the power sector.

Mr. Sunday Oduntan, the Director of Research and Advocacy of the association told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Lagos, that the transmission valuechain was a major challenge awaiting Fashola’s intervention. Oduntan said that only privatisation of the sector would encourage investors to invest their funds into transmission.

Said he: “The transmis-

sion stratum of power chain, which is still under the control of the government, will require multi-billion dollar investment in-flow and, at this present moment, its privatisation is the way out.”

He said that the TCN had been contracted to Manitoba Company, a Canadian Engineering Company. He alleged that it could not function optimally because of some forces beyond its control.

Oduntan also implored Fashola to assist the electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) in collecting over N32 billion owed them by ministries, departments and agencies (MDA) and the military nation-wide.

Imo APC group suspends excommissioner Val Okara Owerri

ÏÏÏThe

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Binta Bello; Chief Party USAID, Mr. Charles Abani; Executive Director, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi and representative of Action Aid Nigeria, Prof. Patricia Audu during the one day women farmers national meeting held in Abuja… on Tuesday Photo: TEMITOPE BALOGUN.

Ugwuanyi reconstitutes Enugu Judicial Service Commission Moses Oyediran Enugu

ÏÏÏGovernor

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has sworn in four new members of the reconstituted State Judicial Service Commission with a charge to apply integrity in the discharge of their functions.

The new members who are to serve with the three statutory members of the Commission are Mrs. Selina Ugwuoke Adibuah, Barr.

Chidi Nwoye, Victor Onyebuchi and Barr. Remigius Asogwa.

Other members are the Chief Judge of the State,

Hon. Justice Innocent Umezulike as Chairman, the Ag. President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice G.C. Nnamani and the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Miletus Eze as statutory members, while the four, new members are nonstatutory.

While swearing in the new members at the Government House, Enugu, Ugwuanyi noted that the members possessed “the competence, knowledge and integrity needed for the discharge of their functions effectively.”

He added that the reconstitution of the body was in keeping with Section 197(1) of 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which provides for the establishment of the Commission for each state.

He also said that the functions of the commission according to Section 8 of the Enugu State Judicial Service Commission Law Cap 60 was to, among others, “advise the governor in nominating persons for appointment as Chief Judge of the State and Judges of the State High Court as well as the President and Judges

of the State Customary Court of Appeal.”

In his response, the Chief Judge of the State, Hon. Justice Innocent Umezulike, thanked Ugwuanyi for finding them worthy to serve and assured him that the members of the body would carry out their duties efficiently.

Ugwuanyi

All Progressives Congress (APC) wing in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area, in Imo State has suspended the former Imo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Chidi Ibeh from the party.

It also suspended two former Chairmen of Ahiazu Mbaise LGA. Dr. Kachi Nwoga and Mr. Chika Ezeji.

Others are Mr. Tony Odirichukwu, Mr. Ephraim Odom and Mr. Cyril Uwazie.

Their suspension was contained in a statement signed by the Chairman of

the party in the council area, Chief Cletus Onwuegbule and Secretary, Mr. Theodore Nwamadi.

The statement alleged anti-party activities, sabotage, and disruption of party meeting as offences committed by the affected members for their suspension.

It disclosed that the suspension was arrived at after a review of the report of the fact-finding committee raised to investigate the allegations against the suspended members.

It enjoined the affected members to approach the LGA Disciplinary Committee if they wished to appeal against their suspension.

Ex-Education minister, Aja-Nwachukwu, dies at 63 ÏÏÏA former Minister of

Education, Dr. Igwe AjaNwachukwu, has passed on, while receiving treatment at an Israeli hospital. He was aged 63.

The former minister’s younger brother, Festus AjaNwachukwu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Abuja, that he died on November 17.

He said the former minister, who served under the Umaru Yar’Adua administration, had been receiving treatment at an Israeli hospital for about four weeks before passing on.

Festus said he could not readily say the cause of his

elder brother’s death, until the death certificate was issued by the hospital.

He said that details of the burial arrangement would be made public in due course.

Aja-Nwachuku, a native of Okposi in Ebonyi, was born in 1952 and appointed minister of education in 2007. His father was Nigeria’s first minister of education.

He graduated from the University of Ibadan with a Bachelor’s Degree in statistics.

He also had an MBA in Finance, MSc in Statistics and Ph.D. in Economics.

News 24

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19 2015

Reps investigate NIGCOMSAT Henry Omunu

Abuja ÏÏÏThe House of Representatives, on Wednesday, resolved to investigate the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT-1) with a view to reactivating it to serve the country's enormous communications needs.

Also on Wednesday, the House mandated its committee on Information Technology to look into the conflict between the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASDRA) and the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT-1).

The House resolutions was sequel to a motion sponsored by Hon. Toby Okechukwu.

Moving the motion during plenary, the lawmaker said, "the high cost of internet data, inability to meet the June 17 international telecommunications union digital switch deadline, absence of real time tele - medicine in Nigeria amongst others, are due to the alleged idleness of NIGCOMSAT -1 which in turn was alleged to be due to the inter - agency rivalry between NASDRA and NIGCOMSAT. "Despite the enormous communications potentials of the NIGCOMSAT -1, coupled with its 28 active transponders (devices for receiving radio signals) and 12 redundant transponders as payloads, Nigeria's NIGCOMSAT -1 has not been put to optimum use since 2011

when it was relaunched".

According to him, if put to use, each transponder is capable of carrying six to eight digital television programmes, adding that six to eight television stations can broadcast simultaneously on one transponder and can support over 168 television stations simultaneously.

If put to its optimum use, "NIGCOMSAT -1 will enhance security intelligence reporting, particularly as Nigeria battles to end the problem of insurgency and terrorism in the North East amongst other benefits, "he added.

In the same vein, the House called on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to commence an audit of the quality of

service provided by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the country and also set up a framework through which internet service consumers can be compensated for poor services.

The House mandated the committee on telecommunications to monitor the adherence to this resolution and report back to the House within four weeks for further legislative action.

The resolution was passed after the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Busayo Oke drawing attention to the poor service delivery by the ISPs, alleging that their poor services have caused untold hardship to many Nigerian businesses who have not gotten value for their money.

L-R: Chairman, Aviation Committee, Hon. Onyecheocha Nnkiruka; Deputy Chairman, Hon. Bashir Isa Salihu and Member, Hon. Iboro Rkanem, during the inaugural meeting of the committee at the National Assembly in Abuja… on Wednesday.

ÏÏÏLagos

State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has restated his commitment to protect the lives and property of the people of the state, just as he assured that security remains an important area of focus in his administration.

Governor Ambode, who spoke in Lagos at a dinner organised in honour of outgoing and incoming members of the Board of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) on Tuesday night, said there was a serious need for the private sector to scale up their support towards government's effort to tackle insecurity.

The governor said that with the reality that there are not enough security operatives to secure the state, the next level is to invest in the right technology which will help in the fight against crime.

Emphasising that the state needs close circuit cameras in all public places and data of all suspected criminal elements, Governor Ambode stressed that it was important for police stations to have technology to access data from all over the world so as to make the tracking of criminal elements easier.

The governor, who said that to police a state with

over 21 million people requires a lot more than just additional policemen, however, urged both members of the Trust Fund and the private sector to help in the area of investing more on technology, which he admitted is not cheap, hence the need for massive support for government.

Lauding members of the outgoing Board of the LSSTF for a job well done, Governor Ambode recalled that since November 2007 when the board was inaugurated after the passage of the law establishing the Fund, a strong partnership has been forged between the government and the private

Minna ÏÏÏThe Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) have accused the NNPC for being responsible for the scarcity of fuel in the nation.

The Chairman of the Niger State chapter of IPMAN, Alhaji Adamu Ahmed Erena said the corrupt people in NNPC have prevented the private marketers to have access to the petroleum product at government regulated price.

"NNPC have been using IPMAN for their business.

They ask us to pay for product lifting and when we do so, they refuse to give us the product. It is the money of private marketers that NNPC uses to make sales"

Agric ministry lauds group on value creation Lara Adejoro

ÏÏÏThe former Permanent

Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Sonny Echono, has lauded the efforts of Primlaks Group, producers of the Sympli brand of convenience foods, for raising the bar of innovation and value in addition to Nigeria’s indigenous foods.

Echono gave the commendation during his visit to the Sympli exhibition stand at the just concluded 2015 Foodbext West Africa Exhibition in Lagos, where he tasted Sympli yam fries and

Remi Oladoye

Security remains topmost in my agenda, says Ambode Oyetubo Olabimpe

Saka Bolaji

Ambode

sector to address the security challenges facing the state.

Said he: "This fund has generated over N4 billion as well as donations of patrol vehicles and other security equipment by individuals and corporate organisations. This fund has contributed significantly to improve operational capacity of our security agencies particularly the Nigerian Police, thereby increasing the safety of our state and residents.

Ibadan ÏÏÏThe Inspector General of Police IGP) Mr. Solomon Arase has charged his men to pay much premium on effective policing in order to meet up with the security challenges in the country.

The police boss made the charge in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital while paying courtesy call on Governor Abiola Ajimobi in his office on Wednesday, during his visit to Oyo State command According to him, community partnership in terms of security management is the in thing both nationally and internationally, adding that security could not be left out in the development of any society.

He admonished officers and men of his command to

IPMAN blames NNPC for fuel scarcity Erena said.

Erena, who faulted the federal government for saying there was enough petroleum product to go round said that the federal government should direct IPMAN to the location where the product is being lifted at government regulated price to enable them get the product and reduce the sufferings of Nigeria.

"Federal government can say there is enough fuel in NNPC. We are stating here and now, show us where to lift it. We are ready to supply, please show us where to lift it at government regulated price" Erena demanded. plantain chips to the delight of visitors and other stakeholders.

“Sympli has shown that it is not enough to just grow crops, we must add some value, do some processing, improve packaging and then the products will be exportable and can earn more revenue for Nigeria,” he said, adding, “Value addition is the way to go, the opportunities are bountiful, it is profitable, it also ensures that we create additional jobs for our people and we can get additional value.”

He urged the company to intensify efforts at creating awareness and getting markets for its products, leveraging on the quick preparation and affordability of local agricultural produce.

IGP charges officers on effective policing be human rights compliant and to respect the sensitivity and the cultural values of people of their area.

Arase disclosed that the command was able to apprehend a gang of kidnappers that has been terorrising the state, through the combined efforts of his intelligence response squad from Abuja.

He, however, reiterated his commitment to work assiduously and tirelessly in ensuring that Oyo state got the desired peace, stressing that no society could develop without adequate security.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November19, 2015

25

Features Æ s Season of hefty fines by regulators For him, if Guinness had been warned and given the opportunity of fair hearing before the sanction, then the ‘SANCTION’ might be in-order and we could start pleading for mercy. But, where the above narration were not observed before the fine, then it was uncalled for and could be regarded as regulatory radicalism; which is what we have been observing of recent — Alhaji Gbadebo Olatokunbo

Danbatta, NCC EVC

Three major regulators in the Nigerian economy recently imposed severe fines on some ‘erring operators.’ The regulators are the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and National Agency for Foods, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

CBN fined First Bank Nigeria Limited, N1.8 billion; United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) N2.4 billion and Skye Bank N4 billion over the Single Treasury Account (TSA); NCC fined MTN $5.2 billion for failing to disconnect subscribers with unregistered and incomplete subscriber identification modules (SIM) cards within a stipulated time while NAFDAC fined Guinness

Nigeria Plc N1billion for certain alleged regulatory infractions.

These fines, especially the one imposed on MTN had been described as outrageous.

This development has made investors in these companies, in particular and in the Nigerian economy in general, to be nervous as well as led to the resignation of the Group CEO of MTN, Mr Sifiso Dabengwa.

The adverse effect of these fines is already being felt in the value of the shares of these companies in South Africa and in Nigeria. MTN is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (NSE) while Guinness, First Bank, UBA and Skye Bank are listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

Besides this, there are also fears that the backlash might be extended to the management of the Nigerian subsidiary, MTN

Nigeria.

Reacting to these developments, Alhaji Gbadebo Olatokunbo, a shareholder activist and co-founder of the Nigeria Shareholders Solidarity Association (NSSA) observes that the words ‘sanction’ or ‘fine’ are used for the correction of wrong doings which might be in cash or words. Whenever it is purely cash affair, it then calls for caution on the imposer because wrong/negative reading/meaning could go into the motive behind it because it is always good to warn before sanction.

For him, if Guinness had been warned and given the opportunity of fair hearing before the sanction, then the ‘SANCTION’ might be in order and we could start pleading for mercy.

But, where the above narration weren’t observed before the fine, then it was uncalled for and

could be regarded as regulatory radicalism; which is what we have been observing of recent.

Olatokunbo who expresses concern about the amount of the fine, wonders if the intention of NAFDAC is to promote industrial growth that could lead to employment of more citizens or close down the company?

“Will such a huge-fine, to the thinking of NAFDAC be of help or benefit to pensioners, who are in majority the shareholders of the company? I seriously need to be educated on the rational on such high/huge/worrisome fine. What kind of signals are our regulatory agencies sending to the investing-public, within and abroad?” Olatokunbo wonders.

On the fines imposed on banks

Emefiele, CBN Governor

because of the TSA, he suggests that CBN should have punished members of the boards and management of the affected banks for the sins’ and not the banks, because the banks belong to the shareholders who are not the offenders.

He contends that CBN should note that members of the boards and management of those banks are representative of the shareholders of those banks and are well remunerated for their services, but resolved to impunity due to greed for bonuses and allowances that would be paid to them at the end of every trading year for the level of business they were able to generate.

In the same vein, Deolu Ogunbanjo, president, National AssoCONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Features 26

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Will such a huge fine, to the thinking of NAFDAC be of help or benefit to pensioners, who are in majority the shareholders of the company? I seriously need to be educated on the rational on such high/ huge/worrisome fine.

What kind of signals are our regulatory agencies sending to the investing-public, within and abroad?

— Olatokunbo Continued from page 25 ciation of Telecommunications Subscribers of Nigeria (NATCOMMS) says that the latest fine is outrageous and condemnable which will not encourage foreign direct investment into the country.

Ogunbanjo, says rather than the issue of fines on operators NCC should have directed operators to encourage subscribers with irregular SIM registration by giving them free airtime.

According to him, most of the irregular registrations were done by NCC contracted registration consultants whose agents could not perform the task creditably, and so we are not in support of this round of fines.

In his reaction, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), which is

Orhii, NAFDAC DG

the umbrella body of telecom operators, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo says such a sanction can destroy the business.

“I don’t know how NCC arrived at the huge amount as a fine. But I think government should urgently intervene because it could affect further investments in the sector. It is disincentive to investors and would have negative impact on the sector as a whole,” Adebayo says.

He affirms that he has severally made it clear that NCC should stop oppressing telcos through imposition of fines as there are other corrective mechanism that could be used on operators.

“Since last administration at NCC introduced fines as sanction on operators for poor quality of service it has not solved the issue of quality of service rather they should take respon-

What kind of signals are our regulatory agencies sending to the investing-public? sibility,” he states.

He advises that the operator and regulator should meet and look at other possible way of resolving the issue.

On his part, the President of the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Engr. Lanre Ajayi, condemns the ‘outrageous’ sanction, stressing that it is unacceptable in a telecommunications s industry, which is still gasping for foreign investment to achieve pervasive telecoms services.

In his words: “Yes, I have heard about this development and I don’t know where to place it. Although, the board of the Association Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has not yet met to look at the issue critically and the implications on the industry.

“However, in my view, I believe strongly that there is nothing wrong in a regulator imposing a sanction on erring operator to ensure sanity in the market but when such a regulatory tool is being abused, it calls for alarm. The amount imposed on MTN is just, to say the least, outrageous and monumental.

By the time you begin to impose a sanction, whose value is worth more than half of the investment of a telecoms company, I am afraid, this does not send

good signals to foreign investors and we need to take cautions.” ”NCC should weigh the implication of such fines on investment in the sector before issuing it out to operators in order not to create the impression that Nigeria is not an investment friendly country,” Ajayi notes.

A barrister at law, Mr. Chuks Arubaleze says that NCC as the regulator has the right to impose whatever sanction to any operator which refuse to abide by the rules of the game.

“Look at the bigger picture, the fine against MTN is good because they seem to working at cross purposes with Nigeria’s determination to tackle crime.

By refusing to pre-registered SIM cards in their systems, they make it impossible to verify the personal details of subscribers by utilizing their biometric attributes, thereby comprising national security,” he added.

Also speaking in this same vein, Mr. Kester Balogun, a Lagos-based businessman says MTN’s actions are overbearing because it is the network that has worst quality of service, drop calls and charges that are not solicited for through ringers’ tunes, among others without being sanctioned.

Much as one would like to commend the NCC, the CBN and NAFDAC for the bold state-

ments they have made with the fines, but I think there is need to have a second look at that of the MTN’s. This is because of the investment of shareholders of the company, which ostensibly cuts across the African continent, a development which has made the company to continue to issue ‘warning statement’ for them not to take hasty investment decision.

But despite the warnings, the shares of the company listed on the JSE have to lose value on a daily basis as discerning investors are presently reviewing their investments, although, the development will also create opportunity for prospective investors to come in.

Of late, the unprecedented fine had caused a 16 percent drop in the share price of MTN, Africa’s largest cellphone company, and threatens the firm’s future in Nigeria, its biggest and most profitable market.

There are fears that the fine could affect foreign businesses from investing in Nigeria.

We are therefore of the view that though the regulators need to be firm with erring operators so as to serve as deterrent to others, but they need to exercise such regulatory responsibility with caution for the overall growth and development of the Nigerian economy.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

27

Crime Æ s Man stabs neighbor, accuses him of witchcraft But for the timely intervention of neighbors, Ehis Ibhaze would have been dead following an attack by a neighbor who accused him of witchcraft. BABAJIDE OKEOWO reports.

For Abuchi Simon, a 37-yearold man, these are certainly not the best of times as he is presently standing trial before an Isolo Magistrates’ court for allegedly stabbing his neighbour, Ehis Ibhaze amidst allegations of witchcraft in Lagos State.

Trouble started when Simon allegedly accused Ibhaze of hindering his progress and that of his family through witchcraft

“I was in my room when I heard a scream from the outside; I rushed out to find out what was wrong, I found out that the screaming was coming from the bathroom and on getting there, I found Mr. Ibhaze on the floor bleeding profusely with knife stabs on his body.” practices and spiritual warfare, and before anyone could come to grasp with the drama unfolding before their eyes, Simon,

armed with a knife, was said to have stabbed Ibhaze several times while Ibhaze was having CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

Ibheza, victim of his neighours wrath

Cobbler to face murder charge for killing friend Is it a case of self defense or murder? This is the big poser the police at the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (SCIID), Panti are battling hard to find answers to. JOY NDUDI reports.

If only the dead could speak, then Akeem would have been able to state his own side of the story; but alas, he is lying stone dead at the morgue, no thanks to a knife wound he received from Awolesi who claims to have acted in self defense.

According to reports, Awolesi Ademola, 20, a cobbler and an indigene of Ogun state had ‘mistakenly stabbed his friend’ Akeem with a knife during a fight. The incident took place about 10 pm last Tuesday at toll gate area in railway line, Mushin, Lagos.

Daily Times gathered that the duo used to be friends, but their relationship went sour when late Akeem chose to start living a ‘wayward life.’

Although the actual cause of the fight is yet unknown, Awolesi

alleged that it was in the tradition of the late Akeem to always pick a fight with him at any given opportunity since he started avoiding him.

It was also gathered that after he was stabbed on the hand, late Akeem, instead of being taken to the hospital, was taken to an herbalist home where they claimed he was stabbed with a poisonous knife. He was reported to have bled to death there.

Awolesi, first of five children tells his story. “On the day of the incident, I was working on a shoe in my shop. I needed a knife to complete the work since it was a high heeled shoe. I rushed down home to get a small table knife. I did not return the knife until the close of work that day.

“On my way home that night, I saw Akeem standing in one corner close to my house I just passed him, not bothering to ask why he was there. On getting home, I was told he had been there for long.

Something in me told me he was out for trouble so I chose not to approach him.

“I called my friend Idris and re-

Awolesi.....in police net for killing his friend

It was not an intentional act. He was my friend. I got to know him through one Rasheed who is also a close friend from my secondary school days. I only had to desist from relating with Akeem when he began smoking Indian hemp and his life style became too rough for my liking. My father noticed it and advised me to keep him at arm’s length — Awolesi

ported Akeem to him. He advised me not to make trouble with him.

While I was seeing off Idris who had also come to visit me that night at about 10 pm, Akeem rushed out from where he was hiding.

“He started raining blows on me; this was not the first time he was harassing me, so I fought back. In the process of fighting, I noticed he was having an upper hand and it occurred to me I had a small knife with me. I brought out the knife to scare him but unfortunately, while we were dragCONTINUED ON PAGE 28

Crime 28 A 30 year old driver, Samuel Adamo, was brutally murdered on the 12th of November, 2015 in the Oshodi area of Lagos State. JOY NDUDI reports for our crime desk.

The deceased, a bus driver, who left five children and three wives behind was stabbed in the neck, chest and stomach by a three man gang, following a disagreement with some street urchins popularly called ‘agbero’ who collects money for loading from drivers in Oshodi.

Samuel was said to have died on the spot despite attempts to save his life while the perpetrators fled the scene of the incident.

The police however arrested one of the suspects, Teslim Tajudeen, 21, who claims to be an orphan.

Teslim who confessed to have stabbed Samuel however disagreed that he killed the deceased. He has this to say. “I work as a conductor, although I do not have a permanent bus I work with. So whenever I don’t work as a conductor, I help the area boys to collect money from drivers who load vehicle in Oshodi.

The day of this incident was one of such days.

“I was walking down to where I usually stay to collect money at Under-bridge in Oshodi when I saw a driver arguing with Lateef (a. k. a. Eba) and Baba Oba. On drawing closer I was told they asked him to pay before loading.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Three-man gang stabs driver to death “But the driver refused, arguing that he was yet to load his bus. The argument led to a fight.

Picking up a brake pad, threatening he would stab Lateef and Baba Oba with it. I was trying to separate the fight and the driver picked offence with me and also threatened to stab me for interfering.

“Lateef picked a bottle and broke it, he stabbed the driver in the stomach, I also picked the broken bottle and stabbed him in the chest while Baba Oba stabbed him in the neck.”

Asked if his family members were aware of the issue, he disclosed. “I have no family in Lagos; my parents are dead and my only sister lives in Ibadan. I came to Lagos just to hustle and make ends meet.”

Father of the deceased, Mr. Taoreed Adamo who also spoke with Daily Times said although the deceased had been buried, he still wants justice for the death of his son who was the third of his four children.

The case which was first reported at the Mosafejo Police Division has been transferred to the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (SCIID) Panti, Yaba, for further investigation.

Teslim, one of the three-man gang

Victim stabbed while having his bath Continued from page 27 his bath.

Daily Times gathered that both men who are married with children have been at loggerheads for a long time now and all efforts by neighbours to settle the rift have been unsuccessful.

“They have been at each other’s throat for a long time now, no one can actually say what the cause of the problem is; but one of them have been accusing the other of hindering his progress with witchcraft practices,” a source who does not want his name in print said.

On the fateful day, Ibhaze was

He was my friend— Awolesi Continued from page 27

said to have gone to take his bath at their 14, Ifelodun Street residence in Ilasamaja area of Lagos state oblivious of the danger lurking in the corner. It was his cry of pain and anguish that prompted neighbours to rush to the bathroom and found him lying in the pool of his blood.

One of the neighbors who do not want to be named narrated the incident as he saw it: “I was in my room when I heard a scream from the outside; I rushed out to find out what was wrong, I found out that the screaming was coming from the bathroom and on getting there, I found Mr. Ibhaze on the floor bleeding profusely with knife

stabs on his body,” he said.

Neighbours rushed the severely wounded man to a nearby hospital to save his life while the assailant was promptly handed over to the police; he has since been charged to court.

When his case came up for hearing, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges. Ruling on the case, the presiding magistrate, Mrs. Joy Ugbomoiko granted the suspect bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum and was remanded in prison custody pending when he will meet his bail condition.

The matter has been adjourned till 25 November, 2015.

ging the knife, I stabbed him on the hand.

“He started bleeding and for fear of not knowing what to do, I ran away. Neighbors ran to report what had happened to my father who in turn called me and advised me to sleep somewhere else and not come home. He told me he would handle the matter.

The next day, a neighbor known as mummy Miriam called my phone asking me where I was. I lied to her that I was somewhere else meanwhile I was at my shop.

She kept calling and she later informed me to go and look for money with which Akeem will be treated.

“She also informed me that Akeem was taken to an herbalist house but that they wanted to move him to the hospital and that they needed money. I told her I had no money that I would run around for some. At about 5 pm that day, the woman called me again that my father was being disturbed about the issue. So, I went to see if some of my friends could be of help, I was on my way when some guys on bike stopped

me and asked if I was the one who stabbed Akeem, I told them it was not intentional.

They insisted I follow them which I did. On getting to our neighborhood, I was informed that Akeem was dead. They alleged I had stabbed him with a poisonous knife. But I told them it was not true that the knife was only a small kitchen knife which we also use at home. I was also told that he was given something to drink by the herbalist and that it was that thing he vomited until his death. I was taken to Alakara Police Division in Mushin.

“It was not an intentional act.

He was my friend. I got to know him through one Rasheed who is also a close friend from my secondary school days. I only had to desist from relating with Akeem when he began smoking Indian hemp and his life style became too rough for my liking. My father noticed it and advised me to keep him at arm’s length.”

The case has however been transferred to the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (SCIID) Panti Yaba for further investigations.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Health Æ s The challenges of food safety in Nigerian meat industry Stories by Lara Adejoro

29

The open-air abattoir at Tambuwal LGA in Sokoto State. Photo credit Kolawole Talabi.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) say Nigerians consume about 360,000 tonnes of beef yearly. This conservative figure is projected to rise to 1.3 million tonnes per year by 2050, some 260 per cent increase. Kolawole Talabi writes In 2008 while he was still a veterinary medicine undergraduate, Okan Hembel bought a cow hump at the local market in Jalingo, Taraba State. He took this priced cut home in the hope of preparing a delicious meat dish for dinner. Instead of ending in the pot, the whole hump was thrown away.

“When I got home, I sliced the meat and I saw a deposit of antibiotics inside,” Hembel recalled.

“There is a particular antibiotic drug which veterinary doctors administer to animals. It is whit-

ish in colour. It’s called PenStrep.

Either of these two antibiotics was responsible for that deposit.”

Antibiotics are used for controlling the growth and spread of harmful germs, both in humans and animals. They are widely used by poultry farmers to enhance growth rates and boost egg production. While antibiotics are quite beneficial for raising disease-free animals in record time, they can be hazardous when meat from animals that have high levels of antibiotics is consumed.

To prevent this from happening, farmers are mandated by regulators to adhere strictly to the withdrawal period of veterinary drugs before selling their animals. The withdrawal period is the time-frame between the last dose of antibiotics given to animals and the consumption of such animals or food derived from them such as milk or eggs.

Hence, the withdrawal period al-

lows the animal’s system to rid itself of the residue of these veterinary drugs.

Although some farmers, especially small-holders do not observe these instructions, this is not the biggest challenge in the use of antibiotics. Whenever farmers misuse antibiotics either by using less than is recommended or more, it can cause germs to develop genes that resist the effect of these drugs. When this happens, the drugs become ineffective at killing germs which, in turn, results in antibiotics resistance in humans.

“It has been discovered that there’s transference of resistant genes from animal to human microbiota,” Adebisi Agboola, an animal scientist at the University of Ibadan says. “Humans are the consumers of these animal products [and] with the residual effects of antibiotics, when people take antibiotics for common

infections, it doesn’t work. That becomes a problem and because of that, the European Union (EU) has banned the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in animals since 2006. The health risk of using antibiotics (in animals) is very high.”

Agboola disclosed that while Nigeria is yet to ban the use of antibiotics in animal production, there is a gradual move by professional institutions to induce farmers to embrace alternatives like prebiotics and probiotics.

One of such institutions is the Nigerian Institute for Animal Science (NIAS), which is coming up with a range of policies and regulations that will ensure that farmers comply with best practices in animal husbandry. Due to prevailing environmental conditions, such as high humidity and poor sanitation in Nigeria, which predisposes animals to germs, eliminating the use of antibiotics

may not be possible.

Besides the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, the rearing, sale and slaughter of cattle are also processes that throw up challenges that could also pose health hazards to people who consume meat products.

In Tambuwal, a local government area in Sokoto State, Juli Mohammado rears cows for sale across Nigeria. Every Monday, he sells about 150 cows to abattoirs and markets as far as Lagos.

He said the cows sometimes suffer from foot and mouth disease, a viral disease that is common in cattle. To prevent his cows from becoming ill, Mohammado vaccinates them against infectious diseases from time to time.

“I have doctors from the veterinary [clinic] who come to treat the cows when they are sick. Most of the treatments are through in-

NAFDAC fine: Guinness restates commitment to quality

Brewing giant, Guinness Nigeria Plc, has reaffirmed its commitment to continuously deliver quality products through application of the highest standards of good manufacturing practice.

This is against the backdrop of the N1 billion fine imposed on the company by the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) over alleged usage of expired raw materials in the company’s production lines.

Speaking during a media interactive session in Lagos, Director, Corporate Relations for Guinness Nigeria Plc, Sesan Sobowale who acknowledged the receipt of a letter from NAFDAC said, the NAFDAC enforcement team visited a rented off-site warehouse where raw materials are stored; explaining that the said raw materials store is not a production facility and that the quality of its products was never an issue.

He said, “NAFDAC insists that

its authorisation is required before we can carry out the destruction of expired raw materials or indeed in the process of approval of new best before date by the manufacturers of these raw materials and we were in the process of engaging NAFDAC for clarifications and resolution of the issues before the private correspondence from NAFDAC to Guinness Nigeria was clandestinely passed to the media.”

Sobowale also said, prior to the

day NAFDAC visited the warehouse, it had fumigated the place on October 25 to prevent rodents from entering the warehouse.

He said Guinness also got relevant papers from the Ado-Ode Local Government on disposal of expired raw materials.

Other papers presented, which were seen by Daily Times, included the certificate on pest control treatment from a company called AC Fumen International and the

CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

Health 30

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

‘We ensure consumers drink healthy products...’

Stakeholders task Health Minister on strengthening health sector Stories by Lara Adejoro Stakeholders in the health sector hve raaised a stake for the newly appointed health minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole as they prescribe strengthening, monitoring and evaluation of the institutions for delivering health services to Nigerians, with restoration of public confidence, discipline, integrity, professionalism and best practices in Nigeria’s health institutions.

The stakeholders, who harped on the need to restore inter-disciplinary relationship in the sector, also urged him to hit the ground running on issues relating to the implementation of the 2014 National Health Act, expansion of the Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria, among others.

The immediate past president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and Vice Presi-

dent, Commonwealth Medical Association; Dr Osahon Enabulele urged the Minister toquickly settle down to the herculean task of re-engineering Nigeria’s health sector.

On the expansion of the Universal Health Coverage, there should be “pursuit of the much awaited enactment of the National Health Insurance Commission Act; strengthening of the National Health Insurance Scheme, including the scaling up of its Community Based Social Health Insurance component; and the sincere exploration of other avenues to improve on the current dismal percentage health coverage of Nigerians.”

He added that, fundamental and committed address of the bourgeoning spectre of outward medical tourism, particularly by the implementation of the relevant provisions of the National Health Act, including

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

Adewole

provisions restricting Government’s funding of foreign medical treatment by political and public office holders.

He also called on the new Minister to reposition Nigeria’s health human resource, with particular emphasis on the institution of a robust and dynamic health human resource development plan to address the issue of appropriate train-

ing, retraining, improved welfare and competitive wages for medical doctors and other health workers.

Also, Dr Funso Akindele at the Federal Staff Hospital, Abuja, who described Adewole as a good team player will provide solutions to the poor funding and inter-disciplinary relationship in the health sector.

FSSC 2200 ISO certificate.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of Guinness Nigeria, Peter Ndegwa, said the company would not compromise on the highest standards of quality which were in line with globally accepted code of manufacturing practice.

Ndegwa said, Guinness will continue to maintain and improve the quality and efficiency that it has established in over 60 years of operations in Nigeria, adding that, the company consistently improves on the manufacturing process to “ensure that the quality of our products is top notch.”

Continuous improvement in quality, Ndegwa stated, will remain a constant pursuit by the company. According to Ndegwa, “We take our responsibility to deliver quality products seriously.

The meticulous and painstaking work, including rigorous quality assurance that precedes the final production of all our products, has a singular objective: to ensure that our consumers drink products that are healthy and comparable with similar products made by a Diageo facility anywhere else in the world.”

Food safety: Misuse of antibiotics can cause germs CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

jections,” he said.

At the Sokoto Modern Abattoir, the facilities are not necessarily top-tier, but they are a clear improvement upon what is available in Tambuwal. Nevertheless, the conditions are still quite dismal.

Suraju Muritala works as a veterinary inspector at the abattoir.

His team of vet doctors check the animals to ensure that zoonotic diseases such as tuberculosis and brucellosis are not allowed to spread. During inspection, the animals are also quarantined for 24 hours before they are slaughtered.

“We conduct two types of inspection,” Muritala explained, “the ante-mortal inspection is done before slaughtering the animal and the post-mortal inspection after slaughtering. The inspection generally includes the examination of the animal’s respiration, the eye and the mouth to determine if there is a discharge

The carcasses of slaughtered cattle at the Sokoto Modern Abattoir. Photo credit Kolawole Talabi.

or not.”

Arike Ajumobi, who runs a small poultry farm in the Elebu area of Ibadan, Oyo State breeds quails, turkeys and chickens. In addition to the regular vaccinations which she gives her birds, she admits that some drugs are also included in the feed to prevent caking and the growth of fungi.

“Some of the antibiotics we used in the past are no longer as

effective as they once were,” Ajumobi said, “it seems the chickens have become resistant to the old drugs. We now have to use different types of antibiotics to ensure that they don’t die.”

She said that without antibiotics most of her birds would definitely die of diseases. So how does she strike a balance?

“I always observe the withdrawal period printed on the pack of the antibiotics I use for my

chickens. I don’t sell my chickens until they are fit for human consumption,” she noted.

Despite the significance of meat as a source of dietary protein for consumers and a means of income for producers, the supply chain of beef and poultry in Nigeria is still a poorly regulated affair.

FMARD is the principal government body with the responsibility for articulating national policy on animal husbandry.

The ministry performs this role through its various departments and agencies. However, the absence of effective coordination between government institutions and key stakeholders has created huge gaps between policy and practice in Nigeria’s meat industry.

First, the ministry does not possess a comprehensive registry for Nigerian farmers, a situation that makes an engagement with farmers difficult because of

the paucity of information about who they are, what they do and where they work. The situation implies that the ministry has no meaningful relationship with farmers’ cooperatives and groups such as the Poultry Association of Nigeria and the Miyyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, which would have enabled the means for creating a national database for livestock farmers. Such a database would allow the government to monitor and regulate the industry effectively.

Furthermore, there is limited collaboration between professional bodies and institutional regulators to create a benchmark of standards for the meat industry. Samples of meat collected during the tour of abattoirs in Sokoto and subsequently, in Lagos showed that there are antibiotic residues in the meat, but the residues are quite below WHO recommended levels.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

31 Opinion

Which Way Nigeria at 55 Years Old? (Part 2)

ÏÏÏIn part 1, we examined

the challenges to socio-economic growth in Nigeria.

We saw that law change, notably the appropriation of mineral oil to the federation account fuels underdevelopment including its symptom, corruption.

We pointed out the need to return the country to the union constitution of 1960, which guaranteed equity and all round development through inter-regional healthy rivalry.

Late President Yar’Adua’s 2009 approach of 10% oilexploration-equity (offered to Niger Delta communities) in exchange for peace was a step in the right direction. This is because it indirectly recognizes the minority peoples’ ownership of their natural resources. It is a progressive move towards the restoration of the fiscal federalism enshrined in the independence union and republican constitutions of 1960 and 1963. But the Yar’Adua policy has its own draw back from a legal interpretation perspective. I mean that the policy, not having been made a constitutional provision, does not have sufficient legal guarantees to sustain it. More importantly, the ultimate approach to peace

and national development is to directly recognize the Niger Delta peoples as owners of their oil and gas, the same way other peoples’ minerals must be given back to them. The limestone of Kogi State does not belong to the federation of Nigeria or to Rivers State. It belongs to the specific Kogi State peoples who have made the land in which the metal is located home long before the State of Nigeria was born. There is therefore an urgent need to review the problematic Sections 44 (3) and 162 (2) of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution and the entire 1978 Land Use Decree. Specifically, it would require the replacement of sections 44 and 162 of the 1999 Constitution with section 40 and 134 of the 1960 Constitution, which was adopted in the 1963 Constitution, and which provision facilitated the unrivalled nation-wide industrial growth of the early 1960s to 1980s. While section 44(3) of the 1999 Constitution took mineral oil from the Niger Delta Peoples, section 134 of the 1960/63 Constitution recognizes their ownership of it, including the mineral oil found on their continental shelves. This recog-

Buhari

nition, which also affected other minerals, ensured the development of Nigeria in the past by gingering amongst regions (states) a positive economic competition that birthed great institutions.

I had argued in 2008 that we needed to act fast before the Niger Delta violence was imported to other parts of the country.

I had argued that it took little intelligence to see the war going that way. Unfortunately, the country is yet to follow this alternative of holistic peace. The result, I would argue, was the rise of the Jam’atu Ahlis Sunnah Ldda’awatih

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wal-Jihad (‘Boko Haram’) Islamist terrorism mostly in Northern, particularly North Eastern Nigeria.

In essence, I find strongly persuasive Abdulkarim Mohammed, a researcher on Boko Haram, who has argued that violent uprisings in Nigeria are ultimately due to “the fallout of frustration with corruption and the attendant social malaise of poverty and unemployment.”. I however emphasize that the true and more fundamental corruption is not in or by compromised individuals but in the nation itself. By committing legal theft against its minority

regions through the colonial-style seizure of their oil and gas resources, the nation of Nigeria institutionalized corruption, especially when governance at local, state and federal levels became and is now, especially since 1999, a regime of sharing oil moneys distributed monthly in Abuja. This underdevelopment, manifesting as corruption, unemployment and ultimately conflict, sometimes violent, is directly traceable to the legal theft of Niger Delta oil and gas.

We must give oil for holistic national peace and economic growth. We must return Niger Delta oil to the region to assure Nigeria’s economic development and sociopolitical stability. But the question many elites may ask is: how would we survive without our Niger Delta legal loot, without continuing to depend on Niger Delta oil and gas? If we look at Nigeria of say two decades back, it might look suicidal to let go of our Niger Delta colony. We would not want to treat that region with the same respect we treat majority regions. But looking only at Nigeria of twenty to thirty years back to judge the economic viability of the country is myopic. The simple and plain truth is that Nigeria at one point did not rely whole scale on oil and gas. In fact, thousands of years before oil was discovered in Nigeria, the country’s various peoples lived relatively peacefully and thrived economically on agriculture.

And it is certain that when oil and gas run out, Nigeria will live on, peacefully

and economically. I have shown in this column, in September 2015, in the series tagged Why Kogi Can’t Pay Salary (Parts 1 and 2) how Kogi State, which would probably be tagged poor by many, is sitting on trillions of naira that it does not and cannot exploit. And that regional state, Kogi, is handicapped because of constraints of bad laws especially contained in the Constitution of Nigeria 1979 reenacted in 1999, notably section 40(3) 1979 Constitution and section 44(3) of the 1999 Constitution. The sections simply take ownership of mineral and mineral oils from their natural owners, people on the land, the locality, and placed it in the federal government. The 1999 Constitution goes on to decree that the revenue from the minerals and mineral oils should go to the federation account and shared to all governments – federal, state and local.

Kogi State and other states can be self sufficient IF there is legal reform to give back to various localities and states ownership in their minerals and mineral oils. Suffice to say for now that Nigerians, wherever they come from, don’t have to be poor: we are a rich nation and rich peoples, with or without petroleum oil.

Very soon, I will begin in this column a series titled Nigeria Vision 20-2020 Mirage? It is five years to go to achieve our dream of being in the league of twenty (20) most developed nations in the world. What would make it not happen? What would make it a dream come true? Keep a date with this page.

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tHuRSdaY, noVEmBER 19, 2015

VOL. 1. NO.234

Price: n150

S T C E J E R A F FI

i n i t a l P , r e t t Bla S L A E P P A

F

IFA’s Appeal Committee has rejected the appeals lodged by Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini against the 90day suspensions imposed by the Ethics Committee.

President Blatter and vice-president Platini were handed the provisional bans in early October over a “disloyal payment” made to the Frenchman in 2011.

Both deny any wrongdoing and appealed their cases with world football’s governing body, but have been unsuccessful in overturning the sanctions.

A FIFA statement read: “The FIFA Appeal Committee has today rejected in full the

appeals lodged by Joseph S. Blatter and Michel Platini and confirmed in their entirety the respective decisions concerning provisional measures taken by the adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee.

“The decisions taken by the FIFA Appeal Committee are as follows: “Joseph S. Blatter: the FIFA Appeal Committee rejected the appeal in full and confirmed in its entirety the decision concerning provisional measures taken ex parte by the adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee on October 7, 2015.

“However, for the sake of clarity, the

procedure of the adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee regarding the provisional measures is still ongoing, meaning that the adjudicatory chamber may still confirm, revoke or amend the provisional decision as stated in art. 84 par. 2 of the FIFA Code of Ethics.

“Michel Platini: the FIFA Appeal Committee rejected the appeal in full and confirmed in its entirety the decision confirming the provisional measures taken by the adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee on October 20, 2015. The decision of the adjudicatory chamber had been passed following the

initial decision taken ex parte on October 7, 2015 and after having heard the party in this regard.

“According to article 67 of the FIFA Statutes, the decisions may be appealed before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”

The sanctions can be extended by up to 45 days, which would effectively end the outgoing Blatter’s reign over world football, with the FIFA congress where a replacement will be chosen scheduled for February 26 next year.

Blatter, 79, left hospital on Thursday after what was described as a “small emotional breakdown”.

Life&

TIMES Thursday, November 19, 2015

Ruby

Gyang: The Soothing soul singer L2,3

P

Interview L2

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Female artistes need to understand laws about music industry

– Ruby Gyang

Benue State-born musician, Ruby Gyang, is known for her soothing vocals, distinct style of song writing, and charisma, and mixes the musical genres of Soul, Tribal house, Reggae, R&B and AfroBeat to create a sound that brings pleasure and delight to the ears. Gyang is incredibly passionate about child development, art development and gender advocacy. She also hopes to one day to establish a foundation that supports the all-round development of the girl child. Signed on the Chocolate city musical group that houses other artistes that includes MI, Ice-Prince, Dice Aile, Koker, and Jesse amongst others, Ruby Gyang in this chat with MUTIAT ALLI, takes us on a ride into her musical sojourn and other issues. Excerpts:

Life&

T E A M

After “Good Man” what else should we be expecting from Ruby Gyang?

After Good Man I put out two songs on the indestructible Chop one nation album. I have those songs out, the videos for the two would soon drop.

When it comes to the music industry, for decades now men have been dominated; what do you think Nigerian female singers can do to take the center stage or at least take care of recognition aspect?

We need to work extremely hard. We need to be more active on Instagram, we need to take charge of our business and we need to understand laws about the music industry. I think that you are only limited by how far you think you can go; that has really helped us.

What do you think of women that would rather sell sex or go half naked?

There is certain genre of music that this is expected, and that is in the pop world and the competition is fixed. So, sometimes there are things you do to catch fun and I can say I understand the reason why they do that because of the aspect of music they are into.

Can you go to that extent?

No. Luckily for me, I don’t have to. We should focus on our gifts. If you cannot sing, don’t show up.

If you can’t put fun, don’t show up. It is really about your skill, that is, what you can do.

With several female artistes doing your kind of music, how do you intend to be more relevant trying to make your own kind of music?

For me, it is actually being more business minded and so for me, it is not so much about the music. For me, it is going along with my own brand, going with the value of my brand and making it so visible. I am talking about a lot of business; I’ve been reading on music business for the past years but have come to understand that what can take me further is understanding the business of music itself.

Talking about your voice, did you build it or its natural?

I have not always sounded as good as I do. I learnt that the voice almost get sour because the more you exercise, the better it become. I walked to the voice coach who has helped to develop my voice and also God made me to sound better.

Why are you sticking to this genre of music because it’s not the most popular in Nigeria?

It is not the most popular yet, you know it’s new, it is a new sound. Even the present Afro pop stayed up to twenty years and this sound is not up to that yet

Music Correspondent Akintayo Opeoluwani

but I love what I do. It’s what I grew up listening to, I’m trending with the path and I’m good at it. I understand that it’s a soul style but it has a long lifespan.

As an artiste, what has been the most challenging factor over the years for you?

There is acceptance of my music. It is just that it’s not on massive market yet, so we are not getting attention musicians like Olamide, Tiwa Savage are getting because the market is very different. I think the greatest challenge has been getting people to see soul as a genre of music and accepting it. The fact that we don’t have a lot of events that cater to this genre of music is another challenge. Such events are very few and have been the greatest challenge because for what I do, people appreciate you more when there is live music performance.

What is your favourite hangout bands?

My favourite place to hangout is the shrine, Femi Kuti is a god. I am always entertained whenever I am at the shrine because it’s a place where great artistes and performers are; so, that’s my best place to hang out any day, listening to live music and looking at live performers. When it comes to song writing, I mostly collaborate along with MI. He is my very good friend.

We’ve known each other for many years; he knows me well, he knows what I would want to sing about, write about. So far, he is the one I have worked with.

Speaking of friends, they drink, they smoke; do you partake in any of this?

I don’t. I tried smoking once but it was a disaster and I left it. Besides drinking is terrible on the voice, so I don’t do that.

Who encouraged you then to smoke?

Nobody, actually it was a disaster anyway. So, I don’t encourage anybody to that.

Women have all sorts of struggles, what is your own personal struggle?

My personal struggle would be just to struggle to empower myself to be able to stand on myself as a woman and as a business woman to be able to live the kind of life that I wanted to live. That is, the life I want to live should be powered by myself.

You are so pretty, are you single?

Yes. And as for my ideal man, my faith is extremely important to me and his faith too is extremely important to him. I am a Christian and being a Christian is an important thing because my faith informs my belief and my value. That is having love for people, treating CONTINUED ON

Movie Correspondent Mutiat Alli

Society Correspondent Isaac Oguntoye

L3

Photography Quadri Olowolagba

Graphics Sunday O. Emmanuel

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

CONTINUED FROM

L2

people well is very important. My ideal man should be a gentle man that is considerate of a woman. This opens the door and I know lots of people would think handsomeness does it all but to me being considerate is the way to my heart. My ideal man should also be a man that likes to laugh as well; he doesn’t have to be funny but just enjoys laughing.

What was growing up like?

I grew up in Zaria, Kaduna State and in Ahmadu Bello University. Both my parents worked there. I have five siblings and I have a million cousin; so it was just a large family life.

It was built for music, fun, God, food, fighting, loving. It was actually great.

Can you tell us about food and food sharing?

Because we were in the north, we had a lot northern food likes Fura, Tuwo-Shinkafa. I am from Benue State. I am Tiv by tribe and pounded yam was very important as at then.

My father ate it every day; yam was available, so we ate it with a lot of meat, and we enjoyed that so much. I could remember, we didn’t cut our Okro, we pound it because it’s very long and really nice.

Music for you, how did it all start?

I grew up in a musical family, my mum aside of the family sometimes like staying in the church. I started up like that. I was singing in choir from age five but in 2003, I made up with MI and Jesse in Jos and we started like a crew. We were called it ”Loopy” music then. We just wanted to sing; we liked singing and dancing and performing and eventually Chocolate City signed MI and he was like we should wait for him to get something for himself and he would come back to get us. Later Jesse got signed too by Chocolate City and later it was Ice Prince’s turn and I finally got signed in too. We all came to Lagos to collide together and I moved in 2010.

When MI invited you to come to Lagos, what was the first thing that came to your mind?

L3 Interview

‘I don’t encourage anybody to smoke’ I was like, oh my God, can I leave my daughter behind? It took me a year to make that decision but someone gave me an advice. She said the worst kind of parents are the parents that cannot provide for their child/children; so go and work so you can be able to provide for your child and that was why I came to Lagos.

Some people say you came to Lagos with just a polythene bag, how true is that?

(Laughs) I had a big bag of Ghana must go.

Is your daughter living with you?

No she’s no, she’s with my mother.

How often do you see her?

All the time. We see every two months, we talk very well.

When MI told you to leave Jos and come to Lagos, did you know you would become this big?

No. You know how you fanaticise about things; in your fantasy, yes, but in reality, no way. I did not think that music could get me this far. I have no absolute idea; it’s just God and all the awesome people he has used for me. I never knew but I thank God today.

Any exception from your people?

At first, my father hated it so much. I studied Economics at the University of Jos, so he was like I should go into that but right from day one, my mum supported me and her support has being everything.

For three years your father disagreed with your choice and I’m very sure that you

might have sneaked out on one or two occasions; what punishment did you undergo as at then?

My father could beat. I did run from school sometimes when I see that something is happening somewhere but I got beaten up by my father anytime I do that. You know when you have passion for something that is greater than anything on your mind. I did brave the beating and whatever punishment that came my way.

Is there anything still happening between you and Jesse?

No, Jesse and I are very good friends which is amazing. I don’t know of many people that share kids that are not together but we are very good friends.

You said you and Jesse are very good friends, how does it work?

Yes that’s the thing. Before we even started dating, we were friends for a very long time. So it made it easy because we love our daughter so much; we have decided to maintain the friendship. It’s important for our daughter to see her dad and mum getting along, so we work very hard to be good friends because of our child.

You said you are single and searching; how long have you been single?

I have been single for a long time but I think it’s now up to six years. I have been so engrossed in my music career, so I don’t have

time to lift up my head but I’ve realised that that’s terrible. All work and have no love but now I’m open. As I stay single and searching, I’m telling myself that I need to be open to love.

For someone that sings about love passionately, how do you get that inspiration?

I have been in love, so it’s easy to go there.

Love is everywhere.

What happened in your last relationship?

In my last relationship, I realised that I was very unhappy but I couldn’t figure out the reason why I was unhappy. It wasn’t until I came into music that I found out because I wasn’t into music as at the time; you know when you are unhappy, you begin to turn on people around you. That was what I did, turning on the guy and I was blaming him for everything because I was deeply unhappy. I couldn’t get it that there was this relationship problem between us.

Are you okay with only Nigerian men?

I like white men too, Japanese, anything good for me.

You are so passionate about your daughter, what song is your favorite that you sing to her all the time you talk to her?

That will be ‘Because you are amazing just the way you are’.

Music Gist L4

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Mutiat Alli

Aina More releases Afrikan Lady:

Double Artwork As a follow up to the Killer No1 hit single/ Video for Girls Killing It, Aina More has released the new Artwork - or should we say Art full stop - for New Single, ‘*Afrikan Lady’*. The images were shot in Lagos.

Aina More commented that: AFRIKAN LADY is a very straight forward song about who I am as an Afrikan Woman. In this case (the images) I chose to embrace my melanin as I believe it’s one of the things that heavily account for who I am and I consider it to be true Wealth. Afrikan women today are a variety of many things and I didn’t want to portray just the traditional Afrikan woman in these images.

The single will be released in the coming weeks and features production from Benie Macaulay along with a Full Live version recorded at the World Renown Abbey Road Studios.

Olisa Adibua, Jahman Anikulapo,others feature at Inaugural NECLive Mini-series Several prominent personalities from the Nigerian creative industry that includes Director General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Mrs. Dayo Keshi, Programme Chair, Committee for Relevant Art, Jahman Anikulapo, Wazobia FM OAP Steve “Yaw’ Onu, Writer and publisher Toni Kan, and Programmes Director, Beat FM, Olisa Adibua all gathered at the inaugural NECLive Mini- Series themed “Bridging Pathways To The Creative Industry Of Our Dream”.

Organised by NET in partnership with CORA and EKO AKETE Lagos Creative Industry Fair, the NECLive Mini-Series featured in-depth panel conversations on the topics “Protecting Intellectual Property” and “Bridging Pathways to the Creative Industry of Our Dream.” Celebrity photographer, Sola Animasahun, also facilitated a workshop at the Mini-series titled ‘Power of Photography - Pictures in A New Age’.

Speaking at the event, NET publisher and convener, Ayeni Adekunle remarked at the opening of discussions that; “The process of creating an organized and sustainable cre-

Emmanuel Uduma, CEO Creative Lead, SMAT Media Productions, Ayeni Adekunle, Convener, NECLive and Amanda Williams ative industry is an unavoidably long one. An industry, which has existed in chaos for such a long time, will not transform itself overnight and this is where the NECLive Mini-Series as part of continuous engagement preceding the bigger conference is very important. Once a year we gather for the main conference, but these regular mini conferences give us the opportunity to bring more ideas to the table and discuss in a robust debate that cannot be had in just

Golden Breakthrough auditioning holds today

one day.

Delivering the key note address at the event, Director General, National Council for Arts & Culture (NCAC), Mrs Dayo Keshi said, “The entertainment industry is still exploring the possibilities that abound in Nigeria”.

She observed that practitioners in the entertainment industry, which consist of vibrant sectors have not searched deep in the exploration of the industry’s advantages.

Nigeria’s leading entertainment outfit, NMO Management & PR Limited as part of its support for budding musical artistes will today hold yet another auditioning session tagged ‘Golden Break through ‘ at the popular X-Factor Lounge, Surulere Lagos.

Major highlight of the event is that winner get the opportunity to perform alongside top musical artistes at the popular LoudNProudLive series as Prince Jo (GBT winner September) did as opening act for super stars AKA & AINA MORE at EKO Hotel last month.

Don Jazzy, Asa, Diamond, Ndidi Nwuneli, Sangu Delle, others now ambassadors for The Future Awards Africa Africa’s biggest youth event, The Future Awards Africa, has announced the ambassadors for the 10th anniversary – a stellar cast of past winners of the awards across business, development, governance and the creative industries.

The 10 selected ambassadors are international recording artiste Bukonla ‘Asa’ Elemide (Nigeria), music producer Michel ‘Don Jazzy’ Ajere (Nigeria), beauty entrepreneur Tara Fela Durotoye (Nigeria), founder of LEAP Africa Ndidi Nwuneli (Nigeria), agriculture entrepreneur Nnaemeka Ikeguonu (Nigeria), activist Sangu Delle (Ghana), power entrepreneur Patrick Ngowi (Tanzania), singer Diamond Platinumz (Tanzania), change-maker Fogblanbenchi Lily Harity (Cameroon), and lawmaker Oramait Alengoil (Uganda).

“These 10 African icons have been selected from across East, West and Southern Africa because they represent the essence of TFAA,” said Sean Obedih, a member of the awards Central Working Committee based in Ghana.

“They speak to the best that Africa has, but more importantly their lives work have inspired millions to take charge of their destinies and

to get involved in rebuilding their communities and their countries.

There are no better ambassadors than these to drive our #AfricaNeedsYou message as we celebrate 10 years of the awards and prepare for 10 more years of impact.”

The ambassadors will drive the 10th year anniversary campaign for the awards across TV, radio, online and through targeted events targeted at galvanizing the global TFAA brain trust to solve problems across Africa.

As part of the 10th anniversary #AfricaNeedsYou campaign, TFAA launched a 100-city tour to build 100 hubs across the continent over the next one year. The hubs will partner with local nongovernmental organisations to solve problems community by community. It will be launched officially at the awards this year on 6, December 2015.

The Future Awards Africa 2015 is powered by RED and held in partnership with the Ford Foundation, Microsoft, the US Consulate, the Canadian High Commission Nigeria and The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

L5 Movie Gist

Mutiat Alli

DStv upgrades customers in Year-End offer

……·Subscribers to enjoy free bouquet upgrade from Family to Compact first month only

Caroline Oghuma, Public Relations Manager, MultiChoice Nigeria; Ivie Okujaye; Martin Mabutho, General Manager, Marketing, MultiChoice Nigeria; Chioma Afe, Marketing Manager, DStv and Okechukwu OC Ukeje during the media launch of the DStv Upgrade Season Offer held at Westown Hotel, Ikeja Lagos Nigeria’s leading video entertainment company, MultiChoice Nigeria, has announced a special offer of the DStv Zapper decoder

plus Family bouquet subscription at N15,00, a 45 percent reduction from the previous price of N28,500. It will go with full installation plus dish kit.

This new offer is available in all MultiChoice branch offices and authorized dealer outlets across the country, till February 2016.

Furthermore, customers who take advantage of this offer will automatically be upgraded to the Compact bouquet the very next day at no extra cost as the cost of upgrading from N3600 to N6000 package will be borne by MultiChoice. They will also qualify to ‘Spin the Wheel’, where they have the opportunity to win amazing prizes such as; LED TVs, DStv Zapper, Refrigerators, DStv Explora Decoders, 2.5 KVA generators amongst others and the more subscribers renew their subscriptions, the more chance they stand to win these prizes.

However, existing customers are not left behind in the mouth-watery prizes as they also stand chance to

spin the wheel.

According to Martin Mabutho, General Manager Marketing, MultiChoice Nigeria describing the new offer, said, “the festive season is a season of surprises, one in which gifts are traditionally given. With this offer, we hope to add some magic to our subscribers’ entertainment. Our decision to upgrade new customers to the Compact bouquet when they buy the bundled DStv Zapper + Family bouquet subscription is one of the ways we hope to enrich their viewing experience this season”, he said.

With the DStv Zapper decoder, subscribers get the opportunity to watch movies, series and sports in crystal High Definition (HD), Dolby digital 5.1 capable for great sound and multiple search options for viewers to find what they want.”

Mabutho noted.

goes live in AFRIFF is set to be GOtv Gboko and Badagry most vibrant film festival

– Chioma Ude

As the events of the Africa International Film Festival, AFRIFF, was wrapped up recently, founder Chioma Ude, has described the festival as poised to be the next big thing in film festival.

“I saw a lot of potential,” Ude said of the motivation behind founding AFRIFF five years ago.

“I saw ten years from where I was standing. There is a film festival right now and it’s growing. But I see beyond that. I see a film market, I see a content production. I see development. We train a lot of young adults and we’re trying to bridge the gap already. I see advancement.”

Five years after, AFRIFF has become a hub for African film practitioners.

“This year is a huge year for us,” Ude said. “We’ve attained a lot of credibility. We’re set to be the most vibrant film festival.”

With this year’s theme as ‘Accessing Africa’, AFRIFF which is sponsored by Access bank, started on Sunday, November 8, had sessions for film screenings, training, parties and an award ceremony.

The venues for the screenings are Genesis Cinemas at The Palms, Lekki, Genesis Cinemas at City Mall, Onikan and Silvebird Galleria, Victoria Island, while training holds at

With a commitment to enable Nigerians join in the digital television revolution, GOtv signals were on 31 October and 15 November switched on in Gboko and Badagry, respectively.

“GOtv had previously covered Makurdi, the Benue state capital.

Additionally more Lagosians living in the fringes of state, and looking to migrate into the digital age, now have an affordable and trusted digital terrestrial pay-tv in GOtv”, said the GOtv public relations manager, Efe Obiomah.

GOtv offers two bouquets namely; GOtv Plus which gives over 40 channels for a monthly

subscription of N1,800, and GOtv Value for N1,200 monthly with over 20 channels.

The extension of GOtv’s signals to Gboko and Badagry coincide with the addition of Emmanuel TV to the GOtv Plus and GOtv Value bouquets. The cable network is accessible to over 50 cities within 25 states that includes Auchi, Epe, Nnewi, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Lagos, Enugu, AdoEkiti, Benin, Benue, Aba, Owerri, Kano, Kaduna, Onitsha, Asaba, Uyo, Abuja, Calabar, Osogbo, Ife, Ogbomoso, Akure, Oyo, Jos, Minna, Abeokuta, Sagamu, Ilesha, Ede, Iseyin and Ilorin.

Chioma Afrinolly Space, Ikeja.

“We actually give out cash awards, about thirty to thirty five thousand US dollars for different categories.”

“From the beginning of the festival to the end of the festival, we have very topical discussions on every aspect you can think of that affects the film industry. We have master classes. It is very intense but the good news for this festival is there is something for everybody.”

“The challenge is getting everything together,” she said. “There are so many moving parts. It peaks up in the middle when we ask people to submit films when we go through the intense process of shortlisting the films.”

GOtv public relations manager, Efe Obiomah

First Lady movie becomes 1st highest Nigerian grossing movie Nunu milk brand ambassador and Anchor baby star, Omoni Oboli has revealed via her twitter account to appreciate her fans for making her second directorial debut movie ‘The First Lady’ the highest grossing Nigerian movie in 2015.

Unlike most Nollywood movies, the film is still showing in some cinemas, in its eighth week.

First lady is a classic Cinderella like story, a prostitute, Michelle, is stuck in a world she couldn’t escape from. Her hope that one day a Prince Charming would rescue her from it all, seems lost.

The movie starred fantastic acts that include, Omoni Oboli, Alex Ekubo, Tony Monjaro, Joseph Benjamin, Yvonne Jegede, Udoka Oyeka, and Chinedu Ikedieze amongst others.

Omoni Oboli

Aunty Maria to hit cinema in 2016 Talented Nollywood actor, Femi Branch is fully set for the official release of his latest work ‘Aunty Maria ‘which is expected to hit the cinema in January 2016.

The Domino actor took to his official Instagram page to share interesting character posters for the upcoming movie.

Aunty Maria is produced

by Femi Branch and directed

by Toka McBaror and equally starred Ibitola Branch, Jude Orhorha, Laurel Fidel, T. M Rex, Uloma Ezeokoli among others.

Event L6

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Mutiat Alli

All you need to know about AFRIMA 2015 It was a phenomenal night for African music, culture, entertainment, fashion and African music lovers across the world as the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, in partnership with the African Union held the 2015 edition recently at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos to delight of live and broadcast audience. Here some of the tit bits from the well-attended event.

AFRIMA 2015 proved it, the red carpet ended as planned and by 7:45 pm, guests were already seated. Even Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Cultural honouree of the night, was seated with his entourage at about 7:55 pm, and the event started at a few minutes after 8pm. This is very important to note, because late starts have marked majority of events this year. Other organisers should learn what the secret for the AF-

No African Time

Whoa!! The stage was the bomb

RIMA 2015 early start was, because clearly, it worked!

The stage

Cobhams

Cobham’s duet with Ladysmith With an introduction of the first major performance by veteran journalist, Jimmy Solanke, the night was opened with a sizzling performance from the five regions of Africa as led by joint rendition of Paul Simon’s ‘Diamond on the soles of her shoes’ by Cobhams and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

The ceremony in its initial beginning had almost all the awards going to other countries other than Nigeria that includes Charlotte Dipanda from Cameroon who went home with 3 awards; Album of the Year, Best Female in Central Africa, and Best Artiste in African Contemporary. Diamond Platnumz from Tanzania also won Artiste of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Male Artiste in Eastern Africa.

Cassper Nyovest from South Africa had in his kit two awards; Best Male Artiste in Southern Africa and Best Artiste in African Hip Hop while Kenya group singers, Souti Sol got Best African Group/Duo/ Band and producer of the Year.

While the crowd was worried about our own super stars not winning, Kiss Daniel won the most promising artiste in Africa

Unlike the previous edition of the AFRIMA award 2015 was indeed a resurrection time-out for the organiser as the well-built and crafted stage design gave that perfect conception that we had at the Grammys or Oscar awards.

Thumbs up to the organiser and especially Mike Dada for putting up a deserving show.

Awards Daimond Plantinumz electricfying performance

while YBNL Adekunle Gold won the revelation of the year award.

Other Nigerian act winners

includes Olamide, Yemi Alade, Darey Art Alade, Flavour, Praiz amongst others.

And Jagaban Electrifying performances was crowned Denrele Edun, Kenny Saint Best and Beverly Osu

Adewale Ayuba

Hon. Dayo Adeniyi and Lagos com. for information and strategy, Steve Ayorinde

Kiss Daniel

Gbenga Adeyinka

Darey Art Alade kept the audience in a praying and hopeful mood as he render Pray for me off his ‘Naked’ album. Kiss Daniel’s ‘Diamond Platnumz’ all had a fair share and mind blowing performances. However, the night was wrapped-off with the electrifying performance by YBNL Boss Olamide as he thrilled the audience from Durosoke, to Eleda mi, swapping into Goons mi, Lagos boys and a whoa closing with hit song Shakitibobo.

Pillar of Arts and Culture

One of the high points of the award ceremony was the honour bestowed on the former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as Africa Pillar of Arts and Culture and AFRIMA legendary award to the Ladysmith Black Mambazo for still staying strong after five decades.

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

L7 Reviews

Music Review

Music title: Good Woman Artiste: Solidstar

Nothing is better than a Good Woman Solidstar has released yet another interesting music video and he tagged this one “Good Woman.

The music was viewed by over 53,597 people, and was produced

by Achievers Entertainment on October 21, 2015.

The music is one of a kind. It emphasizes the importance of a good woman. It further illustrate the enviable qualities of a good woman, that a good woman is industrious, hardworking, committed, a caregiver, a good cook etc.

Indeed a good woman is not easy to find, and when you find one, you should never let her go because they are worth keeping. The music further explains that, if you go for beauty it will surely fade away.

The hilarious part of the music is

the part that he said pretty face go old, big boobs go fall, big buttocks go scretch (whatever he meant by that I don’t know), her beautiful shape will change. But a good woman will never change, she will give you happiness, joy, and confidence. Happiness indeed cannot be bought with money, because the rich also cry. You may have the money yet, you are not happy. You can also have the money but a bad woman will not allow you to enjoy it and live a happy life. According to him he has gone through a lot in the hands of women and that he has learnt his lessons that pretty girls are something else, that all they want is to be recognised. He said he wants a good woman that will make him feel better and give

Izedunor Ann

Relationships Season:

Movie Review The movie “Relationships Season “is a seasonal movie which was directed by Ugezu J.Ugezu and was produced by Cajetan Obi, and was produced on October 21, 2015. This movie has a view of 158,119. This highly dramatic and heart storming movie is all about the extremely twisted romantic and sexual relationships of a handsome young wealthy man with the female folk. The man in question is named Johnson (Van Vicker).

Johnson has all it takes to be successful and actually is, but his addiction to numerous casual flings with any and every girl he comes across seems to indicate that he is highly cursed! The shocking manner in which Johnson keeps coming up with every skillful scheme to get women into his bed is nothing short of being both amazing and scary. Johnson promised so many ladies real love. But to him, he only wants to sleep with them and abandon them! Lucy (Mercy Johnson), who always thought Johnson was her true love, got disappointed when she found out her roommate; Tina (Nuella Njubuigbo) was having an affair with her boyfriend.

him a good life.

The lyrics of the song is deep and very clear, and is worth listening to the beatings and sound is also unique, that I can’t stop shaking my head. The back-

ground is also good, its shows every actions of the song, there are no dancers in the song, I’ll say it’s just a quiet video. The video is fantastic and it’s quite informative. I give it a 9/10.

Quite impressive

Johnson continued with his ugly attitude of sleeping around with so many women who always fell for him due to his handsomeness and his wealth. Johnson used his gift to lure women and of course they fell for him.

While Johnson was busy hooking himself up with so many women, he was unaware his company was gradually going down! Johnson became confused and his world got scattered when he lost his so called company. As his company went down, Johnson never gave up chasing after women with an empty pocket. The women in turn threatened to kill him due to his inability to pay them. Johnson lost everything and he became a hopeless man.

In all the movie is quite interesting and very impressive. The casts did their part quite well. I rate the movie 5\10

Daily Times Nigeria Thursday, November 19, 2015

Tinsel

Showing on

13:30

Thur, 19 Nov | PG13

Showing on 150 Africa Magic Showcase ‘S8/E1536 - 8/1536’. Tsav takes a huge risk to deliver a personal message to Amaka. The girls adjusts their travel plans as the Baale and Prince Ojo pay a very special visit. Bimpe confronts Nina and causes trouble for Soji.

101 M-Net

L8 Television 166 Channel

Married Again

08:00

Thur, 19 Nov | PG

‘S1/E94 - 1/94’. Yash’s father is accused of having another child outside his marriage. He agrees to take a DNA test to prove he is not the father. Aarti breaks into Radha’s house in search of ammunition and is shocked at her findings.

120 BBC Entertainment

118 Telemundo

128 SONY MAX

00:20 Would I Lie To You? 00:50 The Cube 01:40 Call The Midwife: Christmas...

03:00 EastEnders 03:30 EastEnders 11:00 Ellen’s Design Challenge 12:00 The Voice 13:00 Royal Pains 14:00 Arrow 15:00 Resurrection 16:00 Ellen’s Design Challenge 17:00 The Goldbergs 17:30 The Voice 18:30 Grey’s Anatomy 19:30 Mysteries Of Laura 20:30 Elementary 21:30 Carte Blanche 22:30 Hello Ladies: The Movie

154 AfricaMagic Family

00:55 Out Of The Ghetto 02:30 Jane And Abel 03:00 Good Morning Africa 04:00 Scarlet 05:00 At Home With Michelle Attoh 06:00 Good Morning Africa 07:00 Star Gist 07:25 Redial 08:30 Living With Trisha 09:25 Mashariki Mix 10:00 Good Morning Africa 11:00 Tinsel 11:30 Star Gist 12:00 Music Block 13:00 At Home With Michelle Attoh 14:00 Goge Africa 14:30 Nowhere To Be Found

04:00 EastEnders 04:30 EastEnders

03:50 The Impostor 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

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 19:55 Paul’s Puzzle 21:00 Nowhere To Be Found 21:30 Goge Africa 22:05 Living With Trisha

05:00 Mr. Bean: The Animated Series

14:10 Total Wipeout UK

05:25 QI

16:00 EastEnders

06:00 The Thin Blue Line

16:30 Deal Or No Deal

06:30 EastEnders

00:30 Killer Karaoke

17:10 The Cube

07:00 Antiques Roadshow

01:30 Tattoo Nightmares

07:55 The Weakest Link

18:05 Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

02:00 Most Shocking

08:45 The Chase

19:00 Celebrity MasterChef

09:30 Total Wipeout UK

20:00 Hell’s Kitchen USA

10:30 The Cube

21:00 Hell’s Kitchen USA

11:20 New Tricks

21:50 The Graham Norton Show

12:20 Top Gear

22:40 Would I Lie To You?

13:15 Come Dine With Me

22:30 Would I Lie To You?

15:05 The Weakest Link

155 AfricaMagic World

03:00 Most Shocking 04:00 Exposed 04:30 Exposed 05:00 Criss Angel Mindfreak 05:25 Exposed 05:50 Exposed 06:15 Video Zonkers 06:40 Video Zonkers 07:05 World’s Wildest Police Videos 08:05 Disorderly Conduct: Video On Patrol 09:05 South Beach Tow 09:35 Most Shocking 10:35 Most Shocking 11:35 Video Zonkers 12:05 Video Zonkers 12:35 World’s Wildest Police Videos 13:35 Disorderly Conduct: Video On Patrol 14:35 South Beach Tow

00:05 Music Block 01:10 Good Morning Africa 02:10 Deal Or No Deal SA 03:00 Deal Or No Deal SA 04:00 The Dzigbordi Show 05:00 Good Morning Africa 06:00 The Heart Of A Shepherd 07:50 Star Gist 08:25 Star Gist 09:00 Good Morning Africa 10:00 The Dzigbordi Show 11:00 Deal Or No Deal SA 12:00 Deal Or No Deal SA

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 Kumwesu 19:30 Kumwesu 20:00 Revelation 21:20 Jara 21:55 Music Block

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 Enemy Territory 21:30 Poorman’s Bikini Beach 22:00 Sexy Car Wash 22:30 Most Shocking

Omagbemi sets India Super League on fire g X3

Poster!

KENENISA BEKELE g X4,5

Thursday, November 19, 2015

g g X6

BALOTELLI out for four weeks after surgery

WCQ: NIGErIA MAy drAW GhANA, CAMErOON

rOJO

g X7

denies Van Gaal rift

g X2

g X6 Messi, ramos will not be targeted in El Clasico—Suarez

g X8

OdOM

in drug scandal!

X2

Thursday, November 19, 2015

EXTRATIME

F

Yekini, Sadi to be honoured at FED Cup final Mike Otanwa

F

ormer Nigeria stars Rashidi Yekini and Dahiru Sadi will be among those to be honoured at Sunday’s Federation Cup final in Lagos for their role in making the cup competition the most glamorous football tournament in the country.

The 2015 Federation’s Cup honorary list also includes Baba Otu Mohammed of Mighty Jets, Best Ogedegbe, former Standard of Jos defender Okey Isima, Friday Ekpo , Sam Opone, Amusa Adisa, Inua Rigogo, Dahiru Sadi, and Ifeanyi Onyedika of Enugu Rangers.

Others are FIFA-graded referee Linus Mba, and veteran journalist Segun Adenuga.

The NFF and the Lagos State Sports Commission have also announced that gates will be free and the sum of 200,000 Naira will be won via a raffle draw.

Fans coming to the arena have been told to expect a well-monitored situation with efficient crowd control, alert security officers, friendly protocol officers and well marshalled parking, all in a bid to make the Federation Cup experience worthwhile.

WCQ: Nigeria may draw Ghana, Cameroon

OLISEH HAILS STUBBORN SWAZILAND

N

Yekini

ive-time World Cup finalists Nigeria could well draw arch-rivals Ghana and Cameroon in the group phase of the qualifying tournament for the 2018 World Cup should the FIFA rankings be mainly used to seed teams.

No date has been fixed yet for the draw for this final round of the World Cup qualifiers, which will be played on league basis, but speculations are rife that it could be before the end of the year.

Currently, Nigeria are 59th ranked team in the world and on this count, they will fall in pot 3 of seeds along with Egypt (57), Mali (63), Uganda (68) and Zambia (71).

Pot 1 will have the continent’s top teams Cote d’Ivoire (22), Algeria (26), Ghana (30), Cape Verde (32) and Senegal (39).

Pot 2 will be made up of Tunisia (41), Cameroon (51), Congo Brazzaville (52), Guinea (53) and DR Congo (55).

The last pot of 20 qualifiers could then be Gabon (73), South Africa (75), Morocco (79), Burkina Faso (93) and Libya (113).

A team from each pot will be picked out to form a qualifying group of five teams with the overall winners advancing to the World Cup in Russia.

igeria coach Sunday Oliseh has praised Swaziland for giving his team a fight in a World Cup qualifier in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

Three-time African champions Nigeria scored two goals in the second half for them to go past a Swaziland side, ranked 130th in the world by

FIFA and advance to the next stage of the qualifiers for Russia 2018 2-0 on aggregate after a goalless draw in Lobamba last week.

“For a fact, Swaziland’s FIFA ranking is totally not justified. We should congratulate them. They posed us a lot of problems; they were always compact and resilient. They played

with their hearts over the two legs and made things pretty difficult for us,” admitted Oliseh after a laboured home win in front of a full house at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt.

“If I got a chance to play a friendly in the future I will invite Swaziland.”

Nigeria, who have featured at five

World Cups, will now join 19 other countries who include Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon, Egypt, Mali, Senegal, South Africa and Algeria in the group phase of the qualifiers.

The teams will be drawn into five groups of four teams each with the overall group winners qualifying for the World Cup in Russia in 2018.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

EXTRATIME

LMC SLAMS HEAVY

fine on Giwa

T

Giwa defender Nojeem Raji suspended.

he League Management Company (LMC) has sanctioned Giwa FC and two of their players for their actions in an abandoned Week 38 game of the Nigeria league in Lafia against Nasarawa United.

The Jos side refused to continue with the game in 34th minute, forcing referee Ibrahim Ishaku to call off the match at the expiration of the first half thereby breaching article 13.26 of the Framework and Rules of the Nigeria Professional Football League.

Giwa FC were fined three million Naira, a deduction of three points and forfeiture of three points and three goals to Nasarawa United for the abandoned Week 38 match.

Unhappy Eagles grumble over match bonus

E

xtra Time gathered that some Super Eagles players were unhappy they were not paid their win bonus in cash after the World Cup qualifier against Swaziland as is the practice following a new arrangement of electronic transfer of these bonuses.

“The players were unhappy that they did not receive cash for their bonuses. The NFF have already directed the players to open foreign accounts at a particular bank so this did not come to them as a surprise,” said one account of the story.

Officials and the players held a meeting after the match in Port Harcourt with one of the talking points being the new form of payment for them.

The Eagles will be paid $5,000-a-man for the 2-0 win over Swaziland in Port Harcourt.

They received half that sum for the draw in Lobambo on Friday.

They also received $40,000 from the Rivers State Government, who promised them $20,000-a-goal for the match against Swaziland.

The players, Amos Gyang and Nojeem Raji, had on separate occasions refused to retire to the dressing room after being expelled for initial violent behaviours.

Gyang was fined 50,000 Naira for his misconduct and suspended for two matches.

Raji was banned for six matches for punching the referee in the face amid protests by his teammates.

The club and the players have the options to accept the decisions of the LMC or opt for an appearance before a panel and any of the options must be communicated to the LMC in writing within 48 hours.

Onazi calls for patience from Nigeria fans

S

uper Eagles’ assistant captain, Ogenyi Onazi has called on fans to be patient with the senior national team and not heap pressure on them before, during and after matches with negative reports.

Onazi’s comment was in the wake of the team’s 2-0 win against Swaziland in Tuesday’s game played at the Adokiye Amiesiamaka Stadium, Port Harcourt.

Goals from Moses Simon and Efe Ambrose in the 51st and 83rd minutes

Martins S

MLS: eyes Goal of the Year Award

guided Nigeria to victory which sent the team to the Group Stage of the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

But Onazi revealed during the postmatch press conference that Nigerians are too critical of coach Sunday Oliseh’s team when they need to give him time to build the team to his taste.

“I want to beg Nigerians to always stay positive and not be negative in their reactions and reports about the Eagles.

Even though we don’t let that bother us, negative reports have a way of demoralizing the team,” Onazi counselled.

eattle Sounders striker Obafemi Martins is still in the running for the 2015 Goal of the Year after Major League Soccer announced the shortlisted candidates for the second round of voting.

The Nigeria international was one of the three Sounders players that advanced to the round of 16 in the Goal of the Year Award, with USA international Clint Dempsey and Guatemalan winger Marco Pappa also in contention.

Between November 16 and 19, fans will have the opportunity to vote for Martins’ stunning strike in the Sounders’ 3 - 1 victory over Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on April 19.

In the 73rd minute of that contest, the Nigerian beat two defenders Bobby Burling and Drew Moor with a deft spin move before firing past goalkeeper Clint Irwin.

The quarter-final round takes place from November 20 - 23, while the semi -final and Championship rounds of voting has been scheduled for November 24-27 and 30 and December 2, respectively.

The winner of the accolade will be revealed by the organizers on Thursday, December 3.

Martins’s goal against San Jose Earthquakes on May 17, 2014 won the Goal of the Year Award in the 2014

X3

Boboye

Boboye quits as Sunshine coach

K

ennedy Boboye has quit as coach of Nigeria premier league side Sunshine Stars.

“I have quit as Sunshine Stars because it is the best time for me to move forward,” Boboye disclosed.

“I am grateful for the chance to have led such a club and wish them the best.”

Sunshine Stars finished sixth in the league this past season and thus failed to clinch a ticket to play international football next year.

‘The Akure Gunners’ are now expected to hire a big-name coach to steer them to glory in the coming season.

Omagbemi

Omagbemi sets India Super League on fire!

F

ormer Nigeria U-23 star Dudu Omagbemi is on fire as he scored thrice to help FC Goa thrashed Mumbai City FC 7-0 in an India Super League game on Tuesday.

The 30-year-old doubled FC Goa’s lead in the 42nd minute to give them a 2-0 lead.

He completed a double in the 64th minute when his side led 4-0.

Three minutes later he made it 5-0 to complete a treble.

He played for Nigeria U-23 national team at Malaysia invitational tournament in 2008 when Nigeria were preparing for the 2008 Olympics.

He has played in Poland, Hungary and Finland.

X4

Thursday, November 19, 2015

EXTRATIME

ABOUT

Kenenisa Bekele

Kenenisa Bekele (born June 13, 1982) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who holds the world record and Olympic record in both the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres events. He won a double at the 2008 Summer Olympics in these events; he also won the 2004 Olympic title over 10,000 m. He is married to Danawit Gebregziabher.

Bekele is the most accomplished runner in IAAF World Cross Country Championships history, with six long (12 km) course and five short (4 km) course titles. He won the 10,000 m title at the World Championships in Athletics four times running from 2003 to 2009 (matching Haile Gebrselassie’s win streak). Kenenisa was unbeaten over 10,000 m from his debut in 2003 until 2011, when he failed to finish at the World Championships final.

At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics he became the first man to win both 5000 m and 10,000 m title at the same championships.

Over 5000 m he has also won an Olympic silver (2004), World Championship bronze (2003), two African Championship titles and one AllAfrica Games gold medal. He also won the 3000 metres title at the World Indoor Championships in 2006.

Kenenisa is considered one of the greatest distance runners of all time, owning several world records and an array of medals.

On April 6, 2014, he produced the sixth fastest marathon debut ever on a record eligible course with his victory at the Paris Marathon, in a course record time of 2:05:04. He is the older brother of Tariku Bekele, also an accomplished world-class distance runner.

He is renowned for his ability to accelerate very quickly at the end of a long distance race; in Oslo in June 2003, Bekele chased after Kenyan Abraham Chebii and ran a 54.64 final 400 to win the race in 12:52.26. Again in Lausanne on July 1, 2003, he recorded a 200 m segment during the last lap in 24 seconds and a 100 m section in 12 seconds to run a 52.63 final lap.

Kenenisa has faced his mentor Haile Gebrselassie twice in road competition, once in cross country, and six times on the track.

Haile defeated Bekele on the track in the 2000 Nurnberg 5000 metres, the 2001 Great Ethiopian Run 10 km, and the Cross de l’Acier in December 2001, but lost to Bekele in Hengelo 2003 over 10,000 m (26:53 to 26:54), Rome 2003 over 5000 m (12:57 to 13:00), Paris 2003 World Championships over 10,000 m (26:49 to 26:50), Athens 2004 Olympic Games (27:05 to 27:27), in the 10,000 m in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games (27:01 to 27:06), and in the Great North Run half marathon in September 2013 (60:09 to 60:41).

In 2006 he won five out of six IAAF Golden League events (5000 m) in the same season, which earned him a total of US$83,333.

On February 17, 2007, he broke the indoor world record over 2000 m in Birmingham, with a time of 4:49.99.

On January 23, 2015 Kenenisa Bekele took on the Dubai Marathon, where he had to retire from the race after 30 km.

He also planned to compete in the 2015 London Marathon but had to withdraw due to a persistent injury to his right Achilles tendon.

PERSONAL INFORMATION Full name:

Kenenisa Bekele

Nationality:

Ethiopian

Born:

June 13, 1982 (age 33)

Place of birth:

Bekoji, Ethiopia

Height:

5 ft 5 in (165 cm)

Weight:

123 lb (56 kg)

Sport:

Athletics

Events:

5000 metres, 10,000 metres

Achievements and titles Personal Bests: 5000 metres: 12:37.35 (WR) 10,000 metres: 26:17.53 (WR) Olympic Games Record Gold medal:

2004 Athens (10,000 m)

Gold medal:

2008 Beijing (5000 m)

Gold medal:

2008 Beijing (10,000 m)

Silver medal:

2004 Athens (5000 m)

World Championships Record Gold medal:

2003 Paris (10,000 m)

Gold medal:

2005 Helsinki (10,000 m)

Gold medal:

2007 Osaka (10,000 m)

Gold medal:

2009 Berlin (5000 m)

Gold medal:

2009 Berlin (10,000 m)

Bronze medal: 2003 Paris (5000 m) World Indoor Championships Record Gold medal:

2006 Moscow (3000 m)

African Championships record Gold medal:

2006 Bambous (5000 m)

Gold medal:

2008 Addis Ababa (5000 m)

All-Africa Games Record Gold medal:

2003 Abuja (5000 m)

World Cross Country Championships Record Gold medal:

2002 Dublin (Long race)

Gold medal:

2002 Dublin (Short race)

Gold medal:

2003 Lausanne (Long race)

Gold medal:

2003 Lausanne (Short race)

Gold medal:

2004 Brussels (Long race)

Gold medal:

2004 Brussels (Short race)

Gold medal: race)

2005 Saint-Galmier (Long

Gold medal: race)

2005 Saint-Galmier (Short

Gold medal:

2006 Fukuoka (Long race)

Gold medal:

2006 Fukuoka (Short race)

Gold medal: race)

2008 Edinburgh (Long

Silver medal:

2001 Ostend (Short race)

Thursday, November 19, 2015

EXTRATIME

Kenenisa

Bekele

X5

Thursday, November 19, 2015

X6

EXTRATIME

L

uis Suarez does not expect Lionel Messi or Sergio Ramos to be targeted if they play any part in El Clasico on Saturday.

Ramos is carrying a shoulder injury that he aggravated performing an overheadkick in Real Madrid’s 3-2 defeat to Sevilla.

Barcelona star Messi, meanwhile, has been out since September 26 with a knee injury and it is not clear if he will feature in the La Liga match at the Bernabeu.

But despite the intense rivalry, Suarez does not believe the two players could be

targeted in Saturday’s game.

Suarez said: “I am not going to go looking for his shoulder, in the same way nobody is going to look for Messi’s knee.

We are fellow football players and we do not want to hurt anyone.”

Messi’s participation is the main talking point ahead of the top-of-thetable clash, but Suarez is unsure whether the Argentine will be involved.

“We do not know if he will play or start on the bench but he is a player who makes a difference,” he said. “He proved

that at the Calderon against Atletico Madrid when he came on for the final 30 minutes and won us the game.

“The decision is for the coach and the medical team. He is training with us, with good feelings, but it is an injury that could have risks for the future.”

Barcelona go into the fixture with a three-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga and having won three of the last four league meetings against their arch rivals.

Messi, Ramos will not be targeted in El Clasico —Suarez

Balotelli

Messi

i l l e t o l a B

Kluiver t

targets future Barca role

P

atrick Kluivert is ready to begin a coaching career in club football and hopes to one day emulate Luis Enrique as head coach at Barcelona.

Kluivert played alongside Luis Enrique during his six seasons at Camp Nou and says returning there to follow in his former team-mate’s footsteps is his long-term goal.

The former Netherlands international is in the early stages of his coaching career, having assisted Louis van Gaal at the 2014 World Cup and taken charge of Curacao during their

Kluivert recent 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Kluivert is now only an adviser to the Caribbean island’s national team as he focuses on breaking into club football, with Spain his preferred destination.

“My goal is to find a club,” he told reporters. “Barcelona? You never know, but I’d prefer to start at another club.

“Hopefully I can coach at Barcelona sometime in the future. That is and remains the best club in the world.

“I would love to go to work in Spain, with a good club. But preferably not at Barcelona.”

BRIEFS

Suarez plays down Ballon d´Or chances

B

arcelona star Luis Suarez is pleased to be among the candidates to win the 2015 FIFA Ballon d’Or following his fine performances this calendar year, but is adamant he is not thinking about becoming one of the three finalists. The Uruguay international was named on a 23-man shortlist last month and could yet be among the final three contenders due to be revealed on November 30.

out for four weeks after surgery A

C Milan will have to make do without the services of Mario Balotelli for an additional four weeks after the striker successfully underwent groin surgery on Wednesday.

Balotelli - on loan from Liverpool - has not featured for the San Siro side since their 1-0 Serie A defeat at the hands of Genoa on September 27.

Milan were initially hopeful Balotelli would be able to shake off the injury by resting, but the Italy international has gone under the knife and will be

Monaco ban Anderlecht fans

M

onaco have banned Anderlecht fans from entering the principality for their Europa League group game at the Stade Louis II on November 26. The decision comes in the wake of last Friday’s attacks in Paris, where 129 people were killed when terrorists targeted several locations across the city, including the Stade de France. Monaco added that both UEFA and Anderlecht have backed the decision.

Bebe: I shoot like Ronaldo!

F

sidelined for another month or so.

A club statement read: “AC Milan would like to communicate that Mario Balotelli has undergone surgery in Munich.

“The surgery was successful and the recovery process will last four weeks, unless there are any complications.”

Balotelli has netted once in four Serie A appearances since his return to Milan.

ormer Manchester United striker Bebe has suggested his game has similarities with that of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Bebe’s stint in Manchester began in the summer of 2010 - a year after Ronaldo departed England - and he went on to make only seven appearances for the Red Devils, scoring two goals, before leaving in 2014.

Santon suffers Achilles injury

D

avide Santon is unlikely to feature for Inter against Frosinone this weekend after suffering an Achilles injury, the club have confirmed. The full-back has been a regular for Roberto Mancini’s side this season as they have climbed to the top of Serie A – where they sit level with Fiorentina on 27 points from 12 games. Santon has started nine of those matches in, but looks set for a period of rehabilitation after a scan on Tuesday revealed a slight problem with his

Thursday, November 19, 2015

EXTRATIME

a v l i S M

irreplaceable at Man City, says Bell

anchester City legend Colin Bell has branded David Silva as “irreplaceable” and says the Spaniard could walk into any team in the club’s history.

Silva has shone since arriving in the Premier League from Valencia in 2010, scoring 34 goals in 167 appearances for City – helping them to two league titles.

His creative flair, eye for a pass and composure in possession set Silva out in City’s squad, and

Silva

Bell says those qualities make him an integral part of Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

“David Silva would walk into any City team,” he told reporters.

“He is in my personal greatest all-time XI and is just fantastic to watch.

“When he’s on the ball, he makes the whole team tick and we don’t look the same side without him. He has an incredible awareness and is the perfect player for the modern game.

“Silva glides around the pitch

and is an integral part of our recent successes and he is a genuine pleasure to watch.

“His movement, vision and intelligence are as good as I’ve seen and I hope he continues to grace the City team for many more years to come.”

Injuries have meant the Spaniard has been more of a peripheral figure this season, the 29-year-old only making five league starts since the opening weekend of the campaign.

ROJO denies Van Gaal rift M

anchester United defender Marcos Rojo insists he has a good relationship with Louis van Gaal and rumours of a rift between the pair are false.

Rojo reportedly fell out with the Dutchman after a passport issue saw him miss the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.

That was exacerbated when the 25-year-old failed to disclose the extent of a hamstring injury that saw him taken off against Southampton in September and subsequently miss several games.

Fit again, Rojo has started United’s last seven matches and says his relationship with Van Gaal is like that of his previous managers.

“It is normal, as with any other coach,”

Ayre, Gerrard reunion on the cards

Gerrard

Dzeko

X7

Rojo said after starting Argentina’s 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Colombia.

“I don’t ask him why he includes me in a game when I play, so I don’t have any right to ask him why I don’t play when he decides that I don’t have to do it. It’s as simple as that.

“Van Gaal does the same as any coach in the world. He decides who plays according to what he sees during the week, he chooses the players that he sees in the best condition and we have to accept all the decisions that the coach takes”.

Rojo defended Van Gaal’s ruthless management style that has seen the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach clash with a number of players in the past.

S

teven Gerrard could be in line to face Liverpool for the first time next year after chief executive Ian Ayre admitted the club are considering a pre-season tour of the United States in 2016.

Liverpool travelled across the Atlantic in 2014 in preparation for their Premier League campaign and are widely expected to announce a return, which could include a reunion with former captain Gerrard, who left for LA Galaxy at the start of the season.

Ayre has revealed he will discuss the idea with Gerrard prior to the final decision.

“Absolutely, that’s something we have on our radar of ideas,” he said.

“Steven is back in Liverpool at the moment and I’m sure we’ll get a chance to catch up and see what he thinks about that as an idea.

“It’s brilliant we have Steven in the US market, he’s been such a great servant to Liverpool and for him to be here hopefully telling people how great the club is, if they don’t already know.

Ibrahimovic

No Premiership move for Ibrahimovic

P

aris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has all but ruled out a move to the Premier League at the end of the season.

The 34-year-old’s contract with PSG is coming to an end and he has yet to make a decision about his long-term future.

Ibrahimovic has been linked with a return to Milan as well as a move to MLS, but a transfer to England now appears unlikely.

“I think it is too late to come to England,” the striker said. “I am very happy at PSG. I have six months to go on my contract and we will see what happens afterwards.

“I am enjoying it, I enjoy every day on the field. While I am playing at the top level I just want to enjoy it and do my thing. I do not know where I will finish my career, let’s wait and see.”

Ibrahimovic netted twice in Sweden’s 2-2 draw with Denmark on Tuesday to send his county through to Euro 2016 and he has admitted he will probably retire from international duty after the tournament in France.

“I am looking forward to the Euros,” he added. “It is probably going to be my last tournament with the national team and I am very excited because before these two play-off games there was all this kind of talk that we were not able to beat Denmark.

“Now we are very happy and I am satisfied. It will be magic for everyone.”

BRIEF

Sigurdsson happy at Swansea

G

Rojo

ylfi Sigurdsson has denied falling out with Swansea manager Garry Monk and says he is happy at the club. City made it clear on Tuesday that comments attributed to Sigurdsson, in which he said Monk “doesn’t really communicate much with the players” and claimed the manager had failed to congratulate him on Iceland’s Euro 2016 qualification, were taken out of context.

X8

Thursday, November 19, 2015

EXTRATIME

Boxing

Basketball

B

asketball star Lamar Odom, who was found unconscious after a four-day drink and drug binge, reportedly had a blood test when he reached hospital in Las Vegas and now the District Attorney will review a request for prosecution against him for drug use.

The 36-year-old sportsman, reality TV star Khloe Kardashian’s estranged husband, remains in hospital but no longer needs “any machines to keep him alive”, according to report.

In a statement, Nye County District

Odom

Bellew

Bellew challenges Haye in Catchweight fight

in drug scandal!

T

op cruiserweight Tony Bellew has informed WBN that a fight with David Haye would appeal to him if a deal could be thrashed out with the returning two-weight world champion.

Bellew, 32, is currently in training for a massive 200-pound clash with tough Pole Mateusz Masternak on the Anthony Joshua v Dillian Whyte bill next month and is on the cusp of a first world title shot at the limit.

Upon hearing the news that Haye is back in training with new coach Shane McGuigan this week, ‘Bomber’ says a UK super-fight would be a huge affair, but he would expect the ex-heavyweight champion to make some allowance on weight.

“I would like to fight David Haye, yes,” Bellew said.

“He’s the most successful cruiserweight the country has ever produced and the only man since Evander Holyfield to unify the cruiserweight division.

“I was chasing Yoan Hernandez, who I believe is the best cruiserweight in the world right now, but he’s sidelined due to injury.”

The Liverpool fighter has been campaigning at cruiserweight for just under two years, whereas Haye has fought between 190 and 210 pounds his entire career, something that would need addressing in some form, says Bellew.

TENNIS

Nadal

Attorney Angela Bello said, “The Nye County Sheriff’s Office has now asked the Nye County District Attorney’s Office to review a request for prosecution against Lamar Odom for use of, or under the influence of, a controlled substance.

“The DA’s office will take the time needed to appropriately review that request, along with all evidence that might support that request, in order to reach a just conclusion regarding whether to advance charges.”

Odom

Lowry hopes to topple GOLF Mcilroy in Dubai

S

hane Lowry is “quietly confident” he can defy the odds and win the DP World Tour Championship and a first Race to Dubai title this week.

Lowry is one of seven players in contention to end the season as European number one, although the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational champion needs to finish second or better in Dubai to have a chance of overhauling Rory McIlroy.

The 28-year-old from Offaly has been frustrated by his putting in recent weeks but feels he will benefit from having his coach Neil

Nadal

Manchip on site for the €7.5million season finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

“I feel like I struggled in China,” said Lowry, who finished 68th in the HSBC Champions and 56th in the BMW Masters. “I played okay but struggled on the greens.

“But I played the pro-am here on Tuesday and I really felt like I was playing well. I’m quietly confident I’m playing well enough that if my putter warms up I can definitely give this a run at the weekend.

“Putting has been the problem.

ready for Barcelona Open

S

It’s probably the reason I feel like I didn’t win at the British Masters as well. The last six weeks haven’t been great but I like it here. I think the greens are beautiful here and I made quite a few birdies in the pro-am.

“I’ve got my coach Neil here this week with me which is a big help and he always keeps me in a good frame of mind. I’m looking forward to it. I know what I need to do this week. I know I need to go and win the tournament. But that’s like no other week for me.

panish tennis great, Rafael Nadal has confirmed he will play in the Barcelona Open 2016, where he will seek his ninth conquest of the tournament.

Organisers on Tuesday announced that the tournament will be held from April 16 to 24 with the participation of the former world No.1 and current world No.5, who has won the title on eight occasions, more times than

Mcilroy

anyone else.

“I return next year to play in the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, which is an important tournament in the world tennis calendar for all it means in terms of tradition on the clay courts,” said Nadal, who is playing in the ATP World Tour Finals in London.

For the Spaniard, playing in Spain “is always an extra motivation” for the support he receives from the public.