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Air Force airstrikes kill 300 Boko Haram members Ï dƆƅƐ ƐƏƈƊƆ ƈ è kills 11 near Chibok ÏÏÏThe

Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, on Monday, said that about 300 Boko Haram Continued on page 6

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Security operatives bar BBOG from marching to Aso Rock

90

YEARS OF JOURNALISM

...Group sends SOS to Obama, Israeli PM, Theresa May, others g6

TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2016 VOL. 2. NO. 178

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Niger Delta, Biafra agitations:

How to avoid imminent disintegration – Alani Akinrinade g6

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Founder of Folio Media Group, owners of Daily Times, Fidelis Anosike (left), presenting a copy of the paper to Abia State Governor, Chief Okezie Ikpeazu (middle) during a courtesy visit to Ikpeazu at Government House in Umuahia, Abia State… on Monday. With them is Group General Manager, Daily Times, Mr. Olisa Egbunike.

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

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Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Page Three Æ s

PHOTO TIMES

Editorial Education and the northern elite

E

ducation is described as the greatest legacy a society can bequeath to its citizens. Human civilisation would not have attained such dizzying heights today without the benefits of education. For example, education does not only liberate individuals from shackles of ignorance and superstition, it empowers them to challenge long held orthodoxies with a view of giving reign to freedom of thought and action.

There is no gainsaying that the gap existing between the developed and developing countries is a function of qualitative education. While the developed countries have succeeded in making education an inalienable right of the citizens, in the Third World people still see it as privilege of a few. Even within societies, educational gaps still exist. Unfortunately, such situation is responsible for the lopsided nature of developments and the deleterious consequences for the polity. Sadly, Nigeria remains one of the most educationally unequal societies in the world. This sad situation is being accentuated by the increasing gap between the North and South.

Recent statistics by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) shows that Nigeria has more than 10 million out-of –school children. According to the agency, more than 65 percent of these live in the Muslim north. For long, western education in that, part of the country has been viewed with suspicion and even utter disdain. Rather, a culture that encourages the Almajiri syndrome has been allowed to flourish over the decades. These children are a common sight in many northern states.

In the end, the bulk of them are left to fester at the margins of society

throughout their lives for no fault of theirs. Most of the children recruited by Boko Haram insurgents are known to belong to this group.

Matters are not helped by the fact that tertiary education in the South has been expanding at an exponential rate because of private sector intervention. Gone are the days when governments had the monopoly of establishing universities and polytechnics. Today, many private universities are springing up in the South to avail those qualified the chances of gaining admission and pursuing their educational careers.

The consequence is that few states in the South have been producing far more university graduates than the entire geopolitical North put together. This does not bode well for the country. For the country to develop and be accorded its pride of place among comity of nations, the authorities must place high emphasis on education among all strata and sections of the society in order to liberate most of the citizens from the warped notion of getting privileged positions because of ethnicity or religion, rather than what positive contributions you make to society.

The northern elite must therefore step in to stem the dwindling fortunes of education in the region.

For long, governments in the region have been responsible for the few tertiary institutions there. That has posed handicaps to those seeking higher education. That is why we commend the efforts of former vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida for establishing private universities in the North. We call on others to emulate their example.

Acting Editor Sam Nzeh Deputy Editor (Abuja Bureau Chief) Chibisi Ohaka News Editor Kelechi C. Ogbamgba Online Editor Segun Adio

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L-R: Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. David Umahi; Member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Linus Okorie and Deputy Chairman, of the Peoples Democratic Party (South-East), Chief Austin Umahi, during a visit to the family of Uzoamaka Chukwu, who was stripped and brutalised in Uburu, Ohaozara LGA… recently.

Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima (left), presenting a bag of grains to one of the beneficiaries during the distribution of food items to victims of insurgency in Mainok, Kaga L.G.A. of Borno State provided by the Belinda Gates Foundation… on Monday.

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L-R: Vice-President, Islamic Development Bank Group (ISDBG); Dr. Mansur Muhtar; President of ISDBG, Dr. Ahmed Ali-Almadani and President Muhammadu Buhari, after a meeting of the ISDBG with Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja… on Monday.

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Publisher/Editor in Chief – Fidelis Anosike Group General Manager Olisa Egbunike 08034004224

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Nelson Mandela

Obafemi Awolowo

Nnamdi Azikiwe

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

“Behind the ugly terrible mask of misfortune lies the beautiful soothing countenance of prosperity. So, tear the mask!

“There is plenty of room at the top because very few people care to travel beyond the average route”.

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5 News

Plateau CAN fumes over Buhari’s appointments Chijioke Kingsley, Jos

ÎÎÎThe Christian Associa-

DSS arrests Boko Haram Spiritual Leader in Kano Yakubu Salisu, Kano

ÎÎÎThe

Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday said it has arrested the “spiritual leader” at a Boko Haram cell in Kano, with other insurgents plotting to carry out attacks in some states soon.

A statement signed by its spokesman, Tony Opuiyo, on Monday, the secret police also disclosed that it rounded up some members of kidnapping gangs in Benue, Akwa Ibom and Calabar states.

The statement reads in part: “Following threat messages against some members of the diplomatic corps in Abuja and Lagos, this service responded and subsequently apprehended one Aikhoje Moses, on 19 August 2016, at Azagha by-

pass off the Benin-Asaba expressway in Edo state.

Before his arrest, Moses had threatened the diplomatic community in Nigeria, particularly the consular-generals of Switzerland and Denmark and their embassies in Nigeria, warning them to leave the country.”

“The service also arrested one Mudaisiru Jibrin aka Namakele/Alarama on 17 July, 2016, at Sauna quarters, Yankaba area in Kano.

Jibrin was the spiritual leader to a newly uncovered Boko Haram cell in Kano.

Preliminary investigation so far conducted revealed that he was also the mastermind of the shooting of some students at Government Secondary School (GSS), Mamudo village near Potiskum, Yobe State, in 2013.

“Similarly, on 8 July, 2016, at Kinkinau area in Un-

guwar Mu’azu of Kaduna metropolis, the service arrested one Mukhtar Tijani, a notorious Boko Haram fighter and three of his accomplices namely, Isiaku Salihu, Abdullahi Isah and Hindu Isah. The four suspects were apprehended while perfecting arrangements for major coordinated attacks on selected targets and locations in Kaduna state.

“In a related development, on 12 August 2016, at Auchi in Edo state, three members of the Ansaru terrorist group hibernating in Kogi state were apprehended by the service.

Usman Abdullahi, Abdulmumuni Sadio and Ahmad Salihu were arrested while making arrangements to launch attacks on some selected targets in Edo and Kogi states, before escaping to join ISIS in Libya.”

C’ River signs power pact with Dubai firm Edem Edem, Calabar

ÎÎÎGovernor

Ben Ayade of Cross River State has signed a pact with a Dubai based firm, Skipper Seil, to provide a 100kva solar lighting generating system. Governor Ayade also signed an agreement for a 26 megawatts gas power turbine at the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort, as well as the training of trainers in the Institute of Technology and Management, Ugep.

At the signing ceremony

held at the Governor’s office, Calabar, President of the firm, Mr. Jitender Sachdeva, gave the assurance that his firm will commence construction in about two months. “We will work very hard, fine tune all the activities and try to be on ground after the PPA in December. I want to assure you that the plant in Tinapa for 26 megawatts will give a boost to electricity and will be completed in 18 months’ time,” Sachdeva stated.

He said his firm chose to invest in the state due

to the investment friendly policies of the Ayade-led administration and the fact that the state is peaceful and safe. On the Institute of Technology and Management, Ugep, the President, Skipper Seil group disclosed that “in addition to our Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR), we have sent our team for the study of the technical Institute here in the state, and I can, with pride say, we are going to associate with your state in education as the Institute is now fully geared to start.”

tion of Nigeria (CAN) has reminded President Muhammadu Buhari to take precautionary measures in advancing steps towards addressing the county’s peculiarities.

CAN expressed dissatisfaction with the leadership style of the President, especially in the appointment of key political office holders and that of the service chiefs, saying a situation where a section of a particular religion is given undue advantage over the other, is unacceptable, and is against the principles of equity, fairness, balanced and inclusiveness.

The Plateau State Chapter of the association, emphasized this on Sunday during a Unity Service planned for all Christians in the state.

At the climax of the event held at the Living Faith zonal headquarters, Jos, with representatives of the denominational heads

Buhari present admitted that lack of unity among the Church has further created room for the persecution of the Christians in Nigeria.

CAN said in as much as it vows to support President Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade, it should also not be taken for a ride.

Addressing the gathering, the guest speaker and the President, Church of Christ in Nation, COCIN in Plateau State Rev. Dr. Dacom Datiri appeal to the political class in plateau state and the country at large to put behind them political differences and build bridges of love for the common interest and development of the country.

Prayer section was also conducted for the President and his cabinet, National and state Assembly member and the state governor and his political office holders on the need to accommodate one another for the development of the country.

In the Goodwill messages, the Governor of the state, Simon Lalong through his deputy Sonny Tyoden and the Speaker Plateau state house of assembly, Peter Azi commended CAN for creating a platform for Plateau citizens to make contributions for national issues.

They argued that it is indeed un disputable fact that something was wrong with the church and the nation, but cautioned the church against interfering in to politics.

Earlier, the conveners of the forum, Rev. Dr. Soja Bewarang and the chairman planning committee, Rt. Rev. DR. RBC Nwankwo said the prayer session was not a judgement session but to canvass for the right thing to be done.

WSRN builds capacity for women in N’ East, S’ West Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

ÎÎÎWomen

Situation Room Nigeria (WSRN) on Monday flagged off its geo political zonal capacity building and networking meetings with a one-day North East Zonal Capacity building workshop on Advocacy, Team Building/ Networking, Data Collection, reporting and communication for her State Coordinators from the six states of the region.

WSRN in a statement said that the aim of the Capacity Building Workshop was to equip the state coordinators with the requisite skills to effectively engage stakeholders and mobilize support for women participation in the Nation’s development, peace and stability.

The workshop was attended by the National Coordinator of the WSRN, Mrs. Joy Onyesoh and all its executives from the 36

states of the country and the FCT. In the same vein, WSRN, South West zone was launched in Akure, Ondo state with series of activities including advocacy visits to critical stakeholders and partners in the state.

A team comprising the WSRN South West coordinator and the coordinators for the states in the zone had an advocacy visit to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner for Ondo State, Olusegun Agbaje, MFR, and sought the Commission’s partnership and support for WSRN proposed activities in the scheduled gubernatorial election in the state.

The team and WSRN’s National Coordinator also paid advocacy visit to the Commissioner of Police, The Nigeria Police, Ondo State Command, Hilda Ibifuro-Harrison at her office

in Akure also got the commitment of the Commissioner to support WSRN’s observatory of the 2016 gubernatorial elections in the state as well as assigning an officer to support the proposed Situation Room for the election.

This WSRN Coordinators meeting presented the opportunity for the coordinators at the national, zonal and state level to meet physically for the first time and share common vision and understanding of WSRN and their roles and responsibilities as members of the WSRN team in South West zone Nigeria.

WSRN is a platform and movement of women committed to mobilizing support for women’s participation in the Nation’s development, peace and stability through substantive participation in effective conflict resolution, leadership, decision making processes, peace and nation building.

News

6

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Members of the Bring Back Our Girls and the 2,000 candidates recruited, trained and allegedly dispersed by Nigeria Immigration Service blocking the road leading to the Presidential Villa during a peaceful protest in Abuja… on Monday.

Niger Delta, Biafra agitations:

How to avoid imminent disintegration

– Gen. Alani Akinrinade Akinjide Akintola Politics Editor

ÏÏÏElder

statesman and former Chief of Defence Staff, General Alani Akinrinade, took a critical view of political developments in the country and concluded that unless urgent action is taken by the government, the threat of imminent disintegration of the country is real.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Times at his farm in Yakoyo, Osun State at the weekend, Akinrinade, also a former Chief of Army Staff and Minister of Agriculture, warned that the brink of disintegration is real while President Muhammadu Buhari stood the risk of being the last

President of Nigeria.

According to him, there were lots of agitations and flashpoints across the land fuelled by feelings of injustices, warning that unless the proper things are done, it would be impossible for the country to make progress.

His words: “If you look at the whole spectrum of the boundaries of our country, there are too many wars going on. You talked about Boko Haram; it is still an ongoing problem, indeed massive problem; the Avengers, IPOB, then another one wants Biafra at all costs; Apart from Avengers, there is Reformed Avengers, MEND is also talking on the sides, you also have quite a number of groups, all claiming to be fighting for the Niger Delta.

“I think the two major flashpoints are the Niger Delta and Boko Haram; the third is even more amorphous because there are no boundaries - the herdsmen who are killing people; it has abated a little now because of the rainy season; but who knows when the dry season comes and the grass start disappearing again, the problem may resurface and the kind of solution that the minister of agriculture is proposing, in effect is good but at the same time, they are also talking of grazing reserves that they want to rehabilitate.

Nobody has been told where they are in which part of the country.

That also has the potential for a big conflagration, another major problem.

“Now the proposals for the Avengers. There is a lot of talk now about another kind of Amnesty, about negotiations with government; meanwhile another arm of government is talking of being ready with enough force. All these are symptoms of a dysfunctional country; what we are treating is the symptom and not the disease.

Yoruba will say – o fi ete le, o npa lapalapa. Meaning you left leprosy and treating ringworm. Ringworm can’t kill, leprosy will.

“If you really put the total sum of all these together- efforts, money, emotion, destruction of lives, destruction of properties that are going on, on a daily basis, certain-

insurgents were killed Friday night during an airstrikes in Borno State.

This is even as an attack by the insurgent group on Kuburvwa village, near Chibok in Borno State, on Sunday, left at least 11 people dead.

Abubakar made this known after commissioning a hospital and borehole built by the Nigeria Air Force for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Bama.

He stated that the Air Force had carried out many successful air-

strikes against Boko Haram in the last few weeks.

“We have intensified airstrikes in recent weeks and have had outstanding results. On the 19th of this month (August), 300 terrorists were killed by our night operations,”he said.

The Air Marshal warned the Boko Haram insurgents to surrender now and face the wrath of justice because there would be no safe haven for them.

Earlier, he commissioned the borehole and hospital construc-

tion for IDPs and promised that well-trained personnel had been deployed to attend to the health challenges faced by IDPs. Meanwhile, an attack by the insurgent group on Kuburvwa village, near Chibok in Borno State, has left at least 11 people dead.

Residents of the agrarian community said they buried 11 corpses on Monday after the Sunday evening attack. Several women and girls living in the community, close to Chibok were over 200 girls were kidnapped in 2014, are also yet to be accounted

Lateef Ibrahim Abuja

ÏÏÏMembers

for.

A local security operative, who craved anonymity for safety reasons, said “many women, mostly married, were raped while others were taken away by the gunmen”.

The spokesperson of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Abbas Gava, confirmed the attack to journalists in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

“The attack took place in Kuburvwa village which is located between Chibok and Damboa towns.

of the BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) group were on Monday barred from their planned march to the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja by security operatives.

The BBOG group had on Sunday resolved to stage a protest march to the Presidential Villa to demand concrete actions from President Muhammadu Buhari to rescue the over 200 abducted Chibok Secondary School girls.

Members of the group were however prevented from going ahead with their plan by a combined security team comprising men of the Nigeria Police Force and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

The march, which took off at the Unity Fountain near Transcorp Hilton hotel at about 10 am, had gotten to the Head of Service office complex opposite National Assembly main entrance before being stopped at the Bullet Bus Stop.

The bus stop is the entrance to the Presidential Villa where armed Mobile Policemen formed barricade preventing the protesters from proceeding beyond that point.

Members of the BBOG group displayed placards with various inscriptions such as “Mr. President we want results”, “Will our girls be ever rescued?”, “Mr. President, decide now, act now”, Mr. President Go to Borno and lead from the front”.

Continued on page 12

Continued on page 12

Continued on page 12

Air Force airstrikes kill 300 Boko Haram members Continued from page 1

Security operatives bar BBOG from marching to Aso Rock

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

7 News

Jegede emerges PDP Guber candidate in Ondo ‘Tosin Ajuwon, Akure

ÎÎÎEyitayo

Jegede, the immediate past Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Ondo state has won the governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the November 26 governorship poll in the state.

Jegede who polled a total vote of 760 in the governorship primary election of the PDP held at the In-

ternational Events Centre (Dome), Akure defeated the former Special Adviser to Governor Olusegun Mimiko on Special Duties, Mr. Saka Lawal who polled 22 votes.

The Bayelsa State Governor, Hon Seirake Dickson who was the Chief Returning Officer announced at the end of the election supervised by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that “Jegede, having polled the highest votes in the election is hereby

declared the Governorship candidate of the PDP in the November 26 gubernatorial election in Ondo State.”

Dickson who was also the Chairman of the party’s Governorship primary election screening committee noted that the election was devoid of any manipulation, stressing that the election was conducted peacefully.

He lauded the leadership of the PDP in the state and the state Governor, Dr Mimiko for creating an enabling environment for a

free and fair primary election.

He said that the committee would also make sure that there won’t be any division within the party for the party to be victorious on the election day.

At the end of the election, he commended the delegates and aspirants for their compartment and therefore urged all the party members to be more united to achieve success in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state.

Speaking after the election, Governor Mimiko declared that Jegede would emerge the next Governor of the state with the support of the people of the state which he said he currently enjoys.

His words: “This is the beginning of our victory.

It is the beginning of our way to victory again in the PDP. The event of today has shown that the PDP is in control of the state.

We will beat the APC and prove to Nigerians that the PDP is in charge of Ondo

State”.

In his brief remarks after the primaries, Jegede called on members of the PDP in the state to work together for the victory of the party in the forthcoming Governorship election.

Jegede who noted that the primary election was a family affair expressed gratitude to the leadership of the party at both the national and state levels, even as he thanked Governor Mimiko for his unflinching interest in good governance.

Edo KOWA candidate targets 300,000 jobs

I’ll reunite Ondo APC if… - Niran Oladunni

Benin

ÎÎÎA

Titus Akhigbe,

Abimbola Obatayo

ÎÎÎThe

Governorship candidate of KOWA party for the September 10 election in Edo, Mr. Thompson Osadolor, has said no fewer than 300,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created when elected.

The gubernatorial candidate who stated this while addressing some youths organisations in Benin on Monday, said the jobs will be created through mobile network, agriculture and artisanship.

While noting that agriculture has the potential of creating wealth for over a million of the people within the shortest possible time, Osadolor particularly stressed on providing a new mobile network that will be run as a state enterprise.

He gave reason for this as the exploitative nature of the already established mobile operator, noting however, that when floated, thousands of employment opportunities, direct and indirect, will be created.

He disclosed that he was already in talk with some investors who have expressed interest on the ideas he laid on the table.

While not giving specific time frame for the job creation, Osadolor said substantial part of it will be created within two years in office.

According to him: “As regards the idea of a mobile network, it may seem an uphill task to accomplish

Chairman of the PDP Primary Election Committee for Ondo State and the Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson (left) and Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko (right) jointly raising hands of immediate past Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Ondo State, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN after been declared the winner of the PDP, governorship primary election in the State… on Monday.

Senator advises electorate against selling their PVCs Titus Akhigbe, Benin

ÎÎÎThe

Senator representing Edo North in the National Assembly, Mr. Francis Alimikhena, has advised the electorate in Edo against selling their Permanent Voter Card (PVC).

Senator Alimikhena handed down this advise on Monday, at campaign rallies in Ozalla, Sobe and Uzebba, in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo. He appealed to the people not to sell their PVC to anybody who may come to them under the guise of assisting them with loan or job.

“The PVC is your property, don’t give or sell it to anybody. We hear they are going about buying PVCs with the promise of giving you loan or jobs, please stop if you have not. They are not sincere, they want to use it to carry out evil plans.

“They know they can’t win election, and in their characteristic ways, they are going about wooing people to sell their cards.

They know that these cards are meant to punish them for the evil they have done the state in the past,” he stated.

The state chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Anselm Ojezua, while speaking at the ral-

lies, said the party’s governorship candidate, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Mr. Philip Shaibu, have forged a common front to take the state to the next level.

Ojezua said the duo, having been part of the success story of Adams Oshiomhole government in the past seven years, understands what needed to be done to move the state to the next level.

The party chairman also said APC as a party, have justified the confidence reposed on them by the people.

“We have tried by constructing roads, building schools, hospitals, and providing water, these past

seven years. We are however not unaware that more still needed to be done.

“Our greatest joy, as a party and people, is that for once, we shown that Edo state is working, and that more can be achieved.

It is for this reason that we are again counting on your support, by voting for Obaseki and Shaibu, for governor and deputy.

“Obaseki and Shaibu have been assisted Oshiomhole this past seven years, as executive and legislative member of the government respectively.

In them, we are not presenting just a winning team, but a team that will work for the people,” he said.

leading gubernatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Moyosola Niran-Olaunni, has vowed to reunite the party before the November governorship election in the state, if voted the candidate of the party.

Niran-Oladunni made his intention known, while addressing a group of concerned professionals and youths in separate meetings in Ose Local Government Area of state and in Akure, the state capital, on Sunday, August 21st.

The aspirant, who described his candidature as a unifying factor within the APC, enjoined all his fellow aspirants to respect the supremacy of the party and accord its leaders the respect and honour due to them.

He submitted that the interest of the party must be placed above any personal or individual interest, while appealing to all party members to “unite behind a common candidate in order to ensure victory for the party and also liberate the state from the grip of the present crop of selfish leaders”.

Niran-Olaunni

8

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Politics

EKUNGBA

Æs

APC members should back Ekungba to win Governorship poll - Bello

The All Progressives Congress, (APC) has been advised to present a renowned Chartered Accountant and member of the party’s Board of Trustees, Alhaji Jamiu Ekungba as the party’s consensus candidate in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

Making the appeal in Lagos, a Public Affairs Analyst, Mr. Sule Sikiru Bello noted that of all the aspirants currently jostling for APC’s ticket to contest the election, Alhaji Ekungba stood out from the entire pack.

“Without being biased, looking at all those other aspirants seeking to clinch APC’s ticket in the forthcoming governorship election, Alhaji Ekungba is the candidate who is the most experienced. Apart from being a foundation member of the party, Alhaji Ekungba is a versatile politician, a grass root leader. He is a Chartered Accountant with over 24 years experience in the banking sector. He is also a farmer with big plantations. His wealth of experience in the private sector

combined with political clout will be of tremendous benefit to Ondo State.

Alhaji Ekungba is also not a religious bigot. He is not tainted with any scandal, and he is not controversial. Although from Owo, but Alhaji Ekungba is a politician who sees the entire Ondo State as his own constituency. Rather than going through fractious primaries, I implore APC to adopt this man as its candidate for the elecCONTINUED ON PAGE 9

We are fulfilling our electoral promises - Benue Dep. Gov. After an inspection of some projects being executed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) government particularly those in Makurdi, the Benue State Capital, Deputy Governor Engr. Benson Abounu, expressed satisfaction with the work so far done and assured that more will be executed. FREDDIE ADAMGBE was there. Excerpts: You, alongside some members of the Executive Council have embarked on an inspection of projects being executed by this administration. Are you satisfied with the level of work done so far?

I think if you look at our programme, this administration is concerned about development of the state, development of the people of the state and development of the economy of the state and so if you look at all the projects, they are development projects. We went to the School of Nursing and Midwifery where there is massive construction, massive rehabilitation of the buildings, equipping the school for better learning and conducive atmosphere for learning.

We all know that the health sector of any economy is one of the most important sectors and as a result, the training of nurses for effective health care delivery system is absolutely important and you need good health to develop. We left there and went to the Entrepreneurship Development Centre and again, it is all

about development because one concerns the training of youths from the entire North Central zone of Nigeria. We just graduated a set of 5,000 trainees a day before yesterday. Benue State is hosting this centre on behalf of the North Central zone of Nigeria and it’s all about equipping and enhancing the development of the youths in order that they can become useful citizens of the country and also hold the economy of the nation together.

We left there and went to The Voice which is the state newspaper, again information dissemination is extremely important and this is something that has been closed down for close to 20 years or more and this administration decided that we must wake it up so that we can have effective information dissemination as part of our development project. Again, we went to the Primary Health Care Board which is a basic requirement of the Federal Government of Nigeria that health care must be delivered to the grass roots.

The board was set up last year and it’s a complete new board as

ABOUNU In addition to that, we are also trying to partner with one of the state of the art in scientific medical health care delivery system in Nigeria operating in Abuja that would come down here for us to have the kind of thing you are talking about, a center that will be like a referral center like the kind of center you are talking about in India.

a result they don’t have a headquarters for now and that is why we are providing the headquarters. You could see that this administration is all about development and so we have projects scattered all over the state and today I decided to go down personally to take a look at what is going on and quite honestly I can tell you that I’m very impressed. Very impressed because the level of work is up to expectation both in terms

of quality and in quantity as a result I give a pass mark to the contractors and we are hoping that in the foreseeable future, a matter of months from now, we will have some of them commissioned for the necessary services that will be delivered to the people of Benue State.

What is your direction in terms of manpower to match the infrastructure before the end of your tenure?

I think that’s a very vital

question because we’re doing everything possible starting from the higher cadre to the lower cadre and that is why we went to the Schools of Nursing and Midwifery today because that is the intermediary stage of health care delivery system in terms of manpower which is very critical. Whatever happens from the top, you will discover that you need the nurses and the midwives to take care CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

9 Politics

‘APC members should back Ekungba to win Governorship poll’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

tion. He has the experience and whatever it takes to lead APC to victory over PDP in the election”, Sule stressed.

Urging APC leadership to avoid imposition, Sule warned that any attempt to impose a particular candidate by APC leadership will have a boomerang effect which may jeopardise APC’s chances in the election.

“Already, some people are grumbling. Already there are accusations and allegations of attempt being made by one of the top leaders in APC to foist a particular candidate on the others, APC is seriously warned against doing so, any attempt to do that will backfire, if the party cannot adopt Alhaji Ekungba as the consensus candidate, then a level playing ground should be provided for all the aspirants. Godfatherism should not have any role to play in the entire exercise. This is the best opportunity APC has to dislodge PDP from power in Ondo State and the golden opportunity should not be missed”, Sule declared.

Ekungba

Oyegun

We are fulfilling our electoral promises - Benue Dep. Gov.

ABOUNU I decided to go down personally to take a look at what is going on and quite honestly I can tell you that I’m very impressed.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

of the patients in terms of the management of the patients and of course the midwives to take care of delivery in hospitals and so on. But then even beyond that, there is a place we didn’t go to today which is the College of Health Sciences at the Benue State University and which this current admin-

istration has poured a lot of investment into in order that we can train doctors since we came. Because of our intervention in the College, we have been able to graduate three sets of doctors that had stagnated for almost 12 years. As I talk to you, another set will be graduating next month, September, and so we are massively training people in the

health sector to make sure that we have necessary manpower to deliver health care to the people. In addition to that, we are also trying to partner with one of the state of the art in scientific medical health care delivery system in Nigeria operating in Abuja that would come down here for us to have the kind of thing you are talking about, a center that will be

like a referral center like the kind of center you are talking about in India. It is on the drawing board; we’re trying to have two of them, one here in Makurdi and perhaps one in Aliade, respectively. So we are not leaving any stone unturned at all.

You went round and at some of the projects you were pointing out some of the lapses in the structures, what would you like to be adjusted in these structures?

The issue is that there is nothing that is full proof, there is no project that you will undertake in this life that is full proof, designs are there and the engineers and those who are implementing the designs are supposed to keep to the specifications but you will discover that once in a while, they will be out of the way and as an engineer myself, I had to point them out and luckily the site engineers are highly trained and as soon as I pointed them out, they immediately agreed and they have decided that they are going to take care of them.

We saw so many obsolete equipment at the Benue

Printing and Publishing Corporation, what is your administration going to do about that for effective information dissemination ?

The printing machines which you saw there are what we call the analog machines and they are completely out of date. Now printing has gone digital where they now not only print on papers, they now print on wood, they print on metal and glasses, so you can see that now printing has gone digital and those equipment which you saw are completely obsolete. I asked the Government Printer and he said there is nothing they can do about them again. I even jokingly told him that when he retires maybe government should give them to him to go and set up his own business and he said no if government cannot repair them and bring them to use what more of him. So they are completely obsolete.

As I talk to you, new equipment, modern equipment, have already been purchased and they are in a store there so as soon as the renovation work is finished they are going to be installed.

Politics 10

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Lawyer drags Aregbesola to court over new tax law Ï G ƓƕƆƏ ƗƏ ƏƆ ƄƆ Ƌ Ɛ ƅ ƑƏƐ ƒƆƏ ƆƓ Ɛ Ɣ Ƌ Ɠ A right activist, Barrister Kanmi Ajibola has dragged the Governor of Osun State, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola to court over the recently introduced land use tax in the state, asking the court to declare the law backing it up and which was signed in March this year by the governor as null and void.

Besides, the lawyer noted that no one can sign into effect any new tax regime apart from the state Commissioner for Finance, saying Aregbesola’s refusal to inaugurate new state executive council for over one year and nine months further make the introduction of the said tax unacceptable.

Barrister Ajibola who joined the State House of Assembly in his suit filed at the State High Court, Ilesa stated that the law by that its name, ‘the State of Osun Land use Charge Law 2016’ and its maker, ‘State of Osun House of Assembly’

AREGBESOLA

are unlawful and unconstitutional.

According to the legal practitioner in 53-point affidavits he deposed to, all actions taken by either the governor or the state lawmakers with the name “State of Osun” cannot stand in the face of the law.

He said, “Osun State is the creation of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Expressly and impliedly, what the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria created is Osun State not “State of Osun” “I believe that ‘State of Osun’ is an impish coinage and unknown to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The first Defendant, that is the Governor of Osun State, took his oath of office as the GoveÅrnor of Osun State.

“I believe there is a difference between ‘Osun State Government’ and ‘State of Osun Government’. I believe ‘Osun State’ does not mean the same thing as the ‘State of Osun”.

“I believe that ‘Osun State

House of Assembly’ does not mean the same as ‘State of Osun House of Assembly’. I strongly believe that the ‘State of Osun Land Use Charge law, 2016’ is made for the state unknown to the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“I strongly believe that the ‘State of Osun Land use Charge Law, 2016’ is made by a legislative body unknown to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

He stated if the law is allowed to operate, the state through a private company, Interspatial Limited will be making an average of unlawful N50 billion per annum at a time when workers in the state are being paid irregularly with half salaries.

Barrister Ajibola asked the court to restrain the state from implementing the law and set it aside in its entirety adding that the policy and its operation would be encouraging social, security and economic malaises in the state.

zƆôƋƋ ƗƆ Ƌ ƓƈƐ Ƌ Ɨ Ə ƄƄƆƏ è ƌ ƐƐƆƏ Ɠ ƈ Ƌƕ ƍƋ ƅƆƗ é LASG The Lagos State Government on Monday said it would fully enforce the anti-land grabbing law against anyone found wanting, no matter how highly placed in the society.

It said it would not allow anyone forcefully collecting money for foundation, roofing and fencing, among others.

The state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, said in a statement in Lagos that the government would enforce the law to the letter, no matter whose ox is gored.

Kazeem said that the state government was not oblivious of the fact that some of those involved in the practice were being sponsored by highly placed members of the society, including traditional rulers.

He said that any of such people`` who encourage or connive with `Omo-Oniles or Ajagungbales’ to perpetrate their illegal activities will be made to face

the full wrath of the law.

“We will not hesitate to deal decisively with anyone who forcefully dispossesses people of their legitimate rights to land,’’ the commissioner said.

He reiterated that the Properties Protection Law, signed

by Ambode on Aug.15, seeks to check such excesses and offenders would face the consequence of their actions based on provisions of the law.

“Section 2(1) states that as from the commencement of the law, no one shall use force or self-help to take over any landed property or engage in any act inconsistent with the proprietary right of the owner in the State.

“Furthermore, subsection 2(two) states that persons who have used force to take over the properties of others and still do so after 3 months from the date of commencement of the law commit an offence. Anyone who commits such offence is liable to ten (10) years imprisonment.

ƌƄ ƗƆ

“Also, anyone without lawful authority who applies threats or violence to secure entry into any landed property for personal use commits an offence. ``Regardless of if the entry is lawful, it does not give a right to use threats or violence and anyone who commits the offence shall be liable to 10 (ten) years imprisonment.

“Furthermore, by virtue of section 3(4), anyone who uses fire arms or offensive weapons or is in any way armed or wounds anyone while committing the act of forced entry is liable to 4(four) years imprisonment,” he said.

Recall that the state Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, while signing the law, said it was central to his administration’s focus of safeguarding the lives of all residents.

He said it would help to attract, grow investments and improve the ease of doing business in the state, and marked the end of the road for land grabbers.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

11 Politics

CCT fixes Oct. 5 to rule on Saraki’s fresh motion

....also decides Orubebe’s fate Sept 21

Andrew Orolua Abuja

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), on Monday, fixed October 5, 2016 to deliver ruling on the fresh motion filed by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who had asked the tribunal to stop his trial on the 16-count criminal charge.

Saraki is facing the charges for alleged false/anticipatory declaration of assets and for having operated foreign bank accounts while he was in office as Kwara State governor between 2003 and 2011. He also was alleged to have collected governorship salary four years after his tenure had elapsed.

The Federal Government had on April 6, opened its case by calling its first witness, Mr. Michael Wetkas, a detective with

the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to testify before the tribunal.

Wetkas was the head of a three-man crack team the antigraft agency constituted in 2014 to investigate six separate petitions against Saraki.

Meanwhile, after cross-examining the star witness for twelve days, Saraki, through his team of lawyers led by Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), asked Justice Danladi Umar, who is Chairman of the CCT, to disqualify himself from the trial for being bias.

Saraki maintained that remarks the judge made in the open court clearly portrayed his bias against him.

He said the judge had in the course of the proceeding, threatened to ensure he faced the full consequences of the charge, despite whatever delay tactics he chose to employ in the course of

Nigeria will strengthen partnership with IDB, says Buhari

Buhari

SARAKI

Senate President

the trial.

Saraki insisted that the statement eroded confidence he had in the ability of Justice Umar to grant him fair hearing.

He therefore prayed Umar to suspend further hearing and hands-off the matter.

However, government lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, (SAN), urged the tribunal to dismiss the motion as an abuse of judicial process.

Jacobs contended that the mo-

tion was a deliberate ploy by the defendant to stall his trial.

The CCT, also on Monday, said it has also fixed September 21 to deliver judgement on charge preferred against the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, by the Federal Government.

Orubebe is facing a onecount amended charge over allegation that he failed to declare his ownership of a at Plot 2057 Asokoro District, Abuja.

According to a press statement signed by Head, Press and Public Relations at the CCT, Mr. Ibraheem Al-Hassan, the CCT chairman, Justice Umar okayed the matter for judgment in a notice signed by a Principal Registrar, Victor Isibor, for Director Legal Services Department.

The notice dated August 17, contained sittings scheduled by the tribunal for months of September and October.

The Federal Government says it will deepen its partnership with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) to fund critical projects in health, water and the infrastructure sector.

This is contained in a statement issued by Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, in Abuja on Monday.

Buhari stated this when he received, Dr. Ali Madani, the President of the IDB Group at the State House, Abuja.

The president commended the bank for supporting several developmental projects across the country.

He acknowledged that the bank had funded several people-oriented projects in Osun,

Kaduna, Jigawa, Niger, Katsina, Kano and Ebonyi states, demonstrating its ``soft spot and robust support’’ for Nigeria. ‘‘We cannot thank you enough for the height you have achieved for the bank in 41 years.

“Now that you are about to retire, we thank you for the quality leadership which the world has recognised,’’ the president said.

Buhari also expressed appreciation to the IDB Group and other countries for extending their assistance to Internally Displaced Persons in the NorthEast.

He assured the visiting IDB chief that Nigeria, a major financier of the bank, would meet

all its obligations to the development institution within the shortest time possible.

Buhari highlighted efforts of the current administration at diversifying the economy with emphasis on agriculture.

He expressed strong optimism that Nigeria would achieve selfsufficiency in rice and sugar; and export both commodities in the next three years.

In his remarks, Madani congratulated Buhari on the positive outcomes of the war against corruption and terrorism.

According to him, the bank is ready to mobilise resources from Arab fund for developmental initiatives of the Nigerian government and the private sector, particularly on agriculture.

News 12

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Security operatives bar BBOG from marching to Aso Rock Continued from page 6 The BBOG group members were equally joined in the march by some of the applicants who applied for the 2014 Immigration recruitment exercise but were dismissed after training.

They were successfully prevented from going beyond the Bullet Bus Stop entrance to the Presidential Villa by the security operatives on the order of Chief Superintendend of Police (CSP), Chuks Obasi, who was in charge of the operation.

At a state, a serious shouting

bout ensued between the Police Chief and one of the leaders of BBOG and former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwezili, who led the protesters.

Ezekwesili specifically demanded for reasons as to why the march could not proceed to meet with President Buhari as planned.

The former Minister and the Police chief engaged each other in question and answer conversation as to why the protest must not go further and otherwise when this argument ensued.

At a point, tempers rose and Ezekwesile said, “Officer, don’t point

your finger at me, put your finger down. Don’t point your finger at me”.

In response, CSP Obasi said, “Madam, I will point finger at you”.

Ezekwesili said further: “They can’t possibly stop us here and don’t they have anyone in charge?

We want the officer in charge”.

Also CSP Obasi said: “I’m in charge of the operation here. We are here to ensure that this march does not lead to break down of law and order. We are here to ensure that this march does not assume violent dimension.”

Ezekwesili added: “If I heard you

well sir, you are here not to stop us from engaging Mr. President. Can I make a demand? That you help us make it to the Villa first gate and President meets us there. We wrote to ask for this. We are law abiding citizens. Can you ask your people to remove the cordon to enable us engage our democratically elected President?

However, the police chief remain adamant.

After the argument, the BBOG leadership asked its members to occupy the road where they eventually conducted their sit out while Police and men of Nigerian Securi-

ty and Civil Defence Corps (NSDC) watched on.

The BBOG group also called on President Barack Obama of the United States, Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom, President Hollande of France, Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, in particular “to support Nigeria with all their military and intelligence assets to rescue or secure the release of OUR #ChibokGirls”.

Air Force airstrikes kill 300 Boko Haram members Continued from page 6

Deputy Governor, Cross River State, Prof. Evara Ejemot Esu (middle); Head, Enterprise Business Team and IT, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Anu Rotimi Agboola (2nd left) during the official commissioning of Samsung Smart School in Calabar, Cross River State… on Monday.

According to reports we received from our operatives in that area, the Boko Haram gunmen invaded the village at night on Sunday and began to shoot.

“Many women, including house wives, were raped by the gunmen who also killed at least 11 persons.

“According to our men, who called us from Chibok, many people that fled the village into the bushes have not returned to the community as at Monday morning.”

Gava said his group, which works closely with the Nigerian military does not have “the exact number of women that were reportedly abducted by the gunmen.”

‘How to avoid imminent disintegration’ Continued from page 6 ly, the General has a good right to fear that this country is standing on some form of brink of disintegration. I do not know in which part of the country there is no agitation. Even in the West here, if you go through the social media, if you have a glimpse into the many groups that are coalescing, on one subject: they want autonomy for themselves. Even on welfare, they may not be fighting like Boko Haram but this is burning in this place and it is burning for many years. So, what has stopped us from looking at the real reasons why these things are happening?

“We are not the first to have oil, many countries have oil, a lot of them on land. America, Venezuela have. A lot of them that have offshore like we do, North sea oil, Angola; so why is it difficult for us

to see clearly, plainly and transparently, how they relate to those resources; why must we allow them to raise their voices not to talk about carrying guns, to solve the problem which other people have solved. It’s not Rocket Science, we don’t need someone to tell us what the Americans, and Venezuelans do with their oil. For us, in the third world, it’s making us poorer but for the first world, its making them very rich and nobody is quarrelling over it. So, these are part of the issues we should look at.

“Why are the Avengers there, why is the Boko Haram there, why are the herdsmen running around the whole place? All of them have routes, and it is those routes that we must realistically confront. For Niger Delta, if you read them very well, simply, they want their property back from the rest of us. I feel very embarrassed and ashamed

when they say their oppressors are from the north and the west. I feel really uncomfortable for the west had never felt being big part of the whole country. We have always stood by ourselves. Everything you see in the west was always developed by the west, mainly by the west, from Awolowo’s time even till now. So, oil wealth is a worst curse for the Yoruba than anybody else except the Niger Delta people who live in the area with polluted water, pungent air, everything affected physically, but for us, emotionally and in production. It has also affected us because we have learnt a lot of bad habits. Who wants to spend hours and years now tending to cocoa and other cash crops; that is why for a long time, we have neglected it. You want to revive it, you have to make very mighty efforts to do so.

“The way we have to approach

the problems; if people are talking of restructuring the country; virtually every part of these areas are talking about it, whether the Avengers, the Biafra agitators asking for independence and within Yorubaland. I’m even particularly delighted that after a lot of hue and cry, the west, not necessarily the government, some governors were there at a recent event and declared that they now have to fight for true federalism. That’s the biggest news I’ve heard for a very long time because I’ve became suspicious that all the people that we elected on the basis of causing a restructuring of the country so that people can feel easy, they feel part of this country, we thought we had lost that.

“It was very distressing when an under 23 young man, a Nigerian who ought to play for us in Rio declared that he would never repre-

sent Nigeria again. If this under 23 boy made that declaration, I think it is important for us to sit down and really take this matter very seriously. I know it is serious in the east, it is serious in the South south, it’s serious in the west, also somewhat in the middle belt, but I’m not sure it is articulate. But in the north, the air of superiority, intransigence, if we don’t agree to it, it’s not going to be done; I think that is what is really reeking a lot of people on the matter. In fact, it’s like pouring petrol on a burning house, that’s what it’s been doing.

It won’t last for very long because Buhari has been there for one and half years. I hope by our own mistakes of omission and commission, he won’t be the last President of a country called Nigeria”, he warned.

Read full text of the no-holdsbarred interview tomorrow

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

13

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Opinion 14

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Celebrating Ibrahim Babangida at 75

T

he gap toothed military General has always attracted to himself intense love and perhaps, hatred by those who love to hate

William Bozimo

him.

Ordinarily, many Nigerians never liked soldiers no matter their close affiliation to them.

Many have and their mindsets on the mistaken belief that soldiers are often educational dropouts. However, it was during the Nigerian civil war that most encountered soldiers.

My preliminary contact with the IBB was during my working days with the Daily Times as a senior correspondent from 19741978. I had earlier worked for the Nigerian TIDE newspaper owned by the Rivers State Government of Commander Alfred Diete Spiff.

Apart from the routine reportage of stories of interest to the Rivers State Government, I reviewed books written by Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and JP Clark, the triumvirate literary stars.

Later I saw in the late Mamman JiyaVatsa, a soldier turned poet whose works I found soul searching and uplifting. His maiden book, ‘The Bird Sings for Rain’ made an impression on me and we took time out to do interviews and reviews of some of his works.

As friends from Niger State, Mamman Vatsa later introduced me to his military colleague IBB. Our friendship blossomed from then on.

For me, IBB was a more sociable and mercurial fellow easygoing and generally friendly.

From my close watch, I came to understand that as member of the Armoured Corps division, it seemed any time matters of change of leadership was being discussed in hushed voices, IBB was almost invariably in the thick and thin of midnight meetings when innocent soldiers were going about their chores without knowing that a coup was being plotted.

He was always a member of the Supreme military council from the days of Murtala, OBJ and even Buhari.

For a man who finds it easy to mix with the lower and upper ranks of the military, he always had their ears.

When I left Daily Times for the News Agency of Nigeria 1 was a chief correspondent for a while and when coups are being staged, it was one of my duties to ensure whom the masterminds of the early morning martial music that usually heralds the announcement of various coups.

I vividly remember the coup that ousted President Shehu Shagari in December 1983 and from the voices, we heard that morning wet those of Gen, Abacha, Idiagbon and IBB in Radio Nigeria, Ikoyi.

IBB became a name that had magnetized the feelings of most Nigerians, who believe that he was a man with many lives, a risk taker and was fearless almost to a fault.

Nevertheless, for a soldier destined to excel in his chosen career, it was even almost difficult to pin him down for an interview because he was virtually on the move as a professional contact man for all seasons.

Sturdily built, fair-skinned he seemed a lady’s man by all standards.

In his own account of the civil war when he passed through hills and forests in the Enugu axis, it was there that e had got the injury that had lingered up to today.

After achieving his military successes during the civil war, he came to Asaba and met the woman of his dream, Maryam Ndidi Okogun, who he told directly that he would marry her despite his seeming notoriety as a playboy within the military.

No greater memory could a son in law bequeath to a wife for whom a brand new state DELTA was created. In addition, today within a week, Delta would celebrate 25 years of its existence and who says playboys does not pay.

Delta state was indeed a gift of Maryam Ndidi Akogunfor the

people of Delta state.

In between coups and counter coups, we have met several times in Ikoyi Lagos at his residence.

I can also recall that his wife prepared some egusi soup and pounded yam for me to eat.

Between IBB and I, we have a binding tie that is difficult to define. We are friends and when we meet he calls me Willy Bee reminding me of my Lagos Weekend days as Editor of that scandal sheet that carried stories of sexual escapades of men and women where I contributed weekly diet of juicy and delectable sexy stories that you could hardly resist. Even for High Court Judges, they would place a copy of the Lagos Weekend inside Guardian and Tribune newspapers and they leave the Lagos Weekend behind in their hallowed chambers.

For a man who had always been key to opening most successful coups, it was perhaps, only a matter of time that he would strike and be Man of the show sooner than later.

Just under two years of Shagari’s overthrow in December 1983, IBB proved he bootmakers right when he struck with a clinical accuracy as he moved against Buhari and Idiagbon- the non -smiling duo who had tried to entrench a reign of terror and pushing the press into a dark age as two Guardian reporters – Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor were jailed for publishing a list of Ambassadorial nominees.

It can only take the guts of an IBB to shove the draconikan

regime of Buhari Idiagbon out of circulation.

Every other coup seems to beget a fresh coup and within a few months, there was a coup linking Mamman Vatsa to oust IBB –as twosome from Minna and Niger state, many felt IBB would not do justice to the plotters.

Mamman and others paid the supreme price for an incipient coup.

For IBB, it is perhaps to take imdue advantage of personal friendship for granted.

From then on, one knewthat it was dangerous to mistake IBB’s gap -toothed smiles for granted, and in a situation of life and death, every man will answer his father’s name.

As if that hazardous exercise of coup plotting was not serious enough, another band of plotters, led by Col Gideon Orka and a band of rag- tag retired soldiers attempted another deadly coup to dethrone him from Dodan Barracks, Lagos.

IBB as always, displayed Catwith nine lives status prevailed with Gen Abacha, his stable partner in coup matters rallied support and spirited him out of the endangered DodanBarraksthat was badly damaged and bullet- ridden barracks.

For some strange reasons, yours truly narrowly escaped being labeled a coup plotter by association.

Willy Bee was picked up from his office in NAN- News Agency of Nigeria on grounds that he was a friend of an alleged coup plotter and financier.

During my intense interrogation in Ikoyi by some top military and intelligence officers, they were convinced that if a Willy BEE knew of a coup then that coup would fail before starting.

Most of the officers on the investigative paneldiscovered that as former Editor of Lagos Weekend, if they had caught me with daughter or wife a soldier I would have accepted guilt of adultery.

However, talking of blood coups was never my cup of tea. I was released, discharged and aquitted on any charge of mutiny or coup plotting.

It was a very day for one to be polaced under detention for upwards of three months before I was released.

I respect IBB for not all that transpired to the effect that Willy Bee could never be a party to a coup to unseat IBB. Today August 17 as he celebrates his 75th year on this lonely earth, having seen fire and brimstone in his military career, he should remain steadfast as a patriot and lover of humanity.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

15 Opinion

As Ohakim quits active politics?

T

Fred Nwaozor

he immediate past governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim had reportedly quit active partisan politics, ‘temporarily’ though. Ohakim who announced the decision at his Okohia, Isiala-Mbano Local Government Area (LGA) on Sunday 14 August 2016, stated that he was too intelligent to be involved in the ongoing ‘brigandage’ in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Having disclosed that he wanted to go on ‘sabbatical’ and focus on mentoring young people coupled with his Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), the Imo politician equally stated that he was not asking any of his supporters/followers to follow him. He went further to express regret that the PDP leaders had been taking deliberate steps to destabilise it.

It is obvious that the reason behind the unceremonious vacation is not unconnected with the lingering crisis befalling the PDP; it is not news that, for some time now, the PDP has been in a parlous state. This was exactly how the former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani, also of the PDP, publicly declared his intent to retire from active politics few months ago. Until now, his followers are earnestly awaiting his

next line of action. However, few weeks ago, the news went viral that Nnamani had concluded all plans to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Unequivocally, the news that Chief Ikedi Ohakim had quit active partisan politics is, to say the least, laughable and ridiculous.

Suchlike unpredicted move has succeeded in convincing most people that Nigerian politicians have acquired a new style of leaving their various political parties for another.

It is indeed a wake-up call to their respective fans. Such ongoing scenario beats my psyche intensely because, at the end, their followers stand to suffer the injury incurred in the process.

This is conspicuously the ripe time to intimate the electorate on what they need to realize regarding leadership and follower ship, else failure to do so, the Nigerian society stands to lose. There are no two ways about it.

Since we aren’t unaware that Chief Ohakim can only genuinely exit from active politics over his dead body, considering how talented and gifted he is in the game of politics or whenever the said game is mentioned, it’s needless to reiterate that the politician in question is only trying to exercise his notable smart nature by putting up the so-called French-leave.

Our politicians must learn to comprehend that, defection isn’t in any way wholesome to any socio-political terrain, let alone doing so albeit deceitfully.

There is power in opposition.

Hence, it is not only the ruling party that is in power as being presumed. We often tend to misunderstand the fact, thereby making us misinterpret the prime essence of opposition in a democratic reign. Read my lips; there will never be good governance in any society whatsoever without viable and sound opposition. Opposition was originally designed to engineer the implementation of the policies that would usher in the anticipated governance.

However, it is unarguably pathetic that in this part of the world, particularly Nigeria, our politicians usually tend to confuse the actual impact of opposition on nation building.

Besides, why would a party stalwart resign his membership owing to an ongoing internal crisis? To me, such uncalled act is not unlike a situation where you are fighting or chasing the devil with a relative, and the relation in question ends up addressing you as the devil. We must learn to fight to the end regardless of the enormity of the circumstance; I want to strongly disabuse us of the notion that, in a given orga-

nization, some are expected to cultivate while others are meant to reap thereafter.

In a union of two or more persons, misunderstanding or challenges are bound to set in; it is a natural phenomenon. It is not about the challenge; it is about how the overall members unanimously try to overcome it.

In other words, we should not absorb any challenge as the end of the road. Challenges, which mainly lead to fortification, are arguably consequential if we are interested in moving ahead or unalloyed progression. Therefore, I candidly put it up to you that Chief Ohakim, among others of like minds, has derailed. I said so because, they left when the party they have enjoyed its membership for years needed them most.

As the founding members of the PDP, this is the time they are required to employ their expertise towards resolving the inferno that is bedeviling the party. We cannot take a leave at a time our services are needed most. We are aware that dynamism is required of every politician but when betrayal is involved, it becomes a social deviance. Smartness is undoubtedly consequential but when it is targeted towards the downfall of your immediate family, it becomes preposterous and irrational.

Abia: Protecting our common heritage

P Okechukwu Ukegbu

oliticians are expected to exhibit the spirit of sportsmen. Sportsmen after losing games embrace their opponents.

Their consolation is anchored on the fact that games come and go and that if they do not win today another sporting event provides a window for them to win tomorrow.

Unfortunately, politics in the Nigerian context is viewed from the perspective of “do or die”. It is characterised by mudslinging, backbiting, manipulations and maneuverings, character assassination, even at extreme cases attempt to assassinate political opponents.

No place has the negative characteristics of politics come to play recently than Abia. Since the present administration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu was installed last year, there have been desperate attempts to truncate the mandate,

which the Abia people vested on him in the April 2015 governorship elections.

The attempts have culminated into several litigations, which witnessed its height on June 27 when Justice Okong Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja delivered a judgment that will go in the annals of Nigerian legal history as “the most controversial judgment”. The said judgment removed Ikpeazu from office as the governor of Abia State despite some glaring flaws.

Thank God for the same judiciary which lived up to its bidding as “the hope of the common man”.

The Appeal Court sitting in Abuja last week upturned the judgment, describing it as not only “ a rape of our democracy” but “ a miscarriage of justice”.

Unarguably, the protracted governorship crisis in Abia State has taken a huge toll on the social, economic, and political activities in the state. The crisis has constitut-

ed a serious clog in the wheel of progress in the state. Now that the storm is over, it is high time major actors in this crisis had a rethink and demonstrate that Abia is our common heritage, which we should collectively protect. It is high time they think Abia first.”

Abia First” which formed some of their campaign slogans and has graduated to a mantra illustrates that the interest of Abia should ride above personal interest- no matter how highly placed the interest is.

Like sports, political seasons would not cease if Christ tarries to come for the second time. If one fails to win today, the forthcoming political dispensation provides a window for him to win tomorrow.

Globally, one leader can only occupy a particular political office at a time and not more than one.

Here is a passionate appeal to the major actors in the crisis that Abia is already lying on the fringe, stretching this crisis further

would not only be antithetical but would deepen the wounds up to a point that they may refuse to heal. Appeals even to the Supreme Court, is your right, which cannot be denied, but it is indisputable that the collective interest of Abians should override individual interest.

There is also a passionate appeal to the fifth columnists in the crisis to stop prodding their principals to take further actions that would jeopardise the unity of Abia and plunge the state into anarchy. Like the bible admonishes us thus:” For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Mark 8:36- what shall it profit you to line your pockets at the detriment of your dear state, Abia.

Indeed, Abia is our common heritage. It does not belong to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu alone.

It belongs to all of us. All hands must be on deck to achieve its greatness.

16

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

EXTRATIME

17

SPECIAL FEATURE

Nigerian

football in meltdown!

Segun Odegbami

T

hings have never been this dire for the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation. Almost two years into the tenure of the present board, Nigeria’s fortune in football has dipped to its lowest level ever.

The Super Eagles have failed to qualify for the last two Africa Cup of Nations championships.

The team has plunged in the Fifa rankings to 70th position in the world. There is also now the real possibility that the team will not qualify for the 2018 World Cup, considering the state of the team, its recent poor run, and the extremely difficult group it shares with Cameroun, Algeria, and Zambia, three of the strongest teams in Africa.

In the age-group competitions, where the country is known to do extremely well, the country’s Under-20 national team, the Flying Eagles, lost at home to Sudan in the second leg of the qualifying match for the African Youth Championship. With that defeat Nigeria will be missing from the next championship.

Nigeria will also be missing to defend the FIFA U-17 World Cup the country won following the failure of the

Golden Eaglets to qualify from Africa.

The response to this state of affairs is to hire a new foreign coach to rescue the Super Eagles.

Everything else was excused and accepted by Nigerians but the failure of their flagship team. Its fate has often marked the fate of the board of the NFF. Now there is ‘fire on the mountain’ and the NFF leadership has been running helter skelter to steady their rocking ship.

The search for foreign coach alone dominated conversations in the country in the past week, following the dramatic failure of the technical committee to seal the deal of their pre-ordained choice in a well-planned but poorly executed plot to return Nigeria to the era of foreign coaches.

The decision generated a lot of controversy between those who think Nigerians have grown enough in the game of football to manage their own national team, and those who think that only foreign coaches have the capacity and stature to do the national team job properly.

Both sides have their points, even though the facts are clear: most of the foreign coaches the country has hired after Professor Otto Gloria in 1980 have been very ordinary at best, and have not been justified by the results they achieved (except in the case of Clemens Westerhof).

Add to this the

M00 Ƅ è ƌ ƉƑ ^ƈ ƈƅƊê

allegations of dirty financial deals often associated with the exercise, the astronomical sums these ordinary unknown European coaches were paid, and their consistent failure to achieve the desired goals, and one is left with the lingering question of what our administrators find in these foreign journey-men coaches that our local but well qualified and experienced coaches do not have. Foreign coaches in Nigeria have not done what Nigerian coaches have failed to do. The statistics are available for all to see.

Sometimes, I start to think that this belittling of Nigerian coaches is the psychological debris of a colonial mentality that condemns everything local as primitive and unproductive, and everything foreign as civilised and superior.

In truth, the scorecard of the Nigerian

“In the age-group competitions, where the country is known to do extremely well, the country’s Under-20 national team, the Flying Eagles, lost at home to Sudan in the second leg of the qualifying match for the African Youth Championship. With that defeat Nigeria will be missing from the next championship. Nigeria will also be missing to defend the FIFA U-17 World Cup the country won following the failure of the Golden Eaglets to qualify from Africa.”

coaches, drawn from a pool of ex-internationals, particularly in the past two years, has not helped their defense and may actually have become the excess baggage that the current NFF must shed to avoid the consequences of their failure to qualify for two consecutive African Cup of Nations and, from the look of things, the next World Cup. With this very real final threat, the NFF leadership took the initially unpopular decision to return the national team to the romance with foreign coaches and appoint Frenchman, Paul Le Guen, as the new coach of the Super Eagles.

Unfortunately, at the very last minute, Le Guen, for reasons only known to him, abandoned ship.

After the shenanigan of a screening process and an interview conducted via Skype, the technical committee announced Le Guen as their choice.

To the shock of everyone including the NFF leadership, a few hours after the announcement, Le Guen went on social media to humiliate the NFF and indeed, all Nigerians, by declining the offer with the excuse that he could not live in Nigeria.

Why did he apply in the first place if he knew that Nigeria was unsafe or uninhabitable for his ‘Royal Majesty’? Or was his name just picked from the blue and inserted among those who applied? Was the vacancy advertised for any interested coaches to apply? Or were coaches simply handpicked by the NFF? Why were more experienced, more qualified coaches not invited?

The NFF’s reaction to the shame was an announcement that the man wanted to coach the Eagles by working from France just as a few previous foreign coaches had done and got away with.

Any which way, the entire country has been caught up in this international humiliation.

What has now happened is that the NFF have offered the job, albeit temporarily, to Salisu Yussuf, a Nigerian, with neither the stature nor the pedigree for the challenge ahead.

It is almost certain that this journey, which the NFF leadership has embarked upon, is leading nowhere. I can already smell the odious exit of the team from the 2018 World Cup qualifying group.

But for now, without question, Nigerian football is in a meltdown. Ï ƑƋƋƆƗ ƇƏ ƌ ƑƍƆƏ ƍ ƏƐêƅ ƌ

18

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

EXTRATIME

EURO…EURO… EURO…EURO…EURO…EURO…EURO…EURO…EURO…EURO…EURO…

Neymar

Barca star Neymar back in September N

Higuain motivated

by‘fat’comments Gonzalo Higuain has hit back at suggestions he is out of shape after scoring on his Serie A debut for Juventus. Juve splashed out a reported €90million to prise Higuain away from the Stadio San Paolo and the 28-year-old began to pay back some of that fee with the winning goal in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Fiorentina. However, his performance was overshadowed by criticism of his physique, with some media outlets suggesting he was carrying a few extra pounds, something he refutes and says gives him motivation to prove others wrong.

Cavani vows to improve strike rate

Edinson Cavani has vowed to improve his strike rate after failing to convert any of the opportunities that came his way in Paris Saint-Germain’s win over Metz.

With Zlatan Ibrahimovic having departed the French capital Cavani has assumed a more central role in Unai Emery’s side, but his first appearance of the Ligue 1 campaign did not go to plan.

impressed by

fit-again Martinez Carlo Ancelotti has been impressed by the form of fitagain Bayern Munich star Javi Martinez as the new Bundesliga season approaches. The versatile Spain international, able to play in defence and midfield, has seen his career in Germany continually interrupted by injury since moving to Bavaria from Athletic Bilbao in 2012.Ibrahimovic

forwards have been given the nod by Tite, who has selected seven Olympians in total.

Manchester City-bound Jesus will be hoping to make his senior international bow, although his future clubmate Fernandinho does not make the cut in midfield despite an impressive start to the Premier League season.

Atletico Paranaense goalkeeper Weverton and Beijing Guoan midfielder Renato Augusto joined Neymar as “overage” players in the U-23 squad for the Games and also make the cut along with fellow gold medallists Marquinho and Rodrigo Caio.

Tite was confirmed as Dunga’s successor as head coach after Brazil were eliminated at the group stage of the Copa America Centenario and he must lift them into the qualification places for Russia 2018.

Keep your cool, Rummenigge tells Ribery B

ayern Munich chief executive KarlHeinz Rummenigge has warned Franck Ribery to keep his cool when he is targeted by opponents, as the experienced forward attempts to return to his best form under Carlo Ancelotti.

The former France international started only 15 Rodriguez Bundesliga games in the last two seasons, as a succession of injuries, including a serious

Ancelotti

Benteke

eymar will make his return to Barcelona following the September international break after he was named in Brazil’s squad for the World Cup qualifying matches against Ecuador and Colombia.

The 24-year-old forward captained the home nation to glory at the Rio Olympics, netting a stunning free-kick in Saturday’s final before scoring the winning penalty to defeat Germany and prompt delirious celebrations at the Maracana.

His inclusion for Tite’s first game in charge of the full national side has prompted Barca boss Luis Enrique to give permission for Neymar to remain in South America and miss Sunday’s La Liga trip to Athletic Bilbao.

Gabriel Barbosa and Gabriel Jesus starred in attack at the Olympics alongside Neymar and the teenage

ankle problem, prevented him from shining during Pep Guardiola’s tenure.

The 33-year-old started both the Super Cup victory over Borussia Dortmund and a DFB-Pokal win at Carl-Zeiss Jena on Friday, supplying an assist for Robert Lewandowski’s hat-trick goal in a 5-0 first-round triumph.

Those performances have led to optimistic predictions that Ribery’s fitness woes are behind him, but Rummenigge expects him to come in for plenty of rough treatment in 2016-17.

Ribery

Rodriguez happy at Real - Zidane Z

inedine Zidane insists James Rodriguez is happy at Real Madrid amid speculation the Colombia international could swap La Liga for the Premier League.

Both Arsenal and Chelsea have been heavily linked with moves for the playmaker after he dropped down the pecking order in the Spanish

capital.

Rodriguez only made 17 starts in the league in 2015-16 – his second season with Madrid - and he was only given 13 minutes of their opening league match of this campaign against Real Sociedad on Sunday.

His lack of action has seen him linked with a move away, but Zidane has

consistently echoed the comments of Madrid president Florentino Perez in insisting the 25-year-old is not looking to leave.

“He is well and happy,” Zidane said when asked about Rodriguez after the 3-0 victory over Sociedad.

“He worked and helped us to gain the three points.”

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

EXTRATIME

Klopp bemoans

Everton loan Galloway to West

Brom Klopp

Origi’s poor show J

urgen Klopp has called for Divock Origi to “sort his skills” after Liverpool fired blanks in a 2-0 defeat at promoted Burnley on Saturday.

The Reds had no such trouble in front of goal during the opening round of the new Premier League season, as a Philippe Coutinho double, together with goals from Adam

Lallana and Sadio Mane, secured a 4-3 victory away to Arsenal.

But Daniel Sturridge and Origi, who replaced the England international in the 65th minute at Turf Moor, were unable to break down Sean Dyche’s stubborn Championship winners.

Speaking ahead of a League Cup tie away to second-tier Burton Albion, Klopp claimed there is plenty

more to come from Origi in 2016-17, as the Belgium international seeks to regain full match fitness following an ankle injury suffered in April.

“Physically, he can make another step,” the manager said. “But on the other side, he has no rhythm at the moment, which you can see.

“Saturday was clear, we could have played another 20 minutes

and not scored. He needs to find that rhythm again. He is so skilled, but he needs to use them all in the right moment.

“He is not a very experienced player, he needs to sort all of his skills.”

On the same day as their loss to Burnley, Liverpool sold centre-forward Christian Benteke to Crystal Palace for a reported initial fee of £27million.

Conte perplexed by Costa’s criticism A

ntonio Conte has urged Diego Costa to focus on his football and not let the criticism of him affect his impressive start to the 2016-17 campaign.

Costa netted his second goal of the Premier League season on Saturday as

Chelsea came from a goal down to beat Watford 2-1, the Spain international slotting home the decisive goal with three minutes to play.

However, his performance attracted criticism with some suggesting the striker should not have even been on

the pitch to convert Cesc Fabregas’ throughball.

Having already been booked Costa appeared to dive to try and win a free kick on the edge of the penalty area, but he was given the benefit of the doubt by referee Jon Moss.

Drinkwater

Drinkwater

Britton

signs Swansea extension Leon Britton has set his sights on reaching 600 appearances for Swansea City after signing a contract extension at the Liberty Stadium. The 33-year-old penned an extra year on his Swansea contract on Monday, a deal that sees the midfielder remain at the club until 2018. Britton – who first joined Swansea on loan in 2002 – has played over 500 games in south Wales and hopes to get to the next major milestone.

patience over

Leicester contract

35 appearances in midfield. He is poised to become the latest player to extend his deal at the King Power Stadium, following renewals for manager Claudio Ranieri, captain Wes Morgan and star striker Jamie Vardy among others.

West Brom have signed defender Brendan Galloway on loan from Everton for the 2016-17 season. Primarily a left-back but also able to play at centre-back, the 20-year-old joined Everton from MK Dons in August 2014 and made his Premier League debut in May 2015. He managed 14 starts last term under Roberto Martinez, whose replacement Ronald Koeman has allowed the Zimbabwe-born player to seek more regular first-team action at The Hawthorns.

Ballack urges

set to sign new Leicester City midfielder Danny Drinkwater is hopeful of signing a new deal to stay with the Premier League champions, insisting he does not want to be anywhere else. Drinkwater was an integral part of Leicester’s title-winning campaign in 2015-16, making

19

Guardiola

M

ichael Ballack believes Manchester City represents a “big, big project” for Pep Guardiola and hopes the former Bayern Munich boss will get the time he needs to succeed.

Guardiola has made an impressive start to life at the Etihad, an edgy 2-1 win over Sunderland and a 4-1 dismantling of Stoke City sandwiching a 5-0 thrashing of Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League.

Former Germany international Ballack was impressed by Guardiola’s work in the Bundesliga and is confident he will bring further trophies to City, but stressed patience may be required in the early going.

Ballack said: “He’s very fanatical in the way he wants his sides to play, with perfection.

“He’s a credit in the way he analyses opponents, or his own team. He loves his job. You see his passion.

Guardiola’s Man City project “It’s a new challenge for him. It’s a big, big project for Manchester City. I don’t know if he found the same squad as Bayern. It’s not the same team quality-wise as he had at Bayern. We shouldn’t expect too much at the beginning.”

Guardiola’s main competition for the Premier League title is likely to come from across Manchester with Jose Mourinho’s United also looking strong following another summer of heavy spending.

Ballack added: “Sometimes we over analyse, sometimes football is simple.

“Mourinho has paid more attention to the defence, which is also important. Pep is a different coach. He is an emotional coach. He likes to play high pressing and through the middle. We as fans like to see attractive football.”

Ballack is also expecting Liverpool to be stronger this season under Jurgen Klopp.

News 20 African Youth Parliament honours Onitsha Archbishop Dilionye Dilibe Chimezie, Onitsha

ÏÏÏA

delegation of African youth parliament made up of African youths in Diaspora yesterday visited the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha where they honoured the Catholic Archbishop of Onitsha, Most Rev Dr. Valerian Okeke, with the African youth Ambassardors/Icon of Hope and Societal Development.

The delegation made the presentation on behalf of African Youth Parliament in partnership with International Youth Organization.

The award was in recognition of the Archbishop`s numerous support and contributions to youth activities and empowerment programmes in many countries of Africa.

Speaking during the formal presentation of the award, the leader of the delegation, “Diplomat” Mohammed noted that his organization, the African Youth Parliament (AYP), had featured in Kenya with its award and lecture series aimed at promoting all forms of actions geared towards encouraging good leadership and defending positive trends in African cultural heritage.

He stated that in rewarding outstanding leaders who have distinguished themselves in their various endeavours, such personalities would serve as role models to younger generation in line with the spirit of pan-Africanism as champion by the late Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana.

Obiano

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

NDDC to partner Int’l organisations for integration of IDPs Val Okara Owerri

ÏÏÏThe Niger Delta De-

velopment Commission (NDDC) has said it would continue to identify and partner with international organisations to ensure that Internally Displayed Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria are fully integrated.

The Acting Managing Director of the Commission, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, disclosed this at the

United Nations World Humanitarian Day celebration organised by the International Association of World Peace Advocates (IAWPA) in Owerri.

Sementari who was represented by Mr. Alabo Jaja, NDDC Director in Imo state, said there was need to give the IDPs a chance to revive their means of livelihood and contribute to the society.

“We will continue to seek advice from well-meaning

individuals and organisations in evolving new ways of doing it well; further our existing partnerships without foreclosing new ones in mitigating the challenges of the IDPs. “We can, within a short time, re-engage and reinvigorate our society, militate the acute challenges of the IDPs and reposition our economy for sustainable poverty reduction/ employment generation through re-capacitating

the IDPs, wealth creation and value reorientation.

“We must be concertize ourselves on the dangers of violence and war and the need for peaceful living and coexistence,” she said.

According to her, a momentum and unified spirit of action is necessary to cope with the cumulative effect of the economic situation and sustained government efforts at revamping the economy for growth and prosperity.

L-R: General Manager, British Tobacco Nigeria Foundation, Abimbola Okoya; Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh and Minister for Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, at the launch and public presentation of Agricultural Sector Roadmap Policy and Strategy Document in Abuja...recently.

Safe motherhood: NGO calls for renewed political will

Lara Adejoro

ÏÏÏAs Nigeria celebrates

Safe Motherhood Day, a non-governmental organisation, Development Communications (DevComs) Network, has called on the Nigerian government to renew its political will and commitment in harnessing resources towards improving maternal and child health care.

Nigeria is one of the countries of the world that still records high maternal and child mortality with about 150 deaths among women of reproductive age due to pregnancy complications.

Over two thousand children under five years of age

die daily from preventable causes. These deaths are as a result of declining quality of health care services rendered to communities – especially hard-to-reach communities where they are already disadvantaged with respect to lack of public services. The National Demographic and Health Survey of 2013 reveals that coverage and quality of healthcare services in Nigeria is poor. Less than 20 percent of health facilities offer emergency obstetric care and only 35 percent of deliveries are attended by skilled attendant.

In a statement on Monday, the NGO said, reducing maternal mortality requires sustained, long-term

commitment and the inputs of a range of public and private sector partners including women’s groups and family planning agencies, donors, and others should share their diverse strengths and work together to promote safe motherhood within countries and communities and across national borders.

“Programmes should be developed, evaluated and improved with the involvement of clients, health providers, and community leaders. National plans and policies should put maternal health into its broad social and economic context, and incorporate all groups and sectors that can support safe motherhood.”

She tasked Nigerians to work harder, be more vigilant and more uncompromising in the fight against corruption, mismanagement at all levels, inefficiency, and unpatriotic disposition and conducts that fuel violence and result in wars and IDPs. The President, International Association of World Peace Advoctes, Ambassador Per Stefsen, also said that the association was committed to world peace and development as well as assisting humanity in natural disaster.

He said the theme of this year’s celebration is “Humanity “ noting that the association engages in humanitarian activities while its members are expected to institute and maintain peace in their different states and communities.

The state Coordinator of IAWPA harped on the importance of service to God and humanity and the need for individuals and corporate bodies to extend their hands to the less privileged in the society.

The IAWPA International Spokesman, Dr. Emmanuel Nweke, said the association has organised three major events in the country in recent times.

Prof. Johnbull Episode 6: Bimbo Akintola Battles Bidemi Kosoko for Sani Danja’s love ÏÏÏThis week’s episode

of TV drama series, Professor Johnbull, spomsored by Globacom, will feature romantic war between two ladies for a suitor.

The preference for overseas-based suitors instead of Nigerian-based lovers by young Nigerian women is ridiculed in this thought-provoking episode.

Watch Nollywood stars, Bimbo Akintola (Ufoma) and Bidemi Kosoko (Jumoke), fight over Sanni Danja (Malik) as he returns from Europe to pick

a wife in the episode 6 of the sitcom entitled, PuffPuff and Half Bread.

Viewers will also watch Professor Johnbull“spit fire” in his concluding remarks.

How does Mama G react to this very ridiculous notion? How is the conflict resolved? Who will Malik choose over the other?

Tune in to NTA Network, NTA International Channel 251 on DSTV and NTA on StarTimes at 8.30 p.m. today (Tuesday) and watch the repeat broadcast on the same stations on Friday.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

PUBLIC NOTICE THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 2004 CAP C20 COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES SPECIAL RESOLUTION FOR VOLUNTARY WINDING UP OF DE RICHBOND GROUP LIMITED (RC: 10226) At the Extra-Ordinary General Meeting of De Richbond Group Limited convened and held on 17th of August, 2016 at 52, Coker Road, Ilupeju, Lagos at 10:00a.m the following Special Resolution was passed in the manner prescribed under the Company’s Articles of Association.

1. It was resolved that the company De Richbond Group Limited be wound up voluntarily.

2.That the winding up proceedings shall commence from the date of this resolution.

3.That Tope Kuyoro & Co-Chartered Accountants whose address is at 52, Coker Road, Ilupeju Estate be appointed the liquidator of the company.

Dated this 17th day of August, 2016

21

WINDING UP THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, CAP C20 LAWS OF THE FEDERATION OF NIGERIA 2004 COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES DE RICHBOND GROUP LIMITED (IN VOLUNTARY WINDING UP) (RC:10226) NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF A LIQUIDATOR NATURE OF BUSINESS: TO SUBCRIBE FOR, TAKE, PURCHASE, OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRE AND HOLD SHARES OR OTHER INTERESTS IN OR SECURITES. NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF A LIQUIDATOR Pursuant to Section 491 (1) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2004 Cap C20, the general public is hereby notified of the appointment of Chief Tope Kuyoro, a Chartered Accountants of 52, Coker Road, Ilupeju Estate, Lagos as the Liquidator of De Richbond Group Limited whose registered office is at 52, Coker Road, Ilupeju, Lagos by the Resolution of the Board of Directors pursuant to Articles of Association and a Special Resolution of the Company dated 17th day of August, 2016 in compliance with Section 464 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2004 Cap C20.

Dated this 17th Day of August, 2016

CHIEF TOPE KUYORO THE LIQUIDATOR TOPE KUYORO & CO CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS, 52, COKER ROAD, ILUPEJU ESTATE, LAGOS.

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

1 ELVIS AUSTINS -PRESIDENT 2 EREZI EDOREH 3 AFOLABI IBIYEMI OLARONKE - SECRETARY 4 AFOLABI GBADEGESIN .

AIMS 1. TO Improve the poor standard of education In Africa Via mobile 2 To reduce the level of illiteracy in our society 3 To empower youths and graduate through entrepreneurship. Any person or group who has any objection shall notify the corporate affairs commission, Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication. .

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

Signed. Joseph lwunze. I. ESQ 08123236967

Public Notice CLASS OF 95 DENNIS MEMORIAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL ASSOCIATION THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ASSOCIATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART “C” OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT OF 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.BAR SIGIS-MUND AGHA, 2.ENGR AFAM CHUKWUMA, 3.MR UGOCHUKWU EBU, 4.MR MICHAEL IGBOANUGO THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1) TO FORSTER UNITY AMONG MEMBERS. 2) TO IMPROVE AND SUPPORT OUR MEMBERS’ COLLECTIVE AND INDIVIDUAL INTERESTS. 3) TO SUSTAIN THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF OUR ALMA MATER .

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR GENERAL CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

THE GOODWIFE HEALTH & MISSION INTERNATIONAL

Defendant: Mr. Osula Osunmuyime who occupied a 3 bedroom flat apartment situated at No. 5 Ayelo Eleku street Awoyaya in Ibeju Lekki L.G.A, Lagos state being property of Alhaji Tunde Bello of No. 5 Ayelo Eleku street Awoyaya in Ibeju -Lekki L.G.A , Lagos state involving a case of recovery of premises with SUIT No. EP/C/64/2016 before her Honour Mrs. A M Davis sitting at Magistrate Court 3, Epe Lagos state is hereby informed that the above case comes up for hearing on 29 the day of August, 2016 at the aforementioned Court

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

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. ROSE ANDREW WARRI - PRESIDENT. 2. UDOH ANIEFIOK OKORIE - SECRETARY. 3. WARRI ANDREW FOUBIRI. 4. LINDA NKECHI DENNAR. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To educate mothers, wife and women on the the benefits of good hygienic practices .

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

SIGNED: ROSE ANDREW WARRI (PRESIDENT).

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COLLEGE MAIDUGURI OLD STUDENTS ASSOCIATION CLASS OF 93

GOD’S COUNSEL DELIVERANCE MINISTRY

REHOBOTH CHRIST LIKE MINISTRY

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

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

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

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. Amadi Christian Obunezi.

2. Amadi Ogechi Anna.

3. Amadi Stella Uchechi.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. OBIEMESI OKWUCHUKWU THER. 2. AMADI CHRISTIAN OBUNEZI.

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. ABDUSSALAM ABDULHAMID -CHAIRMAN 2. FALMATA MALA GAIDAM 3. VICTOR BASSEY-SECRETARY 4. IPAYE GORDON BABALOLA 5. BABA MAI- WUDIRI 6. BABA SHETTIMA KUKAWA 7. ABUBAKAR KAUMI 8. HARUNA MUKHTAR 9. BENEDICT NWEKE 10. DR SANNI MOHAMMED

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To evangelize and witness to the world.

2. To depopulate the hell and populate heaven.

3. To deliver the captives from bandages.

4. To help the needy.

5 . Prison ministrations.

6. Hospital ministrations.

7. Help the body of Christ to thrive.

8. Kingdom focus.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. To evangelize and witness to the world.

2. To depopulate the hell and populate heaven.

3. To deliver the captives from bandages.

4. To help the needy.

5 . Prison ministrations.

6. Hospital ministrations.

7. Help the body of Christ to thrive.

8. Kingdom focus.

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

SIGNED: AMADI CHRISTIAN OBUNEZI.

MRS SOYINKA ADEOLA TEMIDAYO

BEST-IGBINOSA CYNTHIA NORUWA

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

SIGNED: OBIEMESI OKWUCHUKWU THER.

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVES: 1. TO MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF FEDERAL GOVERMENT COLLEGE MAIDUGURI 2. TO EMPOWER ITS MEMBERS IN NIGERIA/DIASPORA AND ENSURING THAT THEY ENJOY THE ASSISTANCE, CARE, LOVE AND PROTECTION THAT IS NECESSARY FOR THEM TO LIVE PEACEFULLY AND PROGRESSIVELY IN NIGERIA OR ELSEWHERE. Any objection to the application and approval should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Agusi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja, within 28days of this publication.

SIGNED: FOLUSHO AKINNIGBAGBE ESQ 07038403996

MRS. ESTHER ONYENELUE NWAJUEBOE

MRS.OGUZIE EKAETTE MAXWELL

JOY DOYIN TITILAYO

I formerly known and addressed as JOY OBANOGBON now wish to be known and addressed as JOY DOYIN TITILAYO All former documents remain valid. General public to please take note.

OLALEYE NIYI AYINLA I FORMERLLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS OLALEYE OLUWAGBEMINIYI SAMUEL, NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS OLALEYE NIYI AYINLA. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS SHOLOYE ADEOLA TEMIDAYO now wish to be known and addressed as MRS SOYINKA ADEOLA TEMIDAYO. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. General public take note.

I formerly known and addressed as IGBINOSA CYNTHIA NORUWA now wish to be known and addressed as BEST-IGBINOSA CYNTHIA NORUWA All former documents remain valid. General public to please take note.

I was formerly known and addressed as MISS ESTHER ONYENELUE OKUWE,now wish to be know and addressed as MRS. ESTHER ONYENELUE NWAJUEBOE,all former document remain valid general public should take note

I was formerly known and addressed as MISS AKPAN EKAETTE MAXWELL and wish to be know and addressed as MRS. OGUZIE EKAETTE MAXWELL,all former document remain valid general public should take note

UZOMAH DESMOND CHIDIEBERE

IBRAHIM T. JIMOH

AKINKUOLIE GLORY FUNMILAYO ENIOLA

AKINOLA FUNMILAYO ABIONA

AGHA UGOCHI JOY

IFE BABS

I Formerly known and addressed as AKINKUOLIE GLORY FUNMILAYO wish to be Known And Addressed as AKINKUOLIE GLORY FUNMILAYO ENIOLA. All Former Documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I FORMERLLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS EYINADE FUNMILAYO ABIONA, NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS AKINOLA FUNMILAYO ABIONA. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE.

I formerly known and addressed as UGOCHI AGHA IBIAM now wish to be known and addressed as AGHA UGOCHI JOY All former documents remain valid. General public to please take note

I formerly known and addressed as SOJI ADENIYI now wish to be known and addressed as IFE BABS All former documents remain valid.

DIAMOND BANK and General public to please take note.

ANIEKEME ITORO INYANG I, formerly known and addressed as GODWIN ITORO INYANG, now wish to be known and addressed as ANIEKEME ITORO INYANG. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note .

AKINOLA OLUWAFEMI

EHINSI OSEMMEN DIKSON

I FORMERLLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS AKANNI OLUWAFEMI, NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS AKINOLA OLUWAFEMI. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE.

I was formerly known and addressed as EHIS OSAME now wish to be known and addressed as EHINSI OSEMMEN DIKSON ,all former document remain valid,general public should take note

I formerly known and addressed as ODUNZE SOLOMON now wish to be known and addressed as JOHN SOLOMON. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

MRS. SUNDAY ROBINSON AYO

IGOCHE ADAMS IGOCHE

DAVID TEMITOPE MARIAM

REMIGIUS-ALAMS CECILIA C.

I, formerly known and addressed as, MISS. NDIFREKE DAVID LAWSON, now wish to be known and addressed as, MRS. SUNDAY ROBINSON AYO. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

I Formerly Known And Addressed As IGOCHE ADAMS MARTINS Now Wish To Be Known And Addressed As IGOCHE ADAMS IGOCHE. All Former Documents Remain Valid. General Public Take Note.

I was formerly known and addressed as DAVID MARY OLUWATOYIN,now wish to be know and addressed as DAVID TEMITOPE MARIAM, all former document remain valid general public should take note

I, formerly known and addressed as, GODWIN CHINECHEREM DESMOND, now wish to be known and addressed as, UZOMAH DESMOND CHIDIEBERE. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

MRS. OKWUISE RITA CHIDI

I, formerly known and addressed as, MISS. UKAEGBU RITA CHIDI, now wish to be known and addressed as, MRS. OKWUISE RITA CHIDI. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

MRS. CHIDINMA EZEUGBO I, formerly known and addressed as, MISS. GLORY CHIDINMA OKANU, now wish to be known and addressed as, MRS. CHIDINMA EZEUGBO. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as, JIMOH TUNDE OJO, now wish to be known and addressed as, IBRAHIM T. JIMOH. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

NCHEKWUBE FREDA UCHEMEFUNA I, formerly known and addressed as, NCHEKWUBE FREDA OZOR, now wish to be known and addressed as, NCHEKWUBE FREDA UCHEMEFUNA. All former documents valid. General public should take note.

MRS. WANOGHO ONYINYECHI PATIENCE I, formerly known and addressed as, MISS. GODWIN ONYINYECHI PATIENCE, now wish to be known and addressed as, MRS. WANOGHO ONYINYECHI PATIENCE. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

JOHN SOLOMON

I FORMERLLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS CECILIA CHINYERE MADUBUIKE, NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS REMIGIUSALAMS CECILIA C. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE.

Public Notice 22

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Anti-graft war now one-sided, FG insists ÎÎÎThe

Federal Government insisted, on Monday, that its current fight against corruption in the country was not lopsided.

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, stated this at the ongoing 56th annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.

The theme of the conference is ‘Democracy and Economic Development’.

Malami maintained that

there was no sacred cow in the anti-graft campaign of the incumbent administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The minister pointed out that the fight against corruption was not targeted at any particular political party as insinuated in some quarters, adding that nobody will be spared if found culpable.

He stated that for anybody to be investigated and arrested, there must be a reasonable ground for sus-

picion of the commission of an offence bothering on corruption.

According to him, “On the issue of being lopsided in the fight against corruption, I think the question should be that is there any reasonable ground for suspicion of the commission of an offence. It is not about whether they (offenders) are PDP or APC. “As lawyers, you have at your disposal the Freedom of Information Act and the right to seek for support for

the prosecution of those suspected to have committed any offence.”

On how to punish corrupt top civil servants in the country, asked by one of the participants, Malami told the gathering that investigations were ongoing on the matter.

The Minister however, pointed out plans were on for the amendment of the Electoral Act and added that a committee would soon be established to achieve the purpose.

Gunmen abduct wife of LG chair candidate in Ogun Abiodun Taiwo, Abeokuta

ÎÎÎWife of

chairmanship candidate under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), in the forthcoming Local Government elections in Ogun State, Mrs. Kudirat Balogun, has been kidnapped by gunmen.

The victim’s husband, Gafar Balogun, is eyeing the chairmanship seat of Ewekoro Local Government Area of the state.

Eyewitnesses say the kidnappers arrived the family home of the Balogun located at No. 1, Sekoni Street in Olomore area of Abeokuta on Sunday at about 8.00pm,before seizing the woman at gun point.

BASSAGHA OYINNUA MONDAY

The twin son of the woman Kehinde Balogun who witnessed the operation told our Correspondent that, the gunmen numbering about four invaded the family premises asking for their father.

The boy, 13, who was busy attending to them and never thought they were kidnappers, until when they brought out a gun, and drew him back to the sitting room entrance, adding that their mother who was busy preparing food in the kitchen, innocently walked into the hands of the kidnappers.

He said in a twinkle of an eye, the kidnappers took him and his mother outside, and at gun point led them into the waiting Toyota matrix car brought by them,

Gov. Ajimobi adding that they later asked him to lie face down before taking away his mother and a parting word that,’your father is a sure person, your mummy will return soon’.

The junior Balogun said, he thereafter raised alarm in the neighbourhood, but efforts to trace the kidnappers proved abortive, while a telephone call was later put across to their father,

who was not at home as at the time of the incident.

However, as at the time of filing this report when our correspondent visited the family home of the victim, number of symphatisers were seen to console with them.

Similarly, about fifteen Islamic Clerics were employed by the family, who were seen in marathon prayers in the sitting room, as they surrounded atonement prepared with palp and beans case.

The husband of the victim, Gafar Balogun who looked dejected told our correspondent that he has reported the case to Lafenwa Police, while the case was later transferred to Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

BRIGHT. PRINCEWILL. OBINNA

ADESHINA IBRAHINM. ADEBARE. A.

MRS ADENIYI-BALOGUM. TEMITOPE OLUWAKEMI

I, formerly known and addressed as, BASSAGHA ODOGU OYINENETIANA, now wish to be known and addressed as, BASSAGHA OYINNUA MONDAY. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as IWUCHUKWU OBINNA BRIGHT now wish to be known and addressed as BRIGHT. PRINCEWILL. OBINNA All former documents remain valid. General public to please take note.

I was formerly known and addressed as ADESHINA IBRAHIM. ADISA. NEQ,now wish to be know and addressed as ADESHINA IBRAHINM. ADEBARE. A.,all former document remain valid general public should take note

ZION HEPHZIBAH OLUWASETEMINIRE

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

MRS. ONYEACHUSIM NKECHI FAITH

I, formerly known and addressed as, AKINKUOWO. MOJISOLA. ROSEMARY, now wish to be known and addressed as, ZION HEPHZIBAH OLUWASETEMINIRE. All former documents valid.

General public should take note.

OSUNDE. AGBOWARE I, formerly known and addressed as, VICTOR AGBONWARE, now wish to be known and addressed as, OSUNDE. AGBOWARE. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

THAT IAM THE SAME PERSON BEARING TIJANI AKINOLA AKEEM AND. TIJANI. PAUL. AKINOLA ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD TAKE NOTE.

EBISUE. OKECHUWU SYLVANUS I, formerly known and addressed as, UYABEME. OKECHUWU, now wish to be known and addressed as, EBISUE. OKECHUWU SYLVANUS. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

Also, a former Resident Electoral Commissioner of Edo State, Mr. Mike Igini, lamented the level of poverty in the country and urged the Federal Government to tackle the economic problems facing the country while fighting corruption, Explaining that those elected into public office have only a year and five months to fulfil their promises to the electorate, Igini maintained that it will be difficult for elected office holders to achieve anything

at the end of 2017.

According to him, “The belief and faith in democracy is on what it can achieve. All those elected into public offices have only one year, five months to perform. The truth is that 2018 is a campaign year while 2019 is for elections.

“So, they have till 2017 to fulfil their electoral promises. Consequently, looking at what is available, one should look at the law and see how we can tackle our economic problems while also fighting corruption.”

Collapsed building: Our students are safe- Kano varsity VC Yakubu Salisu Kano

ÎÎÎVice

Chancellor of Kano State University of Science and Technology, Wudil, Professor Shehu Musa, late on Monday, dismissed refuted reports that 20 people lost their lives when a TETFUND sponsored three storey building under construction in the institution collapsed.

The incident happened at about 1. 35pm at the Department of Architecture of the university.

Speaking duiring a press conference held at the NUJ Press Centre Kano, Prof.

Musa said that only five persons sustained injuries, while no life was lost during the incident.

He explained that five persons were injured, adding that two had already been discharged, while only

one suffered a fracture.

He said: ”No student sustained injury during the building collapse. ”We want to assure parents that our students are safe. Immediately after the incident, we mobilised security agencies and Health workers from within and outside the University Community to the scene of the incident.”

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Information, Muhammad Garba, while briefing newsmen over the incident, called for calm, adding that the government is doing everything possible to ensure the injured receive adequate treatment.

BLESSING KELLER I, formerly known and addressed as ESA BLESSING OKOLOISE, now wish to be known and addressed as BLESSING KELLER. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

AZIONU ANDREW. AFAMDI

ARIERHIE. BLESSING. ONOS

I was formerly known and addressed as MRS JIDE-OJO TEMITOPE OLUWAKEMI and wish to be know and addressed as MRS ADENIYI-BALOGUM. TEMITOPE OLUWAKEMI,all former document remain valid general public should take note

I formerly known and addressed as AZIONU. ANDY now wish to be known and addressed as AZIONU ANDREW. AFAMDI All former documents remain valid.

General public to please take note.

I FORMERLLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS OTOJARERI REBECCA, NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS ARIERHIE. BLESSING. ONOS. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE.

DANIEL OLUWASEUN IGE

ADEWOLE FLORENCE. CHIZEE

YAHAYA IBRAHIM. DANLADI

I Formerly known and addressed as MISS. OKAFOR NKECHI FAITH wish to be Known And Addressed as MRS. ONYEACHUSIM NKECHI FAITH. All Former Documents remain valid. General public take note.

I FORMERLLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS OGUNBANJO OLUWASEUN. IGE, NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS DANIEL OLUWASEUN IGE. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE.

I formerly known and addressed as UMEH. FLORENCE CHIDIMMA now wish to be known and addressed as ADEWOLE FLORENCE. CHIZEE All former documents remain valid. General public to please take note

I formerly known and addressed as IBRAHIM YAHAYA HANGSHANG now wish to be known and addressed as YAHAYA IBRAHIM. DANLADI. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

ABIMBOLA. BRIMAH

PETER CHICHETAM ISRAEL

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

CORRECTION OF NAME

I, formerly known and addressed as, ABIMBOLA SAMUELS, now wish to be known and addressed as, ABIMBOLA. BRIMAH. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

I Formerly Known And Addressed As PETER. ODOEMELAM OCHIOBI Now Wish To Be Known And Addressed As PETER CHICHETAM ISRAEL. All Former Documents Remain Valid. General Public Take Note.

The names, Vincent Uchechukwu Elemchukwu Adiela, Vincent Uche Adiela, Vincent Uchechukwu Adiela, Vincent Elems Uchechukwu Adiela, Vincent Uche Elemchukwu Adiela, Vincent U Adiela belong to one and the same person. All documentsBVN, Bank accounts remain valid. The public should take note.

I, IGONIKON BENIBO IWARI, wish to correct my name which was wrongly written as, PROSPER BENIBO IWARI, instead of, IGONIKON BENIBO IWARI, in my bank account details. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Food security, MSME panacea to N’ Delta crisis –FG Idu Jude, Abuja

ÎÎÎThe

Federal Government has said that for the Niger Delta region to embrace true development, that the people should focus on the development of micro, small and medium scale business enterprises that will drive the economy of the people.

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani, gave this charge during the graduation ceremony of women and youths from the Niger Delta region, who were trained by the Ministry on commercial snail farming, entrepreneurship and Information, Communication

Buhari Technology (ICT).

He urged them to use the knowledge and skills acquired from the training to contribute to the food security and the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), in the region.

The Minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Alo Williams Nwankwo, said that the graduation ceremony, training and empowerment programme of about 64 women and youths from the Niger Delta region, is a one stop shot to redefine the talents of thousands of the Niger Delta indigenes who was earlier misled by the oil explorations.

According to him, “this is one of the initiatives of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to diversify the economy, increase food security and generate employment for women and youths, in the

Niger Delta region”, he stressed.

Usani disclosed that the training and empowerment package was put together to empower the people among other benefits to enable the trainees to be self-employed engage others, manage businesses for effective enterprise development and be able to generate income for their families.

In his remarks, the Rector of Ibadan Polytechnic, Prof. Olatunde Fawole, commended the Federal government for the right step taken to train and empower Niger Delta youths and women, saying that his institution would continue to welcome such training programme.

23 News

The World is Waiting to Hear Our Stories, Minister Tells TV, Movie Producers just need to make the ÎÎÎThe Minister of Infor- We product of the right qualmation and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said it is time for Africans to explore the platform created by the ongoing digitization in broadcasting to tell their own story from different perspectives.

The Minister made the remarks in Lagos on Sunday at the launch of the television reality show, tagged “My African, a Reality TV Show”.

“The world wants to hear our stories and are ready to pay a lot of money for it. This is evident in the runaway success of the dance drama ‘Wakaa The Musical’, which was performed to global acclaim in London recently.

ity and accessible to all,” he said.

Alhaji Mohammed thanked the organizers of the event for putting up a creative platform to promote the African culture, saying the programme is coming at a critical point in Nigerian history as the nation seeks to lay the proper foundation for a very vibrant and productive economy.

“The free fall of oil prices is a blessing in disguise as it is pushing and teaching us to harness all our natural and creative resources to build a new economy that will not be dependent on just natural resources,” he said.

Osun traditional rulers rejoices over declaration of public holiday on Isese Day Sodiq Adekunle, Osogbo

ÎÎÎTraditional

L-R: Public Relations Manager, MultiChoice Nigeria, Efe Obiomah; winner of Cartoon Network Imagination Studio Art Competition, (Story Category), 2016, Master Yobo Christian Onyemaechi and Proprietress RosyLand School, Mafoluku, Uche Roseline Alisiobi, during the presentation of gifts to Onyemaechi in Lagos… Monday.

Electrical dealers set up task force over sub-standard products Dilionye Dilibe, Onitsha

ÎÎÎIn

a bid to stem the incessant fire outbreak in buildings due to substandard electrical materials and to assist the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) in checking the influx of fake and substandard electrical products which are flooded in the Nigerian market, the leadership of Electrical Dealers International Market, Obosi, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State has inau-

gurated a task force to inspect all goods coming into the market.

The major function of the body is to ensure strict inspection of containers that convey goods into the market.

Their action was informed by the fact Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) had been enmeshed in sharp practices in the past with importers of fake household products after allegedly reaching a mutual agreement with greedy importers who engage in the importation of

all sorts of fake materials into the country in collaboration with the regulatory agency who are routinely “settled by the importers’ association. That arguably, however, could be the reason of the influx of substandard products into Nigeria despite the presence of SON. It has previously been argued that the owners of such sub-standard products had often had their goods confiscated and displayed before the press. It was rumoured that those who refused to comply with the

dictates of the importers’ body often run into trouble of having their containers impounded by SON. It was based on its previous experience and complaints by consumers and other concerned bodies that the new leadership of the electrical market led by its Chairman, Mr. Peter Obi; the Vice Chairman, Chief Chukwuma Agbasinwa and other members of the executive decided to put in place a task force that will inspect all containers coming into the market.

devotees have commended the celebration of this year’s Universal Day of African Traditional Religion called ‘Isese Day’, in Osogbo, Osun state capital saying that the Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, have by so doing created a conducive environment for them to operate.

Among those who spoke were the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun; Olufon of Ifon Orolu Kingdom, and Oba Almaroof Magbagbeola, among others.

The 2016 Isese Day which was a celebration of the various ancestral deities in Yoruba land as well as among the black race, attracted the traditional worshipers across the globe, as they converged on Osogbo to commemorate its grandfinale.

The royal fathers who described Osun as the ancestral home of African tradition and culture, said the state has over the years demonstrated the real identity of African virtues, cultures, norms and customs in all its engagements and social relationship with other races in the world.

The monarchs who extolled the state government since assumption of Governor Aregbesola, said the continued recognition of the three major religions by

the present administration had distinguished the state among its counterparts.

The duo maintained that the state being the cradle of Yoruba race with its indisputable ancestral home in Ile-Ife, had championed total renaissance of African culture through the resuscitation of the dearth values peculiar to Africans and Yorubas in particular.

They attributed the annual celebration of Isese Day as an extreme mark of honour to deities and gods whose according to them laboured and sacrificed themselves for the continuous existence of human beings.

The royal fathers, however maintained that the traditional religion as exemplified by “Isese” remained the foundation of the Yoruba and African race which must be given a deserved homage at all times.

Earlier, the Osun state Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, reassured the traditional adherents of government’s commitment towards the promotion of African tradition and culture in the state.

Governor Aregbesola who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Homes Affairs, Tourism and Culture, Mrs. Webster Esho, reiterated that the state would not for whatever reason deters from prioritizing the course of any religion.

News 24

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Ondo PDP crisis: Service stalls Jimoh Ibrahim’s suit Andrew Orolua, Abuja

ÎÎÎLack

of service of court processes on Monday frustrated the legal efforts by Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim to stop the Senator Ahmed Makarfi led executive committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from conducting primary election in Ondo state for the purpose of electing the governorship candidate for November 26, 2016.

At the resumed hearing of the suit filed by the businessman yesterday, his counsel, Oladele Oyelami, told the court that they were unable to serve Senator Makarfi and six other respondents with the processes of the court.

He told the court that though the matter was slated for hearing they were yet to serve the respondents with the originating processes and hearing notice as directed by the court.

Oyelami pleaded with the court for a short adjournment to enable the plaintiff effect the service.

But Chief Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), who represented the 7th respondent, Alhaja Aisha Aliyu in the matter said he had no objection with the application.

Adedipe who appeared in protest urged the court to adjourn hearing the case until after vacation.

“I will urge your Lordship to take into consideration of the provision of

Order 46 Rule 5 of the Federal High Court and adjourn the matter till after vacation. Your Lordship sitting as vacation court can only take matters that are urgent.

“This is not an urgent matter that should fall within the purview of a vacation Judge”, he stated.

But the plaintiff ’s counsel objected to adjournment till after vacation on the ground that the plaintiffs have secured an order of the court, differ-

ently constituted for the matter to be heard during vacation because of the urgency.

Oyelami also argued that a party protesting service cannot dictate to the court the manner of which proceedings can be conducted, adding that, “having not been served, we opposed to the application and urge the court to dis-allow it.

“We have a valid order granted by your learned brother of this court that

we should be heard during vacation and that order has not been challenged”, he told the court.

In a short ruling, the trial Judge, Justice Okon Abang agreed that Justice Dimgba granted leave for the matter to be heard during vacation and that he cannot review the order, since he is a Judge with coordinate jurisdiction.

He then adjourned the matter till September 1, 2016 for hearing of all pending applications.

Imo monarch harps on Nigeria’s unity Val Okara, Owerri

ÎÎÎChancellor,

Commissioner of Police, FCT, Mr. Muhammed Mustafa (left), with suspected car snatchers; armoured cable vandals and allied criminals at the FCT Command in Abuja… on Monday.

FCTA recants on illegal property demolition policy Idu Jude, Abuja

ÎÎÎTThe

FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, has said that the FCT Administration has adopted new approach in the removal of illegal structures in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to give the exercise a human face.

The Minister stated this while receiving a delegation from the National Human Rights Commission, led by its Executive Secretary, Professor Bem Angwe, that paid him a working visit in his office.

Malam Bello explained that the FCT Administration abandoned its previous style of demolishing illegal structures in the FCT to enable affected residents salvage any useful material in

the process.

He remarked that the owners of such property are dully carried along in the process and allowing them to carry out the exercise to enable them retrieve some useful material that can be taken away, thereby reducing the pains.

The Minister noted that the approach has really paid off because it has encouraged understanding and reduced lots of friction.

Malam Bello expressed appreciation with the role the National Human Rights Commission played for the FCT Administration to adopt the new procedure.

He described the Commission as reputable organization because the institution tells people when they are wrong; irrespective of whom they are, saying that the Human Rights Commission is an institu-

tion of government that gives hope to the people that whatever happens, they have recourse and their voice will be heard.

The Minister recalled an incident where the FCT Development Control Department was dragged to the Commission in the course of enforcing Development Control laws, and the Commission agreed that although the Department was on the right side of the law, it needed to apply more human face and make sure Nigerians appreciate why they are taking those actions.

His words: “That for me was an eye opener and since then, I have insisted that whatever we do, it’s very important that we do a lot of advocacy and explanation to the people. Even if

there is going to be demolition or relocation of people, there is a clear instruction now that no more destruction; give people reasonable time and notice and also encourage them to do the dismantling by themselves.

That way, you reduce tension and more importantly, you allow them to salvage what has economic value.

That’s what we have been doing and it has worked.”

Bello

Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State and Traditional Ruler of Obinugwu Community in Orlu, Imo State, HRM Eze (Dr) Cletus Ilomuanya, has advised Nigerians not to indulge in any act capable of threatening the unity, stability and progress of the country.

Eze Ilomuanya, who made the appeal during the 2016 New Yam festival of his community, Obinugwu described Iri Ji (New Yam festival) as an age long tradition of the Igbos, which has been passed on from generation to generation.

He explained that as a symbol of cultural identity of the Igbos, Iri ji is symbolic and marks the commencement of the harvest season in Igbo society.

He observed that culture

is a symbol of identity of any people, stressing that without culture, it would be difficult to differentiate a group of people from the other. He expressed gratitude to the Obinugwu people both at home and in the Diaspora for being worthy ambassadors of the Community, assuring them that as their traditional ruler, he would always hold them in high esteem.

The Monarch also pleaded with Nigerians to exercise patience with President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration assuring that in no distant time the people would appreciate his government.

“I plead with Nigerians to be patient with Mr. President and his team. I am optimistic they will get it right soon because they mean well for the nation. Leadership itself is not a tea party event. It is a serious busines.”

Group to Aregbesola: Don’t spend more than N10m on Osun anniversary Sodiq Adekunle, Osogbo

ÎÎÎThe Civil Societies Co-

alition for Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS) has asked the state government not to spend more than N10 million on the 25th anniversary of the state.

According to the civil group, expending huge amount of money to mark the carving out of Osun out of old Oyo state at a time when indigenes of the state are facing economic hardship is unreasonable and unacceptable.

In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by the CSCEOS’ Chairman, Com-

rade Sulaimon Adeniyi, the group noted money budgeted for the anniversary should be judiciously spent.

“Such a celebration should not cost more than N10 million when the state as part of the federating unit of the country is facing economic recess,” the statement said.

The civil group challenged the state government under Aregbesola watch to come out from its shell and tell the public what amount would be spent during the purported anniversary which was slated to hold on Saturday, 27th of August, 2016.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

ÏÏÏ The leaders of

Afghanistan and India have vowed to continue their joint efforts to “overcome terror and extremism” facing the two nations.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated the resolve Monday during a video conference inaugurating the newly-restored Storay (Star) Palace, which is the office of the Afghan president in Kabul.

Lack of proper main-

Poll shows most Israelis, Palestinians still seek peace ÏÏÏ A new poll of Israe-

lis and Palestinians released on Monday found that a slim majority on both sides still favor a peace settlement establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel, despite years of conflict and deadlock in negotiations.

The results of the joint poll may provide some small signs of encouragement when peace prospects appear bleak. The last round of negotiations broke down two years ago, and a resumption of talks, much less progress between the sides, at this point seems unlikely.

Tamar Hermann, an Israeli political scientist who conducted the survey with Palestinian pollster Khalil Shikaki, said that under the current circumstances, the results were “not amazingly encouraging,’’ but also “not discouraging.’’

“It showed there is still some basis for optimism with the right leadership,’’ she said. “Right now I don’t see on the horizon a leader on either side willing or capable of using this as a springboard for intensifying the negotiations. But it’s not impossible.’’

The poll found that 51 percent of Palestinians and 59 percent of Israelis still support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On the Israeli side, 53 percent of Jews support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

25 Foreign

Afghan, India leaders vow to deepen cooperation against terrorism tenance and decades of war damaged the nearly century old building, which is seen as a symbol of Afghanistan’s foreign diplomacy. India’s government funded the nearly $6-million restoration project.

“Let me assure the people of Afghanistan that in your quest to build a prosperous Afghanistan and to bring peace, security and stability to your society, the 1.25 billion people of India will

always be on your side,” Modi told the video audience.

India is funding several infrastructure-related projects in war-ravaged Afghanistan. It has poured around $2 billion into Afghan reconstruction efforts, making it one of the largest donors to the war-ravaged nation.

In June, Afghanistan and India inaugurated the nearly $300-million Salma Friendship Dam in western Herat prov-

ince. New Delhi also funded the construction of a new Afghan parliament building at a cost of $90-million that Ghani and Modi jointly inaugurated last December.

“Friends, Afghanistan is a close friend. Our societies and people have had age old ties and links. It, therefore, saddens us to see that your proud nation continues to be challenged by externally sponsored instruments

and entities of violence and terror,” Modi said in a veiled reference to rival Pakistan.

Afghan leaders allege Pakistani security institutions are covertly supporting the Taliban insurgency to try to retain their influence over affairs of the neighboring country and curtail India’s growing influence in Afghanistan. India also blames Pakistan for being behind terrorist activities on its soil.

Kerry urges deployment of ‘Protection Force’ in South Sudan ÏÏÏ

South Sudan was at the top of the agenda as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Monday with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and foreign ministers from Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Somalia, and South Sudan in Nairobi, at the start of a three-country tour.

The secretary of state announced the United States would be giving $138 million in new aid to South Sudan, which he said would be used for food, water, and medicine for those in need.

He also issued a warning to that country’s leadership.

“But I want to make this clear,” said Kerry. “And I particularly think it is important for the people back home who are engaged in trying to help, I am talking about our taxpayers in the United States. We made it crystal clear, that this is not forever, we are not just going to fill in a void. We are not just going to pro-

vide help incessantly if they are not willing to accept responsibility and do the things necessary to deliver to their people. That message was delivered loud and clear today.”

Kerry also said it is urgent to deploy the 4,000-troop regional protection force in South Sudan recently authorized by the U.N. Security Council. President Kenyatta thanked the U.S. government for sponsoring that resolution.

It is in the interest of many countries in East Africa to deploy this protection force, says Abdullahi Boru Halakhe, a security analyst. He says the only way of stabilizing Juba right now is by doing so.

“Countries like Kenya and Uganda are hosting refugees from South Sudan,” said Halakhe. “They have given aid, the only thing that is left probably is to send peacekeeping troops. The government of Salva Kiir has not been amenable to that, but there is no any other option. Riek Machar cannot go back because a significant number of his military has been decimated so he won’t trust Salva Kiir to give him

the military.”

The U.S. proposed the force after clashes in South Sudan’s capital last month killed about 300 people and prompted opposition leader Riek Machar to flee the country.

“Let me emphasize, this is not an intervention force, this is a protection force, with a very clear mandate to be able to protect people for their access, their freedom of movement, and their ability to remain free from attack or ambush from any source whatsoever,” said Kerry. “It is supplementary to the sovereignty and the efforts of South Sudan itself. And I think we had a good clearing of the air today, in the discussion that we had with the participants on the subject.”

Kerry also announced the United States would give an additional $117 million to support refugees, returnees and drought victims in Somalia. He said another $29 million will be donated to the U.N. refugee agency for the safe and voluntary return of Somali refugees in Kenya, primarily from the sprawling Dadaab camp.

Following an earlier closed-

Kerry door meeting, a Kenyatta statement “expressed hope” Somalia will abide by its presidential election calendar, with polls scheduled for October 30.

Turkey vows to ‘cleanse’ ISIS from border with Syria ÏÏÏ Turkish Foreign Minister Mev-

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip

lut Cavusoglu vowed Monday his country would “completely cleanse” Islamic State militants from its border region with Syria in the aftermath of a suicide bombing at a Kurdish wedding that killed at least 54 people.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that rebel fighters were massing inside Turkey to carry out an offensive on the Islamic State-held Syrian

town of Jarablus. Cavusoglu did not confirm the rebel plans, but said Ankara supports any group fighting Islamic State.

Turkish authorities worked to identify the attacker, described by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as between 12 and 14 years old. He blamed Islamic State terrorists for the bombing. Officials said they did not know the gender or nationality of the attacker.

Officials said more than half the victims in the attack on Gaziantep were under the age of 18. The city is

just 60 kilometers north of Syria and a prominent refugee community for people looking to escape the five-year civil war in Syria.

The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party said that all of the people killed were Kurds.

The Gaziantep attack came amid continuing turmoil in Turkey in the month after Erdogan’s government survived an attempted coup by rogue military officers, which the Turkish leader has blamed on U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.

26

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Law Æ s

ROBERT EMUKPOERUO

Read law at the University of Ife now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ife, Osun state

Robert Emukpoeruo read law at the University of Ife now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ife, Osun state. In this interview with PETER FOWOYO, he spoke on the recent appellate court judgment which reversed the decision of Justice Abang Okon of the Federal High Court, Abuja in the Abia state governorship crisis, the roles of lawyers in the judicial system, budget padding and other salient issues.

How do you see the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja which reversed a decision of the Justice Abang Okon of the Federal High Court, Abuja in the Abia State Governorship crisis?

I think the reversal of the judgment and some of the interlocutory decisions of Hon. Justice Abang, is a most welcome development. Although I have not had the benefit of the full text of the judgment but from the antecedent facts of the case the Judgment of the Court of Appeal was clearly well founded. I am filled with great joy at the speed with which their Lordships of the Court of Appeal disposed of these appeals.

The Justice Abang judgment disrupted my understanding of legal precepts and concepts. This must have informed the statement of the Court of Appeal that the Justice Abang judgment “stood the law on its head” in relation to one of the appeals. Apart from the appeals against interlocutory decisions of Hon. Justice Abang there was the appeal which the reversed the judgment by which Hon. Jus-

tice Abang sitting in Abuja in respect of a party primary that did not take place in Abuja ordered the removal of the Abia State Governor and ordered Mr. Ogah to be sworn in as the Governor of Abia State.

Ordinarily the making of an order concerning who was validly elected as the Governor of a State is a matter within the exclusive remit of the Governorship Election Tribunal by virtue of the provisions of the Constitution.

The Federal High Court is most certainly not an election tribunal and no order made by that court ought to invalidate a return made

by INEC at an election. I must emphasis that the provisions of section 31 of the Electoral Act 2010 [as amended] severely circumscribes the nature of order that can be made under it by either the State High Court or the Federal High Court. It does not extend to removing and replacing anybody as Governor of a State. Jurisdiction once specifically conferred is limited by the specific language of the law conferring jurisdiction.

This jurisdiction cannot be ex-

Conflicting orders: Lawyers should be sanctioned

by NBA disciplinary committee panded. It can only be expounded.

The specific words of the Electoral Act in section 31(5) is that the person, who makes a false statement concerning his qualification to contest the election, shall be disqualified from contesting the election. What this portends is that the power given to the State High Court and the Federal High Court is very limited. The kind of order they can make is very limited, it is an order to preclude the person from participating in the election. There is nothing in the Electoral Act that gives any Judge of the Federal High Court or the State High Court the power to remove a governor who has gone through an election, who has been given a certificate of return and who has been sworn-in and is acting as governor of a state. I must underline the point that the false statement in the affidavit must be in respect of the Constitutionally specified grounds of qualification or disqualification. It is not every or any false statement in an affidavit that falls within the purview of section 31 of the Electoral Act 2010 [as amended]. The sole object

of the affidavit under section 31 is for a candidate to make oath that he has met all the Constitutional Requirements to contest the election in issue.

But I believe it was in Amaechi V INEC that the Supreme Court appeared to have created a legal reality not rooted in actuality when it held that in the eyes of the law Rotimi Amaechi, who was not lawfully substituted by the PDP as its gubernatorial candidate for River State, was the candidate of the PDP at the election even though he did not actually contest the election. The election was actually contested by Celestine Omehia as the candidate of the PDP. It was AMAECHI’S CASE which more or less made an inroad into what should ordinarily be a matter within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Election Tribunal. That is the jurisdiction to determine who is the governor of a state and who is not the governor of a state. It should ordinarily be a matter outside the remit of the CONTINUED ON PAGE 27

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

27 Law

Abia crisis: Judges shouldn’t interfere in internal dispute of political parties CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26

Federal High Court’s jurisdiction.

Perhaps Hon. Justice Abang was propelled by the reasoning in the AMAECHI’S CASE to issue an order against the office of the Governor of Abia State. But with profound respect that case is totally different from the facts which confronted Hon. Justice Abang and cannot provide authority for the judgment reversed on appeal.

It is instructive to note that the matter before Hon. Justice Abang dealt with the primaries conducted in Abia state outside Abuja.

The principal parties were also outside Abuja. An Abuja court issuing orders in respect of a subject matter in Abia State smacks of forum shopping. There are several divisions of the Federal High Court in the South East geopolitical zone. The orders of Hon. Justice Abang revolved wholly around issues that occurred in Abia State. The allegedly forged tax papers were Abia State tax papers. I have been unable to find any aspect of the judgment, which could bring this matter within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja!

It is quite gladdening that the Court of Appeal intervened swiftly and decisively in reversing the judgment of Hon. Justice Abang.

Very strong words were used in describing the judgment like ‘rape of democracy’, ‘standing the law on its head’. These adjectives eloquently captured the reaction of the bar and the bench to the judgment of Abang J. But I must not fail to add that it is very easy to come down on his Lordship Justice Abang and forget the lawyers who urged him on this path that the court of appeal has now held to be a most egregious error.

The lawyers who initiated this action, the lawyers who urged the arguments that became the judgment more or less leading the Judge on to come up with this kind of judgment should take greater part of the blame because a lawyer is an officer of the court.

The obligation of the lawyer is first and foremost to the court and the administration of justice. His obligations to his client in virtue of his professional fees ought to be subordinate to this highest obligation to the court. Unfortunately, the reverse is now the case and this to my mind is the root cause of conflicting and most perverse decisions.

The provisions of section 31 of the Electoral Act relied on to

hold that the governor was not qualified, is one that is of dubious Constitutional Validity. The Constitution alone prescribes qualification [and the grounds of disqualification] to the office of a governor, president, members of the House of Representatives, the Senate and indeed the House of Assembly. No subordinate legislation like the Electoral Act can prescribe additional grounds of qualification or disqualification.

The Supreme Court in A G ABIA STATE V A.G FEDERATION settled this issue as far back as 2002.

You will not see anywhere in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where making a false statement in an affidavit is a ground for disqualification, you will not see anywhere in the Constitution where not paying your tax is a ground for disqualification for any office under the Constitution. How the Hon. Justice Abang in an originating summons proceedings arrived at the conclusion of forged tax papers without a trial beats my imagination.

Uche Ogah has made known his intention to go on an appeal to the apex court; if you are his lawyer would you advise him otherwise?

Well, I am not Uche Ogah’s Counsel but if I were his counsel, I would be very cognizant of my prior obligation to the legal profession, my prior obligation to the system of justice and advise him frankly of the true purport of the provisions of section 31(5) of the Electoral Act and the provisions of sections 177 and 182 of the Constitution. The Constitution alone prescribes qualification and disqualification for the office of Governor. And the issues ventilated in this case do not fall within any of the provisions of sections 177 or 182. On this ground I cannot conceive of any cognizable cause of action. I see no case here is what I will tell the man. It is best for him to just cut his losses now and go face his business or whatever he is doing. However, he has a right of appeal to the Supreme Court, it is his constitutional right and he is entitled to exhaust all his rights if he so wishes. But I certainly cannot in good conscience advise him to file any appeal.

What lessons shall we then learn from this appellate court decision?

The big lesson from the decision of the Court of Appeal is that our judicial system has the capacity to correct errors swiftly

Emukpoeruo

“The fundamental issue of Res Judicata which ordinarily should follow a final judgment has been swept under the rug. Once a final judgment is handed down in a case, whether it is right or wrong, it becomes res judicata and binding on all parties and their privies” and decisively. It can, when the occasion demands, rise up to tackle national challenges. The speed with which the Court of Appeal dealt with this appeal is highly commendable. We have to commend the Justices. The appeal was heard during vacation after all the energies expended in hearing election appeals! The Justices gave up their precious and well deserved vacations to hear this appeal expeditiously and come up with this judgment. The Justices showed that there is great passion for justice in the judicial system.

What is your take on the conflicting judgments emanating from the Federal High Court, Abuja and Port-Harcourt over the leadership tussle in the Peoples’ Democratic Party?

I think the situation of the rulings, judgments and orders that has attended the crisis in the Peoples’ Democratic Party is a quagmire that is unbelieveable. The way orders have flown in opposite directions is embarrassing to say the least. I honestly believe that these conflicting orders are indicative of a complete breakdown of judicial decorum.

It smacks of a breakdown of law and order by the very institution of law and order! I suppose this underscores the undesirability of political matters for adjudication by judges. The conflicting orders illustrates graphically why judges should not be allowed to interfere in political matters. They become infected and affected by do or die politicians. These conflicting orders really underscored the earlier [but now discarded] wisdom of precluding courts from the domestic affairs of political parties.

This was a fundamental part of our jurisprudence but somewhere in our recent past courts have jumped into the fray to determine candidates and executives of political parties! There is an urgent need for courts to be once again precluded from interfering in any shape or form in the domestic affairs of political parties.

The PDP crises which birthed these conflicting orders did not

whip up any issue concerning the interpretation or application of any law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Strictly speaking no legal right or obligation was in issue. The issue concerned the interpretation or application of the Constitution of the PDP. I seriously doubt if the Constitution of political parties can strictly speaking confer legal rights and obligations within the meaning of sections 6, 36(1), 251 or 272 of the 1999 Constitution [as amended]. But the jurisdiction of the Federal and State High Courts are defined in terms of legal rights and obligations.

The dabbling into the internal dispute of political parties is the genesis of this conflicting orders.

The only way we can stem this utterly, unacceptable scenario is to remove this issue from the remit of any Judge either of the State High Court or the Federal High Court. In all the confusion unleashed by the myriad of conflicting orders, we have lost sight of the existence of final judgments of the Federal High Court and the FCT High Court. The fundamental issue of Res Judicata which ordinarily should follow a final judgment has been swept under the rug. Once a final judgment is handed down in a case, whether it is right or wrong, it becomes res judicata and binding on all parties and their privies. It not only precludes the re-litigation of issues actually decided but it also precludes the agitation of issues which properly ought to have been ventilated in that action. To my mind the judgment of the FCT High Court to the extent that it determined the status of a person who claimed entitlement to the Chairmanship of a political party is a judgment in rem. A judgment in rem binds the whole world, parties and non- parties alike.

Most disturbingly, even after the delivery of these Final judgments, which constitutes estoppel between the parties, cases have been filed, orders have been made which strictly is in the nature of a re-litigation in courts of coordinate jurisdiction of matters which have become transit in rem judicatam. The right or cause of action has become merged in the judgment. The right of action has become extinguished and only exists in the form and manner defined in the final judgment.

An appeal [and not a recourse to another judge of coordinate jurisdiction] is the only cause of action open to an aggrieved person.

28

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Tech Times Æ s

SMEDAN

underfunded,

got $20m budget in 13 years –Umoru

SunTrust Bank leverages technology, to capture 113m internet users

FG canvasses support for Communication Services Tax, targets N20bn monthly Stories by Tony Nwakaegho Participants the stakeholder forum on the Communication Services Tax (CST) organised by the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Lagos, were on Wednesday shocked that the Federal Government (FG) is drumming support for the CST bill, The Federal Government through the Minister of Communications, Hon. Abdur-Raheem Adebayo Shittu, said FG looks forward to Nigerians consideration of the bill because of its anticipated N20 billion monthly yield to bail out the budget deficits.

The minister disclosed that a lot of campaign and analysis have been made by several stakeholders, adding that such internally generated revenue (IGR) will be invested in funding budget deficits and telecommunications infrastructure.

“In the same vein, our appetite as a Government to increase revenue makes this bill worthy of our consideration as I have been reliably informed that the projected earnings from this effort is over N20 billion naira every month, which is an attraction to the Government in funding our budget deficits. I must be quick to say that this Government has got a human face twined around its decisions,” Shittu added.

He affirmed the position of the government on its determination

to provide the needed, enabling environment for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and telecommunication sector to thrive through enactment of relevant legislations.

While soliciting the support of stakeholders in making the Government and Governance SMART, with ubiquitous access to ICTs, the minister called on stakeholders in the communications sector to have holistic deliberations on the communication

services tax as being proposed in the Communication Tax Bill pending before the National Assembly.

According to him, “this is necessary in other to weigh the effects of the proposed tax regime on the government, stakeholders as well as end users of communication services.”

He therefore invited stakeholders to juxtapose the new tax regime with existing ones, stressing that the introduction of new taxes without CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

TAXATION

Glo leads others, records 36.3m subscribers

NCC, LOC, others to set agenda towards ITU Telecom World 2016

Globacom has been steadily adjudged the preferred data services provider in the past eighteen months and also emerged the first choice of subscribers in voice services having recorded 68 percent of all additional GSM lines in the country in the last 12 months.

According to the latest reports published on the website of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Globacom recorded 68 percent of all additional GSM lines in Nigeria in the last twelve months.

The report indicated that a total of 7,477,977 new lines were activated between June 2015 and June 2016, with Globacom recording a whopping 5,063,895 new susbcribers, representing 68 percent, while Airtel added 2,414,082 new customers.

Conversely, MTN and Etisalat experienced a reduction in

their GSM subscriber figures with Etisalat losing 382,336 customers and MTN losing 4,403,344 subscribers in the last one year.

With this feat, Globacom’s market share has increased from 21 percent to 24 percent with 36.3m subscribers at the end of June, 2016, while MTN, which once had over 45 percent share of the market, had this reduced to 39 percent at the end of June with 58.4m subscribers.

Glo had a total of 31,256,677 customers by June 2015, whereas MTN had 62,813,111.

The report also disclosed that Globacom has created a remarkable gap between it and Airtel while significantly narrowing the gap between it and MTN. Only three months ago, both Glo and Airtel were on the same level with each having 21 percent.

But Airtel, whose subscriber base stood at 29,564,766 at the middle of last year, had 31,978,848 customers at the end of June 2016 to still maintain 21 percent share of the GSM market. Etisalat, on its part, had 15 percent share with 22,469,896 customers at the end of June, 2016, down from 22,852,232 at the same time last year.

Globacom’s lead in the voice segment of the industry complements its status as clear leader in the data market where it has for the last one year remained tops in new internet subscriber acquisition.

In June 2016 for instance, while the industry gained a total of 318, 008 new internet subscribers, Globacom alone had 272,674 of the new customers. Globacom, therefore accounted for about 86 percent

of the total internet subscriber acquisitions in the industry in the month of June.

Observers in the industry believe that Globacom’s phenomenal growth even in the midst of recession is the dividend of the massive network upgrade it recently carried out as well as its commitment to offering innovative products and services.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

29 Tech Times

SMEDAN underfunded, got $20m budget in 13 years –Umoru In Nigeria people attribute the major thing that is affecting the SME as funding, what is your take on this?

I believe you, the major problem we have with SMEs in Nigeria is lack of funding but people see funding as the major thing, again the major thing is to provide the necessary entrepreneurship training, business development support for you to succeed in your businesses. I believe you because a lot of SMEs in Nigeria lack the necessary capital to start up their business or to continue on their existing businesses. We are now leveraging on banks and we have had meetings with CBN Governor.

We are pleading with the CBN Governor to reduce the terms and conditions for the SMEs to access funding in any of the commercial bank and it behooves on them to set aside some fund from the commercial bank so that the funds can only be channeled to SMEs in the country. If we cannot provide the necessary funding there is no way we can develop them, and there is no way our economy can grow because SMEs are the major thing for the development of any economy of any nation. For us to get it right we must provide the necessary funding and access to financing so that those SMEs can be able to grow and be able to employ more people.

Now that businesses are going digital, what is SMEDAN doing to carry the SMEs along?

In SMEDAN we have a department that we call Engineering, Technology and Innovation. The essence of that department is to create awareness on the use of innovation technology, like IT so that people can key into it because most of the things that coming up now are IT driven and if you don’t prepare your client towards that direction they will miss a lot of things. In every village in Nigeria you go you will see people using phone.

Everybody has a phone, knows how to use a phone, and ATM, so we are going to leverage on that and key in the people in the rural area to partner with the major network providers so that they will have benefit on all the things that are coming through the IT driven direction.

When we talk about funding, what is SMEDAN as an agency doing to uplift the SMEs in the country?

You know SMEDAN doesn’t fund businesses. What SMEDAN does is to provide entrepreneurship training, business development support in teams of counseling and

Dr Dikko Radda Umoru is the Director General of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) that is saddled with the responsibility of providing entrepreneurship training, business development support in teams of counseling and monitoring to SMEs in Nigeria. He informed Tony Nwakaegho in Lagos during this interview of the array of issues affecting the growth and development of the SME in the country. Excerpts:

UMORU mentoring. What we are doing now is to create an avenue, a kind of SME fund that will be able to reach out to the people directly instead using either commercial banks or other development banks, because there are a lot of bottlenecks associated with reaching financing through commercial banks or through development banks. I think like

Director General SMEDAN

every other country because majority of the developing country you see in the world have what we call ‘SME BANK’. In Nigeria we are looking through that direction to see how we can create small and medium scale banks in Nigeria that will directly deal with only Small and Medium businesses in the country. This is the direction in which we are

going.

Now in the villages, referred to as grass root, illiteracy abound, how do you carry this group along?

That is what I said earlier when I addressed the Etisalat launch on SMEs in my remark that we have 99 percent of our clients in the rural area, largely they are illiterate, largely they

“What government needs to do is to create a kind of coordination among all the agencies that are responsible for the small and medium enterprises because it’s like everybody is doing his own bit of business. Because SMEDAN is an apex organisation in charge of micro, small and medium enterprises and for us to achieve a meaningful impart we need to have proper coordination between all the agencies, CBN, BOI, SMEDAN and ITF”.

are informal so we are trying to refocus the agency so that we can formalize these informal entrepreneurs so that they can be in the main stream and make a benefit and benefit from other things that are coming from the government direction and from development organisations.

How do you envision the growth of the SMEs in Nigeria in the next two to three years?

What government needs to do is to create a kind of coordination among all the agencies that are responsible for the small and medium enterprises because it’s like everybody is doing his own bit of business. Because SMEDAN is an apex organisation in charge of micro, small and medium enterprises and for us to achieve a meaningful impart we need to have proper coordination between all the agencies, CBN, BOI, SMEDAN and ITF. All these agencies need to have a very good coordination so that there would have focus in the same direction, same data that we can easily said this year we have been able to achieve this and that in teams of development, growth and any other thing.

Some SMEs don’t even know that SMEDAN exist. What is being done about this?

I believe you because we have challenges that have to do with proper funding. SMEDAN is not properly funded unlike other agencies around the world. Let me give an example, an agency like ours in Brazil last year had a budget of $1.8 billion, but in Nigeria with the 13 years in which SMEDAN was created our budget was only $20million. How do you expect us to compete with that type of countries because those countries have less population which is not more than Lagos State and we are faced with about 170 million.

Is the government really interested in giving a listening ear to these challenges you mentioned?

Especially now that we have this government in place and again there is this change mantra and the government is really determined to diversify the economy and there is no way you can diversify the economy without these small and medium enterprises. Small and Medium Enterprises Agency of Nigeria is greater and better than the oil and gas industry in Nigeria because in the oil industry every household in Nigeria you find people that belongs to us-our clients.

Tech Times 30

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

IBM, VMware, others leverage $12.76bn personal identity management market

NCC, LOC, others to set agenda towards ITU Telecom World 2016

DANBATTA

… to engage stakeholders in Lagos

Stories by Tony Nwakaegho The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said that in preparation for this year’s edition of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) dubbed ‘ITU Telecom World 2016’, the Local Organisation Committee (LOC) for Nigeria has put in place plans to host a stakeholder’s forum.

The forum which is scheduled for Monday, September 5, 2016 at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja, is expected to enlighten stakeholders on the benefits that will spring from participation in the event.

According to a press statement issued by Mr. Tony Ojobo, director, Public Affairs, at NCC, the forum is for Policy Makers, Regulators, Telecommunication Operators, Service Providers, Equipment Vendors, Banks and Financial Institutions, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Innovators, Software Developers, Original Equipment Vendors, Value Added Service providers among others.

Keynote speakers include Barrister Adebayo Shittu, minister of Communications; Prof. Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); Mr. Yusuf Kazaure, managing director of

Galaxy Backbone; his counterpart at Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), Ms Abimbola Alale; Dr. Vincent Olatunji, acting director general of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), among others.

This year’s ITU Telecom event will hold in Bangkok, Thailand from November 14 – 17, 2016.

ITU Telecom World 2016 will provide participants the opportunity to network and showcase their innovations and tap new business models in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) terrain.

“Participants will explore

Executive Vice-Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)

importance of collaboration with the digital economy through best approaches, business models and technologies to forge flourishing inclusive ecosystem.

“Nigeria has adopted ‘Smart Communities: the key to a digital Nigeria’ as theme. The general theme for ITU Telecom World 2016 is “Collaboration in the digital economy”.

“This year’s theme will feature compelling formats ranging from top-level CEO/Ministerial round tables to frank, open dialogues between Governments and Small & Medium business leaders and interactive panel debates,” Ojobo said.

Acceptability of .ng brand on the increase - NiRA As businesses continue to face challenges imposed by fluctuating foreign exchange market, the Nigeria internet Registration Association (NiRA), believes the situation presents opportunities in the ‘local’ domain name administration/ industry with the acceptability. ng brand on the increase.

In its 88th e-newsletter posted and made available to Daily Times, Rev. Sunday Folayan, NiRA President, said that for the discerning, every challenge creates opportunities! Indeed, many opportunities.

He said, “We are all aware of the state of our national economy, especially the effects of the fluctuating foreign exchange (FOREX) rate. It has a huge impact on the Information Technology (IT) space because most of the software and hardware used in the country still are acquired from overseas. Any dip in the FOREX rate affects the cost of acquisition and deployment of IT solutions. For the discerning, every challenge creates opportunities! Indeed,

Sunday Folayan, NiRA President many opportunities!!”

Folayan said that the falling FOREX rate clearly creates opportunities for the growth of home grown IT solutions.

“As Nigerians, we have the capacity to develop and deploy IT solutions that can be exported.

Every developing economy must take technological growth as a high priority project because ICT plays a major role in economic development not only in the urban areas but also in the rural

areas. Any country that wants to develop must pay attention to its Technological Infrastructure development.

Nigeria should not be an exception.

“It is heart-warming that the acceptability of the .ng brand, our National online identity, is on the increase.

Of course the growth is attributable to the patriotic nature of Nigerians and the desire to conserve capital flight. We must shout it on the roof-tops to all Nigerians that any purchase of any foreign domain name lead to capital flight. We must patronize the .ng brand to project more Nigerian businesses, culture, heritage, etc.

“My joy and solace in this arena is the management of the .ng brand, which is easily available and affordable to Nigerians and the world based on NiRA policies.

“NIRA is determined to ensure that .ng domains are easily available and affordable to all Nigerians and the world using its fair and equitable policies. Apart from its robust

infrastructure, a new price regime was introduced in July 2016 to further encourage the use of the brand. We continue to see a significant increase in the use of the .ng string, especially amongst the Small and Medium Enterprises, who are projecting their businesses online and blogging away to their heart’s content. No doubt, an online identity creates avenue to educate, enlighten, influence and does sway the potential buyer towards your products or services.

“We must continue to play our part to ensure that we do not lose the momentum. Have you found your own niche?”

Meanwhile, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) and University of Ibadan (UI) are co-hosting a-four day International Workshop on “Internet Number Resources Management (INRM) and IPv6 Planning and Deployment”.

Accordingly, the selected participants for this training have been notified.

A “Personal Identity Management” report by Markets and Markets estimates the market will grow from USD 7.37 Billion in 2016 to USD 12.76 Billion by 2021, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.61 percent.

The major vendors in the Personal Identity Management market include IBM Corporation; VMware; CA Technologies; Microsoft and Oracle.

According to the market research report, the increasing technology trend of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and ChooseYour-Own Device (CYOD) within organisations has introduced many security threats associated with identity thefts.

As the frequency of sophisticated attacks on critical infrastructure are growing, the Personal Identity Management market is expected to gain traction in the next five years.

Access control application is expected to play a key role in changing the Personal Identity Management landscape during the forecast period and it also expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

This application provides identity managers with realtime management of all the activities with user devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops along with high security against malicious threats within the enterprises.

Cloud deployment is expected to be the fastest-growing deployment model in the Personal Identity Management market as it benefits organisations with increased scalability, speed, 24/7 services, and enhanced management capabilities.

Cloud Personal Identity Management solutions are available according to customer demand, wherein customers can start or stop any service, at will.

North America is expected to contribute the largest market share; Asia-Pacific (APAC) to grow at the highest CAGR. North America is expected to hold the largest market share and dominate the Personal Identity Management market from 2016 to 2021.

The changing adoption needs of cloud applications, BYOD, and mobile practices along with meeting the strict compliance regulations are driving the organisations in North America to adopt Personal Identity Management applications.

Various companies such as IBM, VMware, CA Technologies, Microsoft, Oracle, and Okta among others are operating in the market space.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

31 Tech Times

SunTrust Bank leverages technology, to capture 113m internet users

JUBRIL

Stories by Tony Nwakaegho

SunTrust Bank has disclosed that it hopes to leverage on its technology services to make its services available to the over 113 million Internet and telephone phone users in the country’s telecommunications sector.

This is in addition to attracting the over 100 million unbanked Nigerians, which the bank said it plans to attract into the banking sector through the use of innovative information and communication technology (ICT).

SunTrust Bank will operate the branchless banking model where

MD/CEO, SunTrust Bank it will deliver financial services outside conventional bank branches.

It hopes to eliminate the need for costly brick-and-mortar branches and hope to use agent networks to reach its customers more efficiently.

Muhammed Jubrin, managing director and chief executive officer, Suntrust Bank, disclosed this in a chat with journalists, recently.

According to him, this move by the bank will go a long way in deepening the financial sector and achieving the Central Bank of Nigeria’s goal of encouraging

FG canvasses support for Communication Services Tax, targets N20bn monthly CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28

harmonizing existing ones will put pressure on the Nigerian tax system. “… Thereby making it unattractive to investors and may consequently be counterproductive in the long run for the nation’s targets on broadband penetration,” he stressed.

He highlighted that there have been extensive controversies surrounding the proposed bill, and noted that a section of the stakeholders have extrapolated that the Bill seeks to impose additional nine percent charges on users of electronic communication services which is to be remitted to

the Federal Inland Revenue Service on a monthly basis, just as the extra tax will be applied on voice calls, SMS, MMS, Data and Pay TV viewing, among other services.

The Communications minister said others have posited that over 60 million Nigerians would be unable to afford basic broadband connection, a situation that is likely to threaten Nigeria’s ability to achieve its goal of 30 percent broadband penetration by 2018 and also undermine the socioeconomic progress spurred by increased connectivity.

This, he said, stakeholders had alluded to a large extent will be a cog in the wheel of implementing the National

the saving culture among the populace.

The bank CEO said, “It is unfortunate that we have just about 30 million Nigerians within the banking sector, as captured by the Biometric Verification Number (BVN). This is alarming when we consider the number of Nigerians that should have bank accounts.

“We are determined to use technology to attract more Nigerians into the banking sector.

We are very positive that this is possible, and with the success in the telecommunication sector, we are sure that our mobile banking applications will entice millions of able Nigerians into the sector.”

The more than 113 million functional telephone lines now being used by Nigerians, Jubrin said was a success story in the telecommunication sector, adding that it gives the management of the bank the hope that its aim of banking millions of unbanked Nigerians, using technology, is achievable.

“Suntrust Bank will bring banking to your home rather than make you come to us. We will be everywhere but we will be nowhere. We will offer telephone, mobile and Internet banking underpinned by the traditional banking ethics of probity and integrity,” he said.

He affirmed that the bank’s competitive edge would be its strong reliance on technology, adding that the bank would encourage customers to access its services

from the comfort of their homes and offices and so would not be engaging in a proliferation of branches.

“Our services will be available to our customers 24 hours daily, seven days a week and from anywhere in the world where there is good internet service. Our data centre is outsourced; this way, we will not have the overbearing requirement to put on the generator at our locations,” he highlighted.

According to him, by adopting the branchless strategy, SunTrust will save the N100million-N120million required to build a modern branch and the about N2.5 million it costs to run generators at a typical bank branch. ‘‘We will not be emphasising physical security as we are making serious investment in cyber security instead. Over 90 percent of banking transactions are being transacted electronically worldwide. Banking is no longer where you go to physical structures. The only financial institutions that can stand in the future are no longer those with physical branches but only banking services that will be driven by technology and, therefore, most customers of tomorrow will no longer be interested in going to the banking halls,’’ he explained.

He also revealed that the customers of the bank will be encouraged to use any Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) they desired because the bank will not be charging them the fee charged by other banks for using ATM platforms belonging to rival banks.

Broadband plan.

He however added that many have also concluded that the proposed Bill will discourage further investment in the communication industry due to reduced Returns on Investment (RoI), and ultimately drastically reduce the sector’s huge contributions to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Further, he said, some have concluded that the proposed CST Bill is an ill wind that would blow the country no good.

Shitte argued that his focus on any tax regime will be to align any process that will stimulate the economy and also ensure that the tax system is efficient by widening the tax net and creating an effective framework for tax compliance to protect the poor and vulnerable in the society who nonetheless have to use telecom services for social inclusion and financial services among others.

“The ITU gave Nigerian the

mandate to achieve 30 percent broadband penetration by 2018.

This is only two years away. In spite of the huge investment by the government and industry operators, Nigeria has achieved only 10 per cent broadband penetration at the moment. If we are to catch up with lost ground and meet up with the expectations of the global community in the area of affordable broadband service, we have to incentivize the populace by helping to aid access to low cost data service subscription”, he said.

He further said that this Bill is discriminatory because it targets only the communication industry to the exclusion of other sectors of the economy, saying”they reckon rather than overtax an already overburdened industry and its populace, government needs to stimulate the economy and encourage the adoption of communication service by all – whether rich or poor.

Olatunji commends Sidmach impact on e-Government Dr. Vincent Olatunji, acting director general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has commended Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited for its outstanding contributions towards the e-government development in the country.

Olatunji, made the remark during a recent courtesy visit to Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited, stressing the Agency’s readiness to partner with Sidmach on its programmes.

Daily Times recounts that Sidmach has received commendations for its role at various fora on the development of the e-Curriculum portal project, a unique technological solution with a bold step toward achieving the Federal government’s policy on Information Technology in Education.

Mr. Peter Arogundade, managing director, Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited who led the Executive and Management Team in welcoming the Acting DG NITDA to Sidmach head office, noted that it was the first time NITDA’s DG will be visiting the organisation.

“Sidmach is an indigenous Information Technology (IT) company with world class products and services. We provide integrated solutions to customers across the public and private sectors of the economy. The organisation was established 23 years ago by five Nigerians and over the years we have grown to become one of the leading IT Companies in Nigeria.

“At Sidmach, our people live our values and our actions are underpinned by these principles.

Our corporate culture is professional, innovative, disciplined, friendly and open, and we are committed to excellence and global standards.

We promote a work environment based on faith, respect, timeliness, objectivity, merit, effective communication, compliance with policies and processes, corporate loyalty and swift execution. We enjoy what we do.

“Our strength lies in our people who are very professional and together with our local and international partners, we are poised to deliver exceptional products and services. Our responsiveness, professional competence and partnership skills are what have continually given us the edge in our services offering. The company also have offices located in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt,” Arogundade said.

He hinted that Sidmach cherishes her partnership with NITDA and for a number of collaborations and projects such as the e-Agriculture Platform, e-Health Platform and ideas regarding Start-Ups.

Published by FOLIO COMMUNICATIONS LTD, Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja. email: info@dailytimes.ng Tel: 08034197567.

AG. DAILY EDITOR: SAM NZEH

TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2016

VOL. 2. NO.178

Klopp bemoans Origi’s poor

show

P 17

Price: N150 News Hotlines: 08138773277, 08173901838. Advert Hotlines: 08086296714

F

ollowing a growing list of failures, president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick has been asked to quit or face impeachment and if all these failed, Nigerians should chase out the entire NFF executive committee.

Former NFF disciplinary committee vice-chairman Iyke Igbokwe has told AfricanFootball.com that “Pinnick is the worst disaster to have inflicted Nigerian football”.

In March, Nigeria failed to qualify for a second straight AFCON. Last month, the country’s U20 team, the Flying Eagles, also failed to qualify for the U20 AFCON in Zambia, before last weekend, the Golden Eaglets crashed out of the qualifiers for the U17 AFCON.

Resign now , Igbokwe tells Pinnick

Pinnick

“If Pinnick still has any honour left in him, he should resign as NFF president by the next 24 hours. And if he failed to do so, the executive committee should impeach him and where they too fail to do so, Nigerians should rise up and chase them away,” demanded a highly aggrieved Igbokwe, whose fire-brand activism has earned him the nickname ‘Torchlight of Nigerian football”.

“All our teams will not be in action in Africa next year - the Super Eagles, the Flying Eagles and now the Golden Eaglets.

“And all these are because of the evil that has beset Nigerian football.

“Just one person’s selfish and personal ambitions have mortgaged the fortunes of Nigerian football right from when he got to power through the back door.

“Why will God want you to succeed after the dark forces that threw you up through highly illegal and dubious ways?”

Igbokwe added: “When the Flying Eagles crashed out, the first vicepresident (Seyi Akinwunmi) apologized on behalf of the board.

“Should we continue to accept apologies from these people?

“No. We should chase them out.”

Igbokwe said he expects doom to befall the country’s campaign to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia after they were drawn in a very difficult qualifying group that has Algeria, Cameroon and Zambia.

“It will be another disaster in the World Cup qualifiers because as long as Pinnick is overseeing Nigerian football, we will not come out of this very difficult group,” he predicted.

“The entire Nigerian football is doomed!”

Guinness launches made of Football campaign ANDREW EKEJIUBA

O

ver the weekend, football fans were thrilled and excited as Guinness, the official broadcast sponsor of DSTV and the No. 1 drink of the season commenced the new Barclays Premiere League football season amidst great fun and aplomb as it brought a live studio audience to watch the opening matches at the Indoor Sport Hall of National Stadium, Surulere Lagos.

Guinness celebrated the new season by launching their latest Made of Black campaign ‘Made of

Football’. The campaign is supported by a new TV advert, which will be broadcast from August 14th and celebrates passionate football fans across Nigeria and the lengths they go to show their love for the game.

According to the Marketing Manager, Guinness, Uche Onwudiwe, Guinness as the number one football brand in Nigeria is set to bring amazing and intense football moments to consumers and also enhance match day experiences across the country.

“This year Guinness will be showing even greater support for the incredible football fans across the country. Unlike anywhere else in

the world, football has the power to unite people across Nigeria. Guinness is an iconic beer that has the darkest liquid, but the brightest flavours and has always had the authenticity, boldness and vision to do things differently. This year with the Made of Football campaign we will be providing exciting experiences for football fans across the country, whether that be incredible cash prizes and competitions or unique football viewing experiences and maybe a few surprises along the way,” he said.

He reassures that apart from the partnership in the broadcast

of the BPL, Guinness will continue to explore unique opportunities to create money can’t buy experiences

for football fans and loyal consumers, ensuring that every match occasion is truly made of black.

L – R: Chidozie Bede-Nwokoye - Marketing Manager, SuperSport, West Africa; Kunle Faloye, Senior Brand Manger, Guinness; John Barnes ex - Liverpool Legend and SuperSport Analyst and Uche Onwudiwe, Marketing Manager, Guinness, during the Live Screening of the Barclays Premiere League new season in Lagos at the weekend…

Business Times Daily Times Nigeria

NLC threatens `no pay, no work’ rule over unpaid Page B2 salaries

Equities market increase 0.58 Page B6 percent as investors gain N55.5 billion

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

10 years after concession, knocks greet state of Page B4 Nigerian ports

Adeosun tasks IDB on economic development

Mathew Dadiya Abuja

Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun has called on the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group to lend greater support to Nigeria and work with development

partners in operationalising the Recovery and Peace Building assessment and the implementation of the recently constituted June 2016 Buhari Plan for the Revitalization of the Northeast region of the country.

According to the Minister, it en-

tails addressing aspects of interventions relating to peace building, stability and social cohesion, support critical productive infrastructure and service delivery, provide capacity building and program management support in national, state and local government institu-

tions.

Mrs Adeosun said this on Monday while inaugurating the IDB Country Gateway Office in Abuja, also pointed that amidst the challenges faced by emerging economies including Nigeria, are potential and immense opportunities.

The Minister of Finance who also serves as the IDB Governor for Nigeria, noted that the event was an important milestone in the relationship between Nigeria and the bank because it will strengthen the cooperation and the cordial CONTINUED ON PAGE B2

Proposed communication tax more burden on poor masses TUC tells FG Joy Ekeke

Red Star

L-R: Executive Director, Sales and Marketing, Victor Ukwat; Director, Chris Ogbeche and Executive Director, Finance and Admin, Auwalu Babura of Red Star Plc at the company’s 23rd Annual General Meeting in Lagos.

Nigeria may withdraw from … As militants’ ceasefire OPEC’s freeze deal frightens world powers Opeoluwani Akintayo Nigeria may likely withdraw from the Organisation for Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC’s freeze talks coming up in September as a new study of trends by the Daily Times has revealed that the ceasefire agreed to by oil militants in the Niger Delta is sending shivers down the spines of world powers.

OPEC is expected to resume freeze-talks on the sideline of the International Energy Agency, IEA’s conference in September.

Since President Mohammadu Buhari assumed the Presidency last year, his administration has witnessed the highest number of pipeline vandalisation cases, 1600 from February 2016 to date, while between 2010 - 2015, 3000 cases were recorded, according to Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Emmanuel Kachikwu.

The spates of vandalism have impacted negatively on Nigeria’s crude export which is the country’s highest income and foreign exchange earner.

The attacks on oil and gas installations in the Niger Delta,

boosted prices of crude globally, a trend world business owners secretly wished would continue however, inability to export crude meant less money for Nigeria, culminating to less implementation of developmental projects.

However, now that both the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA and the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, have agreed to a ceasefire and dialogue with the Federal Government, the country’s oil production is expected to rise, leading to more oil in the market which may further crash prices.

Study conducted by the Daily Times has shown that just as Iraq refused to join the freeze talk after its sanctions were lifted early 2016, Nigeria may also back down from OPEC’s freeze deal as a result of the need to catch up on its financial losses and quest to embark on developmental projects.

Last week, Kachikwu expressed doubts on the success of OPEC’s freeze talk.

Taking to his Twitter account, the Minister tweeted, “Optimism on my part is quite sparse, but I believe engagement with the 70 CONTINUED ON PAGE B2

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has faulted the Federal Government’s plan to introduce taxes on GSM calls as additional burden on already impoverished masses.

The President and acting Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Bala Kaigama and Simeso Amachree, respectively, condemned the planned imposition of the Communication Service Tax by the Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, in a statement on Sunday.

They said the bill, if passed into law, would empower the government to charge nine per cent tax on all telephone calls, text messages and data packages.

The Congress faults Mr. Shittu’s claim that the country would earn as much as N20 billion monthly in consequence of passage of the proposed bill, and that it would help cushion some of the country’s economic chalCONTINUED ON PAGE B2

Monitor funds released for capital projects, ExCBN director tells FG Charles Okonji Dr. Titus Okunronmu, a former Director, Budgetary Department, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has called on the Federal Government to monitor the use of funds released for capital CONTINUED ON PAGE B2

Business News B2

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Proposed communication tax more burden on poor masses TUC tells FG

Adeosun tasks IDB on economic development

CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

relationship between Nigeria and the IDB Group, bring the IDB closer to the people and to appreciate the challenges faced by ordinary Nigerians and collaborate with the federal government of Nigeria in executing projects that will improve the living standard of the citizenry.

On his part, the IDB President, Dr Ahmad Mohamed Ali thanked the Nigerian government for the support and facilitation role it played in the establishment of the IDB Group Country Gateway Office (CGO) describing it as timely and highly appreciated.

Ali said “the Nigerian government’s exemplary leadership and drive for national development through good governance and zero tolerance against corruption inspires the IDB Group and other development partners even more.

This determination will go a long way in fast tracking the implementation of development programs in Nigeria to benefit the most needy families and young Nigerians facing vulnerabilities of poverty and extremism.”

The mission of the IDB Group is to strengthen the solidarity and economic relationships among its members countries saying that the establishment of the CGO in Nigeria aims not only to reinforce the already excellent cooperation but also to see Nigeria, the largest IDB member country in Africa as a platform for strengthening the socioeconomic, technical and commercial cooperation between the bank and its member countries while looking forward to Nigeria playing a key role, he said.

Nigeria may withdraw from OPEC’s freeze deal CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

percent oil producers might have an impact.”

Again, since Kachikwu’s doubt had reached public space, speculations already arose about Nigeria not agreeing to any freeze deal any time soon.

Amid the doubts, oil prices reached their highest levels in more than five weeks last week as the market rode optimism over potential producer action to prop up the market.

Oil production losses in Nigeria, where more than 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) was missing due to militant attacks and pipeline problems, were also helping to support prices in the Atlantic Basin.

MRS

L – R: Haruna Jalo-Waziri, Executive Director, Capital Market Division, NSE; Oscar Onyema CEO, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); Andrew Gbodume, Managing Director, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc and Tinuade Awe, General Counsel and Head, Regulation, NSE at the Closing Gong Ceremony at the Exchange in Lagos… recently.

NLC threatens `no pay, no work’ rule over unpaid salaries Joy Ekeke The Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), has threatened to apply the ‘no pay, no work’ rule in states where salaries are owed for up to three months.

The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, made this known when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) forum in Abuja.

“We have given instructions to all of our state councils that where there is liability of salary up to three months, they should also apply the rule of `no pay, no work’ it is not only `no work, no pay’.

“You can also apply the rule in a reverse order of `no pay, no work’ and that is legitimate because the law provides that after 30 days of working, the worker is entitled to be paid. “How can we encourage people that have put in their best or even those that are still in the system trying to put in their best without addressing this very fundamental issue?

“Those are the situations we have found ourselves across states and across different employments. I feel very sad with

that situation but I think we will do all we can within our means and power to try to continue to protect all those workers.’’

The labour leader said workers must be seen as an asset to our county instead of shifting all the challenges to the workers.

“The challenges have been there. Instead of looking inward to try to address these challenges, the bulk of the issue have been shifted to the workers and that is why I think that you can effectively say that yes these workers are under attack.’’

Mr. Wabba said that NLC held a meeting with the state councils, where they took inventory of the liability of pension, gratuity and salaries, adding that the data was alarming.

“When you see the data of how much it stands today of liabilities that workers have not been paid, the worst is that of gratuity which some states have a liability of up to 10 years.

“Workers have worked for 30 or 35 years in service; they retired following the normal process but yet after retirement, they were not paid a dime.

lenges and fund budget deficits. “ We appreciate the minister’s concern on how to fund the budget, should the government’s focus not rather be on ensuring more judicious use of revenue derived from value added tax (VAT), Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE), stamp duties, vehicle license, passport fees, customs duty, petroleum profit tax (PPT) and other taxes collected from the masses and companies? And would it not be more appropriate for the desired additional taxes to be imposed on the GSM operators and other players in the communications industry rather than the poor masses”

Nigeria’s inactive phone lines hit 67m - NCC Tony Nwakaegho Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says inactive lines in the country’s telecommunications industry have increased from 65,186,763 in May to 67,331,498 in June 2016.

This is contained in the NCC “Monthly Subscriber Data’’ recent report made available to the press on Sunday in Lagos.

The report indicated that there were additional 2,144,735 inactive numbers within the period, making the unused lines to increase to 67,331,498 in June.

It showed that of the 217,150,404 connected lines, only 149,818,906 numbers were active.

The report stated that of the 67,331,498 inactive numbers, the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) networks had a share of 63,934,119.

“The Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA mobile) operators had a share of 3,210,489; while the Fixed Wired/Wireless networks had a total of 182,662 unused telecommunications lines.

“More so of the 149,818,906 active lines, the GSM networks had 149,179,083 numbers, adding a

total of 990,040 lines to their May number of 148,189,043 active lines.

“The CDMA operators had 454,092 active lines, as their active numbers reduced by 33,049 lines, from the May result of 487,141 active numbers.

“The Fixed/Wireless networks had a share of 170,539 of the active lines, reducing their May 2016 record of 171,974 by 1,435 lines in June,’’ it said.

In addition, the report said that the teledensity of Nigeria’s telecommunications industry also climbed to 107.01 per cent in June, compared to 106.32 per cent in May 2016.

Danbatta

Monitor funds released for capital projects, Ex-CBN director tells FG CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

projects in to bridge the infrastructural deficit in the country.

Okunronmu who made this call on Saturday in Ota, Ogun stated noted that the effective monitoring of such funds would accelerate economic growth in the country.

He added that investment in capital projects was one of the

catalyst that boost national development as well as attracting foreign investors into the country.

He maintained that improper monitoring by the past administration and corruption had hindered the infrastructure development and sustainable growth.

Okunronmu stressed: “No nation can achieve a meaningful

development without taken investment in capital projects as a priority in its agenda. ‘’Massive investment in capital projects will lead to establishment of industries that would provide job opportunity for the unemployed youth as well as eradicating proverty in the country.’’

He called on the Federal Gov-

ernment to allocate more funds for capital projects in the nation’s annual budget and tackle incessant corruption.

It could be recalled that the Minister of Finance,Mrs Kemi Adeosun, last Friday in Abuja said that between May to date, the Federal Government has so far released N400 billion for capital.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

B3 Money Market

CIBN inducts 812 professional bankers ...Tasks graduates on banking ethics, professionalism Stories by Motolani Oseni The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has inducted new graduates into their professional banking careers.

The institute, which said it is determined to enhance the quality of banking professional competencies through certification and continuous professional development, inducted 812 graduates comprising 21 Chartered Banker MBA (CBMBA) graduates, 160 ACIB graduates, 583 Microfinance Certified Professionals (MCP) and 55 Diploma graduates who have successfully completed the different catego-

ries of the Institute’s examinations.

The CIBN, held its 2016 graduates induction and prize awards day with the theme: ‘Starting Up the Right Way: Attracting Investment to your Fledgling Business.’

In his speech, the President/ Chairman of Council, CIBN, Professor Segun Ajibola, said that the significance of Induction ceremony as normally conducted by professional bodies is to formally admit or elect into its professional ranks student members who have passed the requisite examinations to attain the heights expected of their professional education and career prospect.

He explained that admission

of student members who have passed the prescribed examinations and fulfilled all other conditions set by the Governing Council into the Associateship (ACIB), Microfinance Certified Bankers (MCIB) and the Diploma stages to the extent that, in learning and character, they are ready to abide by the Institute’s creed of Trust and Honesty.

Commenting on awards to outstanding student members, he said, “Student whose performances in the preceding yea’s banking professional and other certification examinations were exceptional were honoured.”

Ajibola, however, congratulated all the graduating profession-

al bankers, and also acknowledge the invaluable contributions of their spouses, partners and families whose support and encouragement had been vital to the successes they have recorded in the various examinations.

According to him, “While you must rejoice and celebrate your achievements, you must also realize the enormity of responsibility that are now enthrusted on you. You should henceforth exhibit a high degree of moral rectitude, ethics and professionalism in the discharge of your duties. You must at all times abide by and observe the Code of Conduct in the Nigerian Banking Industry.”

Left: Liberian Chief Of Staff, Clark Catta; the Liberian Vice President, Mr. Joseph Boakai; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; and Liberian Ambassador to Nigeria, Al-Hassan Conteh, during the visit of the Liberian Vice-President to the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday.

GreenHouse Capital invests $10m to boost SMEs in Nigeria As Nigerian government determined to diversify its economy from oil, GreenHouse Capital, said it has injected not less than $10 million into the Nigeria’s economy in two years, so as to boost the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

The company’s founding partner, Mr. Bunmi Akinyemiju, who disclosed this to The Daily Times of Nigeria (DTN) in Lagos recently, said that the aforementioned amount was invested in13 SME companies across the country.

Akinyemiju, noted that the SME companies who had received a boost due to its investment are that

are: APPZONE; Prepclass; Resources; PAYPAD; Flutterwave and MAXI.NG. Also benefitting from its million dollars investment include Talentbase; Riby; Adspread; DC, SureBids, and tutor.ng.

According to him, the purpose for creating GreenHouse Capital is to reach out to raw talent in Nigeria, who do not have the right environment, right encouragement and the right funding, thereby promoting them to become a Technological Entrepreneur in Africa.

“The rationale behind this investing in Nigeria economy is to make Nigerians think local, developed locally and scale

then globally, and that is why the company gives the right encouragement, right funding and right training for local investors before scaling them globally”, he stressed.

He, however, added that all the money is not only coming from Nigeria or Africa, but rather from California, New York and across the globe.

“Such money would not come into Nigeria economy unless we have already readymade Nigerian investor that have put their money down, so GreenHouse is also acting like catalysts to aid this development.

“GreenHouse had invested in some company (ies) that are doing business like micro

lending, also that are into invention of new PoS, which are smaller and faster for banks. We have a company they could also produce instant card issuers with lot of business technology”, he explained.

Speaking on company evaluation before investing into it, he said, by looking at their needs with the impact this will produce on their businesses, it usually in different stages, which could come in bit, some of them could just start with at least just $500 and $300.

“We are very excited now, because three of the companies are now founded by California based top investors”, he disclosed.

Stanbic IBTC identifies how to unlock Nigeria’s SME value chain Unlocking the full potentials for development of Nigeria’s Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) segment will depend on the ability to deploy the most effective combination of strategy, resources, planning and diligent execution, experts have said.

This was the key takeaway from the Stanbic IBTC Bank 2016 SME Capacity Building Sessions which took place in eight cities across the country on August recently (9/10, 2016).The series is designed to contribute to the development of relevant expertise and priorities that would help SMEs flourish, enabling them to play their catalytic role in economic growth.

One of the biggest causes of small business failure is a lack of sound financial management, stated Mr. Eziukwu Princewill, Development Finance Strategist at Visionaries Nigeria Limited, who facilitated at the Abuja session.

He stated that “to stay in business, there should be vast and keen knowledge of the environmental indices and how they can affect the growth and sustainability of the business.”

He spoke against the backdrop of the current state of the Nigerian economy.

Head, Business Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Anya Duroha, said the SME sector is pivotal to the economic growth and development of any nation and Nigeria is no exception, especially as the government attempts to diversify the economy in the aftermath of declining revenue from oil due to plummeting prices.

He said the series was conceived two years ago to expose SME operators to modern and innovative marketing, financial, and management skills that are useful to their business operations and which will help them to attract the necessary funding for growth.

The Stanbic IBTC Group, Duroha said, is backed by the rich heritage and know-how of the Standard Bank Group, and committed to building a strong SME base in Nigeria and one of the ways it hopes to achieve this is by empowering operators with the right business skills and adequate funding.

“Stanbic IBTC Bank has a rich pedigree of building capacity for SMEs and providing much needed support in terms of funding and skills acquisition in the sector because we understand the important linkages provided by SMEs to industries and employment generation.

Labour B4

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Private transport companies canvass standardisation of sector …As 70% fares hike looms Stories by Joy Ekeke Members of the Private Transport Companies of Nigeria (APTCON) have taken a stand to improve the industry’s efficiency in service delivery by canvassing for the adoption of global best practices by operators.

Speaking at a forum in Lagos, stakeholders in the transport sector however said it is time to improve industry standards and build capacity of members to le-

verage new opportunities even as they urged the government to support them in order to avert a likely hike in fares to cushion operational challenges.

Dr. Henrietta Onwuegbuzie, a Senior Lecturer at the Lagos Business School and also the convener of the association, said the road transport sector remains one of the major alternatives to movement of goods and people in the country, and lack of regulation crippled its contribution to national development.

“The transport sector was left unattended to, and APTCON will lobby the government to create enabling policies that will improve the sector.

“It is our intention to fully mobilise and rally resources, both human and material, for the growth of the transport sector which has been identified by experts as capable of further propelling Nigeria’s GDP.” “Plans are underway to reduce operation cost in the sector, improve industry standard and build capacity of members to leverage new opportunities.”

She added: “It is expected that

APTCON will also provide a forum for inter-state passenger transport operators to speak with one voice, especially as regards government regulations, bus fares and other issues affecting the sector.”

Onwuegbuzie stressed that the platform was established to provide industry players an avenue to discuss matters bordering on common interests, regulations and strategies on how to overcome operational challenges to ensure business sustainability and profitability.

Route Commander and Transport Standardisation Officer,

Federal Road Safety Corps (Lagos), Godwin Umweni Johnson, expressed commitment to the safety of travellers.

According to him, ”some travellers attribute negligence on the part of fleet operators, the federal road safety corps is highlighting measures to curb the menace by introducing the road transport safety standardisation scheme to regulate the transport sector.

Johnson however lauded the initiative, admitting that the sector needs proper regulation, particularly to reduce rate of accidents across the country.

APTCON L-R: Senior Traffic Officer, LASTMA, Olagoke Adeola; Route Commander/Transport Standardisation Office, FRSC, Godwin Umweni Johnson; Senior Lecturer, Entrepreneurship, Academic Director, Lagos Business School, Dr. Henrietta Onwuegbuzie; Magaji of Ikorodu, Tajudeen Olukayode Bawa-Allah and Senior Traffic Officer, LASTMA, Nekan Olorode, during the General meeting of Association of Private Transport Company Owners of Nigeria (APTCON).

NHIS, TUC partner to restructure scheme The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) says it will partner with Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) to organise a retreat that will determine how to improve services provided by the scheme.

Prof. Usman Yusuf, Executive Secretary of NHIS made the assertion during a visit to TUC secretariat in Lagos.

Yusuf said that the congress’ involvement would correct some errors made by past operators and move the scheme forward.

“We want to find out what is needed to develop the scheme.

“The NHIS new administration wants to improve activities of the service and correct the mistakes made in the past,’’ Yusuf said.

The scribe said that after the retreat, the NHIS executives will come out with a five-year plan on how to restructure the scheme to impact the lives of Nigerians.

He said that the NHIS administration would also meet with legislators to pass a health bill that would impact on the beneficiaries.

Yusuf said that the administrators of the scheme would

seek assistance from organisations to provide equipment such as computers to assist the NHIS offices in rural areas.

Earlier, the TUC President, Mr Bobboi Kaigama, said that the congress was monitoring the efforts of the scheme to ensure that it was in the interest of the people.

Kaigama said that the congress would not allow the NHIS to be linked with maladministration as witnessed by past managers of the scheme.

“The immediate past managers of the scheme made budgets that were improper.

NUPENG seeks tax incentives for genuine investors Providing tax holidays and providing free land space for investors will serve as incentives to attract investments into the country, the President, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Comrade Igwe Achese has said.

Achese, who spoke in Lagos,

stressed that the measures were necessary to free the economy from its parlous state which the administration is still grappling with.

He also advocated an efficient tax regime that would ensure that businesses, especially those owned by affluent Nigerians, were adequately taxed, as most of them explored the loopholes in the system to dodge payment of taxes.

He said the government should use part of the recovered loot to pay verified contractors, especially those involved in road construction.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

B5 Energy

L-R: President & Director General, Shell Gabon, Mr. Osa Igiehon; Winner of the Best Conference Paper & Lead, Petrophysics Discipline SNEPCo, Itua Osazua; & GM, Development (Onshore), Goke Akinrinmade, at the Award Dinner of the 40th Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Quickly pass PIB - analysts tell N’Assembly … As NAEC holds August conference 2016

Analysts have urged the National Assembly to hasten on the passing of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB. The call was made at the National Association of Energy Correspondents (NAEC) 2016 August conference tagged ‘Low Oil Price: Impact & the Way Forward,’ last week Thursday.

During one of the sessions of the conference attended by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, and his counterpart, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, discussants

representing stakeholders in the oil & gas sector, said the federal government is taking too long in implementing the PIB. According to State Executive Secretary of Major Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, Obafemi Olawore, Energy Research Analyst, Dolapo Oni of Ecobank, Head Corporate Services, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, Lanre Oladele, and GM, Corporate Services, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, O.O. Agbaje, when the new PIB is quickly passed, it will enable stakeholders to spot the potholes

on time before it is passed into law.

“The new PIB has undergone a lot of changes from the original one. So, we employ the National Assemble to quickly pass it so that we can look at it and spot the issues in it for correction,” Obafemi Olawore said.

With the sub-themes being “Attracting Investment in the Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector’’ with emphasis on “Gas to Power: Challenges and Opportunities,” lead paper and keynote address was delivered by Kachikwu while Fashola and the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Pe-

How OPEC’s freeze talk resulted to price surge Upon report that the Organisation for Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC will be revisiting the freeze talk on the sideline of the International Energy Agency, IEA conference in September, oil prices hiked 24 percent.

However, analysts, including Nigeria’s Minister for Petroleum, Ibe Kachukwu, is skeptical that the talk would produce anything significant resulting to price rebalancing.

In just 20 days, oil futures are approaching $50- settling at $48.52 per barrel weekend.

Taking to his social media Twitter account last week, Kachikwu said he was not sure OPEC would

reach any positive deal.

“Optimism on my part is quite sparse, but I believe engagement with the 70 percent oil producers might have an impact,” he tweeted.

Oil production losses in Nigeria, where more than 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) was missing due to militant attacks and pipeline problems, were also helping to support prices in the Atlantic Basin.

Brent crude futures hit a high of $48.74 per barrel, their highest since July 7, in morning trade.

They were trading at $48.59 per barrel at 1042 GMT (0642 ET), up 24 cents from their last close, and around 17 percent higher than the

$41.51 low for the month on Aug. 2.

Riyadh sharply raised expectations for a global production deal between when Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said Saudi Arabia will work with OPEC and nonOPEC members to help stabilise oil markets.

“The comments by the Saudi energy minister give a positive indication that they are willing to go for a freeze deal but the question remains: on what level?” said an OPEC source from a key Middle Eastern producer.

“Will the freeze be at January levels? And what about Iran? And then there is Nigeria, which has lost a lot of production since January,” the source added.

troleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru presented papers as the Guest Speakers.

Other speakers included: Mr Sanders Mai-Bornu, Deputy Managing Director, Nigeria LNG Limited, Mr Dolapo Oni, Head, Energy Research, ECOBANK PLC; Mr Clay Neff, Managing Director, Chevron Nigeria Limited; Mr Akin Akinfemiwa, Chairman, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN); Mr Bismarck Rewane, CEO Financial Derivatives Company Limited; Prof. Akpan H. Ekpo, DirectorGeneral, West African Institute For Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM); Mrs Sotonye Iyoyo, Executive Secretary, Petro-

leum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA); Mr Muda Yusuf, Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and Mr D.V.G Edwin, Group Executive Director, Dangote Refinery.

Also, the likes of Engr, Saidu Mohammed, Group Executive Director, Power and Gas, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC); Prof. Barth Nnaji, Chairman, Geometric Power Ltd; Mr Dada Thomas, Managing Director, Frontier Oil Limited; Mr Bolaji Osusanya, Managing Director, Oando Gas to Power; Dr Oladele Amoda, Chief Executive Officer, Eko Electricity Distribution Company; Mr Sunday Olurotimi Oduntan.

Nigeria’s weekly energy watch # * * * * * * *

Energy Generated (MWh) Energy Sent Out (MWh) Peak (MW) Off-Peak (MW) Spinning Reserve (MW) Constrained (MW) Units (Available)

Last Week (Avg) 74719

This Week (Avg)

73473

74101

3279 2961 14

3440 2905 32

4604

4295

88

88

75416

OPEC daily basket price

OPEC daily basket price as at Thursday, August 18, 2016, stood at $46.50

Capital Market B6

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Equities market increase 0.58 percent as investors gain N55.5 billion Afolabi Adesola The Nigerian equities market continued from Friday’s positive path with lead indicator of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); the All Share Index (ASI) gaining 0.58 percent.

The ASI specifically added 161.74 points to close the day at 27,812.06 points compared to 229.33 points gained last Friday to close at 27,650.32 points.

The Market Capitalization

which is the total market value of all publicly quoted firms on the NSE gained N55.5 billion to close the day at N9.552 trillion compared to N78.8 billion gained in previous session when it closed at N9.496 trillion.

Nestle Nigeria Plc led the day’s advancing stocks with a growth of N9.99 to close at N835 per share, Seplat Petroleum Plc added N5 to close at N245 per share, Nigerian Breweries Plc improved by N1.99 to close at

N140 per share. Forte Oil Plc gained N1.90 to close at N162 per share and International Breweries Plc appreciated by 61 kobo to close at N19per share.

The appreciation recorded in these share prices amongst 15 others stocks were responsible for the growth recorded in the market indicators, trimming the year to date losses to -2.90%.

7up Plc led the days retreating stocks having dropped by N5.28 to close at N109.17 per share, ETI

Plc lost 31 kobo to close at N11.19 per share, Dangote Flour Plc fell 15 kobo to close at N4 per share, Africa Prudential Registrars Plc declined by 5 kobo to settle at N2.64 per share, and Livestock Feeds Plc depreciated by 4 kobo to close at 89 kobo per share.

The total value of stocks traded on the floors of The NSE on Monday amounted to N2.83 billion, while a total of 216.2 million shares exchanged hands in 3,316 deals.

PENGASSAN The President, Petroleum And Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria {PENGASSAN} Comrade Francis Olabode Johnson (Right) making a presentation to the Governor of Niger State, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, during the opening ceremony of a 3Day Workshop on Oil and Gas, in Minna recently.

NSE and Bloomberg set to hold 2nd CEO Roundtable Afolabi Adesola The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in collaboration with Bloomberg is set to host the 2nd NSE Bloomberg CEO Roundtable Event on Wednesday, 31st August 2016 at the Stock Exchange House, Marina, Lagos.

The CEO Roundtable themed “Navigating the Changing Business Landscape in Nigeria” will bring together thought leaders and captains of industry to share in-depth knowledge about their sectors with capital market players and proffer much needed solutions to economic realities.

The panel at the event will feature CEOs from the financial services, telecommunications and manufacturing sectors; CEOs from portfolio management firms and

renowned economists.

Some of the confirmed speakers for the event include: Oscar N. Onyema OON – CEO, NSE, Segun Ogunsanya – CEO, Airtel Nigeria, Bolaji BalogunCEO, Chapel Hill Denham, Mark Bohlund – Senior Economist, Africa and the Middle East, Bloomberg Intelligence and Uk Eke MFR – GMD, FBN Holdings.

Speaking on the event, Oscar N. Onyema OON, Chief Executive Officer, NSE, said “the CEO Roundtable is in line with the commitment of the Exchange to provide a platform that ensures continuous dialogue to provide practical solutions for companies operating in Nigeria.

The headwinds that have befallen the Nigerian economy presents an opportunity for businesses to take a step back, access the current situation and

plan accordingly. It is expected that this event will critically examine the changes in the business landscape, highlight their impact and propose solutions that will enable businesses thrive and survive in the current environment” “Bloomberg is working more closely than ever with key financial institutions and stakeholders in countries like Nigeria to help them grasp opportunities, tackle challenges, and bring more transparency to capital markets,” said Selloua Chakri, Head of Market Structure Strategy, Bloomberg.

“We’re delighted to partner with the NSE again to convene this prestigious group of business leaders for what will no doubt be a fascinating and informative discussion.”

The event will feature a panel

session on the theme and will centre on financing capital projects & the real economy in the current environment, policy measures needed to grow the manufacturing sector’s contribution to the economy and maintaining & attracting foreign investment through the downturn. There will also be a macro-economic review to guide discussions.

“CSCS has capacity to support any market initiative” The Nigerian Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc have reiterated its support towards the enhancement and implementation of capital market initiatives.

Mr. Joe Mekiliuwa, the General Manager, IT and Operations, CSCS gave this assertion whilst speaking with a handful of capital market correspondents in Lagos recently. He said “CSCS has the capacity to support any market initiative, we have seasoned professionals from the MD to the least worker. What is happening in the market is not new to us, we know the right steps to take.

The management is sound both in IT and in the capital market dynamics and we are using this knowledge to make our input in market initiatives.”

Recently, CSCS disclosed a 98.4 percent dematerialisation success rate, meaning that 98.4 percent of shares quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange are now available in an electronic format in CSCS depository, leaving only 1.6 percent of share certificates still in physical certificate form.

With this, the CSCS further expressed optimism that ongoing tireless work with the registrars will ensure that full dematerialization is achieved before the end of 2016’s third quarter.

The achievement of such feat is set to bring to the Nigerian capital market, dynamism, liquidity and swift decision making in securities investment.

Speaking further on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) E-dividend scheme, Mr. Joe stated that “From the inception of e-dividend initiative, CSCS has been at the forefront of the exercise, we are an active member of the committee involved in all robust deliberations on e-dividend, and we are strategically providing support in the second level of verification for bank details submitted through the Brokers for onward transmission to Registrars for edividend payment.

Summary of activities on NSE ASI

27,812.06

DEALS

3,316.00

VOLUME

216,174,439.00

VALUE

2,825,921,158.61

CAP

9,552,035,881,868.53

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

NPA

B7 Business Feature

Nigerian ports and other sea terminals in West Africa which revealed that Nigerian ports are the costliest and the most tedious to operate in within the sub-region

“Let me ask you all: Are you people happy with how things are at the ports today?

If you people are, I am not. I’m not impressed. Again, have we really fared better in terms of modernisation and infrastructure since the ports were concessioned in 2006?

10 years after concession, knocks greet state of Nigerian ports The present situation has persisted even as stakeholders in the industry has called for a total review of the whole process which according to them was flawed from the very beginning.

This is coming on the heels of a recent World Bank study that analysed the cost and ease of doing business in Nigerian ports and other sea terminals in West Africa which revealed that Nigerian ports are the costliest and the most tedious to operate in within the sub-region.

For instance according to the report, the terminal delivery/ labour charges in Nigeria stands at about N60, 000, while it is about N10, 000 in Ghana and N24,000 in Benin Republic. In Senegal, the charge is dependent on weight and volume of the cargo.

For cargo dwell time, Nigeria still records the highest in SubSaharan African with 20-28 days.

Togo is 18 days, Benin Republic is 10-15 days, Ghana (Tema Port) 15-21 days, Kenya (Mombasa port) nine days, South Africa (Durban) four days and Zambia seven days.

On the African continent, the report revealed that Swaziland is number one in terms of easeof-doing-business across borders while Ghana ranks ahead of Nigeria in number 171.

The National President, Council of Managing Directors of Customs Agents, (NCMDLA) and a member of the Presidential Committee on Port Reforms, Mr. Lucky Amiwero, said Nigeria missed it from the onset, when the ports were concessioned without required regulatory body.

10 years after Nigerian ports were concessioned to make them cost effective, more efficient and modern, they have remained a far cry from the ideal. Investigations by Daily Times has shown that contrary to expectations, monopoly, increased cost of doing business, poor access roads have remained the order of the day. BABAJIDE OKEOWO reports.

According to him ‘Nigerian ports are worse for it 10 years after concession, it is the most expensive port in the world, not regulated, and not controlled. Procedures are zero, so many things are not done properly. Concession has not helped the country in any form. It has brought untold misery to most of the operators who are using the services of the concessionaires.

His view was echoed by the Minister of Transportation at a stakeholders meeting in Lagos when he openly voiced his dissatisfaction with the state of the nation’s seaports.

“Let me ask you all: Are you people happy with how things are at the ports today? If you people are, I am not. I’m not impressed.

Again, have we really fared better in terms of modernisation and infrastructure since the ports were concessioned in 2006?

Have you not been to ports in countries like Dubai or Egypt? Is this how they are? Yes, some are saying we’ve done better comparatively but we certainly have a very long way to go’’ he said Similarly, Maritime Lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Olisa Agbakoba took a swipe at the 10-year-old port concession and performance, and concluded that it has failed in its original objective of making Ni-

gerian ports cost effective.

According to him, the cost of doing business at Nigerian port is still the highest in the world adding that it had remained so 10 years after the ports were concessioned because of the absence of a regulator and appropriate laws.

Another area which concession has done more harm than good is the alleged monopoly enjoyed by a concessionaire over other concessionaires.

Recall that in April, 2015 the NPA issued a circular directing owners of private jetties that handle oil and gas cargoes to relocate their operations to designated ports in the South-South, since that announcement was made, the sector has been embroiled in crisis, leading to accusations and counter accusations with some concessionaires involved in a fight to finish battle with Intels Nigeria Limited; which operates primarily in Onne, Delta and Calabar ports.

On that, Amiwero has this to say; ‘’ It is the fault of terminal owners who don’t know what they are doing, there is nothing like the classification of cargoes, cargo is cargo, port is port, you don’t redefine ports. Onne port is supposed to be an official free trade zone for oil and gas. Oil and gas free zone is not a port, when you say oil and

gas free zone, it is not a port, it must be redefined, it should not be so, any cargo can go anywhere, what you have is a free zone there is nothing like a free port.

Mrs. Dabney Shall-Homa; Director, Commercial Shipping Services, Nigeria Shippers’ Council, (NCS) echoed Amiwero’s view when she called for a review of the concession agreement at a stakeholders meeting. ‘’There is no cargo classification known as oil and gas in any part of the world. She said seaport terminals are classified as multipurpose, container, bulk or general cargo terminals.

“The concession agreement that were made has certain critical pillars. One of those critical pillars is to ensure that there is no evidence of monopoly and abuse of dominant position and to create a level playing field and in doing so competition will be promoted between the players.”

It is in this light that the recent declaration by the Managing Director of the NPA Ms. Hadiza Usman that the concession agreements between concessionaires and government would be reviewed.

This is also the position of Amiwero, who said ‘’the best thing is to review the concession agreement completely, then NPA should play their role, the ports access roads

are terrible, our dredge level is low that is why our cargoes are going to Togo, Benin Republic and Ivory Coast’’ However, Chairman of Seaport Terminal Operators of Nigeria (STOAN), (Dr.) Vicky Haastrup, has listed several positive developments that have taken place in the country’s ports since the inception of port concession.

She listed some of the gains to be; rehabilitation and Reconstruction of quay aprons and stacking areas, expansion and Reconstruction of container terminals, rehabilitation of terminal access roads Similarly, the Spokesman of Seaport Terminal Operators of Nigeria (STOAN), Bolaji Akinola in a recent statement said that: “Since 2006 to date when the ports were concessioned, private terminal operators have invested over N1 billion in modernising and upgrading the ports, training of port workers and reducing vessel waiting times by more than 30 days.

“Before port concession, vessels queued up for more than 30 days before being able to berth at the ports, but immediately we came on board, we eliminated these vessel queues thereby saving importers over N35billion paid annually as congestion surcharges. That is a huge savings to the Nigerian economy”, he stated.

Daily Times Nigeria Tuesday, August 23, 2016

O

32,000

Naira Value (m)

NSE All Share Index

14,000

29,500

10,500

27,000

7,000

24,500

3,500

22-Aug

19-Aug

16-Aug

13-Aug

10-Aug

07-Aug

04-Aug

`

01-Aug

29-Jul

26-Jul

23-Jul

20-Jul

17-Jul

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22,000 11-Jul

B8

Life&

TIMES Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Praise

Olorunseyi

On education, talent shows

L2

P

Interview L2

Daily Times Nigeria

Tuesday August 23, 2016

GCGT talent show opened my eyes to many things I didn’t even know

Praise

Olorunseyi

Praise Olorunseyi is an 18-year-old talented singer who discovered she could sing when she was barely eight years old. She planned to inspire people after she is done with her education but a chance occurrence saw her achieving some of her set goals after she won the Gods’ Children Great Talent competition organised by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Apapa Family, in the fifth season. An undergraduate of the University of Lagos, Praise is currently working with music maestro, Cobhams Asuquo, to promote her newly released single, One Thing, a song she composed after her performance at the Season Five of the talent show. In this chat with MUTIAT ALLI, Praise takes us through her journey into music, her goals and what inspires her. Enjoy…

Kindly introduce yourself My name is Praise Olorunseyi. I am 18 years old and the winner of Gods’ Children Great Talent, Season 5. I am from Ondo State, from a family of four children of which I am the last. I currently school in the University of Lagos and I am studying Industrial Relations and Personnel Management.

Before you took part in the GCGT competition, what has always been your aspirations in life?

I have always wanted to be a very influential person and impact people positively through music. It was a design by God for me to participate in the talent show because it helped me to achieve some of my set goals.

At what age did you discover your love for music?

When I was about eight years old I was singing in the junior church choir. Before then, I was always rehearsing with my brothers and sisters.

They were my music directors. From there, I continued with my love for singing.

In the course of the competition, what was your experience and what will you say made the most impression on you?

I learnt that God gave us the talents and we should always use it to His glory. We should not allow pride to have dominion over our lives because if we allow pride to control us, we will fall by the way side and may never achieve our goals. Pride goes before a fall. We should take heed lest we fall.

Life&

T E A M

After winning Season five of the competition, what has been your experience?

It has been a wonderful experience and I have met so many people that have impacted my life positively. GCGT also gave me a scholarship to SPAN, an academic establishment for talent development. With their support, I have been well groomed and have gone for ministrations in churches. I have performed at Excel, City of David, among others. I have also met and worked with Cobhams and TY Bello who did my photo shoot.

It has been a wonderful experience because Cobhams helped me to work on my single, which was launched at the grand finale of Season 6 this year.

It has been a wonderful experience.

pel genre of music and minister to people with my music.

Tell us about your new single. What has been the reception so far?

It has been good so far but we are still working towards its promotion.

Now that your status has changed to that of celebrity, have your friends been treating you differently or have you been treating them differently?

It has been the same. I am still who I am and even better because now I try as much as possible to be conscious of my behaviour and to ensure I am not proud in any way. People who I greet normally without bending my knees, I make sure I bend my knees now when greeting them so they don’t have any cause to say something negative about me. I am very conscious of my relationship with people and I am still my humble self.

What has been your experience working with Cobhams?

It has been a very wonderful experience. He is such an inspiration and he is like a father with the way he corrects you and brings out the best in you.

He is such a wonderful person, someone everyone would like to meet and work with because you will learn a lot. He is very inspiring.

Are your parents and siblings comfortable with you pursuing this career?

At first, I was not supposed to come for the competition because I had to face my studies and I had examinations. But as fate will have it, I escorted a friend who wanted to participate in the competition. I auditioned and got short-listed and eventually won. They have been able to come around because, one, they are happy I am not singing secular music and I intend to remain in the gos-

Entertainment Correspondent Mutiat Alli

Society Correspondent Abimbola Obatayo

For other young people like you with such talents, what is your advice on grooming their talent?

Just continue to pursue your dreams, believe in yourself and in whatever you do, always put God first. Always remember, don’t forget the child of who you are. Some people go into the music industry and forget where they are coming from.

So, I say, always put God first and be decent in everything you are doing.

Where do you see yourself in another 10 years?

I see myself being a motivation to people and a big star in the kingdom of God, impacting people and touching lives through music.

How important is education to you? Do you think one must get an education before pursuing a career in music?

To me, my education is paramount because

Graphics Adebambo Segun

education will help the talent grow even more.

Remember, you will have to interact with people as you go along and people will address you and want to relate with you based on the level of education you have acquired and I feel you may not go as far as you want to if you are not educated.

For me, education is key. When my exams clash with my performances, I always study and go for my exams because school is very important to me. Even when I have very important lectures to attend and I am called for a ministration, most times, I do not go because I need that education to be able to move far in life. My academics come first.

Why do you think a church should be involved in a talent show?

The church should be involved because first and foremost, God is the giver of talents so we should always use our talents to glorify Him. What can you say about the GCGT talent show?

The organisation of the show is very good. It is a great platform for upcoming talents and it opened my eyes to so many things I didn’t even know. It also opens doors of opportunity for the young talents. I do not think there is anything to be changed as they continue to improve every year. Season 6 is even better than Season 5 and I believe Season 7 will be better than Season 6.

How do you spend your leisure periods?

I am not really a social person. But in my free time, I watch movies, I read and sleep.

What kind of books do you read?

I read inspirational and motivational books.

Daily Times Nigeria

Tuesday August 23, 2016

L3 Relationship

Oluwatope Opeyemi

Ladies take note:

Starting a relationship not all about wealth or popularity of a man

It’s quite funny how a lady accepts a man’s proposal after she must have hurled on insults at him. In fact, the essence of life has been gabled with loss and materialism.

Some may even treat men like monkeys in the swamp, neglecting they were all created from a man’s ribs;

embarrass you in public all because you don’t belong to the “upper class”. I was opportune to have such experience back then in school, but I was astonished with what happened in the end. My story begins!

It was a bright Saturday morning, when my dad made

an astonishing statement saying, “Son, you will be resuming at a model college at Ikorodu’’. I became surprised because my dad never informed me about my switch to a new school since I was in a private school then.

Well, the much awaited day came for me to leave the

house for my new school.

Dad took me in his car and we arrived at Lagos State Model College Igbogbo, Ikorodu. It was this school that made me visible to my first ever girlfriend, but that will be at the climax.

The next day, dad came to visit me at the college to

introduce me to a school guardian who will be keeping my money and my provisions to avoid it missing. I got to know my classroom, assembly ground, and other buildings in the environs so as to get myself familiar with everything in the college.

I resumed on a sunny Monday morning during the morning devotion at the assembly ground where we sang praises to God and recited the national anthem before marching to our various classes. My class, JSS 2 was not really attracting, but I was not surprised since it is a government school.

Lecture periods commenced and ended in series till it was time for break. During the break, I decided to get something to eat at the cafeteria, after which I started to think about the boring atmosphere of the school.

As I was brooding, a tall, fair, voluptuous beauty walked past me with her friends. I became infatuated on seeing her while my mouth was wide opened all because of her dazzling beauty. Her smile could change a doleful countenance to a cheerful one. My new friends called on me, but I was deaf to their calls because of the hypnotizing sight of Elizabeth Akpan.

However, I didn’t have the courage to walk up to her.

Reason being that I was not neat in appearance due to the fact that I wash my clothes without rinsing it. In fact, I always appeared tattered, calling me a pig would be an understatement. I was not popular in school. Even in tutorials, she was always with my tutorial teacher and each time my teacher asked me any question, if I didn’t know it, she and her friends would begin to make jest of me, calling me an “olodo”, a Yoruba name for dullards.

I became determined to win her heart despite my reputation in school.

That is a day I can never

forget in my life because it was a day of embarrassment. I made up my mind to try my luck by approaching her in a calm way as opposed to my reputation.

I asked her to lend me her book to read which she gave me and a warm smile. After using the book, I put an inscription, “I love you” at the back of the book forgetting that the teacher for that subject detests extra jottings at the back of a note.

When we met after prep, she was mad at me and slapped me in the presence of my friends and juniors for writing such “rubbish” at the back of her note. I could not bear the embarrassment as I became ashamed. Out of shame, I ran fast to save my face. Later, my friends saw me and said, “Cruz, why are you looking devastated?” I replied saying, “My provisions were stolen and my parents won’t come to visit me”. I was called Don Cruz then as my alias.

After the incident, we were all promoted to the same class, JSS 3. I had become very neat, had a lot of school uniforms and house wears and was quite intelligent.

Added to my new profile, I became a renowned prefect and I started representing the school at various conferences and competitions.

Due to all these sudden change in me, I noticed a positive change in Sandra’s behavior towards me.

On the other hand, I thought about how Elizabeth had embarrassed me in public and also her change of attitude towards me. All these gave me a leverage to try asking her out again. But at the same time I was cautious about everything as I wanted to curtail further embarrassment. Hence, dilemma started arising. Moreover, my friends advised me to try her out again; I jokingly told them that they will be the ones to laugh at me if she slapped me again.

L4

Daily Times Nigeria

Tuesday August 23, 2016

Daily Times Nigeria

Tuesday August 23, 2016

L5

L6

Daily Times Nigeria

Tuesday August 23, 2016

Daily Times Nigeria

Tuesday August 23, 2016

L7

Eyola

eyola@aol.com

Forever

Young 1ne Women as young as 25 are investing a large amount of money to stop, slow down or rewind the ageing process. More women are decidedly steering clear of intrusive surgical procedures (such as facelifts) in favour of non-surgical treatments.

2wo Botox is an expensive non-surgical procedure that involves injecting diluted toxins into facial muscles, using a fine needle to minimize discomfort. Although this procedure is painless for some, others feel the pinch of the needle resulting in feeling both sore and bruised post-treatment. Results can be seen within 2 to 4 weeks and lasts for up to 6 months.

3hree Fillers are injected into fine lines and wrinkles, filling them in less than 30 minutes with long-lasting results (12 months or more). This non-surgical procedure relaxes the muscle under the wrinkle and can be used to lift sagging areas such as the cheek

and temple. Make sure to hire a certified professional to carry out this procedure, as malpractice can lead to complications such as nerve paralysis or even blindness.

4our Chemical Peels are very popular, involving the application of an acid-based solution onto the skin. The intensity of the warm or burning sensation of the acid differs from patient to patient and also depends on the type of chemical peel used. Stronger peels may cause the skin to resemble sunburnt skin, and therefore requires a few months to heal. Samantha Jones, a fictional character from the American hit 1990s television series HBO’s Sex And The City, demonstrated this side effect in a humorous way. Samantha was forced to hide her face under a wide brim hat during a social event, following a deep chemical peel treatment performed on her face the day before. It is advised not to use a chemical peel home kit and instead seek for a licensed and certified dermatologist to carry out this procedure to avoid any health risks.

5ive CO2 Laser is a non-surgical treatment that uses a very short-pulsed carbon dioxide laser to help stimulate collagen production.

Unlike Botox and chemical peels, the side effects - swelling and redness - are not as prominent and usually clear up after a few days.

6ix Collagen is an anti-ageing treatment that involves injecting collagen directly into targeted areas of the skin to fill wrinkles. This non-invasive procedure is also used for enhancing lips - both in size and plumpness.

Results are almost immediate and last for up to 6 months.

7even IPL uses Intense Pulsed Light to smoothen fine lines. The wavelength of light sheds

old skin, making way for youthful smoother skin. Slight discomfort may be felt after the procedure and results aren’t always immediate, sometimes taking up to 12 weeks to see results. This treatment is also used for hair removal and to treat sun-damaged skin.

8ight Thread Lift is a great choice for those who don’t like the idea of going under the knife, but want the immediate results of a surgical facelift. Special “threads” are used to gently lift and reposition tissues in the skin. Local anesthetic is required for this treatment and recovery time takes between 2 to 3 days.

Would you ever go under the knife or try a non-surgical treatment?

Share your thoughts with Eyola on Twitter: @WorldEyola

TV guide L8

Daily Times Nigeria

Tuesday August 23, 2016

Showing on

Showing on

Movies ACTION+ Channel 106

Movies Comedy Channel 104

11:20

18:00 Tue, 23 Aug|PG

Tue, 23 Aug| PG 13

Gru, the world’s most lovable villian, and his minions are back in this Oscar-nominated adventure.

This time Gru is recruited to help bring down a bad guy. Benjamin Bratt, Kristen Wiig, Russell Brand, Steve Carell. (2013) Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud.

Andrew Garfield returns for a second round of web-slinging action. Dangerous new enemies and family secrets weigh heavily on young Peter Parker as he struggles with his destiny. Jamie Foxx, Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone.(2014) Marc Webb

101 M-Net West

23:30 Chicago PD 00:30 The Real Housewives Of Atlanta 01:30 The Longest Week 03:00 Other Plans 04:25 Away And Back 06:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 07:00 MasterChef Australia 08:00 The Big Bang Theory 08:30 The Last Ship 09:30 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 10:30 Begin Again 12:30 The Middle 13:00 MasterChef Australia 14:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 15:00 Code Black 16:00 Blue Bloods 17:00 Made In Hollywood 18:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 19:00 Mom 19:30 MasterChef Australia 20:30 Chicago Med 21:30 Chicago Fire 22:30 Chicago PD

23:40 The Face Of Destiny 00:30 Elena's Ghost 01:20 Broken Angel 02:10 Broken Angel 03:00 The Face Of Destiny 03:50 Fearless Heart 05:20 Elena's Ghost 06:10 Husband For Hire 07:00 The Face Of Destiny 07:50 Fearless Heart 08:40 For Love And Justice 09:30 Cruel Love 10:20 Husband For Hire 11:10 The Face Of Destiny 12:00 Fearless Heart 12:50 For Love And Justice 13:40 Cruel Love 14:30 Husband For Hire 15:20 The Face Of Destiny 16:10 Fearless Heart 17:00 Broken Angel 17:50 Broken Angel 18:40 Husband For Hire 19:30 The Face Of Destiny 20:20 Fearless Heart 21:10 Broken Angel 22:00 Broken Angel 22:50 Husband For Hire

152 AfricaMagic Epic

23:17 Mary And Martha 01:01 Behind The Scenes: The Place

01:10 Royal Guard 03:13 Forest King 05:10 Twins Of The Rainforest 05:38 Behind The Scenes: Secret Room 06:03 Secret Adventure 08:43 Behind The Scenes: October 1st

09:11 Behind The Scenes: The Place

120 BBC Brit Entertainment

118 Telemundo

09:20 Igbotic Love 11:19 Igbotic Love 13:13 Healthy Snacking 13:25 Implication 15:29 Above Implication 17:50 Behind The Scenes: Next Dean 18:00 Africa Rising: Behind The Scenes 19:00 The King Is Coming 21:21 The King Is Coming

23:22 Moone Boy

11:10 Would I Lie To You?

23:47 Moone Boy

11:45 QI

00:12 An Idiot Abroad

12:15 The Cube

00:58 The Cube

13:05 Top Gear

01:46 Police Interceptors

14:15 Police Interceptors

02:33 Ben And James Versus The Arabian...

15:05 Undercover Boss USA

03:25 Undercover Boss USA

16:30 QI

04:12 Pointless

17:05 Pointless

05:00 The Cube

18:00 Top Gear

05:45 Would I Lie To You?

19:00 Youngers

06:20 QI

19:30 QI

06:55 Police Interceptors 07:40 Top Gear

20:00 Travel ManThe Graham Norton Show

08:45 Pointless

21:05 Top Gear

09:35 Undercover Boss USA

22:05 Very British Problems

15:55 Would I Lie To You?

10:25 Ducks Quacks Don't Echo

155 AfricaMagicWorld 23:15 Music On Africa Magic 00:15 Behind The Scenes: The Place 01:15 Good Morning Africa 02:15 53 Extra 02:45 Star Gist 03:15 Star Gist 03:45 Jara 04:20 Jara 05:00 Goodmorning Africa 06:00 Deal Or No Deal SA 07:00 53 Extra 07:30 Star Gist 08:00 Jara 09:00 Good Morning Africa 10:00 Lies That Bind

10:28 Lies That Bind 10:53 Lies That Bind

11:20 Lies That Bind 11:41 Behind The Scenes: Broken 12:00 Deal Or No Deal SA 13:00 Music On Africa Magic 14:05 Music On Africa Magic 15:00 Music On Africa Magic 16:00 Star Gist 16:35 Deal Or No Deal Sa 17:25 53 Extra 18:00 Jara 18:30 Tinsel 19:00 Lies That Bind 19:30 Lies That Bind 20:00 Princess Tyra 18:00 Star Gist

128 SONY MAX

23:00 Most Shocking 23:45 World's Wildest Police Videos 00:35 World's Wildest Police Videos 01:25 Enemy Territory 02:55 Sexy Car Wash 03:20 Sexy Car Wash 03:45 Video Zonkers 04:10 South Beach Tow 04:35 South Beach Tow 05:00 World's Wildest Police Videos 05:45 World's Wildest Police Videos 06:35 Top 20 Countdown: Most Shocking 07:25 Video Zonkers 07:50 South Beach Tow 08:15 South Beach Tow 08:40 Most Shocking 09:35 World's Wildest Police Videos 10:30 World's Wildest Police Videos 11:30 Baywatch 12:30 Top 20 Countdown: Most Shocking 13:30 South Beach Tow 14:00 World's Wildest Police Videos 15:00 World's Wildest Police Videos 16:00 Most Shocking 17:00 Top 20 Countdown: Most Shocking 18:00 South Beach Tow 18:30 South Beach Tow 19:00 Baywatch 20:00 Extreme Reality Clips 20:30 Rude Tube 21:00 Rude Tube 21:30 Freakshow 22:00 Sexy Car Wash 22:30 Sexy Car Wash