Dtn 9 11 15

^ ƌƆƋ ^ƆƐƆƏéyƈ Ƅ Ə GƆƆ ƈ ƆƌƆƏ Ɔ Lƈ Mƈ ƆƏƈ ƾƠơǀ Agozino Agozino & Mutiat Alli

ÏÏÏTwenty-two year-old computer sci-

ence graduate of University of Port Harcourt, Miss Pamela Peter-Vigboro Leesi, emerged winner of the Miss Nigeria 2015 beauty pageant in the early hours of Sunday in Lagos after a very keen contest.

Pamela, who represented Cross River state, emerged winner of the prestigious Miss Nigeria beauty pageant at the Grand Ballroom, Oriental Hotel, Victoria Continued on page 2

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12-page pull-out on 39th Miss Nigeria pageant inside

Life&

TIMES Monday, November 9, 2015

All hail the Queen!

Miss Nigeria 2015

Pamela Peter-Vigboro Leesi

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015 VOL. 1. NO.226

GAINERS

N150

LOSERS

NSE GAINERS AND LOSERS AS AT 3rd November 2015.

BETAGLAS

46.2

48.51

2.31%

NB

135.06

136.02

0.96%

WAPCO

95

94

-1%

CAVERTON

2,9

2.76

-0.14%

UACN

26.41

27.73

1.32%

CADBURY

19.15

20.1

0.95%

ETRANZACT

2.84

2.7

-0.14%

FIDSON

2.93

2.81

-0.12%

Violence erupts in Taraba jƏƈƄƑ Ƌ ƒƆƏƗƈƅƐë

Segun Adio, Lagos and Tom Garba, Jalingo

ÏÏÏNo

fewer than eight people were killed in the early hours of Sunday in Wukari kingdom of Taraba state after violence erupted as a result of the Saturday verdict the State’s Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which nullified Continued on page 2

Ï &ƈ Ɛ ƊƈƋƋƆƗè ƅ ƏƆ ƈ ƉƑƏƆƗ ÏdƈƐƑ Ɛƈ Ƒ ƗƆƏ ƅ ƐƏ Ƌè ƕ ^ ƋƈƅƆ ÏCƑƗƈƅƈ Əƕ Ƌ ƆƏ ƏƆƋƈ ƄƋƆ Ƌ Ə ƄƆ LƑ ^ ƋƈƅƆ ƗƆ ƕ Ƅ ƆƌƄƋƕ ƅ Ƌ ƗƆƒ Ɛƈ g 2 M&` reƋƈƅƆ Ɔ 9Ƅ ƌ ƍ ƓƆƏ ƍƋ Ɛ P17 against promise g NERCarelicenses First it was the promise of one-free meal in schools and now, it is the promise of N5,000 stipend for the unemployed in the country. Both promises were contained in the campaign pledges of the All Progressives

However, more than five months after the new government has come into power, there has been a loud silence from the side of government on both promises, prompting an angry populace to now label APC with a new nameWhat is perhaps more galling to ment is led by someone generally ruptible man, whose deputy is a senior Pastor of the prestigious and respectable church in the Consequently, aside that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APC have been trading pend for unemployed Nigerians,

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ing against it with those who can

FG may

share g 7 GG 6 9G j6& M&z _n&&Më ƢÖƐ Lƈ Mƈ ƆƏƈ è ^ ƌƆƋ ^ƆƐƆƏéyƈ Ƅ Ə GƆƆ ƈ æƌƈƗƗƋƆçè ƇƋ ƊƆƗ Ɛ ƆƏ Əƈ Ɛ Ƅƕ ƇƈƏ Ɛ ƏƑ ƆƏ Ƒƍè EƆ ƈ ƗƆ 9ƐƑ Ƒ ƗƆƕƆƌƈ Ɨ Ɛ ƆƏ ƋƆƇƐ Ƅƕ Ɔƅ Ɨ ƏƑ ƆƏ Ƒƍè ƈ L Əƕê ƾƄ & to states Bayelsa APC to PDP: Call your thugs to order g7

News 2

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

Tribunal verdict: Violence erupts in Taraba Continued from page 1 the election of the governor, Mr. Darius Ishaku.

The tribunal verdict, which also declared Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the

duly elected governor of the state, sparked a violent clash between APC supporters and those of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to which the governor belongs.

The casualty figures were confirmed security sources and several resi-

dents, including a former Vice-chairman of Wukari Local Governemnt Council, Tanimu Danlele, who gave reporters the casualty figure and called on security agents to be vigilant in order to forestall a recurrence.

Danlele told the News

Agency of Nigeria that at least eight people lost their lives and more than 30 others were injured in the crisis.

Taraba state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Joseph Kwaji confirmed the outbreak of violence while speaking to

L-R: Sen. Aliyu Wamakko; Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Sokoto State Governor, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal at the wedding of Wamakko’s daughter in Sokoto... at the weekend

Pamela Peter-Vigboro Leesi emerges Miss Nigeria 2015 Continued from page 1

Island, after a tie for the first position with Kehinde Itunu, Adeyemi, representing Jigawa State.

The tie necessitated another round of questionand-answer of the two contenders by the judges at the end of which Pamela won the crown with seven votes, beating Itunu, who emerged the first runnerup with six votes. Asiana Mary, who represented Oyo State, emerged the second runner-up.

In its 39th edition this year, the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant was founded and first organized by the Daily Times in 1957.

The winner of the maiden edition, Madam Grace Atinuke Oyelude, who was an employee of the United African Company (UAC) then and is now 82-year old, was also present at the event and was presented with a

brand new Peugeot 601 saloon car by Heritage Bank.

Pamela, who was crowned Miss Nigeria 2015 by the out-going queen, Miss Ezinne Akudo, won the grand prize of N3 million cash, a brand new Kia Rio car, six months skill acquisition programme in any institution of choice, a year serviced apartment, and an all-expense paid trip abroad.

Notable personalities present at the event include Chief Segun Osoba, Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, Dr. Patrick Dele-Cole, Dr. Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, and Mr. Innocent Oparadike, all of whom were former Managing Directors of Daily Times; Senator Daisy Danjuma; and Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Nkem Okeke, and several notable entertainment and society personalities.

Unlike the usual swim suit parades, the 39th edi-

tion of Miss Nigeria took a different shape as contestants wowed the audience from their group dance performance to appearance in traditional attire down to the lovely evening dresses.

According to the judges that includes Audu Maikori, Helen Prest Ajayi, Ruth Osime, Jumoke Adenowo, Lanre Da Silva, Mai Atafo, Isoken Ogiemwoniyi, and Chima Ude among others, contestants were not just judged based on beauty and poise alone but their intelligence also assessed through their responses to questions.

The night was not complete without the mindblowing performance by Effizzle label act, Yemi Alade, seredating the audience with her latest song entitled ‘Nagode’ while the duo of 5Stars mates, Harrysong and Kcee dazzled the audience with mind

blowing performance from hit songs that includes ‘love boat’ and ‘Reggae blue’.

As the moment of truth drew closer, partners of the pageant, Bank of Industry as represented by the CEO, Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa, having trained finalists on skill acquisition and business plans, announced the final winners of the BOI’s business challenge whose business ideas will be solely sponsored by the financial institution.

Winners of the business challenge included Ebele Florence Ngozi, representing Kebbi State, Hope Nkiruka Umezinwa, representing Adamawa State.

Responding, the 39th Miss Nigeria, Pamela Peters-Vigboro said: “I was shocked when I heard my name announced because I was not really expecting it. I was determined to take any outcome of the compe-

reporters on Sunday.

Kwaji said that though the police had not concluded their investigations, the crisis might not be unconnected with the ruling of the tribunal. ``Yes there was crisis in Wukari, but it is under control now. Security men have been deployed to the area and normalcy has returned to the town. ``Investigation is ongoing but it is likely that the crisis is in connection with the verdict of the governorship election petition tribunal of Saturday,” he said.

The command’s image maker, who said that figures of casualty had not been ascertained by the police, warned the people not to take the laws into their hands.

He said that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Shaba Alkali had moved to the area to ensure that peace was restored.

He warned that the command would come hard on any one bent on fomenting trouble in any part of the state over the verdict of the tribunal under any guise.

Meanwhile, a former Governor of old Kaduna

State and Chairman of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), Ahaji Balarabe Musa, while reacting to the tribunal judgment, in a chat with the Daily Times, described it at unfortunate.

According to him, “The problem with Nigeria now is that our judiciary is no longer reliable. The judgment encourages a lot of doubts about the viability of the courts. In Nigeria every judgment is tested and this should not be so.”

The former governor urged President Muhammadu Buhari to use his office to ensure strict separation of powers among the three tiers of government. He continued, “The Judiciary should correct itself. President Buhari should also correct them.

Though there is separation of powers, but the president should have an overriding influence.

Nigerians already have doubts about court judgments and this portends danger for the nation’s democracy.

“The president should stand up and ensure that the judiciary is made to be impartial,” he said.

Police didn’t ban assembly devotion in schools – IGP Ïd ƕ è ƈƐ Ƌƕ ƈ ƑƆƗ Ɨƒƈ Əƕ ÏÏÏThe

Inspector-General of Police, IGP Solomon Arase, has denied that the Force issued an order banning assembly devotion in primary and secondary schools nationwide.

Rather, he said that the Force only issued advisory notice predominantly to the states where there are challenges of insurgency.

In a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Ag. ACP Olabisi Kolawole, said IGP Arase gave the advisory notice against the backdrop of current security challenges in the country.

The statement read: “The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Solomon Arase, wishes to inform the general public that the Force has not issued any order banning assembly devotion in primary and secondary

schools anywhere in Nigeria.

“The IGP notes that against the backdrop of current security challenges in the country, the Police only issued advisory notice directed predominantly to the states where there are insurgency, enjoining them to apply caution in the said assembly so that such congregations do not present soft target for insurgents.

“Reminding citizens of their freedom to worship as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Police High Command states that the Nigeria Police Force did not stop anybody from taking part in prayer sessions organised by schools, churches and mosques, describing the congregation as the constitutional and democratic rights of Nigerians.

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

3

Politics Page Three Æ s Editorial As new ministers assume office

B

arring any last minute hitch, indications are that President Muhammadu Buhari will on Wednesday, November 11 administer the oath of office on the ministers-designate cleared by the Senate. The inauguration would mark a climax in the long wait that lasted five months for a new cabinet.

Expectedly, the new ministers will be assigned portfolios to enable them get to work immediately. Much as Nigerians look forward to getting a new federal cabinet, it is pertinent to advice that the President assign portfolios to ministers based on their areas of competence. Given that ministers serve as political heads of respective ministries, they are also expected to bring their experiences to bear in the implementation of the government’s programmes.

They can only do so if they are knowledgeable enough to add value to the ministries assigned to them.

Their training and experience must be matched as closely as possible with the ministerial post in which they are being asked to serve.

Even at that, fears are being expressed that not all the ministers would be assigned portfolios. This is coming on the heels of statement credited to the President that the country’s dire economic situation cannot support 36 federal ministries.

With this, it follows that the number of ministries would be pruned down to reflect the country’s economic reality.

The president’s statement certainly implies a significant segment of the 36 individuals already confirmed as ministers would simply have to sit on their hands while they are purportedly in government, devoid of an office, authority or similar appurtenances.

However, the President’s allusion to the struggling economy is raising some fundamental questions. For example, how will some of the ministers operate without portfolios?

Recall that the absence of ministers had been blamed for the slow pace of the economy in the last five months. Moreover, appointing ministers without portfolios does not help our situation now. What will the ministers without portfolios be doing at Cabinet meetings? What states of the Federation will those ministers be representing in the Cabinet? What criteria will the President use in deciding states without portfolios?

Invariably, any reduction in the number of ministers without portfolios as generally envisaged, will reduce the cost of governance, but paradoxically increase the need for improved coordination by the presidency.

No matter how the situation is resolved, we expect those assigned portfolios to make a big difference in the shortest possible time. We advocate that each be given realistic and measurable targets to achieve within a year or two. Doing this would most likely bring about new thinking and fresh approach to governance.

We support the call by President Buhari to the ministers-designate to join hands with him and restore the lost glory of Nigeria in all spheres.

There is no denying the fact Nigerians expect a lot from this administration, especially now that the country is going through difficult times. It bears repeating that Buhari’s campaign was hinged on the promises to tackle corruption, insecurity and reviving the comatose economy. Nigerians are therefore looking forward to a cabinet that would bring more dynamism in the affairs of governance. We believe the new cabinet can make a difference.

Ministers without portfolio: Need for rethink Sam Nzeh

ÎÎÎWhen

last Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari insisted that some ministers in his soon-to-be constituted cabinet would only be attending cabinet meetings as representatives of their states as stipulated by the constitution, many Nigerians were not surprised.

This was because from the pronouncements of President Buhari since taking over power in May 29, 2015, the need to make government leaner and smarter had become necessary in order to save the nation’s economy from total collapse.

Good as the decision and

the arguments supporting it may be, fact is that the move is novel in the history of the nation, at least judging from the 1999 till date.

Again, the move is novel in that some of the ministers will be ministers in name; just waiting for any assignment from Mr. President. In other words, should there be no assignments, they will be ‘idle’ and the nation will be maintaining them for their ‘idleness’.

No doubt, going by the current economic realities, the decision to have ministers without portfolios look good, still many believe that such is what Nigeria desires now.

Fact is that Nigerians require the Buhari-led administration to move faster in bringing ensuring that the promised change is felt

Words On Marble :

in all sectors of our national life, a reason there is the need to ensure that all ministers are charged with specific responsibilities for which they would be adjudged.

So, rather than having ministers without portfolios, President Buhari, should consider deploying the ‘idle’ ministers to ministries as ministers of state. This will result in better supervision of the ministries which are likely to be reduced or merged going by the pronouncements of Mr. President. It will serve the nation better if the number of ministries are reduced with each large ministries getting substantive ministers and ministers of state than having ministers without portfolios

STATEMENTS BY THOSE WHO MATTER

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

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

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

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

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Mathew Kukah

‘’Building a nation as diverse as ours is, is a tough job and requires patience’’.

Sulu- Gambari

‘’Men are not supposed to be made for law, but rather, laws are supposed to be made for men’’.

Edwin Clark

‘’In advanced countries, when you are living above your means, people query you. That’s not so in Nigeria’’.

4

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

My travails politically-motivated, says Suswam Monday Agu, Jnr

ÏÏÏFormer governor of

Benue State, Mr. Gabriel Suswam, has denied the allegation of corruption levelled against him, saying it was politically motivated to demonise his time in office as the governor of the state.

Addressing reporters on Sunday in the state, days after reports that he would be arraigned by an anti-graft agency, Suswam

described the office of the governor as stressful, saying that 24 hours in office was enough to send any public officer to jail.

He further asked those calling for his prosecution to know he is also human and not a saint.

Suswam stated this at a thanksgiving service held in his honour at the Holy Ghost Catholic in Makurdi by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the Benue State House of As-

sembly, to mark his eight years in office which ended in May, 2015.

The embattled former governor also spoke on his preparedness to answer to the corruption charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), but regretted the misleading information carried by the media about his purported arraignment.

Suswam

Union cautions FG on planned privatisation of railways Olabisi Kekumi

ÏÏÏThe

Federal Government has been cautioned against taking hasty decision on the planned privatisation of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), which may further deplete the fortune of the organisation.

Rather, the government has been advised to formulate, for guided implementation, a long-term rail transport investment policy that would achieve for the nation integrated transport development, which ultimately would guarantee major future infrastructure renewals.

The Nigeria Union of Railways Workers (NUR), in a letter signed by its General-Secretary, Comrade Segun Esan to President Muhammadu Buhari, copied the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Oshinbajo and made available to journalists in Lagos.

The letter warned that the privatisation of the railway system by the government would only achieve for the nation increasing inequalities in the redistribution of wealth, which deepened the gap between the rich and the poor.

Esan insisted that privatisation of railway negated the great expectation of the citizenry and the “Change that your great political party, All Progressives Congress, APC, promised Nigerians.”

Varsities urged to run courses on security, conflict mgt

Bad portion of Ibadan Road, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State… at the weekend. BOLAJI OLASUNKANMI

5 News

Robbers kill 2, cart away 150 laptops in Ondo school ÏÏÏArmed

robbers on Sunday invaded Olofin Grammar School, Idanre in Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State, killing two security guards attached to the school.

The security guards, who were killed at different spots in the school, include Akingbade Adewoleoye and Akinjemiyan Babayemi.

The remains of the deceased said to be in their 50’s have been deposited at the State Hospital, Idanre.

Principal of the school, Adenuoye Fredrick Akin, said the hoodlums also carted away not less than 150 laptops in the robbery incident that occurred in the early hours of Sunday.

According to him, the sets of computers were newly purchased by the state government.

Those who spoke with our correspondent lamented that despite the school was about 200 meters to a police station, there was no presence of policemen throughout the time the robbery incident lasted.

Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade, said the state executive council would meet today to discuss the incident.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Femi Joseph, confirmed the robbery, saying the command had commenced investigations into the matter.

Ogoni denies planned protest, threat to security Jude Okeme

ÏÏÏPresident of

the Ogoni Central Indigenous Authority, Dr. Goodluck Diigbo, has disassociated the Ogoni people and himself from the plan linked to some groups operating in Port Harcourt, to destabilise the capital city of Rivers State.

In the statement issued on Sunday by Tambari Deekor, Special Assistant to Ogoni Central Indigenous Authority (OCIA) Presi-

Mathew Dadiya Abuja

ÏÏÏIn

furtherance to existing peace building initiatives in the country, Special Adviser to the President/Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig-General Paul T Boroh (rtd), has canvassed for inclusion of security and peace/conflict management studies in the university cur-

dent, he urged the Nigeria Police Force to be on the alert to protect lives and property.

Diigbo also alerted the Ogoni people to be prepared to act in self-defence, if threatened, or attacked.

“This is a solemn period for the Ogoni people. We do not, and never before used this period of remembrance of the hanging of the Ogoni Nine for protest. We use this time to remember, and honour our heroes past,” Diigbo

stated.

Diigbo said: “Those groups making these threats do not speak for Ogoni. The Ogoni people do not know them. We have no agreement with them. We do not endorse their protest. We do not know what they are planning.

And for recklessly threatening "blows and missiles", whatever that mean, cannot be ignored or treated as a joke. They must stay out of Ogoniland.”

He said they must be restrained

to avoid bloodshed.

He called on all well-meaning people of Ogoni to participate in the November 10 observance as usual at Ken Saro-Wiwa Peace and Freedom Centre, Bori. This year is the 20th anniversary.

Nine Ogoni activists were hanged on November 10, 1995 for demanding for Environmental Impact Assessment Study and self-government, otherwise called political autonomy, or self-determination.

riculum.

Boroh, according to a statement, signed by Mr Piriye Kiyaramo for Head of Media & Communications, expressed his view on peace building/conflict management, when he paid a courtesy visit to the Vice Chancellor of Benson Idahosa University in Benin, as part of his working tour of the Niger Delta states.

He said the Presidential Amnes-

ty office was willing to collaborate with the University, to run courses in security and peace/conflict management, with a view to entrenching the concept of security, peace building and conflict prevention among the youth.

“Introduction of security, peace/ conflict management studies in the tertiary schools’ curriculum will deepen and broaden security consciousness among the population,

particularly in a post crisis environment”, he noted.

The Amnesty boss commended the University for its role in moulding the students in character and learning, particularly those studying under the Presidential Amnesty Programme, disclosing that his office was working towards executing a sustainable reintegration for the beneficiaries on completion of their various programmes.

News 6

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

Buhari congratulates Nigeria’s world 11 professors for Dutse Varsity VC’s job scrabble champion, Falconets ÏÏÏPresident

Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday congratulated 36-year old Nigerian, Wellington Jighere, who emerged overall winner of the World Scrabble championship in Perth, Australia.

A statement issued in Abuja by Mr Femi Adesina, the president’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, said that Buhari was on the phone to Perth, Australia, to felicitate with Jighere.

Jighere, the World Champion, the first ever from Africa, defeated Lew-

is Mackay of Cambridge, England, by 448 points to 426 to win the championship in which 450 players across the world competed for. ``I called to rejoice with you over your performance. You have done the country proud and we are very happy. ``Please, pass my congratulations to other members of Team Nigeria,’’ the statement quoted the president as telling Jighere.

It said that Jighere was delighted at the phone call

from the President and pledged to bring more glory to his fatherland.

According to the statement, five other Nigerian representatives finished among the top 50 scrabble players in the world bracket. ``Shortly after President Buhari got off the phone, news got to him that the Under-20 female football team, the Falconets, have qualified for the Women’s World Cup Tournament after beating Basetsana of South Africa by a lone goal in an away game,’’ the

statement said.

The Falconets had walked a tight rope after scraping a 2-1 win over South Africa in Nigeria two weeks ago.

With the away goal counting double rule, all that South Africa needed today was a single goal, but the Nigerian girls turned the table.

Buhari described the Falconets’ qualification as a clear case of the indomitable Nigerian spirit. ``Such will soon be evident in all aspects of our national life,’’ he said.

Orchestra of the Deeper Life Bible Church performing at the Suleja Liberation Crusade in Niger State... on Sunday

ÏÏÏThe

Chairman, Governing Council of the Federal University of Dutse, Jigawa, Prof.

Taoheed Adedoja, said the council had shortlisted 11 professors out of the 24 who applied for the post of Vice-Chancellor of the institution.

Adedoja disclosed this on Sunday in Dutse while speaking with newsmen after inspecting ongoing projects in the university.

The tenure of the incumbent Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Jibrila Amin, will end on Feb.16, 2016.

Adedoja said that the process for shortlisting the applicants was rigorous; adding that at the end of the exercise the best candidate will emerge.

He noted that the outgoing pioneer ViceChancellor had laid a solid foundation which the next VC would build upon, pointing out that the council was particularly happy with the system and the structures in the new university.

The chairman said that the out-going VC had within a short time moved the university to the permanent site, graduated its first set and also established a Faculty of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences.

The applicants shortlisted include Prof.

Abubakar Kundiri of the Federal University Du-

Adedoja tse, Prof. Salisu Abdullahi also from the same university, Prof. Muhammad Abubakar of Abubakar from Tafawa Belewa University, Bauchi, and Prof. Haruna Birniwa of Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto.

Others are Prof. Hadi Suberu of Federal University, Lokoja, Prof.

Sherifdeen Tella of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun, Prof. Yusuf Alhassan of Bayero University, Kano and Prof. Taiwo Olusegun Omobuwajo also from Olabisi Onabanjo University.

Prof. Okechukwu Ukaga of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Prof. Zakari Muhammad of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and Prof. Zaccheaus Apata of the University of Ilorin also made the list.

We’ll fulfill campaign promises to Nigerians - Osinbajo ÏÏÏThe

Muhammadu Buhari administration will strive to deliver on its campaign promises to the people of Nigeria, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), has assured.

Osinbajo gave the assurance on Saturday at Ikenne, his home town where he was the Special Guest of Honour at the 39th Ereke Day celebration.

Ereke is an annual festival organised in Ikenne, Ogun State, as platform for addressing the town’s developmental challenges.

Osinbajo pointed out that the opportunity to address the nation’s numerous challenges and reposition the country for greatness is now.

He said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration would keep its promises, saying ``the President has no other business besides fixing the problems of the country.’’

He cited corruption and stealing as some of the reasons why things had gone wrong in the country, adding ``but it is time

now to fix all that have gone wrong.”

He restated the commitment of the Federal Government to address the challenges facing the country.

He said: ``we have to deal with unemployment of young people; we have to deal with infrastructure; we have to deal with bad roads; we have to restore power, the challenges are many. ``But I want to assure you that every single day that President Buhari spends in Abuja; that I

spend in Abuja, we will work hard to achieve the promises we have made. ``You can be sure of an honest and transparent government; you can be sure of hard work. ``You can be sure that everything we promised, we will do.”

Osinbajo, who also spoke to newsmen at the end of the event, said that President Buhari was working daily on how to solve Nigeria’s economic challenges. ``The President you know has no other busi-

ness; he is not doing anything else; this is his life commitment. ``And he has said this is what he is going to commit his entire life to, to ensure that the economic problems are solved, employment opportunities are created,”, the VP said.

He called on the indigenes of Ikenne to rededicate themselves to the visions of their elders such late Chief Obafemi Awolowo former Nigerian nationalist and Premier of the old Western Region.

Osinbajo

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9 , 2015

7 News

Lucozade, Ribena kick off new promo

ÏÏÏLucozade

and Ribena have announced the launch of an exciting shopper promotion, specifically designed to reward new and existing consumers in Nigeria The promo which will commence on November 7, 2015 and offers shoppers up to 20% discount on their favourite Lucozade and Ribena products in participating stores across the country.

There will also be a mystery shopper looking out for loyal Lucozade and Ribena shoppers participating in the promo. Shoppers who get spotted by the Lucozade and Ribena mystery shoppers will get

rewarded instantly with an array of instant prizes. These prizes include: I-pads, home theatres, shopping vouchers, generators, amongst others.

Explaining the rationale for the promo, the Group Product, Drinks, GSK Consumer Nigeria Plc., Ms. Aigbeme Momoh, said, “The Save and Win Big” promo is our way of thanking our esteemed consumers with a unique offering for their loyalty and patronage over the past years and also to restate our commitment of helping people do more, feel better and live longer.

Mathew Dadiya

Court grants Intels’ application in suit on oil, gas

Abuja

ÏÏÏJustice John Isoho of the Fed-

eral High Court, Lagos, on Friday, granted Intels Nigeria Limited’s application to be joined in a suit filed by Ladol Integrated Logistics Free Zone Enterprise and MCI FZE Yard Development Ltd. The suit was filed against the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the National Assembly, Federal Ministry of Transport and Attorney General of the Federation.

It seeks to restrain the passage and assent to the Bill for an Act to amend the oil and gas free zone.

The suit also seeks for an interim injunction restraining the defendants from enforcing the presidential directive that all oil and gas cargoes should be handled at Onne, Warri and Calabar ports.

The ports were designated to handle such cargoes since 2006.

In his ruling, Justice Isoho said the prayers of Intels Nigeria Ltd. were granted on grounds that the issues for determination touched

directly on the business and financial interests of the company.

Another company, Associated Maritime Services (AMS), which also filed a separate application to be joined in the same suit and its prayer, was granted by Justice Isoho.

It would be recalled that Ladol and MCI filed originating summons and a motion ex-parte brought before Justice Isoho and obtained an order of interim injunction on May 12, 2015.

Several legal tussles, media war and protests which never considered the healthy implications of the presidential directive to the economy had been ongoing.

The acrimony also did not take cognisance of the revenue accruing to government and the need to amend the Oil and Gas Free Zone Act.

Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (middle); former Governors, Adamawa, Boni Haruna (left); Akwa-Ibom, Obong Victor Atta; Edo, Lucky Igbinedion (2nd right) and Imo, Chief Achike Udenwa after a condolence visit to Dickson over the death of the first civilian governor of the state, D.S.P Alamieyeseigha, at the Governor’s Lodge, Government House, Yenagoa… on Sunday

Bayelsa APC to PDP: Call your thugs to order Akam James Yenagoa

ÏÏÏThe

Sylva/Igiri Campaign Organisation, (SICO) of the All Progressives Congress APC, in Bayelsa State has warned those beating war drums from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to, henceforth, desist from it or face the wrath of the law.

In a statement by the Chairman of the Non-Conventional Security Committee of the Sylva-Igiri Campaign Organisation and lawmaker representing Brass Constituency one in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Israel Sunny-Goli, the party condemned the unwarranted attack, molestation and provocation of APC members, who ply the Okaka road and live in different areas

of Yenagoa, the state capital.

The campaign organisation said it had uncovered plots by the leadership of the Bayelsa Volunteers Force to commence the house-tohouse raid of known APC members to harm and intimidate them through the directive of the state governor.

“We have it on good authority that the dastardly acts being carried out by more than fifty armed boys followed the directive of the Secretary of the Volunteer Force and former Chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government Council, Mr. Bonny Ayah, popularly called Inikiyor,” the body said.

The APC, is calling on Governor Seriake Dickson to call his boys to order and focus on issues bordering on the election rather than re-

sorting to molestation and criminal activities.

The party, therefore, urged the security agents in the state, particularly the Commissioner of Police and State Director of the State Security Services (DSS) to increase patrol on the now dreaded Okaka road and entire Yenagoa to forestall the impending violent plot of the Bayelsa Volunteers.

It said the APC members would not fold their arms and allow the government and its agents to continue attacking them.

“We want to encourage our party members and supporters to go about their normal duty and not to relent in canvassing for votes for the Sylva-Igiri ticket for the governorship election billed December 5,” it said.

Ikpeazu launches construction of Abia FG may share $2b ECA to states for capital projects Poly permanent site

Sunday Nwakanma Umuahia

ÏÏÏGovernor

Okezie Ikpeazu, last week, flagged off the construction of the Osisioma Ngwa permanent site of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, with a pledge of support from his government to the efforts of the school to actualise its goals.

Ikpeazu, who noted that there were over 5, 000 graduates of the institution occupying and doing the state proud in various fields, said the institution would play a role in filling the needed middle manpower needs of the state, pointing out that the polytechnic was a flagship institution that would drive the economy of the state in the days ahead.

According to him, the institution would also play a major role as the government thought of

industrial clusters and boosting Made-in-Aba shoes, disclosing that the polytechnic would supply the first Nigerian-made fire fighting machine soon.

Ikpeazu thanked the management of the polytechnic for its understanding while urging the workers to remain morally upright and continue to do their best.

He expressed his worry about reports over fees charged by the institution and urged the management of the school to supply his office with the fees profile to enable him see the possibility of slashing it.

Prof Uche Ikonne thanked Ikpeazu for lifting the weight of the N2 billion bank facility accessed by previous administrations in the school and other interventions, which had assisted in the payment of accumulated arrears of salary.

Monday Agu, Jnr Abuja

ÏÏÏThere are indications that the

Federal Government may soon disburse the over $2 billion remaining in the Excess Crude Oil Account (ECA) to state governments for capital projects.

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, who gave the hint at the weekend, said the step would be taken for the state governments to be able to embark or complete some capital projects.

Fayose, who spoke during a statewide programme, “Meet Your Governor”, in Ado Ekiti, said that Ekiti State could get about N10 billion from the fund.

He lamented that money had not been going into the account for some time owing to the fall in the price of oil, saying: “Nothing is going into the Excess Crude Oil Account again, because oil is selling

lower than the envisaged price in the international market.

“That has badly affected all of us.

The 2015 Budget in Ekiti was predicated on oil selling at $65 a barrel, but it sells for a little over $40 now.

That has left our budget performing only in the area of Recurrent Expenditure. Ekiti is expecting about N10 billion when the ECA fund is shared. When it comes, I will tell everybody.

“The capital projects that we have embarked upon since we came on board are being executed because we are prudent, transparent and open, and also because we are leveraging on goodwill with corporate bodies,” he said.

Fayose gave an assurance that the reconstruction of Erekesan Market in Ado-Ekiti would not deprive former shop owners as they would be given top priority in the

allocation of shops when the new market was built.

He s said: “We have done the accreditation of traders through the records with which we paid them compensation. So, there is no need to fear. We are going to build a fivestar market with all the facilities expected in such a market.

“We have paid compensation since June and we paid about N140 million. I am assuring the people of the state that we won’t leave uncompleted projects behind," he added.

Fayose

8

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

Politics

Æs

9 Politics

N5,000 stipend: Rage against a promise First it was the promise of one-free meal in schools and now, it is the promise of N5,000 stipend for the unemployed in the country. Both promises were contained in the campaign pledges of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the preparations for the 2015 General Elections.

However, more than five months after the new government has come into power, there has been a loud silence from the side of government on both promises, prompting an angry populace to now label APC with a new nameAll Promises Cancelled – APC. What is perhaps more galling to the people is that the new government is led by someone generally regarded as an honest and incorruptible man, whose deputy is a senior Pastor of the prestigious and respectable church in the country.

Consequently, aside that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APC have been trading words over N5,000 monthly stipend for unemployed Nigerians, a lot of the people have been raging against it with those who can afford internet connection taking their case to the outside world.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, had in a statement accused senators elected on the APC platform of acting a script by rejecting Philip Aduda’s motion that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration be compelled to pay a N5,000 monthly stipend promised unemployed Nigerians during election campaigns.

Nigerians were won over by Buhari’s promise of social welfare package like free meal for primary school pupils and stipends for the financially vulnerable made in the last general elections.

But Metuh said the development at the Senate on Wednesday was a clear confirmation of the fact that the APC is a party of hypocrites, who never had the intentions of honouring any of their campaign promises.

“The PDP declares that it is absolutely obvious to all that the APC came to power riding on monumental lies and deceit in making promises they had no intentions to keep. All they wanted

Oyegun was to get into power and they achieved this with their lying tongues.

“Indeed, the unanimity dis-

Secondus played by the APC senators in rejecting the promised N5, 000 monthly welfare package, especially coming after their party

and the Presidency had made futile efforts to distance themselves from it, further stresses the duplicitous spirit of the APC and its

Why Okowa won’t take N10 billion bond Dantes Odogwu We find it indeed funny and childishly theatrical that Universal Reporters 247 has began to toe the unpopular pathway of speculative journalism that Sahara Reporters is well known for. It is indeed a show of shame for a media organisation to feed the unsuspecting public with lies that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is set to borrow N10 billion from the bond market with-

out hearing from the government or cross checking their facts.

This is obviously the height of media rascality and unprofessionalism for a widely -circulated media tabloid to become a pawn in the hands of the opposition in Delta State in their incurable bid of seeking to distract and derail the Government of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

As for the piece of news, beloved CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

Okowa

reprehensible insensitivity to the feelings and aspirations of Nigerians, especially the unsuspecting CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

Politics 10

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

APC, PDP bicker on N5,000 stipend CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

youths, women and the indigent, who they shamelessly swindled with false promises.

“From the foregoing therefore, Nigerians should not expect any sincere action from the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government on the other promises including monthly allowance to discharged but unemployed NYSC members, free meals and scholarship to school children, free houses, bringing the naira to the same value with the dollar.

“Our position remains that the APC has sufficiently confirmed to the world that they have a lot to learn on the leadership values of honesty, integrity, credibility and forthrightness.

“We invite Nigerians to note the powers amply vested on them by the constitution under a democracy as we urge them to stand on such powers and hold the APC and its government accountable for all their campaign promises”, Metuh stressed.

Even without Metuh’s charge, a lot of Nigerians have taken to the internet to vent their frustration since the senators’ decision on Wednesday. Some of them had even described APC as All Promises cancelled recalling that it was the same way the party distanced itself from the promise of free feeding a day for primary school students.

Lai Mohammed

Olisa Metuh

Okowa won’t take N10 billion bond CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

Deltans and Nigerians are advised to ignore same as there is no element of truth in it. May it be noted that Governor Okowa is a man and leader known to run an inclusive government that equally takes into cognisance the demands that pertain to the separation of powers among the three Arms of Government even as spelt out in the Nigerian Constitution.

Hence, in the hurried and preemptive attempts to beguile Gov. Okowa; shouldn’t Universal Reporters ordinarily have shown as proof, the letter of request transmitted to the State Assembly by Gov. Okowa asking for their approval to access such a loan?

Furthermore, one is bemused concerning the ranting of Uni-

versal Reporters 247 concerning Gov Okowa’s long term membership of the PDP. For the records, Sen. Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has at no time hidden it that he is a member of the PDP, neither is he contemplating moving to the opposition.

However, what we find uncharitable is the constant attempt by the opposition to place the bulk of the responsibility for the failures (of course, the successes are never ever included) of the immediate past government on him. We ask: was Gov. Okowa then the Chief Executive of the State on whom the buck stopped at his table?

If the opposition is irredeemably interested in a never-ending assessment and maligning of the past government, shouldn’t they know where to look? Indeed, what is necessary to assert

Uduaghan is that the Delta electorate knew all about the background of Sen. Okowa before they decided to massively entrust him with their mandate as the governor.

Therefore, this current but stale media demeanor of the opposition (still smarting from their woeful loss at the Elections Tribunal) will amount to nothing.

We have definitely seen through the pretenses of this hireling of a media tabloid called the Universal Reporters, as paid hands in the hands of the wailing opposition in the state. We deem it a wicked enterprise to embark on by an online tabloid desirous of credibility, acceptance and respect from the general public!

Lastly, we assure dear Deltans that Gov. Okowa is irrevocably committed to his ‘ Prosperity for All Deltans’ Vision which himself and his team are working tirelessly to see become reality in the homes and lives of Deltans. Certainly too, anything known to cause Deltans pain and eventual losses will never have the approval or imprimatur of the amiable Gov. Okowa.

Whenever our S.M.A.R.T agenda governor is ready to take any loan, Deltans and Nigerians will be aware of it, as the governor runs on a transparent mandate willfully given to him by the people that he serves. On all of these and many more of the governor’s promises, Deltans should be rest assured.

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

11 Politics

As ministers take off this week As the new Ministers are expected to take off this week with the assignment of portfolios, President Muhammadu Buhari last week warned them to eschew impunity and waste in the country as they are about to commence a new task of his administration.

The Nigerian leader who gave the charge during the recent retreat for the incoming ministers at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja, also tasked them to consider themselves privileged to be called to service in the midst of millions of Nigerians, charging them to work as a team to deliver.

He reiterated his resolve to fight corruption, solve unemployment problems, tackle insecurity and also diversify the economy for sustainable growth.

The president however told the ministers-designate to use the office of his Chief of Staff as official communication Channel in line with the presidential system of government.

This is a clear departure from the earlier arrangement, especially during the era of former President Olusegun Obasanjo where the ministers report to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). This clearly shows that there would not be business as usual with the ministers getting easier access to the President.

As the Ministers take off there are talks that some of them may operate without portfolios which

Buhari

Osinbajo means they may work with specific instructions from the President. The President will be directly involved in the activities of each ministry and departments through the Chief of Staff.

As to be expected, with the direct involvement of the Presidency and the Permanent Secre-

taries who had been in charge all these while, the ministers would be kept on their toes and be made to perform in line with the slogan of change of the administration.

As to whom is given, much is expected, the five months of waiting for the ministers must not be for nought Nigerians deserve

nothing more than achievements and high class performance.

And with the high level of monitoring, it is expected that corruption which was at its peak in the last administration would be tamed this time around as funds that is meant for development would be used for such instead of

ending up in private pockets.

It is hoped that by early next year, the gains expected would start to materialise so that Nigerians and indeed the doubting Thomasses would have cause to cheer.

How KAI, police truncate Ambode’s plan on street trading, Okada riders

Ambode

As Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State moved to end street trading and illegal Okada riding, fresh facts have emerged on how the police and Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) officials are frustrating the efforts.

Besides, officials of the two agencies are said to be using the plans of the governor to make brisk business in Lagos.

It was gathered that the KAI officials who were supposed to apprehend the street hawkers are on the other hand allegedly ripping them off instead.

It was learnt that their modus operandi is by using their new Black Maria look alike vehicle but painted in green to intimidate hawkers at many areas in Lagos especially busy

areas like Ogba, Iyana-Ipaja, Abule -Egba and other parts of Lagos and arrest them.

After their arrest, the hawkers will be asked to buy their freedom with cash ranging from between N2,000 and above, depending on their bargaining power.

Checks revealed that the hawkers always return to their duty post as soon as the KAI official leaves but after having secured their freedom through cash.

Besides, officialss of the Nigeria police are also seen milking the Okada riders dry by arresting those on the streets especially those plying the banned routes.

The police are alleged to be charging the riders the sum of N5,000 per bike with a threat to take their bike

to the task force office in Alausa, Ikeja if the money is not paid within a specific time frame.

Most part of the state, Okada riders are currently constituting nuisance to motorists especially in mile 2 area of Lagos State by queuing on the express road, driving against the traffic among other things while hawkers had also taken over major parts of the streets especially during massive traffic snarls.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has promised to drive hawkers off the roads and okada drivers off restricted area and cleanse Lagos of criminals. Towards this end, he had re-energised the KAI Brigade buying vehicles like Black Maria for them in order to ease their operations.

News 12

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

Bayelsa guber: Jonathan's loyalist, PDP stalwarts defect to APC Akam James

Yenagoa A former Commissioner in Bayelsa State and a close ally to former President Jonathan, Bishop Biobarakuma Degi Eremienyon and the former Assistant Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Douglas Samson Awudu, led thousands of PDP decampees to officially join the All Progressives Congress (APC), ahead the December 5 gubernatorial election in the state.

Among the defectors was the father of a serving commissioner in the current administration in the state, Mr. Iniuro Wills, a lawyer, who once served as the Commissioner for Information and

ÏÏÏ

Orientation in the state, and now serving as the Environment Commissioner under the Governor Seriake Dickson’s administration. He is the first child of the family.

The senior Wills, who spoke in his Nembe local dialect during the event last weekend in Bassambiri in Nembe Local Government Area, said “if you try somebody for some time and you are not getting result, you turn to another area. That is change. That is what you see in our son, Timipre Sylva.

Our support to him should be tota.”

Also speaking at the occasion, the Deputy Director - General of the Sylva-Igiri Campaign Organisation, High Chief Jonathan Lionel-Omo, said the continu-

ous defection of political big fishes into the change party, APC, has marked the demise of the PDP in Nembe.

Lionel-Omo, said even the Ogbia people are trooping into the APC with the expectations that President Muhammadu Buhari, would bring development to us.

“If you go to former President Jonathan’s village, Otuoke, where you have a University which look like a glorified college with some new roads being opened up, yet it is still in a state of dereliction. Then go to Opume here where one of the best friends to the former President comes from, King A.J Turner, who is also close to Governor Dickson. After six years in the presidency and also supporting Dickson,

there is no light or water in Opume. In the year 2015, when the people don’t have ordinary basic amenities after six years in Presidency, what are we saying now?

PDP is a rotten party.”

Chief Lionel-Omo, who welcomed the decampees to the APC warned those planning to cause violence in the election to desist and that they were confident that Chief Sylva would win the election based on one-to-one voting.

“Let me tell you, that even on one-to-one vote, we are going to win the election.

This community will support Sylva with more than 80 percent votes. Let nobody come to this community to shed blood” Lionel-Omo warned.

MASSOB: Abia’ll remain peaceful - Govt Sunday Nwakanma Umuahia

ÏÏÏIn

the wake of the mass demonstration by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), for the release of the Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, which has cut across most Eastern states and South-South, Abia state government said that Aba is peaceful.

According to the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Godwin Adindu, some detractors of Abia are catching in on the situation to insinuate that there has been disturbances in Aba. Their aim, he said is to

Kano approves N100m loan for wheat farmers Oyetubo Olabimpe

ÏÏÏKano L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Coto Search. com Ltd, Prof.

Johnson Bade Falade; Secretary General, United Cities and Local Government of Africa, Mr. JeanPierre Elong-Mbassi and Representative of Spaces for Change, Ndutimobong Enang at the press conference on the forthcoming 7th edition of Africities Summit schedule for South Africa held in Lagos… at the weekend.

Photo: BOLAJI OLASUNKANMI

State government has approved N100 million loan for disbursement to 5,000 wheat farmers in the state.

The Chairman, Wheat Farmers Association in the state, Alhaji Faruk Rabi’u made the disclosure on Sunday in Kano in an interview with journalists.

He said that the facility was intended to encourage the farmers boost wheat production.

He said that the farmers were expected to pay back the loan after selling

Abuja

Alade Tasma

ÏÏÏThe chief whip of the

Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Rotimi Abiru has called on women ın Taraba State ın partıcular, and ın the country as a whole, to rally round Hajıa Aısha Jumaı Al-Hassan who was declared the wınner of Aprıl 11, 2015 governorshıp electıon ın Taraba State by the Justıce Musa Danladı Abubakar led electıon petıtıon trıbunal on Saturday.

Abıru made thıs call whıle haılıng the judgment of the trıbunal that sacked Governor Darıus Ishaku of

the Peoples Democratıc Party (PDP) - led admınıstratıon from offıce and ruled ın favour of Aısha Al-Hassan of the All Progressıves Congress (APC) as the duly elected governor of the state at the Aprıl electıon.

Hajıa Aısha has by the trıbunal verdıct, become the fırst female elected governor ın the country.

"I congratulate the judiciary for the landmark judgement by the tribunal in Taraba State. It is now clear that the rule of law has come to stay in our nation, this is the time for women in Taraba State to support Governor Hajia Aisha Al Hassan

to succeed because her success in office will have significant meaning, encouragement, as well as ıncrease women partıcıpatıon ın the democratıc process and governance in our nation" Abiru stated.

The lawmaker congratulated Governor Aisha AlHassan for her emergence as the first female governor in Nigeria and also congratulated All Progressives Congress (APC) for producing the first female governor in the country. ”Thıs ıs a good development ın Nigerian politics," Abıru stated, whıle urgıng women to show more com-

mitment in politics, in order to build a greater nation that we all desire. ”The era of rigging, manipulation, impunity and social vices are over in our democratıc process as a nation," he concluded.

Aisha

the commodity, adding that many companies had indicated interest to purchase the commodity from the farmers. ``It has been agreed that the farmers will pay back the loan after harvesting and selling the produce. ``No fewer than 5,000 wheat farmers will benefit from the facility which will soon be disbursed to them,’’ he said.

Rabi’u said that there were about 37 irrigation clusters across the 44 Local Government Areas of the state.

Buhari to inaugurate FEC Wednesday Egena Egena

Taraba: Lagos Assembly chief whip lauds verdict

ride on the situation to actually create problems and cause a breach of peace.

"But, the truth of the matter is that Aba has been calm and the people of the city have maintained a peaceful and conducive atmosphere" he said, stating that the people of Aba have conducted themselves in a very responsible manner and have resisted all the attempt by election petitioner losers to use them to vent out their frustrations.

The CPS therefore saluted the courage of Aba and other parts of the state in shunning detractors of the state and urged them to continue rejecting the enemies of the state.

ÏÏÏAll is now set for the

swearing-in of the 36 ministers-designate who have scaled the hurdle of senate screening and the inauguration of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday.

The President will also swear-in the newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof.

Mahmood Yakubu and five national commissioners of the electoral body today (Monday) following their approval by the Senate.

As a precursor to the administration of oath of office to them, the ministers- designate had ended a two-day induction pro-

gramme on Friday at the Conference Hall of the State House, Abuja.

A statement issued on Sunday by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the inauguration of the ministers which is scheduled for 10am, and would be swiftly followed by the inaugural session of FEC in the Council Chamber at the Presidential Villa.

The statement read: "President Muhammadu Buhari will officially inaugurate a new Federal Executive Council on Wednesday, November 11, 2015. "Before the commencement of the inaugural session of the council, the ministers-designate will take their oaths of office in the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa.

Daily Times Nigeria Monday November 9, 2015

Sierra Leone declared Ebola-free

13 Africa Somalia plans organised repatriation of refugees

ÏÏÏSomali

People walk past a billboard warning residents to stop the stigmatization of Ebola survivors, in Kenema, eastern Sierra Leone, Aug. 12, 2015.

ÏÏÏ

The World Health Organization has announced that Sierra Leone is officially free of the Ebola virus, now that 42 days have passed without any new infections.

Saturday's announcement was eagerly anticipated in the west African nation that has lost nearly 4,000 people to the virus over the past several years.

Abdulla Bayraytay, national publicity and outreach coordinator in the Sierra Leone’s government, said carnivals are being planned throughout the country

to celebrate the day, but also to remember the victims of the virus, among them some of the nation's best doctors.

Bayraytay said some of the activities planned for Saturday include a vigil by the civil society female organization to honor health workers, including those who lost their lives to the virus.

“And on Saturday, his excellency, President Ernest Bai Koroma, will also address the nation.

Without preempting that, part of the address will be to salute all the people who contributed in

the fight and also to congratulate the resilience exhibited by Sierra Leoneans,” Bayraytay said.

He also said the government will tell Sierra Leoneans to remain vigilant and continue to respect all the Ebola prevention protocols to avoid the example of neighboring Liberia, where the country suffered a relapse after declared Ebola-free.

Before Saturday's announcement, Bayraytay said the country's National Ebola Response Center had determined Sierra Leone would continue with "stan-

dard operating procedures in terms of dignified medical burial for any suspected case of Ebola. ...

These are still important because we don’t want a relapse as it happened unfortunately in neighboring Liberia.”

The burial practices include avoiding body contact and not taking sick people to herbalists or traditional healers, he said.

Bayraytay also said Sierra Leone has intensified its surveillance at the border with Guinea, which just last week recorded three new cases.

Pope Francis: Leaks won't stop Church reforms

ÏÏÏPope Francis says the leak-

ing of sensitive Vatican documents is a "crime" and "a deplorable act" that will not stop him from moving forward with church reforms.

The leader of the world's Roman Catholics, in his first comments since two people suspected of leaking the documents were arrested last week, said "this sad fact will certainly not distract me from

the work of reform that is moving ahead."

"Stealing those documents is a crime, it is a deplorable act that does not help," he said before tens of thousand of people at his Sunday blessing in Saint Peter's Square.

Information from the leaked documents was used for two books, "Merchants in the Temple"

by Gianluigi Nuzzi and "Avarice"

by Emiliano Fittipaldi. The books detail mismanagement and corruption in the Vatican and how some prelates are resisting the pope's financial and administrative changes in the Holy See. Last week the Vatican arrested two people - a high-ranking Holy See official and an Italian woman who is a public relations expert - for allegedly leaking the documents.

Pope Francis

Netanyahu, Obama to move past Iran deal row

ÏÏÏIsraeli Prime Minister Ben-

jamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama are expected to meet Monday to put aside their rocky personal relationship and move past the Iran nuclear deal with multi-billon-dollar talks on defence.

The two have not met since October 2014, and deep disagreement over the July accord between Iran and major world powers provoked bitter exchanges between the traditional allies both before and after it was reached.

Netanyahu has also faced pres-

sure, including from the United States, to renew peace efforts after a wave of violence that began in October raised fears of a new Palestinian uprising.

Obama and Netanyahu are known to have testy personal ties, not least because of the rightwing Israeli premier's courting of Republicans - the US president's opponents - including in a speech to Congress in March not coordinated with the White House.

But analysts say the two seem determined to turn the page with a businesslike meeting and sig-

nal that the two countries' longlasting alliance remains unshakeable.

"They will not fall in love with each other," said Zvi Rafiah, a longtime consultant on US affairs and former congressional specialist at Israel's Washington embassy.

However, "I'm sure (Netanyahu) understands exactly the value of this visit and the value of the United States".

The White House has sought to downplay personal feelings, with spokesperson Josh Earnest

saying they were "not nearly as important as their ability to work together to advance the national security interests of the two countries that they lead".

At the same time, more controversy erupted ahead of the trip over comments from Netanyahu's newly appointed media czar.

After his appointment was announced Wednesday, Israeli media dug up past comments from Ran Baratz accusing Obama of anti-semitism and saying US Secretary of State John Kerry's "mental age" was no older than 12.

officials said they expect a phased repatriation of more than 300,000 Somali refugees from Kenya within the next four years.

Officials said only 5,500 people have so far returned to the country, but they expect that figure to reach about 12,000 by the end of this year, with a further 75,000 expected to be repatriated next year.

Officials say they plan to have all the 320,000 Somali refugees return by 2019.

The announcement came after Somalia Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke visited refugee camps on Friday. His predecessor, Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, visited the camps just over a year ago.

Sharmarke said the visits reflect the government's concern about the prolonged plight of refugees, many of whom fled the country nearly 25 years ago. He said his government is working to make sure the conditions on the ground permit their return.

20 killed in suspected Russian airstrikes on Syrian town

ÏÏÏA

monitoring group says at least 23 Syrian civilians were killed Saturday in suspected Russian airstrikes on a rebel-held town outside Damascus.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least six children and seven women were among the dead in the attack on the town of Douma.

A Syrian rescue service operating in rebel areas said at least 24 people were killed, including women and children.

Rebels in Douma often fire rockets into Damascus, and the Douma area is a frequent target of government airstrikes and shelling.

Also Saturday, the observatory said the death toll from Thursday's airstrikes on a city controlled by Islamic State near the Iraq border has risen to 71, up from the original count of about 25. The group said at least six children were among the dead.

Russia, Syria's government and a U.S.-led coalition are all carrying out bombing raids in Syria, sometimes in the same areas.

Meanwhile, an activist group says Islamic State militants have released 37 Syrian Christians, mostly women, who were among more than 200 people from an Assyrian minority group abducted in February.

News14

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

Corruption: Group wants CCT chair removed Andrew Orolua Abuja

ÏÏÏThe

registered trustees of the Mission for Peace and Development Initiative (MPDI) has approached a Federal High Court, in Abuja, with a suit seeking an order to remove Justice Danlami Umar the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal from office.

The non-governmental organisation, in an originating summons filed on its behalf by Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), wants the court to order Justice Umar to hands off the trial of any Nigerian, having confessed to corruption and admitted meeting with an accused person standing trial before

him, in the absence of the prosecution and court officials.

Joined as defendants along with Justice Umar in the suit filed on Friday are, the Code of Conduct Tribunal, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

The plaintiff wants the court to order the tribunal to halt further sittings or proceedings against accused persons brought before it, or currently standing trial before it, until it was reconstituted to exclude its present Chairman.

The organisation is also praying the court for an order directing the EFCC to start prosecuting Justice Umar, having investigated

him and found him culpable of the offences of conspiracy, bribery, abuse of office and money laundering, which the Commission had actually prepared a charge, but failed, refused to file same till date for inexplicable reasons.

The plaintiff also wants an order that the AGF should cease from further regarding or according recognition to Justice Umar as the rightful Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

A nine-paragraph affidavit in support of the originating summons deposed to by one Ogah Columba, a human rights activists and anti-corruption campaigner, averred that in spite of the corruption cases hanging on the neck

of Justice Umar, he could still sit, morally and legally to try any Nigerian citizen for any case of corruption.

“That in consonance with the anti-corruption stance of the present government, we decided to dig into the ugly, murky cases of corruption against the 1st Respondent (Justice Umar) and we are shocked at a grand cover up by powers-thatbe who refused to prosecute him for receiving, N1.8 million bribe out of N10 million he demanded from an accused he was trying in his Tribunal, notwithstanding the clear instructions of the then AGF, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) that he should be prosecuted”, the affidavit stated.

Amnesty to establish office in Edo Mathew Dadiya Abuja

ÏÏÏAs part of

measures to improve security geared towards sustainable reintegration of the exNiger Delta Agitators in Edo State, the Special Adviser to the President and Co-ordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig-General Paul T. Boroh (rtd), in collaboration with the governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has concluded plans to establish Amnesty Office in the state.

Boroh, who disclosed this when he made his first visit to Oshiomhole at the Government House, Benin, as part of his walking tour to states in the Niger Delta, said the state amnesty office would serve as a command and control post, which enable the Presidential Amnesty Office in Abuja to have a firm control of the beneficiaries at the grassroots.

He explained that the initiative of setting up amnesty offices in the affected states was meant to sensitise key stakeholders in the Presidential Amnesty Programme, adding that the state offices comprised representatives from the state government, the military and para-military, representatives of the Presidential Amnesty Office, representatives of the ex-agitators in the state and other relevant key stakeholders.

Boroh

ICD presents certificate to Katsina gov Tom Garba Yola

ÏÏÏThe Institute for Cultural Di-

plomacy (ICD) is to present certificate of attendance to Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina for participating in its last international symposium on cultural diplomacy at the UN. This was contained in a statement signed, on Sunday, by Mr. Dickson Omoregie, Country Director of the ICD and made available to our correspondent in Yola.

The statement said that the Katsina delegation was part of the 70th Regular Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 70) held at UN Headquarters in New York, in September 2015.

It added that the delegates attended the international symposium on Global Human Rights and World Peace.

The statement said that the certificate to be issued was in recognition of the governor’s efforts in keying into the global peace initiative.

Amnesty to establish office in Edo

Mathew Dadiya Abuja

ÏÏÏAs part of L-R: Daughter of late H.I.D Awolowo, Amb. Olatokunbo Awolowo-Dosumu; Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya and first daughter of late Awolowo, Mrs. Omotola Oyediran during the condolence visit of Airtel’s CEO to the Awolowo family at their residence in Ikenne, Remo, Ogun State… on Sunday.

FG plans housing scheme for varsities lecturers Mathew Dadiya

Abuja As part of efforts to enhance learning, performance and living standard in Nigerian universities, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, (FMBN) has disclosed that it would soon conclude all necessary arrangements to launch a housing scheme for university lecturers in the country by January 2016.

The Managing Director of the Bank, Mr Gimba Ya’u Kumo, in an interview with Daily Times in Abuja, said they realised that lecturers in universities and polytechnics did’t have houses and that had affected their movement and input in service delivery and had contributed to a fall in the standard of education in Nigeria.

According to Kumo, the programme was going to be a pilot programme in the six geo-political zones of the country starting with the federal universities.

Before the year runs out, the

ÏÏÏ

product would have been properly developed and tested for launch in January 2016, the FMBN skipper stated.

“We realised that students also don’t have adequate houses, so there is a programme we are coming up with known as ‘Housing for Lecturers’. We are discussing with ASUU (Academic Staff Union of Universities), and we are coming up with a pilot programme that is going to be in the six geo-political zones of the country.

We will start with the federal universities, because we will have access to their funds directly. When that works very well, then we will now replicate it in other universities and other higher institutions of learning and to also see how we can address the issue of hostel accommodations for students. These are some of the programes that are in the pipeline”, he said.

Kumo also revealed that the bank had suspended construction

financing due to issues of corruption which was not limited to developers or the housing sector alone.

He said: “We discovered instances particularly where developers would take money from us and divert it to a different thing. That has made us to suspend the construction finance and concentrate on mortgage finance pending a time when we come up with new underwriting standard whereby you will not have openings to divert the funding from this place.”

According to him, “The developer will first of all make 15 per cent equity commitment on the project before we disburse our 15 per cent.”

Kumo noted that after disbursing the 15 per cent that they would evaluate the progress of work before disbursing another 10 per cent, stressing that the essence was to checkmate project delays caused by developers.

measures to improve security geared towards sustainable reintegration of the exNiger Delta Agitators in Edo State, the Special Adviser to the President and Co-ordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig-General Paul T. Boroh (rtd), in collaboration with the governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has concluded plans to establish Amnesty Office in the state.

Boroh, who disclosed this when he made his first visit to Oshiomhole at the Government House, Benin, as part of his walking tour to states in the Niger Delta, said the state amnesty office would serve as a command and control post, which enable the Presidential Amnesty Office in Abuja to have a firm control of the beneficiaries at the grassroots.

He explained that the initiative of setting up amnesty offices in the affected states was meant to sensitise key stakeholders in the Presidential Amnesty Programme, adding that the state offices comprised representatives from the state government, the military and para-military, representatives of the Presidential Amnesty Office, representatives of the ex-agitators in the state and other relevant key stakeholders.

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

15 Opinion

NCS: Healing Nigeria’s revenue bruises

A

Achum Valentine Tobechukwu

s an undergraduate at the University of Calabar, my final year thesiswas on “Information Communication Technology and Revenue Generation. A case study of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Lagos”. This project which explains how NCS can improve efficiency, block revenue leakages and more importantly, generate more revenue for government through systematic deployment of ICT infrastructure, had me commuting between Calabar and Lagos. This was between late 2013 and early 2014.

Then, the situation of the economy was not as critical as it is now, even though there were signs of a gradual plunge from the normal – with experts such as Bismarck Rewane, Pat Utomi, Henry Boyo and my lecturer – Mr. Okonette Ekanem – amongst others, warning about how falling oil prices would adversely affect our economy.

This is 2015! The problem has become worse than it was when I wrote that thesis. However, my concern still remains unchanged, which is: How can the Nigeria Custom Service improve its revenue collection effort to meet with government’s revenue challenges? My

reason for writing about the Nigeria Customs Service is because I do not know how not to write about them.

While on holidays, my father, who has retired as an area Comptroller of Customs, will always take me to the port and even the Customs Training School in Ikeja. I think he should be guilty for my undying interest in the institution. However, my own guilt lies in how to research on ways to increase the capacity of the NCS to generate more income for government.

It should be recalled that the NCS has been consistent in meeting up revenue targets. Under the stewardship of the immediate past Comptroller General, Inde Abdullahi Dikko, it generated its highest revenue ever of N977.09 billion in 2014.

It was very impressive! However, with the on-going efforts by government to further strengthen non-oil income, as a result of plunging oil earnings, greater efforts needs to be put in place by the current C.G. – Col. Hameed Ali – and his team.

One area that needs attention is the operation and management of its ICT infrastructure for effective trade facilitation and increase revenue collection. Customs, all over the world, have identified and adopted the use of scanning equipment for efficient administration.

This is pertinent because scanners

reduce time in inspecting goods and make business less burdensome.

Particularly, scanners produce x-ray images of goods in containers, tankers or even break bulks. In addition, the scanned images also reveal concealed items in any part of the conveyance. Upon generating the xray images, the Customs personnel have to analyse the image against a Customs declaration lodged by the importer or clearing agent.

This forms the basis of whether the conveyance is carrying some undeclared goods.

Within the African region, Malawi, which is ranked, by a World Bank survey, as one of the best countries with good business milieu, has mobile scanners in all its five major ports. These have tremendously helped in increasing their revenue by saving time for inspecting goods. In addition, in Zambia, they have scanning machines in their major borders. The Zambian Revenue Authority (ZRA) is also expecting the delivery of rail scanners at both Kapiri- Mposhi and Kasumbelesa, and other scanners are nearing completion from construction at Mwami and Nakonde borders. The example of the acquisition of such ICT equipment by these peripheral countries should be enough to challenge Nigeria. It, however, underscores the

importance of ICT in 21st Century Customs administration and trade facilitation. However, this is not to say that Nigeria does not, boast of such sophisticated tools. Recall that in January 1, 2013, after the handover of destination inspection (D.I.)

by Cotecna to the NCS, a number of scanning equipment were purchased and constructed, and 300 officers were trained to operate them.

However, some sources say that many of the scanning equipment are in poor state. Recently, they had to ‘import’ scanners from Calabar to Apapa, even though sources have it that the ‘imported’ scanners were not in good condition.

The solution is that the 300 officers that were trained were practically inadequate to efficiently man the various scanning machines spread across the various border and ports in the country.

For optimum use of the scanning device, training on its operation and management must be part of the course modules in both the Lagos and Kano Customs training schools.

When that is done, there must be a procedure to centralise all scanning devices in the various area commands to one central system. This is important for audit purposes and to help reduce the connivance between importers and Custom officers.

Denigrating the judiciary with impunity

I

Victor Opara

n all democratic cultures, developed and emerging, the rule of law is a respected and indispensable value system without which democracy will be a sham and in danger of extinction.

The importance of the rule of law is such that the decisions of judicial institutions are regarded as oracular in nature and are taken as sacrosanct.

In the United States of America after which we modeled our own democracy, when the court decides as it did in the case of George W. Bush and Al Gore, you are bound to accept the court verdict without question regardless of how you feel.

But in Nigeria, it is not the case as the political actors often go out of their way to impugn the integrity of the very judicial system just because the matter did not turn out their way. The truth is that in all judicial proceedings, the facts speak for themselves (Rex Ipsa Loquito), as lawyers put it.

A good example is what happened at Imo West Senatorial election in which Hope Uzodimma,

the incumbent senator expectedly won. His challenger, Senator Osita Izunaso, not satisfied with the outcome of the election, took the next logical step, which was filing an appeal at the Election Tribunal.

Again, he lost because of the incontrovertible fact that the election was free of any untoward manipulation. He and his legal team could not sustain the issues they raised in their originating prayers. Again, because the so-called prayers were offered to a false deity that betrayed its inefficacy in a resounding manner in the face of farce.

Not being a good sportsman, Izunaso has engaged the services of hatchet writers to malign not just Senator Hope Uzodimma but also the Tribunal. Emmanuel Onwubiko, in his paid puerile and trite write-up in a national newspaper on November 4, 2015, spent time alleging irregularities that Izunaso and his legal team could not sustain before the Tribunal. Like a drowning man clutching at every available straw, Onwubiko, who claims to be a civil society activist, lampooned the police for saying the truth about what they observed at the election, which is that it was

held in the best tradition of democratic practice.

Onwubiko risked contempt of the Tribunal by attacking the person of the judges and casting aspersions on their judicial integrity. One is not surprised that Izunaso is doing this. It runs in his system and his pedigree is much of that of a bad loser.

But the bitter truth, which Izunaso in private will accept, is that in the politics of Orlu Zone (Imo West Senatorial District), Senator Hope Uzodimma is a colossus. Before Uzodimma decided to mount the rostrum himself to canvass for votes, he was the financer of the politics of the zone which produced the godfathers of Izunaso and who made it possible for him (Izunaso) to come into political limelight. Nevertheless, Izunaso behaved true to type, betrayed all of them, and is today biting the very hand that fed his political mouth.

By resorting to media trial, is Izunaso striving to get in the media what he could not achieve at the Tribunal? He has appealed the Tribunal’s judgment. Why not allow the rule of law to take its full

course? Why engage the services of a mercenary writer to fight a battle he knows he will not and cannot win? I want to believe that Izunaso knows that mercenaries do not win wars! Tested warlords and seasoned political strategists with the willpower like Hope Uzodimma, do.

That is not even the issue here.

We are concerned about impudence, incivility and intemperate language of his hatchet man, Onwubiko, whose misrepresentation of facts and insult on the judicial institution as well as the police, exposed his tendency for indiscretion. Perhaps, Onwubiko is not aware that this is not the first time Izunaso is losing to Uzodimma in an election. In the first instance, he went all the way to the Supreme Court and was resoundingly defeated. This time around, Izunaso has gone ahead to appeal the decision of the Tribunal and he will crash again to prove that in Orlu Politics, Uzodimma holds all the aces and there is nothing Izunaso and Onwubiko can do about that.

As the ghost of Julius Caesar told his traitor friend, Marcus Brutus, we shall indeed, meet at Philippi.

16

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

Business Times Æ s NACCIMA urges FG to release Lagos Trade Fair Complex to LCCI

L-R: President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Alhaji Remi Bello; Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akinolu; Deputy President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry(LCCI), Chief (Dr.) Nike Akande CON; National Vice President of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines & Agriculture (NACCIMA),Jani Ibrahim, and Chairman, Trade Promotion Board, LCCI, Chief(Dr.) Michael OlawaleCole, at the official opening ceremony of the 2015 Lagos International Trade Fair in Lagos…on Friday. PHOTO: OLAWALE ROTIMI

Charles Okonji Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), has called on Lagos State government to intervene and impress on the federal government to release the Lagos International Trade Fair (LITF) complex on Badary Express way to the Lagos Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture for more effective use of the facility.

Mr. Bassey Edem, President of NACCIMA who made this call on Friday, at the opening of the 2015 Lagos International Trade fair, stated that the Tafawa Belewa Square is not a permanent trade fair site, adding that LCCI has no choice but to use it, despite the lying fallow of a permanent trade fair village.

He pointed out that hosting this year fair at the designated centre, the LCCI has shown resilience, sustained ability and know how to beat the odds and conducts a successful fair.

He stated, “The Lagos fair has grown over the years with pioneering initiatives being introduced into the fair yearly, attracting an average of 500,000 visitors from over 18 countries yearly with the Nigeria estimated population of 150 million confirming the fair as the hub of Nigeria’s economic and business activities.”

According to him, NACCIMA as the voice of Nigerian business advocates the growth of businesses and the enhancement of a conducive environment for businesses to thrive within and outside Nigeria.

In his opening speech, the president of LCCI, Mr. Remi Bello said, “the theme of the fair, ‘Enhancing Value Addition in the non-oil economy’ was chosen to underscore the strategic importance of the non-oil sectors in the Nigerian economy in the face of country’s over-dependence on the oil sector and the urgent need for economic diversification.

He noted that in the face of dwindling international oil price and its attendant impact on the Nigerian economy, the non-oil sector remained the major driver of growth in Nigeria.

17

NERC relicenses Ibom power plant

Augustine Okezie, Abuja

Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has issued an amended license to the Akwa Ibom state govt. owned Ibom Power Plant to enable the firm increase its generating capacity from 190 megawatts to 685 megawatts.

The company currently supplies 190 megawatts to the national grid.

Receiving the license on be-

half of the State and the company’s management, Governor Emmanuel Udom said, “Ibom is one of the first independent power project in the country.

This achievement did not come as an accident. It is because the previous administrations in the state invested heavily in this sector.

“This is not a power plant that would have gas supply challenge. We have set up a gas processing plant that is supplying gas to the adjoin power plants. We would soon come for

an embedded generation license that would supply power to our industrial estates to be established along the coastal line’’ The governor further appealed to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to improve its network ahead of the completion of the expanded power plant as he disclosed that the state government has invested $22 million on transmission networks and that it would be a wasted investment if there would be no corresponding investment in transmission line

by TCN to evacuate the generated power.

Speaking earlier, NERC Chairman, Dr. Sam Amadi said, “We are strict about our licensing procedure. That we are here today is an indication that the state and management of Ibom Power Plant have fulfilled those conditions.

They are not new to the process, they have done this before and they have shown they are equal to the task.”

“Akwa Ibom is a front runner in this respect and they have shown good example of public private partnership. We would give you all necessary assistance to achieve this,” Amadi said adding that the Commission expects more investments in the power sector from the state.

Vodacom,SA firm partner on fleet management solutions Tony Nwakaegho Vodacom Nigeria in partnership with Tracker South Africa has launched its fleet management solution in Nigeria.

Speaking at the event in Lagos recently, Mr. Abu Etu, senior manager, Product Portfolio, Vodacom Business Nigeria, said that one of the major benefits of the solution is Stolen Vehicle Recovery, adding that “in the event of your vehicle being stolen or hijacked, our National Emergency Contact Centre is able to locate your vehicle, immobilize it and give a detailed report of its loca-

tion.”

He noted that in the unfortunate event of an accident, the solution is able to generate a detailed report that will give an insight into how it happened.

The reliable, secure and effective solution which comes in two packages, LiveTrack and TomTom, enables companies of any size to easily manage and control in real time, all the activity of their fleet of vehicles and machines and then create reports containing the most important information to optimize and guarantee the fleet security.

For a flat monthly charge, com-

panies can equip their fleet with a complete solution based on GSM and GPS technologies and access it at any time from any location through an Internet connection.

Benefits of the solution include real-time tracking and monitoring of fleets via a secure customer web portal, location detection of vehicles in need of assistance, Instant emergency notification, speed violation, alerts when vehicle enters or leaves a predefined or Geo-fenced area and detailed trip reports specifying start and stop times, as well as start and end locations of a company’s entire fleet.

The solution enables companies to optimize and control their material resources, leading to reductions in logistics costs, by controlling kilometers travelled, fuel consumption and maintenance costs.

Tracker is a leading provider of Stolen Vehicle Recovery and Fleet Management solutions to both individuals and companies.

The partnership between Vodacom and Tracker puts a quality solution within the reach of all companies, offering them real benefits in terms of fleet management and helping to make their businesses more competitive.

Money18

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

CBN dispels BVN disclosure fright ÏÏÏauthorizes its use for FOREX transactions Stories by Adeesola Akindele

Nigerian Interbank Rates, Money Market and FX: Source FMDQ

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has explained that the provision of BVN by customers at the point of Forex purchase or for any legitimate banking transaction with any of the banks and licensed bureau de change (BDCs) operating in the country would not attract any security risk, rather it would protect the customer against identify theft.

The CBN recently mandated all banks and licensed BDCs operating in the country to provide Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) as part of the requirements for the sale of foreign exchange to their customers.

This information was relayed through a statement issued and

signed by CBN Director of Corporate Communications Alhaji Ibrahim Muazu on the CBN site which read in part thus: “It has come to our notice that some customers are reluctant in disclosing their BVN to authorized dealers and buyers because of claims that there are attendant risks to the disclosure. It is therefore imperative for the Bank to make the following clarifications to the customers: That the adoption of BVN as a condition for the purchase of FOREX is expected to reduce the incidence of multiple purchases, round tripping and illicit transfer of funds, facilitate enforcement of authorized limits of forex sales to end users, sanitize the retail segment of the market and engender policies that will facili-

tate better allocation of the forex, based on genuine demands.

The BVN is neither a payment instrument nor an account number and therefore could not be used to access any account by unauthorized users. The banks, BDC operators and even regulators use the BVN to validate the identity of a customer using some biometric information such as finger prints and photograph obtained at the point of enrolment.

The BVN provides the unique identity of each customer for the purpose of achieving effective “Know Your Customer” (KYC) principle and fraud prevention and customers can easily get their BVN from the mobile phone number submitted during the enrolment by dialing *565*0#.”

CBN exchange rate as at 29th October 2015

Exchange rates; Source: CBN

Nigerian Interbank Rates, Money Market and FX: Source FMDQ

UBA Foundation sets to close entry for National Essay Competition The UBA foundation has said that entries for the national essay competition opened to senior secondary school students in Nigeria will close on November 13, 2015.

The foundation, which is the corporate social responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, also said the closing date for the entries will not be extended.

Ijeoma Aso, Managing Director/CEO of UBA Foundation, said the response to the essay competition from students had been impressive. She urged other students yet to submit their essays, to finalize them and submit, so as to stand the chance of winning any of the fantastic prizes on offer.

The first prize for the UBA National Essay Competition is N1 million educational grant for the winner to study in any African university of his or her choice. The second and third prizes are N750, 000 and N500, 000 educational grants respectively.

Ms Aso explained that the essay competition which is titled “What matters most to you in life and why” is part of the foundation’s initiative to promote creative and analytical thinking in senior secondary students in Nigeria and is a follow up on the foundation’s Read Africa initiative, which promotes reading culture among students through the reading and free distribution of Africa

literary classics in secondary schools. The national essay competition is also held in Ghana and Senegal.

Entries received for the competition will be reviewed by a distinguished panel of judges made up of professors from reputable Nigerian Universities, who will then shortlist 12 best essays for further assessment.

A second round of the competition will involve the 12 finalists who will write a second supervised essay from which three best essays will be selected.

“Three best essays will be selected as the overall winners from 12 finalists that will emerge from the first round of the competition,” said Ms Aso.

FirstBank Sustainability Centre has again taken the business of sustainability further by organising the second annual International Sustainability Conference scheduled for November 12, 2015 at the Honeywell Auditorium, Lagos Business School (LBS), Ajah, Lagos.

The conference, with the theme: “Sustainability and Value Creation in Africa” is designed to stimulate sustainability principles as key components of business development and continuity.

The conference will expound on practical insights in minimising business risks, reducing cost, increasing revenues and enhancing brand reputation for businesses. Participants’ profiles include CEOs and top executives of corporations, in-

FirstBank Sustainability Centre Partners LBS on Sustainability Conference stitutional investors, academia, directors/heads of foundations, government agencies and NGOs operating in the social space as well as business regulators and top executives responsible for CSR and Sustainability functions.

These key decision makers would be sharing insights on many prominent and enduring businesses that have embraced the practice of sustainability and how local businesses can take the lead in promoting sustainable businesses.

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

19 Business Interview

UK government has renewed interest in Nigeria – British High Commissioner ‘‘The significant change of the Presidential election has renewed the interest of the UK in terms of support and investing in Nigeria.’’

Arkwright

Paul Arkwright, the new British High Commissioner to Nigeria, had a chat with some Nigerian journalists over the weekend on UK and Nigerian relations. CHARLES OKONJI was there for the Daily Times.

As the new British commissioner; what is your mission in Nigeria?

I’m happy to be here because Nigeria and Britain have come a long way, in terms of history; culture, economic, social and some others. UK and Nigeria has a strong tie, so, my mission in Nigeria is to strengthen the ties between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

I can say that I am very fortunate to be here at the time when there is a new sense of optimism, with the election of President Buhari, and my Prime Minister has said already that my mission in Nigeria is to strengthen the relationship between the two countries. We will do that in a number of ways: working with Buhari on the economy, to make some business here, on the South-South because of the oil, on the NorthEast because of the Boko Haram, and we need to work with the programme of Mr. President to curb corruption.

Again, on the security, UK has a very special military package for Nigeria, and we had the British Chief of Defence Staff to see the President, and in Jaji to train the Nigerian military, so we are looking at diversifying the Nigerian economy into other areas such as farming, power and so on. We are looking at upgrading electricity generation and the country has a lot of solar energy

Nigeria is indeed in need of assistance, this is as a result of the crisis in the oil price which is the country’s major source of income. On the economy, we have a lot to do; we are encouraging business to business contact, we are encouraging British investors to come and invest in Nigeria and we are providing some expertise in terms of economic development, in terms of financing, experts, in terms of technology and in terms of communication and information.

We are looking at helping the country in terms of diversification, so we are going to look into agriculture. We have some British companies that are into agriculture and they are going to invest in agriculture and its processes like machineries. We need finance, we need trainers and we have expertise that will diversify into other areas of the economy.

On power, the British has a secretary in that area, who is looking into that area and he was here to talk about the off-grid electricity, the solar power. So, what can we do with the solar power? There is a lot of solar energy in Nigeria and in the North, there is no on-grid electricity distribution, fortunately, with the solar revolution, it will help provide electricity in some of these areas of the Northern states. So, there is DFID on the solar programme, there is a range of expertise, a range of

help and with a substantial programme of persistent development in Nigeria, we will achieve progress. We are ready to see what we can do, we are ready to do more in terms of the crisis and we are ready to support Mr. President to see how we can resolve the crisis.

Why did it take Britain so long to come to the aid of Nigeria on this magnitude?

Britain has long been the friend of Nigeria, but it is sometimes difficult to operate in an environment where corruption thrives, where the rule of law is violated, where the legislature is corrupt. We have rule of law in UK, we have a functional legislature that is devoid of corruption.

Another thing that has reposed a lot of confidence in the British government is the past election.

The significant change of the Presidential election has renewed the interest of the UK in terms of support and investing in Nigeria.

How do you think Nigeria can consolidate its democratic processes?

What happened during and after the election is very significant, first of all, the winner was declared, in which the incumbent President was prepared to step down. That alone sent a very strong signal about democracy in Nigeria, it is a very strong signal about democracy in Africa. We have promised Nigeria that we would help in the area of rule of law, about good governance, about how we can come together to fight corruption, strengthen national institutions and to retrain the military and the police at all times. Those are the institu-

tion that would make sure democracy thrives.

What is your opinion that British aids and support to Nigeria has political and economic undertone?

The British Government assistance to Nigeria is not with ulterior motives, the best is to help Nigeria and help itself. A strong Nigeria and an economic prospective Nigeria and a Nigeria which is doing well and seeing what the projection for the population of the country is. I would say that this relationship is very good for Nigeria, it is good for the world, and it is good for Britain. Britain is a trading nation, we have always been a trading nation, and why we engaged in international market is that we don’t have sufficient market to generate all the money we need, so our interest is trade, it is on export and it is on economic relationships. No developing country has emerged without trading with the outside world, which is how countries develop. We do not have a condition on our relationships, we do not have conditions attached to our aids, we will not say that we are giving aids on a certain condition. By giving aids, we are helping Nigeria grow, we are helping to strengthen your international institutions and Nigeria is in a better position to trade with the world.

Recently, the British Government deported over 40, 000 Nigerians, don’t you think it would affect the relationship?

We don’t deport people, that is not going to happen, it must follow due process, every country has immigration rule, and that is what the British government will follow. If you look at it you will find out that a number of Nigerians have overstayed their visa, they have stayed beyond the number of years on their visa. If i overstay my visa in Nigeria, the Nigerian government will have to question me concerning the visa.

So, it is a legal issue, it is an issue

that concerns the whole world.

When a Nigerian contravenes the rule and regulation of the British immigration, he has to be brought to book, but it must follow due legal process.

What is your take on the oil and gas in Nigeria?

Oil and gas is the major revenue earner for the government of Nigeria, and that is why I think that the policies of the government should look beyond the oil and gas, and there is need to diversify the economy. This is good because the oil price may remain low, and diversification is the only way the economy could grow. The private sector of the economy should be grown, and we are going to help add value to economic activities, and there are a lot of opportunities and challenges in Nigeria.

The PIB has been in the National Assembly for about seven years now, and I do think that this is the best time to pass the bill, and this should be done in conjunction with oil companies, because they create huge amount of employment opportunities in this country. I do think that once the PIB is passed, you will see increased interest and investment in the oil and gas sector.

In what ways are you going to help the Nigerian IT industry?

There are many areas of expertise on the technical areas, and IT is one of them, and if you look at telecoms, there is renewed interest in the telecoms sector. UK has one of the world’s strongest telecoms company, Vodafone. Last week, a deal was signed between the British Vodafone and the Nigerian Globacom, and that is another good example of expertise am talking about on the IT and expertise. The same expertise will be used in the area of IT infrastructure and some other areas. The UK government is not providing direct assistance when it comes to IT, but it is encouraging the private sector to come and invest.

Insurance 20 Stories by Isaac Agber National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and indigenous airline operators have disagreed over claim of high aircraft insurance premium.

While the indigenous airlines are crying out over the development, NAICOM is debunking the claim, contending that insurance companies in the country do not charge the highest insurance premiums on aircraft above world average.

The airliners have described the situation as a terrible snag in the air travel business, leaving them struggling always to break even, thereby insisting that the federal government must review down the exploitative premium, seen as a far cry from world’s average.

The President of Airlines Operators of Nigeria (AON), Mr. Nogie Meggison, said the high premium was not justifiable because it takes a huge chunk of revenues generated from airlines’ operations.

The Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, also exclaimed that the “insurance premium digs a hole” in the revenues of Nigerian airlines.

“The Insurance premium we pay here is very high and it is not something funny. Abroad, they pay nothing or close to little to get their fleet insured but over here the insurance takes a lot out of us. Again the foreign exchange, everything about aviation is computed in dollars. You and I know that from N160 to a dollar overnight it became N235, so what do you do? You must buy the spare parts in dollars, you must get every other thing you want to do in dollars because everything is computed in dollars. In fact some members of your crew are paid in dollars if you have some foreign crew,” Onyema said.

The airlines are gripped with fear that high premiums and cost of fuel will soon drive some airlines out of operation, calling on

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

NAICOM, indigenous airlines disagree over high aircraft insurance premium the government to question the position of insurers that Nigeria is a high risk country, an unjustifiable claim being used to exploit airlines.

Giving vent to the high risk factor, the Managing Director of Arik Air, Chris Ndulue, said assessment of Nigeria as high risk country might be responsible for the high insurance premium Nigerian airlines pay for their aircraft. According to him, Nigeria is wrongly perceived as high risk country because of the activities of insurgents who operate at only one section of the country.

“International perception of Nigeria is unfavorable but Nigeria is not as bad as it is perceived to be. If you don’t check that very well, you pay a country risk that is far higher than what you should pay, especially with the issues of Boko Haram,” Ndulue said.

Reacting to the development, spokesman of the commission, Mr. Razak Salami, told Daily Times that premiums were charged taking into consideration the age of the aircraft, mileage, number of flights, safety history of the aircraft and environmental risk factors within and around the operating hub.

Salami explained that insurance is a contractual engagement between an underwriter and a client for risk management; the government has no control over such agreement. According to him, the premiums paid by airlines should be seen as investment that yield interest in the event of an accident or disaster, adding that the airlines stand a chance to recover their damages from the premiums.

He said the government was only concerned about the passen-

gers, whose claims must be paid duly in the event of a crash.

He, however, challenged all the airlines to tender their complaints to NAICOM, which has the regulatory onus over all the indigenous insurance companies, adding that the commission has never received any complaint from any airline about high premium charges.

“I don’t agree with the notion that Nigeria place the highest premium on aircraft but if anybody says so, they should provide the facts. Ask them to mention those countries that have lesser premiums compare to Nigeria and find out why such variations exist. What I know is that premiums are charged considering the age of aircraft, mileage, safety history, environmental risks, etc., and that is a global benchmark, not just a Nigerian situation,” Salami explained.

He expatiated that what could determine high premium is the amount of risk observed in various airspaces. According to him, the insurance companies take into consideration extreme weather conditions capable of causing turbulence in the airspace, which is inimical to safe flight operations.

He also mentioned that insurers take cognizance of other safety precautions the airlines might be undermining, like quality of fuel, regular aircraft maintenance, overloading and use of inexperience pilots, engineers and crew, saying these are determinants to airworthiness of an aircraft which underwriters do not neglect when considering aircraft premiums and allotment of claims in the event of disaster.

He, however, urged the airlines to report to NAICOM when they

Meggison

notice any anomalous premium charge without justifiable reasons, adding that the commission has not received any report alleging that insurance companies were overstretching airlines with aircraft premiums.

“But in the event where the airlines notice a high premium charge in their contracts, they can make case to NAICOM; being the regulatory body. From what I know, NAICOM has no such record of reported cases of high premiums by airlines,” Salami noted.

Daily Times gathered that the premium hike has been attributed to the frequent air mishaps in which hundreds of passengers and crew members have died in recent past, prompting major aircraft leasing firms such

Insurers warned over infraction on annuity

Anohu-Amazu, DG PenCom

Director-General Lagos State Pension Board (LASPEB) Mrs. Folashade Onanuga, has warned that life insurance operators, who engage in unwholesome practices in order to sell their annuity products, should desist from such vices and stop confusing retirees with wrong information.

She noted that her office had been approached by some retirees who claimed that some insurers have promised them things not stipulated in the laws, urging all operators in

the pension business to play the game according to stipulated laws.

Meanwhile, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) has confirmed that Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) have continued to lead in retirement benefits business with 106,421 retirees settling for Programmed Withdrawal and 15,976 opting for Annuity which is managed by insurers.

PenCom declared earlier that the total number of retirees on programmed withdrawal in-

creased by 3,340 from 103,081 as at the end of the fourth quarter of 2014 to close at 106,421 as at the end of the first quarter, 2015, an increase of 3.24 per cent.

The commission added that it received a total of 1,914 applications for retirement under the life annuity plan in the quarter and all the requests were approved, which brought the total number of retirees on annuity to 15,976 retirees.

It noted that a total premium of N79.18 billion was approved for payment to insurance com-

as GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), Cab Tree and Aercap to raise lease on aircraft to Nigerian airlines by seven per cent, which is against the international rate of one per cent.

In attempt to leapfrog the doldrums, many airline operators prefer aircraft registered offshores. They have expressed disappointment that NAICOM does not represent Nigerian carriers adequately in time of crises, comparing the airlines to insure their aircraft through Nigerian insurance companies. But the airlines now insist that they would prefer to insure directly with the international insurers if government fails to prevail over the underwriters.

panies on behalf of the 15,976 retirees in return for monthly payments amounting to N790.10 million. And the sectorial breakdown of the total number of retirees shows that while the public sector accounted for 1,322 retirees (38.43 per cent) the private sector accounted for 2,118 retirees (61.57 per cent) in the first quarter of 2015.

The commission said the monthly lump-sum withdrawals on programmed withdrawal in the first quarter of 2015 was N2.55 billion, which cumulatively amounted to N257.43 billion from inception to the end of the period under review.

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

21 Public Notice

MOGUL BROTHERS CLUB

SHAPING LAGOS SOCIAL CLUB

COLOURS OF GRACE FOUNDATION

This is to notify the General public that the above named CLUB has applied to Corporate Affairs Commission, for registration under Part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, Cap. 59, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The Trustees Are: (1) Agazie Chima - (Chairman) (2) Isiaku Victor Amaechi - (Secretary) (3) Uka Okoro Chidi (4) Nwanevu Ikechukwu Philip

This is to notify the General public that the above named Club has applied to Corporate Affairs Commission, for registration under Part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, Cap. 59, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The Trustees Are:(1) Messan Lanre David (2) Sikoki Ayebaebitari Augusta (3) Ojogwu Anwuli (4) Aboyeji Iyinoluwa Samuel (5) Asim-Ita Emilia Effioawan The Aims And Objectives Are:(1) To foster love and unity among members (2) To assist the poor and less privileged in society (3)To cater for the interest and welfare of members

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

The Trustees Are: ( 1) Erioluwa Akinlaja (2) Chinedu Okomah (3) Olakunle Soriyan (4) Yetunde Okulaja

The Aims and Objectives are:(1) To promote unity ,togetherness, interaction, love among members (2) To render assistance to one another in times of need (3) To do all other things considered to be beneficial to members Any objection to this application should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, 420, Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication Signed: Secretary

JOYFUL DIVINE FRIENDS CLUB This is to inform the General Public that the above Named Club has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for Registration under part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

The Trustees Are: 1) Ndubuisi Charles Nweke- President 2) Ihuonye Samuel Okechukwu- Vice President 3) Igwe Theophilus Anayochukwu- General Secretary 4) Okwuadi Innocent Chidiebere- Financial Secretary 5) Umeh Gabriel Chimezie- Treasurer 6) Uzoka Nnamdi- Provost Aims And Objectives: 1) To Promote Peace And Unity Among Members.

2) To Foster Friendship And Brotherhood Amongst Members.

3) To Give Moral, Financial And Legal Support To Members When The Needs Arise.

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 twenty-eight (28) days of this publication.

Signed: General Secretary

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

LOSS OF DOCUMENTS

Notice to the Lagos State Lands Registry and the public that the documents registered in favour of Joseph AinaBanire as 28/102/53 and MO9706 in respect of the property situate at 31 Simpson Street Ebute-Metta Lagos are lost and all efforts to locate them have been futile.

OlufunmilayoAjayi (Nee Banire) Beneficiary/Head of Family Otunba Abiodun.abbey.olufowobi Legal Practitioner Pabiekun Suite Western House – 14Th Floor, 8/10 Broad Street, Lagos Nigeria Tel: 234-1-7768288 Mobile: 7768288, 080-6093-4000 E-mail: pabiekun@yahoo.com

The Aim & Objective Is: Assisting and promoting the welfare of the less privileged in the society.

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 from the date of this Publication.

Signed: PRESIDENT

IBEJU-LEKKI DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION This is to inform the General Public that the above Named Club has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for Registration under part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

The Trustees Are 1. Dr. Ademuyiwa Oniwonlu ~ President 2. Mr. Akeem Isiaka. ~ Secretary 3. Mr. Oluniyi Afolabi ~ Treasurer 4. Mrs. Adegoke Oniwonlu ~ Welfare 5. Mr. Adewale Adeleye ~ P.r.o Aims and Objectives: 1. To Foster Peaceful Co-Existence Of Members, Their Welfare And Development 2. To Pursue The Physical And Structural Development And Improvement Of The Community.

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the registrar general corporate affairs commission plot 420 tigris crescent of aguiyi ironsi street maitama Abuja within 28 days from the date of this publication.

Signed: Trustees

EXEMPLAR INTERNATIONAL GOSPEL CHURCH

SURE FOUNDATION FOR CONSUMER SAFETY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

NETWORK 89 BUSINESS CLUB

The general public is hereby notified that the above Church has Applied to the Corporation Affairs Commission Abuja for Registration Under Part “c” of the Companies and Allied Matters Acts, 1990 The Trustees Are: 1. Apostle Johnmark Ndubuisi (Snr. Pst.) 2. Evangelist Lorrita Ozoanidiobi 3. Mr. Emmanuel Ndubuisi 4. Evangelist Chibuzo Victor Ejiofor The Aims And Objectives: 1. To spread the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ round the nations of the world through radical Evangelism outreaches using various media and right human means.

2. To encourage and propagate holiness, righteousness, obedience, humility, and submission to the will of God among believes all over the world.

3. To bring back God’s children who are lost in the world to the knowledge of Christ our saviour through the preaching, teaching and core practice of sound doctrines of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ towards alleviating poverty and religious menace among believers worldwide.

4. To train and encourage believers on hearing and acting on God’s word in every aspect of their living through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The General Public is hereby notified that the above named has Applied to The Corporate Affairs Commission, for Registration under part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

The Trustees Are: 1.Tamunokuro Luke Chairman 2. Miebaka Moses Secretary

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigeis Crescent ,Off Aguiyi Ironsi Street Maitama , Abuja within 28 days of this publication Signed: Apostel Johnmark Ndubuisi (Snr. Pst.)

Aims and Objectives 1. To Create Awarenss For All Stakeholders In Appreciation Of Standardization Activities In Nigeria.

2.To Conduct Market Research On The Sub-Standard Products In Nigeria Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Garki, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Secretary

The General Public is hereby notified that the above named Club has Applied to The Corporate Affairs Commission, for Registration under part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

The Trustees Are: 1. Olutoye Olutayo 2. Obidiya Abolade Olaniyi 3. Adebola Olayemi Sanyaolu 4. Adeyemi Temidayo 5. Osebor Joel Oseahume Aims and Objectives 1. To Build A Complete Man, Making Him A Model In The Society 2. To Serve As A Social Support Group For Bonding Members.

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

Signed: Secretary

CHRIST THE ONLY HOPE CHAPEL

PETER IYIOLA OYEWOLE LEGAL AID FOUNDATION

AWE BUILDERS ROYAL CLUB

The General Public is hereby notified that the above named has Applied to The Corporate Affairs Commission, for Registration under Part C of The Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

Trustees

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

The Trustees Are: 1. Peters Iyiola Oyewole 2. Roseline Wemimo Oyewole

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

The Trustees Are: 1. Mrs. Theresa Funmilayo Odusanya 2. Mrs. Victoria Ayanboyin Atoyebi 3.Chief (Mrs.) Peju Fajobi The Aims And Objectives 1. To meet monthly in members homes in rotation as desired in sisterly love and fellowship for the progress of our town, Awe, in Afijio Local Government of Oyo State.

2. To show interest in the welfare our Oba, the Alaawe of Awe and to contribute to his comfortable existence and peaceful reign 3. To foster love in sisterly fellowship and to express it in mutual encouragement and respect for one another 4. To consult and cooperate with other Associations of the town especially the “Egbe Omo ibile Awe”

The Trustees Are: 1. Prophet Jeremiah Sunday Adeoye – Fonder /Chairman 2. Lady Evang. Mrs Itunuoluwa Abosede Adeoye – V/Chairman 3. Evang. Samson Oluwatobi Adeoye - Secretary 4. Pastor Zacheus Sunday Oluokun 5. Pastor Abiodun Adedokun Aims and Objectives 1. To Preach The Gospel Of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Signed: Secretary

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

Trustees 1. Matthew Onwumah. - (President).

2. Candace Althea Carter Raji. - (Vice-President).

3. Ajirioghene Aruga. (Esq).- (Secretary).

4 . Enadeghe Orobosa Enadeghe ( Member) 5. Momodu Kingsley Oshomane (Member).

Aim and objectives 1. To offer health assistance to the less-priviledged 2. To improve the overall health of African people through educationof basic health practices Any objection to the Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar general, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off AguyiIronsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed. Barr. AJIRIOGHENE ARUGA

Aim and objective 1. To offer free legal services to the indigent.

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: Signed Barr Victor Modupe

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

The Trustees are: 1. Chief George Olanrewaju Akinremi 2. Alhaji Rasheed Adegbite 3. Prof Mrs Titi Elegbede Filani 4. Mr Ogooluwa Morakino Akinleye 5. Senator Veronica Iyabode Anike Anisulowo Aim and objectives 1. To create platform for people of like minds to develop 2. Encourage & Promotion of best practice in line with the norms $values of our. Society via leader development Any objection to the Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar general, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off AguyiIronsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed. Barr VINCENT Testimony chambers

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

Signed: OCHANG-AREWA CHARITY; 08032012383

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

The Trustees are: 1. Oluwayemisi Adesola Sosanya 2. Adekeye olajide john Aim and objectives 1. To empower women in and out of prison 2. To provide legal aid and support services to women in prison Any objection to the Registration should be forwarded to the Registrar general, Corporate Affairs Commission, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off AguyiIronsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

Signed: Barr Yetunde Ojuolape

News 22

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

Dickson begs Sylva’s kinsmen for support Akam James Yenagoa

ÏÏÏAs

the Dickson/Jonah campaign train hits the creeks of Bayelsa State, Governor Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the hometown of his main challenger and former Governor Timipre Sylva in Okpoama community in Brass Local Government Area , urged the people of the communities to vote for him duringf the coming poll.

Dickson, while speaking during the community-based campaign tour before the Traaditionl rulers and people of Okpoama kingdom, assured Sylva’s kinsmen of his administration’s resolve to award the multi billion Naira Nembe/Brass Road during the first quarter of 2016, if

re-elected for a second term in office.

According to the governor, more presence of the state government would be felt if elected for the second time.

Governor Dickson, who was received by the Okpoama Council of Chiefs before moving to address people at the Okpo square, commended the people of the area for their support and the large turnout, adding that this is a testimony to the fact that the people of Brass local government area are in support of the PDP led administration.

On the project, Dickson said that it would be given due attention as it would enable the administration achieve its policy in the state to the Atlantic Ocean to enhance socio-economic development.

Dickson

According to him, clearing and sand filling would be done in earnest as soon as the project is awarded to a competent contractor.

Commenting on the State Maritime Academy sited in Okpoma by the present administration, Dickson expressed concern that the in-

stitution had yet to function as expected due to financial constraints.

He explained that his administration went into partnership with the Polish government, noting that the application for the project was not successful.

During the tour, governor Dickson visited Liama, Egweama, Odioma/Diema, Okpoama, Ewoama and Twon Brass and lauded the people for the warm reception accorded his campaign team and their sense of maturity as well as enlightenment on political issue.

While urging the Brass people to vote for the PDP, Governor Dickson stressed the need for peaceful election, stating that he has no personal problems with the candidate of the main opposition party in the State.

Senator rolls out free eye treatment for 7, 000

ÏÏÏSenator

representing Katsina North in the National Assembly, Mustapha Bukar on Sunday in Daura rolled out his free eye treatment for no fewer than 7,000 people in his constituency.

Speaking at the inauguration of the free eye programme, Bukar noted that the beneficiaries were selected from the 12 local government areas of the senatorial district.

He said the free eye treatment and surgery was instituted as part of welfare programmes for the people. ``Many of the beneficiaries could not afford such medical

treatments or operations due to financial constraints. ``We engage 20 qualified doctors for the exercise and it is expected to be completed within one month.’’

He restated his commitment to introduce more programmes that would improve the living standards of the people.

Earlier, the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Faruk Umar Faruk, urged the people to take advantage of the free eye treatment.

He lauded Sen. Bukar for his commitment to the welfare of the people and called on other political office holders to emulate the gesture

C&S holds conference in Lagos Oyetubo Olabimpe

ÏÏÏBeginning

from Wednesday, this week, members of the Cherubim & Seraphim churches in Lagos State and the general public would converge for the 2nd Annual General Conference of the state chapter of the

C&S Unification Church of Nigeria.

The event, which holds at the Praying band of the C&S Church, Mushin, Lagos is expected to be a forum to review the activities of members of the Church in the state and to review and evaluate their collaboration with

ADVOCACY FOR THE ERADICATION OF CORRUPTION AND ADVANCEMENT OF GOOD LEGACY IN NIGERIA This is to inform the General Public that the above named body has applied for Registration to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja, under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No 1of 1990.

The Trustees Are: 1. Alhaji Usman Bida 4. Hon. Hajia Habiba Lamido Mohammed 2. Hajia Fatima Mohammed 5.Hon. Chibunna Nwasosike 3. Alhaji Abdul-Rahaman Baffa 6.Larai Kolo 7. Okoye Kelvin Aims And Objectives 1. To Advocate for a corruption free in Nigeria 2. To promote good leadership in Nigeria Any objection to this registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, P.M.B 198, Plot 420, Tigris Crescent, Off Aguyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication Signed: Secretary.

governments in the state.

In a statement issued by the planning committee of the event, the conference will be declared open by Supreme Head of the C&S Unification Church of Nigeria, His Most Eminence Solomon Alao, while Chairman of

the state chapter, Supt.

Apostle Joseph Adagba would be the chief host.

The release also said that many government functionaries in the state would be part of the event, where some outstanding personalities would be honoured.

Bukar

ASSOCIATION OF METHODIST BRIGADES

JOHNWAYNE STEVEN AKWU

AZORO UZOMA FLORA

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. His Eminence. Dr. Samuel Chukwuemeka Kanu Uche 2. Rt. Rev. Job Osuolale Gboyega Ohu. - National President 3. Very. Rev. Isaac Olumuyiwa Awe. - Secretary- General Aim and objectives 1. To strength the boy’s brigade and the girl’s brigade for improved and efficient performances 2. To play more active role at battalon district state zonal and national levels of the brigades 3 To educate its members on the doctrine of methodist church of nigeria thus inculcating in them a sense of belonging commitment and disciple ship

I formerly known and addressed as Paul Julius, Now wished to be Known and addressed as Johnwayne Steven Akwu. All formal document remain valid.

The general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss. Eji Uzoma Flora, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Azoro Uzoma Flora, all former documents remain valid.

The general public take note.

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: Very. Rev. Isaac Olumuyiwa Awe. - Secretary General

KENECHUKWU OKWUDILI

OKECHUKWU BEATRICE

MODESTA ONWUNEGBUIKE

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss. Akasibe Okwudili, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Kenechukwu Okwudili Goodness, all former documents remain valid. P.P.S.M.B and the general public take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss. Okeke Beatrice Nkechi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Okechukwu Nkechi Beatrice, all former documents remain valid. The general public take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss. Obianuju Modesta Offia, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Obianuju Modesta Onwunegbuike, all former documents remain valid. UBA/Access and Diamond Bank and the general public take note.

LINDA OGECHUKWU OZIOKO I, formerly known and addressed as Miss. Linda Ogechukwu Ezeme, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Linda Ogechukwu Ozioko, all former documents remain valid. The general public take note.

OLASUMBO ABIOLA ABIODUN

UWAKWE OGECHUKWU

Formerly , Miss Olasumbo Abiola Aje , now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Olasumbo Abiola Abiodun. All formal documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss. Eze Callista Ogechukwu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Uwakwe Callista Ogechukwu, all former documents remain valid. UBA and the general public take note.

DAKOLO CHINELO I, formerly known and addressed as Miss. Odo Perpetua Chinelo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Dakolo Perpetua Chinelo, all former documents remain valid.

Banks and the general public take note.

S FOR

ALE

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

Ekiti debt profile ploy by Fayose to enrich self, says APC Gbenga Sodeinde

Ado Ekiti ÏÏÏThe All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has told Governor Ayo IFayose to stop deceiving Ekit people over unrestrained reeling out of inconsistent debt figures that had become a permanent feature in his public speeches. Inconsistent debt figures and deliberate bogus and unrealistic projects by Fayose is a ploy to self-enrichment, the party.

It said the people were not fooled by the recalcitrant posturing in government, warning Fayose to stop treating Ekiti people as children with scant capacity for reasoning.

Reacting to the recent declaration by Fayose that the state’s debts had risen to N252b, the APC’s Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, said, in a statement, that the Fayose had turned himself to a “master juggler in a dis-

honest public show where two plus two may not be four”.

Regretting that Fayose had turned the state to a public square for spinning of incredible fables, Olatunbosun said: “It is laughable that Governor Fayose has turned himself to a jester on street shows with toddlers as his audience who chuckle at gestures but cannot get the content of the drama. On assumption of office, Fayose told the world that former Governor Kayode Fayemi left N86 billion. Later, he sat up to reduce it to N56 billion and now, he has announced another figure of N252 billion that will be redeemed in 2036, all in an attempt to hide behind debt profile to deny people real development, while living in private comfort as planned.

“He has come out again with the debts that will be redeemed in 2036 we wonder whether he will

still remain the governor till 2036 and as such he is handicapped by debt burden to fulfil his obligations to Ekiti people,” he noted.

Olatunbosun said Fayose’s motive for his current lie was to deny the past political office holders payment of severance allowances even though payment of severance allowances were captured in the bailout cash so that he could help himself with the cash thinking the unsuspecting Ekiti people would not know.

The APC spokesman regretted that the governor had abandoned governance for theatrics, all intended to punish Ekiti people in pursuit of his selfish motives.

Said Olatunbosun: “The Governor has refused to engage Ekiti youths in rewarding ventures like commercial agriculture instead; he has embarked on bogus projects like the construction of an airport in an agrarian state so

that he can enrich himself and his immediate family. It is regrettable that the Fayose administration has turned Ekiti State to a trading post using massive and reckless propaganda and mindless lies to deceive the people on the financial status of the state, in order to put people in permanent state of flux so that they won’t be able to demand for their rights and fulfillment of campaign promises.

“We want to make it abundantly clear to Ekiti people that Fayemi left a debt of N18.5b as he explained to the whole world on the floor of the Nigeria Senate chambers during his ministerial screening session and this has not been controverted. The same Fayemi met N30b debt on assumption of office in 2010, but he believed government was a continuum and that didn’t handicap him from fulfilling his campaign promises to the people.

el-Rufai is fair to everyone – Southern Kaduna group Sunday Isuwa

ÏÏÏThe

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel (left) presenting Excellence Award for Leadership on behalf of Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio to the Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Obot Akpabio during the 19th Obong Sampson Udo Etuk Award ceremony held in Akwa- Ibom … on Sunday

Environmental pollution hits Ebonyi community

Jacob Ogodo

Abakaliki ÏÏÏIshiagu community, in Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has been hit by environmental pollution following the activities of a mining firm, Crush Rock Nigeria Limited.

The people of of Okue community, in Ishiagu, have cried out that the activities of the mining firm had affected both human and animal lives, as well as agricultural activities in the community.

The President General of Okue community, Mr. Emmanuel Chukwu, to journalists who were on assessment tour of the area.

Chukwu lamented that many buildings had been destroyed as a result of stone blasting in the area.

“Agricultural activities have been hampered by the mining

activities. Water being removed from the mining pits is very acidic such that it destroys any crop or aquatic animals within the area”, he added.

He noted that the compensation paid for the environmental degradation and damages caused by the firm was visibly marginal compared to the community had expected.

The community also accused the firm of initiating divide-andrule strategy in giving out compensation rights meant for the community.

They added that the approach by the company gave rise to youth restiveness that had claimed many lives in the area.

“They (company) are good in divide-and-rule plan; setting a particular group from the same com-

munity against the other, so that they would be working without respecting the agreement.

Chukwu said that Crush Rock Limited was notorious for meddling in the internal affairs of his community, especially in the election of leaders, for which some individuals had sought legal redress.

He said, further, that the company, which had spent 30 years mining mineral deposits in Okue soil, had renegued on paying compensation rightly due to the community and provision of some basic infrastructure to the people of the community as agreed.

He cited water supply previously provided as one of those basic benefits provided by the company to the people in the community, which was no longer visible at present.

Southern Kaduna Development Forum, has defended the State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, who, it said, was not giving an undue advantage to a segment as he had been fair to everyone.

The group, which is an organisation made up of technocrats and politicians of Southern Kaduna extraction, said so during a meeting at the weekend in Kafanchan, that they aligned themselves with the wind of change, not because of political appointments, but because the present administration had keyed into their quest for development in the state.

Some members of the group –including Dr. Ayuba Kura of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and its leader, Dr. Rikichi Kajang, told newsmen that the attacks on the present government by some vocal, but microscopic few individuals was because of personal benefits.

“El-Rrufai’s government is fair to everyone. The noise we hear today is about personal appointments,” Kajang said.

el-Rufai

23 News Ex-NBA scribe cautions Buhari on appointment 'Tosin Ajuwon

Akure ÏÏÏThe erstwhile Vice-Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), in Okitipupa zone of Ondo State, Barrister Segun Lema, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to be wary of the antics of the opposition parties, while constituting new federal boards and parastatals Lema said the president should appoint committed members of his party who worked assiduously for the victory of the president during the election.

Speaking to journalists in Akure at the weekend, the former NBA scribe said that Buhari should be conscious of the pranks of his political adversaries and appoint only trusted members of the party into his government.

He noted the interest of old members should be paramount to the president and committee setup to oversee the composition of the new boards.

Lema lauded Buhari and leadership of APC for the appointment of former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi and Prof. Omoyele Daramola as federal ministers whom, he said, worked assiduously for the success of the party during the last election

Controversy trails demolition of church in Ogun Abiodun Taiwo

Abeokuta ÏÏÏThe demolition of a multi-million naira branch of the Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG), located within Obasanjo Hilltop along the Presidential Boulevard, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, has continue to generate controversy as the government had revealed that the building contravened the building plan of the estate.

The church is being headed by a former law-maker in Ogun State, Hon Remmy Hazzan, and its construction had been on since 2013 and was at the roofing level when the government rolled out caterpillars, on Friday, to pull down the magnificent structure.

As at the time the building was being pulled down, workers at the site and church members on ground burst into tears, because they could not believe their eyes and shouting “Jesus, Jesus, this is your house, Lord where is your face”.

It was learnt that, Governor Ibikunle Amosun insisted that the building must be pull down, arguing that the structure had defeated the estate design plan which was purely meant for residential.

News 24

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9 2015

APC fumes over Mimiko's tax policy in Ondo 'Tosin Ajuwon

Akure ÏÏÏChairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Mr. Isaac Kekemke, has lamented the heavy tax burden placed on the people of the state by the government of Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

Kekemeke, in a statement issued by the party's Director of Publicity, Steve Otaloro, said Governor Mimiko

should also account for the over one trillion naira collected in revenue from the federation account over the past six years including the N14.7billion bailout fund.

The statement noted that the continuous exploitation of the poor masses in the guise of taxes and indiscriminate charges without providing enabling environment for industries to strive amount to taxing poverty.

"As a political party, we

believe that citizens have the civic duty to pay taxes and rates in demonstration of their citizenship and in assisting the government in the discharge of its functions and duties to the people.

"However, for government to effectively collect taxes from the citizens, it has the constitutional and moral duty to create wealth, create employment, provide infrastructure, build and provide

the enabling environment for industries and support private initiatives.

"As it is evident in Ondo State today, such actions have not been creditably discharged; rather what government does is tantamount to taxing poverty.

"If the state government sees you do something worthwhile that could lead to employment generation for others, they promptly kill such initiatives with

a barrage of questionable taxes and levies thereby misusing the legitimate role of tax in development. This is not the right way to generate revenue for the state" he said. The APC Chairman cited the example of the newly introduced car emission charges in the state, noting that there is no justification for such additional burdens upon the people.

"Today nearly every business and most homes in the

N1.7m fraud: EFCC secures conviction of fraudster Sunday Nwakanma

Umuahia ÏÏÏThe Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), last week secured the conviction of one Anyalewechi Wilson Nwachukwu before Justice F. A. Olubanjo of the Federal High Court, sitting in Umuahia, Abia State.

Anyalewechi had been arraigned on May 5, 2014 on 10-count charge bordering on forgery and obtaining money by false pretences to the tune of N1.7 million.

The convict had initially pleaded not guilty to the

Nkiru Nwagbo

Awka ÏÏÏTraditional rulers and Prelates in Anambra State, have been urged to shun politics and sycophancy as their position demands unbiased mind and neutrality.

A renowned moral crusader, and Director, Center for Moral Mentorship South Eastern Nigeria, Aisha Edward, who is also the President of the Association of People Living with Sickle Cell Anemia, was reacting to the indicting report widely circulated on social media, where the image of past governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi was tarnished by some traditional rulers and Prelates who earlier praised him as best governor in the East.

Edward, who spoke with Daily Times described as “uncalled for" the comments attributed to monarchs and prelates based in the state recently, and appealed to the indicted revered leaders to

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose (right) returning Oretuyi David to his mother, Bosede after paying David's hospital bills at one of the private hospitals in Ado Ekiti… at the weekend

charges when they were read out to him.

However, the prosecution counsel, Mainforce Adaka Ekwu urged the court to commence trial when the convict later pleaded guilty to all the charges preferred against him.

Delivering his judgment, Hon. Justice Olubanjo found the accused person guilty on the 10 -count charge and sentenced him to three years imprisonment on each count without an option of fine.

The sentence is to run concurrently from the date of arrest.

Anambra clergy, monarchs urged to shun politics unanimously brainstorm towards forestalling lasting peace and unity between Governor Willie Obiano and his predecessor, Chief Peter Obi. In her words: “I am not happy over an article I read online. I was worried and concerned because the comments attributed to some Igwes and prelates traumatised and pummeled me. Could this be said to be a sign of end time or politics in the Christendom?

"I want to let them know that speaking evil of Peter Obi in order to gain favour of any kind from Governor Obiano is capable of sparkling war.

Obiano

state rely upon diesel burning generators with their attendant health hazards. If the state government has invested in independent power projects during the period Ondo State experienced massive financial boom under Dr. Mimiko, the story might be different today.

“So, if any government is sincere about tackling emissions, the best way to start is to lift the heavier logs first.”Otaloro said.

Virgin Atlantic explains sack of Nigerian crew Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

ÏÏÏThe

Marketing and Communications Manager of Virgin Atlantic Airways (VAA), Mrs. Kudirat ScottIgbene, has explained that it is no longer sustainable for the airline to continue to operate Nigerian crew at this time, saying that their services are no longer needed.

In an emailed message, she said the feedback that the airline got on the services of Nigerian crew was that, ‘this is no longer a

requirement on the Lagos route’.

“We have decided that we will no longer have crew based in Lagos. This is by no means a reflection on our Lagos based cabin crew, the primary purpose of our locally based cabin crew has been to provide cultural expertise, and customer feedback has shown us that this is no longer a requirement on the Lagos route.

“The additional complexity required to operate an international crew base where

there are no foreign language requirement means it is no longer sustainable going forward”, she said.

Scott-Igbene, who insisted that the airline was not winding up operations in Nigeria as it has earlier done about a year ago, while closing down its Nigerian call centre, added: ‘This announcement has no impact on our flying programme and we plan to continue flights between Lagos and London.

“After 14 years flying the route we remain committed

to servicing the Nigerian people, whether it be for business, family or education”, she added.

She was reacting to the reports that VAA sacked all its Nigerian crew having allegedly given only three weeks’ notice and without any severance package to the affected staff.

This according to reports, is regardless of their length of service with the airline.

The reports claimed that at least 20 Nigerian air-hostesses were affected.

MTN Foundation to impact 200 communities Ogunyemi Esther

ÏÏÏFollowing

thousands of entries received under its ‘What Can We Do Together’ initiative, MTN Foundation (MTNF) has commenced verification visits to 384 shortlisted communities across the country. The verification visits are targeted towards finally selecting 200 successful communities to be impacted

through the programme.

Launched as part of efforts to reach out to more Nigerians, the ‘What Can We Do Together’ campaign which commenced in September, ended three weeks on October 9, 2015 after a huge number of communities were nominated by Nigerians for MTNF-project siting.

A total of 36,881 nominations were received out of

which 384 communities spread across the six geopolitical zones were selected for verification exercise.

According to the Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Nonny Ugboma, a lot of rigour went into shortlisting the potential community project beneficiaries.

“Part of the campaign promise of the ‘What Can We Do Together’ initiative

is to ensure high-level transparency and communal involvement by carrying the public along through the nomination and selection process, which is what we are doing at the moment. To ensure credibility and fairness in the process, all the 384 project nominators have been contacted to confirm the actual project locations of the nominated communities” Ugboma added.

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

25

Metro Æ

Bodies of the deceased being brought out into a van

Mopol loses four children as mudslide swallows up building at Ojodu Children are acclaimed to be God’s inheritance and a source of joy to every family. But when nature and other forces come together to rob a family of not one….two….three, but four children in one swoop, the grief is palpable and the pain excruciating. BABAJIDE OKEOWO reports.

For Godwin Odiah, a 50-yearold native of Ewatu in the Esan South Local Government Area of Edo State, the proverbial showers of blessing has turned into a source of sorrow for him as he has lost his four children to a mudslide occasioned by a heavy downpour in the early hours of Saturday 7th October, 2015.

The four children, 23-year-old

My four children just died like that.

God, what is my offence? What did I do wrong? Four children in one day? I am supposed to die in their place. I must have sinned. I don’t even know what I am still doing alive — Odiah Rescue workers digging through the rubbles of the mudslide

Sylva, 15-year-old Shayo, 11-yearold Clinton and 8-year-old Endurance Odiah were sleeping peacefully in their three bed-roomed flat on Otun place, Araromi Street, Isheri-Magodo residence when the earth gave way and buried them alive.

Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Lagos State Building

Control Agency, LASBCA, Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, and the police later joined residents in the rescue operation.

The mudslide buried the house at about 6am, and it wasn’t till about 8.30 before the first casualty, eight-year-old Endurance, who was still dressed in his boxer was

brought out from underneath the rubbles; his brother Sylva was the last person to be fished out.

A father’s agony Speaking incoherently and demanding to see his beloved children, it is obvious that Odiah is in a state of shock and disbelieve.

“Where are you, come out, open their eyes and let them come with me,” he kept muttering as he was

surrounded by sympathisers.

Odiah, a Mobile Police Force officer (MOPOL), told reporters that he woke up around 4am to take his bath and had stepped into the parlour when the mudslide hit the children’s room.

“Due to the nature of my job, I wake up by 4 am every day to prepare for work. That is the time I CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Metro 26

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

GROWING MOUNTAIN OF REFUSE:

Community cries to Ogun stage govt, Presidency for intervention

The disturbing heap

INSET: Adegboyega

A message has gone out from the community leaders and residents of Agbado Railway Line in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State have sent an SOS message to the Ogun State government over the increasing mountain of refuse with its attendant health implications. OGUNTADE ISMAILA reports from Ifo. The Locomotive train derailed by filth recently

Residents of Agbado Railway Line in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State have been grappling with a mountain of refuse that has threatened the health of the people and would take over the area from them if not arrested.

To compound an already bad situation, this heap of refuse has turned into emergency latrine for hoodlums who now defecate and urinate openly.

In order to find a lasting solu-

tion to this problem, community heads, politicians, market leaders and youths of the various communities in the area convened at the Community Town Hall recently to find a solution to the menace before the ugly situation result into an epidemic.

And at the end of a full day deliberations, an SOS was sent to Ogun state government as well as to the Presidency to come to their aid.

While addressing the town hall meeting in his opening speech, In his opening address to his people, Chairman of the Community Development Association (CDA), Ago-Alagbede in Agbado Ifo LGA of Ogun State, Chief Akinloye Adegboyega lamented that the hope of his people have been raised and dashed many times. He said that in well over ten years, community leaders have been crying to government at the local and

state levels including the Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) over the heap of refuse in Agbado Railway Station which may cause disaster for residents in the community.

Adegboyega laid the blame of the ever increasing heap of refuse on the doorsteps of NRC and the sanitary officer working for Ifo Local Government who, he alleged, have turned the dumping ground into a money making venture by extorting money from the people.

In order to deal with the menace of the heap of refuse, the Chairman said he sent an appeal to the Federal Ministry of Transport and the management of NRC to stand up to their responsibilities and visit the heap of rubbish before the area becomes a disaster zone.

According to him, all efforts to get the local government, the state government and the NRC to live up to their duties proved unsuccessful.

Lending his voice to the issue, an indigene and a community leader of Agbado Railway Station, Chief A. O. Amodu in a chat with Daily Times said that the area has become uncomfortable for pedestrians as the heap of refuse which is situated by the railway station just after the market and other residential area has constituted huge problems in the community.

According to Amodu, the community has been experiencing incessant flooding as a result of the filth which can lead to outbreak of diarrhea, infections and many other diseases on the residents.

Going down memory lane, Amodu said the heap of refuse

Loye

was responsible for the derailment of a passenger train some six weeks ago. He pointed also that the heap has turned into a hide-out for hoodlums to carry out their nefarious activities.

Chief Olufemi Loye, a concerned indigene of Agbado also said the heap in Agbado which is very close to residential areas is very embarrassing and it appears nobody is trying to do anything about it despite all entreaties. He told our correspondent that all entreaties sent to the office of the Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun in that respect has not yielded the desired result despite the delegation sent by the Governor to look into the matter.

Also, the eight-man committee set up by the NRC, owner of the land where the heap of refuse is situated is yet to bear fruits.

Loye however asked all to heed the warning of the Federal Government on dirty habitats that can cause Ebola and other epidemic diseases.

He therefore urged all stakeholders not to be like the ostrich that buries its head in the sand.

“We should not fold our hands and wait till people who do not understand the implications of their dirty habits to put us all into terrible epidemic and avoidable disaster,” Loye concluded.

I don’t even know what I am still doing alive —Father CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

also wake them up. But since it was a Saturday, I did not bother to do that. I still saw them sleeping as I prepared myself forwork.

“I was in the parlour when I heard a loud noise. My four children just died like that. God, what is my offence? What did I do wrong? Four children in one day? I am supposed to die in their place. I must have sinned. I don’t even know what I am still doing alive.”

My children not dead- Mother Yet to come to terms with the ugly reality, mother of the deceased children, Felicia repeatedly said that her children are not dead but merely sleeping ... and will wake up soon.

Felicia, who escaped with a deep gash on her leg, explained how she ran out of the room when the incident happened.

“Immediately the rain subsided, there was a mudslide from the hill which hit our house. The section that was worse hit was the children’s room.

“I don’t know how I escaped from the collapsed building. All I knew was that after I escaped, I called my children but none of them answered me. I know that soon, they will answer me because they are still sleeping.

“Shayo, (one of the victims) was working out his admission into the university this year. My son is still sleeping,” she said half aloud.

Topography of the area, a di-

saster in waiting - LASEMA While commiserating with the Odiah’s family over their loss, Micheal Akindele, GM Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, urged those living within the area where the mudslide occurred to take precautions.

“It is so sad that four children of the same family were killed in one single swoop, I pray that God grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss.

“If you look at the topography of this area, you will find out that it is inhabitable and government have been sensitising the people that the rain is not over and that those living at the flood prone areas should take extra precautions,” Akindele said.

Odiah being consoled by sympathisers as bags containing the remains of his children lay on the ground

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

27

Features Æ THIRD INDIA-AFRICA SUMMIT:

Leaders roll out strategies for security, economic recovery New Delhi, India’s Capital City, recently played host to the Third Summit of IndiaAfrica Forum (IAF) with 45 African leaders in attendance.

Professionals, entrepreneurs and industrialists from Africa and the host country also converged for the epoch summit.

Below is a review of Indo-African relationship in the past decade.

Stakeholders and analysts described as convention as the largest single transnational event hosted by the Indian government since the 1983 Non-Aligned Summit. The four-day event which was held between October 26th and 30th was convened to work out a virile framework for partnership and cooperation in order to address common challenges in key areas like health, education, interconnectivity, power and employment generation among other pressing issues.

It is noteworthy that India and Africa, on global diplomacy, have also been agitating for permanent seats in the United Nations (UN) Security Council by means of a radical reform of the UN system.

Available records also show that the trade volume between India and Africa is in excess of 70 billion dollars annually.

Welcoming the African leaders to the forum, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the IndoAfrican platform must have a UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism as well as a stronger voice in decisions on UN peacekeeping missions.

Referring to India and Africa as ‘the two bright spots of hope and opportunities in the global economy’, Modi underscored the need for India and Africa to speak with one voice on UN reforms.

He announced that the Indian government would provide 10 billion dollars concessional credit to Africa within the next five years.

This, he said, was in addition to a 600-million-dollar grant given to Africa, adding that the gesture was distinct from on-going credit programmes on the continent.

Modi explained that the grant

In addition to a 600-million-dollar grant given to Africa, Indian government would provide 10 billion dollars concessional credit to Africa within the next five years. This would include India-Africa Development Fund of 100 million dollars and an India-Africa Health Fund of 10 million dollars — Indian Prime Minister

would include “an India-Africa Development Fund of 100 million dollars and an India-Africa Health Fund of 10 million dollars.”

According to him, the assistance will also include 50,000 scholarships domiciled in India over the next five years to support to strengthen skills enhancement, training and learning efforts of institutions in the 54 African countries.

He also announced that India would increase its cooperation

with Africa in the area of maritime security so as to counter terrorism and extremism.

Besides, Modi said that India would support the African Union (AU) by training African peacekeepers in India and Africa.

“We wish to deepen our cooperation in maritime security and hydrographic operations in countering terrorism and extremism,” Modi concluded.

In his opening address, Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari reminded the leaders that

in the light of fresh political conflicts that have erupted, accentuated by terrorism and extremism in the most awful forms, the current international economic and political environment is far from favourable, particularly for developing countries. His address given at intervals during the sessions, read in part: “Trans-border crimes, illegal arms trade, irregular migration and cybercrimes have all added to the new global threats that demand our collective action.

“India and Africa must develop a new spirit of solidarity, cooperation and partnership to confront these emerging threats.

We must recog-

nise that, i n

this

globalised age, we all live interconnected lives in a fragile planet.

“We must, therefore, work together to uplift the lives of our people in a manner that preserves the sustainability of our living environment.”

Calling for a renewed sense of urgency among African leaders to achieve economic development, Buhari said it is an open secret that Africa possesses all the prerequisites to become a major growth region of the world.

“There is, therefore, the need for India and Africa to strive together to build a virile framework for partnership and cooperation in order to address common challenges in key areas including health, education, interconnectivity, power and employment generation.”

Buhari further said that even though African countries had a number of partnership arrangements with other countries of the world, the IndiaAfrica Forum was unique “as it is not only a partnership between friends but also between CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

Features 28

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

We won’t tolerate importation of sub -standard goods into Nigeria -Buhari As a government, we have demonstrated our strong determination to change the direction and content of governance, including the management of our resources through accountability, transparency and result-orientation in governance — Buhari to Nigerian Community in India.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

countries and peoples who have had similar historical experiences of colonial rule.”

He however appealed to leaders of countries of the world to address problems like stock market crash, political conflicts and terrorism that were threatening global peace, Buhari also cautioned developed nations against applying double standards in their approach to globalisation which, he said, should allow for the free movement of goods and services without any hindrance.

Global economy “As the global economy appeared set to recover from the economic crisis of the recent past, the positive trend is now threatened by the current stock market collapse in some parts of the world and commodity crisis in others.

“Fresh political conflicts have erupted, accentuated by terrorism and extremism in the most awful forms. Trans-border crimes, illegal arms trade, irregular migration and cybercrimes have all added to the new global threats that demand our collective action.

“Amidst all these challenges, we now have double standards in defining globalisation. We must collectively insist that globalisation, as defined by the international community, should mean free movement of goods, services and people without any hindrance or exception,” Nonetheless, Buhari expressed the hope that the India-Africa Forum would deepen, in practical terms, the South-South Cooperation which the countries of the South had desired for a long time.

Nigerian Community Before the commencement of

the summit, the Nigerian President had addressed the Nigerian community in India, reaffirming the commitment of his administration to fighting corruption and recovering funds stolen from Nigeria.

He pledged to plug all the loopholes in public sector accounting and deploy the available resources for the good of all Nigerians.

“The anti-corruption crusade would be on for many years, but this administration had a good knowledge of the effects of the diversion of public funds into private pockets.

“Therefore we will continue in the meantime to prosecute those who have been indicted for corrupt practices and ensure that stolen funds are recovered, to serve as deterrent to others who nurse the ambition of seeking public office solely for illegal personal gains,” he said.

Buhari promised to address infrastructure challenges facing Nigeria and end insurgency in the north-eastern part of the country by the end of the year, and added that he was fully aware of the expectations of Nigerians who elected him into power.

“We are seeking to create jobs through agriculture, mining, industrial value-addition and promotion of small scale enterprises.

“We are also taking steps to address criminality across the country.

“We are tackling the menace of terrorism posed by Boko Haram head-on and I am pleased to note that although sporadic attacks on soft targets have not stopped, the overall capacity of Boko Haram to hold territory and determine the course of the conflict has been severely degraded,” he said.

In an interactive session with the Chief Executive Officers

Buhari and other participants at the summit

(CEOs) of Indian companies with interests in Nigeria, Buhari gave the assurance that in spite of dwindling oil prices, his administration would remain fully committed to maintaining macro-economic stability and improving investor confidence in Nigeria.

He said since Nigeria has a lot of human and material resources, the national economy would not have to suffer unduly from low oil prices despite its severe impact on government revenues.

“What is required of us, to which we are strongly committed, is the implementation of

tight expenditure controls, effective fiscal and monetary policies, including the husbandry of scarce resources, which our introduction of the Single Treasury Account has begun to address.

“We are aware some of these measures may hurt operations of some businesses in the short term but we believe they are right for a sustainable economy,” he said.

Acknowledging that India had always been a dependable ally of Nigeria, Buhari urged the Indian business executives to expand

their firms’ investments in Nigeria “so that we can, together, turn our engagements into a win-win situation for our two countries.

“We can increase in power generation, infrastructure and current volume of our bilateral trade beyond 16.36 billion dollars and diversify into other critical sectors such as agriculture, green technologies information and communications technologies.

“We can also diversify into the services sector, education and industry, especially textiles and solid minerals, among others,’’ he added.

Orchestra of the deeper life bible church performing at the Suleja liberation crusade in Niger State on sunday.

Our heritage Æ s

Why Benue is food basket of the nation

Miracle Uduagha

Benue State is indeed peculiar in a number of respects.

First, it is a major food producer and a microcosm of the Nigerian state in terms of ethnic composition. Formerly part of the old BenuePlateau state, the state was created in February 1976, by the administration of the Late General Murtala Mohammed with its capital in Makurdi.

Benue State started with seven local government areas, namely, Ankpa, Dekina, Idah (excised from Old Kwara State), Gboko, Otukpo, Katsina-Ala and Makurdi (from the defunct Benue Plateau State). Following fresh agitations for autonomy, six additional local governments were created to bring the number to

thirteen. Benue state is blessed with enormous resources. Agriculturally, the state is regarded by many as the “food basket of Nigeria”. With an all -year- round capacity to produce virtually all the major food crops in Nigeria, the state’s estimated land area of about 31, 811 square kilometres is worked by about 80% of its workforce, made up of mainly small -holder rural farmers. Its chief agricultural products are yams, cocoyams, potatoes, cassava, soyabeans and beniseed. From the fertile river valleys in the state, rice No survey of Benue State cannot be complete without mention of its tourist attractions, culture, scenery and safari. Its traditional dancers, artifacts and its riverine wildlife are one of the finest in Nigeria. Some of the nature,man-made tourist at-

tractions in the state are the Ushongo hills in Kwande local government, the Enemabia warm spring in Okpokwu local government, and the Mkar hills in Gboko local government. In terms of historical cultural attractions, there are, the Kwaghhir puppet theatre (among the Tiv- speaking people), masquerades festivals (in most LGA’s) including the most popular Odabara dance (Okpokwu local government), Ibumegh dance (the Jesters from Gboko local government) and the Ingough and Ibamegh dance from Vandeikya local government. To complement the tourist centres in the state are numerous hotels of reputable standards, including the Makurdi Beach Complex and several smaller hotels and parks that provide entertainment.

A decade of Africa-in-Motion goes on stage

All is set for this year’s Africa in Motion, Scotland’s major yearly celebration of African cinema, which is set to celebrate ten years of thought-provoking and creative cinema from the African continent.

This year’s programme will be hosting a Nigerian-Scottish Film Odyssey as part of the United Kingdom-Nigeria Season, supported by the British Council.

The Nigerian-Scottish Film Odyssey will explore the simi-

larities and differences between independent film making in both countries, looking at funding opportunities, production, distribution and storytelling practices.

Red carpet premieres will showcase the latest films from two of the young Nollywood filmmakers, C.J. Obasi, who will present his Zombie horror film, Ojuju, and Stephanie Linus, with her new film Dry. The filmmakers will also have

the opportunity to meet and engage other young filmmakers from Scotland and key industry stakeholders in discussions on the state of independent filmmaking, including production, funding and distribution. These discussions will then feed into an industry day to be held at the Lighthouse, Glasgow, where leading professionals from both countries will engage on storytelling practices, audience development and production.

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

29

Our heritage 30

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

Alfred Obi Achebe: A monarch in love with arts As the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, one of Nigeria’s very committed art patrons and mentor of young artists, celebrated his 14th Ofala festival recently, AGOZINO AGOZINO appraises his outstanding role in the arts as a remarkable creative person and in the society and ardent humanist The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnameka Alfred Achebe, is every inch a king. Softspoken, charming, urbane and always wearing a smile, he is a fascinating first-class monarch.

The 71 year-old king, who recently celebrated his 14th Ofala , in Onitsha Anambra State is a shining example of a corporate high flyer who is also comfortable with the cultures and traditions of his people. Igwe Achebe has successfully married the two, and belong to a very select group of traditional rulers to have done so.

After arming himself with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Stanford University and an MBA from Columbia University, it wasn’t long before Nigeria’s corporate world became Igwe Achebe oyster. His career with the shell group of energy companies, where he held several managerial positions, spanned 30 years.

He was managing director of Diamond Bank Plc and has been the institutions chairman since January 2007, and a Director since 2005. Igwe Achebe is also a chairman of universal insurance Ltd and Omak Maritine Ltd and has been Independent Nonexecutive Chairman of Unilever Nigeria Plc since 2011.

In 2004, two years after he ascended the throne, the Nigerian Government honoured him with the national merit award of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR).

Apart from his indelible footprints in the corporate world, Igwe Achebe has over time emerged as a leading patron of the arts, becoming a regular at exhibitions, book presentations and cultural event. Unlike some monarchs, who because of religious leaning wants nothing to do with culture and tradition, Igwe Achebe is deeply immersed in the culture of his people.

The Obi is always a sight to behold during the annual Ofala festival, in his simple costume teamed with colourful headgear.

He doesn’t exempt himself from

Ikom monoliths

Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe

other Onitsha celebrations, including the Umatu and New Yam Festival.

The Obi is happy to disclose the two reasons behind his abiding interest in the arts. “The first is personal and then, Onitsha is home of art-music, dance and visual art. These are all part and

parcel of our traditional life and more recently, since I ascended the throne, I also became a patron of arts. So, what is personal and what is local, being in the Onitsha environment has now gradually become part of what I do. I promote art and speak for art anywhere in the country-

Lagos, Abuja, wherever. I believe my responsibility is to art in the broad sense. It has become part of my life.”

Art has indeed become an integral part of Igwe Achebe’s life, as he also collects artworks and admits to having a modest collection. That collection would have

The Ikom Monoliths from Cross River State are traditionally known as Akwa-nshi. It has been identified and dated on grounds of oral tradition to span the period from the 16 to the early 20 century.

The Monoliths were of stones only. These stones made sculptures piece were found lying on the land occupied by five sub groups of the Ekoi people.

The indigenous men folks were fierce hunters and this re-

flected in their arts.

Like the Igbo, Ikom society was stateless. The stone figures in refrence were found in particular area of the town and according to oral tradition, the represent ancestors.

been a major one, had the Igwe not lost the initial sets of work he collected.

“In 1996, I went on a working assignment outside Nigeria for six years and my stuff in storage got vandalized,” he recalls.

“I didn’t start collecting art in secondary schools, but I did start collecting music then. I collect Jazz, I collect classical music and I collect traditional music.”

Asked if he would show his collection in public, Igwe Achebe say so. : I studiously avoid showing my collection to anybody because I think it is so modest.

Maybe one day I will pluck up the courage.”

Though he spent a significant number of years in the oil industry, Igwe Achebe is among the few Nigerians who believe that art is viable alternative to oil and that it should be wholeheartedly supported.

“Art and contemporary art in Nigeria is growing very fast.

What you call street art is growing. If you pass through hotels and airports, you will find art objects, Most of them done in villages and mostly been sold to foreigners. When I was young, I knew there were masks,-raffia masks that came from AkwaIbom_and there is no doubt that the emergence of petroleum turned our eyes away from a lot of other endeavors.

“I think art is coming back, modern art is very alive in Lagos, though many times restricted to those who have money. A national policy should be made to bring art to the level of ordinary people. That’s what we are working towards. That’s the advocacy people like me and others are talking about.”

How does the Obi unwind when he’s not busy holding court or working in the corporate world? His answer confirms his love for nature and simplicity. “I work in the garden; I am a horticulturist. I have always enjoyed gardening as I grew up and I also prayed squash. I read whatever I can, as much as possible, and I listen to classical music.”

Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

31 Opinion

Why Saro-Wiwa still haunts Nigeria

Yinka Odumakin

ÏÏÏAs we mark 20 years

of the hanging of Ogoni rights campaigner,Ken Saro-Wiwa tomorrow amid reports that the Nigerian Customs would not allow his memorabilia into the country, I bring to reader’s memory the cause Nigeria killed him for in his statement of defense before the tribunal that sentenced him to death.

“The demand for the control of economic resources is naturally concomitant with political control. It is wrong that the resources of the Ogoni people should be used to develop other Nigerian ethnic groups and to the exclusion of the Ogoni themselves. Since Nigeria is a federation, each ethnic group should control its resources, contributing only what it can to the federal purse for the use of agreed federal services.

The practice in Nigeria today where the military

dictator or a civilian ruler backed by a pliant army arrogates to himself all the resources of the country and proceeds to share it out to cronies and favoured groups is tantamount to armed robbery. It is irrelevant to argue that such sharing is backed by decree or by law. Who makes the decree or law?

Are the owners of the resources adequately represented at the making of such decrees and laws? Do their views matter? The answer is, no. And to that extent, it is neither fair nor proper.

Some may argue that the Ogoni argument derives from the fact that Ogoni has oil and gas.

This is not necessarily so. Indeed, the argument of the Ogoni, fleshed out in part in the Ogoni Bill of Rights is that oil and gas have only brought misery to the Ogoni people, oil exploration has deprived them of farmlands and polluted their streams, gas flared into the air has poisoned the air and has, by flaring day and night, stopped fishes from spawning and driven all wildlife away. Gas flaring also leads to acid rain which renders the soil infertile.

Moreover, the presence of oil and gas does not mean automatic wealth.

If it were so, Nigeria should be rich, and not a debt-ridden country with educational, health and other services in a parlous state, its people hungry and malnourished. The only

beneficiaries of oil wealth are the multi-national oil companies and their shareholders.

In demanding the control of their economic resources in a situation where they are in control of their environment, the Ogoni expect to be able to determine whether they will return to the situation before 1958 when there was no oil, yet the people were well fed and the children were in school, the present was tolerable, and the future hopeful.

The above may be academic; the reality is that before and immediately after independence, the Region where a particular product was found benefited first by the presence of that product in its vicinity. The Region of origin of oil had fifty per cent of the proceeds of oil. It was only after the civil war that this share was whittled down to a negligible percentage, thus increasing the feelings of exploitation and economic slavery.

Royalty is, by definition what is paid to a landlord for a mineral that is found under his soil.

By seizing oil royalties as the Nigerian nation state now does, owners of oil-bearing land are being cheated. This is not acceptable. The Ogoni demand that it be given a fair share of its economic resource is equitable, fair and morally justified.

The environment is man’s first right. Without a safe environment, man cannot exist to claim other

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rights be they social, political or economic.

The fact for the Ogoni is that not being in control of their environment, their very existence is seriously threatened.

Oil exploration and exploitation carried out

by Shell and Chevron in Ogoni with reckless abandon for the environment has been omnicidal. Even worse is the fact that the Ogoni do not know exactly what their resources of oil and gas are and since they do not determine how much of the oil is mined, they cannot ensure the sustainable development of the community.

It is futile to argue that the Federal Government of Nigeria knows. The

question the Ogoni people ask is, if after an estimated 30 billion dollars worth of oil has been taken from their land, they have nothing to show for it, what assurance do they have that when the oil runs out, as it surely must, they will be cared for? So important is this matter that I do not expect the Ogoni people to permit any further oil activity on their land until it has been properly negotiated.

It is clear to the Ogoni people that the wanton devastation of the Ogoni environment in which Shell engages arises from their racist contempt for the black man. Otherwise, how else can the Company justify its environmental

practice n Ogoni which is so much at variance with the Company’s practices in the developed world?

The double standards practiced by this company is not acceptable and the Ogoni must protest it determinedly with all the energy at their disposal.

In expressing their discontent over the destruction of their environment, the Ogoni perform an important civic duty which other communities in other oil-bearing areas of the country will be welladvised to copy.

The last fundamental demand of the Ogoni Bill of Rights is for adequate and fair representation as of right in all Nigerian national institutions. Again, this is no exceptional demand.

The principle of quotas for jobs in Nigeria has been accepted. However, by basing these quotas on states, the principle is unfairly operated in favour of those ethnic groups which have states to themselves or exist in a multiplicity of states.

They thus not only enjoy the numerous jobs created in their states, but also dip their hands into the federal jobs pie.

This is a cheat, more annoying because it is so brazen and conduces to the deprivation of the already disadvantaged. In a situation where jobs are not advertised but offered below the table and where qualification is not so important as the ethnic origin of applicants, the deprived must loudly protest their deprivation.”

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mondaY, noVEmBER 9, 2015

VOL. 1. NO.226

Price: n150

Balogun Out of World Cup qualifier X1

Mata believes United can challenge for EPL top Spot X3

S

ubstitute Kieran Gibbs rescued a point for Arsenal in a pulsating north London derby against Tottenham.

In other matches decided on Sunday, title contenders, Manchester City were held to a barren draw by Aston Villa at Villa Park, while Jugen Klopp’s Liverpool side were humbled by Crystal Palace at Ann Field.

Spurs dominated for long periods and took a deserved first-half lead when Harry Kane broke clear and slotted in.

However, Arsenal slowly took control in the second half and equalised when Mesut Ozil provided a deep cross for Gibbs to bundle past Hugo Lloris.

Arsenal are level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, while Spurs lie fifth.

Though the visitors were denied an impressive victory, Mauricio Pochettino’s side remain unbeaten since the opening day of the season and are within three points of a Champions League place.

On the evidence of this performance, they are credible contenders to finish in the top four.

They have developed into a highly efficient unit who press the ball well from a solid base, while their attacking trio of Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane appears capable of breaking down the meanest of defences.

Arsenal were beaten 5-1 by Bayern Munich in midweek, and their defensive

, L A N E S AR M A H N E t tOt

Player revolt forces Mourinho to the brink X3

W A R D R O SEttLE F

too y t i C n a M , a l l i l o o p r e v i …Aston V L k c o e sh c a l a P l a t s y r C ..As frailties were highlighted by Tottenham’s opener.

Spurs left-back Danny Rose played a ball inside the channel and, after Laurent Koscielny had stepped up, Kane nipped in front of Per Mertesacker before applying a composed finish.

Spurs unlocked Arsenal on numerous occasions and Cech made a particularly

good save from Toby Alderweireld’s header, while Kane and Eriksen flashed shots wide of goal.

Arsenal failed to register a shot on goal until the 38th minute - their previous worst at home this season was the eighth minute - but they did grow in confidence and composure as the game wore on.

Mathieu Flamini replaced Santi Cazorla

at half-time as Arsenal attempted to stifle the threat of Alli in particular, and it worked well for the Gunners.

As Spurs began to tire, striker Olivier Giroud went close with two headers - one hitting the bar and the other rolling just wide - before Gibbs got in front of Kyle Walker at the back post to level.

Life&

TIMES Monday, November 9, 2015

All hail the Queen!

Miss Nigeria 2015

Pamela Peter-Vigboro Leesi

News L2

Daily Times Nigeria

Monday November 9, 2015

All hail the new Queen

Outgone Miss Nigeria, Middle in white and 39th Miss Nigeria flanked by first and second runner up, and others

Backstage glimpse @ Miss Nigeria 2015 Opeoluwani Akintayo

Life&

T E A M

After three years of noshow, Nigeria’s foremost beauty contest, Miss Nigeria, finally bounced back with a bang! The pageant is in its 39th season.

And of course, the fun would be incomplete without all the backstage fun. We had to catch the beauty queens live where the makeup artists splattered the foundations and all sorts on their faces. You would agree with us that it was real fun seeing the queens trying to fit their frames into their regalia right.

Guess who we also bumped into back there getting herself all made up? ExMiss ECOWAS 2003 who had gone ahead to achieve a great feat for herself, Dr. May Ikeora. She is now a Medical doctor.

With weeks of no-good sleep, some of the girls were spotted catching quick sleeps - they must be exhausted.

Few practiced their group dance moves, others just got busy one way or the other.

“Where are my shoes,?” we

could hear some of the beauties calling out to probably the dress instructor.

For obvious reasons, the dressing room was all littered with pieces of clothes, shoes, water plastics, bags, sewing machines, beads and jewelleries everywhere. It was a good mess!

Understandably still shy, some of the girls hid themselves inside the toilets while getting dressed. By the time they get used to the lifestyles of the industry, getting stuck in the toilets for a change of dress will be needless, right?

“What are you doing with your bra straps everywhere?

Pin, pin it, “Osha, the guy behind the choreography, catwalk, and backstage stuff could be heard saying to one of the girls.

Plus, it’s not all rosy- “Oh my God. I just broke my nails!,” one of the queens screamed. Gosh! Life of a beauty queen.

There were plenty of fun and selfies backstage but we outta here!

Music Correspondent Akintayo Opeoluwani

Movie Correspondent Mutiat Alli

Society Correspondent Isaac Oguntoye

Photography Quadri Olowolagba

Graphics Adebambo Segun

Daily Times Nigeria

Monday November 9, 2015

L3 News

In their words Opeoluwani Akintayo

Publisher/Editor-in-chief, Daily Times, Fidelis Anosike

Audu Makori

Miss Nigeria 2015 Judge I am excited to be part of this year’s pageantry especially as a judge. I can assure you that I and my fellow judges will be fair and the best girl in terms of beauty and intellect will be picked.

The pageant is Nigeria’s legacy and that’s why I am proud to be part of it.

Osas Ajibade As a woman, I am happy to be part of this kind of event which celebrates the usefulness of the Nigerian woman.

I am also one of the judges which means I get to truly be able to bring out who did what well. So, it’s going to be fun after spending weeks in camp with the girls. It’s difficult to pick the best girl because they all came prepared but we will put in our best.

Yibo Koko

Miss Nigeria 2015 judge

Mai Atafo

Miss Nigeria beauty pageant is the most outstanding pageants ever. Nigeria is a great country and the contestants will blossom all the same. We are here because we have to change the way things are being done in this country. A woman is not all about miniskirts. And it will surprise us that if a woman is elected president, she will perform very well.

I am happy that the Miss Nigeria pageant is holding this year. Daily Times is proud to be keeping it flying for years now. I welcome everyone present and I want to enjoin our judges to be fair. Daily Times is here to stay and the Miss Nigeria pageant has been in the business of celebrating Nigerian women since 1957.

It will be good to see a Miss Nigeria whose innate beauty supersedes her outward appearance.

How judges selected 39th Miss Nigeria – Helen Prest Ajayi Helen Prest Ajayi was crowned Miss Nigeria in 1979. She was one of the 13 judges who determined the winner of the 39th Miss Nigeria beauty pageant in the early hours of Sunday. In this interview with BIODUN DUROJAIYE, she explained how the judges selected the winner.

Why the tie which necessitated another round of votes by the judges to determine the winner? This is not common in beauty pageants.

A tie happened because two contestants got the same votes. Votes were allotted for specific things. And when all were counted, these two had the same number of votes.

So there had to be a run-off, and the same question was put to each of the two. The question was based on the business plan they presented to the Bank of Industry. I believe Miss Cross River (Pa-

mela Peter-Vigboro Leesi) gave the better answer.

The judges’ vote on that was almost a tie also. How would that have been resolved?

We probably would have asked them another question.

What were the criteria used in narrowing down from 36 contestants to 10?

The 36 were judged on five criteria. Poise, Looks and Beauty, Stage Presence, Confidence and Connection with the Audience. All 36 were given the opportunity to be judged on these criteria. It was the 10 with the highest

marks that we moved to the next round.

The judges had no previous interaction with the contestants?

No. Not that I know of.

What do you think of tonight’s queen?

She got my vote. I voted for her.

A lot of people were thinking Miss Anambra would make it. Why do you think she didn’t?

We had five criteria to use in judging. Until you tally the votes, you never know who would come up… It is not just about being pretty. There are

so many other components of the beauty queen. From the criteria, you know the other things the judges were looking for in a queen. You have to be beautiful. But you also have to have so many other elements. It is not easy to be a queen.

In this pageant, there was no swim suit segment. A lot of people might think you can’t really tell how beautiful a lady is if you cannot see her legs.

I think a lot of the contestants wore short clothing, so we were able to see their legs.

Helen Prest Ajayi Those who didn’t, would that have been a disadvantage?

You know, your charisma comes out in whatever you

do. I don’t think so. And we saw them in the film clips shown. So, people had the opportunity to see the girls at work, at play.

Event

L4

Daily Times Nigeria

Monday November 9, 2015

Photos of Miss Nigeria 2015

Chief Charles Ahize

Chike C. Ogeah Esq. & Albert Okumagba

The contestant on stage

Cross Section Of The Last Five Selected, Miss Osun, Miss Jigawa, Miss Anambra, Miss Cross River & Miss Oyo

Dr. Ifeanyi Obiakor & Dr. Tunde Ayeni C.O.N

Chike C. Ogeah Esq., Daily Times Publisher, Fidelis Anosike

Chukwuma Chigbo & Emeka Chigbo

Cross Section Of The Contestant’s, Miss Osun, Temi, Miss Aanmbra, Nkem, 3RD Runner, Mary, Winner of Miss Nigeria 2015, Mary-Jane & The 2ND Runner, Itunu

Cross Section Of The Judges with The New Queen, Pamela Peter-Vigboro Lee

Dignitary with The New Miss Nigeria 2015, Pamela PeterVigboro Leesi

Dr. Ernest Azudialu Obiejesi, Dr. Tunde Ayeni C.O.N, Fidelis Anosike & Adebola Williams

Ex-Miss Nigeria 2014, Ezinne Akudo Decorating The Winner of Miss Nigeria 2015, Pamela Peter-Vigboro Leesi

Ex-Miss Nigeria 2014, Ezinne Akudo With Frank Osodi & Dieter Grabher The Winner of Miss Nigeria 2015, Pamela Peter-Vigboro Leesi PHOTOS BY OLASUNKANMI BOLAJI AND QADRI OLOWOLAGBA

Daily Times Nigeria

Monday November 9, 2015

L5

Event

Photos of Miss Nigeria 2015

Gm Legal Nest Oil, Nmaji Iqwe, Gloria Igwe, Kaweng Madu & Chieneka Madu

Cross Section Of The Judges

Helen Prest Ajayi, First Miss Nigeria 1957, Grace Oyelude & Wunmi Ogunbiyi

KC Presh

L-R, 3RD Runner, Mary, Winner of Miss Nigeria 2015, Pamela Peter-Vigboro Leesi & The 2ND Runner, Itunu

L-R, 3RD Runner, Mary, Winner of Miss Nigeria 2015, Pamela Peter-Vigboro Leesi, ExMiss Nigeria 2014, Ezinne Akudo & The 2ND Runner, Itunu

Mr & Mrs Christian Udechuckwu

Mr & Mrs Davidson Regha with Abosede Ozah-Osho

Daily Times Publisher, Fidelis Anosike

L-R, 3RD Runner, Mary, Winner of Miss Nigeria 2015, Pamela Peter-Vigboro Leesi, Ex-Miss Nigeria 2014, Ezinne Akudo & The 2ND Runner, Itunu.

L-R, Ronke Kehinde, Tobi Ayodele, Dipo Kehinde & Quincy Ayodele

Mrs Alice Ojochide Onyema & Mrs Oma Attah

Mr & Mrs Allo, Chief Mrs Quincy Ayodele with Daughter Tobi Ayodele

Muhammed Ciroma & Casimir Maduafokwa

PHOTOS BY OLASUNKANMI BOLAJI AND QADRI OLOWOLAGBA

Event

L6

Daily Times Nigeria

Monday November 9, 2015

Red Carpet photos o

Isiabella Oby Obijiaku

Mimi Onalaja

Adebola Williams Quincy Ayodele

Toby Nwanede and Oluwatoyin Olajide

Azuka with friend

Esther Adeyemo

Allen Ifechukwu and wife Alice

Bose and Kadijat

Daily Times Nigeria

Monday November 9, 2015

L7

Event

of Miss Nigeria 2015

a Ojuinou

Jihane Benslimane

Kenny Adazie Lady Ann Jenifer Brawn

Osoba with a guest

Jessica Oputa and King Jerry

Konisola Ayodele

Mai Atafo

Tomi Salami

Olamide Sodiq

PHOTOS BY: QUADRI OLOWOLAGBA

Event

L8

Daily Times Nigeria

Monday November 9, 2015

Photos of Miss Nigeria 2015

Nenzi, Kokoma Ephraini & Princess Thomos

Chief Segun Osoba and a guest

Leke Ogun & Niyi Banjo

Presentation Of a key to a Car To The First Miss Nigeria 1957, Grace Oyelude with Yemi Ogunbiyi, Mr Davidson Regha & Fidelis Anosike

Winner of Miss Nigeria 2015, Pamela Peter-Vigboro Leesi.

Yemi Alade

Yemi Ogunbiyi, Fidelis Anosike & Dr. Lai Ogunbiyi

Former Miss Nigeria, Ezinne Akudo arriving the stage in a grand style

The 10 finalist who qualified for the second round

The 10 finalists

Winner of the BoI business challenge with MD, Mr. Olaoluwa

Winner of Miss Nigeria 2015, Pamela Peter-Vigboro Leesi

PHOTOS BY OLASUNKANMI BOLAJI AND QADRI OLOWOLAGBA

Daily Times Nigeria

Monday November 9, 2015

Dazzling showcase as Pamela Leesi

emerges 39th Miss Nigeria It was a night of thrills and beauty spiced up my music as the 2015 Miss Nigeria beauty queen emerged at keenly contested finale hosted in Lagos Agozino Agozino The 36 contestants shone like a thousand stars. Whether in casual attires, eveningwear or traditional costumes, they dazzled the audience at the prestigious, Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos with captivating catwalks, seductive dispositions and, most significantly, intelligence. Charming smiles, graceful movements and seductive looks were only the icing. But the real cake up to grabs was who the new Miss Nigeria beauty Queen becomes?

So keen was the contest that the panel of judges had problems picking who actually was the most beautiful girl and the brightest star of the night.

Even outgoing queen, Miss Ezinne Akudo who was the special guest, confessed that the bevy of beauty and brains was, indeed enthralling.

They were 36 contestants that represented different states of the federation. Ten contestants later made it to the second round after which the contestants were further reduced to five, while Pamela Peter Vigboro, a 22 year-old, Computer Science graduate of the University of Port Harcourt, was picked as the most beautiful by the 13 member panel of judges that comprised Adebola Williams, Betty Irabor, Chioma Ude, Helen Prest Ajayi, Jumoke Adenowo, Lanre Da Silva Ajayi, Mai Atafo, Mariam Mohammed, Ruth Osime , Wunmi Ogunbiyi, Joy Chukwurah-Offor, Audu Maikori and Isoken Ogiemwonyi.

Pamela Peter-Vigboro, beat 35 other contestant competing to cart away the star prize of the contest of the 39th edition. The new beauty queen also went home with 5 million naira, a brand new brand new Kia Rio car, six month skill acquisition programme in any institution of choice, a year serviced apartment, an all-expense paid trip and more.

“I feel good and thank God now that everything is over,’’ was her joyful reaction to the tension-packed competition. She started active preparation for the contest few months ago with the support of her family and friends. She

confirmed to Daily Times that she worked very hard preparing herself for the contest.

If there was anything that gave the winner the edge over others, it was the overwhelming support she enjoyed from the crowd. “The support from the crowd gave me the confidence to move on,’’ said Pamela Peters who could not control her emotion when she was named the new beauty queen. “I am happy because I couldn’t believe it all,’’ she recalled.

Following the winner was Miss Jigawa who came out as first runnerup while Miss Oyo came second runner-up. They went home with cash prize respectively. It was an evening of convivial banters. Among those who attended the exhibition were most of Lagos’ news makers and entertainment patrons. On the guests’ list were former managing director Daily Times Dr. Onukaba Adinoyi Ojo, former Managing director of New Nigeria, Mr. Innocent Oparadike, Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Nkem Okeke Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi and other leading personalities in the arts and society. There was also the presence of many investors and other stakeholders in the booming movie business For the contestants, the journey to stardom started recently when the entry for this year’s edition of the prestigious Miss Nigeria beauty pageant was opened. The event, which was founded in 1957, received over 1800 applications from girls who entered the competition from all over the country. Having gone through a rigorous selection process, 36 finalists were chosen to participate in the final leg of the competition. The contestants were moved to Lagos where they were filmed for a week and engaged in activities for entrepreneurial training by the Bank of Industry (BOI) They were also mentored on business leadership, as well as how to prepare for the contest by learning choreography among others.

Pamela Peters said she is prepared for the one year reign. She declared: “I will like to help the less privileged, the women, orphans and the widows.

I am going to be an ambassador to the people. It is a wonderful opportunity for me and I thank God for making this day come to pass. ’’ Declaring the event open, Publisher of Daily Times, Mr. Fidelis Anosike acknowledged the objectives of the contest, which is to promote the dignity of woman

in Nigeria and celebrate beauty and brain within the ambit of Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage. Anosike praised the contributions made by the pioneers of the paper who toiled day and night to make the paper a flagship. He also thanked the partners, among who were African Independent Television (AIT) Ovation Magazine, Arise, The Sun Newspapers among others for making the event successful.

“I want to use this opportunity to assure Nigerian that we shall make our best effort to sustain this pageant, now that it has been fully revived, and keep making it bigger and better,’’ Anosike.

Former governor of Ogun state, Chief Segun Osoba, commended the organisers for hosting the event.

Giving an insight into why the event is significant, Osoba, said that it was as a result of the contribution that Daily Times pageant has made in the past “Am happy that Daily Times is reviving the Mis Nigerian. It is the first of its kind in Africa.” He also praised the publisher of Daily Times for reviving the event.

For former managing director New Nigerian Newspaper Sir Innocent Oparadike, the event is a development for the Nigerian women. He described Miss Nigerian beauty pageant as a unique event that has contributed to the image of Nigerian women. “ I am very happy to witness the contest this night. With what we have seen this night, I can say the next edition will be bigger than this.’’

Highlight of the event was the presentation of a brand new Peugeot_406 salon car to the first winner of the Miss Nigerian beauty pageant, Mrs Grace Oyelude by the Heritage Bank. Managing director of the bank Mr. Ifie Sekibo, who presented the car, said the bank was very proud to associate with the event, which has over the years served as a veritable platform to showcase the good attributes of Nigerian woman. According to Sekibo, the event provided the bank the opportunity to demonstrate its corporate social responsibility.

Also, N5 million prize each were also presented to the three contestants, Temitope Seyilato, Hope Nkiruka and Florence Ebere, who presented the best proposal in a two days Bank of Industry (BOI) businesses training or-

ganised f o r contestants to set up a small business.

Managing director Bank of Industry, Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa said BOI would support the three contestants to set up business with the money as a way of showing the banks support for the event.

Lighting up the evening were performances by Yemi Alade, Society of Nigerian Performing Artiste, a Lagos-based performance group that trilled the audience, among others.

L9 Feature

Interview

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Daily Times Nigeria

Monday November 9, 2015

39th Miss Nigeria Former Governor of Ogun State who was also a former Managing Director of the Daily Times newspaper; and Dr. Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, a former Managing Director of Daily Times newspaper in this interview with Lateef Ibrahim, Deputy Editor/ Northern Bureau Chief and Friday Atufe, Business Editor, spoke on the 2015 Miss Nigeria pageant among others. Excerpts:

A commendable show

– Osoba

What is your assessment of the event that we have just witnessed?

Very wonderful. It is a very nice one. It has helped to bring back the memory of the good old days. This event, as you have seen, has played a very important role in bringing together the former Managing Directors and other Managers of Daily Times newspaper. It has afforded us the opportunity, once again, to come together and exchange banters. It is indeed a very commendable one.

I want to particularly commend the efforts of my brother, Fidelis Anosike (Chairman/Publisher of Daily Times) for his efforts at reviving the Daily Times. I wish him the very best of luck.

What is your impression about the whole arrangement as it concerns the organisation of this pageant?

The whole arrangement is very okay and I believe with time it will be improving. Don’t forget that there is always room for improvement.

A historic pageant – Adinoyi-Ojo How would describe this event?

It is historic and also very nostalgic in the sense that for many of us who remember the good old times and the idea of bringing back the past Managing Directors of Daily Times to celebrate this pageant and also celebrate the Daily Times is a very wonderful idea and we can all now begin to work on how to reposition the company and its product so that it can regain its lost glory.

I believe you can use the beauty pageant to re-launch the newspaper. The pageant is old, it has a lot of history behind it and it is prestigious and all these can rub off on the product.

This is the beginning of many things for us. We will support the company because the Chairman of the company, Fidelis Anosike had said he would welcome idea from us on how to move the paper forward.

If you are to compare and contrast the past editions of this pageant with this one, what will be your assessment?

Every era has its own strength and weaknesses. So, it is very difficult to say. In the past when the company was the number one media company in Nigeria and also in Africa, definitely you will expect that the aura of the Daily Times then will rub off on a pageant like this. However, right now, what is happening is that we now try to use the pageant to sell the paper. Whereas, in the past, the newspaper was the strength of the company. I mean that in the past, it was the newspaper that the pageant was leveraging on. What I’m saying now that it is still possible to use the pageant to reposition the paper.

What is your advice on how to move the Daily Times forward?

Even though I do not know now the current level of the funding of the newspaper, but what I know is that you need to put in a lot of money into it.

You know the media company cost a lot of money to run.

You need to put a lot of resources on it. You need to have very good hands. You need to place a lot of emphasis on the web edition, which is the online version. This is because very soon, there are some newspapers abroad that would not be available in hard copy again. There should also be more

emphasis on communication, not just on news and stories.

Remember that if something happens, before you report it, it is already everywhere. People need information to take decisions about their lives. They need information on how to protect themselves, their families and your property especially in the light of insecurity in the country. Everybody is a reporter now in the era of the social media. So, what you need now is information on how to take critical decision in your life. You need to see how you can attract a lot of advert into the newspaper. With these, the newspaper will surely move forward.

It was a wonderful experience

– Dr. Ogunbiyi Outgone Miss Nigeria, (2nd from left), 39th Miss Nigeria (2nd from right), flanked by first and second runner up

It’s a wonderful experience. I’m glad that this is being revived all over again. We will give the Chairman the necessary support and I hope you will be able to get major sponsorship for the event in future.

Daily Times Nigeria

Monday November 9, 2015

L11

Interview

39th Miss Nigeria

It’s refreshing to see Nigeria’s flagship pageant back – Dr. Dele Cole Former Managing Director of Daily Times, Dr. Dele Cole and Sir Innocent Oparadike, a former Managing Director of Daily Times in this interview with Sam Nzeh, speaks on the 39th Miss Nigeria pageant among others.

On revival of Miss Nigeria I feel elated that Miss Nigeria Beauty pageant has been revived. To be honest, it’s very good that the pageant is back. So, it’s quite refreshing to see this laudable project back on centre after some years in the cooler.

Let me say that Miss Nigeria Beauty pageant was one of the things that my team revived when I got to the Daily Times of Nigeria.

The management before I came in hadn’t held it for about six to seven years before I came in. But when I came, with the assistance of my team, we revived it in 1979 and Helen PrestAjayi emerged as the Miss Nigeria thereafter.

The Miss Nigeria Beauty pageant then was a good idea and we enjoyed it. So, with the revival, I believe that many people will come to enjoy the show again During my time at the Daily Times, it was not possible to compare Miss Nigeria Beauty pageant with other pageants. And the reason was not far-fetched. At that time, Daily Times newspaper was the most important newspaper.

Then we called ourselves the Breakfast newspaper in Nigeria. We were printing 350,000 copies a day, and 600, 000 on Sundays. At

that time, if you asked a little boy to go and buy you newspaper, he would of course buy Daily Times. It was like asking a boy today to buy you tea, and he will buy you Lipton.

Going forward With what I saw this night (Saturday, November 7, 2015), I am certain that Miss Nigeria on the platform of the Daily Times in back for good. I think the show was fantastic tonight. It is good to know that the present management of the Daily Times are able to start something of excellence and quality. This is something myself and others who had the privilege of being at the helms of affairs of the Daily Times are grateful for.

When we were in the Daily Times, it was the same spirit of excellence and quality that we looked out for who emerged winner of Miss Nigeria Beauty pageant and I’m glad that the present management of Daily Times has sustained the same tradition. We held the show some 40 years ago and it was the same excellence and quality that we tried to infuse into the pageant. I can only hope and pray that the Miss Nigeria project as it had been revived will continue.

39th Miss Nigeria pageant was fair, transparent – Sir Innocent Oparadike On the rebirth of Miss Nigeria I am very happy that Miss Nigeria Beauty pageant has been revived on the platform of the Daily Times, the original franchise owners of the pageant. From the very beginning, the Daily Times owned the Miss Nigeria Beauty pageant in Nigeria. There was a period the pageant seemed to have been outsourced and some challenges from other quarters which made it impossible for the pageant to hold.

However, I’m happy that those challenges are all over now and the present management of Daily Times has taken back the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant and put it on a higher pedestal.

Let me confess that I witnessed a Miss Nigeria beauty pageant today (Saturday, November 7, 2015) that was very fair, transparent and the quality of the competitors showed that people are now taking the pageant serious.

Also, the winner that emerged in my

view is capable of representing Nigeria very well. She is qualified to be a queen anywhere.

The Niche of Miss Nigeria Miss Nigeria on the platform of the Daily Times right from the beginning was never based on just having a pretty face.

It was about what makes a woman a very fine human being – the intellect, inner beauty, comportment and knowledge of the environment. All these count when choosing a Miss Nigeria. The choice was not just a question of having a pretty face, but much more having brains.

Therefore, the niche that Miss Nigeria on the platform of the Daily Times has over other pageants is that the winner must have a combination of a pretty face, sharp brain, good comportment and mastery of the environment. These are the things that are rare and they are the things that we look for in whoever emerges Miss Nigeria on the Daily Times platform.

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Daily Times Nigeria Monday, November 9, 2015

Monday, November 09 , 2015

EXTRATIME

BALOGUN Out of World Cup qualifier

Stories by

Mike Otanwa

G

ermany-based defender Leon Balogun has pulled out of Nigeria’s squad for Friday’s World Cup qualifier in Swa-

ziland, officials have disclosed.

Injury also ruled out the FSV Mainz defender from a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Tanzania recently.

Shooting Stars defender Jamiu Alimi, who has featured for the CHAN Eagles, will be a late replacement for

Amutu

N Amutu

igerian striker Austin Amutu has said he is delighted with what he achieved on loan at Malaysian club Kelanta.

The former U23 invitee scored 12 goals in 14 games and he said it was a great personal achievement to help the team escape the drop and reach FA Cup final.

“I thank God for everything. I am fulfilled with what I am able to achieve at Kelanta. The team were in relegation position when I joined

N

Ajayi remains unstoppable In Tunisia Ajayi

equaliser in the concluding minute of added time to end the game 2-2.

Bnei Yehuda now third on the league table with 16 points from 10 games.

Dele Aiyenugba missed the game for Bnei Yehuda due to red card suspension.

N

igeria U23 international, Junior Ajayi has remained unstoppable in front of goal for his table-topping Tunisian side CS Sfaxien after he scored in a 3-1 win over Etoile Metlaoui on Saturday.

CS Sfaxien remain top of the table with 21 points from seven games.

The former Shooting Stars striker

N

ends on a high in Malaysia

Balogun

Sylvester Igbonu has said he is delighted to get a goal for FC Ufa in a 2-1 win over Amkar Perm in a Russian league game on Saturday.

Ufa are 13th on the League table with 13 points from 15 games.

The former Midtjylland forward said the game was important to the team to win and happy they triumphed against a team that paraded Nigerian trio of Izunna Uzochukwu, Brian Idowu and Fegor Ogude.

Igbonu netted in the 48th minute to give his team a 1-0 lead and take his goals’ haul to three.

“I feel very good for the goal and the victory because the points are very important to us. It was a good game for the both teams but I thank God who crowned our efforts and made us the winners,” Igbonu said.

Sponsorship logjam pushes Nigerian stars out of Maltese club

Nworuh scores again in Israel

igerian forward Jude Nworuh scored his third goal for Israeli club Bnei Yehuda after he scored a brace in a 2-2 draw at Bnei Sakhin.

Nworuh scored the opening goal in the sixth minute to give his side a 1-0 lead on Saturday.

He restored the lead at 2-1 in the 16th minute.

Bnei Yehuda were cruising home with a victory before Ali Osman scored the

Eagles star, Igbonu shines in Russia igeria international

Balogun.

Best known as a defensive midfielder, Alimi has played in the heart of the defence for the home-based Eagles.

H e played the full game in the first leg CHAN qualifier against Burkina Faso last month, but illness forced him not to complete the second leg in Ouagadougou.

them and I did my best to change that. I also helped the team reach the FA Cup final,” said the Warri Wolves striker.

“I scored six goals in eight league games, three in three FA Cup games and three in three in Malaysia Cup game. I am grateful to everyone around here for the chance and love. I am moving on to the next level from here.”

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F

Nworuh

doubled CS Sfaxien’s lead in the 14th minute.

He has now scored in three straight games, taking his goals’ tally to four in five games.

Ajayi is the team’s leading scorer for the season and second leading scorer in the Tunisian league behind Esperance’s Khenissi with six goals.

ive Nigerian players at Mosta look set to quit the Maltese club when the transfer window opens in January because the Nigerian investors have failed to come up with the cash.

Mosta, who have a Nigerian businessman and a Cypriot investor as the main sponsors with ex-Nigeria star Tijjani Babangida as technical adviser, signed Fidelis Saviour, Yau Hassan, AbdulMalik Mohammed, Samuel Chukwudi and Bobby Abel during the summer transfer.

Chukwudi

Mosta are now seventh on the table with 17 points from 10 matches.

But according to a source, things are not going on smoothly between the sponsors and the club management because the club were allegedly reluctant to do what is expected of them regarding the players.

“The five Nigerian players at Mosta will probably leave the club in January,” the source disclosed.

“The club have issues with the sponsors. There was an agreement that the club will do the residence permit for the players, but they didn’t because they are afraid other teams will come for the players.

“The club want the Nigerian players to stay, but the sponsors are angry because the club are trying to block the business aspect of the deal.

“The sponsors have pulled out of Mosta and are in Holland now set to take over at a new club. The Nigerian players will move to the Dutch club when everything is done or to Cyprus or Kazakhstan in January.”

Monday, November 09 , 2015

X2

EXTRATIME

Chelsea suffered third straight EPL defeat C

helsea suffered a third straight Premier League defeat as they were beaten 1-0 at Stoke to heap the pressure back on their absent manager Jose Mourinho. ith Mourinho missing from the dugout due to his one-match stadium ban, his side were condemned to the seventh league reverse of their miserable season by Marko Arnautovic’s 53rd-minute strike.

They came close to levelling when Pedro hit the post and for long spells saw more of the ball than their opponents.

Ultimately, though, they could not make the most of their chances as the fresh optimism brought about by Wednesday’s Champions League win against Dynamo Kiev abruptly fizzled out with another loss to add to the Capital One Cup exit they suffered at the Britannia Stadium last week.

Chelsea are now 16th in the Premier League, just three points above the relegation zone.

Jamie Vardy scored for the ninth successive Barclays Premier League game as thirdplaced Leicester moved level on points with leaders Manchester City by defeating Watford.

The in-form England international con-

verted a second-half penalty in a 2-1 win over the Hornets and, if he nets against Newcastle on November 21, he will have the chance to break Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record for scoring in the most consecutive games against the Dutchman’s old club Manchester United at the end of the month.

N’Golo Kante broke the deadlock with his first goal for Leicester with a toe-poked finish that somehow slipped through Heurelho Gomes’ grasp, and it was the goalkeeper who then fouled Vardy to allow him to step up and slam home the spot-kick and make it nine on the spin.

Troy Deeney halved the deficit with a penalty of his own, but Claudio Ranieri’s men held on to move on to 25 points, the same total City and Arsenal have managed ahead of their fixtures on Sunday.

Jesse Lingard scored his first goal for Manchester United and Juan Mata fired in a late penalty as they defeated West Brom 2-0 at Old Trafford.

Louis van Gaal’s men had failed to find the net in their previous three domestic fixtures, but Lingard’s placed finish seven minutes after half-time ended that drought.

In stoppage-time Baggies defender Gareth McAuley was dismissed for hauling down An-

ATHLETICS

I’m more determined than ever - Coe

Coe

S

Chelsea against Stoke

thony Martial in the area, and Mata placed the penalty straight down the middle.

Romelu Lukaku kept his and Everton’s remarkable records against West Ham intact in a 1-1 draw at Upton Park.

The Toffees arrived in the capital boasting a 14-game unbeaten streak in the league against the Hammers, yet they fell behind in the first half when Manuel Lanzini found the top corner on the half-hour mark.

But Lukaku, who had scored in each of the previous six occasions he had faced West Ham as an Everton player, levelled by collecting Gerard Deulofeu’s defence-splitting pass, rounding goalkeeper Adrian and slotting in.

In the lunchtime kick-off Newcastle secured their first away victory in 10 months by defeating Bournemouth 1-0 thanks to Ayoze Perez’s first-half effort.

The Magpies, who moved above the Cherries and out of the relegation zone as a result of collecting three points, were indebted to a string of saves from goalkeeper Rob Elliot on the south coast.

Southampton made it eight games unbeaten in all competitions and maintained their unbeaten record on the road in the league this season with a 1-0 victory over struggling Sunderland.

Fulham sack Kit Symons after Birmingham defeat

F

Kit

ulham have sacked manager Kit Symons after Saturday’s 5-2 home defeat

by Birmingham left the club 12th in the Championship table.

Symons, 44, took charge in October 2014 after the departure of Felix Magath and leaves the club eight points short of the play-off places.

Fulham chairman Shahid Khan said: “It is now time to take Fulham to the higher level of success that we expect from our manager and our

players.”

A search for a new manager has begun.

With Championship clubs now on an international break, Fulham’s next game is at MK Dons on Saturday, 21 November.

Symons won 22 of his 64 games in charge of the Cottagers and steered the club to a 17thplaced finish last season.

He is the seventh manager to leave his job in the Championship since the start of the season.

eb Coe has said these are “dark days” for athletics but that he is “more determined than ever” to rebuild trust in the sport.

The president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) was speaking on Sunday(yesterday).

An independent commission, set up by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and chaired

by WADA’s founding president Dick Pound, was formed after the broadcast of an ARD documentary – ‘Top-secret doping: How Russia makes its winners’ – which was aired in December 2014. The first part of the independent commission’s report is due to be delivered at a press conference in Geneva on Monday (November 9).

Former IAAF president Lamine Diack is under investigation by French prosecutors, while on Friday the IAAF Ethics Commission confirmed that Papa Massata Diack, the son of Lamine Diack, is among four people facing disciplinary action following its own investigation.

Coe told Sportsweek that there was “clear shock, a great deal of anger and a lot of sadness” when he heard that Lamine Diack, who had been president of the sport’s world governing body for 16 years before Coe succeeded him in August, was under investigation.

“These are dark days for our sport but I’m more determined than ever to rebuild the trust in our sport,” said Coe. “It is not going to be a short journey. The day after I got elected I started a massive review. Understandably, in the light of the allegations that were made at the beginning of the week, that review has been accelerated and I am determined to rebuild and repair the sport with my council colleagues. But this is a long road to redemption.”

Monday, November 09 , 2015

EXTRATIME

X3

EURO

Mata believes United can challenge for EPL Top Spot

Mourinho

Player revolt forces Mourinho to the brink

J

uan Mata thinks Manchester United are still very much in the title race after they came through a ‘difficult’ month unbeaten.

United headed into the last international break on the back of a damaging 3-0 defeat to Arsenal, but since then they have gone on a four-match unbeaten Barclays Premier League run.

The latest result in that sequence came on Saturday when Louis van Gaal’s team defeated 10-man West Brom 2-0 thanks to a late penalty from Mata and Jesse Lingard’s first goal for the club.

Despite occasional dissenting voices being heard in the crowd at Old Trafford over the last week, United are fourth in the table and one win away from qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages.

Mata is not getting ahead of himself but admits United will be in a good position to challenge for top spot if their current form continues.

‘Let’s see about that one, as there are still too many games until the end of the season,’ Mata said when asked about United’s title chances.

‘We have to take it game by game.

‘It was a difficult month for us with some tough games, but I think we are still in the position to do it.

‘Now we have to focus on the national team and then we have a lot of games in late November and December and we have to be at our best level.’

J

Kondogbia keeps Inter bandwagon rolling

I

nter made it three wins in a row after a 1-0 win over Torino at the Stadio Olimpico

Kondogbia

on Sunday afternoon, which takes them clear at the top of Serie A. The Nerazzurri have now recorded their seventh 1-0 result of the season and in the process broke the Granata’s seven game unbeaten streak at home.

Geoffrey Kondogbia grabbed the only goal of the game, his first of the seasn, to ensure Roberto Mancini’s men kept their Scudetto charge rolling.

The away side asserted their dominance over Torino in the opening 10 minutes, culminating in a headed chance from Mauro Icardi who put the ball wide.

Inter were dictating the tempo and controlling possession, but struggled to create any clear cut opportunities and it was the Granata who almost took the lead on the half hour.

Meta

ose Mourinho’s second spell as Chelsea manager is almost over with a dressing room revolt likely to be the final straw as owner Roman Abramovich considers sacking the most popular coach in the club’s history.

It was understood that Abramovich will make a decision on Mourinho’s future during the twoweek international break and has been actively making contact with potential replacements.

Abramovich’s key consideration is expected to focus on whether he thinks Mourinho can guide Chelsea to a top-four finish this season, with last season’s champions already 13 points off the Champions League spots.

It seems highly unlikely that the Blues will qualify for Europe’s premier club competition while the players are so unhappy with the manager. Sources say that only “a handful” of firstteam players remain behind Mourinho.

Mourinho’s public and private criticism of individual players is at the heart of their dissatisfaction, with many believing they have been unfairly singled out while the Portuguese protects his “favourites”.

Eden Hazard, Oscar and Nemanja Matic are among the more disillusioned Blues players while sources say the dressing room has badly missed the influence of departed senior players such as Didier Drogba, Petr Cech and Frank Lampard.

Pellegrini hits out at impatient EPL club owners

A

s pressure grows on Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, Manuel Pellegrini has criticised the impatience of some Premier League clubs.

Manuel Pellegrini has accused Premier League clubs of being too impatient as pressure mounts on Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.

A 1-0 defeat to Stoke City on Saturday - a game he missed due to a stadium ban - has left Mourinho

fighting for his job at Stamford Bridge, despite having guided the club to Premier League and League Cup glory last season.

Pellegrini himself saw his job under scrutiny as Manchester City struggled at the end of last term, while speculation linking Pep Guardiola with the role has continued in the current campaign.

And the Chilean has criticised the approach of some owners in the

English top flight, saying ahead of City’s clash with Aston Villa: “I read every day that Chelsea will sack Mourinho. It has also happened to [Manchester United boss Louis] Van Gaal and me.

“Things have changed and I don’t understand why owners are so impatient. If I was an owner, I’d choose a manager to stay for three years and see out his contract - and then decide.

X4

Monday, November 09 , 2015

EXTRATIME

INTERVIEW most obvious statistic from that match, we showed what we could do as a team.

I managed to score three goals because of the excellent support I received. Although the match ball still serves as a reminder of that success, we did the same thing afterwards as we had after losing to the French: forget about it and focus on the challenge ahead. Only by doing that were we able to deliver such a strong performance against Argentina.

a

s the man they call the Kraftwürfel (‘Power Cube’), Zauberzwerg (‘Magic Dwarf’) or Shaq Attack, Xherdan Shaqiri boasts not only a remarkable array of nicknames but phenomenal skills on the pitch. The Swiss international’s lively and agile play and adept dribbling are known and loved by his country’s football fans, and he has been a key member of coach Vladimir Petkovic’s starting line-up since almost singlehandedly firing Switzerland to the Round of 16 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup with an impressive hat-trick.

By contrast, the 23-year-old has endured a challenging period in his club career in recent years. Although his 2012 move from Basel to Bayern Munich was greeted with much fanfare, he never completely established himself with the German giants. After spending half a season in Italy with Inter Milan, Shaqiri – whose honours during his stint in the Bavarian capital include the UEFA Champions League and three Bundesliga titles – headed for the English Premier League and Stoke City in search of fresh momentum.

You can now call the Premier League home after spells in the Bundesliga and Serie A. What is it that makes each of these top leagues so strong?

The key element in Germany is discipline.

The Germans are very focused on playing disciplined football. Football in Italy was very tactically oriented, and now here in England I can sense a real emphasis on attacking play.

The football here is tough and spectacular, and I’m enjoying it. Although I’ve only played a few matches in the Premier League so far, I feel I’ve arrived in the best league in the world.

You have played for Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and now Stoke City – but there is no doubt that Stoke have yet to achieve the same level of international recognition as your previous two clubs. What appeals to you most about this new challenge?

Yes, although it’s true that Stoke don’t yet have the same kind of international reputation, the club is pursuing ambitious targets. They want to establish themselves in Europe and that’s what tempted me here. Stoke are offering me the opportunity to continue developing both as a player and as a person. Above all I want to play, perfect my game and move forward with the team.

Having featured at the last two FIFA World Cups in 2010 and 2014, you are now a constant presence in Switzerland’s starting lineup and are undoubtedly among the national team’s top performers. What characterises your play and does La Nati’s footballing ethos suit you particularly well?

We played great football under Ottmar Hitzfeld. He made the breakthrough by utilising plenty of young players and throwing them in at the deep end; I was one of them.

This confidence in youth helped to push Swiss football forward. We’re playing high-quality, attractive and attacking football, and that fits my style perfectly. We’ve succeeded in setting

Shaqiri

in Search Of Fresh Momentum new benchmarks in recent years, with many young players making a name for themselves with exceptional performances not only for the national team but also for their clubs. As a result, many of them have made the leap to the Bundesliga or are playing for other foreign sides.

At the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, you and the Nati progressed past the group stage and were only narrowly beaten 1-0 after extra time by eventual runners-up Argentina. What do Switzerland still need in order to overcome the world’s biggest sides such as Germany, Argentina or Brazil?

Yes, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil was an unforgettable experience. We made it to the Round of 16 and were then edged out by big opponents in Argentina, who were aiming to lift the trophy. The match itself was an extremely emotional experience, and we very nearly managed to win it. I would say that it wasn’t luck but efficiency that made the difference. If you want to succeed against teams like Argentina, you have to be able to take advantage of every opportunity you get, no matter how small. Unfortunately we didn’t manage to do that and that’s what made the difference. The Argentinians

were simply more ruthless and made the most of the chances they got.

Scoring three goals in one match is always special, but how did it feel to bag a hat-trick at the World Cup, the biggest stage of all?

The game against Honduras was our third group match in Brazil, and after a 2-1 win over Ecuador and a 5-2 defeat by France it was clear that only a win would be enough to take us to the Round of 16.

As players, we were extremely focused at this stage and were always convinced that we could progress to the next phase of the tournament in Manaus. We already knew that the media and others had asked many questions after our resounding loss to the French, but we were determined not to let it drive us crazy and remain focused on our job. Although my hat-trick was probably t h e Shaqiri

Vladimir Petkovic took over from Ottmar Hitzfeld as national team coach after the 2014 FIFA World Cup, while firstchoice goalkeeper Diego Benaglio also announced his retirement from international football. What changed as a result and how did you deal with it as a team?

After all, EURO qualification has gone well for you so far despite some initial difficulties.

Yes, there were some changes. A couple of players retired and others are no longer part of the squad. The core has remained the same but a couple of new young players have come in as well. We’re fortunate in Switzerland that many promising youngsters are already playing in the Super League or have made their breakthrough at foreign clubs. These players have integrated perfectly; they not only play great football but also have personalities that fit with the team. That, combined with a new coach who has been trying out a few things, has sustained our national team’s success, and I think that’s apparent in the current EURO qualification campaign.

Looking ahead to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, what do you think the team can achieve? Will they qualify again and could they even top their 2014 result?

Every team wants to qualify for the World Cup in Russia, including Switzerland, but there’s still a long way to go. EURO 2016 in France is currently our main focus.

In any case, our aim is to qualify for every tournament and I’m very confident about our chances. We’ve shown in the past that we can do it. We’ve got a great mix of experience and youth in our team - a team that can still bring plenty of joy to the Swiss fans.

If you believe the ratings in the EA Sports game FIFA 15, then your strengths are acceleration (92), dribbling (86) and shot power (84), while defending (57) and heading (37) are among your weaknesses. Would you agree with that? (laughs) Yes, I’d already noticed that! It’s definitely true that my strengths are dribbling, shooting power and acceleration, and yes, heading is one of my weaknesses – but I’d give myself a higher score for defending. Ï ƑƋƋƆƗ ƇƏ ƌ 090 êƅ ƌ