Leadership Newspaper April 08 2018

No. 635

N300

08.04.18

FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

NIGERIA'S MOST INFLUENTIAL NEWSPAPER NAIRA EXCHANGE RATES (AS AT FEBRUARY 24) DOLLAR

POUNDS

Leadership Newspapers

OPEC DAILY CRUDE OIL PRICE

EURO

ABUJA

305.6

360

429.12

LAGOS

305.6

362

429.12

505 375.46

443

KANO

305.6

362

429.12

505 375.46

443

“We are looking for a very longterm cooperation between OPEC and non-OPEC producing countries,” Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, OPEC Secretary General, told an energy conference in Baghdad.

P/HARCOURT 305.6

361

429.12

494 375.46

430

04/04/2018

US$64.48 PER BARREL

03/04/2018

US$64.98 PER BARREL

STATES

INTERBANK – BLACK MARKET INTERBANK – BLACK MARKET INTERBANK – BLACK MARKET 495 375.46

430

12 YEAR – OLD BEATS 39,000 OTHERS TO WIN NATIONAL MATHEMATICS COMPETITION Page > 61

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POLICE NAB 7 OVER OFFA BANK ROBBERY Page > 6

PMB Can’t Clean Up PDP’s 16 -year Mess In 3 Years – Emir Of Borgu 6 Opposition party paying for its sins, says Bafarawa

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara (middle), Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu (right) and Group Managing Director of NNPC, Maikanti Baru (left), during the wedding fatiha of Mohammed Modibbo and Ayeesha Bala Wunti at the Emir’s palace in Bauchi, yesterday.

PHOTO BY SPEAKER’S MEDIA OFFICE.

Mass Killings: Not Yet Uhuru Omi Dam A Success Story Of 6 For Zamfara Residents 9 Our Agric policies – Kogi Govt

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Plant More Trees, Save The Earth​

nitially, the word ‘Green’ sounded so foreign and distant, something that could only materialise across the seas. However, it has always been here mostly ignored.

The reality is here; we ought to understand that the earth belongs to all of us and, therefore, we must do something about it.

Climate change is happening around us. The early rains in February and March, the sudden harmattan haze and dust in March and April are proof. It is time to start asking what can be done to save the planet, especially when it comes to planting more trees, an obvious challenge in Nigeria, as so many trees are lost to the chain saw of lumberjacks.

The scorching sun and dusty atmosphere in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is a reminder of how important it is to plant trees and preserve the forests across the states. The master plan is to make one fifth of Abuja green, but how much green can anyone boast of presently in the entire country and FCT? It is called climate change because the planet is changing due to the many civilised activities going on around it. There is nothing wrong in development and nature is a huge part of development. Trees are far more important than is believed as they shelter not just the population, but mother earth from degradation. The benefits of trees can be grouped into social, communal, environmental and economic categories.

What has happened to the initiative that is supposed to provide for the development of plant nurseries to carter for the replenishment of dead trees?

There will come a time when the society cannot afford to look down on people who would, rather than drive a car which releases so much carbon monoxide in the air, ride a bicycle or spend so much money on energy bulbs, or even smirk at those we think are crazy just because they tie themselves to a tree to protect it from being chopped down so that construction of more buildings, more roads can take place all in the

name of development.

The government ought to implement and enforce the law on green spaces where nature is allowed to expand. Nigeria is still struggling with this important topic. The Abuja Green Society launched the 2011 tree planting campaign, imploring Nigerians to consider the environment. The government needs to sponsor more educational clubs for

children to spur the nation in the fight against global warming and climate change.

In the far North, there is the imminent threat of desertification.

Enlightenment campaigns can stop this. Educating people to understand that trees absorb the carbon dioxide generated in the environment and keep the environment cool. More campaign awareness, enforcing laws that

FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

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CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Dele Fanimo

POLITICAL DIRECTOR/ STATE HOUSE Jonathan Nda-Isaiah Ag EDITOR Bukola Ogunsina DEPUTY EDITOR Victoria Omuya Usman ASSOCIATE EDITOR Christiana Nwaogu GENERAL EDITOR Silas Ezeugwu

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Christian Ochiama

ASS. MANAGING EDITOR George Agba COORDINATOR, EDITORIAL BOARD Suleiman Abdullahi

GROUP LTD CHAIRMAN Sam Nda-Isaiah GMD, LEADERSHIP GROUP Abdul Gombe GMD, LEADERSHIP HOLDINGS David Chinda GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Felicia Ogbonlaiye Geoffrey Essien HR DIRECTOR Solomon Nda-Isaiah CHIEF PROCUREMENT & ASSETS OFFICER Mrs Zipporah Tanko DIRECTOR, HAUSA PUBLICATIONS Mubarak Umar GENERAL MANAGERS Ibrahim Halilu Femi Adekunle Ebriku John

LEADERSHIP is a national paper symbolically embedded in the nation’s capital.

We shall stand up for good governance. We shall defend the interest of Nigerian people even against their rulers, and we shall raise our pen at all times in defence of what is right. These are the values by which we intend to be assessed.

We shall never, ever for any reason forget the noble reason of our coming into being:

For God

and

Country!

protecting trees and planting more draught resistant plants are the way to go.

When trees are planted, they provide a more natural and less artificial environment. Birds and other wildlife are attracted to the area. The natural cycles of plant growth, reproduction and decomposition are again present.

Both above and below ground, natural harmony is restored. Trees make life more pleasant as it makes us feel serene, peaceful, restful and tranquil. Going green is fast becoming fashionable all around the world. The Western World is a good example in the promotion of Green. They already invest in biogradable shopping bags and cups that disappear in crumbles on their own and back into the earth.

Thebenefitsoftreesareenormous.

The Tree Care Information believes that trees alter the environment by moderating climate, improving air quality, conserving water and harbouring wildlife. Climate control is obtained by moderating the effects of the sun, wind and rain. Radiant energy from the sun is absorbed or deflected by leaves on deciduous trees in summer.

In our opinion, planting trees in the cities help moderate the heat island effect causes by pavement and buildings in commercial areas.

Air quality can also be improved through planting of trees. It is an incontrovertible fact that tree leaves filter the air by removing dust and other particles. As the rain washes the pollutants to the ground, leaves absorb carbon dioxide from the air to form carbohydrates that are used in the plant’s structure and function. In this process, leaves also absorb air pollutants such as ozone, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide and give off oxygen.

In 2016, Delta State, in partnership with World Bank, planted about 50,000 trees across the state to fight deforestation and global warming. We suggest that other states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, should take a cue from this initiative to preserve the earth by planting more trees.

4 NEWS ACROSS THE STATES

Sunday, April 8, 2018

President Buhari Pledges Continuous Support To Universities President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor of Katsina State, RT Hon Aminu Masari, APC Chairman Katsina State Alhaji Shittu S Shittu, Commissioner for Justice and Attorney Alhaji Ahmad El-Marzuq and Chief of Staff to Katsina Governor Alhaji Bello as President Arrives Katsina enroute to Daura on Friday evening, yesterday

2 Final Year Students Abandon Wedding Receptions For University Exam In Benue

BY HEMBADOON ORSAR, Makurdi Two final-year Mass Communication students of the Benue State University, Dorcas and Deborah, yesterday, abandoned their wedding receptions to take their final year exams in their wedding gowns.

The final paper is code named, Com 402: Media Law and Ethics.

The two newly wedded ladies, also left their husbands behind in the hands of their bridal trains.

The course lecturer, Dr Benjamin Ogbu, told our correspondent on phone that the brides came to the examination

hall in their wedding regalia amidst jubilation and excitement.

Dr Ogbu stated that he couldn’t ascertain the surnames of Dorcas and Deborah because there are many of the students bearing similar names with similar surnames.

According to him, “the timetable for the exam was earlier planned before their weddings were fixed and interestingly, it happened to fall on the same date, which is Saturday, 7th April, 2018.

“Since the exam couldn’t be shifted, the two brides left their various reception venues to the exam hall in their gowns.

I was with the deputy vice chancellor,

PMB Thanks Senators For Expressing Solidarity With Katsina People

BY JONATHAN NDA - ISAIAH President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, in Daura, thanked Senate members for their support and show of solidarity with the people of Katsina North senatorial district in the aftermath of the death of the Senator representing the zone, Senator Mustapha Bukar.

Receiving a delegation led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu in his country home, the President in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, commended the legislators for identifying with the government and people of Katsina State, the Daura Emirate Council and the Bukar family, in their period of

grief.

The President said it was noteworthy that Senator Bukar’s colleagues have paid glowing tribute to him as a detribalised leader whose contributions may not be easily forgotten.

The President prayed that Almighty Allah would grant the soul of the departed late Madaki of Daura, eternal rest and continue to comfort all who mourn.

The Senators, who paid a condolence visit to the President, were Sen Ovie Omo-Agege, Sen Ali Ndume, Sen Babajide Omoworare, Sen Adamu Abubakar, Sen Yusuf Yusuf, Sen Hassan Adamu, Sen. Abu Ibrahim and Sen Umaru Kurfi.

Academic when both brides stormed the examination hall”.

“I was very surprised seeing them. In fact, the deputy vice chancellor was in the hall with me and he saw them. It was a moment of joy for all of us students and lecturers.

“We are happy that our students are seeing husbands to marry and they were happy that they too got married and also graduated same day. So, it was double congratulations for them”,Ogbu stated.

He maintained that he, as the course lecturer, and also a member of the Benue State University Examination Monitoring team, was very excited

seeing both of them in their weddings gowns with utmost dexterity to graduate.

According to him, wedding ceremonies are social events that cannot interrupt university academic calendar or make examination to be postponed and allow students to miss their final exams.

One of the students’ mate, Kenneth, who spoke to LEADERSHIP correspondent on phone, said he was delighted seeing the courageous steps taken by his mates by not allowing the excitement of their wedding weigh them down.

UI Orders Closure Of Students’ Hall Over Protest

BY ADEBAYO WAHEED, Ibadan Following student’s protest over increase in the accommodation fees, the management of University of Ibadan, has ordered the immediate closure of the Alexander Brown Hall until further notice.

The university’s Registrar, Mr Olujimi Olukoya, in a statement issued in Ibadan yesterday, said the academic board took the decision during a meeting on Friday.

He said the board considered the situation report with respect to students’ protests over the increase in the professional training and accommodation fees by the university.

The statement reads, “In view of

the security threat that the students’ action may pose, the board, therefore, recommended an immediate closure of the Alexander Brown Hall until further notice with a review of the situation in two weeks.

“Consequently, the vice-chancellor, on behalf of senate, has approved the recommendation of the Academic Board of the College.

“Students resident in the Alexander Brown Hall are, therefore, directed to vacate the hall on or before 12 noon of Saturday, 7 April, 2018.”

The students resident in the Alexander Brown Hall had, on April 6, staged a protest over increase in the accommodation fees as approved by the senate.

FG Warns Heads Of Agencies On Contracts, Records Mr Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), has directed parastatals and agencies to comply with Federal Government circulars on procurement plans and records.

Mustapha gave the directive yesterday in Abuja at the 2018 Procurement Retreat for Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Federal Government parastatals and agencies.

The retreat, with the theme, “Public Procurement for Sustainable National Development,” was organised by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), in partnership with the office of the SGF. Mustapha, represented by Mr Olusegun Adekunle, a permanent secretary in the Office of the SGF, cautioned government agencies against doing business with contractors without proper registration on the

national database.

He called on participants at the retreat to constantly liaise with their supervisory ministries to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act. The SGF said government would not hesitate to deal with erring agencies that were yet to submit their procurement plans and records for 2017 and 2018.

“It is mandatory for every government agency to use the public procurement documents as authorised by the BPP, such as, the Standard Bidding Documents (SBDs) and other BPP documents.

“All agencies must de-emphasise the use of selective tendering methods as the norm rather than the Open Competitive methods as prescribed by the Public Procurement Act.

“Agencies must ensure that they have the final engineering design for any project to reduce the high rate of fluctuations and variations,” he said.

Mustapha said the Federal Government was in the process of implementing E-Procurement process that would help prevent corruption, adding that BPP was a preventive agency.

He called on the retreat participants to embrace accountability, transparency and integrity in procurement process, adding that the idea was to enhance budget implementation process.

“I therefore, urge you CEOs to be thorough and careful in the discharge of your responsibilities in the public procurement process with the highest sense of accountability, ethics and integrity.

“It is expected that all factors militating against effective performance of budget implementation will be addressed promptly,” he said.

In her remark, Mrs Winifred OyoIta, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, said the retreat was apt, considering the need to enhance the capacities of CEOs of parastatals and agencies.

Oyo-Ita, represented by Mr Ndubusi Okeji, a permanent secretary in the Office of the Head of Service, said the continuous capacity building of CEOs on procurement process would enhance professionalism.

She said the retreat would impact positively on budget preparation and implementation and pledged the commitment of her office to continuously collaborate with the BPP.

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday in Kano, pledged continuous support to universities to enable them produce the needed skilled manpower for national development.

Buhari made the pledge at the 34th convocation ceremony of Bayero University, Kano (BUK) held at the permanent site of the university.

Buhari, who was represented by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof Abubakar Rasheed, said the Federal Government would continue to support universities with necessary funds to enable them provide quality education in the country.

He said the support was also necessary for the universities to discharge their mandate of conducting research and teaching for the development of the country.

“My administration will continue to accord universities the necessary support and cooperation, because only education can instigate rapid development of our country.

“So, for us to attain rapid development, education remains our hope,” Buhari said.

He said the Federal Government would continue to monitor development in the universities with a view to ensuring accountability and prudent management of their resources.

Buhari said his administration would remain firmly resolute on pledges made to Nigerians on three major areas – fighting corruption, tackling insecurity and providing employment opportunities to the youths.

He said the government would continue to tackle the challenges bedeviling the country, and commended Nigerians for their patience and prayers for the success of his administration.

Earlier, vice-chancellor of the University, Prof Muhammad Yahuza, said no fewer than 7, 657 graduates were awarded various degrees and postgraduate diplomas after successfully completing their studies.

He said of the figure, 5,098 had first degrees, and 2 559 graduated with higher degrees and postgraduate diplomas.

According to him, 76 of those that graduated had first class, 70 received PhD degrees, 1, 883 received Masters degrees while 656 had postgraduate diplomas.

He urged the graduates to be worthy ambassadors of the university wherever they found themselves by striving to embody its core values of humility, sacrifice, discipline, commitment, tolerance and respect.

By Tukur Muntari, Kano

Sunday, April 8, 2018

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PMB Can’t Clean Up PDP’s 16 -year Mess In 3 Years – Emir Of Borgu

BY GEORGE AGBA, Abuja TOPE FAYEHUN, Akure AND ANDY ASEMOTA, Katsina

The Emir of Borgu Kingdom, Alhaji Muhammad Sani Haliru Dantoro (Kitoro 1V), has lashed out at critics of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, saying there is no way anybody would expect the president to clean the Augean stable of the mess created in the Nigerian system for 16 years by previous administrations of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP).

He also dropped a word of advice for Nigerians who may have been enthralled by the propaganda antics of the opposition, imploring them to be patient with Buhari, considering the fact that he is not a magician.

The royal father stated this in an exclusive chat with a team of Editors from LEADERSHIP Newspapers Group who paid him a visit at his palace in New Bussa, the headquarters of Borgu local government area of Niger State and the seat of the Borgu Emirate Council, ahead of the 50th anniversary of the movement of the people from Old Bussa billed to hold from April 11 to 14.

The Mai Borgu noted that even though as a traditional ruler he is not expected to be seen as partisan, it has become imperative that he should lend his voice to the barrage of criticisms against the Buhari administration because the traditional institution is also involved in the assessment of any government in power.

He said, “Naturally, traditional rulers are not partisan. You don’t meddle into political matters, but it is expedient that I talk about the current government and its expectations for the 2019 general election. Traditional Rulers are not supposed to be partisan but we assess the performance of every government that comes to power. Before President Buhari came to power in 2015, the price of crude oil in the international market was very high.

Under PDP’s 16-year rule- that is between 1999 and 2015 before Buhari came to powerthe Boko Haram insurgents were on the rampage, maiming and killing innocent citizens. Like today Friday, if you are going to the Mosque, military men will heavily guard it. On Sundays it is the same thing; worshippers cannot worship freely in Churches. There were military checkpoints at every kilometer. Life then was generally unsafe.

“Just as we all know that insurgency cannot be wiped out in such a short time, today, life is generally safer in Nigeria. Heavy military check points that were usually seen at every kilometer has gradually disappeared, giving way to safer and more relaxed quality of life. The days of bomb blowing at motor parks are gone for good.

“We were here in this country when for the first time we witnessed a president handing over power to his deputy (Vice President Osinbajo), with full presidential powers to take binding decisions. That is the ‘change’ the APC promised Nigerians. They should not expect miracle from Buhari; he is human.

He cannot clear the mess of 16 years in 3

mineral resources like gold and tanker lite in commercial quantity. Surveys have been done in the past to this effect.

“Investors don’t know all about these; that is why we are calling on them to come and discover New Bussa. As they celebrate with us, they will also be acquainted with the business opportunities inherent in Borgu.

To cap it all, Borgu is very peaceful. Peace is an essential requirement for progress.

Borgu has this in abundance. This is the best enabling environment you can find”.

Dantoro

years. Nigerians should be patient with him.

That is all I can say about this government”.

On why Borgu is calm and peaceful amidst incessant farmers/herders clashes, the royal father said, “It is because we don’t allow politicians to come and manipulate us. That is why Borgu is very peaceful. Borgu is home for all because it is peaceful. My advice to Nigerian politicians is that they must put the interest Nigeria and its people first.

“If you are involved in killing to discredit the person in power, God is seeing you and his judgment awaits you. They must join hands with who ever God has put in position of authority for rapid progress of the country”.

Speaking on the 50th anniversary of the movement of the People of Borgu Kingdom to New Bussa, the Emir expressed delight that the Golden Jubilee is happening during his reign.

He said, “By the 14th of April, we will be rolling out drums to celebrate the Golden jubilee of our movement from Old to New Bussa. To God be the glory it is happening in my time. If you are celebrating a birthday, for instance, it means you are showing appreciation to God for giving you long life and good health for you to have attained another year. In our own case in Borgu, though we left our original place to the place we are now, the movement did not affect us negatively. Rather, it has impacted positively on lives.

“For your information, we are not just celebrating the 50th anniversary of our movement from Old to New Bussa. We are also using the celebrations to attract investors to our land. Through this celebration, investors will visit Borgu and they will come to know what they never knew about Borgu. Sadly, we are yet to have an airport in the area. It is one of the things that attract both foreign and local investors.

“Beyond this, we have advantage in so many things given that the town is an attraction to investors. For instance, we have abundance of power supply, which is one of the chief attraction to investors. If you called Niger State, ‘Power state,’ it is because of Borgu. We are not only calling on investors because we have power; we also have large body of water, River Niger. Also, Borgu has in abundance

PDP paying for its sins, says Bafarawa Meanwhile, former Sokoto State governor, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, has advised members of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) to intensify prayers to God for repentance, saying the party was paying for the ills it committed while in office for 16 years.

“It is the sins that the PDP members committed that God is punishing them with it. Almighty Allah does not make mistakes and that was the reason why when the PDP offended him, He snatched the power and handed it to APC,’’ he said at the PDP Northwest zonal rally yesterday in Katsina.

On hid part, the governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo, urged Nigerians to shun all forms of corrupt practices and rise up and challenge the evil of corruption in the country.

“Corruption is an evil deed that retards the progress of any nation,’’ he said.

On his part, former Katsina State governor, Ibrahim Shema, backed calls for the restructuring of the country, saying it would result in rapid development of the nation.

He said that the banking and political sectors must be restructured to encourage all citizens to be part of the Nigerian project.

Shema stressed that Nigerians need not to panic over the agitations by some well meaning Nigerians over the idea of restructuring.

In his remarks, former governor of Niger State, Muazu Babangida Aliyu, advised PDP members to close ranks and work towards the success of the party in 2019, warning that without unity, the party would not return to power.

Dignitaries at the event include PDP national chairman, Uche Secondus; Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, exgovernors Sule Lamido, Ahmed Makarfi, Ramalan Yero and Ibrahim Shekarau, as well as Muktari Shagari and Amb. Aminu Walis.

PMB Has Done Well To Be Reelected In 2019 – Kalu Meanwhile, former governor of Abia State, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu , yesterday, said President Muhammadu Buhari has performed well to be re-elected for a second tenure in the forthcoming 2019 presidential election.

Kalu stated this during a courtesy visit to the palace of the Deji and Paramount Ruler of Akure kingdom, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi Ogunlade, in Akure , the Ondo State capital.

Kalu, a chieftain of All Progressives

Police Nab 7 Over Offa Robbery Attacks The Kwara State commissioner of police, Mr Lawan Ado, yesterday disclosed that seven suspects had been arrested in connection with Thursday’s robbery attacks in Offa.

The robbery attacks on Union Bank, Eco bank, Guarantee Trust Bank, First Bank, Zenith Bank and Ibolo Micro Finance Bank had resulted in the death of 17 people, including seven police officers while a number of injured victims are receiving

treatment in different hospitals in Offa and Ilorin.

Ado told newsmen yesterday in Ilorin, the state capital, that of the seven suspects that were arrested, one was nabbed at Igosun road while the rest were picked up at different locations in Offa.s “They are helping us in our investigation and seven vehicles were recovered from the armed robbers, while some rifles were carted

away by the robbers,” he said.

The police commissioner noted that the Inspector General of Police had ordered a full investigation and had directed his Intelligence Response Team and others to assist in getting the robbers arrested.

He expressed the command’s heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the victims just as he wished the injured quick recovery.

Congress (APC),who was in the palace as part of his advocacy visit to the Southwest geo-political zone, identified peace as the panacea to the development of the country.

The former governor said President Muhammadu Buhari would contest and win the next year’s presidential election on the platform of the APC despite the move by some eminent Nigerians to stop him.

Kalu who was accompanied by members of Orji Uzor Kalu Foundation, asserted that the president deserved a second term having performed creditably in the last three years.

While calling on all Nigerians to support the president in his quest to make the country better than he met it, Kalu urged them to discountenance calls by some Nigerians against the second term ambition of the president.

He said: “Those currently advising the president not to contest in 2019 contested for a second term and won despite performing woefully while in office during their first term.

“Democracy is not built in a day. There must be divided opinions in any democracy.

We must live above party affiliations and tribal differences if our democracy will grow and our nation develop.

“President Buhari has done well and his achievements are there for everyone to see.

As a business man, I travel a lot and I can tell you that this government has rehabilitated many federal roads. The man has done wonderfully well and we should all rally round him to do more for us and our nation.

“No man is perfect in whatever they do.

Even me, I am not perfect. We Christians, our Lord Jesus that came to save us, people have a lot to say about him. So, I don’t think any man is really perfect without criticism.

The president is doing very well; he might have make mistakes in one or two things, but we are on board to tell him.”

Kalu noted that in terms of service delivery, the president had delivered in three years what no other president can give to the country.

“I can give you examples. Federal roads that have been abandoned in 16 years are being built now. I tour the toured the country. I travel a lot both on land and on air .I know the country very well. When you look at me, you see the face of Nigeria. I understand this country very well. We are here to thank your Majesty and bring this advocacy to your palace for you to continue preaching peace within this area.”

CHOOSE YOUR TIMES WISELY It can be tempting, when we are winding down after a busy day, to want to discuss everything with our partner in bed, or perhaps with friends via an online chat or the phone. Discussing your worries is a great idea, but it is best done earlier in the evening. Choosing to start a serious conversation about a topic of concern, such as health or finance, shortly before your planned time to go to sleep, will keep the subject fresh in your mind and may interfere with your ability to fall asleep and enjoy restful sleep. Instead, make a mental note to talk about it the next day, when you are feeling awake and refreshed.

– Culled from “50 Tips To Help You Sleep Well”

April 8, 2018

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Presidency Consoles Kwara Govt Over Offa Attack

BY JONATHAN NDA-ISAIAH, Abuja

The presidency has sympathised with the families of victims, residents of Offa, and the government and people of Kwara State over Thursday’s violent robbery attack in the town.

According to the Presidency, the Nigerian Police have arrested a number of suspects and deployed more personnel to the town to assist in investigations and shore up security in the town.

This is contained in a tweet by the official handle of the Presidency, @

NGRpresident .

The tweet reads, “We sympathise with the families of victims, residents of Offa, and the government & people of Kwara State, on Thursday’s violent robbery attack. @PoliceNG have arrested a number of suspects and

deployed extra personnel to the town, to assist in investigations and beef up security.

LEADRRSHIP Sunday recalls that about 30 robbers had hit Offa town in Kwara State, raiding five commercial banks in a coordinated attack that lasted hours, left the

banks damaged and many feared killed and injured. The armed robbers were said to have made away with several millions of naira from the banks, leaving behind a tale of sorrow, tears and blood.

Some reports had put the death toll at 30, including nine policemen.

Hold Executive Responsible For Budget Delay, Insecurity – Senate

BY AHURAKA ISAH AND SOLOMON AYADO, Abuja

Senate during the weekend absolved itself of responsibility for delay in the passage of budget for the 2018 fiscal year and the plethora of security challenges ravaging the country.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, stated this yesterday while delivering a keynote address during Senate Press Corps Retreat for 2018 held at the Government House in Jos. Saraki insisted that the budget delay, which has been a recurring decimal since the advent of democracy in 1999, resulted from the poor executive-legislative relationship, saying that more often than not the executive works with the mind-set that it is in control of all machineries of power.

He said rather than engage and collaborate with the legislative committees and, indeed, the legislature for the preparation and collations of necessary parameters for the passage of the budget, the executive

would resort to all manner of blackmails and whipping up of public sentiments against the lawmakers.

In response to President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval $1 billion for the purchase of security equipment to combat insurgency in the country, Saraki said the President for instance failed to consult the lawmakers or carry it along.

This is just as he cited the recent federal government’s proposal to raise a N4.6 trillion bond from the capital market, which he said was first heard by the leadership of the National Assembly through a letter written by the president.

LEADERSHIP Sunday recalls that the lawmakers rejected the proposal by the President to raise money from the capital market instantly, just the same way it told the president that by virtue of Section 80 of the 1999 Constitution, the president cannot expend the $1 billion without the approval of the Senate.

“Just few days ago, where the issue of providing

Saraki

funding for the purchase of security equipment, in a good environment, such an issue needed to have been discussed with lawmakers. Already, some senators are angry. They said they were not consulted by the executive before such a decision was taken. These are the issues we are talking about.

“There is no way the security architecture of this country can work without a strong synergy

between the executive and the legislature. When you see certain agencies who by their actions and utterances frustrate the relationship between the two arms, you begin to wonder.

Arguing that the friction between the two arms of government goes beyond party affiliations, Saraki said: “Even during the last administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, when PDP was in charge of the executive and legislature, there were some frictions. It means it is not about the party. It is not about any individual. It is about the system.”

“In a situation where a particular arm of government stands up and calls people from another arm of government thieves, looters and other names, how can we work together? How? It is not possible. It is not realistic. If we collaborate, the country will be better for it,” “If you want to strengthen democracy, the priority of everybody is to strengthen the legislature. If you do not defend the legislature, there

is no way that our democracy will be strengthened because government is not built on individuals. It is built on institutions.

“That is why in developed countries, governments can change, but it does not affect the stability of their democracy because their institutions are strong. We decided to run a presidential of government.

By its nature of checks and balances, there is bound to be frictions. The question now, how healthy is that friction?

“If you take the 2018 budget for example, even before they had bothered to find out where the cause of the delay is coming from, people were already attacking and blaming the legislature.

“When I led the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly, with the Speaker of the House of Representatives to see Mr. President, he came to the meeting as if the delay was that of the National Assembly.

He was humble enough at the end of the discussion to render an apology”.

Omi Dam A Success Story Of Our Agric Policies – Kogi Govt

BY SAM EGWU, Lokoja

The Kogi State government has said the success of the Omi Dam Agricultural Project is clear testimony of the genuineness of the state government’s determination to shift the state’s economy from civil service reliance to that of agricultural prosperity.

Speaking with journalists in Kabba at the weekend, the Director General of Media and Publicity to the governor, Kingsley Fanwo said the state government has “blazed the trail by providing jobs for more youth through the project than the combined civil service strength of Kogi West”, urging investors to “tap into the potentials of the Project to establish processing zones in the area”.

The DG continued: “Today, the Omi Dam Agricultural Project has provided more jobs than the combined number of all the Civil Servants from the seven Local Government Areas of Kogi West. This is the focus of His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello to redirect the state’s economy from white-collar base to that of a green revolution by becoming the number one food destination of Africa.

“The present administration in the state is working closely with the New Direction Blueprint which seeks to create jobs and human capacity development for wealth creation. Kogi is naturally endowed to excel in agriculture.

We have taken a step further by transforming our potentials into reality through the massive agricultural projects in Omi, Osara, Ibaji and Idah.

“The aim of government is to refocus the economy and empower our youth and women to see agriculture as an easy way of combating hunger and poverty as well as making the state a big player in the global agricultural market.

“When completed, the ongoing Greenhouse Project at Osara will turn Kogi to an Agric hub and concentrate our population on adding to our revenue rather than depending on salaries”.

Fanwo further said the administration is concentrating on delivering democracy dividends to the people rather than joining issues with detractors who are bent on discrediting the administration for political reasons.

He continued: “As the poster of the youth in Nigerian politics,

Governor Yahaya Bello has taken daring steps that are capable of fixing a badly damaged state.

Such reforms provoke reactions expectedly. But he will remain committed to the wellness and progress of the state.

“A good number of capital projects have been initiated, completed and commissioned without much fanfare. Some projects are also in progress. The administration has completed over 300km of road construction across the state.

“All the road projects are ongoing simultaneously across the three Senatorial Districts of the State. We also make bold to say we have provided more water to our people more than any administration since the creation of Kogi State.

“The people of Kogi State appreciate what the Governor is doing and will not be swayed by the elitist war of some people who are pained by the fact that there is no more “free money” in the state. That is why they sponsor falsehood against the administration”.

On allegations of failure to pay salaries to civil servants, the Governor’s spokesperson said it is a “media creation, sponsored

and sustained by the elites to create an image issue for the state.

“It is unfortunate that people have continued to sweep the facts under the carpet. We published details of salary payments in the national dailies and even on our website and no single person has come out to accuse us of publishing falsehood”.

Fanwo added: “In the North Central, we have one of the heaviest salary scale. Our scale is better than those of Kwara and Benue. I know a state that has not paid salaries for six months. But we have paid even the February salary. Kogi is only owing March salary.

“The question is: Why are we not hearing about the failure of some states to pay salaries for 6 months? It is clear that there is a conspiracy to give Kogi a bad image by the forces that are not comfortable with our reforms.

“Our allocation and improved internally generated revenue have been seriously strained.

Bayelsa State takes in the excess of 15 billion Naira with a smaller workforce compared to Kogi State. We take less than 4 billion Naira and still service loans taken and either stolen or

Bello

misappropriated by the previous administrations.

“But Governor Bello was not elected to complain. He was elected to find solutions to the barrage of problems he met on ground. Let us support him to succeed”.

He further dismissed the statement credited to Mr Femi Fani Kayode against the governor, insisting that the governor will not be distracted.

According to him, “Nigerians know Femi Fani Kayode and it will be a great disservice to those who respect the Governor if he responds to FFK”.

Sunday, April 8, 2018 8 NEWS ACROSS THE STATES West African Offa Armed Robbery: Saraki Advocates Golfers Storm Otukpo For Mark Improved Security Infrastructure

BY ABDULLAHI OLESIN, Ilorin country’s inadequate response to the executive to see how we can find continue to have this kind of scenario @ 70 security. solutions to the security problems in where a bunch of criminals will hold a

BY AGBO-PAUL AUGUSTINE, Abuja

About 300 golfers from Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal are competing for honours at the Otukpo Golf and Country club, Benue State in the Pro Am golf championship, organised by the Nigerian Golf Federation (NGF) to commemorate the 70th birthday of the immediate past president of the Senate, Senator David Mark.

Born on April 8, 1948 in Otukpo, Benue State, the former Senate President commemorates his 70th birthday today, April 8.

At least 120 professional golfers teed off for a share of the N7million purse prize as Mike Ubi of Air Assault Golf Club, Port Harcourt edged out Sunday Olapade from Maicon Golf Club, Ada, Osun State via “Sudden Death” victory after both players tied at three under.

Emos Korblah from Ghana and Samba Jiang from Senegal, are among top contenders for honours at the weeklong championship.

More than 150 amateur golfers are playing over 36 holes in two days, split into morning and evening tee off times.

Performing the tee off ceremony yesterday, Senator Mark stated, “Words cannot capture the expression of my feelings today, I’m honoured and satisfied with the large turn out of golfers and guests.

It is impressive.”

The former Senate helmsman further assured of his unwavering commitment towards the development of golf in Nigeria, especially at the junior category.

He noted the exploits of the Otukpo International Golf Academy in global championships so far as a needed impetus for professional golf development in Nigeria.

According to Mark, “Students of the academy have constantly been participating in international championships, competing with some of the best in the world, sharpening their skills and becoming the good ambassadors of Nigeria.”

Elder statesman and chairman, Board of Trustees IBB Golf and Country Club, General IBM Haruna (rtd) and former Kogi State governor, Captain Idris Wada, led Abuja contingent to the tournament.

All the golf clubs in Nigeria, as well as Achimota in Ghana, are participating in the championship.

The Pro Am golf tournament will be climaxed with a thanksgiving mass on Sunday, 8th of April at St Augustine Catholic Church, Otukpo, Benue State.

The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki yesterday, called for the general improvement on the security infrastructure of the country.

Saraki, made the call in Offa, Offa local government area of Kwara State when he paid a condolence visit to the Olofa of Offa, Oba Muftau Gbadamosi Esuwoye on the recent bank robbery incident in the town.

Saraki added that Nigeria’s security challenges are as a result of the

Armed robbers, numbering about 15, had last Thursday, attacked five banks and police station in Offa, killing 17 people including nine policemen in the process.

“All the issue has to do with how we will improve on our security infrastructure. It is clear that we are not responding adequately to this.

That is why we organised a security summit sometime ago to address the issue and to work closely with

the country.

“We, on the legislative arm, are ready to come up with the real design to improve on the security challenges, whether it is the human resources, equipment, or it has to do with funding and legislation. There is also the issue of the actual structure of the police.

“This issue requires a very radical and serious minded approach.

Unless we address this, we will

town hostage for two hours and carry out this mayhem. There is no society that will really allow this kind of thing to happen.

“We condole with the families of both the civilians and the policemen that died during the incident. In a place like Offa, that is very vibrant in commerce, we must address the issue of security challenge so that people can continue to carry out their normal activities.

Chairman, House Committee on Legislative Budget and Research, Hon Timothy Golu (right) with the new/substantive Chief Judge of Plateau State, Hon Justice Yakubu Dakwak during his inauguration in Jos at the Weekend.

Suspected Herdsmen Abduct, Kill Pastor In Edo

BY PATRICK OCHOGA, Benin City

Suspected herdsmen have killed a Pastor of the Church of God Mission in Benin City, Pastor Pius Eromosele.

Pastor Eromosele, was killed at his farm at Odighi in Ovia North East local government area after they allegedly demanded a ransom of N4m.

Another farmer, who was found killed and whose identity could not be ascertained, was buried inside the bush because he was already

decomposed.

The unidentified farmer was found by a search party, comprising of hunters and local vigilante, who went into the bush to look for Pastor Eromosele.

Eldest son of late Pastor Eromosele, Dr Richard Eromosele, said his father was abducted on Thursday, March 29 and was found already decomposing in the bush on Tuesday, April 3rd.

Dr Richard said he almost passed out when he saw the way his father

was brutally murdered.

Richard told newsmen that the killers cut through his father’s skull after they shot him at close range.

He stated that he reported the incident to the police and was referred to the anti-kidnapping unit but the police did not do anything to rescue his father.

Richard said two of his father’s workers, Kingsley and Akpan, who managed to escape from the herdsmen, narrated what happened

before his father was killed.

He said, “Last Thursday, my mother called that she had been calling my father and that he was not picking.

She later called that my father later picked and told her that herdsmen had kidnapped him at his farm.

“The herdsmen did not use their phones. They were using my father’s phone and the phone of one of his workers. They demanded for N4m but we begged them that it was a holiday and could not raise such money.

Telecom Operators Give Reasons For Network Interruption

BY NAN

Telecom operators, yesterday, blamed intermittent interruptions on network on vandalism of base stations, destruction of optic fibre, high forex and shutting of base stations by government agencies.

The President of Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr Olusola Teniola, made

the attribution in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

“There is a situation in the industry whereby the equipment to bring into the country to increase capacity is either delayed by government, or at the port, we are not given the right payment in time.

“Secondly, forex is high but the equipment price has not reduced,

making it very difficult to sustain investment in increasing our network coverage and capacity. ”Vandalism, theft and sabotage of our base stations’ equipment, and base stations being shut down by different agencies, demanding one tax after another, do not help operators.

“We have incidents of optic fibre destruction, which impact on traffic to be carried to and from one location

or city to another.

“There is need for security operatives to ensure that telecommunications equipment, which is a critical national infrastructure, is protected,” the ATCON president said.

Furthermore, he urged the Federal Government to ease burden on service providers by expediting action on issuance of relevant right of way permits for operators.

Customs Import Duty On Renewables Undermining FG’s Efforts

BY CHINELO CHIKELU, Abuja

Non-profit group, Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria (REAN) has said that the Nigeria Customs’ imposition of import duty on renewables and energy efficient products, is undermining federal government’s efforts thus far to boost energy access via renewable energy

sources by 30 per cent.

The association says that Customs has placed five to 10 per cent import duties on renewables, a deviation from the Common External Tariff (CET) code 8541.4010.00 guiding trade treaties, which shows import duty on solar panels at zero per cent.

According to the group, the zero import is to encourage ease of doing

business and increase access to energy to the over 70 of Nigerians without access to adequate electricity. The import duty, however, not only slowed the discharge of Renewable Energy (RE) goods from ports but also led to increase in demurrage charges, that is required compensation charges for the delay of cargoes beyond its scheduled time.

In addition, the increased tariff will lead to increase in the cost of acquisition solar panels in Nigeria, which are currently largely deployed in rural areas where purchasing power is low. This can further derail federal government’s target to generate 30 per cent of electricity through renewables by 2030.

The group urged federal government

to stop Customs’ duties imposition on imported solar panels and called on the federal government in collaboration with the federal ministry of finance to set up a taskforce for Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE) within Nigerian Customs in order to fast track the screening of RE and EE component imports as well as streamline the importation process.

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FEATURE 9

Bodies of slain residents

Mass Killings: Not Yet Uhuru For Zamfara Residents

The celebration over the killing of North West most notorious criminal gang leader Buharing Daji was recently shattered with fresh attacks by elements suspected to be lieutenants of the of the late Bandit leader. Abba Kabara (Gusau) reports on the new wave of mass killings in Zamfara State.

Buharin Daji is now no more, but it is evident that there is still much to do by the security forces because most of this seemingly unrepentant lieutenants are still very much active

With the killing of 21 bandits by troops of the Nigerian Army on Thursday in Tunga Daji, Anka local government of Zamfara State, the protracted attacks by armed bandits in Zamfara and some states in the North West may not be over.

This is coming after the reported killing of notorious bandit kingpin Buharin Daji recently by a combined security operations in the state. In a statement by the director, Army Public Relations, Texas Chukwu, troops of 232 Battalion Zuru, while on clearance patrol on Wednesday, encountered the armed bandits and ”neutralised 21 of them.”

The Army spokesman said many bandits also escaped with gunshot wounds. He said two soldiers died during the operation.

“Unfortunately we lost an officer and a soldier during the encounter.

The remains of the officer and soldier has been evacuated to Federal Medical Center Gusau,” the spokesperson said.

He listed recoveries from the bandits to include: five AK 47 assault rifles, one light machine gun, five magazines and 35 rounds of 7,62mm special ammunition.

In spite of the recent success of the security agents against banditry, Zamfara still remains a colony of killer agents. Evidently, public apprehension is mounting as the state is gradually becoming economically vandalised, socially traumatised and risk being politically disenfranchised due to the incessant and prolonged brutal bandits’ attacks and mass killings of rural communities.

Barely five days after President Muhammadu Buhari paid official

visit to the state to condole the government and people of over the unfortunate mass murder of thousands of citizens, the armed bandits launched another major attack on Bawon Daji village of Anka LGA, allegedly killing dozens of people and wounding several others.

Eyewitnesses told LEADERSHIP Sunday that large number of armed bandits on motorbikes besieged the village in the late evening of Tuesday, and begun to shoot at the unsuspecting peasant community, killing several people on the spot and immediately retreated into the forest.

“After the operation, over thirty bodies littered the scene”, said an eyewitness adding that other victims were murdered on the outskirts of the village. The eyewitness further said in the early morning of the following Wednesday when community members were burying the dead, the bandits besieged the burial square and killed three people.

Though the council chairman of Anka LGA, Hon. Mustapha Gado Anka confirmed the death of twelve persons in the first attack and three others in the second attack, while the Zamfara police spokesman, DSP Muhammad Shehu said only three persons were confirmed killed in the attack.

Ironically, the brutal operation came on the heels of what sounded like a final warning by the president, with executive orders he gave the military and the police to deal decisively with the decedents and make sure the bandits were flushed out dead before the fall of

rainy season.

The mode of operation adopted in the recent attack LEADERSHIP Sunday learnt did not indicate elements of reprisal attack as was often the case with cattle rustlers as there was no trace of any cattle rustled in the operation. This time, it was only the blood of the innocents that was spilled, which many have likened to act similar to Book Haram style of operation.

Just as President Buhari expressed the belief that the demise of the dreaded leader of the armed bandits, the Buhari Tsoho, commonly known as Buharin Daji “does not comfortably mean the final end to the problem”, he however observes, “there are his remaining lieutenants still alive and may continue with the criminal acts”, many are of the belief that the late criminal leader’s lieutenants are out to continue his mission.

His main enclave is located within Dansadau district of Maru LGA from where he organises and gives orders for attack on selected communities. His operation was always brutal and merciless, and he never cared to deny his heinous crimes.

Buharin Daji is now no more, but it is evident that there is still much to do by the security forces because most of this seemingly unrepentant lieutenants are still very much active, considering the recent attack and killing of dozens of innocent citizens in Zamfara.

Before his death, bandit leader had released a warning in a recorded audio massage that his notorious crime activities will make Zamfara worse that Maiduguri and its

environs, threatening that this will come to pass even after his death, challenging security authorities.

The death of Buhahin Daji sparked up simultaneous jubilation across the state, especially when recorded evidence of his killing by his close allies was heard by thousands across the state.

At the December 2017 peace dialogue between a government committee headed by the Zamfara State deputy governor, Mallam Ibrahim Wakkala, on one hand, and the large group of bandits headed by their leader Buharin Daji, at least 1,000 bandits including the notorious leader agreed to lay down their arms with a promise to turn a new leaf.

Following the peace dialogue, the state enjoyed relative peace until the sudden attack and killing of over four peasant farmers in Zurmi LGA. The Zurmi incidence came as a rude shock as the peace agreement struck between the government and the bandits was already in effect. An audio clip released on social media few days before the Zurmi incidence suggested that the peace deal may have been thrown into the waste bin.

Death Figure unknown, community intensifies search for bodies The actual figure of people killed from last week’s attack by bandits in Bawan Daji of Anka LGA remain uncertain, contrary to the official figure released by the authorities.

Few hours after the incidence, the ➔ CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE

10

FEATURE

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Mass Killings: Not Yet Uhuru For Zamfara Residents ➔ FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

state police command announced that only three lives were lost, but the following day the figure were alleged to have risen to 15.

The figure kept raising until last Friday when a first class Emir and the chairman Council of Chiefs in the state Alhaji Attahiru Ahmed, announced the number of dead as 30 when the state governor Abdulaziz Yari, accompanied by Senator Sani Yarima and many other dignitaries paid the royal father a condolence visit in his palace in Anka.

From the account given by the emir, the figure he announces was not the final one as according to him, “Search for more casualties is still going on at the time I left after performing the burial rites of thirty bodies on ground,” he said.

A local legislator who prefers anonymity, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that as at last Saturday 21 already decomposed bodies were discovered in the forest while on the following Sunday seven other bodies were discovered and as the search continues.

Meanwhile, some of the local eyewitnesses in the area told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the number of casualties is far more than what was released to the media. One of the witness who simply call himself Salisu said he escaped death just by whiskers.

“There are currently more twenty missing persons whose bodies are believed to be still in the forest”, lamenting people are afraid to go into the forest for fear of the bandits.

He said already about 40 bodies were buried, expressing fear that the over twenty people missing were also killed by the group.

Another witness who would not disclose his identity also claim that over 70 lives might have been lost to the bandits’ attack. He said the attack on his community was simultaneously launched for three days, and on each day lives were lost. He further narrated that many bodies were still scattered in the forest and “we are afraid to walk into the dreaded forest to collect their remains.

The witness further narrated that the worst attack was on Thursday when many people gathered at the burial ground to bury the bodies of those killed the previous day when large number of people running for their lives were shot dead, while those who managed to escape into the forest were tracked and killed.

“I am sure that the number of those killed would be more than seventy,” he claimed.

Another witness, the Imam Mallam Umar, claimed that more than 60 lives were lost to the attack, he disclose that his community and the bandits held several peace dialogue to resolve whatever conflict. He said, “The bandits were known by everyone of us, and they often mix and move freely among us, appearing on market days.”

Umar said he located and led the collection of over 20 bodies from the forest, stressing that so far as at Thursday afternoon after the

A corpse being taken for burial

The emir noted that poor peasants in state were no longer safe as it has become even risky for any person to report a suspicious element to the security, especially the police

attack, there were about 40 bodies on ground. According to him, “There are a lot of bodies left in the forest but we could not collectively move into the forest to search for bodies as the consequences could be very grave,” he laments.

Emir of Anka weeps over deaths of subjects The Emir of Anka, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmed, who is the chairman, Zamfara council of chiefs, has last Friday in his palace publicly shed tears while narrating to Governor Yari, in the presence of top security officers, his painful feelings over the persistent attacks and killings of poor subjects of his emirate.

The emir was frantic in expressing his frustrations and disappointment with the level of security by both the military and the police in protecting lives and the property of the people. He was speaking in his palace when Governor Yari, in company of Senator Yarima and senior security officers paid him a condolence visit over the recent attack in his emirate.

The emir noted that poor peasants in state were no longer safe as it has become even risky for any person to report a suspicious element to the security, especially the police. He said once a patriotic individual reports any questionable person or movement, the issue often boomerangs against the innocent with the consequences of falling victim.

“It appears and generally believe that the police and the criminals are allies,” the emir stated. The traditional ruler expressed the fears of his people on confidence of the security outfits deployed to the state, suggesting that if the combined security agents have failed to counter the lingering insecurity, particularly the armed banditry “there is urgent need

to solicit for the assistance of forces from the United Nations or African Union to help end the worsening situation,” he stressed.

Gov Yari Blames Security Agents Governor Abdulaziz Yari has expressed dissatisfaction with the combined security agents in their responsibilities of ensuring law and order and tackling the armed banditry in his state.

He disclosed this during his condolence visit to the palace of Emir of Anka, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmed to commiserate with him and the people of his emirate over the recent attack and killings of several people by armed bandits.

He said despite the huge financial and other logistic his government has, and is still committing to ensure the protection of lives and properties of citizens, “the menace of banditry and killings has continued unabated,” stressing that his government was always steadfast in doing what is responsible and even beyond its limit, all in an effort to motivate the security agents in the bid to stop the brutal attacks and killings of innocent citizens, “but regrettably the problem still remains”.

Governor Yari reminded the combined security agents that the defiant armed bandits have not acquired any sophisticated training, and far less exposed as the military, and are far inferior compared to war tactics and experience, “but I wonder why the combined security forces seemed to have failed in this responsibility”.

“I have always discuss it with some people, and even with Mr President that I am impressed with once a military office deployed to the state who diligently dared the bandits without collaboration with other security outfits and

recorded encouraging success in dealing with the situation”, explaining that when the situation resurfaces after he left, “one finds it regretting that now with combined forces of military and the police, the problem is still reoccurring”.

Governor regrets that it may sound shameful when just few days after the presidential visit to state with presidential instruction to the security to wake up to its responsibility in bringing the issue to an end, “there was an open attacks occurring in sequence with no traces of security personnel to resist and suppress the criminal attack.”

Police Commissioner Replies Gov Yari on order to shoot at sight Zamfara State commissioner of Police, Kenneth Ebrimson, has said the law does not permit the police to shoot and kill any suspect simply because he was seen carrying weapon such as rifle. The commissioner who disclosed this in the Galata Mafara personal residence of governor Yari, was apparently responding to governor Yari’s executive order that the police and other security personnel’s are free to shoot and kill on sight, anybody openly spotted handling rifle or other killer weapon suspected as a member of the armed bandits.

Mr Kenneth explains that the duty of the police is to arrest, investigated and forward to court for prosecution of any person suspected to have been involved in or attempts to involve in a criminal act, “but we don’t have the powers to kill a suspect on sight”.

He said the duty of the police, like any other constitutional provision, is guided by rules and regulations and any action contrary to the state law will not be lawfully proper to execute.

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11

Nigerian Stock Exchange

Nigerian Stocks Market On The Positive Trajectory In Q1

Having ended the first quarter of 2018 on a positive trajectory with a record of N1.4 trillion gain despite the volatility experience during the period. Analysts foresee sustainability of the performance on an improved macroeconomic fundamental. OLUSHOLA BELLO writes.

T

he Nigerian s t o c k s market, at the end of the first quarter of 2018, experienced relatively impressive Return on Investment (RoI) as investors recorded gains.

Meanwhile, despite its slide in recent weeks, the composite NSE All Share Index for the first quarter of the year still gained 3,261.32 points or 8.53 per cent to close at 41,504.51 points from the opening level of 38,243.19 points in December 29, 2017.

Investors traded a huge volume of 42.87 billion shares from previous quarter’s 23.26 billion shares traded.

Within the period however, the market index touched a high of

45,321.82 basis points and a 37,646.88 low to reveal the high level of volatility within the period.

Similarly, market capitalisation for the period was up by N1.384 trillion to close higher at N14.993 trillion, from an opening value of N13.609 trillion.

Market capitalisation for the period was supported by the listing of additional shares of some companies at the end of their recent concluded right issues. The new listings made the effects of the price adjustments for dividend declared recently on the market capitalisation to pale into insignificance.

The better-thanexpected corporate earnings released,

especially towards the end of the quarter did not impact equity prices and market fundamentals, as there seemed more negative sentiment than positive reactions to the companies reported impressive numbers that had supported higher yields before now despite the relative high valuations in the market.

It is however, good to mention that the continued intervention by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the interbank segment of the foreign exchange market has supported the naira’s stability against major currencies and driving national output. This has closed the gap between the interbank and black-

market rates, stabilizing prices and controlling imported inflation, just as consumer price index fell for the 13th consecutive months to 14.33 per cent in February, to reflect the impact of monetary authority in its bid to ensure price stability and drive economic growth and development.

Sectoral analysis showed that most investors in Nigerian equities ended Q1 with positive returns.

Investors in industrial goods and banking stocks were ahead of other investors. The NSE Industrial Goods Index recorded the highest quarter-onquarter return of 10.96 per cent. The NSE Banking Index followed with a return of 9.49 per cent.

The NSE Insurance Index rallied average gain of 8.41 per cent.

The NSE Oil and Gas Index appreciated by 4.90 per cent while the NSE Consumer Goods Index posted a modest return of 0.21 per cent. The NSE 30 CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE

That is what differentiates us from other smaller brokerage businesses.

Today, we provide consultancy service in marine support services for the oil and gas companies and play as one of the leaders in the oil and gas support service niche

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Nigerian Stocks Market On The Positive Trajectory In Q1 FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Overall, I will say the first quarter has done well, activity has been very good. The market does not operate in isolation, it reflects the larger economy

Index, which tracks the 30 most capitalised companies at the stock market, posted a threemonth return of 7.30 per cent.

Stocks market analysts attributed the market performance to the stellar performance by the industrial goods and banking sectors, saying that both sectors rode on the back of regulatory protection by the government and their primary regulators to deliver the performance.

They noted that the market would have done better given a clear cut policy in certain areas of the economy, saying that the overall performance of the market was impressive.

They averred that the inability of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) members to sit due to non-constitution of the committee slowed activity in the market.

The chief operating officer of InvestData Limited, Mr. Ambrose Omordion said that the nation’s equity market on quarterly basis had continued to look up despite the recent technical correction that had shakeout many investors and traders out of position to slow down market momentum.

Omordion added that as the quarter under review was up, but on a mixed sentiments, resulting from the positive macro-economic data, stronger corporate earnings and growing consumer confidence in the midst sociopolitical instability, rising debt profile of the nation and unclear economic reforms of the government.

Chief operating officer and stockbroker with Foresight Securities and Investment Management, Mr. Charles Fakrogha also adjudged the market performance for the quarter good, saying that the fact that the MPC did not meet during the quarter did not have any material

Onyema

impact on the market.

He said, “in January, we saw a lot of activities in the market; we saw so much returns. Of course, at a point, the Nigerian equities market was adjudged one of the best performing in the world and that tempo was due to the positive ratings by some international rating agencies and that tempo continued for quite some time. It was also sustained as a result of the earning reports of the companies that hit the market.

“Overall, I will say the first quarter has done well, activity has been very good. The market does not operate in isolation, it reflects the larger economy.

What you see in the market is basically a reflection of happening in the Nigeria economy.

However, towards the end of February and March, we saw a reverse of the situation.”

Stocks market performance for April, Omordion said in the Nigerian stocks market, the month of April is the peak period of quarterly earnings season which suggests that traders should be in the market before the quarterly numbers start rolling in.

Zubair

According to him, more quarterly and few full year earnings would be released.

Earnings from bluechip companies may strengthen market fundamentals, if positive.

He also said the first MPC meeting in 2018 will give direction expected to boost the recovery so far as the market and analysts are expecting rate cut as inflation is heading to one digit number and make cost of borrowing cheaper, saying that the market will see more volatility as selling down may continue if the political environment start becoming tens.

He noted that “we will see a more vibrant market as a result of market players positioning for second quarter, even as we expect liquidity to improve.” Stocks market analysts noted that from the foregoing, the current bullish trend of the Nigerian equities market will depend on many global, domestic, regulatory and industrial factors.

“On the global scene, possibility of low oil prices due to renewed investments

in shale oil exploration and production and stronger dollar may result in capital reversal from Nigeria and other emerging market economies.

This will affect the Nigerian capital market negatively.

“In the domestic front, favourable macroeconomic conditions, timely implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan and judicious execution of the 2018 budget would help accelerate growth and restore confidence in the economy.

The sustenance of the current foreign exchange intervention regime, relatively stable oil prices and restoration of security in the Niger Delta region will be critical in ensuring the equities market maintains the current momentum.

“Regulatory efforts of developing the capital market and protecting investors by the NSE and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) coupled with a favourable business environment that yield higher corporate results are equally key for the growth of the market.”

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FEATURE 13

Take aways From IMF 2018 Article IV Consultation With Nigeria SAM DIALA examines the recent report of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and highlights five takeaways from the Article IV Consultation with Nigeria.

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alient issues critical to Nigeria’s sustainable macroeconomic development have been raised in the recent report of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) surveillance visit to the country. The visit, called Article IV Consultation, is aimed at identifying weaknesses that could result to economic or financial instability of the country and, by extension, derail the overall developmental objectives of the IMF. The annual visit is called “Article IV Consultation” because member countries are required

by Article IV of the IMF Articles of Agreement to subject their economic and financial policies for scrutiny of the international community. This process of regular monitoring of economies and associated provision of policy advice is referred to as “surveillance”.

Key focus areas include policy initiatives considered conducive to orderly economic growth, reasonable price stability and check against manipulating exchange rates for unfair competitive advantage. Sufficient data must be presented to the visiting IMF representatives to show that the economy is being driven in the right direction; while the Fund identifies areas of improvement opportunity with measurable goals.

Leadership capacity of the country to effect adequate, sustainable and appropriate policies and regulations at national, cascading into subnational and organisational levels determines the success or otherwise of the country’s economic development. Election and law-making processes, education, security, investment, manufacturing, agriculture, financial services, employment and other fundamentals are considered critical to this process.

Risks to the outlook include lower oil prices, tighter external market conditions, heightened security issues, and delayed policy responses

An Overview The IMF report noted that Nigeria had exited the 15-month painful recession that began in the second quarter of 2016, but warned that the economy remains vulnerable. It commended the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) initiative launched in March 2017, which could help in solving the lingering power challenge and sustain the tempo for enhanced business environment. The Fund observed that macroeconomic and structural reforms were urgently required to contain vulnerability and support sustainable private

sector led growth.

It noted that economic recovery remained challenged amid sluggish growth. It said that gross domestic product (GDP) expansion of 1.4 per cent, yearon-year, recorded in the third quarter of 2017 was largely oilinduced though agriculture played a role. The vulnerability of the economy, despite the positive development, can be ascertained from the receding growth in the non-oil-non-agriculture sector which represents about 65 per cent of the economy.

It added, “Difficulties in accessing financing and high inflation continued to weigh on companies’ performance and consumer demand”. While inflation rate continued to decline (15.9 per cent by end-November), it remained high and far from the target single-digit inflation.

The Fund acknowledged measures adopted in addressing the macroeconomic imbalances and structural impediments. Lagarde These include the ERGP and Ease make a significant dent in reducing of Doing Business launched earlier poverty and unemployment in 2017. Foreign exchange reform requires a comprehensive set of that gave birth to the Investor and policy measures. However, with Exporter (I&E) foreign exchange oil prices expected to remain lower (forex) window has boosted forex than in the past, upfront actions supply. The effect reflects in the to mobilize non-oil revenues, improved foreign reserves that hit including through reforming the a four-year high of $46 billion as VAT and removing exemptions, forex parallel market premium is are needed while safeguarding on a decline. It welcomed steps priority expenditures, including taken to improve power supply scaling up social safety nets and and fight corruption. infrastructure investment.”

“However, in the absence of new The IMF pointed out that policies, the near-term outlook strong fiscal condition requires remains challenging. Growth is tight monetary policy measures expected to continue to pick up to tackle inflation and general in 2018 to 2.1 percent, helped vulnerability. According to the by the full year impact of greater Fund, Nigeria should pursue availability of foreign exchange unified foreign exchange policy to and higher oil production, but to boost confidence in the economy stay relatively flat in the medium and reduce potential risks from term. Risks to the outlook include capital flow reversals. It advocates lower oil prices, tighter external a diversified private sector-led market conditions, heightened economy, adding “Strengthening security issues, and delayed policy governance and transparency responses”, the IMF said in the initiatives, and lowering report. gender inequality and fostering The international financial financial inclusion would also be institution noted that the important.” challenge in tackling the various macroeconomic imbalances to The Takeaways achieve growth that impacts on • Little to Celebrate the life of the people is enormous.

A worrisome aspect of the postIt also welcomed the tax reform recession growth is its oil-induced launched by the Nigerian nature. Analysts express concern government under the Voluntary over the return of oil as major Asset and Income Declaration driver of the economy. At an Scheme (VAID), but advised that Economic Summit organised by the Value Added Tax (VAT) be a Lagos-based media enterprise raised and more taxable avenues last February, experts noted that created to boost revenue for the return of oil as key revenue infrastructure and other priority generating force of government investments. underscored the fact that nothing According to the Fund, had changed. The vulnerability is “Containing vulnerabilities and still there and the growth in the achieving growth rates that can

economy cannot be called ‘growth’ in the real sense of it.

“Even though we are out of recession and still growing, over 20 economic activities are still in the negative territory. Economies run in a boom and bust cycle, but the speed at which economies get into the bust is always high.

“Recovery in oil exports has strengthened the country’s balance of trade. This has helped in the country’s growth in reserves.

Though we have exited recession, economic growth is still fragile.

Unemployment remains high”, Yemi Kale, Statistician-General of the Federation/CEO of National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), said at the February Economic Summit in Lagos.

Amid oil-induced rebounding of the economy, Nigeria’s unemployment rate has worsened.

From 14.2 per cent in fourth quarter (Q4) 2016 hitting 16.2 per cent in Q2 2017, unemployment jumped to 18.8 per cent as at Q3 2017. Furthermore, about 70 per cent of Nigeria’s over 190 million people live in abject poverty -less than $1 or N305 per day.

“This is abstract growth; it has not impacted on the lives of the people”, Kayode Sodipo, a Labour Economist, told Leadership Sunday.

“It is not yet ‘uhuru’. Real GDP growth rate, though now in the positive territory, remains weak and fragile, driven chiefly by the oil sector. Critical growth sectors such as manufacturing, construction, transportation ➔ CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE

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FEATURE

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Take aways From IMF 2018 Article IV Consultation With Nigeria ➔ FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

are still in the negative territory.

Ditto for vital social sectors such as Education and Health.

“The much talked about diversification of the productive base is still a far cry. GDP growth rate is still below population growth rate and so the impact is hardly felt by the ordinary Nigerian”, Joe Uche Uwaleke, Associate Professor and Head, Banking & Finance Department Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nasarawa State, told Leadership Sunday by e-mail.

Commenting further on the economic paradox, Kale said: “Oil got us into recession and oil largely took us out of recession”.

He pointed out that in a situation whereby high vulnerable oil sector accounts for 80 per cent of government revenues, a consumption-driven non-oil sector, including manufacturing, real estate, public administration, trade, finance – all depend largely on the fortunes of the oil sector to thrive, is a pointer to the vulnerability of the post-recession growth being celebrated. “There is nothing to celebrate yet’, said Sodipo. Nigeria must reduce oil revenue dependence and create space for the private sector.

• Private Sector Quagmire The IMF expressed concern over the overall negative effect on the private sector: “Revenues declined marginally, as higher oil receipts were offset by shortfalls in FG independent revenue (80 percent relative to budget). Higher financing requirements—albeit some of it increasingly met through external sources towards yearend—and increased banks’ risk aversion have crowded out private sector lending (-3.3 percent year-on-year).”

Deposit money banks are reaping bountifully from fixedincome investment. The lenders maintain that tight monetary policy, high operating cost, infrastructure deficit and hostile operating environment, among others, justify their priorities for treading the path of lesser risks by looking the way of fixed-income against traditional lending to the private sector. It is not likely that the private sector will be greatly relieved of the financing pressure that has remained a critical operating challenge, as the banks intensify survival measures.

According to Uwaleke: “Granted inflation rate is beating a retreat but remains high at over 13 per cent, well above the CBN upper regulatory band of 9 per cent.

Consequently, policy rate has remained high at 14 per cent and so have lending rates by Deposit Money Banks. So SMEs get starved of loanable funds.

Infrastructural gaps especially with regard to power remain a big challenge. Incessant fuel scarcity has equally not helped matters in recent times.”

• Tougher Reforms While government

has

Key risks to the outlook include additional delays in policy and reform implementation in a pre-election year, increasing security tensions, and a fall in oil prices, which could trigger a capital flow reversal

maintained its stand to improve the people’s standard of living by providing the necessary infrastructure, create an enabling environment, roll out policies that facilitate the Ease of Doing Business implementation and engage in job creation, these cannot be free – at no cost to the people.

Government may bow to the pressure of increasing VAT rate and expanding the scope of VATable items. Notwithstanding the lingering challenge in the power sector whereby electricity consumers have paid astronomically high tariff without corresponding improvement in electricity supply, the distribution companies (DISCOs) maintain that only “appropriate tariff” can guarantee stable power supply.

The paradox of petroleum product subsidy amid fixed pump price of 145 per litre of petrol, does not seem sustainable. While Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) subsidises petroleum products to the tune of N774 million per day, over 82 per cent of Nigerians still buy petrol at an average of N199 per litre according to NBS. Misery index has increased to 55 per cent.

Recent report by the NBS showed improved internally generated revenue (IGR) status of the states, suggesting that more aggressive measures are being taken towards non-oil revenue mobilisation. Unavoidably, the people bear the brunt of multiple taxation administered with cruelty and impunity at the subnational level.

The IMF report stated: “In addition to ongoing efforts to improve tax administration, Directors underlined the need for more ambitious tax policy measures, including through reforming the value-added tax, increasing excises, and rationalizing tax incentives.

“The implementation of an automatic fuel price-setting mechanism, sound cash and debt management, improved transparency in the oil sector, increased monitoring of the fiscal position of state and local governments, and substantially scaled-up social safety nets should support the adjustment.”

• Year of Two Halves As activities gear up in 2018 for the 2019 general elections, it is observed that the dividend of the

post-recession growth will have to wait for the next one year, at least, after the elections. Experts have described 2018 as a year of two halves. “The first half of positive growth while rising uncertainties surrounding pre-election year, which will see economic agents take a more cautious position on the economy in the second half of the year”, said speakers at the Lagos Economic Summit meant to deliberate on the impact of government policies on the people as the economy navigates from recovery to growth.

According to IMF, “The outlook has improved but remains challenging. Higher oil prices would support a recovery in 2018 but a “muddle-through” outlook is projected for the medium term under current policies, with fiscal dominance and structural constraints leading to continuing falls in real GDP per capita. Key risks to the outlook include additional delays in policy and reform implementation in a preelection year, increasing security tensions, and a fall in oil prices, which could trigger a capital flow reversal. ” • Structural Adjustment Imperatives The Nigerian government is being urged to embark on (tougher) reforms to eliminate waste, corruption, and free resources for infrastructure and human capital investment. As a rule, economic benefits come at a cost; Nigerians should be prepared to make the necessary sacrifice while government navigates the tough route of economic recovery and sustainable growth. It is obvious that the people cannot have their cake and eat it.

Nigeria is public-sector driven; virtually every bit of development is tied to government – employment, infrastructure, policy, education and the likes.

Private sector contribution to national development is minimal. The three factors that ICE economic development – Investment, Consumption and Export, are lagging or virtually non-existent. Because, government is the largest employer of labour, productivity is extremely low and the private sector which drives development in advanced economies is comatose here.

Nigeria has debt profile of N21.7 trillion as at December 31, 2017. Servicing the debt and maintaining strong fundamentals for sustainable growth is a huge challenge. The infrastructure to pull the economy out of oil will take some time to materialize.

In the meantime, the factors of production to support the ambitious non-oil revenue projection of 2018 will be actualized in future, depending on how things play out in the 2019 election. Irrespective of the “improvements” noticed in the economy, the proposed 2018 budget will deliver; but certainly not in 2018. Meanwhile, the pains of adjustment will remain.

BUSINESS INTERVIEW 15

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Knowledge Gap Responsible For Failure Of MFBs – Adegbami In this interview with OLUSHOLA BELLO, managing director/CEO Mainstreet Microfinance Bank Limited, a subsidiary of Skye Bank Plc, Mr. Adegoke Adegbami speaks on the challenges facing the micro finance sector among other related issues.

Loan recovery is a major challenge in Nigeria, especially in banks. What has been your experience thus far?

There is an adage that says there are no bad followers but bad leaders. So you need to do your assignment before you pass your money to your customers because once the money leaves your hands and gets to their (customers) hands they have a stronger point. There is also an adage that says ‘The mouth that people use in borrowing is different from the one they use in paying’. That means you need to do your assignment before your money leaves your custody.

We talk about all issues of policies that relates to risk and the type of policy we have are policies that tell us that this is how to begin a loan and this is where to end. There are businesses we can do so, also are businesses we cannot do. The kinds of things we observe are cash flow of the person, the integrity of the person and sustainability. Once the customer has met all the conditions we then disburse the money. Some bad loans are also results of connivance between fraudulent staff and some customers.

In actual fact, we don’t let the customer go and sleep, we monitor them and that also determines the location of our branches. The monitoring mechanism carried out by our Loan Recovery Officers is very right. It is not just about giving out loans, we do our assignment before disbursement, we monitor and make sure the money comes back as at when due because the main asset of a microfinance bank are the risk assets and loans. If the policy of the loan is not well managed and you are unable to recover then it will be eroding our capital and we will be losing money and gradually will be out of the market.

The procedure we have put in place has helped us thus far.

I think we need to basically go back to the definition of microfinance. Microfinance means providing financial services to the small and low income earners

What is the future of microfinance banking in Nigeria?

I think we need to basically go back to the definition of microfinance. Microfinance means providing financial services to the small and low income earners.

But when you look at the microfinance, there are some that are in the small and medium enterprises (SME) group, there are some that are very micro, those trading in petty markets and so on.

It depends on what you want to and for a microfinance bank you can’t attend to all of them. For instance, if we want to tackle poverty we won’t be going to get everybody on the street to come and do business with us.

Some of them will come but they cannot really save their mon-

Adegbami

ey, some of them are actually involved with one small business or the other. These are the ones we call the active ones because they are actively involved with something, so, these are the ones we target. The ones we believe if it’s effectively done, they will bring their money to save in the bank and they will also be requiring small loans and also employ someone else. They also get their businesses better structured, better planned and maybe need to expand when it gets better with time into a limited liability company.

Tell us about the present challenges faced by microfinance banks in the country?

There is challenge of capacity building which is being addressed by the day. There is also challenge of funding. Microfinance needs stable funding both from private, commercial and development sources. Poor credit culture in our society is also a major problem.

I also think that microfinance in Nigeria is currently being strictly regulated compared with what obtains in many East African, South African and Asian countries.

We know that the regulators objective is in response to the nature of our own society. But we should get to a point where some small scale microfinance can operate just like the modern forms of our typical Alajo or Esusu system.

Those people will not need N20 million to start their businesses, particularly in our remote villages and their activities would be guided by other business related parts of our laws, pending when they will grow to the level of strict regulation.

At that point, they will be compelled to list for regulation. Also, lack of public infrastructure makes the business of microfinance to be very expensive. Microfinance is naturally expensive because of its small loan sizes and the labour intensive nature. But Nigerian environment is more challenging because of the absence of public utilities.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is set to increase the minimum paid-up capital of Unit Micro-Finance Banks (MFBs) to N100 million. What is your view on this?

The 2008 global economic meltdown drew a lot of issues and challenges. There was the challenge of people losing their jobs and then looking for something to do. Microfinance provided an opportunity where they could get some money. For example, those people that lost their jobs could start some small scale businesses. Each of them can also provide jobs for two or three other people. There were also people that lost their jobs in the commercial banks and saw microfinance as the natural alternative.

Shortly before the meltdown, there was the banking consolidation in Nigeria and the consolidation reduced the number of commercial banks in Nigeria from 82 to about 25. Many people in the money deposit banking space lost their jobs in 2006 and 2007 due to reorganisation, rightsizing and downsizing following the banking consolidation. The next thing was for those people to get jobs in the emerging microfinance space.

In a typical Nigerian way, many of these people believed that microfinance means the smaller version of commercial bank. They believed the commercial banking knowledge they had was enough to run microfinance business. They were wrong because at the regulators level, many of the examiners were using their commercial bank orientation to examine microfinance banks. The microfinance market operates on a different ideology and methodology.

It is very dangerous to use the strict commercial bank knowledge and methodology to run a microfinance bank. The market is different, the people we are dealing with, their lifestyle and their needs are different from that of an average commercial bank customer. For instance, there was this belief that you can use the microfinance bank license to mobilise cheap deposit to either fund the micro credit programme or other businesses.

The truth is that microfinance bank cannot even become selffunding in the first two to three years. You are dealing with a net deficit section of the market and so you must get money to bring into that section of the market.

Therefore, the knowledge gap was largely responsible for the failure of a number of microfinance banks. People from commercial bank background also had this problem of wanting to keep their expensive lifestyle so they put on microfinance bank the kind of expenses that are unsustainable.

Things have changed today and the operators and regulators know better now. Even our customers now know better because the know that microfinance loan is not a share of national cake and CBN has organised and sponsored certification training for operators. For instance, to be in a management role a microfinance bank in Nigeria now, you must be certified. There are also training programmes for the non-executive directors of microfinance banks.

We must also remember that a number of microfinance banks have done well over time, particularly those that took the issue of capacity building very seriously.

Mainstreet Bank Microfinance is one of those that have done well.

Here, we don’t joke with the issues of training and planning. Now, to get to the point about the new benchmark set by the apex bank for the microfinance banks, I think the policy ordinarily is good but what I may not say is whether it is timely and that is the opinion of many others industry operators.

It is a good policy on paper but in terms of its finesse and practicality, I may not agree with it.

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FEATURE

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Modernising Extension Service For Farmers’ Productivity Recently, the Federal Department of Agricultural Extension (FDAE), under the auspices of the Federal Ministry Of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) held a capacity building workshop on ICT for its Agriculture Extension Officers, conducted by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), ABU, Zaria. MAKINDE OLUWAROTIMI examines the eventual impact on farmers’ productivity and nationwide Agriculture.

Extension officers and officials at the workshop

At the collaborative workshop between the Federal Department of Agricultural Extension (FDAE), and the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) recently, focus was centered on the importance of technologies and communication to ensure, quality and fast extension services to farmers for increased and commercial agricultural production.

In Nigeria, amongst other challenges to agriculture, lies a huge gap between the extension agents and farmers’ ratio, therefore many farmers are either unaware of the newest practices for larger crops yields or lack the technologies to embark on modern farming systems.

Herein comes technology and communication to the rescue. And both agencies are working together to build capacity of extension workers on existing modern and communication methods to enable fast and quality extension services via the training of 120 staff members of the FDAE, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development by the NAERLS, and the sensitisation of the public on the availability and benefits of the National

Farmers Helpline Centres (NFHC).

FDAE Director of Extension, Mrs Karima Babangida said that by simply adopting global best practices like ICT, or e-Extension as it is popularly called, gaps between extension agents and farmers will be bridged and spur greater exchanges between both parties.

“This will translate to better income, livelihood for farmers and ensure farmers, particularly those in the rural areas, profit from whatever they produce, and to produce for commercial and not just subsistence purposes.”

Another means of modernising extension services is through the National Farmers Helpline Centres (NFHC). Aware that the training of the 120 extension staff workers from three FDAE across various states of the nation does not necessarily equate to the dissemination or reach to all farmers, executive director of NAERLS, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof M K Othman, announced the agency’s upcoming sensitisation programme on NFHC. “NFHC is a packaged solution to the problem of agriculture extension service in Nigeria. Using the mobile lines of individual

farmers, extension staff can pass on information to them; it also allows the farmer to reach out to the centre through their phones to access whatever information or solution to his agricultural needs,” expounded Othman.

As one of the National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs) under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, NAERLS’ objectives to promote effective agriculture extension services delivery, research innovation and building capacity of extension service deliverers, are geared towards evaluation and documenting of their impacts on the socio-economic lives of particularly the rural and urban populace.

To articulate the funding needed to embark on the nationwide campaign, Othman says NAERLS is partnering with stakeholders in the intervention process.

The lure, he reveals, is the assurance that “the services it offers will directly benefit all involved stakeholders.”

“With a little funding, we will begin the sensitisation.

We are hoping the media – radio, TV, newspapers and telecommunications companies will aid us in the process.”

Sunday, April 8, 2018

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NIGERSTATEKWARASTATEKOGISTATEBENUESTATENASARAWASTATEPLATEAUSTATEFCTABUJA

Benue Police Nab Human Traffickers, Rescue 23 Victims

BY HEMBADOON ORSAR, Makurdi

L-R Director complaint, monitoring and enforcement, Nigrian communication Commission (NCC) Mr Efosa Idehen; director policy, competition and economic analysis, NCC, Ms Josephin Amuwa; Executive commissioner stakeholders management NCC Mr Sunday Dare; Edo state governor Godwin Obaseki and director licensing and authorization NCC Ms Funlola Akiode when the governor paid a courtesy visit to NCC in Abuja recently

Group Rues Frequent Cultists’ Clashes In Ilorin

BY ABDULLAHI OLESIN, Ilorin

HEADS FROM THE ZONE

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Grassroots Development and Advocacy Centre (GDAC), has expressed concern over what they describe as frequent public disturbance following clashes between rival cult groups in parts of Ilorin, the Kwara state capital.

The group which lamented that the activities of suspected cult groups were more pronounced in Agaka and Baboko areas of Ilorin metropolis, expressed fears that if nit stopped, they were heading towards anarchy.

The group in a statement by its Executive Director, Jimoh Salman called for urgent actions by concerned authorities to curb the ugly situation and thus, guarantee human security.

According to the group, “the growing violence amongst youths

in these areas is endangering human security and requires direct engagement by law enforcement and all our social structures, including community peace and security forum (PSF), traditional institutions, elders and clerics.

They said, “the horrific trend in gangsterism among our youths calls for concerted action. This violence, is becoming devastating on daily basis, a scenario under which youths perpetrate violence to demonstrate sheer barbarism accentuated by proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALM).

The posited that their access to sophisticated weapons gives them false sense of protection.

The statement reads in part, “It is however worrisome that the safety and security of the community have been put at great risk as people no

longer go about their normal legitimate businesses for fear of being caught in the needless conflagration.

It has it that” insufficient intervention by law enforcement agencies especially the regular police appears to have reinvigorated the confidence of troublemakers thereby giving them latitude to wreak more havoc in these communities.

In fact, the fracas has taken its tolls on the residents of two communities with many people reportedly sustaining serious wounds and cuts, properties allegedly destroyed while others fled their homes.

The statement implored the police to do the needful to ensure that ringleaders and other culprits were arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law for undermining the peace and security of the two communities.

End Herdsmen/ Farmers Crisis In Benue, NBA Tells FG The Kwara State Governor Alh Abdulfatah Ahmed has approved the appointment of new provosts, registrar and bursar for three state- owned tertiary institutions

BY HEMBADOON ORSAR, Makurdi

As the Nigerian Army exercise “Ayem A Akpatuma” in Benue state officially ended on March 31, 2018, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Makurdi chapter, has described the exercise as a failed project, urging the federal government to mobilise a result oriented Military Operation that will end the wantom attacks on farmers and their homes by herdsmen.

The NBA chairman in the state, Barr. Emmanuel Agbakor, made the call while briefing newsmen in Makurdi. He frowned at what he termed as failed outing of the Military in Benue, stressing that the “cordon and search order” was carried out only on homes and settlements of Benue indigenes.”

He said, ‘show of force’’ that ought to have been used to dissuade herdsmen from their vicious attacks has rather been brandished at the law abiding

citizens.

The group which expressed worries over the mandate of the Military and the federal government’s decision to announce a specified time-frame within which the exercise was to be carried out in Benue state said ,Nigeria must not only be sung, but must be seen to be “one nation bound in freedom, peace and unity.

I must confess the much publicised exercise Ayem AKpatuma is an exercise in futility”

The Benue state police command said it intercepted an 18 seater bus in Makurdi, the state capital with conveying twenty three (23) occupants, mostly children suspected to be victims of human trafficking . The state commissioner of police, Fatai Owoseni who disclosed this while parading the suspected abductors and victims at the command headquarters in Makurdi said , the victims were being trafficked from various local government across the state.

According to the CP, the victims whose ages range from 12 to 45 were said to be coming from Buruku and were intercepted in Makurdi by the police patrol team, adding that some of the victims who were able to identity their places will soon be re united with their families through the chairmen and traditional rulers of their various local governments.

In an interview with the alleged principal trafficker, Prince Masenengen Tar, he told our correspondent that he was not a trafficker. According to him, two ladies out of the 23 are going to work in his restaurant in Kaiama,while the others are going there to stay with their relations and help them in farm work.

He said, “ I am a farmer, in Kaiama local government area of Kwara state, I am not a trafficker, everybody here is going with me with the consent of their relations, the little boys among us are going there to stay with their relations while those two ladies are going to work in my restaurant in Kaiama and we negotiate that I will be paying each of them N10,000 per month In another development, 30 suspects were also paraded by the command for various crime which include arm robbery and cultism where 13 weapons were recovered from them.

Owoseni while taking journalists around the paraded suspects said among the suspects, a 65 -year- old cleaner with the Nigerian Air force who specialised in the sell of army and police uniform to armed robbers for a return after a successful operation, Peter Agbande was also nabbed.

Speaking with our correspondent, Mr Angbande said as a cleaner with the Air force, they do give him most of their thorn uniform to throw away and instead, he keeps some that are better for his personal use.

Ahmed Appoints Provosts For 3 Institutions

BY ABDULLAHI OLESIN, Ilorin

The Kwara state governor, Alh Abdulfatah Ahmed has approved the appointment of Dr. Abdulrahim Yusuf as the new provost of the Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin.

This was contained in a statement by the permanent secretary, ministry of Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Dr. Musa Dasuki. He explained that the tenure of the current provost, Dr. Saka Opobiyi will elapse at the end of April, 2018.

Dasuki also announced that Governor Ahmed has also approved the appointment of Dr. Muhammed Ibrahim as the new provost and Mr. Oyedele Joshua Olugbenga as the new registrar of the Kwara State College of Education (Technical), Lafiagi. He stated that the governor also approved the appointment of Imam Abubakar as the new provost of the College of Nursing and Midwifery, Ilorin.

The permanent secretary added that Barrister Saka Kayode and Mallam Tajudeen Mahmoud have been appointed as Registrar and Bursar of the College, respectively.

18 ZONAL WATCH (NORTH-CENTRAL)

Sunday, April 8, 2018

PROJECT REPORT

NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS

We’ll Carry Every Stakeholders Along In Plateau Project – Lalong

BY ACHOR ABIMAJE, Jos

Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau state has said that his administration in line with its five policy thrust would continuously engage stakeholders in the Plateau project in finding solutions to challenges faced by the people of the state. Lalong said this while declaring open a one - day tax matters workshop and engagement with members of the state executive council and chief executives of boards ,parastatals and agencies in the state .

Provisions seller, Francis Igbiankyor

Businesses Boom At Benue IDPs Camps

BY HEMBADOON ORSAR, Makurdi

S

So instead of begging for money I beg for this generator and the charging table you are seen here

ince January this year, over 170 people from Guma Logo and parts of Makurdi local government areas of Benue state who were displaced from their ancestral homes have been taking refuge in nine camps across the state.

Just as in any normal set up in a community, the IDPs have deviced ways of making their living condition better while in the camps.

For instance in the Abagena Camp in Makurdi and the one in Daudu in Guma local government areas there are make shift barber shops and semi provision markets set up by some IDPs to cater for the needs of their colleagues.

A barbing shop owner, James Fakerga explained while he ventured into barbing business in the camp thus “as I arrived the camp and have nothing to do, I saw plenty people and many people were looking for where to barb their hair and because I am into this business before, I decided to help myself and the IDPs. I used the little money I got from the farm produce I sold before this crisis started to buy this smàll generator popularly called, I pass my neighbour, fuel and a clipper and manage to put this roof and a bench where my customers will sit , so for now that is where we are.

“Although back in the village I was not operating a barbing shop I was purely into rice, maize and ground nut farming, but because we ran for our dear lives and left our harvest crops behind and all have been taken over by our attackers, we have no choice but to start a new life here in the camp because man must survive” Another business man, Abraham Adagu, who owns a phone charging shop, said as a family man he cannot fold his

arms to watch his wife and child cry for something and he can not afford it.

“All these things you are seeing here were given to me by philanthropists, I am from Kasseyo Keana road and you know that was the place these herdsmen were coming to attack us from Nassarawa side because we are living close to them.

We ran for our lives and came to the camp with nothing, so I started devising on ways to put food on the table of my family because I don’t want to rely on government, if my child cry for biscuit I don’t need to wait for government, I need to be able to at least give her mother N10 to buy biscuit for him.

“So instead of begging for money I beg for this generator and the charging table you are seen here. l bought fuel and start the charging business because we don’t even have light here, even though normal price for charging phones is N50 per phone, l am collecting as low as N20 and above because many people here don’t have money but they need to put calls across to their relatives to send money or food stuff to them here because the quantity of food shared in the camp can’t go round some families,” he said.

Aondoaver Kuza also has a barbing shop and thanked God for sparing their lives, saying life in the camp is not easy but he is trying to put in his best.

He explained that “as we are here even if they are sharing food we the young men they will not give us According to them the food is meant for couples so for me to come here and die of hunger, I decided to start the barbing business I was doing when I was in the village and this has been very helpful.”

Aondowase Sha, is an 8-year- old boy who was seen selling palm oil at the camp and according to him, he was holding brief for his parents who have gone to

the market to purchase some food items.

A provision market introduced by Francis Igbiankyor was a beehive of activities as people were seen purchasing various items from the shop. According to the shop owner when they arrived at the camp, they found it difficult to get things like garri ,maggi onion and other little things like biscuit ‘so I decided to think outside the box that is why I open this shop to help those in need of these items and myself too.

Though the victims have always received food stuff including food and non food items, soup has always been an issue. It was against this background that Victoria Agagu took it upon herself to go into the business of frying ice fish to help her family and other people who need the delicacy on daily basis. “ When we came to the camp here three months ago,I discovered that soup was always a challenge to many families and as you can see we came from different places and there is no land here in the camp where one would say he or she plant a small garden of okro, spinach, garden eggs etc, so I decided to engage in the business of ice fish with the little money I had.

“As I am frying, any person that have N50 can buy, I am selling it both on cash and credit basis because not everybody can have money at the same time,especially here that everybody is sitting without doing anything. I sold to them because we are here by God’s design and we need to help ourselves” Away from the business matters, education is not left out too as the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi in collaboration with the IDPs have organised interventiotion schools in Abagena camp and the primary arm was in session.

He said the forum was organised to explore better ways of boosting the state’ s Internally Generated revenue( IGR) Lalong who was represented by his deputy, Professor Sonni Tyoden said, “ this engagement would not have come at a better time than now ,given the coming on board of new members of the boards, parastatals and agencies of government.

The theme of this engagement “ Collaboration ,synergy, and Legal Compliance Parameters, Optimizing Internally Generated Revenue IGR Collection in Plateau state for Effective service delivery and development “is not only timely ,but necessary in pur quest as a government to improve the IGR of Plateau for the purpose of accelerating the much needed development of the state.

“Government’s commitment to service delivery in the face of the face of economic misfortune occasioned by the drop of the revenue accruing to the Nation on monthly bases ,necessitated our thinking out of the box under this new reality, it is because of this that emphasis has been placed by our rescue administration on revenue generation ,collection and application to meet the needs at hand ,just as man himself cannot survive without the continuous intake of air for life ,no government ,society and community ,can survive without resources ,our successful execution of developmental projects will not come by just mere wishes but through the practical effort of the people to collectively engage in the mobilization of revenue for an effective service delivery to take place”.

He added that the workshop and inter - agency engagement was therefore “aimed at increasing stakeholders awareness on the legal frame work and policy reforms in the area of tax administration in Plateau state ,in line with the provision of the Plateau state Revenue (Consolidation) law ,I signed into law in 2016 .

“The meeting will also provide the opportunity for members of the state executive council and heads of MDAs to fully engage on the needed collaborative parameters ,plus their individual and collective roles in fostering the needed synergy for the diligent ,timely ,transparent and leakage free collection ,as well as prompt remittance of IGR ,under the purviews consistent with the Budgetary projections of government for 2018 fiscal year.”

Lalong

Sunday, April 8, 2018

ZONAL WATCH (NORTH-CENTRAL) 19

NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS

Modernising Nigeria’s Agricultural Sector

Nigeria is on the verge of diversification, enhancing the agricultural sector as one of the key drivers. In this report ADDULLAHI OLESIN from Ilorin writes, calling on government and agricultural developers for proper pricing of farm produce which will in turn aid the way to modernisation of Agriculture in Nigeria.

A

With these in place, one would have thought that the framework for modernising the sector is firmly entrenched.

Unfortunately, this is far from the truth

s Nigeria edges towards diversification to enhance its economy, university don, Prof.

Moses Omotayo has advocated the provision of appropriate pricing for farm produce by government and development practitioners as a way of modernising the agricultural sector.

Omotayo made the call during a lecture he delivered at Landmark University’s 7th Founders Day celebration held in OmuAran, Irepodun local government area of Kwara state.

Omotayo, a prof. of Agriculture Extension and Rural Development with the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, spoke on: “Opportunities and Challenges of Modernised Agriculture in Nigeria: The Higher Education Perspective”.

He said such appropriate pricing regime became imperative in order to avail farmers with a minimum guaranteed price on farm produce to boost their morale, production, yield and income.

Omotayo decried the situation whereby the Nigerian farmer subsidises every consumer to the tune of between 50 and 1000 per cent for different categories of commodities in the value chain.

He said although the minimum guaranteed price scheme is already in place, he added that such had failed to address the problem of pricing comprehensively.

“The average Nigerian farmer produces a cob of maize at N20 and is forced to sell between N5 and N10.“A major problem with agriculture in Nigeria, which requires special attention by government and development practitioners, is appropriate pricing of farm produce.

“More importantly, if agriculture must be modernised,” he said.

He then pointed out that threat associated with huge post-harvest losses was constituting hindrance to modernising agriculture and attaining food security in Nigeria.

According to him, such losses have been estimated to be as high as 20 per cent.

The expert also called for the active involvement of the nation’s 774 local government administrations in the governments’ agriculture transformation initiative to achieve the desired result.

“Some may argue that inadequate funding hampers LG involvement in agricultural development in Nigeria. It is on record that even when funds were available, local governments mismanaged their resources,” he said.

He suggested the introduction of conditional grants to allow the LGs actualise their constitutionally mandated roles and responsibilities and translate financial autonomy into active economic development at the grassroots level.

This, he said, would also ensure that funds allocated through such grants are specifically on projects they are meant for.

Ogbeh Omotayo said there was disconnect between what tertiary institutions are teaching and the needs and demands of farmers, agro-industrialists and other practitioners in the agriculture sector.

“There are three Federal Universities of Agriculture, over 40 faculties of agriculture, about 25 colleges of agriculture and 18 agriculture or related research institutes in Nigeria.

“With these in place, one would have thought that the framework for modernising the sector is firmly entrenched. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth.

“There appears to be a mismatch or disconnect between the institutions’ teachings and the demand of farmers,” he said.

The Vice- Chancellor of Landmark university,Prof. Adeniyi Olayanju, in his remark, said the institution’s vision was borne out of a passion for change from unsatisfactory status quo to unprecedented transformation of the black race in the scheme of development across the globe.

“To God be the glory, Landmark University has been living its vision and has over the years, distinguished herself with respect to excellent teaching and

learning facilities.

“This also includes promoting mechanised agriculture and product development as well as fostering gainful value chains in agriculture.”

He listed the institution’s achievements to include deliberate expansion of the farm capacity in the areas of egg production, meat production, rice cultivation, and cassava processing unit.

Others are collaboration with renowned farmers, reputable organizations, accomplished Agripreneurs, world-class universities in driving food sufficiency agenda.

Olayanju implored the gathering to make good use of the lecture for the actualisation of the sustainable agricultural practice in the course of realizing the Sustainable Development Goals.

Meanwhile, the Kwara state government has put in place, policies and programmes aimed at revamping the agricultural sector in the state and to further position agriculture as a major driver of the state’s economic growth.

One of such programmes is the Offtakers Demand Driven Agriculture (ODDA) scheme, which was launched in 2014 to improve the economic wellbeing

of farmers in the state and ensure that farming is attractive.

The essence of the scheme is to make sure farmers have ready markets for their farm produce, thereby eliminating cost of storage and preventing post-harvest losses. The state government does this by getting buyers for the farmers.

At inception of the scheme, the state governor, Alh Abdulfatah Ahmed approved the disbursement of a N250 million loan to over 160 lead farmers across the state to engage in the production of cassava, rice, maize and soya beans on a large scale.

Subsequently, Governor Ahmed also established the Kwara Agro Mall as a one stop coordination centre for farmers’ needs, providing farmers in the state access to farm inputs, equipment, finance and other agro-allied services.

Kwara Agro Mall also assists in bridging the gap between farmers and consumers by linking them with off-takers. Since it was established, hundreds of farmers across the state have benefited from the activities of the centre.

In a bid to upscale the ODDA scheme and ensure that more farmers in the state benefit from the initiative, Governor Ahmed last year approved that the state access a N1billion loan facility under the Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme (CACS) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Upon the receipt of the loan, the state government procured farm inputs worth N360 million and were distributed to farmers to boost agricultural production in the state. It is important to note that the inputs are monetized as loans instead of cash so as to prevent diversion of funds to other uses, which has been the case over the years.

While presenting the farm inputs to the beneficiary farmers, the then state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Bamidele Adegoke advised them to optimally utilise the provided inputs to boost food production; in line with the resolve of the government.

He further explained that the beneficiaries had been made to go through a thorough scrutiny to ensure that those benefitting were genuine farmers and emphasized that the scheme would not only empower farmers but also create jobs and facilitate rural development.

Bamidele also revealed that more inputs are still being awaited and would be distributed to beneficiary farmers based on demand as soon as they arrived.

Additionally, the State government has under its Estate Farm Development, secured and cleared about 2,500 hectares of land in different parts of the state for farming activities.

The Estate Farm initiative is unique as it ensures ease of administration, monitoring and allows the government to ensure adequate security for the farmers and their farm produce.

According to reports, over 1000 farmers are targeted to be empowered and settled on the estate farms, adding that women and unemployed youths would be given priority.

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Sunday, April 8, 2018

CEOConfidential April 8, 2018

Emmanuel Obute is the cofounder, Maverick Mind Media

“WE ENGAGE YOUTHS TO REVOLUTIONISE ENTERTAINMENT”

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CEOConfidential

Sunday, April 8, 2018

THE CEOCONFIDENTIAL INTERVIEW

About Maverick Media Maverick media is an organisation that employs the use of unorthodox means to revolutionise the entertainment industry in Nigeria. We believe in churning out high quality media content that doesn’t just follow the norm but raises the bar thereby making more impact. We do couple of things. I started it with a friend of mine back in the University of Ilorin and it has since grown to where it is now. At the moment, we’re actively involved in the production of short films, documentaries, comedy and inspirational videos that will revolutionise the society.

Inspiration behind the setting it up Growing up, I have always been annoyed with the gulf between the quality of the entertainment industry here in Nigeria and that of the western world and believe we have what it takes to close that gap. When I got to the University, I met my co-founder, Aina Victor who also shared the same thoughts and together we decided to churn out our own media company which will be dedicated to the

EMMANUEL IN SHORT He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Ilorin.

He is a script writer, a photographer and the co-founder of Maverick Mind Media.

production of high quality media content. We realised if we’re to achieve our aim we will have to do our things the unconventional way and that’s how we came up with it.

How we have been able to create impact in thesociety In our own little way we have tried to make a difference in our society. Over the years, we have been able to groom young filmmakers and actors which will stand out as mavericks in the industry.

We have also been actively involved in promoting different campaigns that will help make our society a better place. Some of the campaigns we’ve been involved in are the “buy them books” campaign which encourages people to buy books as gifts more often so as to promote the reading culture in our society, the “switch it off ” campaign which encourages people switch their appliances off when they are not in use so as to promote energy conservation in Nigeria among many others.

Our main vision is to impact on youths....

Working with young people is one of our vital concerns at Maverick Minds, we are steadily providing young people passionate about film with internship positions, to develop themselves in whatever capacity they want and to help them get into the industry. Soon, we offer free summer classes for young people aspiring in film. Also, we want to make more young related films as well as that is almost none existent right now in Nigeria.

Major challenges faced The number one challenge faced by almost all enterprising youths and talents in the country is finances and we are not exempted.

There are also infrastructural challenges like electricity and the likes. There are also the challenges of finding the kind of manpower needed to run the company and also the lack of partnership and support from stakeholders in the industry.

On our current project We are currently involved actively in the rebuilding of the shattered image of the North-Eastern region of the country. As a public relations consultant, I noticed an anomaly in people’s perception of Maiduguri, Yobe and other northern states and I’ve embarked on a mission of correcting that. I understand that the world is afraid to visit Borno state and see for themselves what it’s like living there, so I decided to take Borno state to them through the social media. I opened some social media

51

MAVERICK MIND MEDIA

"We Engage Youths To Revolutionise Entertainment"

Emmanuel Obute is the co-founder, Maverick Mind Media, in this interview with JULIANA AGBO, he speaks on his passion for grooming young talents in his bid to revolutionise the entertainment industry and the society at large.

CEOConfidential

April 8, 2018

accounts that focus on posting events taking place

in Maiduguri.

On instagram, facebook, youtube

and other social media, we post puctures and videos of the amazing things taking place there. Search for “Borno home of peace” on all social media platforms and you’ll see for yourself that Borno stae is not as bad as reported or assumed.

We are doing that alongside other projects like short films, documentaries and other interesting project that will be announced over time.

How the project can create impact We believe the current project of rebranding

We ‘ve groomed young filmmakers and actors who today stand out as mavericks in the industry.

We are also actively involved in promoting different campaigns that have shaped our society.

Some of the campaigns we’ve undertaken are “buy them books” which encourages people to buy books as gifts more often in other to promote reading culture in our society, the “switch it off ” campaign which encourages people to put off their appliances when they are not in use to promote energy conservation in Nigeria among others. the image of the North-eastern part of the country will go a long way in boosting not only the socio-economic life of the states but it will go a long way in boosting the economy, social lifestyle, commerce and other sectors in the state because once people’s perception of the state changes, more people will visit and with more people comes a stringer and healthier society.

Other intending project We plan to run the same rebranding campaign in other troubled states in the federation starting from neighboring Yobe state to the entire country because we as a nation could use a little rebranding. There are many other projects in the pipe but they are will be revealed with time.

Our target partners We are trying to partner with different organisations and bodies as the need arises.

We are looking

forward to creating strong bonds with stakeholders in the entertainment industry especially with those in the movie industry, corporate bodies and humanitarian organisations.

Message to youths Don’t compromise quality and originality in whatever you do because they will make you stand out from the rest”.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t start small or from where you are but make sure that whatever you’re putting out there should as of that time represent the best that you can do. I remember once when we were shooting a 1 minute skit and someone remarked that I was treating the video like it’s a full feature film’. He suggested I should let some errors slide but I told him that I treat every project the same way. My approach to anything I do is to give it my best shot and to make sure that the final product reflects my standard as a person.

Sunday, April 8, 2018

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updates FINANCE

CBN Retains Benchmark Interest Rate At 14%

Emefiele

The Central Bank of Nigeria at its first Monetary Policy Committee meeting in 2018 unanimously voted to retain the record-high benchmark interest rate at 14 percent.

This is the first time Aishah Ahmad and Edward Adamu, the recently confirmed deputy governors of CBN; and two other members confirmed by the senate Adeola Adekinju and Aliyu Sanusi are voting as part of the MPC. The decision to raise the key interest rate to 14 percent was made in July 2016 and has been kept at the same level since then. At 14 percent, Nigeria’s MPR is currently at its highest in at least 12 years.

Governor of the apex bank, Godwin Emefiele said the decision to retain the policy rates was geared at fighting inflation and strengthening the economic outlook for Nigeria’s growth. “Committee was of the view that further tightening would strengthen the impact of monetary policy on inflation with complementary positive effect on capital flows and exchange rate stability,” he said.

“Nevertheless, it could potentially dampen the positive outlook for growth and financial stability. Committee is of the view that loosening will strengthen the outlook for growth by stimulating domestic aggregate demand through reduced cost of borrowing.

“This may, however, lead to a rise in consumer prices, generating exchange rate pressures on the currency in the process. The committee believes that key variables have continued to evolve in line with the current stance of macroeconomic policy and should be allowed more time to fully manifest.

Dangote Sugar Refinery To Pay Higher Dividend As Profit Hits N40bn Dangote Sugar Refinery (DSR) Plc has reported improved results for the year ended 2017 and recommended higher dividends for shareholders.

Two other members of the Dangote Group, Dangote Cement Plc and NASCON Allied Plc had earlier announced their results that showed higher performance compared to the previous year.

Last week, DSR unveiled its audited results, showing growth in performance indicators and recommended higher final dividend.

DSR reported a revenue of N204.42 billion in 2017, up 20.4 per cent above the N169.72 billion recorded in 2016. Profit before tax jumped by 173.3 per cent to N53.6 billion, from N19.61 billion, while profit after tax grew fast by 176 per cent to N39.78 billion as against N14.4 billion in 2016.

Given the impressive performance, the board of directors recommended a final dividend of 125 kobo in addition to the 50 kobo interim paid last year. This will bring the total dividend for the year to 175 kobo per share compared with 60 kobo paid the previous year.

Commenting on the results, the Acting Group Managing Director, DSR, Abdullahi Sule said: “We are very pleased with the 2017 business year, with an increased revenue growth of being 20.4 per cent and gross profit increase of 121.8 per cent, the best recorded in the history of the company. Our focus for 2018 remains the actualisation of our Backward Integration Projects (BIPs) with focus on the achievement of 1.080M MT sugar from our BIP sites in the next six years.

Sports

Russia 2018: Eagles Get Innoson Motors Backing Super Eagles participation at the World Cup got a boost as Innoson Motors have agreed to support the team with “Fly me to Russia.”

Owner of Innoson Motors, Chief Innocent Chukwuma (OFR) assured the committee that he would make cash donations after the Easter holidays and commended the Minister of Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung for leading the team to his office in Nnewi.

“I have never seen a minister that will make himself available for this kind of visit. It shows that the Minster of Sports has the drive to see that his ministry doesn’t fail. I am sure if we have many like him Nigeria will be a better place for all,” Chukwuma added.

He also wished the Eagles well as they continue their preparation for the Mundial. “I think we have a bunch of players who are talented and ready to do Nigeria proud. The coach, Gernot Rohr has also shown that he has the wherewithal to do well with the team in Russia. I will definitely support them as we hope they can do us proud.”

Dalung commended Chukwuma for his kind gesture and called on other well-meaning Nigerian, corporate organizations and state governments to support the committee raise funds for the Super Eagles.

The committee, headed by the President of Para Powerlifting Nigeria, Queen Uboh Idris, said her committee was working with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on the project.

CEOConfidential 23

OIL & GAS

Stanbic IBTC, UBA, 3 Others Rake N247.4bn From Foreign Exchange Trade Following the early unstable foreign exchange last year, Stanbic IBTC, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc and three other commercial banks generated a whooping sum of N247.4 billion from foreign exchange trading in 2017 financial year.

The other three commercial banks are Access bank Plc, Guaranty Trust bank Plc and Zenith Bank Plc. The local currency, Naira hit rooftop early last year when it traded around N520 against the Dollar due to dwindling oil price and exit of foreign investors that led to scarcity.

Commercial banks invested in fixed income that includes Bonds and Treasury (T-Bills) aside investing in the foreign currencies trading.

Investigation by Nigerian NewsDirect revealed that the five above commercial banks in 2016 generated N53.19 billion from foreign exchange trading.

From the banks audited financial statement, Stanbic IBTC reported N11.09 billion from foreign exchange trading income, 78 per cent increase over N6.2 billion in 2016.

UBA’s Foreign exchange trading income rose significantly by 182.7 per cent to N40.2 billion in 2017 from N14.2 billion in 2016 while GTBank foreign exchange trading income stood at N7.17 billion in 2017 as against N3.8 billion in 2016.

Access bank in 2017 financial year reported N120.26 billion from foreign exchange trading income as against N8.84 billion in 2016.

In addition, Zenith Bank derivatives income rose by 242.2 per cent to N68.7 billion in 2017 from N20.1 billion reported in 2016.

Commercial banks operating in the country, benefited from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policies to improve liquidity at the foreign exchange.

OIL & GAS

PENGASSAN Backs NNPC’s Move To Overhaul Refineries PANGASSAN and NUPENG solidarity visit to NNPC GMD, Maikanti Baru The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria is backing the current strategic discussions between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and several consortia on the best funding option for the overhaul of the nation’s refineries.

Concise News gathered that NUPENG believes that an overhaul of the country’s refineries will ensure uninterrupted supply of petroleum products in the country.

The oil workers revealed this while congratulating Group Managing Director of the NNPC Maikanti Baru on the conferment of award as the 2018 NewsDirect Man of the Year “We are also aware that under your management and leadership, the NNPC has made remarkable progress in resuscitating other critical downstream infrastructure by making it a key component of your corporate vision of the 12 Business Focus Areas, geared towards ensuring uninterrupted supply of petroleum products nationwide,” the oil workers said in a statement.

TECH

Tecno Introduces Selfie Camera Smartphone To Grow Startup Businesses In Africa

Tecno, has introduced the first 24MP clear selfie camera smartphone in Africa in an effort to boost mobile phone penetration and grow startup businesses.

In a statement on Thursday, Tecno owners, Transsion Holdings, noted that many startup businesses depended on the proficiency of their mobile phone cameras to grow their businesses.

In a statement on Thursday, Tecno owners, Transsion Holdings, noted that many startup businesses depended on the proficiency of their mobile phone cameras to grow their businesses.

“Nowadays, smartphones have become a major part of our lives and form part of our style; smartphone photography is the newest trend, and several startups depended on its proficiency.

“Thus, the latest Camon duos are designed to deliver precision and appeal to the consumer,’’ the Vice President of Transsion Holdings, Andy Yan, said in the statement copied to the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.

He said that the smartphone known as Tecno Camon X Pro, would be shipped into Nigeria in April.

Yan said that Tecno also teamed up with Google to launch a range of smartphones on Android™ Oreo™ System, including the F Series, in Lagos.

He said: “We take insights from our end users consumers’ habits, preferences and needs, to develop the next product that fits perfectly into their lifestyles.

“We are delighted to announce our partnership with Google.

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AN APPEAL FOR ASSISTANCE 11-year-old Jamila Needs N5m For Stem Cell Transplant

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t the tender age of 11, pretty Jamila Umar Mohammed is battling with sickle cell anaemia and more than ever before needs the assistance of kind hearted members of the public.

Born with sickle cell anemia and her parents getting to know about it when she was about six months old, Jamila suffers severe body pains and organs disorder anytime the ailment begins.

This entails that she has to be admitted to the hospital a couple of times in a year to be treated for hand-foot syndrome occasioned by swollen hands and feet.

Miss Jamila who is currently undergoing treatment at Celltek Healtcare Limited in Benin City, needs N5 million as hospital bills for transplantation and one year drugs post transplantation.

According to her father, Umar Mohammed, while Jamila needs N10 million to be treated, he has been able to raise the sum of N5 million through the benevolence of some members of the public, with which she has successfully undergone stem cell transplant at Celltek Healtcare Limited in Benin City while the results are awaited from Basel University, technical partners to Celltek Healthcare.

“We are seeking the help of public spirited individuals to help us raise the balance of N5 million to cover for the cost of transplantation and one year drugs post transplantation”, Mohammed noted in a letter he sent to LEADERSHIP. He further noted that the family has expended all its funds; hence, the appeal to the public to further assist.

He said willing donors could support by contributing their widow’s mite.

Donations could be sent to the following bank account: Account name: Umar Mohammed.

Bank: Zenith Account number: 1003926359 For further enquiries, please contact Mohammed on: 08035888894

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LEADERSHIPSTYLE A PUBLICATION OF LEADERSHP NEWSPAPERS

n a c i r f A e t o h m g o r u o r IP h T s z n e g i p Des and - Ho r B My

a m o i h C

VOL. 1, NO. 18, SUNDAY APRIL 8, 2018

content Entertainment:

Celebrities Dazzle At The Arise Fashion Week

| Page 23

leadership style

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

Fashion: 8 Abaya Styles to Try This Season |Page 21

Recipe For Nigerian Yam Porridge Or Asaro |Page 7 Cover| Page 1

The Team

Editor LEADERSHIP STYLE Ruth Tene NATSA 08065083417 Style Consultants/ Contributor: Oluwatoyin AGUDA Milicent Arebun ONUOHA editor LEADERSHIP SUNDAY Bukola ogunsina

Style Star Profile | Page 13

Tips To A Younger You! | Page 8

group chairman Sam Nda-Isaiah

Arewa Corner: Top 5 Kannywood Stars, Still Single | Pages 6

gMD, LEADERSHIP GROUP Abdul Gombe MANAGING DIRECTOR Obi Azuru executive vice president Christian Ochiama You can write us via: Styleleadership@gmail.com Follow us on

@leadershipstyle

leadershipstyle page

@leadershipstyle

Hello and welcome to, another awesome week.

As we enter the second week of April, we are gradually reminded of how time flies, as we are fast inching towards the middle of the year. Just when did we celebrate the New Year? I am forced to ask Anyway life goes on.

Sadly as we face the reality of life, we are also reminded of its uncertainty, as we daily celebrate and remember those gone before us.

This sad reminder is poignant, as we celebrate one of Africa’s most Iconic figures, in the person of anti-apartheid Campaigner, Winnie Madikizela- Mandela.

Popularly known as, Winnie -Mandela, the former wife of Nelson Mandela( former President of South Africa) died April 2, 2018 at the age of 81, in Johannesburg‚ South Africa.

She and her former husband Nelson Mandela, who were both jailed, were a symbol of the country’s (South Africa) and indeed Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle for three decades. LEADERSHIP Style celebrates the memory of this great woman in a 2 page spread of her unique style poses.

For our cover personality this week, we feature an international model cum fashion designer, who strives to promote Africa through her brand in the person of Hopez Chioma Offor, she tells us about her journey into fashion design and how far she has gone in showcasing her brand.

Our regular features of Arewa stars, features some of the hottest Single Kannywood stars, while Celebrity profile features one of Nigeria’s best music stars, ‘DAVIDO’. Our style star and other packages will leave you itching to flip to the next page.

Our regular health, foodie, fashion and entertainment pages are best read.

Hurry and grab your copy so as not to miss the full details of this week’s edition.

See you next week, with another exciting edition

r’s o t i d E rner Co

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Fashion News

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

Cannes Film Festival Bans Selfies on The Red Carpet Ahead of the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Thierry Fremaux, the festival director has outlined a series of changes to this year’s proceedings.

Fremaux has previously tried to curb the practice of selfie taking on the red carpet, but has now decided to ban self-portraits and fan photographs,

which he deems “ridiculous and grotesque.”

The organisers are of the notion that the trivial aspect and the slowing down provoked by the disorder which these selfies create tarnish the quality of the red-carpet experience and of the festival as a whole.

EbonyLife TV Bags New Deal With Sony Pictures There is no slowing down for EbonyLife Ltd, the owners of Africa’s first Global Black TV Network and producers of premium, original content and Sony Pictures Television (SPT). The company has announced that they will co-develop three exciting new scripted TV projects with Sony Pictures TV, set to be distributed internationally. The threeproject deal, the first of

its kind between Sony and a Nigerian production company, will also include a TV series inspired by the Dahomey Warriors.

The action-packed series, inspired by true events that took place in the West African Kingdom of Dahomey, will tell the empowering story of the all-female Warriors and show the ultimate strength of women coming together fighting to protect and

honor their people.

Development on the Dahomey Warriors project will start immediately with further details of the two additional projects to follow.

This latest development follows EbonyLife’s recently announced unscripted deal with SPT, where they will be exclusively adapting the game show “The Dating Game” for Nigerian audiences.

Chimamanda Adichie Breaks Boundaries On PORT Magazine Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie continues to break boundaries and refuses to be bound by her gender as she becomes first woman to be featured on gentleman’s magazine, which was launched in 2011 as ‘the magazine for men’.

She talks about her extraordinary books, the complexity of recent gender movements and her next big project. She is the author of Half of a Yellow Sun, Purple Hibiscus and Americanah – as well as of one of the most viewed Ted talks in the organisation’s history.

The Face Shop Partners CocaCola An amazing partnership between Korean makeup brand, The Face Shop and CocaCola has been announced. The Face Shop has launched a range of cosmetics in an unusual collaboration with global soft drink brand, CocaCola. The makeup range

includes cushion compact, powder pact, five cream lip tints, five lipsticks, three gel lip tints, and an eyeshadow palette, all in Coca Cola pattern packages. Not only are they sold to look a little like Coke products, they even smell like Coca Cola.

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leadership style

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

Lagos Bridal Fashion Week 2018 Debuts This May STORIES BY MILLICENT AREBUN ONUOHA It’s fashion season and the city is filled with style cheer and lots of fashion news and goodies.

Taking its place of pride amongst the its peers in the fashion week business, is the debut of Nigeria’s first Bridal fashion week tagged ‘LAGOS BRIDAL FASHION WEEK 2018’.

Call her Classic will host a first of its kind experience for brides and grooms-to-be, bridal stylists, buyers and other key stakeholders, under one roof at federal Place Victoria Island Lagos. The three-day experience will feature a curated list of PanAfrican bridal designers for the daily runway shows and brands

at the LBFW Bridal Boutique. The boutique will house a collection of vendors retailing bridal (and wedding) items as well as private rooms for consultations with designers and bridal stylists.

According to Call Her Classic team ‘Lagos Bridal Fashion Week is responding to the growing demand and patronage for indigenous brands with regards to bridal fashion. This shift in the narrative is welcomed as it supports local businesses and their revenue-generating potential, and as such, it should be encouraged. It is for this reason Lagos Bridal Fashion Week was created – a platform that aims to promote Africa’s finest brands as well as facilitate an environment for commerce’.

‘Not A Rigid Definition Of A Person’ – Denrele Edun for GQ France Controversial extrovert and popular media personality Denerele Edun sexually, gregarious personality and flamboyant gender blurring outfits has been a major source of debate and avid interest since he exploded on our TV scene as a DJ for Soundcity Music Channel.

In his daring unconventional way, Denrele has finally addressed the buzz about him in a post on his personal social media announcing his feature in French GQ Magazine’s latest issue.

Denrele shared photos from the editorial shoot on his Instagram page with the caption: Denrele Edun for @gqfrance courtesy @anastyboy_ (As written by @sophie_bouillon and captured by @benedicte_kurzen). Not a boy or a girl, not any binary, rigid definition of a person. Just ME. À lire dans GQ Magazine numéro 118, en kiosques. Everyday society tries to tell me that I don’t exist, because it believes in only two genders.

Every day, I very quietly

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give society the finger, by simply continuing to EXIST!

society gist

Tiwa Savage New Designer Crush is Fendi!

It’s a designer frenzy season for popular Nigerian Songstress Tiwa Savage evidenced from the fashion logo mania in her outfits recently. From Gucci to the recent love for all things Fendi, Tiwa has been spotted multiple times recently wearing the brand and sharing the images with her over four million fans on Instagram with catchy captions guaranteed to turn the ‘Tiwa army’ to diehard Fendi fans.

Stepping out for a concert recently. Tiwa shared her Fendi outfit with the caption ‘Offensive in Fendi’ and shared another just a day later wearing a Fendi double-F logo t-shirt, a matching pair of black tights and completed the look with Fendi contrast sling-back pumps from the SS18 collection.

leadership style

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

editor’s fab weekly picks

Must Read: Season of Crimson Blossoms by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim Season of Crimson Blossoms is the story of love (lust?) in unexpected places. Like life, other things follow this. Binta is at the centre of a complex commotion that trudges to a dampened climax. In Binta’s self realisation, she constantly battles with her society. Nobody wins an African society easily. Binta breaches societal and religious norms, and the consequences are overwhelming. Beyond the travails Binta suffers and the boisterousness of San Siro are Nigerian politics and the consequent ethnic-religious crises. There is Senator Buba Maikudi, a roguish politician oozing grimes and candies from the same side of the mouth. The book uses riveting yet subtly dark humour to capture the entity called Nigeria.

Yaro’s, Zubairu’s, and Fai’za’s parents’ lives serve as a counter-narrative to popular perspectives on the many ethnic-religious crises in the North.

Season of Crimson Blossoms is a complete debut of everything wrecking a closely knitted society as ours. Above all, it lauds an individual’s will to rise above the conventional, Binta wills freedom here:

Must Listen: If by Davido When Davido ‘If’’ came out almost every music person was caught with the song especially that part, ‘30 billion for the account’.

Every Tom and Harry knows when to sing that part, so much that even children are not left out, from singing or lip singing the song I was surprised when I heard a child of about 4-years-old singing that part.

The song is on point and even the lyrics of the song becomes easier to sing along when once someone hears it for the third time.

The video of the song also boosts the popularity of the song. The song is being produced by our favourite boy Tekno.

Must Visit: Olumo Rock For a good day out, visit the famous Olumo Rock which stands towering majestically over the city of Abeokuta. Visiting this famous tourist attraction, you are likely to meet the Rock guides who will tell you the history and the myths of Olumo Rock. The whole experience of climbing out the rock by yourself is truly thrilling. But not to worry if you are the lazy type, there is a lift and elevator that will take you to the top of the Rock. The view from the top is amazing, where you are able to look over the whole city. You can also visit the art gallery beneath.

Must Watch: Hakkunde

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In many respects, Hakkunde is the story of contemporary Nigeria, a witty, emotional exploration of what it means to be young and Nigerian. Set in Lagos and Kaduna, Hakkunde places one young graduate’s quest for dignity at the center of a larger, more encompassing story of resourcefulness, doggedness and the importance of community. There are many times Hakkunde could have headed in the wrong directions in the quest for quick fixes but the team appear to understand their story completely and manage to stay the course.

leadership style

arewa star

Top 5 Kannywood Stars, Still Single Rahama Hassan Pretty Rahama is one of the classy single babes in the industry in great demand.

The fine-faced actress had a fast rise in the industry and became a hot cake with many producers. This University of Abuja graduate is said to have guts, which many of her colleagues detest. Notwithstanding, Rahama is one lady who has her eyes on the top. She is single, and expectedly with unending love advances from many big boys, she is said to be in an altarbound romance with a certain big boy.

Jamila Umar Nagudu Jamila is a very hot single babe with a lot going for her in the acting career. She is blessed with a pretty face and flawless skin that holds many men spellbound.

She joined the industry many years back, but a few years ago.

Top producer, Aminu Saira brought her into the limelight in his hit movie, Jamila da Jamilu.

Since then, there hasn’t been any looking back for the Globacom Ambassador. She has been severally linked to a good number of Big Boys in the North.

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

went sour. Right now, she is on the list of hot single babes in the industry.

Recently in an interview, she said she is searching for true love and not some guy who will love her for her fame and money.

Nafisa Abdullahi Nafisa is one fast rising actress in Kannywood.

She’s fast becoming a household name within a short time in the industry.

She is slim, dark and beautiful, with Innocent looks that makes her a delight of many and considering the number of movies she has featured in, she is very much at home with FKD Production owned by top producer. Amnu Saria. Nafisat is very much single. more detail HERE Culled from Nairaland

Zainab Abdullahi (Indomie) Pretty, light-skinned Zainab “Indomie” as she is called, is one of the single babes in the industry.

She has been romantically linked with several men in and out of the industry; the most recent being Hassan Mohammed Lawal, a former Federal Minister, who was alleged to have dumped her after fixing a wedding date, for another nonactress. Though their marriage plans failed to sail through. Zainab is said to have enjoyed many good things of life money could buy from him before their affair hit the rocks. After several failed relationships, she has gone back to her ex-lover, Adam A Zango, who is also an actor.

Fatima Nijar Fati Nijar is a household name in the Hausa music industry. She has made fame and fortune from music.

She performs at A-list weddings in the North, with many albums to her credit. Fati was in a relationship with another Hausa musician, Ali Jita that

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foodie

leadership style

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

Recipe For Nigerian Yam Porridge Or Asaro

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am Porridge also referred to as yam soup is mainly a dish of yam cooked with ingredients and the resulting dish is soupy.

It is could be cooked with added vegetables, for added colour Ingredients 1 kg (2.2 lbs) white puna yam Red palm Oil (to colour) 1 smoked fish (mackerel) 1 tablespoon ground crayfish 1 medium onion Fresh green vegetable (eg pumpkin, parsley, scent leaf or green amaranth) Habanero or Chilli Pepper & Salt (to taste) 2 big stock cubes Notes on the ingredients Add enough red palm oil to make the meal colourful.

You can use dry fish instead of smoked fish.

Before you cook Yam Porridge Peel and cut the yam tuber into medium sizes.

Wash the yam cubes and place in a sizeable pot.

Wash and cut the onions into tiny pieces.

Grind or blend the chilli pepper. Set these aside.

If using dry fish, soak and pick the bones.

Cooking Directions Pour enough water to cover the yam cubes and start cooking at medium to high heat. If you are using dry fish, add it now.

When the yams have got a good boil, add the onions, ground crayfish, pepper, stock cubes, palm oil and the smoked fish.

Cover the pot and continue cooking till the yam is done.

Add salt to taste and stir very well. Cook at high heat for about 5 minutes.

Add the green vegetable, stir and leave to stand for about 5 minutes then serve.

Yam porridge is usually eaten alone but you can serve it with Fried Plantain

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leadership style

health

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

Tips To A Younger You!

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Oluwatoyin Aguda

ne often wonders why people in the same age bracket will look different in their appearance.

Lifestyle habits go a long way in determining if we will age faster or look younger than our age.

Here are tips that will over time make you look younger than your age: Sleep well It is recommended that one gets at least 8 hours of sleep everyday. Sleep gives your body a chance to refresh and rejuvenate it, and a lack of sleep can speed up the aging process. Be sure to get your full eight hours of sleep a night and give your body a chance to recover from its daytime exertions.

Drink plenty of water This is one of the most emphasized tip for overall wellbeing, health and for looking younger than your age. Drink plenty of pure, fresh water every single day, because dehydration will damage your skin, your hair and make you look a lot older. It’s also good, if you are trying to lose weight.

Cut down on sugar Another tip for looking younger than your age is to cut down on sugar. Too much sugar is bad for you in many ways, but did you know that it can also be the cause of wrinkles? Cut back on sugary, sweet treats and cut out the soda, and you’ll be doing yourself and your body a big favor.

Remove makeup before going to bed Removing your makeup before you go to bed is not just about hygiene and blocked pores. Your makeup also attracts pollutants through the course of the day and, if you leave your makeup on overnight, all those free radicals will stay on your skin and do their damage.

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Smile often It ia fact of life that, as people get older, they smile less. A simple smile and a positive attitude can make a huge difference to how you look. Smiling relaxes your face muscles and wrinkles your face far less, than a frown does. So, give us a smile and let your youthful spirit shine out!

Moisturise, every day Another good tip for looking younger than your age is to moisturise your face, hands and neck every day and it will help to keep your skin supple, fresh and young looking.

It’s amazing how much difference this can make, over time, so start your daily moisturising regime today.

leadership style

hygiene

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

Toilet Hygiene

BY CECILIA OGEZI

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he toilet has a lot to do with personal hygiene and general health as it is a place that can not be avoided since it is essential to take a bath and visit the toilet often in a day, keeping it clean and free from anything that can endanger health is important.

The toilet, like the bathroom, is a humid area of the house, due to the amount of water in the cistern. A toilet is also a perfect place for germs and bacteria to breed. Bacteria’s like Ecoli, Salmonella and much more can mostly be found in the toilet bowl. These bacteria’s are also found on the toilet seat, the floor, the flush and the door handle. Bacteria in the toilet absorb organic waste and release gases which is the reason why we get a foul odor in the toilets. Hence toilet hygiene is very important.

Basic Tips To Toilet Hygiene Sweep the floor and pick up any trash: When sweeping, start in one corner of the bathroom and sweep in overlapping strokes toward a single area. Collect trash and put it in the dustbin.

Disinfect all high-touch areas: Disinfect toilet flush handles, door knobs, faucets, paper towel dispensers, stall locks, light switches, and wall. Disinfectants need to sit on a surface for several minutes in order to kill pathogens. Use floor cleaning solution to scrub floors, baseboards, tiles, grout and especially the areas around toilets and urinals.

Clean the mirror and lights: Clean mirrors with a tissue paper. Dust and disinfect lights, vents, faucets, fans and light switches.

Shut the lid before flushing: Every time you flush the toilet, bacteria are projected into the air and then cover all the surrounding surfaces. So it is extremely crucial to always flush the toilet with the toilet lid down. This practice will reduce the spread of bacteria in the toilet.

Clean your toilet brushes: Remember to clean the toilet brush which can spread bacteria if

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not cleaned after every use. Wash toilet brush with disinfecting detergent. Toilet brushes should be changed at least once every six months.

Ventilate your toilet: Air the toilet to reduce the level of humidity in the room and check that the ventilation system is working properly. Allow floor to dry fully. The fastest way to do this is by using a dry mop, which can help sop up any solution that’s left on the floor after mopping. This practice also helps reduce the risk of slips and falls.

Use Toilet Seat Sanitiser: Clean the toilet seat daily with a product specifically designed to reduce the spread of bacteria. If you have children, do the same for their toilet seat as well.

Use products like toilet seat sanitizer spray which removes harmful germs and bacteria.

Wash your hands regularly: Go over the flush and the taps with extra care as they are breeding grounds for bacteria. These are ideal places to pick up microbes as they are in direct contact with our hands. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap every time you use the toilet.

Toilet seats can be downright difficult to get a sparkling status, which means you end up spending much more time than you would like, crouching down beside the toilet scrubbing away.

It has been advised for all to imbibe the culture of hand washing, and ensuring personal and environmental hygiene are adopted, it reduces the number of people suffering from communicable disease linked to poor hygiene and sanitation.

Due to the growing challenges posed toilet hygiene there are strategies that were put in place to raise awareness on hygiene and behavioural change, among them the Community organization which are hardly adhered to.

Schools, churches and mosques and other public places are areas found to have these challenges, it is important to know how to use a

public toilet, If you must 1. Avoid sitting on the toilet bowl.

2. Disinfect before use.

3. Flush before every use.

General Tips On Toilet hygiene Since good toilet hygiene reduces the risk of illnesses, infection and diseases like gastrointestinal and urinary tract infection.

It is important to note that hand washing is an essential practice.

Effective hand washing involves clean water and soap and scrubbing both the front and back of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails for a minimum of 20 seconds can keep you safe. It is important to avoid touching different toilets surfaces like faucets and door handles after a hand wash since these surfaces harbour and spread germs.

Using disposable towels or toilet paper is a good way to avoid touching such surfaces.

Flushing and covering toilet seats after using the toilet is important as well.

Training children on hygiene is also important.

For instance, boys should be trained about not urinating on toilets seats and girls about wiping from front to back to avoid spreading germs to their genitals.

Using liquid soap is a better option than bar soap as the latter could be a source of infection, pointing out that avoiding towels in rest rooms is vital as these are not frequently changed and could be a source of infection.

Opt for disposable tissue to dry hands after using the toilet.

Shaking hands is are also another source of spread of germs, especially after toilet use, so be sure to wash hands frequently after several handshakes or touching surfaces in public areas used by big numbers of people.

Habit of placing bags or phones on the toilet floors as these are ridden with germs. Not flushing sanitary pads down the toilet, but rather placing them in the bins provided is as well vital.

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leadership style

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

I Promote African Designs Through My Brand - Hopez Hopez Chioma Offor is an international model cum fashion designer, who strives to promote Africa through her brand, which showcases African prints. The queen model in this interview with CECILIA OGEZI, narrates how she began her journey in the industry, how it has exposed her and how she is using fashion to touch lives of the less privileged in the society.

What inspired you into fashion designing and modelling?

I

started fashion and designing when I was very young. My mum is a seamstress so I was learning under her tutelage. She had a tailoring business so as time went on, I started to work on my brand. I chose branding Ankara because I believe African prints are unique and beautiful.

In 2013, I went for training and after the training I started making bags, earrings and other house hold items in African prints. I started looking out to have my clothing line by promoting African fabrics with pride. Internationally people responded very well and bought into my brand. Fashion is the way

you carry yourself and I do that with pride. In 2017 I launched my brand Hopez Line publicly in Abuja fashion Night that was in May. How and where have you showcased your brand so far?

This year so far Hopez Designs was showcased at the New York Fashion Week -Chubbiiline and AFFP Fashion Show. As an international model, I did two shows in New York City Fashion and international Fashion and Art Fashion Week-New York. Worked on New York Fashion Week -Maarkah and showcased my brand on IFAW-NEWYORK Fashion Week.

My collections include simple ready to wear, fashion wears, wall decoration. Clothing line include wears for kids, plus size and fashion models. We also

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leadership style

cover

Vol. 1, No. 17, Sunday 1, 2018 have a lot of things branded for Africa in African fabrics, pillows, mats, home decor branded in African prints all of these have been showcased in 4 international events, one of the event is African Fashion For Peace( AFFP).

What is African Fashion For Peace All About?

African Fashion for Peace is a fashion gala for charity which held on 17th of February in an attempt to intensifying advocacy by putting in place necessary structures for enduring peace in conflict areas around Africa organized by my fashion company Hopez Tude Rizons. In collaboration with relevant stakeholders, diplomatic communities and development partners, the company hopes to drive recreation of social capital with African communities by constantly engaging African models and designers as strong advocates for enduring peace.

on, in collaboration with top Designers, Models and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to make it a success. We will be having survivors to speak during the week.

What is your message to young women like you out there who have aspirations to carve a niche for themselves in the industry?

It is not an easy terrain but young women should take up challenges in life and as long as they do not relent in their hard work, things will begin to fall in place and favour will find you but that is not before your work speaks for you so it all depends on you.

What is the idea behind focusing on African fabrics?

The idea behind designers showcasing African fabrics from international and local designers is -aimed at unlocking socio-economic and environmental opportunities, thus paving way for economic diversification growth by providing job opportunities.

How far would you say, you have gone in showcasing your brand?

It was the maiden edition and the response has been great, it was a success, we will be taking the event round Africa and beyond Africa to strengthen advocacy for lasting peace in conflict areas which we believe there is still much to be done and we will not relent to add our voice to sustainable peace round Africa.

How challenging has it been, doing fashion design in the country?

I launched my brand publicly in 2017 after years of doing fashion even as a young girl with my mum. That should tell you it’s not an easy terrain. But all through this time I had my goals and I was driven by my passion for fashion. I need early enough what I wanted which is to promote African design.

Knowing what you want helps but you also need to be resilient and hardworking and that will pay off.

This year alone on 24th of March, I had showcased of my brand on New York Fashion Week -Chubbiiline. The last it was showcased internationally was at the Egpyt Fashion Show and the New York Fashion Week -IFAW. And on several other events. I only see it growing through hard works.

What are your plans for the future?

I hope to take my brand beyond the shores of Nigeria and have people wear it across the world, we are already doing that but we want to broaden the scope and have them hang on major fashion shops, outlets round the world.

What would you say has been your success story since you began?

I have through my endeavors influenced lives of young people and the less privileged in the society and that also is an area I hope to expand on.

Do you have new projects you are working on?

The new project I am working on is the Chicago Midwest Fashion Week, with the theme “Advocacy of domestic violence through Fashion”. It is a big

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“

The idea behind designers showcasing African fabrics from international and local designers is -aimed at unlocking socio-economic and environmental opportunities

leadership style

icon

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

Celebrating Iconic Antiapartheid Campaigner

Winnie Madikizela- Mandela

By Ruth Tene Natsa, Abuja

P

opularly known as Winnie -Mandela, the controversial former wife of Nelson Mandela was born in Bizana, South Africa, in 1936 and died April 2, 2018 at the age of 81, in Johannesburg‚ South Africa.

She and her former husband Nelson Mandela, who were both jailed, were a symbol of the country’s anti-apartheid struggle for three decades. However, in later years her reputation became tainted legally and politically.

Winnie Mandela became president of the ANC Women’s League in 1993, and the following year was elected to Parliament.

However, her accomplishments were also tainted by convictions for kidnapping and fraud.

Born Nomzamo Winifred Madikizela on September 26, 1936, in Bizana, a rural village in the Transkei district of South Africa, Winnie Mandela eventually moved to Johannesburg in 1953 to study at the Jan Hofmeyr School of Social Work. South Africa was under the system known as apartheid, where citizens of indigenous African descent were subjected to a harsh caste system, while European descendants enjoyed much higher levels of wealth, health and social freedom.

Winnie completed her studies and, though receiving a scholarship to study in America, decided instead to work as the first black medical social worker at Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg.

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A dedicated professional, she came to learn via her field work of the deplorable state that many of her patients lived in.

In the mid-1950s, Winnie met attorney Nelson Mandela, who, at the time, was leader of the African National Congress, an organization with the goal of ending South Africa’s apartheid system of racial segregation. The two married in June 1958, despite concerns from Winnie’s father over the couple’s age difference and Mandela’s steadfast political involvements. After the wedding, Winnie moved into Mandela’s home in Soweto. She became legally known thereafter as Winnie Madikizela-Mandel.

Nelson Mandela was routinely arrested for his activities and targeted by the government during his early days of marriage. He was eventually sentenced in 1964 to life imprisonment, leaving Winnie Mandela to raise their two small daughters, Zenani and Zindzi, on her own. Nonetheless, Winnie vowed to continue working to end apartheid; she was involved surreptitiously with the ANC and sent her children to boarding school in Swaziland to offer them a more peaceful upbringing.

In celebration of the stylish and fashionable woman she had become, LEADERSHIP Style celebrates one of the greatest African women that ever lived, by featuring some of the Icons stylish outings.

leadership style

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

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leadership style

relationship

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

How To Get Your Girl Back!

Oluwatoyin Aguda

B

reakup could be bitter and may be an emotional draining period for the parties involved.

However, the truth is that when you have issues or when separation calls, it is good you both keep your cool because anything can happen.

If the line of communication is still open, you can try these steps to see if you can win her back.

Find out what went wrong You should try to open the gaps of communication so you can know what went wrong. It might be that you haven’t been treating her right, you have been neglecting her, either by not listening to her, making her feel appreciated, or not spending enough time with her.

You may have thought you were getting away with it, but you weren’t. These issues might have built up to the extent that she decides to call it quits.

Work on yourself The breakup period is a time to work on yourself and develop yourself. Get to the gym, start running, find something new, get more education if need be, make new friends and constantly improve on yourself. Sometimes, your dependency and zeal can win

her back they may be moved by the fact that you are working on yourself or improving on your weak areas. In scenarios where you’ve made the mistakes, she’ll be waiting and watching to see how you will address them.

Show affection but don’t be desperate It might be a period where you shower her with more affection so she may know you care, however be not be desperate or get on her nerves. Showering her with over-the-top displays of affection via incessant emails and text messages may not be effective.

Try again If you still have the lines of communication open, you can decide to try again. Even if she misses you, it’s unlikely she’ll reach out and be the one to make amends, so you can decide to make the moves if you notice she is still interested.

Accept and move on Doing all this may not be a guarantee that you will win her back. If she tells you to your face that she doesn’t love you anymore, you have to accept her words, know that you cannot force it.

The relationship is not only about you, but about her. Remember, it takes two to tangle, so if you aren’t getting a green light, it is time to move on. .

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wellness

leadership style

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

Homemade Conditioning Treatments For Natural Hair

BY MILLICENT AREBUN ONUOHA

T

he recent Black and proud movement, by blacks of all nations, has taken most black women back to their roots literally. The new fad is all about showing off real hair proudly. The quaint term used to identify the fad is “Natural” as opposed to the former term “Virgin hair” usually followed by a scornful glance.

Natural Hair is a type of hair, whose texture hasn’t been altered by chemical straighteners, including relaxers and texturizers. Pressed hair may still be considered natural because once washed, the texture returns to its unaltered state. Fashionistas spotted wearing their natural hair in beautiful dynamic styles are now called “Naturalistas”. Classy isn’t it.

Unfortunately growing and showing off your natural hair, can come with a lot of pain and headache literally. Especially if you don’t know how to take good care of yours. Below are five DIYs treatments to condition and grow your natural hair.

1. Egg Conditioning Treatment: Mix the entire egg and stir till frothy. Apply mixture to clean damp hair; leave for 20 minutes then rinse off with cool water. For moisturizing, apply egg-white mixture to hair and leave for five minutes.

2. Avoid Hot Water Showers: Hot water shower tends to make your hair dry and brittle, as for it strips protective oil from your hair.

3. DIY a protein packed conditioner: For a protein packed conditioner, mix eggs and yoghurt and rub it into your scalp.

Leave on for 5 or 10 minutes, then wash.

4. Don’t Wash Your Hair Frequent: Wash your hair every 2-3 days, for proper regulation of natural hair oils. Washing your hair less often will also help regain your hair’s natural body and lustre.

5. Baking Soda Therapy: Mix 3tbsp of baking soda and water.

Rinse your hair with this solution after shampooing. Wait for 5minutes before final rinse; it helps remove the excess shampoo and excess styling product from your hair.

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leadership style

style star profile

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

Dr. Garuba Khadijah Abiola

BY MILLICENT AREBUN ONUOHA

O

ur style star of the week of none other than newly wedded Nigerian Ukraine-based fashion blogger, Doctor and Muslima DR. Garuba Khadijah Abiola popularly known by her blog and social media handle Dimple khadi.

According to Khadijah who is famed for her signature turbaned looks, fashion is wearing something that suit you and inspires your confidence’’. Her youtube channel carters to the urgings of thousands of teeming fans crave for all things turbaned and stylish. With over forty-five thousand followers on Instagram alone, Khadijah has officially translated from been a regular style blogger to a style influencer, a major exclusive circle to be reckoned with this booming Millenia fashion age.

Dimple Khadi describes her style as decent and classy/stylish.

Below are pictorials of the stylish doctor for your style-spiration.

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leadership style

celebrity profile

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

By MILLICENT AREBUN ONUOHA

“Guinness World of More” concert partnership in 2013.

The multi-award winner has been he nominated for more than 74 awards and he won more than 30, which includes a MTV EMA, BET Award, Kora Award, Channel O Music Video Award, Ghana Music Award, Nigeria Music Video Award, 2 MTV Africa Music Awards, 2 African Muzik Magazine Awards, 5 The Headies Awards, 7 Nigeria Entertainment Awards and much more.

O

ur celebrity profile of the week is none other than popular music Artist and selfacclaimed ‘omo baba lowo (OBO)’ David Adedeji Adeleke popularly known by his stage name Davido. The young Nigerian singer, songwriter, dad, producer and CEO exploded on the Nigeria music scene in 2011 Dami Duro and has since then carved huge kingdom for himself at the pinnacle of the Nigerian, African and International music space, bagging multiple awards, heartaches, drama, deals, endorsements and ‘frenemies’ in the process. The controversial artist who is known for turning the drama in his personal to lyrics of songs which goes on to become hits, current ongoing 30 billion concerts phenomenal success has earned him a spot at the eternal musical walls of fame in the hearts of billions of fans globally.

EARLY LIFE AND CAREER David Adedeji Adeleke was born on November 21, 1992 in Atanta Georgia USA to the affluent family of business mogul Chief Deji Adeleke and University Lecturer Vera Adeleke. He attended the British International School in Lagos and studied Business Administration at Oakwood University before dropping out prior to his relocation to London and eventually, Nigeria.

Davido’s interest in music peaked while he was at Oakwood University.

He bought musical equipment and started making beats, in addition to recording vocal references.

In London, he rechannelled his musical creativity towards vocals as opposed to production. On his return to Nigeria, Davido bowed to parental guidance cum pressure by enrolling at Babcock University where he eventually graduated with a degree in Music while actively engaged in music in the Nigerian entertainment scene. It is worthy of note to know that Davido earned a music degree from Babcock after his father paid the university to erect a music department for an inaugural class of one.

Davido’s first single ‘Back When’ featuring popular Nigeria rapper Naeto C on his return to Nigeria in 2011was released to a lacklustre reception on the imprint HKN Music which is co-owned by Davido, spearheaded by his brother elder Adewale Adeleke.

Undeterred that same year Davio released his now best-known hit single and one time ‘national anthem’ on the streets of Nigeria 2011 “Dami Duro” to wide acclaim. His debut album Omo Baba Olowo, released in 2012, was initiated by the bringing out of singles “Back When” featuring Naeto C, “Dami Duro”, “All of You”, “Overseas” featuring Sina Rambo, “Ekuro”, “Gbon Gbon” and “Feel Alright” featuring Ice Prince.

Between 2013 and 2015, Davido released the singles “Gobe”, “One of a Kind”, “Skelewu”, “Aye”, “Tchelete (Goodlife)” featuring Mafikizolo, “Naughty” featuring DJ Arafat, “Owo Ni Koko”, “The Sound” and “The Money” featuring Olamide. The aforementioned singles were reportedly intended to be singles off the album, The

17

DAVIDO Baddest. In June 2015, Davido dropped his longawaited collaboration with Meek Mill titled “Fans Mi”.

2016 began with a bang as Davido announced via Twitter in January that he signed a record deal with Sony Music. The record label put out a press release to confirm the deal amidst wide speculations doubting the authenticity of Davido’s claim. That same years signed a record deal with Sony’s RCA Record and started his own eponymous label ‘Davido Music Worldwide (DMW)’taking his music and fame international.

Yong artists, Dremo and Mayorkun are currently signed to the DMW label.

After a lacklustre year in music in 2016, Davido returned with a bang in 2017 with the now platinum hit single ‘IF’ produced

by Tekno. According to Pulse ‘If’ created the pop culture phrase ’30 billion for the account’, which came to signify the ownership of wealth. The phenomenal success of ‘IF’ gave birth to the global and African 30Billion concert tour. On the fashion scene, ‘If’ inspired a collection in partnership with designer Adebayo Oke-Lawal. The ‘Orange Culture X Davido ‘IF’ capsule collection launched at Selfridges ‘Music Matters’ campaign on September 12, 2017.

He has produced songs for Naeto C, Skales, Tiwa Savage and Sauce Kid. Awards, Endorsements And Partnerships In 2012 Davido signed the famous 30million naira endorsement deal with MTN Nigeria. This heralded more amazing endorsement deals and partnerships yearly amongst which is Guinness Nigeria for the

Dramas, Heartache And Scandal The path to fame and more fortune for the young incorrigible artist has not been all fun.

From baby mama troubles, fights with the Nigerian airport officials, deliberate attempts of embarrassment, his older women and hooker’s addiction and drunken club/social media fights, Davido has had more than his fair share of controversies, bad behaviour, heartache and ‘fame blame’.

Popular amongst davido’s many escapades and public dramas are two incidents that resonated globally with fans taking sides and wagging war.

In May 2014, Davido allegedly physically attacked the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) after missing his flight to London. He accused them of pestering him for money. A few days later the Public Relations Officer for the NIS denied Davido’s allegations and said that they didn’t issue him an exit permit because he didn’t have the proper travel documents with him at the time.

In December 2015, Davido was once again in the news embroiled in a custody battle for his daughter Imade Adeleke with his erstwhile baby’s mother Sophia Momodu were embroiled in a fight over the custody of their daughter Imade Adeleke. The battle began in a drama filled altercation at the airport when the baby mama stomped the airport stopping davido and his sister from leaving with his daughter to Dubai for Christmas. Sophie and her family later filed a petition against Davido and his family for alleged child trafficking amidst vicious social wars between Dele Momodu, Davido and eager fans who had taken sides in the bloodless war of words.

In a petition sent to the Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Davido and his family were accused of keeping Imade away from her mother, as well as trying to flee Nigeria with the baby. Davido has since insisted that the allegations against him are false, but allegedly later apologized to Dele Momodu the cousin of Sophia Momodu, after making a hit single out of the drama of course So far, the family seems to have made tentative peace by putting the needs and wellbeing of the child above all else.

2018.

Never one to rest on his oars, Davido quickly released his first single of the year in February titled ‘Flora my Flawa’ much to his music lovers hilarious delight globally. He followed up by announcing an international collaboration feature on a yet to be released Sean Kingston song alongside Brampton-born Canadian rapper and singer, Tory Lanez titled “Kryptonite”.

2018 has so far been a continuation of winning streak evidenced by his emergence as winner in multiple award categories and the successfully continuation of his 30 Billion Concert in Africa and diaspora. Although with his recent fall on stage at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda during his performance, maybe its time the young singer took a few days off his tour to rejuvenate mind and body. Unfortunately, controversy has already marred the new year for the young popstar with allegations of copyright infringements and inclusion of the remix of his hit single ‘IF’ on the banned lists of songs by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Regardless, the year 2018 is set to be an exciting music packed year for the young popstar.

fashion essentials

leadership style

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

Essentials Of Wearing A Gown

BY CECILIA OGEZI

T

he essential thing to note in wearing a gown is to get one that suits your size,and which type of gown to wear to suit the occasion to bring out your feminine figure.

This week we bring to you African screen goodness, Genevieve Nnaji,it is hard to describe when this beauty just slays with her fashion style in gowns that has left us wanting more.

Undoubtedly the leading African actor, we are charmed by her sense of style as we are in her interpretation of movie roles.

Whether flay or fitting she sure knows how to rock her gowns, or better put she seems know her body type and what suits her well.

Here are iconic ways “gennie� has rock her gowns that has just left us in awe.

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leadership style

beauty

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

The Gentleman’s Beauty Fix! Oluwatoyin Aguda Beauty fixes aren’t what only women should indulge in; men should also take time to groom themselves, paying attention to their skin, nails, hair, beards and every other part of their body just like their female counterpart. There are certain grooming regime every gentleman should pay attention to:

Exfoliate and cleanse your skin Your entire body is covered in dead skin cells. And when skin cells die, they don’t fall off or float away; instead, they stay on top of your skin. They can lead to hair loss, breakouts, grimy feet, and more. That’s why it’s important to exfoliate every part of your body.

Use exfoliating gloves or sponge that isn’t rough Wet the glove and your skin with warm water Add a new drops of exfoliate directly to the gloves or the sponge Add more water if necessary to form lather Massage your facial skin using gentle pressure Finish by rinsing the gloves or the sponge and your face with cool water to close pores and then dry off with a clean towel Manicure and Pedicure Guys tend to do dirtier things and get stuff stuck under their nails, hence there is need to pay attention to your nails, it’s one of those tiny details you should pay attention to.

Shape your nails: Use a nail clipper to remove the excess nails which is usually where the dirty gets stuck.

Clean up the edges: Make sure your nail is in a good shape by trimming the edges; this can be done by using a cuticle. A cuticle costs N200 or less.

Moisturise your hand: Once you are done, rinse your hands and apply moisturiser to sooth any dry skin.

Groom your beards Just like keeping a natural hair is not only about growing and leaving it, having amazing beards that people will admire also requires effort on your side. There are certain maintenance which has to be done which includes: washing, trimming, conditioning, and brushing.

Wash it: Just like the hair on your head, your beards require washing and nurturing.

Condition it: The key to loving your beards is keeping it soft all the time. A conditioner also has the added benefit of working almost like a styling gel.

Oil it: Beard oil takes care of beard ruff and other itching you may experience.

Trim It: You should make it a routine to occasionally trim your beards.

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leadership style

men’s corner

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

Corporate Shorts

BY CECILIA OGEZI

C

orporate shorts among men is enjoying attention from some daring men who are not afraid to push the envelope in fashion.

Lets not forget though that there are rules guiding the use of corporate shorts to a corporate gathering .

Now, dresses as short as knee-length are acceptable, provided they have a semiformal look but no matter how relaxed your office environment or the occasion it is never advisable to wear shorts in a business meeting for the first time.

Some wear shorts to evening corporate meeting to get a feel in the evening but it all depends on the type of meeting.

Shorts as a piece of comfortable, casual summer wear for men for recreation, and anything else purely for fun and not in the company of strangers or business.

Since they are corporate shorts,the shoed to use are corporate shoes so not to have a wardrobe malfunction in the all too daring outfit.

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8 fashion

leadership style

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

Abaya Styles to Try This Season

By MILLICENT AREBUN ONUOHA

A

1.

Button front abaya: 2.

Pull-over Style Abaya 3.

The Floral style Abaya 4.

The Open or kimono Style Abaya 5.

The Butterfly Abaya 6.

Open Abaya Cardigan 7.

Fancy Lace Abaya Designs 8.

Khaleeji Abaya Fortunately for all Abaya style lovers, Nigerian Deisgn House ABAYA has got us covered with her latest collection.

PHOTO CREDIT: sabrinadobuydiva blog, Pinterest and Mulberry

baya sometimes also called an aba, is a simple robe-like dress, previously worn by women in various predominantly Muslim parts of the world strictly for religious reason but alas contemporary fashion beady eyes has settled on it making it a must-have style staple for fashionistas worldwide.

The abaya when worn for strictly religious reasons completely covers the whole body apart from hands and feet with lil or no embellishments or adornments whatsoever and can only be in black. On the other hand, with the advent of modest fashion on mainstream fashion, Abaya styles have evolved and are now available in bright colours, glammed up, lace accented, embellished and worn as cardigans, jackets, stylish dresses and more while retaining the modest intent of the staple.

Exemplified by the debut of an abaya-only show at the just concluded 2018 New York Fashion Week and Nigerian designer ABAYA’s latest collection showcased at the just concluded Arise Fashion Week 2018. It’s obvious that the Abaya trend is set to straddle the helm of fashion trends for the foreseeable future. Top on our list of Abaya styles to rock this season are:

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leadership style

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

fashion

Ripped Jeans Vogue

By MILLICENT AREBUN ONUOHA Strolling through the malls, metro streets and shopping centres or browsing your favourite style websites feeds, one can’t help but notice and envy the ripped jeans glamour been rocked by fashionistas everywhere.

The right rips in the right places can turn a plain pair of jeans into a very fashion forward piece!

Ripped jeans are a source of constant style dynamism for fashionistas and can be styled up or down, depending on the occasion.

Get some fashion

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leadership style

entertainment

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

Celebrities Dazzle At The Arise Fashion Week Oluwatoyin Aguda

The Arise Fashion Week kicked off on the 31st of March and ended on the 2nd Of April. The event was nothing short of standard as it brought together fashion creatives both locally and internationally.

From the runway which had international supermodel, Naomi Campbell walk for Lanre Da Silva Ajayi to the red carpets which had our celebrities look their best, we won’t deny it was such an outstanding event.

Fashion stylists, beauty and style bloggers, celebrities looked effortless like never before, everyone made sure that they brought in their best.

Abisola Kola-Daisi

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Jennifer Olize (2)

Adama Idinmi

Jennifer Olize

Bridget Chigbufue

Hafsah Mohammed

Latasha Ngwube

D’banj

Lilian Afegbai

leadership style

entertainment

Vol. 1, No. 18, Sunday 8, 2018

Celebrities Dazzle At The Arise Fashion Week

Patrick Eidusi

Toke Makinwa Stephanie Coker Aderinokun

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Sharon Ojong

Tara Durotoye

Tosin Adegbite

Tomi Awoyemi

Ugonna Omeruo

Uti Ronne

sunday politics

Politics Editor Sunday: MUYIWA OYINLOLA

Sunday, April 8, 2018

www.leadership.ng

Buhari

Leadership Newspapers

49

@leadershipNGA

Obasanjo

Buhari And His Many Battles In this piece, CHIBUZO UKAIBE and EMAMEH GABRIEL dissect some of the battles President Muhammadu Buhari has had to confront as he sets to regain and retain the confidence and goodwill of Nigerians ahead of 2019.

I

t’s been a tough and rough political season for President Muhammadu Buhari. What’s more, evolving political developments forecast the intensity of battles he would have to confront as the country gears up for the much anticipated 2019 general election, amid speculations that he would seek re-election.

So far, he has been dealing with, perhaps, some of the fiercest battles of his political career yet.

Besides retaining or consolidating his political stronghold in the North, the president is expected to firm up his base in the South-west and make inroads in the Southeast and South-south regions.

The dilemma for Buhari is that he will also be fighting to fulfill his campaign promises including the anti-corruption war, economy and security.

While the war against corruption has seen to arrests, shuddering disclosures, loot recoveries and ongoing trials of alleged looters, there is yet to be convictions. While the APC blames it on corruption fighting back, the former ruling party, who alleged that only their members are arrested for corruption, says the anticorruption war is a witch hunt. So far both parties have been locked in a war of words over the looting of state funds.

While the economy is on the path to a bounce back, a major sore point for Buhari’s administration is the state of security in the country. The spate of recent

attacks by herdsmen and Boko Haram attacks and the Dapchi schoolgirls Kidnap saga, have continued to raise questions over his proficiency to manage the nation’s security challenges.

Although his swift response in rescuing the Dapchi schoolgirls was commendable in some quarters, the manner at which the over 100 school girls were kidnapped and returned a month later was widely criticised, particularly by the PDP who described the incident as being stage managed to score political points ahead of the 2019 general election.

The APC and the federal government have since refuted the claim and recommended a deregistration of the PDP for not meeting up with the standards of opposition politics.

Nonetheless, the major battle for Buhari is with his former military colleagues.

Battle of the generals In the last few months President Buhari has not had respite from constant attacks from prominent Nigerians. His former colleagues in the military have pitched their tents against him with some even cautioning him not to seek a second term.

Although the potency of his message was watered down by the controversy that trailed the statements issued by former Head of States, Ibrahim Babangida on the state of the

nation under Buhari, an earlier statement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, which gave a damning verdict against this administration, jolted the polity.

Obasanjo further declared the formation of a coalition which is shaping up to become the third force to oust APC from power in 2019.

While Obasanjo’s threat to write another letter is already stirring some concern in certain quarters, the outburst by former Defence Minister, General TY Danjuma, against the Armed Forces over the state of insecurity was instructive.

The elder statesman had taken a swipe at the Nigerian Army under Buhari’s watch, accusing it of being biased and providing protection for killers and kidnappers.

The former defence minister who was speaking at the maiden convocation ceremony of Taraba State University, Jalingo, had alleged that, “The armed forces are not neutral, they are conniving with the armed bandits that are killing people,” cried Danjuma.

Last week, Obasanjo launched a fresh attack against Buhari’s administration, likening it to reinforcing the failure of the previous administration.

With the three prominent military generals speaking against one of their own, analysts aver that it leaves a lot to be desired going into 2019.

The leading opposition party, ➔ CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE

2019 Presidential Poll Is Dicey – Ajewole

With the three prominent military generals speaking against one of their own, analysts aver that it leaves a lot to be desired going into 2019

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50 POLITICS

www.leadership.ng

Leadership Newspapers

Sunday, April 8, 2018

@leadershipNGA

Buhari And His Many Battles ➔ FROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE

How can you be experienced and criticise without proffering solutions?

If you think what has been outlined by those leading is not working and requires remodelling, do what is right

the PDP has been latching unto the statement made by these former generals to deride the APC and Buhari. PDP believes that the statements are a reflection of how the nation sees this administration, in that what the former generals have said is the current reality.

But the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, differed with Obasanjo over his statements against President Buhari’s performance and suitability for a second term. He said Buhari deserves to be re elected to enable him consolidate on the policies and programmes he has initiated to transform the country.

Gbadebo spoke when a former governor of Abia, Orji Uzor Kalu, led members of the National Movement for the Re-election of President Buhari on a courtesy visit to his palace in Abeokuta.

Also, the Katsina Senior Citizens Forum, led by Alhaji Aliyu Sani, descended verbally on Obasanjo, warning him against pushing his luck too far in his selfish quest to plunge the nation’s political system into confusion ahead of the 2019 general election.

Sani, further called on Buhari to probe the alleged massive looting of the nation’s commonwealth and reckless mortgaging of her economic assets by Obasanjo and his cronies between 1999 and 2007.

Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo (SAN) implored Nigerians to be wary of Obasanjo’s comments, saying only those who do not remember history would take Obsanjo’s antics serious.

Convener of the Niger Delta Self-Determination Movement (NDSDM), Ann-Kio Briggs, told Obasanjo to take responsibility for the failure he is accusing the Buhari administration of.

A legal practitioner and public analyst, Ismaila Olukun (Esq) said ‘‘That statement should act as wake up call for Nigerians to the residual power or force which they possess in large number, the quality and quantity of their strength in changing any system that doesn’t work for them from the current inertia which has paralysed us whether in intellect, conviction or in the inherent ability to effect a course correction whilst utilising every legitimate constitutional means at their disposal. ‘‘It serves to unbundle if not unravel the notion of military apologists that the days of baiting, instigating and waiting for military interventions in our body polity are gone forever! It is a backhanded slap to those politicians in our midst who when faced with the difficulties of explaining their misgovernance rush at first instance to that constituency,” said Olukun who also called for serious reforms to the Nigerian system.

He however lambasted the opposition for being ineffective adding that it is unfortunate that it is in disarray. “In that circumstance, they will split their votes by leaving Nigerians very confused as to what direction they are offering.

Babangida

“Most Nigerians are naturally very lazy and congregate only to those who can guarantee them polling day stomach infrastructure. The atmosphere now is very charged with all kinds of contradictions. There is a unanimity as to the problem but non as to the solution. What is the alternative?”, he asked.

Another analyst, Retson Tedekhe, noted that the unfolding scenario indicates that the country’s commonwealth is no longer accessible to those who feel they own Nigeria, but can no longer make that claim.

He added, “It is also clear that those who bastardised Nigeria by using the military for personal gains are no longer allowed that access to impunity. This makes me more proud of Mr President. When the rich also cry, the poor have a partner in power.”

He continued, ‘‘He is the movement and we can see progress despite the difficult times the county is into today. The President is getting more love from those who believe in Nigeria and his chances to be re-elected are better. ‘‘He is making progress for the interest of all. He is not stealing from us. He is building for all Nigerians, not some but all and looting elites hate this. We all want better options or alternatives to where we are in. But when you feel a process or an outline is not good enough, take the time to make it better and educate the people on what may work.

“How can you be experienced and criticise without proffering solutions? If you think what has been outlined by those leading is not working and requires remodelling, do what is right. Don’t Just Say, “It is not ok,” but try to make it ok,” advised Tedekhe.

On his part, Joseph Tade Oshaloto, a public affair analyst and media consultant, said the weight of the statements made by the generals should serve as a wakeup call for the Buhari administration.

He said, ‘‘The interventions

Danjuma

by the duo of former military president Ibrahim Babaginda and former president Olusegun Obasanjo will among other things draw attention of voters to areas where President Muhammadu Buhari has performed poorly.

The effect of these letters would go a long way in making voters rethink their choices in the coming elections. ‘‘While personal interests may not be outrightly ruled out as motivation for these letters and public outbursts by these former military generals, the issues raised, when subjected to careful looks, are such that many voters may find disturbing. ‘‘For example, issues of insecurity, cronyism, lop-sidedness of Buhari’s appointments and more generally poor handling of the economy are realities that voters will naturally feel quite emotional about. Interestingly these are the major imports of the generals’ intervention. ‘‘Equally scathing to president Buhari’s ambition (if he eventually runs) is General TY Danjuma’s outcry in which he called out the army as highly compromised. As a former defence chief, his words will go a long way in making some people believe that the current administration could have done better in the area of security. ‘‘Nigeria voting population is becoming increasingly enlightened. This means that many would be swayed more by facts and figures. ‘‘The Buhari’s administration would indeed need a miracle to reclaim the political grounds that he has lost as a result of these letters,” argued Mr Joseph.

However on the contrary, Olajide Abiola, a public speaker and blogger holds on to the conspiracy theory against President Buhari. ‘‘OBJ’s letter was an attempt at influencing the literate community. Who are more or less apathetic to political processes and lack the zeal to go to the grassroots

and galvanise them into any form of action?

He said ‘‘Aside social media engagement, radio and television communiqués, where else do you see the literate community invest their energies in discussing or debating governance and politics in Nigeria? Do you see most of the literate community sacrifice their valuable time and energy to pursue such a course to a logical conclusion?”

As for Gen Babangida, he said Nigerians are very familiar with his antics and that he should not be taken serious. ‘‘All Nigerians know IBB’s antecedents. His outburst is non sequitur, said Olajide who pointed out that ‘‘TY Danjuma’s allegations require proper inquiry by the Nigerian Army as long as he provides concrete evidence’’.

To Olajide, Buhari has a better chance to retain his seat so long as he plays his cards very well. ‘‘Nigeria’s political foundation is grassroots-based and physical engagement is the only method of reaching out to them at their points of interest. The efforts of the administration are targeted at improving the economic exposure of the grassroots, which is yielding massive results already. ‘‘So, the grassroots know who has brought productivity and progress to their way of life and thinking. ‘‘Mr President is someone that believes in his works speaking for him. Unfortunately, our generation lack the requisite discipline and patience to watch a process and follow through. ‘‘He needs a very energetic media engagement team to daily churn out the efforts and ongoing works. With the information blitz in our faces, the administration needs to be heavily combative and proactive in determining narratives,” he advised.

While the debate continues, the president still has an uphill task of fulfilling his campaign promises and meeting the expectations of Nigerians.

52 POLITICS INTERVIEW

Sunday, April 8, 2018

I’m Confident PMB Will Make Nigeria Better – Barr Ehimoni Barr Sunday Ehimoni is a lawyer and a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Lokoja in Kogi State. In this interview with LEADERSHIP Sunday, he gives insight on the ability of President Muhammadu Buhari to deliver on his campaign promises in the despite the mounting challenges.

The APC chieftain also shares his thoughts on recent developments in Kogi State.

What are your views on the performance of President Buhari so far?

President Buhari, we all know is an incorruptible Nigerian leader and he is a blessing to this country. For posterity sake, we should appreciate everything he has done so far to put the economy of this country back in a stable condition after the massive looting that we saw before the 2015 elections. Today, the Treasury Single Account (TSA) has helped the economy by saving billions of money which were kept in multiple accounts

by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the past.

The BVN and Whistleblower policies have also helped the economy. The independence of law enforcement agencies, especially the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) led to the recovery of billions of Naira in looted funds. You can recall that this country was in recession when Buhari came into power but he has been able to stabilize the economy. The agricultural sector has recorded huge successes and we are far better now with massive production of yam, rice and other food items, some of which are now being exported.

Another commendable step taken by the government is the degradation of Boko Haram insurgency which had taken territories in three states in the North-east and created fear all over Nigeria before this government came into office.

Can we say the same is happening in Kogi State?

The governor inherited a state in which thuggery, kidnapping and armed robbery, were prevalent.

But it is no longer the same because he has resolved to get rid of criminals and criminality in the state

Kogi State has a young governor who is intelligent, visionary and diligent. Governor Yahaya Bello is focused and has resolved to really drive home his plans for Kogi State in a manner that we have never seen in the state. If you have been to Kogi State lately, you will discover that it is one of the cleanest states in the country. In the past, there were refuse dumps even in front of MDAs but now the state government has taken full responsibility of managing waste.

The governor inherited a state in which thuggery, kidnapping and armed robbery, were prevalent. But it is no longer the same because he has resolved to get rid of criminals and criminality in the state.

He has fought insecurity to a standstill and we no longer live in fear in Kogi State. The Governor’s response to the

Ajewole

Ehimoni

recent crisis in some parts of the state was a clear demonstration of statesmanship. Remember he had to go 14 hours, including walking on foot and through water to Oganenigu and other parts of Kogi East that were affected. Arrests have been made; peace meetings were held; security agencies were fully mobilized to restore peace and order and a Judicial Commission of Inquiry is in place to unravel the whole truth about the attacks and recommend ways to forestall reoccurrence.

The government has signed into law the Administration of Criminal Justice Act. As lawyers, we know what it means for the dispensation of Criminal Justice.

For the first time, agriculture has received a big boost and there is Confluence Rice to show for it. The governor has made us realize that no one is greater than the other irrespective of where he hails from. He has also put an end to tribalism and ethnicity. Today we have a governor who is from the Central Senatorial District and his Chief of Staff from a different part of the state. We also now have a good number of nonkogites in his administration.

This is unprecedented and it is

the hallmark of an emerging nationalist.

Youth empowerment has taken a turn for the better and the youths are fully in the driving seat of leadership in Kogi State.

What do you make of the face off between Gov Bello and Sen Melaye?

In my assessment, Senator Dino Melaye has misplaced priorities.

The primary assignment of a legislator is to make laws and that is why Melaye became a senator under the APC. But I see him as someone who has taken over the job of the opposition and as a kingdom trying to rise against itself. It is seriously against the rules of engagement. Even if you claim that your government is not performing well, you can do that constructively and not do so like you are in the opposition. As an APC senator, he has devoted more time to projecting negativity against the government of his own state than improving the lot of our people and that is a misplacement of priority.

How do you react to allegations that you are being sponsored to contest for a Senatorial seat in 2019?

The allegation is laughable because the right to vie for any political position is a fundamental right and not given by anybody. There are always rumours of political sponsorship and I have actually heard it myself. Someone mentioned that Edward Onoja is the one bringing me up for the Senate, but the truth of the matter is that I am a civil servant; and even at that I am favourably disposed to associate with the APC government because my association is my right. May be because I have been involved in community development, youth empowerment and active in good courses; the people feel that the government of the day is favourably disposed to empowering young people and that I should take full advantage and contest election to the Senate knowing, that I have the capacity to make a huge difference in government.

So, it is my people from Kogi west that are calling on me. All over the west of Kogi State, from Yagba West to Koton Karfi, they want me, and you know that the voice of the people is the voice of God.

I don’t intend to take them for granted. Based on their request, I have been making consultations and at the appropriate time I will make my response known.

POLITICS ANALYSIS 53

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Fayose

Fayemi

Ekiti Guber: Issues As APC, PDP, Others Brace For Primaries As the July 14 gubernatorial election in Ekiti State draws near, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the opposition All Progressives Congress, (APC) and other parties are fine-tuning their strategies on how to win the contentious election, writes ALO ABIOLA.

A

Some have rented office spaces even though they hardly have aspirants thronging to run on their platforms

s the Ekiti State governorship election, scheduled to hold on July 14, draws closer, political parties and their governorship aspirants have being restrategising for the poll which is poised to be a tough contest.

Political parties, whose aspirants have indicated interest in the contest, going by their political activities across the state include, All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mega Party of Nigeria (MPN) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Others are the Accord Party (AP), Independent Democrat (ID), Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA), Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party, (ANRP) and Action Democratic Party (ADP).

Relatively unknown parties have also registered their presence in the state via their posters which are seen across the streets of Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

Some have rented office spaces even though they hardly have aspirants thronging to run on their platforms. Expectedly, such parties are calm as there is no tussle within for their governorship tickets.

But same cannot be said of the major parties, like the PDP, APC and possibly the SDP. The adoption of the state deputy governor, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, as PDP candidate (even before the primary) by the state chapter of the party and backed by Governor Ayodele Fayose, is tearing the party apart.

Other prominent gubernatorial aspirants, including immediate past National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye; serving Senator Biodun Olujimi; former Nigeria envoy to Canada, Amb. Dare Bejide and former Commissioner for Justice in the state, Mr Owoseeni Ajayi, have since rejected the adoption of Olusola, describing it as an imposition.

But Fayose maintains that he has no regret adopting his deputy as the favoured standard bearer of the party, saying that it was to ensure continuity in governance.

An attempt by the party’s national leadership to broker a truce through a reconciliation committee led by former Senate President, David Mark, appears not to have made any impact. The attendant consequence of the disagreement over the adoption of Olusola has culminated in defections from

the party.

The former deputy governor to Fayose during his first tenure, Chief Biodun Aluko, was the first to dump the party for the MPN, even before the adoption issue came up.

But the SDP seems to be the new bride for PDP defectors, as another former deputy governor, Chief Bisi Omoyeni, Amb. Bejide and others are set to join the fold.

Bejide and the senator representing Ekiti Central were said to have been represented at a meeting of the SDP in the state which was coordinated by another estranged PDP national leader and former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran.

The meeting coincided with the day Fayose appointed the current Commissioner for the Environment, Chief Bisi Kolawole, as the Director-General of the Kolapo Olusola-Eleka Campaign Council. Kolawole’s appointment has further confirmed Fayose’s preference for his deputy, and as the favoured PDP governorship candidate to succeed him in the July 14 poll.

A statement by the special assistant to the governor on Public Communication and New Media,

Lere Olayinka, said Kolawole, former member of the state House of Assembly, is to coordinate Olusola’s governorship campaign activities.

A leader of the APDA in the state, Chief S. O Elebute, who led some members of the party to the SDP stakeholders meeting, also said the party has merged with the SDP. Barely 48 hours after Omoyeni, Amb. Bejide and other prominent members of the PDP sent signal that they were on their way out of the party, another former deputy governor, Dr Sikiru Lawal, also dumped the party.

Lawal, who was the deputy governor to former Governor Segun Oni, who served between 2007 and 2010 premised his action on available fact that the party delegates’ list have allegedly been doctored in favour of Fayose’s adopted candidate.

Though he did not mention the political platform he would be joining with his supporters across the 177 wards of the state, the rumour mills are rife that he was set to pitch his tent with the SDP. In the APC, money, influence, power, backstabbing and insincerity on the part of the party lead➔ CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE

54 POLITICS ANALYSIS

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Ekiti Guber: Issues As APC, PDP, Others Brace For Primaries

Oni ➔ FROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE

ership are the major concerns of most party members, supporters and governorship aspirants alike.

But the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, when he visited the state recently, allayed the fear of the aspirants and their supporters on the party’s governorship primary.

Odigie-Oyegun, who was in the state to flag off of the national membership registration drive of the party, assured that a credible, free, fair and transparent primary election will be conducted to choose the party’s flag bearer.

He stressed that the Muhammadu Buhari administration would not compromise the integrity of the ballot box, despite the party’s quest to regain the governorship seat in Ekiti.

He added, “As you know, the Buhari administration will not compromise with offering voters a level-playing field.

“The aspirants should not campaign as if there is no tomorrow; don’t campaign with enmity, because there should be no discord in the party and anybody that wants to fly the party’s flag must sign an undertaking to maintain decorum.

“We at the national headquarters, having guaranteed a free and fair primary, because there cannot be peace without justice, will guarantee a free and fair primary. We must not have bad losers; all as-

Adeyeye

pirants must collapse their structures into that of the winner of the primary. There must be no division and factionalisation in the party.

“No officer (in the state exco) should join the campaign bandwagon of any aspirant, whatever position you hold. The moment you do that, you have factionalised the party.

“I want to assure that in Ekiti State, we will have free, fair and credible primary. We will provide security at the primary; it will be an open event that will be covered live on television from the beginning to the end. “There will be proper identification of delegates to prevent impersonation. Once the delegate list is out, every aspirant that pays the prescribed fee will be given the delegates list.

“At the voting point, party chairmen of the local government (chapters) and wards will stand at a distance away but they will ensure that those that will vote are bona fide delegates and anybody found impersonating will be handed over to the Police.”

Some of the prominent governorship aspirants on the platform of party include: Chief Oni, Mr. Olufemi Bamisile, Dr. Wole Oluyede, Mr. Kola Alabi, Dr. Bayo Orire, Senator Ayodele Arise, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Hon Opeyemi Bamidele, Senator Gbenga Aluko, Captain Sunday Adebomi, Chief Diran Adesua, Chief Dele Okeya, Mr. Bimbo Daramola, and Dr. Makanjuola Owolabi

among others.

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, who is the new entrant to the race, also called for unity among all APC members and governorship aspirants.

While hinting of his intention to contest the governorship election during a quarterly meeting of the ward, local government and state party leaders in state, Fayemi said the meeting, held at his Isan-Ekiti country home, was to “ensure that we are together in the struggle to reclaim the state in July 24.”

He added, “We must get to Oke Bareke. What is important to me and other progressives is to get to the place as a party. We don’t want APC primary to cause disaffection within the party, whoever emerges as the flagbearer of the party will be supported by all other aspirants.”

Meanwhile, the APC, which lost the governorship election in 2014 to the ruling PDP, parades the largest number of aspirants, which cuts across the three senatorial districts of the state.

While some political watchers believe that the minister need not join the race, having lost the same election about four years ago, others are of the opinion that his entrance will give necessary vigour to party in the election. Though, Fayemi’s decision to throw his hat into the gubernatorial ring has not generated any immediate contrary reaction from within

the party as widely thought, many things will definitely unfold in the next few weeks.

But aspirants on the platform of the APC have rather stepped up their consultations and meetings with members across the 16 local government areas of the state to shore up supports for their aspirations.

Others who are yet to make their intention known to the party are visiting their respective state party secretariats to make public declaration of their governorship ambition.

While some major aggrieved governorship aspirants within PDP are yet to decide on where to go, APC aspirants who never complain about the goings on in the party are already pasting posters at the entrance of their office tactically announcing their next platforms.

It is expected that political tunes will generally change within the folds of APC and PDP immediately after the conduct of their respective primary elections, with parties like the SDP, the APDA and MPN hoping to cash in on the fallouts.

However, it is expected that the next few weeks will determine where the pendulum of victory in the July 14 gubernatorial election will swing, as any slight mistake or underhand deals in the major parties, the PDP and the APC, may signal the emergence of a new third force, which may be the SDP, which all eyes are on for now.

It is expected that political tunes will generally change within the folds of APC and PDP immediately after the conduct of their respective primary elections

POLITICS INTERVIEW 55

Sunday, April 8, 2018

The Military Have Done Tremendously Well – Modu Yusuf Sheriff Modu, is a Senior Legislative aide in the house of representatives and the treasurer, National Legislative Aide forum. He is also Chairman of the North East legislative aide forum. In this interview with GABRIEL ATUMEYI he speaks on his aspiration and sundry matters.

The news is that you are running for the Borno State House of Assembly. What has inspired this move?

This is a very fantastic question and I think if I start answering you, I believe from now till tomorrow, I might not finish answering you. But I think I can look at the critical areas at least in a nutshell. When I look at it, the present member that is occupying that seat has been there since 2004 and by 2019 he will be either fifteen or sixteen years in the state House of Assembly and there is nothing to show for it. My people lack proper representation and I know my people lack all sort of development in their constituency and this is as a result of poor representation. You and I know that the governor cannot be at everywhere at the same time that is why we have legislators.

Who will sit down and listen to his constituency and know their needs and demands and prepare a motion and move it on the floor of the state assembly and lobby his colleagues, before bringing it to the attention of the governors. We know lobbying is a legitimate means in democratic governance and at the end of the day my people will get what they want. Gulumba-Woloji is the most backward constituency in Borno State and you know Borno has 27 local governments and 28 state constituencies, and it is only my local government, Bama, that has two state constituencies because of the landscape, population and others.

What difference do you think you will be bringing to the state assembly?

I will work to introduce the state constituency projects and I believe by virtue of that all the constituencies will enjoy equal sharing formula in the activities or presence of the government

Let me tell you something, Borno state was created in 1976 and I think certain practices there are quite unfortunate such as (1) they do not undertake live coverages of their procedures for the public to see their activities or the happenings of the state house of assembly people don’t seem to know much about the activities of the state house of assembly and two, nobody knows about either budget defence, screening of nominees and others, you must hold interactive sessions with your constituency. Then go to the state house of assembly and sit with your colleagues, tell them what you want. I will work to introduce the state constituency projects and I believe by virtue of that all the constituencies will enjoy equal sharing formula in the activities or presence of the government.

For instance, if the government decides to allocate one hundred scholarship slots to all the local governments, I will make sure the governor gives two hundred to Bama Local government, because Bama has to state constituencies. If I allow one hundred to Bama local government that means Bama will have fifty then Gulumba-Woloji will have fifty. You can imagine the population cow dung in our land scope, there must be a reason it has

two constituencies, I will not do it by force, I will appeal to the governor to consider us, because I cannot be confrontational.

Do you think you can win the upcoming election?

Thank you very much, you know as I am talking to you now, most of the leaders in my state have told me clearly that as it is now, from the poll they did I am ahead of the other aspirants. Because even the sitting member see me as the thorn in his quest for re-election and other aspirants still see me as a formidable force, so instead of them to work to dethrone the incumbent, they are all going after me. Their problem seems to be me. The incumbent is inaccessible and my people know how I have been able to help them with the little opportunity I have, because I maintain a very good relationship with them. They know my history, I was born and brought up in Banki town. I know their problems. I know them and they are my friends. In addition, some 1999 up till 2019 Banki has never produced the state house of assembly.

So at the moment there is a serious agitation for a shift of that seat to Banki zone, that is Wologi, because my people have been denied for a very long time. Since 1999 till today, we have not had the state assembly seat. That is why my people want that position at all cost.

So from among all the intending aspirants from that zone, I seem to be predominant figure.

How do you see the ongoing reconstruction of Borno state by both the state and federal government?

Honestly, I have to be sincere to my state governor, Kashim Shettims, he is doing tremendously well in the reconstruction of Borno state and I thinkf or the reason he should create a ministry called the three R’s, which means the ministry of the reconstruction, resettlement and rehabilitation. He has a commission at the moment and in their effective synergy. He also has an office that coordinates the activities NGO’s as well also it will be recalled that last year, the governor spent about a week in Bama local government monitoring the reconstruction of the town.

Because my governor wherever he goes like to talk about my local government. That people began thinking that my governor is given a disproportional attention to my local government. That is why I have to commend him for doing that. In fact, they are building houses and other vital infrastructures across Borno state at the moment. So that state government in Bama local government he went to Bama this morning. He is planning to return the IDPs to Bama and last week the federal government have opened Maiduguri, Bama, Banki road and this is a great development for us. The federal

Madu

government is doing its own part because they are collaborating with the state government to ensure that they do the reconstruction.

That is the reason why we are supporting the present federal government administration of President Muhammadu Buhari because of its own commitment to the reconstruction and restoring the lost glory of our people. We know that the government is full committed to the reconstruction.

The northeast development commission has been signed into law.

What prospect do you think it holds for the people of Borno state?

It is a welcome development. This bill is also coming at a time when I will also be at the state house of assembly by the grace of God. You know I have experience in the National assembly and I know the procedures and functions of the government. Let me tell you that the greatest gift that God gave the people of the North east is President Muhammadu Buhari. So for him to consider the northeast development bill and also if I refuse to mention the efforts of the National Assembly I am not being fair to them because they did their part, without them, the president alone cannot do that.

Because there are members and senators from the northeast and colleagues from other parts of the country who also supported the bill.

So they did all together and then the president asserted to it. We can see from the Niger Delta commission, where they commission executed a lot of projects.

How would you assess the tenure of Governor Kashim Shettima?

I think my governor is finishing his term, because he is doing his second term at the moment. In fact, he did well despite the security challenges and everything. So If I underscore him i am not sincere to him. You know he is a human being and there is no human being who doesn’t make mistakes. Nobody is a reservoir of knowledge but believe Borno state has never had a knowledgeable, well educated, well exposed governor like Kashim Shettima, none of our former governors have a Bsc but he has about two masters, he is a writer and so on. So I think he has done well. But you know the expectation of the people is always high and coupled with the situation they found themselves in which is not of their own making. Imagine in a state where more than two million people are displaced and more than twenty local governments is enmeshed in the insurgency.

Borno state is the hardest hit by the insurgency, do you think the people of Borno state have confidence in the ability of the military to secure them?

Reasonable people in the northeast know that the military have done tremendously well. I just told you that last Saturday the federal government opened the Maiduguri, Bama, Banki road which was shut down for the past three years. And this would have been impossible only because the military have succeeded in cleansing the area of terrorist. At a point my Emir palace in Bama local government was the capital of the terrorist for about seven months. At a point in Mafa local government which is just 30 kilometers from Maiduguri was occupied for several months.

56 POLITICS INTERVIEW

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Why have you decided to revive the late Shehu Yar’Adua political family, considering that one of his major political groups PDM metamorphosed into a political and some major members of YarAdua political structure have long moved on?

this group believe in one Nigeria.

We don’t believe in south or north.

We believe in one Nigeria. The failure of leadership today can be traced to failure of party disciplines and principles and it is very unfortunate.

But you are trying to engage this same system. How optimistic are you that you will make significant impact because you will be working with same people?

Yes, it was true that the political party, PDM was formed out of the PDM political structure. The intention then was neither to rubbish the structure itself nor replace the family structure. We just thought we should have a political party that could be sort of a back room boy for the structure of the family. Indeed, most of the founding fathers were opposed to it then but we still went ahead with it. It was not supposed to replace the structure of the family which has remained intact after so long. Of course, we have seen that things have not really worked the way it was supposed to work with regard to PDM as a party.

But we were always conscious of keeping the family structure going in appreciation of the life and legacy of Shehu Yar’Adua. We still believe he died for the core courses we believe in which is one Nigeria no North, No South.

But most of the influential members in Yar’Adua political family have long moved on. Who are some of the members of the family as at today?

Former chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) Chief Tony Anenih, former Vice Chairman, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, national leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu are some of the Yar’Adua political family. Our other prominent members are spread across political parties.

But are they aware of this resuscitation move?

They are aware of what we are doing.

Few of us started the resuscitation of this family about eight years ago.

And I led it for three years and at one of our meetings I passed on the mantle of leadership to Sen Mahdi.

After four years we saw the need for me to return and revive it further.

That is what we are doing now.

What impact do you think the family can make in 2019?

As for these other mushroom parties, unless they can come together and form a rainbow coalition they won’t make any meaningful impact on the landscape

That is one of the reason we are reviving the structures. What we are aiming at as espoused in our communique is that the founding fathers of the family believe that we should all be in one party and that worked for us in the SDP days. We all moved to SDP when we couldn’t get PF registered. During the Abacha era we decided to split ourselves across the political parties then. But after then, we have been unable to come together as we original started that is being in one party and that has not helped. This time around for us to be relevant in 2019, we have resolved to encourage our members irrespective of party lines to collapse into one party. We are working on that.

Have you identified any party yet?

No not yet. We have setup a political committee to look into that. It will examine the merits and demerits of the existing political parties.

What benchmarks are you working with to identify a party you will work with?

The party we will move into must be one that has been tested by

Ajewole

2019 Presidential Poll Is Dicey – Ajewole

In this interview with CHIBUZO UKAIBE, national coordinator of the Shehu Yar’Adua Political Family (SYPF), Hon Bode Ajewole, speaks on the evolving political realignments ahead of 2019 general elections.

Nigerians. We have looked at PDP and APC seriously. As at today I am a member of APC. Some of us are in PDP and APC. We are also looking at the emerging rainbow coalition which is playing out in the political landscape. We are not closing our eyes in that direction.

Do you mean the SDP?

SDP is just one of the coalition parties. There will be parties that will come and form this third force.

It won’t be just one party.

But one would think that SDP would strike some emotional attachment for Yar’Adua family. Won’t it be natural for your family to work with them?

Yes, it has its own emotional attachment, as you put it, because, we were all part of the SDP then.

But that does not mean we are going to the SDP now. But again we are not saying no to SDP. There is a committee setup to look into that. I am not a member of the committee and I wouldn’t want to pre empt them. They have a free hand to interact with all the parties including the PDP and APC. I was in PDP before I moved to the APC. We are not ruling out any party for now.

By the time we get our report in April we will know what to do from there.

What’s the position of your group on the state of the nation?

I will only comment on the views of the family group itself. When we talk at our family level we try to get

ourselves completely detached from party politics. Be that as it may, my personal views on issues as at today is that definitely, a lot of things need to be done for us to really see that a lot of correction has been done in the system. While I would admit that Nigerians have tested PDP and they are currently testing APC, in a few months’ time, Nigeria will be able to conclude and see which of them is better. And that is why Nigerians are now calling for the third force.

So if I start talking about my party APC or my former party PDP, I will be jeopardising our chances to pick one of them to work with eventually.

Unfortunately what the majority says carries the day. So I can’t pre empt the report of the committee we have set up.

We have a diminishing political culture that reflects in the quality of party administration and by extension governance. We have seen PDP, APC and others disregard party ideology, manifesto and supremacy.....

That is the basic problem of party politics in this country. People get into power riding on the back of a political party and promising to uphold their tenets and principles.

But once they get to power they seem to forget the position they occupy and start to promote selfish interests. Before long, we start seeing people divide themselves long tribal lines. That is why the system is failing. The founding fathers of

Right now we are doing registration of members to really know the number of people we have across the states. We have coordinators in the wards, local governments and states across the country as we speak. By the time we come out with our population and we get all our members to believe that it’s better for us to move into one party, we will be able to impact that party on their attitude towards the Nigerian nation.

They may not totally buy into our philosophy but we want to be able to shape the ideology of that party we are moving into. Once we can show our strength they must talk to us. We won’t go in as beggars. No way. We will go into the party from a point of strength. If millions of members who believe in Yar’ Adua ideology talking through us they will have no option than to abide by ideals that will be in the interest of the Nigerian nation.

As at our last roll call a year ago, we were above two million. All we need to do is keep harnessing them and call them together. So many political actors today share same political belief with us. So we want to go back to the trenches to get our supporters and sympathisers. That was the focus of our last national meeting.

How do you perceive the 2019 general elections would play out?

There is still a lot of time for people to play out their qualities which will guide Nigerians in their decision taking. Nothing is really certain about 2019 election. If anybody tells that A or B is going to play out in a certain way, that person might just be fooling his or herself politically.

The PDP wants to take power back from APC but it must go the extra mile. If APC does not want to lose power to the emerging coalition it must be on its toes. Same applies to the seeming emerging third force. They must be on the wheel of the vehicle on a 24 hour basis because it won’t be an easy ride. As for these other mushroom parties, unless they can come together and form a rainbow coalition they won’t make any meaningful impact on the landscape.

What’s your take on the debate over the reordering of the election sequence?

The current Electoral Act didn’t specify the sequence. But the amended one has specifically given a sequence. Since it is a constitutional issue, as a former member of House of Reps, I will not be well guided to take sides for now on the pages of newspaper, because while the president has a right to refuse assent, the National Assembly in their own wisdom, felt they should touch that area. I believe they did that to protect Nigerians. But I am not sure.

The President too must have been advised, legally or constitutionally, to take the decision he took. Let them look for a political solution along the lines. I believe they will resolve it so I don’t want to take sides.

Sunday, April 8, 2018 Biovaccines production is very complex, when are you likely to produce your own vaccines?

Vaccine production is a highly technical and complex technology which requires time to perfect. Usually a green field project will require five to eight years gestation period, but we cannot wait that long. We are engaging our experts and relevant government agencies to see how we can shorten this process without compromising quality. It is our hope that we can achieve production within the next three to four years.

As a private and independent company, Biovaccines is not encumbered by any bureaucracy and so, we are confident that with the expected cooperation from government, the management of the company will move swiftly to achieve our goals in record time.

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@leadershipNGA

FG Has Been Of Great Help To Production Of Vaccines – Tomori Prof Wale Tomori is the chairman, board of directors, Biovaccines Nigeria Limited (BVNL), a joint venture between May & Baker Nigeria Plc and the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Health to produce vaccines for the eradication of child killer diseases in the country. In this interview with ODIRI UCHENUNU-IBEH, he explains why it will take three to four years for Nigeria to produce its own vaccines.

A green field project, like you said requires five to eight years gestation period, and Biovaccines is assuring Nigerians that it can achieve local vaccine production in the next three to four years, how is that possible?

We are not the first vaccine manufacturer in the world, the vaccines that we have been using, others have been manufacturing it and there is no way we are going to work alone because we are working in partnership with other people. Those people we are partnering with us are already producing vaccines and so our partnership includes getting some of what they are producing and finishing up in Nigeria before we move on to producing our own vaccines here in Nigeria. So, that explains the three years first and then eight years later phase.

We already have a structure at Otta, Ogun state for the production of vaccines, but we cannot wait till eight years before producing vaccines for Nigerians since we already have partnership with people who are producing vaccines. So, in the next three years, we are going to work with our partners. We all know that vaccine production has so many stages. Some of the stages would be done in this country including the final stage and that account for the three to four years.

What kind of vaccines will you be producing and for what category of people?

I am quite happy that the government is choosing its own members; it did not follow the old pattern of selecting people who are not in the field

We cannot work in isolation. We have to look at what is existing in the world, who is producing what vaccines, how soon are they producing it? Then we also have to find out what are our peculiar problems in the country that nobody is producing vaccines for. We are going to study our country and look at what others are not producing and then produce those vaccines, but most importantly, vaccines that would affect the lives of our children, become a priority for us.

What are the advantages for Nigeria producing its own vaccines?

One of the advantages is that we will have health security and it is a national pride that we are producing our own vaccine.

INTERVIEW 57

just vaccine production.

Is the present administration in support of this project?

Yes, we have gotten the commitment of the present government. We have gotten 100 percent corporation from this government. We have been on this vaccine production for years, but as soon as this government came in, we took it back to them and in less than two years, they gave the go ahead. This is something we have not been able to do for the past 10 years but here we are today. This government has shown extreme commitment to working with us.

I am quite happy that the government is choosing its own members; it did not follow the old pattern of selecting people who are not in the field. The government came up with the right choice of stakeholders in the health sector. So, with this present administration, we were able to address some of the challenges we would have faced in the future. This has really helped us to ensure that we don’t fail just as the old vaccine production failed.

The federal government has been of great help to the production of the vaccines, the building we are using was given to us by the government and so many ways that the federal government is contributing to ensure that we succeed.

More importantly, we have that commitment from the government that whatever the Biovaccine produces will be purchased by them.

What is your advice to some Nigerians who are in hurry to see the country producing its own vaccines?

Tomori

This is something we should all look forward to. It will also help provide employment for Nigerians and the issue of foreign exchange will no longer affect us because we will not be purchasing the vaccines again from foreign countries, since we are producing it locally. This is a win-win situation for everybody, for the government, for May and Baker and for Nigerians at large.

How can this project be sustained?

When we talk about sustainability, May and Baker has been doing business before anyone of us as board members was born and they have not folded up despite the economic situation in the country. If they can stand till now, I am very sure they can even do better in terms of the vaccine production.

What are the challenges that the board has faced so far?

The challenges that we face also lead to the problem of why it has taken Nigeria so long to produce her own vaccine. Let us be frank with each other, in this country, we have a problem and that is the issue of good governance. If you remove good governance from anything you are doing, you cannot achieve anything and that is why Africa is the way it is. The fact that we are begging the world to solve our problems for us, is an issue of good governance.

If you have good governance, then we are talking about accountability, integrity and sustainability and then we won’t be where we are today.

The production of vaccines would have started long ago, but because of changing of government, it has stunted the progress. So part of our challenges is our challenge as a nation and as individuals and it affects everything we do, not

As a board, we want to assure Nigerians that we are not taking this assignment lightly and will do everything to deliver their expectations. However, we shall take calculated steps to ensure we get everything right.

This means that we are not only working to give Nigerians locally produced vaccines of the highest quality and that these are done in a sustainable manner. We have resolved that no product of Biovaccines will harm Nigerians. This is the sacred creed of the board members, to which all workers will subscribe from the chief executive to the gatekeeper.

In a bid to ensure we get things right the first time, I wish to inform you that we are working with our foreign technical team comprising of international experts in vaccines and biological technology to develop and implement a robust business plan. I want Nigerians to know that something different is coming out of the country, but we must learn to be patient, if we rush into this vaccine without putting things in the proper perception, we may fail. We need to learn to wait patiently and do things the right way and that is why we want to ensure that this time, we succeed.

58 FEATURE

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Bags of Cow dung ready for sale in Nasarawa State

Making A Fortune From Cow Dung To many, a business in Cow dung may not seem like much. However, on a trip to a farm settlement in Nasarawa State, EMAMEH GABRIEL finds the contrary while examining how some herdsmen are making a fortune in the Cow dung business. He narrates his experience.

W What hastily comes to the mind when cattle dung is treated as some gold of sorts is this, what are they used for?

hile Nigerian farmers are going back to the basics with new techniques for improving yield and chemical free fertiliser, though an old custom, cattle rearers are beginning to prove that, where there is muck, there is brass-making money from cow dung. And while it is now the farmer’s pride to increase the quality and yield of his crop, it is the herdsman’s secret gold mine.

No one would have imagined outside moving their cattle from one point to another daily or selling them out to butchers, that herdsmen rake a fortune from cattle drops every day after retiring from the daily nomadic routine.

It was a normal working day at a Fulani settlement in Gaate, Kokona Local Government Area in Nasarawa State. Two trucks had travelled all the way from Kaduna State and drove in through the narrow patch of

the farmland.

The two trucks were initially confronted by some security men manning the post at the farm settlement, as they were trying to manoeuvre their way deep into the other parts of the farm to their destination.

Of course, they came to buy something of value to them, cow dung, and are expected to go back to Kaduna; they had to identify themselves before they were let in.

But they were not let in without a bit of drama.

Farmers in the settlement, having noticed that the truck drivers are their major cow dung purchase competitors, had to put a radio call across to some of the workers in the farm to rush down to the nearby Fulani settlement to protect their own merchandise from these would be perceived rivals.

‘How come they got to know about this place?’ One of the farmers had asked some of his colleagues. ‘Someone must have directed them here because this might not be the

only place they scout for cow dung’, another responded.

Out of curiosity, LEADERSHIP Sunday, on an inspection at the farm settlement in the area, trailed the trucks to where they were loading bags of what initially looked like farm products ready for market.

Alas!, they were cattle dung, bagged, arranged in uniform to be transported to Kaduna State where they were to be supplied to farmers who had in the previous week made requests.

For a first time visitor to the settlement, the stench oozing out of these animal drops and the buzzing sounds of the colony of flies as they aggressively perched all over one’s body, takes only courage to endure.

What hastily comes to the mind when cattle dung is treated as some gold of sorts is this, what are they used for?

If you have even an inkling of interest in organic farming, you must really consider using Cow dung for having a great

chemical-free farm produce.

Clearly, now farmers are trying to shift from using chemical fertilisers to compose manure not only for the purpose of improving yields but to make farm products chemical free and make them much safer for consumption.

Reports have shown that cow manure makes good fertiliser. Cow manure is rich in minerals, especially nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. It can support the growth of beneficial microorganisms when it is mixed with soil.

Cow dung can also improve the texture of the soil and help it to maintain moisture. It is a most important source of biofertiliser. It is a very effective alternative to chemical fertilisers by enhancing productivity in long term with maintaining the soil health and enhancing the microbial population, several reports have revealed. ➔ CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE

Sunday, April 8, 2018

www.leadership.ng

Making A Fortune From Cow Dung FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

We arrange them within twenty to twenty five thousand and when they come, we sell to them

Cow dung increases soil organic matter content, which leads to improved water infiltration and water holding capacity as well as an increased action exchange capacity. ‘‘The change in the yield and the quality of harvest from my little experience is evident, says Peter Obgeide, a farmer who spoke with SUNDAY Leadership. ‘‘In a way, not only are the crops going to be chemicalfree, even the nutrients that are present in the organic manure help in resuscitating the soil in case of contamination or in areas that are close to becoming barren and unfit for use,” he reveals. ‘‘We are currently using dung that comes from the native breed of cows as you A Fulani settlement in Gaate can see. It guarantees better yield. We have been gathering them for the next farming season and you can observe that we are already spreading them waiting for the rains and then planting follows. ‘‘We are confident that it will not only fetch us great harvest but also amazing market sales, quips Mr Peter who revealed that they have spent a great fortune buying this amazing fertiliser from Fulanis in the settlement. Over two hundred thousand has been paid so far and we are expecting from them (herdsmen), he said. ‘‘When you have cows, you gather their dung for some period because people always come to ask for it, says Alhaji Saliu. ‘‘If the manure is plenty, I sell it around twenty to twenty five thousand to farmers, he said.

Alhaji Gajere, one of the Arrival of trucks for loading leaders in the settlement said farmers come from far away places to buy cow dung from them and it has helped them augment their family expenses. ‘‘We have sold many this year alone. We arrange them within twenty to twenty five thousand and when they come, we sell to them. The demand is high now and it is not easy gathering them,” he said.

His wife, Jamai Gajere said they never knew there was money in cow dung and the business has made life easy for them. She said: ‘‘We use to think they were useless, but now people come all the time to buy. We have to go extra miles from here to gather them. We use part of the money to buy things we need and even drugs for the cows’’, she explained.

A farm settlement in Nasarawa State

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FEATURE 59

60 FEATURE

Sunday, April 8, 2018

The Perils Of Soot In Rivers The destruction of illegal refineries in Rivers State is necessary. However the consequence of the destruction has left a trail of pollution, harmful health wise to the residents of the State. ANAYO ONUKWUGHA, reports.

F

I think we should suspend all politics and come together and arrest this situation one way or the other

or close to two years now, residents of Port Harcourt, following the continuous raining of black soot that emit into the air as a result of activities of oil companies operating in Rivers State. However, experts believe that majority of this soot emit from illegal refining sites scattered across the rivers and creeks in the state as well as from the destruction of such sites by security agencies that are out to stop illegal refining of petroleum products.

On several occasions, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike have had cause to caution security agents, especially the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) over the destruction of such sites that had led to the soot.

Speaking recently, Wike appealed to the Nigerian Army and other security agencies to adopt more refined ways of destroying illegal refineries in the state, pointing out that the methods currently adopted by security agencies in destroying illegal refineries are harmful to the environment.

The governor noted that while it is necessary to stop the illegal refineries from operating, such actions must not expose the people to extensive and prolonged danger. He said, “The outcome of the uncontrolled destruction of illegal refineries without precautionary measures forms part of the reasons why the state is suffering from black soot.

“The present mode of destroying illegal refineries is negatively affecting our environment.

Everywhere across the state you see black soot deposited on surfaces of buildings, cars and other structures. “The state government is working hard to resolve this environmental challenge, but we need the cooperation of the Nigerian Army and other security agencies on the manner they destroy illegal refineries.”

Wike, who stated that his administration will continue to take steps to protect the state environment, noted that the health of Rivers people depend on the environment, hence the state government will work with all stakeholders to stop the soot.

To Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, the senator representing Rivers South-East senatorial district in the National Assembly, there was need for a summit of stakeholders to find a solution to the issue of sooth in Rivers State.

Abe, who demanded that a national health emergency be declared in the state, noted that the sooth poses great danger to the health of residence of the state as it can be visibly

Soot polluting the air from destruction of illegal refineries in Rivers State

seen on cars, houses and in the atmosphere.

While noting that the time for politics is over and attention should now focus on solving the problems of the people, the senator said, “I want to use this opportunity to say to all of us that the real problem boarding Rivers people now, these past few days that I have been in the state, is the sooth that we are facing. I think we should come together and look for a way to declare a national health emergency in Rivers state.

“You will wake up in the morning your car is black you will come out in the night the floor is black, and if everything around you is turning black you begin to wonder what is happening to your lungs, what is happening to your children .what is the impact of these things on the long term consequences .Those who live here from January to December .what is happening to us and what are we doing about it.

“Nobody seems to have a clear answer. I think we should suspend all politics and come together and arrest this situation one way or the other. If we all come together to bring our federal connections and resources, the state brings its own resources, we call in the academic community, we call in the international community, we have all the resources we can put together. I believe that whatever is causing this problem we can find a solution and bring an end to it.

“People believe black people don’t take environmental issues seriously, I don’t think this soot is an environmental issue, it is a looming health calamity that can have consequences we do not bargain for. So I think we should even come together and do something urgently. Let us even call a summit or a seminar where we will all come together to

brainstorm on this thing and see what we can do about it. “ To a medical expert, Dr. Furo Green, about six million residents of Rivers State face the risk of developing cancer of the lung and other respiratory problems, following the never-ending raining of cancerous hydrocarbon elements, commonly referred to as black soot on their environment.

Green, who is a specialist and consultant surgeon at the Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital, Port Harcourt, decried the impact of the black soot and called on the Federal Government to monitor the activities of multinational companies that are into hydrocarbon processing.

He said, “We all suddenly noticed an increase in discharge of black powdery matter in the environment, which the Ministry of Environment has narrowed to hydrocarbon. The implication of inhaling these hydrocarbon particles is that it can lead to acute inflammation of the airways, which can precipitate to hyper stimulation of the airway and actually precipitate asthmatic attack in individuals, who are predisposed to asthma.

“And over a long period of time it can precipitate chronic obstruction of the airways, which we refer to as chronic bronchitis.

So when this condition goes on for a long time, it results to chronic respiratory conditions that can end up as malignancy or even kill the individual.

“The figure of people affected by this might even be larger than six million because other neighbouring states are also experiencing the soot, and even recently parts of Lagos State have been reported to also experience it.

“Hydrocarbons after prolong exposure can predispose to cancer, especially of the lung,

because that is the area where it is settled, but there are other long lasting conditions that may arise from hydrocarbon poison, such as infertility.

“But in children, the effect can be unpredictable, a child that is very normal now could actually develop an acute respiratory problem, meaning that a child, who has never had asthma, can actually precipitate to one, and if care is not taken the child could die from asphyxia. So the effects of these particles are more pronounced in children right now, but over a period of time, it will lead to lung condition.

“Wash your hands as often as possible because even where you wash your hands, you will see that the lather of the soap itself is black. Children should be protected, close your windows, wash your fruits and cover your food to reduce the loads of these hydrocarbons.

“Also, clean your floor and furniture with moist towels to reduce the accumulation of the soot; and when you are exposed outside, wear a nosemask or cover your nose with handkerchief to minimize the volume that is inhaled.”

Another medical expert, Dr. Ochele Emmanuel, said, “The government should do everything possible to ensure that our society is clean, they can do that by ensuring that illegal refineries, the petroleum industries, where there is gas flaring and where there is release of effluent into the atmosphere is reduced to the minimum even the automobile and artisans, who burn tires often.

“We know that it will have a cumulative effect one day. Among them for now, people will begin to develop respiratory problem, skin irritation. The government needs to intervene and the citizens should be educated.”

Sunday, April 8, 2018

NEWS ACROSS THE STATES 61

Zamfara Now 6 Years Polio Free – Commissioner Zamfara State has not recorded any case of wild polio virus for six years running, the state commissioner for Health, Lawal M-Liman, has said.

M-Liman on Saturday in Kaura-Namoda at the flag off of the 2018 National Polio Immunisation Plus Days Campaign, said it was a great achievement.

“Since 2012 when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the state polio free, we have not recorded any polio virus case in this state.”He attributed the success to sustained collaboration with stakeholders including WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International, traditional and religious leaders as well as the media.

“I want to use this opportunity to remind us that polio is a dangerous disease that cripples or even kills children, it is an infectious disease which is spread by infected children or who have not received required doses of polio vaccine.

“Once a child is paralyzed there is no cure, he or she will be for life, therefore protecting our children from polio virus is necessary and paramount. I want enjoin all of us to participate by bringing our children for immunisation, I am calling on mothers to bring out their

children for immunisation”, he said.

In his remark, the emir of Kaura-Namoda, Alhaji Muhammad Ahmad-Asha pledged continuous support to all efforts at ending polio. He added that the emirate council had mobilised its district and ward heads to enlighten their subjects on the importance of polio immunisation.

“We always call for stakeholders meeting in this emirate whenever there is polio immunisation campaign, to discuss and arrange on how to succeed in the exercise.

Parents from this area have been complying with the polio immunisation exercise; in Kaura-Namoda we don’t have issue of non-compliance, most of those issues of noncompliance cases were due to ignorance.

“With the collaborative efforts from our wards and district heads in enlightening our people, we no longer have such cases here anymore”, the emir said.

In his remark, Executive Secretary, state Primary Health Care Development Agency, Yusuf Mafara commended the support giving to polio immunasation and other health related programmes in the state by traditional and religious leaders.

Baru Commend Osun State For Securing NNPC Pipelines

BY FESTUS OKOROMADU, Abuja

The group managing director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, disclosed the corporation has hardly record any incident of pipeline vandalism or security breach along its System 2B pipeline network that cuts across Osun State.

According to him, NNPC has over the years enjoyed tremendous support from Osun State as a neighboring state that hosts the corporation’s System 2B pipeline segments connecting Mosimi Depot with Ibadan, Ore and Ilorin depots.

A statement issued by NNPC spokesman, Ndu Ughamadu said Dr. Baru, disclosed this while receiving Governor Rauf Aregbesola at the NNPC Towers in Abuja, Thursday.

“I am happy to inform you that over the years, we hardly record any incident of pipeline vandalism or security breach along our System 2B pipeline network that cuts across Osun State. This is attributable to the efforts of the State Government and the law-abiding people of the state,” Baru was quoted to have said.

Meanwhile, the corporation is said to be in serious discussions with the Osun State Government on collaboration over establishing a state-of-theart retail filling station as part of efforts to expand its network of retail stations nationwide.

According to the GMD, Osun State government has completed

a modern 26 nozzle retail station and is planning to lease it out to the corporation.

“Our strategy for the NNPC Retail is to capture as much of the downstream retail market in the country as possible. A state like Osun is very central to our expansion drive. Having looked at the possibilities, we are committed to taking the discussions further.”

“We have reached an advanced stage in our discussions. Next week, we are expected to further discussions on commercial terms of offer with the state Government’s team,” Baru stated.

He explained that the partnership would not only expand the downstream fuel distribution and retail in the state, it would also ensure adequate products availability as well as improve commercial return on investment.

(R-L) Chairperson/CEO of the Commonwealth Business Women Nigeria (CBWN), Mrs Afoma Clara Adigwe; Consul Trade & Investment, Consulate General of Nigeria in Johannesburg South Africa, Alhaji Ahmed and NACCIMA National President, Iyalode Alaba Lawson (MFR FIOD JP) at the official groundbreaking/inaugural agreement signing ceremonies of the CBWN by CBW Africa in Johannesburg South Africa on Friday 6 April 2018 at the Capital Empire Hotel Johannesburg.

12-year–old Beats 39, 000 Others To Win National Mathematics Competition

BY TAIWO OGUNMOLANI, Lagos

A 12-year-old pupil of the Indian Language School in Lagos, Rishe Gnanasekaran, on Saturday emerged South West winner of the 15th Annual National Mathematics Competition.

The competition was organised by Nigerian Tulip International Colleges in conjunction with National Mathematics Centre, Abuja for primary five and six pupils of schools nationwide.

Leadership Sunday reports that 39,000 pupils across the region participated in the competition, while the best 12 pupils, their teachers and schools won prizes.

All the winners would be given scholarships covering tuition and accommodation.

The overall winner got a cash prize of N300, 000 while the teacher got N150, 000 and the school got a photocopy machine.

The second prize winner got

N200,000, the teacher N100, 000 and the school a desk top computer.

The third prize winner went away with N100,000 and the teacher got N75, 000. The prize for the school is a printer.

Winners from the fourth place, up to the 12th and their teachers also got various cash prizes.

Mr Ercan Yilmaz, Principal NTIC, said the competition, organised by the college for the past 15 years, was aimed at developing greater capacity and promoting effective teaching and learning of mathematics at the primary levels.

Yilmaz said there was nothing more important for the future of our countries and our citizens than high quality education for all.

“The Annual National Mathematics Competition (ANMC) has been ongoing for the past 15 years for all states in the country and we here in Lagos are in charge of 9 states

The Niger State Government on Saturday said it had disbursed N1 billion loan to improve the capacity of small scale businesses in the state.

Alhaji Danjuma Sallau, the state commissioner for Information and Strategy said this in Minna during a reception organised in his honour by the Association of Small Scale Businesses Operators.

Sallau said that government was doing everything possible to create enabling environment to

She urged the winners not to rest on their oars because there are future hurdles to still cross in their academic pursuit and leadership role.

“Put on the jacket of academic sportsmanship, imbibe good moral, as your schools continue to transform, reposition and take you to the Zenith of your chosen career, ” he said.

She lauded NTIC for its commitment and dedication to the development of education, growth of its school and concern for the progress of students and the community.

The Nigerian Tulip International College was formerly known as Nigeria Turkish International Colleges, an educational institution operating 16 schools in five states in Nigeria.

NTIC is aimed at producing academically excellent, morally upright and socially responsible citizens for Nigeria and the world.

NNPC, NLNG Earmark $4Mn For Establishment Of Laboratories In 6 Universities

BY CHIKA IZUORA, Lagos

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), said it is collaborating with the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited for the provision of science and laboratories in six universities

spread across all the geopolitical zones in the country at a whooping cost of $4Mn .

They said each of the agency is committing two million dollars for the projects.

Also, the NNPC said it is set to collaborate with the Nigerian academy of Engineers to raise

Niger Govt Disburses N1bn Loan To Small Scale Businesses

BY OBINNA UNAEZE

namely: Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara, Delta and Edo States.

“We had 39, 600 pupils from 36 states across Nigeria who participated in this year`s competition and seated among us here are champions.

“As we celebrate the 15th edition winners of 2018 ANMC, various scholarships will be given today to these future changers; schools will be encouraged and so many Math teachers here will go home motivated and elated,” he said.

Mrs Ronke Soyobo, DirectorGeneral, Office of Quality Assurance, Lagos State Ministry of Education, said the prize giving ceremony was a reward for hard work and a preparation for future challenges and leadership role of young leaders.

Soyobo, represented by Mrs Bambi Falayi, Director, Monitoring and Investigation office of Education, commended the participants for putting on a spirit of sportsmanship.

enhance businesses so as to uplift the standard of living of the people.

According to him, “very soon another N1 billion will be released to cushion the effect of economic hardship in doing business.’’

He advised the small business operators to explore the opportunity created by government to improve their businesses.

The commissioner said that the ministry was determined to ensure effective information dissemination of government policies and programmes using the state media outfit.

Earlier, Alhaji Abdullahi Saidu, the association’s chairman said that its 2, 000 members were yet to benefit from government loan and called for their inclusion.

Saidu who was represented by the secretary of the association, Malam Musa Kala, appealed to government to ensure adequate publicity of its policies and programmes to enable the people benefit from them. He said that the association will support government efforts aimed at improving the living standard of the people.

the standard of Engineering and Technology in the country.

Group managing diirector of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, who disclosed this while receiving members of the Nigerian Academy of Engineers who paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja noted that the corporation had a record of supporting the development of engineering and technology in the country through its various corporate social responsibility programmes like the annual national quiz competition for science students in the country.

Speaking earlier, president of the Academy, who was also a former member of NNPC Board, Engr. (Mrs) Olu Maduka, said the standard of engineering in the country was falling and the trend must be arrested, saying only an organization like the NNPC with its track record of support to the development of science and Engineering technology

could spearhead its revival.

Also speaking at the event, former vice chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Yola, and a member of the Academy, Professor Salihu Mustapha, said there was an urgent need to link research, academic and industry, while expressing optimizing that NNPC remains one of the corporate bodies that could provide the needed support in that regard.

The Nigerian Academy Of science was established in 1997 and membership is open to professionals who are sixty years and above.

Meanwhile, Dr. Baru has restated his commitment to the growth of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) market in Nigeria.

Speaking while receiving members of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association in his office, Dr. Baru said he was looking forward to seeing that all domestic cooking in Nigeria were carried out using LPG.

62 NEWS ACROSS THE STATES

Sunday, April 8 , 2018

Capital Project: Bayelsa Govt Confirms Payment Of N10.4bn To Contractors

BY OSA OKHOMINA, Yenagoa

The Bayelsa State Government yesterday, confirmed that it has paid N10.4bn in February and March to contractors handling various capital projects across the state.

The state’s deputy governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (rtd), who disclosed the figure at the transparency briefings for the two months, said N4.2bn was paid in February while N6.2bn was released to the contractors in March.

He said the gross inflow to the state from the Federation Allocation Account (FAAC) in February including statutory receipt of N2.9bn and derivation of N10.4bn, was N15.20bn.

He said after N1.6bn frontline deductions from FAAC, the net inflow amounted to N13.3bn but increased to N15.1bn with the inclusion of the Internally- Generated Revenue (IGR) of N1.7bn.

But he said the government spent N5.9bn to offset other expenses such as salaries of civil servants, N2.9bn; salaries of political appointees N301.2m; grants to tertiary institutions, N630m and restructured bank loans, N1.7bn.

He said that out of the balance of N9.1bn, recurrent expenditures gulped N3.3bn while the capital payment amounted to N4.2bn leaving a balance of N1.5bn.

According to Jonah, with N7.7bn balance brought forward from January, the state had a balance of N9.3bn at the end of February.

Jonah further disclosed that the capital payment for March was N6.2bn, adding that the state got N15.3bn gross inflow from FAAC. He further said that after the initial FAAC deductions of N1.6bn, the state was left with net inflow of N13.7bn.

But he said the IGR for March stood at N1.1bn, which he said increased the amount available for spending to N14.8bn.

He said the state paid N6.6bn to offset other expenses but was left with a negative balance of N1.7bn after paying N3.6bn for recurrent and N6.2bn for capital projects.

He said with the balance brought forward of N9.3bn, the state was left with a balance of N7.5bn after March.

Giving insight into some of the capital projects the N10.4bn was used to finance, the deputy governor named the New Yenagoa City project.

He said: “We are to launch the new Yenagoa City. We have to cross over the Onopa Bridge. We don’t want work to be suspended again. So, part of the money went to that project.

“Julius Berger has come back again for Isaac Boro Road. It is a major project that the government has embarked upon. I won’t be able to tell exactly, but I don’t think any of them was paid more than a billion naira to come back and start.

“We also have arrangement for the Ekeremor road. There are about three bridges that are going on and sand filling. They are getting regular payment. The arrangement is that work will not stop there. There are other projects that I don’t have here.

“We are also trying to see how we can complete our stadium, the golf, polo club to add value. We also promise that at the end of this year, we should be able to cross over to the new Yenagoa City and start developing our plots.

L-R: Acting Chairman of the ICPC Dr. Musa Abubakar; Corps Marshal Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi; Director General, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Mr. Mamman Ahmadu, and Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, during the 2018 Procurement Retreat for Chief Executive Officers of the Federal Government Agencies, Parastatals, Commissions and Departments, held in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO BY REMI AKUNLEYAN

5 Terrorists, Hunter Killed In Adamawa

BY FRANCIS OKOYE, Maiduguri

Five terrorists and one hunter were on Friday, killed when Nigerian troops of Operation Lafiya Dole, engaged boko haram insurgents in a gun battle in Adamawa.

In a statement issued to newsmen by the Director, Army Public Relations,

Brig Gen Texas Chukwu, the Army said the terrorists, on sighting the troops, opened fire, which resulted in the exchange of fire.

“Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole, on 6 April 2018, neutralised suspected boko haram terrorists in Barkin Dutse area of Adamawa State, following a distress call from hunters.

“The terrorists, on sighting the troops, opened fire which resulted in exchange of fire. Five boko haram terrorists were neutralised while some escaped into nearby caves during the encounter. Also, one hunter lost his life during the operation.

“Items recovered include five AK 47 rifles and five magazines loaded

with 22 rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition.

“Troops are in pursuit of the fleeing terrorists,” Brig Gen Chukwu said.

The statement added that the public is therefore advised to report any suspicious movements in the area to the security agency for prompt action.

David Mark’s Experience Required For Peace In Nigeria - PMB

BY JONATHAN NDA - ISAIAH, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated former Senate President, and senator representing Zone C Constituency of Benue State, Sen David Alechenu Mark, on his 70th birthday.

President Buhari, in a statement by

his media aide ,Garba Shehu, felicitated with the family, friends and political associates of the former military officer, who served the country variously as a governor, minister and Senate President.

As Sen Mark turns a septuagenarian, the President commended the maturity,

stability and focused legislation that he instituted in the upper chamber during the eight years he served as Senate President, and the dutifulness that culminated in the passing of many bills.

President Buhari said he believes the wealth of experience that Sen Mark had gathered over the years, will be most

useful for the development of the country, especially in sustaining peace across the country.

The President prayed that the almighty God would grant the former Senate President longer life, good health and wisdom to continue serving his people and the country.

Ikeja Bus Terminal To Cater For 4m Daily The Lagos State Government says it will deploy over 800 buses soon to start operations at the newly inaugurated Ikeja Bus Terminal.

Mr Ladi Lawanson, the State Commissioner for Transportation, made the disclosure during a visit to the terminal and the Oshodi Transport Interchange construction site on Saturday.

According to him, the newly procured buses will enable efficient and effective transportation to various classes of Lagos residents.

“The state government is coming with multimodal and integrated transportation system, which will take care of about 4 million people on a daily basis across the state.

“The idea is to cater for Lagos residents of especially lower and middle classes, who cannot afford to fund their own cars everyday.

“We should be expecting some buses like over 800 that Lagos State Government has procured to kickstart operation for the benefit of the residents,” he said.

He noted that Ikeja, the capital

of Lagos State, has about 900,000 inhabitants.

“It is also a major transport hub on the Lagos mainland, as it is a major mode of very important corridors in Lagos, such as Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Agege Motor Road, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Oba Akran Way and Awolowo Way. “Ikeja Terminal is a key transport infrastructure constructed to improve efficiency in system connections, reduce traffic congestion caused by ongoing street loading and dropping off of passengers, reducing environmental pollution and improve security and

safety of the commuting public,” he said.

The commissioner said that Ikeja Bus Terminal is a small component of big picture of multimodal transport system planned by the government.

According to him, the proposed Oshodi Transport Interchange – where three terminals will be integrated for buses to move people within and outside the state – is another big reform project of the government.

The official noted that the state’s growth is exponential as an emerging mega city and Nigeria’s premier economic centre.

Forum Seeks Youths, Women Participation In Politics

BY ANDREW OJIH, Jalingo

A forum, known as Taraba Youth Political Hotspots of the De Watson Leadership Academy, has said that the participation of women and innovative ideas of youth in politics are important to achieving good governance in Nigeria.

The Chairman of the forum, Mr Brains Gaude, who stated this during a press conference yesterday in Jalingo, said

improving youth and women in party politics is necessary in strengthening democracy in the country.

“This is a basic way of ensuring that everyone from every aspect of life has equal opportunity to take part in decision making and leadership” he said.

He stressed that relying solidly on the strength of just aged people as leaders, would result in an imbalance of perspective and ideas, adding that

only inclusiveness of youth and women in party politics can solve this.

“Political party is a platform for candidates to be elected into a political position. Youth and women are concerned affected citizens that have the right to vote and be voted for” he noted He explained that youth are the hope of tomorrow, stressing that they have the strength and strategy on

mobilisation and campaign.

“We want all patriotic youth and women to actively register with political parties, since it is the only platform to run for any political office” he informed.

He urged political parties to always organise development programmes for youth and women to increase their leadership capacity so that they can become better leaders.

NEWS ACROSS THE STATES 63

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Council Chairman Confirms Killing Of 4 In Fresh Taraba Attack

Sultan Urges Nigerians To Pray For Leaders The Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, on Saturday urged Nigerians to pray for leaders to succeed in delivering the mandate entrusted in them by the people.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abubakar spoke at the distribution of Zakkat proceeds in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The Sultan said, “Sustainable prayer is always a key to success, so as leaders we need nothing more than the prayers of our subjects and good advises for us to succeed in the task ahead of us.

“As such, I urge all Nigerians to sustain prayers for leaders for them to perform well for the advancement of the Country.

“Moreover, our primary responsibility as leaders is to ensure more development, as such we always need your sustained prayers in order to achieve it,” Abubakar said.

The Monarch further commended Sokoto State Government, the state Zakkat and Endowment Commission and wealthy individuals for assisting less privileged persons in the state.

He urged the people to always give out Zakkat as enshrined in the teachings of Islam, saying that the gesture bring succour to the needy.

Abubakar cautioned those engaged in street begging to abandon the bad behaviour and look jobs to do so as to become productive.

In his remark, Gov. Aminu Tambuwal, represented by the Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Alhaji Abdullahi Maigwandu pledged to sustain all government programmes targeted at the very poor in the society.

Tambuwal commended the Sultanate Council for its support in ensuring the success of all government programmes.

Minister of interior Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (Rtd) Commissioning thirteen Additional Fire Fighting Trucks at the Lagos Command of the Federal Fire Service (FFS) and the Controller General, Federal Fire Service , Engr.

Joseph Anebi as others look on

Fire Service Commissions 13 Additional Equipment To Combat Inferno

BY CHRISTIANA NWAOGU, ABUJA

The Federal Fire Service (FFS), has in a bid to strengthen its capacity to combating the incessant menace of fire outbreaks, and improving their capacity to safeguard lives and properties, commissioned thirteen (13) additional fire fighting trucks.

Recall that the service had in December 2017, commissioned the first batch of the equipment which comprised ten (10) fire fighting trucks, fifteen (15) water tankers and fifteen (15) utility vehicles in Abuja, thereby taking the number to fifty three (53) .

This is coming as it has also upgraded the National Fire Academy to a degree awarding institution by affiliating it with the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).

The National Fire Academy will now award PGD. The minister of Interior, General Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd), who received and commissioned the newly procured and sophisticated equipments in Lagos said, retooling the Fire Service is, in part, a fulfilment of the president Muhammadu Buhari’s promise to revive the once neglected but very strategic and important agency.

Dambazau, who challenged the fire fighter to match government investment with result , said: “As we speak , construction works are ongoing in all commands of the Service as well as in the Headquarters, in Abuja.

The controller general, Federal Fire Service, Engr Joseph Garba Anebi explained that prior to the purchase of

the thirteen additional equipments, his agency procured and commissioned ten (10) fire fighting trucks, fifteen (15) water tankers and over fifteen (15) utility vehicles in 2017.

Describing the feat as part of its efforts at complementing and boosting the efforts of State Fire Services at combating the menace of fire outbreaks, Anebi disclosed that more fire stations have been built within Abuja , zonal and in states commands.

The Fire Service boss who reeled out their achievements under his saddle hinted that, “ In the area of training and capacity building, it will interest you to know that the Service has upgraded the National Fire Academy to a degree awarding institution by affiliating it with the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). “

Maternal Health Crisis: CSO Urges Action On Bill Gates Statement

BY ADEBIYI ADEDAPO, Abuja

The Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED), a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) has urged Nigerians, particularly the women and youth, to demand accountability from authorities, so as to address Nigeria’s huge maternal health challenge.

The centre also described recent statement by philanthropist and founder of Microsoft, Mr. Bill Gates to the effect that Nigeria remains one of the worst places for women to give birth, as a call to action by all citizens.

CHRICED executive director Dr. Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi gave the charge at a press briefing to mark the close out of the organisations

project on maternal health, which was implemented in Gwale and Kumbotso Local Government Areas of Kano State.

He enjoinned citizens, especially women in rural areas, who are affected the most by the problem to be ready to put more pressure on relevant institutions of government, until avoidable deaths of women in Kano State due to maternal health related causes, is stopped.

Zikirullahi explained the organisation used an innovative data driven approach to understand and solve the problem.

He noted that apart from a baseline survey, which gathered data on the maternal health access and practices in the project communities, CHRICED planned and executed a robust outreach. He

said: “This outreach won the buyin of the critical stakeholders in the legislature, the executive, the media, fellow CSOs, international development partners and agencies, social influencers and ultimately the target beneficiaries in our project communities. Consistent advocacy to stakeholders like the Kano State House of Assembly, Kano Emirate Council, Ministries of Health, Information, Women Affairs and Budget resulted in key milestones.”

“One of the key milestones according to the civic leader, is the Draft Bill on Maternal and Child Health currently before the Kano State House of Assembly. The Bill seeks to institutionalize the policy of free maternal health, as well as harness resources for maternal health interventions. Dr Zikirullahi also noted

that successful advocacy by CHRICED alongside a cohort of like-minded organizations, resulted in consistent increase in budgetary allocations for the health sector in Kano State, which enabled allocations in the sector to move closer towards the 15 percent mark as stipulated in the Abuja Declaration on healthcare funding,” he said.

The centre observed that the intervention was a source of information because it contributed significantly to raising awareness of the target group.

“Particularly, community women who are usually marginalised and denied the rights to take control of the process of determining issues like number of children and the child spacing, through this programme, began to speak up and assert themselves,” he said.

Looters Lists: Coalition Blasts APC, PDP Over Banter

BY CHIBUZO UKAIBE, Abuja

The National Coalition of the Nigeria Intervention Movement, (NIM) has lambasted the two major political parties, All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on their banter over the controversial looters lists.

Deputy Director General of NIM, Mallam Nasser Kura, said it is bewildering that the two parties have reduced the looting of the country’s

treasury to tragicomedy.

Kura, in a statement, said it is an unfortunate melodrama of kettle calling pot black was occasioned by a “looters’ list” said to have been released by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

He said “The whole episode would have been laughable were it not tragic for our common existence as a country.

The long awaited list itself, like the then list of nominated ministers has turned

out to be predictably disappointing and comical as it contained only names of opposition politicians who are currently facing trial in law courts.

“The surprise, if any, is that no single name of key players from the PDP but managed to defect to the now ruling APC, including those who have been indicted by judicial commissions in their various States, was included.

Expectedly, this has given the now opposition party, PDP the moral high

ground to justify their alleged looting of our common patrimony.

“When a looters’ list would not include the names of pension thieves, IDP and Ikoyi cash stash fraudsters as well as indicted members of the ruling APC, then such list leaves much to be desired and posts a sad commentary on our avowed war against corruption thereby exposing our country to ridicule in the comity of nations!”, the statement said.

No fewer than four people were feared killed when armed gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen invade a Tiv village and killed a family of four in Kokotye at the outskirts of Bornon Kurku in Bali local government area of the state.

Executive chairman of Bali local government area, Hon. Danladi Suntai confirmed the killings to our correspondent in telephone interview on Saturday.

According to him the attack was a reprisal of the killings in Donga local government where Tiv and Fulani fighting each other.

“A Fulani man was shot in Donga but he fled and died in Pasa in Bali local government.

I quickly summoned the Fulani Ardos and appealed to them not to allow the crisis to spread to Bali since the Fulani man was shot in Donga.

“I was surprised when I was called that four people were killed late last night. My DPO has relocated to the area and he is going to make massive arrest until we get those that carried out the attack,” he said.

Chief of Tiv in Bali local government, Zaki David Gbaa (Ter Bali II) told our correspondent on phone that armed men suspected to be Fulani invade Agabo village at about 7pm on Friday and killed a family of four.

Zaki Gbaa named those killed in the night attack to include; Joseph Agabo, Adama Kwaghzee Agabo, Ayem Joseph Agabo and Myom Agabo.

The Tiv leader lamented the attack and called on the federal government to stem the tide of attacks in the country which he said were undermining the peaceful coexistence of the country.

According to him the unprovoked attack has led to mass exodus of people from the area who are now taking refugee at Dan-Anacha in the neighbouring Gassol local government area as well as Kungana in Bali local government.

“The Divisional Police Officer of Bali has since moved to the area, he is not yet back so we don’t know the security situation in the area now.

“But as we speak, more and more people are leaving the area for safety for fear of attacks.

I want to call on the army operatives of Exercise Ayem Akpatuma to arrest the situation before it gets out of hand,” he said.

When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, ASP David Misal said he was not aware of the attack but promised to confirm and get back which he never did at the time of filing this report.

By Andrew Ojih, Jalingo.

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Sunday, April 8, 2018

sunday interview New Bussa 50th Anniversary Will Attract More Foreign Investors To Nigeria – Mai Borgu All roads will lead to New Bussa, the headquarters of Borgu local government area of Niger State and the seat of the Borgu Emirate Council, this week for the the 50th anniversary of the movement of the people from Old Bussa. In this interview with LEADERSHIP Sunday, the 17th Emir of Borgu Kingdom, Alhaji Muhammad Sani Haliru Dantoro (Kitoro 1V) speaks on preparations for the event and what the entire country stands to benefit from it. He also bares his mind on other national issues.

The 50th anniversary of the movement of the Bussa People of Borgu Kingdom to New Bussa is taking place from 11th to 14th of April. What makes the migration so unique?

To God be the glory. By the 14th of April, we will be rolling out drums to celebrate the Golden jubilee of our movement from Old to New Bussa. To God be the glory, it is happening in my time. If you are celebrating a birthday, for instance, it means you are showing appreciation to God for giving you long life and good health for you to have attained another year.

In our own case in Borgu, though we left our original place, to the place we are now, the movement did not affect us negatively; rather, it has impacted positively on lives.

That is why we have every cause to celebrate. It is not the whole of Borgu kingdom that moved.

It is Old Bussa, headquarter of Borgu Kingdom, that moved as a result of the location of Kainji Dam in that area.

We don’t want him to say ‘take this and that to Borgu’. That is why we are calling on him and investors to come and see the potentials in Borgu

It is a known fact that apart from being the ‘power bank’ of the nation, which houses the 760MW Kainji Hydro Electric Dam, Borgu Kingdom is home to so many mineral resources.

Besides, New Bussa, the headquarters of the Borgu local government is a tourism goldmine waiting to be explored.

What are you doing to attract investors to the area?

For your information, we are not just celebrating the 50th anniversary of our movement from Old to New Bussa. We are also using the celebrations to attract investors to our land.

Through this celebration, investors will visit Borgu and they will come to know what they never knew about Borgu. Sadly, we are yet to have an airport in the area.

It is one of the things that attracts both foreign and local investors. Beyond this, we

Mohammed have advantage in so many things given that the town is an attraction to investors. For instance, we have abundance of power supply, which is one of the chief attraction to investors. If you called Niger State, ‘Power state,’ it is because of Borgu. We are not only calling on investors because we have power; we also have large body of water, River Niger. Also, Borgu has in abundance mineral resources like gold and tanker lite in commercial quantity. Surveys have been done in the past to this effect. Investors don’t know all about these; that is why we are calling on them to come and discover New Bussa.

As they celebrate with us, they

will also be acquainted with the business opportunities inherent in Borgu. To cap it all, Borgu is very peaceful. Peace is an essential requirement for progress. Borgu has this in abundance. This is the best enabling environment you can find.

Borgu Kingdom is considered lucky because of its connection with the high and mighty like President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Cingress (APC) leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. How do you avail yourself of this opportunity in attracting development from the national level to Borgu?

Thank God you know the

policy of President Buhari and the APC-led federal government. It is all about the diversification of the economy from oil dependent to non oil economy. Borgu is in Nigeria and as such should key into the diversification policy of the current government. We don’t want to see the president abuse due process. We don’t want him to say ‘take this and that to Borgu’. That is why we are calling on him and investors to come and see the potentials in Borgu. By the time they see for themselves and start investing in the area, the president can now complement their efforts. ➔ CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE

66 SUNDAY INTERVIEW

Sunday, April 8, 2018

New Bussa 50th Anniversary Will Attract More Foreign Investors To Nigeria – Mai Borgu ➔ FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

The pesident is a subject of Borgu Kingdom, as well as Bola Tinubu, because of the the title they hold in the Kingdom. This means issues of national politics should worry you too because your subjects are key actors. What is your take on the APC government in respect of the growing insecurity in the country and the criticisms from the opposition ahead of 2019?

Naturally, traditional rulers are not partisan. You don’t meddle into political matters, but it is expedient that I talk about the the current government and its expectations for the 2019 general election. Traditional Rulers are not supposed to be partisan but we assess the performance of every government that comes to power.

Before President Buhari came to power in 2015, the price of crude oil in the international market was very high. Under PDP’s 16-year rule- that is between 1999 and 2015 before 2015 when Buhari came to power- the Boko Haram insurgents were on the rampage, maiming and killing innocent citizens. Like today is Friday, if you are going to Mosque, it will be heavily guarded by military men.

On Sundays, the same thing; worshippers cannot worship freely in Church. There were military checkpoints at every kilometer. Life then was generally unsafe. Just as we all know that insurgency cannot be wiped out in such a short time, today, life is generally safer in Nigeria. Heavy military check points that were usually seen at every kilometer has gradually disappeared, giving way to safer and more relaxed quality of life.

The days of bomb blowing at motor parks are gone for good.

We were here in this country when for the first time we witnessed a president handing over power to his deputy (Vice President Osinbajo) with full presidential powers to take binding decisions. That is the ‘change’ the APC promised Nigerians. They should not expect miracle from Buhari; he is human. He cannot clear the mess of 16 years in 3 years.

Nigerians should be patient with him. That is all I can say about this government.

Most Nigerians are judging this government by the frequent farmers/herders clash. How do you react to this and how come Borgy is calm and peaceful?

It is because we don’t allow politicians to come and manipulate us. That is why

Mohammed

Borgu is very peaceful. Borgu is home for all because it is peaceful. My advice to Nigerian politicians is that they must put the interest Nigeria and its people first. If you are involved in killing to discredit the person in power, God is seeing you and his judgment awaits you. They must join hands with whoever God has put in position of authority for rapid progress of the country.

There is this story about your father having an encounter with a lion, which ran to the forest without hurting him. Coincidentally, you were also said have encountered a crocodile, which refuses to harm. Do these have anything to do with the royalty blood in you?

No, it has nothing to do with royalty. It is an act of Allah. When my father had an encounter with a lion on Wawa Road on his way to Kalama as a District officer. He was riding on a motorcycle. He hit the lion which was crossing the road and fell down from the motorcycle. Instead of running into the forest, The lion returned and stared at my father face to face while he was getting on his feet. After

the eye contact which lasted for about a minute, the wild cat sluggishly walked into the forest, while my father got on his motorbike and continued with his journey. It was a rare encounter. My father was not afraid because we were not born to be scared of anything.

That is the creed of royalty, that a prince should not be scared of anything and as Muslims, we have our complete faith in Allah.

In my own encounter with a crocodile, which was a recent event, I was on my way to a campaign when the car I was traveling on broke down close to where a big crocodile was hibernating in the dark. As we were pushing the car, I stepped on the tail of the crocodile and as I struggled to take my leg off it I stepped on the big reptile again. The crocodile just nodded its head as if it was greeting me and crawled into the bush. It was an act of Allah.

It shows that God hands way of always protecting his own.

When you eventually emerged the next Emir after your father, the entire Borgu emirate was enveloped in a frenzy of excitement jubilation. Why were you people happy that much?

It was indicative of the acceptance from my people.

Besides, my ascension to the throne was the first time in the history of the emirate that the selection of a king was so smooth and free of any legal tussle. It showed the extent to which my people accepted me.

I had tried my hand in politics, contesting for political offices and anytime I contested I was always a victim of manipulation at the primaries. My people were always saddened by the development. When the contest for the kingship came my people felt I was the most qualified for the position even though I was not too keen about contesting. They insisted I must take a shot at the contest. I was one of those who submitted their applications late out of the 41 princes who contested the stool. That is why when I became the Emir, I vowed that I will stop at nothing in moving my kingdom forward in terms of development. I consider this a higher calling to develop my kingdom and better the lot of my people. This I am doing by initiating developmental programmes that will enhance the living standard of my people.

When the contest for the kingship came my people felt I was the most qualified for the position even though I was not too keen about contesting

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68 OPINION

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Dankwambo And The 2019 Presidential Contest

BY ABU-UBAIDA IBRAHIM KUNA

In the art of governance, there has to be a consistent movement of information between representatives and their constituencies to know how they can deliver the best to the people

It’s unarguable that, in the western democracies and other politically advanced climes, tutelage and mentorship remain the best guarantor of the sound and seasoned leadership at the state and federal levels meaning that those political office holders that performed outstandingly at the local level can also be trusted to do the same at higher levels. Therefore, talented and ingenious personalities can be easily spotted as their policies and programs stand out for sheer efficacy, efficiency, and capableness.

In American political history, Governor Bill Clinton of the small state of Arkansas gained nationwide prominence on account of his unbiased, resilient and visionary approach to governance which played no mean role in propelling him to the precincts of presidential power and prestige. While the Kennedy brothers, John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy, both erstwhile Senators from Massachusetts and New York respectively were considered presidential materials as a result of their youthful vigor, freshness, competence, and dynamism that was brought to bear in the policy formulation and implementation areas.

Sailing through the Great Britain, Prime Minister Tony Blair had successfully run for an election on the platform of the Labour Party for three consecutive terms on account of his eloquence, brilliance and unalloyed commitment to national unity, peace, and progress without regard to sectarian or sectional affiliations.

Thus, it can be gleaned from the above treatise that leaders do not just emerge from the blues altogether but have actually gained widespread popularity and acceptance as a result of

their thorough, painstaking and uncompromising commitment to hard work, competence, professionalism and exemplary performance in all its positive ramifications.

Indeed, those auspicious leaders that many consider as the right stuff for presidential office are those that have shown no trace of ethnic or religious bias and are ready to work with all manner of people as well as all shades of opinions and ideas as far as they are geared towards enhancing the nation’s socioeconomic development.

Navigating near home, without doubt, one eminent and farsighted political helmsman that aptly fits this description is no other distinguished personality than the Executive Governor of Gombe State, Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, a first class chartered accountant, consummate technocrat and prolific professional and exemplary public servant par excellence making name in our present democratic dispensation.

Indeed, due to his outstanding records of excellence in all the places where he eventually had a sojourn, Dankwambo received the deserved accolades and encomiums both nationally and globally on account of his unstinting commitment to professional arête in his chosen cum assigned field of endeavor. Having thoroughly crafted and applied his endowed skills of the noble accounting profession from his storied days at Coopers and Lybrand, a first rate accounting firm to his enviable tenures at the Office of the Accountant General of the Gombe State and soaring to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and presently the Governor of Gombe State, Dankwambo has always seen his vocation as an avenue to write his name in the sand of history.

In the au courant and hot

off press system of governance where genuine leaders are coming up short, a glaring trait that has endeared, the principled Talban Gombe to all and sundry is his utter commitment to honesty, integrity and rectitude in all his dealings and endeavors, despite the temptation to do otherwise which many in similar position have succumbed to engaged in.

He was seen by his followers as a cut from an entirely different cloth from ordinary men as he commands respect and adulation from the Olympian heights of credibility, fastidiousness and unimpeachable honor.

In terms of professional competence, efficiency, and responsiveness, the Talban Gombe is second to none as he had positively transformed the Accountant General Federation’s office where some of the prudence financial policies enjoyed by the government today were all initiated and implemented by him. The magnificent edifice Treasury House, Treasury Single Account (TSA), the E-payment System, the Integrated Payroll Personnel Information System (IPPIS), and the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMS) has been part of the Dankwambo’s remarkable achievements and all are geared towards transparent financial management. That has signposted the fact that, Dankwambo does not execute his official duties or functions by chance or blind luck, rather he burns the midnight oil in order to raise the bar of professionalism and exemplary performance to the next level in the scheme of things no matter the obstacles or challenges that may be encountered.

Extending the trend of good and accountable governance, when he assumed the mantle of state leadership on May 29th, 2011, there was a

sense of optimism, hope and excitement that Gombe State would be led out of the woods of tyranny, autocracy, absolutism, political violence, cronyism, corruption, maladministration and messianic leadership that had existed as a result of the malfeasances of previous state administrations.

Indeed, the Gombe people hoped for a better deal from the man of hope and enviable stints, Dankwambo and expectedly he did not disappoint them but he had rather surpassed the wildest expectations of those that overwhelmingly voted for him in 2011 whom equally gave him a second chance in 2015 despite the Buhari’s Political Hurricane.

Today, in the health, education, roads, rural and urban infrastructure, power, agriculture, human and capital development areas, Dankwambo has taken the lead and Gombe State has become the north eastern symbol of political, economic, social development cum purposive leadership disposition. And in terms of peace and stability, Gombe State that was hitherto regarded as the known theatre of political thuggery has never had it so good as the various ethnic, religious and linguistic groups live together in perfect harmony having embraced the peace-loving governor’s mantra of peaceful and harmonious coexistence.

Nigerian being the Giant of African Nations is in dire need of a responsible leader that sees Nigerian as his constituency and had a vast knowledge of the economic and administrative workings to explore its full potentials and Dankwambo fits into the country’s hole of leadership as he’s the only square peg into square hole come 2019.

– Kuna is a personal assistant to the Governor on Social Media

Illegal Structures: FCTA Is On The Right Track

BY IBRAHIM BIU

I wish to commend the management of the FCTA for its efforts in trying to keep the Abuja city clean and for enforcing the provisions of Abuja Master Plan.

This writer has noticed that just last week, officials of the administration had carried out one of their stinging operations along the Abuja Airport road when they demolished illegally constructed market stalls at the Gosa market. The structures removed were seen as impediments to the smooth flow of traffic along the ever busy Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport road which linked the city with the southern part of the country through the Lokoja Akure axis.

Though I was away in Kaduna when the operation took place I was sad and unhappy when the media reported that traders and some youths resisted the demolition of the market and even blocked the road by placing stones and other dangerous weapons to prevent motorists from plying the road. This was uncalled for.

It was an unpatriotic action which had led to avoidable delays and sufferings by commuters and motorists as well as the damage to many vehicles.

The action of the FCTA/ AMMC under the leadership of Mohammed Musa Bello deserves to be applauded if it is realized that there are many developers in the FCT who do not want to obey simple

laws but insist on building structures the way they want it, forgetting the fact that the building of Abuja itself is being guided by laws and regulations which is supposed to be abided by everybody. The good news is that the AMMC has been receiving the full backing of Mohammed Bello in its efforts to sanitize the city. And so far the FCTA officials appears to be winning the battle.

Mohammed Bello’s appointment by President Buhari to supervise this sensitive place of assignment is an indication that his past records of achievements is responsible for his current appointment. Anyone who knows the FCT Minister knows that he will not disappoint President Buhari

in this herculean assignment of ensuring that Abuja is built according to laid down rules and regulations.

I foresee a time in the not-too-distant future when if sustained action is not taken by the FCTA/ AMMC the way it is being done now, Abuja city could possibly even explode and become a place very difficult to govern because of the activities of illegal developers and the uncontrolled and selfish behaviors of traders.

Mohammed Bello and his Lieutenants are hereby urged to continue with the work they are doing in the Abuja city. It is the best policy which will eventually see the city through.

– Biu sent this from Kuje

The action of the FCTA/ AMMC under the leadership of Mohammed Musa Bello deserves to be applauded

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CAFCC: Plateau Utd Secures Slim Advantage Over USM Alger

Pogba

Nigeria champions Plateau United secured a slim 2-1 win against Algeria’s USM Alger in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup play-off fixture at the Agege Stadium on Saturday, reports Completesportsnigeria.com.

King Osanga and Emmanuel James got the goals for Plateau

At The Double To Spoil City’s Title Party

Champions-elect Manchester City let slip a 2-0 half-time lead as they lost 3-2 at home to neighbours Manchester United on Saturday.

Paul Pogba scored twice as Manchester United produced a stunning second-half fightback at the Etihad Stadium, preventing Manchester City from clinching the Premier League title with a 3-2 victory.

Pep Guardiola’s side appeared on course to be crowned champions with a record six games to spare when they eased into a 2-0 halftime lead.

Vincent Kompany’s powerful header broke the deadlock before Ilkay Gundogan spun away from Nemanja Matic to double the home side’s lead five minutes later.

Yet City crucially failed to land the knockout blow, allowing United to climb off the canvas after the break and make sure their rivals have to wait to secure the trophy for a third time in the Premier League era.

At the end of a week where Guardiola had revealed to the media Pogba was offered to City in the January transfer window, the Frenchman scored twice in the space

of three minutes to level matters Chris Smalling volleyed home the winner in the 69th minute, handing City a second straight defeat following their 3-0 Champions League reverse at Liverpool on Wednesday.

Raheem Sterling hit the post and David De Gea saved superbly from Sergio Aguero in a frantic last five minutes.

Bayern Wrap Up Sixth Straight German Title In Grand Style Bayern Munich came from behind to wrap up their sixth consecutive Bundesliga title with a 4-1 win over Augsburg.

Jupp Heynckes’ side picked up the Bavarian derby win they needed to become champions with five games to spare.

They had trailed through Niklas Sule’s own goal but Corentin Tolisso and James Rodriguez set them on their way

towards a 28th German championship.

Arjen Robben converted Rodriguez’s cut-back and Sandro Wagner headed a fourth.

Treble-chasing Bayern rested a host of players with Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Sevilla in mind. Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, Thiago, Franck Ribery, Mats Hummels and Javi Martinez were all on the bench.

They had looked in trouble when Sven Ulreich’s parried save hit Sule and flew into their own net. But Tolisso headed in Joshua Kimmich’s cross and Rodriguez then smashed home from close range.

United, while Hamia was on target for USM Alger.

The hosts settled down quickly into the game and nearly took the lead through Osanga in the fourth minute but USM goalkeeper Zemmamouche saved his goal-bound shot.

Raphael Ayagwa also had an effort saved by Zemmamouche in the 11th

minute.

There was panic among the home fans two minutes later when Benguite shot sailed into the net but was rightly ruled out for offside.

Plateau United took the lead in the 18th minute courtesy of a fine header by former junior international Osanga following a beautiful cross by Chizoba Amaefule.

The home team were unlucky not to add to the tally with Zemmamouche producing smart saves to deny Tosin Omoyele and Sunday Ingbede in the 21st and 26th minutes respectively.

USM Alger finished the first half stronger as they chased the equalising goal but Plateau United defence marshalled by captain Elisha Golbe stood firm.

The Algerians nearly grabbed the leveller in the 52nd minute but Durfalou saw his nicely placed header hit the crossbar with goalkeeper Dele Ajiboye rooted to the spot.

USM Alger got the reward for their efforts four minutes later when Hamia colly slotted the ball past Ajiboye from outside the box.

Plateau United coach Kennedy Boboye made two quick changes afterwards with Peter Eneji and Emmanuel James replacing Rapheal Ayagwa and Tosin Omoyele.

The changes had the desired effect with James scoring the winner 15 minutes from the end.

Ibeh Johnson was unlucky to add to the tally when he hit the crossbar with five minutes left on the clock.

Liverpool Splutter Without Salah In Everton Stalemate

Liverpool were rendered impotent without Mohamed Salah as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Everton in Saturday’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

Egypt winger Salah, the key figure in Liverpool’s impressive campaign, was left out due to a minor groin injury as Jurgen Klopp tried to give his main man a chance to be fit for their decisive Champions League clash against Manchester City on Tuesday.

Danny Ings and Dominic Solanke looked rusty as they were given rare starts, with the latter failing to take either of two early chances.

Roberto Firmino appeared as a late substitute in an attempt to find a winner, but third placed Liverpool had to settle for a point.

They did, though, extend their unbeaten run in Merseyside derbies to 17 matches, as Seamus Coleman and Dominic Calvert-Lewin both failed to take late Everton chances.

Klopp had a big decision to make regarding his team selection, with Liverpool three days away from the second leg of their quarter-final against City following Wednesday’s 3-0 victory The fact that he made five changes showed where his priorities lie at the moment.

Ings was starting a league match for the first time since Klopp took charge two-and-a-half years ago, having fought back from two cruciate knee ligament injuries, while Solanke was making only his fourth league start for the club.

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Dybala Hat-trick Stretches Juventus Lead In Serie A Paulo Dybala scored a hat-trick including two from the spot to extend Juventus’ lead at the top of Serie A with a 4-2 win at battling bottom club Benevento on Saturday.

The Turin giants moved a step closer to a seventh straight Italian title, four days before they travel to Real Madrid needing to overturn a 3-0 deficit to reach the Champions League semifinals.

Juventus now lead second-placed Napoli, who travel to Chievo on Sunday, by seven points.

Malian forward Cheick Diabate scored a brace to pull Benevento back into the game twice but the promoted side fell to their 26th defeat in 31 games.

Dybala who will miss to trip to Madrid after seeing red in the first leg opened the scoring after quarter of an hour in Naples, and got the second just before the break when he spotted in a penalty awarded after consultation with the video assistant referee.

The 24-year-old completed his treble with a penalty awarded after 74 minutes when Gonzalo Higuain was brought down in the box, before Douglas Costa added the fourth eight minutes from time with a magnificent curling effort.

Argentine Dybala now has 25 goals in all competitions this season.

Juventus dominated early against a side who were 65 points below them before kick-off.

Mario Mandzukic threatened, getting his head to a Mario Pjanic chipped ball after five minutes but it flew wide.

But Dybala broke through on 16 minutes when Juan Cuadrado knocked down the ball for the Argentine international to finish with a leftfooted shot from the edge of the box.

But six minutes later Benevento were level after Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny saved a Filip Djuricic effort only for Diabate to tap in the rebound.

Mandzukic put the ball in the back of the Benevento net again after 36 minutes, finishing off a Cuadrado cross, but the goal was disallowed because of the Croatian forward’s handball in the build-up.

The champions went into half-time ahead through Dybala’s first penalty after Berat Djimsiti’s foul on Pjanic.

Five minutes after the break Benevento were back level as Diabate rose higher than defender Medhi Benatia to head home a corner.

It was the 29-year-old’s fifth goal in

five games for the club since February.

But Dybala put Juventus back in front, before Costa sealed the three points with a searing left-footed shot high into the top corner.

Napoli will need a win at 14th-placed Chievo on Sunday after being held 1-1 at Sassuolo last weekend to keep their push for their first title since 1990 alive.

Roma, in third, host Fiorentina later Saturday before next Tuesday’s visit of Barcelona to the Stadio Olimpico, looking to stay ahead of Inter Milan, who are just a point behind in fourth.

Fiorentina are pushing for the Europa League spots as they sit four points adrift of sixthplaced AC Milan along with Atalanta and Sampdoria.

Record-setting Rafa Returns In Style Rafael Nadal described his return to action as “a day to remember” after the 16-time Grand Slam winner pulled Spain level in their Davis Cup quarter-final against Germany.

Nadal, playing his first match since limping out of the Australian Open in January with a hip injury, beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 in just over two and half hours in Valencia, stretching his winning streak in the Davis Cup to a record 23 matches in singles and doubles.

The victory for the world number one in the Plaza de Toros bullring levelled the tie after world number four Alexander Zverev beat 33rdranked David Ferrer 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

“Of course, it’s a positive thing to win in straight sets,” said 31-year-old Nadal, who has not lost a singles match in the Davis Cup since his 2004 debut and in doubles since 2005.

Real Madrid Won’t Honour Barcelona Title Win - Zidane Real Madrid will not give Barcelona a guard of honour if the Catalans have clinched the Spanish title before next month’s Clasico, Zinedine Zidane said on Saturday.

Barcelona lead La Liga by nine points with eight matches left and entertain Real in the penultimate round of the season. In Spain it has become traditional for opponents to form a guard of honour for the champions.

“We’re not going to do the guard” Zidane said at a press conference ahead of the Madrid derby against

Atletico, who are also Barcelona’s closest pursuers.

“It’s my decision and that’s it,” said Zidane. “I don’t understand the point of the guard, so we aren’t going to do it. Anyway, we are a long way from the end of the season.”

Zidane insisted the decision had nothing to do with Barcelona’s refusal to form a guard of honour at the Clasico in Madrid in December just after Real had won the Club World Cup. Even so, he acknowledged that Barca had “broken tradition”.

Zidane also insisted Gareth Bale was still “an important player”, even though the Welsh winger is playing less and remained on the bench in the Champions League victory at Juventus on Tuesday.

“These are decisions,” Zidane told the media. “You say he’s playing less or in less important games, but for me that’s not the case.”

Rumours have linked Bale to a host of other clubs, notably Manchester United.

“However we finish the season, my feeling is Gareth is going to stay,” said Zidane.

Sunday, April 8, 2018

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SPORTS 71

Iheanacho Benched As Newcastle Stuns Leicester Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho was an unused substitute for Leicester City who lost 2-1 at home to Newcastle in Saturday’s English Premier League fixture.

It was the 11th time this season he was benched in the EPL. Jonjo Shelve scored an eight minute goal to give the Magpies the lead. Ayoze Perez sealed the win in the 75th minute of the encounter. Jamie Vardy scored a consolatory goal in the 89th minute.

Iheanacho has made 15 EPL appearances this season, scoring just one goal. Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi was suspended for the clash.

At the Vitality Stadium, AFC Bournemouth forced Crystal Palace to a 2-2 draw.

Luka Milivojevic scored two minutes after the restart. Lys Mousset pegged the Eagles back in the 65th minute before Wilfred Zaha made it 2-1.

Joshua King rescued a point for Bournemouth in the 88th minute.

Huddersfield Town held Brighton Hove Albion to a 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium.

Jonas Loessl scored an own

goal to give Huddersfield Town the lead in the 29th minute before Steve Mounir drew level three minutes later.

At the Bet365 Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur beat Stoke City 2-1 to consolidate their place in the race for a top four finish.

After a goalless first half, Christian Eriksen scored the opener in the 52nd minute but Mame Biram Diouf restored parity five minutes later.

Eriksen made it 2-1 in the 63rd minute. Tottenham maintain their fourth place position and are now tied on the same points 67 with Liverpool who drew goalless with Everton in the Merseyside derby earlier on Saturday.

At Vicarage Road, Watford lost 2-1 at home to Burnley.

Goals from Sam Vokes and Jack Cork for Burnley cancelled out Roberto Pereyra’s 61st minute goal.

At the Hawthorns, West Brom played out a 1-1 draw with Swansea. Nigerianborn English striker Tammy Abraham salvaged a point in the 75th minute for the Swans after Jay Rodriguez’s opener in the 54th minute.

Commonwealth Games: Nigeria’s Star-Studded Pack Chases Masters Leader Anyalewechi Misses Weightlifting Medal Patrick Reed, who tamed Augusta National’s par-5 holes to seize the Masters lead going into Saturday’s third round, has a raft of major champions behind him as he vies for his first Grand Slam crown.

Reed, who has made a name for himself as a US Ryder Cup stalwart, was scheduled to tee off at 2:30pm (8:30pm CAT) alongside Australian Marc Leishman, who was two strokes back and also in pursuit of a first major title.

Until this week, Reed had never broken 70 in 12 career rounds at the Masters.

However, his confidence was soaring after rounds of 69 and 66 left him at 9-under 135.

If he does make a mis-step, there are plenty of big-name players poised to pounce.

Eight reigning and former major champions are within seven shots of the lead, starting with 2016 British Open champion Henrik Stenson, who was alone in third on 139.

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, who can complete a rare career Grand Slam by slipping on his first green jacket on Sunday, was five strokes back, tied for fourth with reigning British Open champion Jordan Spieth, whose 2015 Masters triumph was sandwiched between two runnerup finishes.

This is the fourth time the 28-year-old McIlroy has arrived at Augusta National with a chance to complete his collection of major trophies.

McIlroy has come close before in the Masters, taking a four-shot lead into the final round in 2011

but carding an agonising finalround 80.

He went on from that experience to win the 2011 US Open, and after being hindered by injury in 2017 he’s back in the top 10 in the world after a victory at Bay Hill last month and sounded a confident note after a secondround 71 that he thought could have been even better.

Spieth, who led after a firstround 66, came back to the pack on a difficult, windy Friday, when he dropped three shots in the first two holes but rebounded to card a 74.

“So what’s a couple of holes on a Friday start mean?” he said of his double bogey-bogey start on Friday.

“It really doesn’t mean much to me.

I’m still in a great position.”

McIlroy and Spieth were one stroke in front of another pair of major winners – world No 1 Dustin Johnson and world No 2 Justin Thomas, who just happen to be tussling for the top spot in the rankings this week as well.

Woods, back at the Masters for the first time in three years, didn’t produce the magic his legion of fans had hoped for over the first two rounds.

But the 42-year-old, who didn’t know six months ago if he’d be able to resume his golf career, was delighted to give himself two more rounds at Augusta.

And in typical Tiger fashion, he wasn’t throwing in the towel even though he went into the day 13 shots off the lead.

“Even though I’m a lot behind, if I play a special weekend – shoot two rounds in the mid-60s – you never know,” he said.

Nigeria’s Michael Anyalewechi finished fifth in the men’s 85kg category in the weightlifting event to miss out on a medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast on Saturday.

In a 15-man competing field, Anyalewechi lifted 324kg which unfortunately was not enough to see him get a podium finish.

India’s Venkat Rahul Ragala won the gold medal after a lift of 338kg.

Don Opeloge from the tiny nation of Samoa won the silver medal with an effort of 331, while Muhamad Fazrul Azrie Mohdad with a lift of 324kg, got the bronze.

In the opening day of events

on Thursday, Favour Agboro (men 62 kg) and Monico Uweh (women 48kg), failed to win a medal in their weightlifting categories.

Meanwhile, Sikiru Ojo is the latest Nigerian male boxer to be sent packing at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia after losing to Ghana’s Samuel Yaw Addo in the round of 16 in the bantamweight category on Saturday.

Adeola Soyoye (lightweight) and Osita Umeh (welterweight) had earlier been knocked out in the men’s boxing event.

After being second best in all three rounds, Ojo lost to Addo on a 4-1 decision result.

The first round was a complete dominance for Addo who won 10-9, 10-9, 10-9, 10-8, 10-9.

In the second round, It was the same score just like in the first as Addo was awarded 10-9, 109, 10-9, 10-8, 10-9.

The third round saw Ojo try to get back in the fight as he edged it 10-9, 9-10, 9-10, 10-9, 8-10.

Meanwhile, the only Nigerian boxer who has advanced into the next round (quarter-finals) is Milicent Agboegbulem in the women’s middleweight.

Agboegbulem outclassed Tonga’s Salote Huni on Friday with a 5-0 score decision and will meet Kenya’s Elizabeth Andiego in the quarter-finals.

AMUSEMENT PARK

DISTANT RELATIVES ARE THE BEST KIND AND THE FURTHER AWAY THE BETTER

FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

— KIN HUBBARD

08.04.18 No. 634 N300

Guest Ebri Factor In APC Columnist Chairmanship Permutations FEMI SONEYE

I

t took President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention to fault and reverse the decision by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) extending the tenure of the National Working Committee, NWC, which is expected to terminate in June this year in accordance with the provisions of the party’s constitution.

If the decision had not been faulted and reversed by the president who is the leader of the party, the current NWC members and state working committee members would have been in office to preside over the party’s nomination primaries for the various elective posts in the forthcoming 2019 general elections.

That would have sounded the death knell for the APC because of the sheer impunity that the NWC members, especially those who have an axe to grind with some influential leaders of the party, would perpetrate to undermine vested political interests and to torpedo the domination of zonal structures.

The most-targeted political leader in the orchestrated assault is Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu whose control of the southwest zone is under existential threat from those he had politically empowered.

In Lagos, there have been quiet rebellion to upstage his applecart. It is no secret that the man he installed as his successor in office, Babatunde Fasola, who is the current minister of Power, Works and Housing has since defined his separate political identity.

Fasola is operating in cahoots with some elements in the party in Lagos and even beyond Lagos. The combination of Fasola, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, from Ekiti and the governor of Ondo state, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), as well as some satellite allies in the north, has committed to shattering the political influence of Tinubu. The man who superintended and mobilized the entire southwest zone for Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 general election has almost been beaten back and restricted to Lagos.

Governor Ibikunle Amosun has taken effective charge of his Ogun state. The same thing applies to Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state. Ekiti state was taken from APC in 2015

by Governor Ayodele Fayose of the PDP. In Osun, Tinubu’s man Friday, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is holding the forte.

Incidentally, Tinubu is believed to have historically come from Iragbiji in Osun state. He can also rest assured in Lagos on

Ebri

the solid loyalty of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode whom he single-handedly installed.

Tinubu has invested so much in building political loyalty and structures. He was instrumental to the emergence of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun as national chairman of the APC. He ensured that Oyegun got the seat even when it was a twohorse race between him and another Edo man, Chief Tom Ikimi (the Akinrogun of Ife and the Oduma of Igueben). The decision to enthrone Oyegun resulted in Ikimi’s dumping the party for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2014.

Today, Tinubu, understandably, does not want Oyegun to remain or continue as national chair. Oyegun has been hijacked by other forces in the APC which had used him to unconscionably circumvent Tinubu’s interests, especially in the race for Ondo governorship ticket.

Sanctioning the alleged fraud that produced Akeredolu as the candidate was reprehensible to Tinubu.

His preferred candidate, Dr Olusegun Abraham, has just had his suit challenging the nomination process sustained by the Supreme Court. The matter is back for proper trial.

No reprieve yet for Akeredolu.

The drama in APC has continued to excite the polity even as Buhari’s intervention that exposed the illegality of the tenure elongation for the NWC has made the holding of a national convention in June this year imperative. There are genuine fears already that the

process could become the seed of discord that will lead to its implosion.

Forces behind Oyegun are determined to rally behind him even if only to prove that Tinubu is not a master of the game of politics. Tinubu sees this as an opportunity to ensure that the Oyegun era becomes part of the party’s chequered history. He will do everything in the books to ensure that.

Interestingly, the APC structure in Oyegun’s home state does not seem to approve of his continued stay as national chairman.

There are feelers that the former governor of the state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is interested in the position. If he is, then Oyegun’s chances are further imperiled. The emerging scenario can only portend one outcome for the party: unbridled grudge fight.

But does the party need that less than a year to the 2019 general elections? This is the reason some political quarters are canvassing the emergence of a consensus candidate for the position of national chairman.

Since the position is ceded to the south-south, there is the need to search around for someone else. In essence, it should neither be sedate Oyegun nor rambunctious Oshiomhole.

Oshiomhole gunning for the office if Oyegun is in the race still will send profoundly wrong signals about betrayal, immorality and other vices that political guile promotes and exemplifies.

The race, which is nevertheless open, should beckon on someone like Mr. Clement David Ebri, who was once in the saddle as governor of Cross River state. He typifies the kind of candidate that the APC needs for a time like this to unite, stabilise and strengthen it. Others who are interested and have the capacity to steer the ship of the party to safety, should also be encouraged to throw their hats in the ring.

But for me, I think the 66year old Ebri, tested public administrator, party leader and boardroom player, who was governor on the platform of the

defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) between January 1992 and November 1993 fits perfectly for the job.

President Muhammadu Buhari who craves a firm control of the party should tap people like him to build his own structure and loyalty. Ebri’s governorship came on the heels of his election into the 1989 constituent assembly His deep sense of equanimity and legerdemain can be explored for utilitarian administration and proper conducts that will conduce to strengthening internal democracy and build up the party as a solid institution for liberal democracy and progressive political interactions. Ebri is cosmopolitan. He was chairman of the Presidential Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution from 2000-2001. His last lead role was national chairman of the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) from January 2008 to August 2009. That was after he left the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) in 2006.

Interestingly, the brain behind the formation of PPA and former governor of Abia state, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has also gravitated to the APC. Ebri, therefore, has a number of referees who can attest to his suitability for the assignment that beckons.

There is no doubt that he is a progressive politician. His political trajectory speaks to that essential summation of his political philosophy.

As an Economist who graduated magna cum laude from the University of Nsukka in 1977, Ebri, if he is in the saddle as national chairman of APC, will be in a vantage position to explain the economic policies and directions of the ruling party from the perspectives of its manifesto. He will deploy his savvy to drive the existential narratives of the nation’s political economy, thus reinforcing the national economic outlook. Rebuilding the economy is critical to the redemption of Nigeria from the woods into which the undisciplined implementation

of economic policies by successive administrations had taken her.

Interestingly, Ebri had been a journalist, rising to the position of acting editor of The Nigerian Chronicle from 1980 to 1981. He certainly understands the significant place of the Fourth estate of the realm in the interactions of the trinity of the executive, legislature and the judiciary.

He understands how to mollycoddle the press for reciprocal support.

I do not doubt his passion, commitment, patriotism and nationalism that he invests in every task regardless of how inconsequential it looks.

What this means in essence is that Ebri invests the same amount of these virtues in all of his assignments. He was a director in two defunct banks, to wit: Mercantile Bank of Nigeria, Plc and Savannah Bank of Nigeria from 1988 to 1991. He is currently, chairman and chief executive officer of Dimaron (Nigeria) Limited.

Ebri’s reputation precedes him.

He cannot escape essential recommendation for the APC’s topmost party job.

– Soneye is a journalist and political analyst

GHANA MUST GO Man snatches car with toy gun — News

Time to licence toy arms!

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