Aaabbb thursday, july 2, 2015 binder1 by Newtelegraphonline

Sanctity Of Truth

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS /newtelegraph

Vol. 2 No. 498

Thursday, July 2, 2015

@newtelegraph1 www.newtelegraphonline.com

Election Petition Tribunal upholds Ambode's victory

Delay in cabinet: Stock market loses N237bn

lInvestors warn Buhari of danger ahead Chris Ugwu

elay by President Muhammadu Buhari to name ministers and other officials who will give a clear

policy direction of the economy one month after the inauguration of his administration has cost investors on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) about N237 billion.

This was against expectations by some market watchers that the peaceful general elections and subsequent smooth handover to the new government on May 29 would drive in-

vestors’ optimism to galvanise stock market activities. Figures from the bourse showed that the market capitalisation of the NSE stood CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

N150

H e a lt h

Why that malaria won’t go }27

Bombers strike as Osinbajo visits Borno

lFacilitate abortion for Boko Haram rape victims –UN }2 QuickRead

Six children drown in Lagos boat mishap }11 Okonjo-Iweala playing with figures, says Oshiomhole }3

PDP rejects Zakari as INEC interim chair }3

Former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, after the Federal High Court discharged him in a graft trial in Lagos…yesterday.

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Presidency: Buhari will N’Assembly crisis: Ekweremadu meet Saraki, Dogara soon tasks APC to face governance

lTheir elections non-negotiatiable, says senator

News

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Bombers strike as Osinbajo visits Borno Ahmed Miringa Maiduguri

wo suicide bombers yesterday blew themselves up in Maiduguri as Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo arrived in the Borno State capital to visit camps for people forced to flee their homes by Boko Haram. The incident occurred barely an hour after Osinbajo arrived in Maiduguri for a one-day working visit to the Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) camps. It was learnt that the two male suicide bombers were killed when the bomb they were carrying accidentally exploded one after the other. The incident, which occurred in Molai, a village 10 kilometres away from Maiduguri, was said to be the second time suicide bombers attempted to attack the hospital in one week. An eyewitness told our correspondent that the suicide bombers arrived at the gate of the hospital, where a mini-market was operating on bicycles, but could not reach their destination before the bombs exploded. Two people were injured in the blasts that occurred around 11.30 a.m. near the hospital where suicide bombers killed three people and injured 16 last Saturday. "The second blast that occurred two minutes after the first one, killed the bomber and injured two other people nearby," a report by Reuters quoted Mr. Mohammed Haruna, who helped to evacuate people from the scene, as saying. Osinbajo, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari, told the inmates of the camps that the Federal Government would soon embark on the rebuilding and rehabilitation of all villages, towns, houses, markets and places of worships of all communities destroyed by Boko Haram in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. Osinbajo said he was personally sent to Maiduguri by the president to assess the conditions of the IDPs and see how best the Federal Government would work with the Borno State Government and international organisations to resettle the IDPs. He stated that despite the scarce resources, the Federal Government would make the welfare of the IDPs its priority. Osinbajo also commended Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima and the state government for their commitment to the welfare of the

IDPs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am impressed with the way and manner Governor Kashim Shettima and the Borno State Government are handling the affairs of the IDPs. "The Federal Government is not just concerned about the resettlement of the IDPs, but to ensure the reconstruction and rehabilitation of their villages, communities, houses, markets and places of worships,â&#x20AC;? the vice-president added. The vice-president also visited the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital where he sympathised with the victims of insurgency in the state. While at the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, the monarch called on Buhari to redeem his pledge of rebuilding all affected communities and providing jobs to the youths, more especially into the military and paramilitary outfits. He also commended Buhari and Osinbajo for their concern about the welfare of the IDPs. Osinbajo's visit to Maiduguri came on a day the United Nations urged Nigeria to show compassion and make it easier for women and girls who became pregnant in Boko Haram captivity to access abortions. Boko Haram militants are estimated by Amnesty International to have kid-

napped more than 2,000 women and girls in the North-East since the beginning of 2014, including the 276 girls seized from their school in Chibok last year in a kidnapping that sparked global outrage. "During their captivity, lasting in many cases for months or even years, women and girls have been sexually enslaved, raped

and forced into so-called 'marriages'," UN rights chief, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, told the UN Human Rights Council in a special session on Boko Haram. "Many survivors of these horrific experiences are now pregnant by their rapists ... and several reportedly wish to terminate these unwanted pregnancies," he said.

But in Nigeria, abortion is only legal when the life of the woman is at risk, Zeid said, warning that a lack of access would only add to the horrendous suffering the former captives had been through. "I strongly urge the most compassionate possible interpretation of the current regulations in Nigeria to include the

risk of suicide and risks to mental health for women and young girls who have suffered such appalling cruelty," a report by AFP quoted him as saying. He also called on authorities to help women and girls freed from Boko Haram enslavement, who often face stigmatisation, to reintegrate into their communities.

L-R: Secretary General, United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon; Vice Chair United Global Compact Board, Sir Mark Moody Stuart and Chairman, Honeywell Group, Dr. Oba Otudeko, during the United Nations 15th anniversary celebration of the UN Global Compact in New York...recently.

Presidency: Buhari will meet Saraki, Dogara soon Anule Emmanuel, Philip Nyam and Dan Atori

fresh attempt to resolve the festering crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the squabbling for leadership positions in the National Assembly is underway, New Telegraph has learnt. It was gathered yesterday that President Muhammadu Buhari was ready to meet with Senate President Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, whose defiance to run for the Senate presidency and House speakership, despite opposition from the party has plunged the governing party into a crisis. A presidency official said the president was scheduled to meet with Dogara last night while talks with Saraki would follow later. It was learnt that the president, after meeting with the two leaders of the

National Assembly, would also separately meet with the APC caucuses in a bid to end the leadership crisis that has enveloped both chambers of the National Assembly in the last three weeks. Senior Special Assistant to the president on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, confirmed to New Telegraph that Buhari would meet the two leaders and the caucuses to find an end to the crisis in order to stabilise the legislature to enable them to face developmental issues. Shehu, however, did not mention a specific date for the meeting. Although Buhari had promised not to intervene in the crisis, particularly in determining who occupies any leadership position in the National Assembly, there have been calls on him to mediate in the deepening crisis. The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has already accused Buhari of being responsible for the ugly situation that

played out in the lower chamber last Thursday where lawmakers engaged in a free-for-all. PDP stated that the president lacked the democratic credentials to rein in his party. "The President will meet with both Saraki and Dogara. He will also meet with caucuses of the party. "The president is not meeting to aggravate the situation. So, don't expect fireworks. You know the position of the president is to stabilise the polity," he said. Buhari had declared that he would not interfere in the affairs of the National Assembly. He added that he had no preferred candidates amongst those gunning for leadership positions in both chambers and he was ready to work with anyone that emerged. Although, Buhari had earlier congratulated Saraki and Dogara, he wished that the party's anointed candidates should have emerged.

Both chambers are on recess and many believe only Buhari's intervention would reconcile the party and the presiding officers. But the APC has been at daggers drawn with Saraki and Dogara over their emergence and for ignoring letters sent to them containing list of principal officers. The party is particularly miffed that Saraki emerged alongside Senator Ike Ekweremadu of the PDP as deputy while Dogara, from North-East, appropriated the position of speaker which the party reserved for Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila from SouthWest. APC leaders were also displeased that Hon. Yusuf Lasun from SouthWest emerged as deputy speaker instead of Hon. Mohammed Monguno from the North-East. While the crisis over the emergence of Saraki and Dogara was still raging, the APC was enmeshed in another crisis over the choice of principal offi-

cers for the Senate and the House. Saraki, for the second time, defied the party's list that contained the names of principal officers of the Senate, which the party, in a letter by its National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, sent to his office. In the letter, the party had picked Senator Ahmed Lawan, who jockeyed for the Senate presidency with Saraki as Senate Leader; Senator George Akume, who the party had wanted as the Deputy Senate President, was proposed for the new position of Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Sola Adeyeye as Chief Whip and Abu Ibrahim as Deputy Whip. But Saraki instead announced Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (NorthEast) as Senate Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na'Allah (North-West) as Deputy Senate Leader and Senator Francis Alimikhena (South South) as Deputy Whip. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

News

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

At last, court clears Fani-Kayode of money laundering

lEx-minister changes nam as EFCC plans appeal Iyobosa Uwugiaren, Akeem Nafiu, Onyekachi Eze and Emmanuel Onani

eprieve yesterday came the way of former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, as Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of a Federal High Court in Lagos cleared him of money laundering. His freedom came nine months after the judge dismissed 38 of the 40 counts

of money laundering charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). However, Justice OfiliAjumogobia who, although acknowledged that N1.1 million was paid into Fani-Kayode’s account, the depositor remained unknown as the EFCC failed to establish the claim. Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia, who predicated her decision on two issues, said this must be proved beyond reasonable doubt

by the prosecution before the accused could be found guilty of the offence. According to the judge, EFCC failed to show that there was actually an acceptance of cash payment above N500, 000 by FaniKayode including the payment of the specified amount into his account. However, Justice OfiliAjumogobia declared that the prosecution failed to prove these elements, saying it was necessary for sufficient and unequivocal evidence to be put be-

fore the court as to how the monies were lodged in Fani-Kayode’s account just as she disagreed with the EFCC that mere deposit of the said sum in his account was enough to nail him. Besides, the judge faulted the testimonies of the 4th Prosecution Witness (PW4), Supo Agbaje, who was accused of paying the monies into Fani-Kayode’s account, describing Agbaje’s evidence as unreliable, vague and an afterthought. Agbaje’s extra judicial statement to the EFCC was

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, during a visit to the Dalori camp for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri...yesterday

Economy: Okonjo-Iweala playing with figures –Oshiomhole lSays FG paying salaries with loans

overnor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has accused the former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, of toying with figures and being economical with the truth on the state of the economy inherited by President Muhammadu Buhari. Oshiomhole, who admitted that the Federal Government is broke and would have been in a worse shape than states if it had not resorted to borrowing to pay wages, added that the economy under Okonjo-Iweala as Finance Minister was so mismanaged that waivers were granted to various organisations running into several hundreds of millions of naira. Speaking during an interview on a television programme, the governor said: “With all due respect to the former Minister Okonjo-Iweala, she knows how to play around with statistics. I have made the point; she keeps open-

ing part of the pages and not the entire book. The logic of transparency is that every minister must publish in full what is accruing to the federation account month to month and what is distributed to them. What she has been publishing is that this is what went to the Federal Government, this is what went to the state government and this is what goes to the local government. “What she never published simultaneously is what accrued during the period out of which this was distributed. So, we can now know what was collected to what was distributed so we can know what is left in the excess crude account. You can see her changing the goal post. On the authority to spend, Okonjo-Iweala was a member of the National Economic Council, I was a member and I am on record of asking her, don’t give us verbal reports on matters of federation account, give us written report and the power to spend is not vest-

ed on commissioners. “The decision to take money from the excess crude account, that power is vested in the National Economic Council (NEC). The NEC is an institution created in the constitution. What she is referring to is her own administrative arrangement. The $2 billion is her last sum because in her last report, she said we had $4.1 billion, she said so orally but it was captured in the minutes only for her to come around again at the last minute to say “X” figure is left. We asked her, what did you pay for?” Oshiomhole also explained non-payment of workers’ salaries by the states. He said: “I think what has happened is that at the peak of the oil boom, prices were high, people made projections about their expected expenditure and budget on the basis of those numbers. Along the line, there was a sharp drop in terms of price of crude oil…. “This is also compound-

ed by the fact that the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the two of them working together simply refused to transfer to the federation account a lot of the money that ought to have accrued. “So, when you draw up a budget on the basis of anticipated revenue and there is such a sharp drop in revenue arising from diversion and there is also drop in price, obviously something will have to give. “The federal finances are even worst hit. Over the past nine months under the past government, Federal Government could not and have not been able to pay salaries from her legitimate income. What she has been doing which states could not do was to borrow, uses the CBN through various instruments termed security, etc and basically draw down the pension funds because they are the ones who have liquidity to patronise the bond market."

said to be at variance with his testimonies before the court. On the whole, the court held that the prosecution has failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt. "I am of the view that the accused person should be discharged and acquitted of the case," the judge held. Adopting his written address on the case, FaniKayode's lawyer, I. A. Adedipe (SAN), disclosed that the prosecution failed to lead evidence with regards to the money allegedly accepted by the accused person. He said: "The prosecution had alleged that the accused person received the sum of N2.1 million in the charge, but none of the prosecution witnesses testified as to giving any money to the accused person. The accused person has never confessed to receiving any money as was claimed by the prosecution." In his own submission, EFCC's lawyer, Festus Keyamo, while admitting that the offence committed was in the receipt of the cash, stated that "the prosecution's point of divergence is the insistence of the defence that someone must come to show that the accused indeed collected the money." Fani-Kayode was first arraigned in December 2008 before Justice Ramat Mohammed on a 47-count charge. He had pleaded not guilty to the charge and Justice Mohammed had granted him bail in the sum of N200 million with two sureties in like sum. He was re-arraigned before Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako, following the transfer of Mohammed from the Lagos Division. The accused was again re-arraigned before Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia on February 11, 2013 after the transfer of MurtalaNyako. He was again rearraigned before OfiliAjumogobia on March 6, following the amendment of the 47-count charge to 40-counts, the EFCC having dropped seven of the counts. Meanwhile, the EFCC may appeal yesterday's discharge and acquittal of Fani-Kayode. Already, the commission, in a statement signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said it was making efforts to obtain a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgement, with a view to studying same and responding appropriately.

A source in the EFCC Legal Department told New Telegraph in Abuja that the anti-crime commission would appeal the judgement. Our source in the legal department of EFCC said: “The commission is not satisfied with the outcome of the case and has decided to appeal the judgement, but that the decision would be subjected to approval of the commission’s authorities.” When contacted, Uwujaren said the commission has applied for the CTC of the judgement for examination before deciding the next line of action. “We have applied for the certified true copy of the judgement; we will study it and decide what to do next. We cannot decide now until we study the judgement,” the EFCC’s spokesman stated. Moment after Fani-Kayode, who served as Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, came out of the court, he announced a change of his name in commemoration of the court verdict. "It will no longer be David Oluwafemi FaniKayode but instead, it shall be David Oluwafemi Olukayode. Olukayode means “the Lord has brought me joy” and today he has done precisely that,” he said. Fani-Kayode said he delighted, humbled and relieved by the verdict, saying in the last seven years he has been subjected to the “most malicious, vicious, sinister, wellorchestrated, insidious and devastating form of political persecution and wickedness.” According to him, "The whole process almost destroyed my life, my family, my reputation, my health and my career. I thank God for his goodness, his mercy and for the fact that today, the whole nightmare has finally come to an end. Initially, I was accused of stealing N19.5 billion of public funds when I was Minister of Aviation. It was thrown out by the courts. Then I was accused of stealing N6.5 billion. It was thrown out by the courts. Then I was accused of laundering N200 million. It was thrown out by the courts. "Then I was accused of laundering N99 million. It was thrown out by the courts. "Finally, I was accused of laundering N1 million and N1.1 million respectively, and today, both of these charges have also been thrown out by the courts.”

Travel Advisory

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

International Flight Schedule Air France

Destination Abuja- Paris Paris-Lagos Paris-PHC PHC-Paris Paris –Abuja Lagos –Paris

Flight No. AF 513 AF 3822 AF514 AF513 AF514 AF3849

Departure 23.55hrs 10.55hrs 11:00hrs 21:20hrs 11:00hrs 23:55hrs

Arrival 6:05hrs 17:15hrs 19:15hrs 6:05hrs 17:00hrs 6:20hrs

Amsterdam-Lagos Lagos-Amsterdam

KL587 KL588

13:15hrs 23:05hrs

20:00hrs 05:50hrs

KLM

ARIK AIRLINES

Lagos-London London-Lagos Lagos-New York

W3 101 W3 102 W3 107 (Mon, Wed , Fri) New York-Lagos W3 108 (Tues,Thurs, Fri) Lagos-Johannesburg W3 103 Johannesburg-Lagos W3 104 Lagos-Douala - (Tues, Wed ,Thur) Douala-Lagos - (Tues, Wed, Thur) Lagos-Accra Accra-Lagos

Abuja-Accra Accra-Abuja Lagos-Freetown Freetown-Lagos Lagos-Banjul Banjul-Lagos Lagos-Dakar Dakar-Lagos

-(Tue, Thur, Sat, Sun) -(Mon, Wed, Fri) -(Daily) - (Wed, Fri, Sun) -(Wed, Fri, Sun) -(Wed, Fri, Sun) -(Wed, Fri, Sun) -(Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri,Sat) -(Tue,Wed, Fri,Sat,Sun)

BRITISH AIRWAYS

London-Lagos Lagos-London Abuja-London Abuja-London

07:00hrs 20:05hrs 20:10hrs 11:45hrs

Lagos-Cairo Cairo-Lagos

MS 876 MS 875

14:25hrs 08:30hrs

22:20hrs 13:30hrs

EGYPT AIR

KENYA AIRWAYS

16:00hrs

Lagos-Kigali

11:15hrs

16:45hrs

10:45hrs 09:35hrs 11:10hrs 13:25hrs 07:20hrs 17:00hrs 08:05hrs 13:35hrs 18:00hrs

hrs 14:44hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs

AWB 201 (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun) AWB 202 (Tue, Thur, Sat, Sun)

14:00hrs

17:30hrs

22:35hrs 15:10hrs

06:00hrs 21:20hrs

17:00hrs 06:00hrs 08:00hrs 17:00hrs 08:00hrs 15:20hrs 21:00hrs

hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs

01:00hrs

hrs

3:00hrs 14:00hrs

8:00hrs 19:00hrs

EK 7821 (Sun-Sat) EK 7822 EK 7831 EK 7811 EK 761

21:30hrs 14:40hrs 07:35hrs 14:20hrs 23:55hrs

07:40hrs 01:05hrs 12:50hrs 19:45hrs 10:30hrs

Lagos-Doha Flight Doha-Lagos Flight

QR 1414 (daily) QR 1415

14:55hrs 07:20hrs

23:45hrs 13:35hrs

Lagos-Atlanta Atlanta-Lagos

DL053 DL 054

22:15hrs 5:15hrs

05:32hrs 16:15hrs

Lagos-Houston Houston-Lagos

UA 143 UA 142

10:10hrs 19:10hrs

6:05hrs 15.15hrs

Lagos - Addis Ababa ET900 Addis Ababa - Lagos ET901 Abuja - Addis Ababa ET910 Addis Ababa - Abuja ET911 Enugu - Addis Ababa ET930 Addis Ababa - Enugu ET931 Kano - Addis Ababa ET930 Addis Ababa - Kano ET931

13:15hrs 09:00hrs 13:40hrs 09:40hrs 12:00hrs 09:20hrs 14:05hrs 09:20hrs

20:25hrs 12:15hr 20:10hrs 12:20hrs 20:50hrs 11:15hrs 20:50hrs 13:20hrs

Lagos-Madrid Madrid-Lagos

IB 3337 IB 3336

22:55hrs 16:00hrs

5:25+1hrs 20:20hrs

Lagos-Casablanca Casablanca-Lagos

AT738 AT 737

06:25hrs 02:15hrs

09:55hrs 6:00hrs

air maroc

20.45hrs 09:50hrs 09.20 hrs 06:30hrs

12:30hrs

Lagos-Dubai Lagos-Dubai Dubai-Lagos Dubai-Lagos Abuja-Dubai

IBERIA

Abu Dhabi-Lagos

EY 0672 (Sunday) (Monday) (Saturday) EY 955

19:35hrs 23:45hrs

MEA 571 MEA 572

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES

Lagos- Abu Dhabi

ETIHAD AIRWAYS

12:30hrs 18:00hrs

to Lagos)

UNITED AIRLINES

17:00hrs 4:40hrs

KQ 533 KQ 534

11:55hrs 5:50hrs 14:35hrs 06:00hrs

DELTA AIRLINES

11:00hrs 22:40hrs

Lagos-Nairobi Nairobi-Lagos

17:55hrs 00:00hrs 09:00hrs 22:40hrs

QATAR AIRWAYS

VS 652 VS 651

18:30hrs 05:15hrs 05:30hrs

BA075 BA074 BA 082 BA 083

EMIRATES AIRLINES

Lagos-London London-Lagos

12:00hrs 21:30hrs 23:50hrs

Middle East Airlines (Two flights weekly (Tues & Friday)

Lebanon-Lagos Lagos-Lebanon

VIRGIN ATLANTIC

RwandAir

Kigali-Lagos

Turkish Airlines

Lagos-Istanbul Nairobi-Lagos

332 333

Air Côte d'Ivoire Lagos to Abidjan Abidjan to Lagos

HF 851 (Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sun) HF 852 (Mon,Wed, Thurs, Sat)

ASKY AIRLINES

Destination Lome to Abuja Abuja-Lome- Kinshasa Kinshasa-Abuja Abuja-Lome Lome-Lagos Lagos-Libreville Libreville-Kinshasa Kinshasa-Libreville Libreville-Lagos Lagos-Lome Lome-Lagos Lagos-Libreville Libreville-Brazaville Brazaville-Libreville Brazzaville-Lagos Lagos-Lome

10:10hrs

10:50hrs

19:20hrs

21.50hrs

Flight No. KP 032 (Tue-Fri) KP 032 ( Tue-Fri)

Departure Arrival 14:00hrs 15:55hrs 16:30hrs 18:15hrs

KP 033 (Wed-Sat) KP O33 (Wed-Sat) KP O40 (Sun-Sat) KP 040 (Sun-Sat) KP 040 (Sun-Sat) KP041 (Tue-Sat) KP 041 (Tue-Sat) KP 041 (Tue-Sat) KP O44 (Tue-Fri) KP 044 (Tue-Fri) KP 044 (Tue-Fri) KP O45 (Wed-Sat) KP 045 (Wed-Sat) KP 045 (Wed-Sat)

8:20hrs 10:35hrs 13:00hr 14:40hrs 17:00hrs 7:15hrs 9:35hrs 11:55hrs 13:10hrs 14:50hrs 17:10hrs 07:00hrs 09:20hrs 11:40hrs

10:00hrs 12:20hrs 14:00hrs 16:30hrs 18:45hrs 08:55hrs 11:25hrs 12:45hrs 14:10hrs 16:40hrs 18:50hrs 08:40hrs 11:10hrs 12:30hrs

Local FLIGHT SCHEDULE ARIK AIR

LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 07:00; 08:00; 09:00; 11:00 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 (SAT) 07:00; 09:00; 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 (SUN) 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 07:00; 09:00; 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00; 20:00 (SAT) 07:00; 09:00; 11:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 (SUN) 09:00; 13:00; 15:00; 17:00; 19:00 LAGOS-PORT-HARCOURT (MON-FRI) 07:00; 09:30; 11:00; 13:30; 15:00; 17:30 (SAT) 07:00; 11:00; 15:00 (SUN) 09:30; 11:00; 13:30; 15:00; 17:30 PORT-HARCOURT-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 07:30; 09:00; 11:30; 13:00; 15:30; 17:00 (SAT) 07:30; 11:30; 09:00; 13:00; 17:00 (SUN) 11:30; 13:00; 15:30; 17:00 ABUJA-PORT-HARCOURT (MON-FRI) 06:45; 10:10; 13:30; 16:50 (SAT/SUN) 06:45; 10:10; 13:30 PORT-HARCOURT-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:30; 11:50; 15:10; 18:30 (SAT/SUN) 08:30; 11:50; 15:10

AZMAN FLIGHT SCHEDULE

WEEKLY SCHEDULE Kano-Lagos 8:00am Lagos-Abuja 10:30am Abuja-Lagos 12:40pm

Lagos-Abuja/Kano 4:00pm Abuja-Kano 5:45pm Kaduna-Lagos 8:00am Lagos-Kan 10:10am Kano-Abuja/Lagos 12:40pm Abuja-Lagos 1:00pm Abuja-Lagos 2:40pm Lagos-Kaduna 5:00pm WEEKEND SCHEDULE SATURDAY Kano-Lagos 8:00am Lagos-Abuja 10:30am Abuja-Lagos 1:00pm Lagos-Kano 4:00pm Kaduna-Lagos 8:00am Lagos-Kano 4:00pm Sunday Kano-Lagos 8:00am Lagos-Kano 10:30am Kano-Abuja/Lagos 1:20pm Abuja-Lagos 2:40pm Lagos-Kaduna 5:00pm

FIRST NATION AIRWAYS

LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 06.50; 09:30; 11:45; 16:00 (SAT) 06:50; 11:45 (SUN) 11:45; 16:00 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 09:00; 11:30; 13:40;18:30 (SAT) 09:00; 13:40 (SUN) 13:40; 18:30 LAGOS-PORT-HARCOURT (MON-FRI) 14:45

(SAT) 16:15 (SUN) 14:45 PORT-HARCOURT-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 16:50 (SAT) 18:20 (SUN) 16:50

AEROCONTRACTORS

LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 06:50; 13:30; 16:30; 19:45 (SAT/SUN) 12:30; 16:45 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 07:30; 13:00; 19:00 (SAT) 12:30 (SUN) 15:30

MEDVIEW AIRLINES

LAGOS-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 07:00; 08:50; 12:00; 15:30 (SAT) 10:00; 15:00 (SUN) 17:30; 18:30 ABUJA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 09:00; 14:00, 15:00; 18:30

OVERLAND AIRWAYS LAGOS-ILORIN (MON-FRI) 07:15 LAGOS-IBADAN (MON-FRI) 7:00 IBADAN-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:00 IBADAN-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 16:30 ILORIN –ABUJA (MON-FRI) 08:30 ILORIN –LAGOS (MON-FRI) 17:00 ABUJA-ASABA (MON-FRI) 10:00 ASABA-ABUJA (MON-FRI) 14:15 ASABA-LAGOS (MON-FRI) 11:30 LAGOS-ASABA (MON-FRI) 13:00 ABUJA-ILORIN 16:00 ABUJA-IBADAN 15:00

News

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

PDP rejects Zakari as INEC acting chairman

lBuhari followed due process, says Presidency Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the appointment of Hajiya Amina Bala Zakari as Acting Chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The party stated that Zakari’s appointment was to pave the way for the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the election petitions tribunals. Zakari was appointed Acting Chairman by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday. The president overruled former Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, who had earlier in

the day handed over to Ambassador Mohammed Wali to oversee the affairs of the commission pending the appointment of a substantive chairman. National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, at a press conference yesterday, said Zakari's appointment was "nepotism in action." Metuh added that "this is the first time we are having an INEC Chairman that has relationship with the presidency and who is from the same geopolitical zone with the president." He said Buhari knew all along that Jega would be leaving office by June 30 but had to wait for him to handover to one of the national commissioners only to reverse it immediately, thereby injecting bad

Saraki, Dogara's elections non-negotiatiable –Senator CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

He anchored his decision on the fact that the zonal caucuses of the party in the Senate had elected Ndume and others to fill the positions before the party's letter got to him. Also in the House, Dogara declined to announce the party's chosen candidates and this sparked off a crisis on the floor, which resulted in a free-for-all amongst the lawmakers. However, a member of the House close to Dogara told New Telegraph that the delay in the National Assembly leaders’ meeting with the president might not be unconnected with Buhari's cautious approach to governance and strict adherence to his philosophy of observing the independence of each arm of government. "I don't think it is something to worry about. The president knows that we are capable of resolving our differences and remember he has always said that he will be neutral. "Again, since he was sworn in, he has been very scrupulous in all his decisions. He doesn't want to rush into anything and crash and I think this is the best approach – to be cautious and firm", he said. Meanwhile, Senator David Umaru representing Niger East has said the elections of Saraki and Speaker Dogara, are not negotiable. Umaru stated this yesterday in an interview with journalists in Minna, the Niger State capital. He attributed the leadership crisis in the Na-

tional Assembly to undue external interference. He said: “The existing laws are very clear; it is the senators or House of Representatives members that should elect who their leaders should be. There is a very good reason for this and that is because the lawmakers are the ones to work with their leaders. "The issue of the elections of Saraki as Senate president and Dogara as speaker are not negotiable. It cannot be negotiated outside the National Assembly.” According to him, the election of principal officers of the National Assembly has come to stay. Umaru said the issue was not that of disloyalty to the party, adding: “Nobody wants to be disloyal to the party. But after the elections, all senators and Reps have become those of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not of the party.” He stated that the APC leadership was wrong to have taken side with a party in the National Assembly crisis. Umaru dismissed the allegation that the Saraki group of Like Minds Senators traded away the position of Deputy Senate president to the PDP, explaining that Ekweremadu had the majority of senators present at the time the election was conducted. “It is not true; it couldn’t have been. We were lucky that the PDP members were reasonable at the time of the election, otherwise the result would have been more devastating,” he said.

blood in the commission. "The situation in INEC since the PDP government reformed and granted it operational autonomy has been peaceful, but Tuesday’s untidy overruling of Prof. Jega and appointment of Mrs. Amina Zakari as acting chairman which, we gathered was influenced by personal relationship with the Presidency and one of the new governors of the North-West, ostensibly to pave the way for the APC at the electoral tribunals, has completely eroded public trust in the commission," he stated. The party noted that whereas the PDP recognises the right and powers of the President to appoint the Chairman of INEC and the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), "we reject attempts as in the case of the AGF to paint the process as transparent and objective when such was not the case, but brought to question the sincerity and commitment of the present administration to due process."

According to Metuh, as critical stakeholder, PDP cannot fold its hands and watch while the Presidency perpetuate actions that diminish the independence of the electoral commission. He declared the appointment of Zakari as unacceptable and called on the president to reverse it. "Our reasons include the fact that due process was not observed in the appointment and that Mrs. Zakari has shown in the last elections that she is manifestly bias in favour of the APC. "We ask, if they trusted Prof. Jega and commended him for conducting free and fair elections, why would they not trust him on who to hold forth in the commission until a substantive chairman is appointed, rather than appointing someone who is retiring from the commission in the next three weeks?” the PDP asked. He noted that it is unlikely that Buhari will appoint a substantive INEC Chairman in the next one year going by the record of

appointments since he assumed office. "Is there a hidden agenda? Has Mrs. Zakari been handed a script to act given that we have cases in the tribunals in addition to the forthcoming elections in Kogi and Bayelsa?” Metuh further asked. However, the Presidency dismissed PDP's allegations, saying that Buhari's appointment of Zakari was based on merit, her vast experience in the internal operations of INEC and the president's commitment to affirmative action in support of gender equality. A statement yesterday by presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, also said Buhari did not "overrule" Jega in appointing Zakari as the acting INEC Chairman. “Jega's purported handing over to another commissioner cannot be construed as an "appointment" because only the president has the constitutional authority, which he exercised to appoint Mrs Zakari as acting Chairman

of INEC,” the presidential spokesman said. Adesina stated that apart from being fully qualified for the position, Zakari was the only woman among the six commissioners considered. Meanwhile, Zakari has assumed office with a pledge to continue to work for the improvement of the electoral process. At a brief handover ceremony, held at the INEC headquarters, Abuja, Zakari said she "accept this (appointment) with humility and added dedication to serve. We hope to see the continued improvement of the electoral processes in the country." She maintained that the successes achieved under the leadership of Jega must be consolidated. Amina said INEC would not rest on its oars until the commission delivered on its mandate. Wali assured the Acting Chairperson of his unwavering support. “If she succeeds, we all succeed; if she fails, we all fail,” he said.

L-R:Managing Director, Credit Registry Services, Mrs. Jameelah Ayedun; Managing Director, Chams Plc, Mr. Olufemi Williams; Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Luqman Balogun and Project Manager, BVN Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement Systems Plc (NIBSS) , Mr. Sadiq Abubakar, during the launch of ConfirmMe by Chams in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Cash crunch: Julius Berger suspends work on Lagos- Ibadan Expressway

he construction giant, Julius Berger Nig. Plc, has suspended work on the ongoing reconstruction of Section 1 of the Lagos-Sagamu-Ibadan Expressway project, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. Check reveals that the firm is planning to close down its site and relocating some equipment from the site yard near Sagamu Interchange. It was also learnt that the company had begun downsizing of some of its workforce currently on the project. NAN correspondents, who visited the project

yard on Tuesday, were, however, denied access to the premises by the company’s Chief Security Officer (CSO). The CSO had insisted that all enquiries must be directed to the organisation’s Head Office at Ijora. However, some workers who spoke on condition of anonymity at the site, confirmed that the company had begun relocating some of its equipment since last week in preparation for the temporary closure. An authoritative source at the company said some of the heavy equipment would still be left at the

yard pending when they return to site. “They (Julius Berger) have been moving some vital equipment away since last week because there is problem of funding. “It is not necessary for them to move everything because they can lock the yard until there is money to continue with the project,” he said. However, the Project Manager, Mr. Wolfgang Panzer, said in an interview that “Everything is alright.” Contacted, Miss Susan Obi, the Public Relations Officer of Julius Berger, said the company had no

problem of finance and that the site was not being closed. Obi said that some workers on the project were being laid off because the firm was restructuring its operations. “We have to let some workers go because you cannot keep people when there is no money to pay them. “The company is trying to have a new face where we pay all our workers; we are restructuring,” she said. The spokeswoman said the ongoing restructuring would be completed by mid-July.

News

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

N’Assembly crisis: Ekweremadu tasks APC to face governance Chukwu David Abuja

eputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday, tasked the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to leave him alone and face challenges of governance. Ekweremadu threw this challenge while receiving a delegation of the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the auspices of the Coalition of Election Observers, which paid him a visit in his office at the National Assembly, Abuja. He reminded the APC that since campaigns and elections had come and gone, the governing party should begin to form policies and programmes that would benefit the people of Nigeria irrespective of political, ethnic or religious affiliations. In a subtle reaction to the statement credited to President Muhammadu Buhari, where he was quoted to have said that the election of Ekweremadu as the Deputy President of the Senate was unacceptable, he said that the sanctity of the ballot box must be respected by Nigerians. He cited the case of

President Goodluck Jonathan, who conceded victory in the 2015 general elections to the opposition party, and advised political leaders across the African continent to borrow a leaf from the former president. He pointed out that by his humility after the elections, Jonathan saved Nigeria from imminent anarchy. Ekweremadu also assured that the 8th National Assembly would further amend the Electoral Act to make the 2019 elections

more credible and acceptable than that of 2015, noting that the alterations made on the 2010 Electoral Act had yielded useful results in the last general elections. He gave an assurance that the Senate would give total support to President Buhari in the anti-corruption war. His words: "Today, we have a president who is prepared to eradicating corruption, fight poverty, defeat terrorism and we in the National Assembly are

prepared to support him in this respect. "As I said, from the beginning, we have finished with politics, we are now ready for governance. We must begin to show statesmanship to ensure that once election is over, whether you won election as governor, a local government chairman, or a legislator or president, what matters is for everybody to provide for his constituency. "What matters is that greater part of Nigerians

voted for you but now that the election is over, you must be ready to carry along both those who voted for you and those who didn't vote for you." Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation, Nwambu Gabriel, said the emergence of Ekweremadu as the Deputy President of the Senate was the best thing to have happened to Nigeria's democracy, adding that this is in recognition of his contributions to the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.

He dismissed calls by some aggrieved persons that he should resign as the Deputy Senate President. Nwambu also urged the Senate to make laws that will encourage the diversification of the resources accruing to the country. He lamented the harsh economic conditions. Also, the coalition condemned the Amnesty International's report on alleged civil rights abuses by the Nigerian military in the insurgency war.

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST LAGOS

ABUJA

PORT HARCOURT

KANO

ENUGU

IBADAN

CALABAR

MAIDUGURI

ONITSHA

29o C 23oC Thunder Storms

29o C 22oC Thunder Storms

19oC 17oC Heavy Rain

34o C 24oC Isolated Storms

26o C 22oC Thunder Storms

28oC 22oC Storms

24oC 22oC Storms

37oC 24oC Partially Cloudy

26oC 22oC Storms

L-R: Bauchi State Governor, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar; his Gombe State counterpart, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Shehu Garba, during the governors' visit to President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja …yesterday. PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN.

Investors warn Buhari of danger ahead CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

at N11.421 trillion at the close of trading on June 30, 2015, as against the opening figure of N11.658 trillion at the beginning of trading during the month. This translated to a loss of N237billion. Market analysts said investors, especially foreigners, were unlikely to make significant investment in the market, if any at all, until they had a clear picture of the policy direction of the government. This, according them, is due to the delay in the formation of the cabinet and lack of vital information about what the economy direction is going to look like, leaving investors uncertain about Nigeria’s economic direction. Analysts at FBN Capital, which reviewed the stock market at the end of June, said: “Both Lagos and Nairobi stock markets have declined this year, by -4.1 per cent and -5.4 per cent year-to-date respectively, whereas the more liquid and far larger

Johannesburg bourse, has gained 5.8 per cent. “Lagos has been the more erratic, shedding -14.7 per cent in January alone on the negative macro headwinds, yet gaining 20.0 per cent between March 20 and April 13 on an election-driven surge. The NSEASI has since been in broad retreat on a combination of poor company results and a sense of drift since the handover to the new administration on May 29." The experts said Buhari's All Progressives Congress (APC) assumed power at the end of the transition with a good deal of goodwill with the population and investors. “The market is waiting impatiently for new appointments and policies. We have often said that its largest challenge is not fiscal, but institutional (the willingness of the legislature and the executive, both APC dominated, to work together). It gives us no pleasure to point out that our call has been vin-

dicated. “We have seen alarmist stories that core ministerial appointments may not be made until the National Assembly returns from its summer recess in September and hope that they represent indirect pressure on the legislature to deliver,” they said. Similarly, Managing Director, Cowry Asset Management Limited, Mr. Johnson Chukwu, said the policies of the government would determine the return of the foreign investors and an upturn in investment in the capital market. He added that the economic policies of the new government would make the capital market attractive or unattractive for investors, both local and international. Chukwu said: “If the government comes up with policies that make Nigerian instruments very attractive and then stabilises the exchange rate or the exchange rate is at a level where foreign

investors believe it will not depreciate materially further, then you will see the return of foreign investors, which may up their share in the market”. A report yesterday by Bloomberg also said the naira, twice devalued in the past year in an attempt to cope with lower oil income, had weakened 7.7 per cent against the dollar this year on the interbank market. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that growth will slow to 4.8 per cent this year from 6.1 per cent in 2014. The local bourse index hit its 2015 peak of 35,728.12 on April 2, the day after Buhari was declared the election winner. Since then, it has fallen 8 per cent. The cabinet delay won’t please investors, said Alan Cameron, an economist at Exotix Partners LLP. They’re expecting tighter fiscal policy, currency devaluation and a greater focus on tax collection after the drop in oil prices,

he said. “There was initially some hope that Buhari would be able to tackle these changes more quickly and with more credibility, but the time line has now been pushed back,” Cameron said by phone from London. “It’s going to be a difficult pill to swallow for foreign investors.” Also, international investors have warned the president against further delay in naming his cabinet. Bloomberg quoted an economist at Capital Economics in London, John Ashbourne, as saying, “Every week that Nigeria goes without a cabinet increases the chance that it will face a dangerous shock - whether revenue collapse or a currency crisis.” According to him, “Leaving the federation without a Finance Minister would be a questionable choice at the best of times; doing so during a period of economic instability is difficult to explain.”

NEW TELEGRAPH thursday, july 2, 2015

News

national

FG loses $3.5bn annually to weak automobile policy, say experts Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

takeholders in the metallurgical and mining engineering sector are looking into ways to fashion out means of sustaining a robust automotive policy in Nigeria. The move, if fruitful, would put a check on heavy import duties spent on automobiles brought into the country. The experts, who are currently participating in a two-day Metallurgical and Mining Engineering Conference in Abuja, said over 400,000 vehicles, comprising 100,000 new and 300,000 used cars valued at over N550billion approximately (US$ 3.451billion) come into the country on annual basis. Already, the Nigerian Metallurgical Bill 2014 is before the National Assembly for which a working group comprising key officials from the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, including some officials of NSE have been constituted to harmonize the bill. The conference, which kicked-off in Abuja yesterday, has as its theme,"Materials for Sustainable Development in Automobile Industries in the Context of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan". Chairman of the Metallurgical, Mining and Materials Division, an affiliate of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engineer Apeh Friday, underscored the relevance of the steel sector in shaping the automotive industry.

L-R: President, Association of Resident Doctors, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Ikeja, Dr. Sa’eid Ahmad; Chairman, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos State, Dr. Tope Ojo and Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Health Service Commission, Dr. Jemilade Longe, at the association’s 8th Scientific Conference on: "Towards Effective and Improved Service Delivery in the Health Sector,” in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO:GODWIN IREKHE

Buhari will stick to rule of law — Onu Johnchuks Onuanyim and Cajetan Mmuta

National Leader of the All Pro g ressives Congress, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has assured Nigerians that the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration would be guided by respect for the rule of law in the conduct of government business. According to Onu, the era of government and its personnel treating citizens with disrespect and engaging in impunity was gone. A statement by the former Chief of Staff to Dr.

Onu, Mr Sunny Onyeukwu, said the APC leader spoke in Enugu, where he was a Guest of Honour at the Investiture Ceremony of former Minister of Education and erudite legal icon, Prof. Ben Nwabueze. Nwabueze was conferred with the “Distinguished Academic Leadership Award” by the Convention for Intellectual Cooperation in Nigeria (COFICON). Onu, describing the emergence of President Buhari as a blessing, stated that the current administration will not take Nigerians and the country's constitution for granted.

CBN tasks regulators on environmental protection Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has advised regulatory agencies in financial service sector to expand areas of focus to include environmental protection in addition to maximizing profit and returns on investments. The apex bank hinged its advice on the positive nexus between environmental, social management and improved economic performance, which it said are being keyed in to by number of financial institutions worldwide. Giving the advice yesterday in Abuja while declaring open a workshop

on sustainable finance for the Financial Sector regulatory bodies in conjunction with United Nations financial initiatives, CBN governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, represented at the occasion by his Special Adviser on sustainable banking DR . A’isha Usman Mahmood, advised financial regulators, comprising Director –General of Securities and Exchange Commsion(SEC) Mounir Gwarzo; Managing Director, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Alh. Umaru Ibrahim; DG PenCoM, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu and others, to adopt sustainable finance practices to ensure that economic development is not achieved at a cost to our ecosystem and

our future generations. “While the financial sector has a one-dimensional goal of maximization of profits and Return on Investment, Sustainable Development concepts pursue a balance between environmental protection, social equity and economic development (ESDN, 2012). As a result of the growing evidence on the positive nexus between Environmental and Social management and improved economic performance, an increasing number of financial institutions worldwide are adopting sustainable finance practices to ensure that economic development is not achieved at a cost to our ecosystem and our future generations”.

He pointed out that such an emphasis on the rule of law would foster good governance and ensure that “no Nigerian will be above the law and every Nigerian will be below the law”. Expressing confidence that Nigeria would take her rightful place in the comity of democratic nations of the world, the APC leader argued that placing emphasis on those worthy attributes that will strengthen the self-worth of the individual and enhance the respect and dignity of Nigeria as Africa’s most populous nation were all that the country needed

to jump start its growth. Meanwhile, the Edo Deputy Governor, Mr. Pius Odubu, yesterday assured Nigerians that Buhari will deliver on his electoral promises despite of the present financial challenges confronting the nation. Odubu stated this while fielding questions from newsmen during his Birthday celebration held in Benin the state capital. He said Buhari's pedigree and background has prepared him for the task ahead to surmount any challenge that would hinder the APC led government. He said the president's ingenuity, managerial capacity and capability was all that was needed to arrange the finances of the country. According to him, "I am very confident that he will do well."

President seeks inter-agency collaboration on hajj Anule Emmanuel Abuja

resident Muhammadu Buhari has directed the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to enhance its collaboration with other agencies involved in Hajj operations. The decision is geared toward stamping out corrupt practices associated with the Holy Pilgrimage. Chairman of NAHCON, Abdullahi Mohammed Mukhtar, stated this yesterday after a meeting with the President at the presidential villa Abuja. Addressing State House correspondents after the meeting, Mukhtar said "I met Mr. President and I'm pleased to tell Nigerians that he has granted all the requests from the National Hajj Commission with regards to the preparations

for 2015 hajj; and also he had directed for inter-agency collaboration between the commission and all other relevant agencies to address the challenges and menace of corrupt-related practices that have to do with hajj and umrah and thus, we will face it headlong until we bring it to a standstill." According to him, the corrupt- related issues were many. "Well, there are many. For instance, people pay for services, which are in some cases not rendered. In some cases even they don't have the chance to perform the Hajj or umrah at all, their money is gone, and illegal operators that are not licensed to carry out the activities of either umrah or Hajj, still play around and carry out the activities with impunity. So, all these will be addressed."

Kwankwaso confined to house because of EFCC Muhammad Kabir Kabir

ormer Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has been confined to his residence in Abuja in fear of EFCC arrest, says his counsel. Addressing the court on the ex parte motion filed to restrain the anticorruption agency from arresting the former Kano Governor the counsel explained that EFCC has succeeded in putting his client in like a house arrest. Okechukwu Eze said that "my client has been in his house over the threat of arrest by the EFCC and has been denied the liberty to perform his legislative duties as mandated by voters of Kano central District. " Kwankwaso's Attorney further told the court that the EFCC’s action emanated from a petition by 'unregistered association that has no written address', as he pointed out that he was in court to halt the likely 'anticipation of violation' of his client right. "We have expressive fear that Kwankwaso's right to liberty, freedom of movement as guaranteed under the constitution is likely to be violated by EFCC", Eze stressed. Eze, who admitted that "EFCC has the power to investigate financial crimes, however declared that "it should be based and founded on reasonable suspicion" He argued that Kwankwaso has not violated pension laws to warrant his invitation by the anticorruption agency, as he told the court that his client deserved an applause for bringing surpluses to the pension fund.

News

Akeem Nafiu and Wale Elegbede

he Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ikeja, yesterday dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate in the April 11 election, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, challenging the victory of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. In the petition, Agbaje had alleged irregularities during the election, which he said breached the provisions of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) approved guidelines for the poll. However, in a ruling yesterday on the preliminary objection filed by Ambode's lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun, the three-man panel led by Justice Muhammad Surajo, described the petition as not only incompetent, but lacking in merit. The panel specifically noted that the petitioner, Jimi Agbaje, did not ask for a fresh election despite asking the court to nullify the election. Delivering the ruling, the panel said: “In the instant petition, apart from seeking an order nullifying the election of the second respondent, the petitioner did not ask for an order of fresh election. So, if for instance, the election is nullified, the people of Lagos State

national

thursday, july 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Tribunal upholds Ambode's election l Ambode hails judgement as PDP kicks would be left in a situation of anarchy, as no order can validly be made for the conduct of fresh election, same having not been sought for. The tribunal held that; “A petition that is found on disqualification of a respondent and an order of nullification of the election must of necessity contain a prayer for an order of fresh election. Where such a prayer is lacking, the petition

will be incompetent and academic as even the resolution of such a petition in favour of the petitioner will not confer any utilitarian value on the petitioner(s). “Where no relief for fresh election is claimed in a petition, a ground of petition founded on section 138 (1) (b) of the Electoral Act and the entire petition itself are incompetent and liable to be struck out,”

But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said it is dissatisfied with the ruling and will appeal the dismissal in a court of higher jurisdiction. In a statement issued in Lagos and signed by its Publicity Secretary, Taofik Gani, the party described the tribunal's ruling as a miscarriage of justice and a monumental draw back in the dispensation of justice.

The party further declared its decision to appeal the ruling whilst also considering a report against the election panel to the National Judicial Council (NJC) for 'necessary disciplinary actions.' Reacting to the tribunal’s verdict yesterday, Governor Ambode described the confirmation of his victory as a reaffirmation of the mandate given to him by the people of the state. He said this in a statement signed by his

Court orders Adebisi's extradition to US Akeem Nafiu

A L-R: Secretary, Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies, Mr. Emmanuel Okeh; Media Consultant, Mr. Yushau Shuab; Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina; Director, Defence Information, Brig.-Gen Chris Olukolade; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu and Executive Secretary, Centre for Crisis Communication, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas (rtd), during the visit of Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies at the Presidential Villa Abuja …yesterday

N'Assembly: PDP zones principal offices Again, court throws out suit against Kashamu Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) announced the zoning of its principal offices in the two chambers of the National Assembly. The party also accused the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) of deceit and insincerity, saying the party is parading voodoo achievements as what President Muhammadu Buhari has done since his assumption of office. The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, at a press conference yesterday, also disclosed that the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) has approved

the zoning of its principal offices in the National Assembly. According to him, the party has zoned the Senate Minority Leader to SouthSouth while the North Central will produce Minority Whip. Deputy Minority Leader and Deputy Minority Whip go to North East and South West respectively, while in the House of Representatives, PDP said it accepted the choice of the members who has already chosen Hon. Leo Ogor from SouthSouth as Minority Leader. Metuh however, said the North West will produce the Minority Whip while the South East and North East will produce Deputy Minority Leader and Deputy Minority Whip respec-

tively. He said the party expects that, in consonance with the provision of the Standing Rules of the National Assembly, members will use their various zonal party caucuses to chose party principal officers to enable PDP provide effective opposition in the National Assembly. "We have directed them to note that in accordance with the practice and convention of our party, the nomination process should take into consideration ranking, gender and religious sensitivities. "Furthermore, it is the wish of the NWC that this exercise be concluded within one week and communicated accordingly", Metuh added.

Globacom retains Akindele, D Banj, others as brand ambassadors

elecommunications solutions provider, Globacom has released a comprehensive list of its brand ambassadors, retaining 20 showbiz superstars who have consistently projected the network positively. The ambassadors in-

Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, while reacting to the ruling of the tribunal. He said: “I am elated at the ruling of the tribunal, which is an affirmation of my victory at the polls. On April 11, 2015, the people of Lagos spoke with their votes about continuity and that is what the tribunal has just reaffirmed. The task ahead requires concerted efforts from everyone,” he said. Ambode urged all his opponents to put the election struggles behind them and in the spirit of sportsmanship, join hands with him to take the state to the next level. “It was needless in the first place for the PDP to have petitioned my election, which was adjudged to be free, fair and credible."

clude Fulani-born tradohip hop crooner, Sani Danja; foremost gospel musician, Sammie Okposo; comedienne, Helen Paul; Peter and Paul Okoye popularly known as P Square; popular Nollywood diva, Funke Akindele of Jenifa fame and

her colleague, Ini Edo. Also in the league are Bezhiwa Idakula (Bez); popular comedian Bright Okpocha (Basketmouth); African Rapper Number One, Jude Abaga (MI ); Koko master, Dapo Oyebanjo (D'banj), Wande Coal and others.

Tunde Oyesina Abuja

gain, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday dismissed an application filed by the Federal Government seeking the extradition of the Senator representing Ogun-East Senatorial district in the National Assembly, Buruji Kashamu, to the United States of America over alleged illicit drugs related offence. This will be the third time the court will be dismissing suit against Kashamu. Earlier, a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos had nullified the extradition proceedings and same affirmed by another judge of the same Lagos division. But in a twist, the Federal Government approached the Abuja division of the court to file a fresh extradition charge against Kashamu. The former AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and Minister of Justice,

Mohammed Adoke, SAN, had on May 28 filed the application upon a United States government’s request asking the Nigerian government to submit Kashamu for extradition. Delivering his ruling, the trial judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole held that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit while the judgement of the division of the court in Lagos nullifying the proceedings on June 8, 2015 and the same judgement affirmed by another judge of the same Lagos division had not been set aside by an appellate court. Justice Okon Abang of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court on June 8 nullified the extradition proceedings which, he said, were initiated in contravention of an earlier order of the court. The court's orders nullifying proceedings were affirmed by Justice Ibrahim Buba of the same Federal High Court sitting in Lagos in a ruling on June 23.

Federal High Court in Lagos presided over by Justice Saliu Saidu has granted an extradition application filed by the Federal Government seeking to surrender one Olugbemiga Adebisi to the United States for criminal prosecution over alleged credit card fraud. The judge granted the application after certifying that the affidavits tendered by the Attorney General of the Federation(AGF) in its support were credible and valid. Justice Saidu disclosed that he was satisfied that, "the US had formally requested for the extradition of the respondent within the requirement of the Extradiction Act Cap E25 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004." The judge also held that "the affidavit of Alfred Rubega (a United States Assistant Attorney) was signed before a magistrate judge of the District of New Hampshire, which has not been disputed by the respondent in the case. "And this affidavit was only attached to a certificate duly executed from the Department of State of the U.S.A. and the United States Department of Justice and further certified by one David Warmer, an Associate Director, Office of International Affairs Criminal Division, Department of Justice, U.S.A. All these are enough evidence to give credit and validity to the affidavit of Alfred Rubega", the judge also added.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

News

NATIONAL NATIONAL

40 SEC workers opt for voluntary retirement Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

o fewer than forty workers of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may have opted for voluntary retirement from the service of the capital market regulator, New Telegraph can authoritatively report. A reliable presidency source who confirmed the development to our correspondent said all the affected staff who by rank , belong to top management,

seized the opportunity created by voluntary retirement offer which comes with “ irresistible exit package” dangled by the management to quit. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media absolved SEC management of culpability in the scenario leading to exit of top officers of the commission. He said, “Mostly affected are the senior officers that have spent years in the commission having just two or three years left to retire. Some of them, on

evaluating their chances of getting to the position of director which is often tied to the federal character principle choose to leave based on good exit package”. Another source that confirmed the exit of some staff to our correspondent yesterday justified the their decision, stating that “with the restriction placed on foreign trips and courses abroad, some old staff that have put in a number of years in service will grab the opportunity of attractive package attached to voluntary retirement more so when they realised that

they only have one or two years to retire”. He said the exit package was enough for them to start reasonable business of their own. Effort to get SEC management to confirm the development was abortive. The spokesperson, Yakubu Olaleye’s line was not going though as at the time our correspondent put a call to him. However, New Telegraph learnt that, staff voluntary exit was not new to SEC management. Immediate past management under the former Director

–General, Arunmah Oteh also adopted incentive motivated exit package in the early years of her turbulent tenure . After months of functioning in acting capacity as SEC DG, the senate two months ago unanimously confirmed appointment of Mounir Gwarzo as Director-General of SEC. The confirmation came after the Senate considered the report of the committee on capital market headed by Senator Adeseun which affirmed Gwarzo as the best candidate for the position.

L-R: Chief Rabbi of Nigeria, Rabbi Israel Uzan; Nema Director-General, Muhammad Sidi and Archbishop of Abuja Archdiocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, during the 4th Dialogue and Peace Iftar Dinner and Awards in Abuja …on Tuesday

Burn confiscated textile materials, union leader, Aremu, tells govt Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

s government expressed its readiness to revive textile industry, Vice-President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Secretary General of the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Issa Aremu has implored government to re-introduce creative destruction of sized textile materials. Aremu said that creative destruction of confiscated imported textile materials introduced by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration made it difficult for seized textiles to find their way back to the market. Speaking to New Telegraph on phone against the backdrop of assorted textile materials seized in Kano by authorities of the Nigeria Customs, he said government should consider the introduction of burning textile seizures as done in the days of Obasanjo administration so as to block all avenues through which the textiles could find their ways to the market. According to him, rather than asking importers of seized textile to pay up, the presidential task force on seizures should burn the materials in order to protect the local market and create jobs to the unemployed youths.

of 42.5 per Oyintiloye charges govt on confab’s ommendations cent, 35 per cent and 22.5 Lagos to sanction 13,477 cooperative societies per cent for revenue sharing formula federal, states and local of Agriculture and Co- try of Agriculture and

sun state House of Assembly member representing Obokun Constituency, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye has advocated a systemic implementation of the 2014 National Conference Report, most especially in the area of allocation sharing formula. Oyintiloye who spoke against current hardship witnessed in the country which has resulted into many states’ inability to pay workers’ salary, said the implementation of the formula was necessary, with a view to giving

the states and local governments more fund to stabilise the economy. According to him, the present sharing formula,whereby the Federal Government alone takes 52.68 per cent, leaving the 36 states with 26.72 per cent and 774 local governments with 20.60 per cent would continue to affect the economy negatively if not addressed. Noting that the situation requires that more money be given to states and local governments, he said the conference rec-

governments respectively would help to a large extent. The lawmaker, who lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to refund the money expended on federal projects executed by states, said the gesture would only provide immediate succour to states. “Presently, Nigeria is in economic crisis, and that is why states find it difficult to pay salaries for months and we must explore long term and sustainable means to resolve the crisis.”

Airtel partners with UNICEF to empower Nigerian communities Appolonia Adeyemi

nited Nation International Children Educational Fund (UNICEF) and Airtel, a leading telecommunications services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, have entered a partnership agreement to expand their collabo-

ration across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Nigeria. According to a statement, the partnership will increase access to social change related information and provide opportunities for participation whilst pushing forward U-Report, an innovative project supported by UNICEF.

The agreement allows UNICEF to tap into Airtel’s mobile services to make health, education, child protection and communityfocused content available to Airtel customers across the country. Through improved connectivity, more Nigerians will have free access to mobile applications and services developed by UNICEF, such as U-Report.

Muritala Ayinla

he Lagos State Government yesterday threatened to sanction about 13,477 cooperative societies in the state that are yet to comply with the ongoing registration and revalidation exercise. Briefing journalists on the activities lined up for the celebration of the 2015 International Day of Cooperative, the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry

operatives, Dr Olajide Basorun, said out of estimated 16,000 Cooperatives currently operating in Lagos, only 2,523 cooperative societies are registered with the government. He described the situation as unacceptable, saying that the state government must know and have record of any cooperative society operating in the state in line with the global best practice. The annual event was organised by the Minis-

Cooperatives in collaboration with the Lagos State Cooperative Federation (LASCOFED), the umbrella body for all Cooperative Societies in the state. He said, “A lot of cooperative societies are still operating sub-optimally. So, we are going to publish names of these registered societies so that the public can know them. When the name of your society is not in the list, you can tell leaders to go and validate.”

World Bank supports Lagos with $200m to fight poverty Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

o aid Lagos state deepen reforms initiated in many areas, World Bank has approved $200 million credit facility to the state. The credit facility is to support the state to execute its wide range of reforms which included fiscal sustainability, budget planning, budget execution,

and the investment climate. A statement made available by the global bank yesterday explained that the operation, will help sustain the state’s recent economic growth and poverty reduction while continuing to deliver social services to the city’s expanding population The credit from the International Development Association (IDA) supports the third Lagos State Devel-

opment Policy Operation, is the last of a series of two development policy operations which aim to improve public finances and the investment climate in a fiscally sustainable manner. In the past decade Lagos State has achieved significant economic growth, improved its infrastructure and services, significantly reduced crime, and brought millions of people out of poverty.

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Metro

I killed my lover for N600 –Homosexual GAY Despite the law against same sex marriage in the country, a man claims he murdered his male lover over indebtedness John Edu and Busola Salawu

20-year-old man, Anthony Toms, yesterday told an EbuteMetta Magistrates’ Court, Lagos that he recruited four men to assist him in beating his male lover to death. Toms told the court presided over by Mr Olanrewaju Olatunji that the victim owed him N600, which he refused to pay. The accused, however, said it was not his intention to beat his 32-year-old lover, Sonye Chukwudi, to death. Other defendants are Godwin Francis, 25, Michael Iyang, 21, Evidence David, 23, and Etuk Tony. The incident occurred on June 21, around 9:30pm at Ransom Kuti Garden, Anthony Village, Lagos. Toms (right) and other accused before their arraignment Investigators said that Toms initiated Chukwudi’s the deceased. murder by ordering his ered. Toms pleaded guilty to the Police said that Toms killed friends to tie his hands and legs, and then proceeded to Chukwudi because he refused charges. He said: “I met Chukwudi beat him. Chukwudi lost con- to repay him a N600 debt. The a few years back. He lured sciousness and never recov- money was for the sales of garden flowers Toms sold to me into homosexualism. I

Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

overnor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State yesterday promised that his administration was making effort to arrest the truck driver who killed 12 persons on SagamuBenin Expressway last Friday. Amosun, who spoke when he visited the scene of the accident which claimed the lives

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com

told him that I’m a gardener. He told me he would need me to get some flowers for him. I did, but he did not pay me the remaining money. “I repeatedly asked him,

but he refused to pay me. I thought if I threatened him, he would pay me. I called him on the fateful day and asked him to meet me at Ikeja. We both headed to Anthony. On getting to our destination, I asked him for my money. He said he did not have money on him. I called my friends.” Toms said that his four friends assisted him in tying up his lover. They tied his hands and legs. The idea was to beat him up and collect any money found on him. They did and found N4,750 on him. They also found a Symbian phone. Toms said: “We noticed he had fainted and dragged him back to his car. We waited for a while, but he did not recover. We took a second look at him and discovered that he was dead. We abandoned him. Police later came to arrest us. We did not know how the police got information that we killed him.” Toms’ cronies all denied knowing the late Chukwudi. They explained that they had never set eyes on the deceased until the day Toms came, seeking their help. They added that Toms told them that he needed their help in dealing with the deceased. Toms also told them that Chukwudi refused to pay for services rendered. Olatunji adjourned the case till July 31.

Ogun crash: Killer driver won’t escape justice –Amosun of eight students of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, also advised aggrieved students of the institution not to take laws into their hands. Enraged by the accident, OOU students went on the rampage on Monday and vandalised 11 trucks and goods worth millions of naira at a private manufacturing company near the accident scene. The protesting students alleged that the truck that killed their colleagues and other victims belonged to the company. However, Amosun said the

authorities would do everything possible to unmask the runaway truck driver and bring him to justice. The governor, who commiserated with the families of the deceased and the university community, declared that his administration would expedite action on domesticating traffic laws to adequately bring erring motorists to justice. According to him, highway lawlessness, which pervades the nation, is more pronounced in the state because expressways predominantly lie within the state corridors.

Amosun added that the state would look into the federal highway code and work on making it more potent to criminalise traffic offence. The governor promised that his administration would continue to empower traffic and security agents for optimal performance. He said: “The highway lawlessness which has pervaded our nation is more pronounced in this state because the expressways predominantly lie within our corridor. We feel this lawlessness every day. A sane mind does not need to

be told to desist from driving against traffic. “We need the capacity to address this menace. We will look into the federal highway code and domesticate it. We will even make it more potent and endeavour to criminalise traffic offence.” Amosun, who also visited the lone survivor of the accident, Laughter Akinbo, at Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilishan, was in company with his deputy, Mrs Yetunde Onanuga, Head of Service, Mrs Modupe Adekunle, among others.

Metro 11

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

Six children drown in Lagos boat mishap Muritala Ayinla

t least six children were feared drowned in Lagos yesterday when a canoe conveying 14 children and other passengers collided with a fibre boat at Ojo Local Government Area. At press time the exact of number of the passengers drowned could not be ascertained but no fewer than eight children were rescued while frantic efforts were still ongoing to search for the remaining passengers. The incident occurred at Irewe, a coastal community in Ojo Local Government

Area. It was learnt that the fibre boat ran into the wooden canoe conveying the children. The General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Femi OkeOsayintolu, said investigation into the cause of the accident was still ongoing. He said: “The tragic incident occurred at Ojo Local Government, Irewe area when a fibre boat ran into a canoe carrying 14 children. The canoe driver has been rescued.” Osanyintolu added that five children were taken to the Igando General Hospital

for treatment while three of them had been discharged. The GM said efforts were still ongoing to rescue the remaining children. He regretted that the children were not putting on life jackets when the accident occurred, saying that the rescue operation was carried out by the Local Emergency Committee led by the Executive Secretary of Ojo Local Government. Osanyintolu appealed to water operators to always make life jackets available to passengers in order to minimise loss of lives whenever boat capsized.

Investigation shows that Ojo Local Government records the highest of boat mishaps which in most instances have claimed lives of children. In February 2012, no fewer than 10 pupils and two women lost their lives when a boat from a coastal village in Ojota that was conveying them to a school located in Otto Awori capsized following heavy rainstorm. It was also gathered that failure of the state government to enforce the use of life jackets, especially in the coastal areas, also contributed to the recurrent tragedies.

Demolition: Ladipo traders get 30-day ultimatum Camillus Nnaji, Gbemisola Oyedepo, Lilian Okafor and Betty Sobo

espite seems to have come the way of traders at the popular Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market in Lagos. Yesterday, Mushin Local Government gave the traders a 30-day ultimatum to vacate the market before bulldozers move in for the demolition. On Tuesday, a task force from the local government, backed by armed policemen, had stormed the market with bulldozers. They locked out the traders from the market where billions of naira worth of trades go on daily. They even removed the rooftops of some of the shops. But the Chairman of Ladipo Central Executive Auto Dealers Association, Kingsley Ogunor, told his members yesterday that the local government had given them an ultimatum. He said: “Mushin Local Government officials have formally communicated their intention of demolishing the market in order to develop it

Some traders climbing their shops to remove their goods…yesterday. PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

into an ultra-modern market. They have given us a 30-day notice to vacate the market before they start the demolition.” Also, the lawyer to the traders, Mr Richard Nwankwo, said the association was planning to challenge the notice in court. He said: “The ultimatum would be challenged in court, because a lot of issues beyond mere demolition would be addressed.” A source at the local government secretariat said the planned demolition was aimed at restoring order in the market.

He said: “The local government wants to erect ultra-modern shops so as to restore sanity and order in the market. The demolition is not aimed at denying any person his means of livelihood.” Meanwhile, business activities resumed at a slow pace yesterday. Traders gathered in groups to discuss what would befall them, while others were mending their roofs. One of the traders, Ifanyi Nweze, said the people in the market voted for Governor Akinwumi Ambode therefore he should help them. He said: “Many families de-

pend on this market for their daily bread. Many people would be out of business and start roaming the streets. We voted for Ambode during the election, he should help us and stop this planned demolition.” Another trader, Chigozie, said the planned development would only benefit the rich traders who could afford the shops. He said: “We have to appeal this decision because a lot of us would not have anything to do.” Another trader said: “We heard they wanted to demolish our market and renovate it into a modern market like Tejuosho Market.” Others described the manner the government officials and police swooped on them as “unfair”. “This market is the source of our livelihood. Without it, we can’t survive,” a distraught female trader said. “We came to the market yesterday (Tuesday) and saw police, soldiers, touts and bulldozers. Some of the roofs to our shops were removed. The gates to the entrance of the market were locked, which prevented traders from entering their shops.

Court remands Ilemobade’s suspected killers in prison Babatope Okeowo Akure

n Akure Magistrates’ Court yesterday remanded the suspected killers of former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof Albert Ilemobade, in prison custody. The accused - Daniel Ita and Olayemi Bamitale – had earlier told the police they were behind the gruesome murder of the 79-year-old professor of Veterinary Medicine. The men were arraigned on a fivecount charge bordering on murder and robbery. Ilemobade’s decomposed body was found seven days after he was killed in the store of his house in Akure, the Ondo State capital. The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Victoria Bob-Manuel, who did not take plea of the suspects because her court lacks

jurisdiction to entertain the case, ordered them to be remanded in prison custody pending the outcome of the legal advice from the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP). The prosecutor, Isah Atanegbe, had told the court that investigation showed that Ita and Bamitale conspired to commit murder by strangling the deceased at his residence in Ijapo Estate, Akure on June 21. The offence, he said, was contrary to and punishable under Section 324 of the Criminal Code Cap 37, Vol. 1, Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria 2006. The charge reads in part: “That you Daniel Ita Effiom and Olayemi Bamitale on the 21st June 2015 about 9pm, at No. 1, Ikere Street, Ijapo Estate, (did) commit felony to wit: murder and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 324 of the Criminal Code Cap.37 Vol.1 Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria 2006.” Atanegbe sought the order of the

court to remand the accused in prison custody until the outcome of the legal advice from office of DPP. Bob-Manuel ordered that Ita, 24, and Bamitale, 36, to be remanded in Olokuta Medium Prison until the case resumed for further hearing on September 18.

Ita (left) and Bamitale

City Briefs Army dismisses soldier over armed robbery Flora Onwudiwe

igerian Army said it had dismissed a soldier who allegedly snatched N250,000 from a civilian in Aba, Abia State. The 14 Brigade of the Nigerian Army where the soldier, Lance Corporal Itugbu Omorodion, was serving, said in a statement that he was tried under the Armed Forces Act Cap A20 and consequently dismissed. The Public Relations Officer of the brigade, Captain Sydney Mbaneme, said in a statement that the result of the investigation conducted on the allegation indicated that Omorodion was granted pass to travel to Benin in Edo State to see his family. He said: “It was, however, established that rather than proceed to Benin, the soldier proceeded to Aba, wearing the Nigerian Army camouflage uniform which contravenes Nigerian Army’s

Edo College Old Boys Association honours students, teacher

he Old Boys Association of Edo College, Benin, Edo State (Lagos branch) will on July 17 honour 11 students and one teacher of the college. The Chairman of the association, Mr Godwin Iyamu, said the honourees had shown outstanding performance in the 2014/2015 academic session. He said in a statement that various prizes endowed by prominent members of the association across various subjects would be given to students in various classes. This gesture, according to him, is meant to recognise and reward academic excellence displayed by the students and the teacher’s dedication to duty. He said: “In the Senior Secondary, SS 3 category, Senator David Dafinone’s Prize for Mathematics will go to Master Shanomi Emmanuel, while his Prize for Economics goes to Master Osayande David.” All the winners, according to him, will be given an award plaque at the event.

RCCG King’s Court Parish holds Mathematics Holiday Camp

he Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Kings Court Parish, Ikeja has packaged a Mathematics Holiday Boot Camp for Senior Secondary Students during the long vacation. The camp, which will take place at the church auditorium, on plot 12, Oyetubo Close, off Ajao Street, Ikeja, Lagos is an attempt to stimulate the sagging interest of students in Mathematics. It is scheduled to begin on July 20, and end on July 31. According to a statement by the organisers, there will be two sessions – morning and afternoon - while each session will consist of two classes. The statement explained that while some of the facilitators would come from the United Kingdom, a mentor would be assigned to each class to facilitate the learning engagements. The facilitators, according to the Assistant Pastor in charge of Lagos Province 27, Pastor Ephraim Osunde, are products of RCCG Ikeja youth group. Key learning deliverables, Osunde said, would include topics that cut across all senior secondary school classes.

12 News Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

jaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark yesterday said that some people who were constantly visiting him before the March 28 Presidential election had since refused to come back after the elections. Clark was perceived by all to be the godfather of former President Goodluck Jonathan, having come from the same South South region. Clark, who stated this in Abuja while playing host to the Middle Belt Youth Council who

thursday, july 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

national

People deserted us after election, says Clark paid him a condolence visit over the death of his grandson, said such people thought that everything was about election. He said: “I am pleased that you have come back to greet me even after elections. Some people who were here before elections, we have not seen them again after elections. They thought

it is all about elections alone. Elections will come and go, but Nigeria will remain. “We are all Nigerians; this country has over 250 ethnic nationalities. God did not make a mistake when He decided that despite multiplicity of tribe, He placed us here. No one is regarded as inferior. ”Political parties

and government will come and go. Today is your turn, tomorrow it will be another man's turn. When you are not in power, support the government in power because Nigeria is your country. It is wrong for opposition to make the country ungovernable for the government in power. We are minority, but we are not infe-

rior, our turn will come again.” When asked how former President Jonathan is doing, Clark said that he (Jonathan) is on vacation. Earlier in his speech, the President of Middle Belt Youth Council, Emmanuel Zompul said they were on a condolence visit to Edwin Clark over d loss of his grandson.

Lai Mohammed's 9th Ramadan lecture holds today Temitope Ogunbanke

he 9th annual Ramadan Lecture being organised under the aegis of the Lai Mohammed Ramadan Lecture series will hold today at the Muslim praying ground in Oro, Kwara State. The organiser of the event, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement made available to journalists yesterday said the Ramadan Lecture is an annual event which attracts political and religious leaders as well as captains of industries from far and near. “It is unarguably the biggest Islamic event during the holy month of Ramadan in the Kwara South Senatorial District."

IPMAN crisis: Police pick Lawson Johnchuks Onuanyim ABUJA

T Workers of AirFrance-KLM Airline protesting the sack of their colleagues at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos…yesterday.

Despite protest, Air France implements new policy Wole Shadare

espite the protest of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, against the planned outsourcing of the Passenger Documentation in Air France/KLM, the airline has gone ahead to implement the new regime. The airline in a statement by its Corporate Communications, Funmilayo Ojesina, stated that the airline had decided to outsource its passenger documentation control activity in Lagos from yesterday. Ojesina, in the statement to reporters yesterday, said it was a procedure that is already in place at all Air France-KLM stations worldwide as well as other international airlines in Nigeria. She disclosed that the national union, staff representatives and concerned staff were duly informed of the various steps of this project since November 2014 and numerous negotiation meetings were held with their leading unions. The statement added,

“Air France-KLM will continue to do its utmost to find an acceptable solution for all parties involved.” NUATE had on Tuesday raisedalarmthatAirFrance/ KLM was set to disengage some its Nigerian staff. The union in a document made available to journalists had accused the airline of engaging in unfair labour practices against its Nigerian members. The union in a document signed by its Assistant General Secretary, Olayinka Abioye alleged that the airline planned to sack some of its Nigerian workers in the Document Checking Unit by outsourcing the department to a private company, Checkport Securities Nigeria Limited without following the labour laws of the country. The union emphasised that it was currently undergoing discussions and negotiations with the management of the airline and was surprised to learn that the airline had already outsourced the department to the company, maintaining that it was in flagrant disobedient to the labour rules of Nigeria.

PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

Nigerian made rice brand now well accepted – Olam Segun Edwards

igerian rice producing company, Olam Nigeria, has said that its rice brand has been well accepted in the country. The company said its Mama’s Pride and Chef ’s Choice brands of rice dominated its one day event at the Rice Trade Fair, held in Kano recently, saying that the brands were so well received that they sold over 125 bags at the one-day fair. Head Corporate and Government Relations, Olam Nigeria, Ade Adefeko, while expressing

pleasure on the company’s success at the fair said: “We call for more of such activities to help boost rice production, increase awareness and improve patronage of Nigerian brands of rice.” On the acceptance of his company’s brand of locally produced rice brands, he said, “as per our brands, generally, people love Mama’s Pride because of its packaging, grain length and brightness”. Adefeko said that his company’s impressive showing at the fair was possible because Olam

Nigeria had made huge investments in Agriculture, particularly in local rice production. His words: “We have a N19 billion 10,000 hectare farm and mechanised mill with a capacity to produce 36,000 metric tonnes of milled rice in Rukubi Nasarawa State and outgrower programme, which currently employs about 3,000 farmers.” He assured that his company will continue to support more farmers with training, pre-finance and agri-inputs to improve their paddy yield.

CSOs rally support for TETFUND boss Yekeen Nurudeen ABUJA

coalition of Civil Society Organisations under the auspices of Civil Societies Coalition for Good Governance, has condemned what it called sponsored attacks on the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Professor Suleiman Bogoro.

The coalition at a press briefing in Abuja yesterday lamented what it called recent campaign of calumny against Professor Bogoro alleging mismanagement of the Funds. The leader of the Coalition, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, who addressed journalists, advised that "Nigerians need to rise above the pull him down syndrome in the spirit of change to

embrace useful reforms particularly in the education sector and not throw the nation into unnecessary bickering between stakeholders”. He particularly condemned media attacks by one Auwal Ibrahim whom they claimed have engaged in a campaign aimed at discrediting and dragging the Executive Secretary into cheap politics and attention seeking.

he crisis of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, got messier on Monday as policemen picked the factional President of the Association, Chief Obasi Lawson. According to information from the Chief Chinedu Okoronkwo-led IPMAN, Lawson was picked up by the Special AntiRobbery Squad (SARS) of the FCT Police Command for criminal offences. The Okonkwo group alleged that he was arrested on the charges preferred against him by the Director, Public Prosecutions of the Federation, M.S. Diri. Diri signed the charges on behalf of the Attorney General of the Federation. One of the paragraphs of the charges made available to journalists reads: “That you Chief Lawson Obasi, Ukadike Chinedu (aka Asha), Augustine Erhabor and Andrew Ashiga (now at large) on or about the 14th day of April 2014, within the Judicial Division of the High Court of the FCT conspired to commit an offence, in that, while you armed yourselves with dangerous weapons such as cutlasses, wood, Iron Rod and knives you violently forced yourselves into the premises of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Headquarters."

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JUly 2, 2015

Interview

Governance

Why I parted ways with Chime, by Odoh

Buhari, APC can’t give Nigerians desired change – Abdulsalam

Abia

Jumbo allowance

Ikpeazu must avoid past mistakes – Okafor

Govt should scrap Senate, says Arogbofa

Politics National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and onetime governor of Edo State, Chief John OdigieOyegun, speaks on the crisis rocking the party, reconciliatory process and bribery allegation against him. AYODELE OJO reports

What are you doing to resolve the crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the National Assembly leadership? All I can assure Nigerians is that the crisis will be resolved. We cannot afford not to deliver on the promises we have made to the Nigerian people. We are ashamed that we are going through this kind of path due to ambitions but we will get over it. What about the issue of reconciliation in the face of calls for sanctions of erring lawmakers who defied the party’s directives? Reconciliation is a must at the end of the day but you know that forgiveness always comes with penitence. Even in all our religions, if you are penitent, forgiveness can be on the card. We are working hard on all fronts. How about calls for sanction? Nothing is off the table; nothing at all including sanctions is off the table. Everything depends on how the parties in the dispute handle themselves in the next few days. Now that the Senate has rejected the party’s list of principal officers, what are you doing to compel the House of Representatives to accept your list? The House has been very much forthcoming and even now they

AYODELE OJO

DEPUTY EDITOR, PoLITICS ayodele.ojo@newtelegraphonline.com

Bribery allegation saddens me – Oyegun are still seeking compromise. We will engage them and we will work out something that I hope will be to everybody’s satisfaction. We must support our president and deliver to Nigerians.

The impasse over the National Assembly leadership is a proxy war. The executives of the party know there is a war going on and I know you people know what is going on.

Have you spoken with Speaker Yakubu Dogara after the list was sent to him? Of course, we have spoken.

What specific mistakes did the party leaders made? No, leave that one! There is no point going into that. That is water under the bridge. In terms of all the party did as far as the NWC is concerned, we were very much on course and at every stage we wanted the selection process to be free just like we did with the presidential primaries; we were not going back on internal democracy, we were never going to compromise that, and we never did. For instance, there was no need for the meeting called for June 9, the day of inauguration of the National Assembly, at the International Conference Centre (ICC).

Why is he not accepting the list from you? Let us leave it at that. We discussed and we are going to continue the dialogue. Where is the place of party supremacy in all this? The party will always be supreme. The party provided you with the platform anyway. For anybody thinking that the party is nothing, then the day of reckoning will come and they will know that the party is indeed something. The party supremacy is always there. Though ambition may blind people temporarily, we will come around to it inevitably.

The party also made a mistake on the principle of fairness in that since the North-Central produced the Senate President, there was no need for the party to insist that the zone should produce the Deputy Majority Leader. But don’t forget that it is the same Senate that came up with the doctrine of necessity.

What do you mean by day of reckoning will come? I don’t mean anything. If a child says he does not respect his father and disowns his father, there are consequences and these are laws of nature. But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is already celebrating the crisis in your party. That’s natural! When we were in opposition, we celebrated their difficulties and magnified it. Let them have their celebration which of course will be shortlived. Our target is to keep our promises with Nigerians. Is that target not being distracted by the crisis? Of course, naturally, there is a bit of distraction but we are still focused. We are operating on two lines, those managing the crisis and those ensuring that we do not lose our bearing in terms of service delivery. We will definitely pull the party together. That is important and inevitable. Is the change you promised Nigeri-

Odigie-Oyegun

ans still very much around? The change is still very much on course. But you know people will fight back. What we are seeing now is the last strand of those who don’t wish us well.

If I wanted to take bribe, I would have done it when... I was distressed economically

The APC leadership has been blamed for mismanaging the National Assembly leadership crisis. Did the party mishandle the issue? The party leaders made a lot of mistakes. Yes, there were mistakes all round not just by the party executives and the National Working Committee (NWC), at all. There were all sorts of influences all around the party. They made very serious decisions, mistakes and they interfered the way they should not have interfered.

You have been accused of taking bribe from one of the parties to the National Assembly leadership crisis. Personally, how do you feel with this allegation against you? I am disappointed but I have a reputation that I have built up from 1976 and the ambitions of people in politics will not rub me of that. It is unfortunate, dirty, unnecessary and very unbecoming. That is the way some people want to fight but I am not engaging or answering them. The truth at the end of the day will prevail. As a governor and permanent secretary, nobody ever accused me of taking bribe and just suddenly, this allegation is coming up. If I wanted to take bribe, I would have done it when I came back from exile. I was in exile for four solid years. When I came CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

Politics | Interview

Hon Eugene Odoh is the immediate past Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly. He speaks on why he parted ways with ex-Governor Sullivan Chime. Excerpts: What went wrong towards the end of your eight-year leadership of the Enugu State House of Assembly? Well, I had worked well not just as a speaker but as a member, we had a peaceful House and since 2007 when I became speaker we appeared to have done well especially in the areas of legislation, representation, oversight functions and quasi-judiciary functions of the House. So, we feel we justified our stay in the House of Assembly through the collaborative efforts of the executive and also to our respective constituents. But just less than one month to the end of my tenure, there was what I may call conspiracy. To do oversight function in the state Assembly cannot go without some hitches from the executive and we tried to manage that for eight years. Certainly, the issue as far as I am concerned had to do with procurement of N11 billion loan by the former governor (Sullivan Chime). We felt that there was nothing wrong in procuring loan, in fact, we had approved the loan in November last year and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said look, a government that has about seven months to go cannot procure loan and less than 60 days to the end of the tenure, the request was re-presented. The House was equally ready to approve same but the conditionality of the loan is what the House was not comfortable with. The condition is that the loan was to be given under Irrevocable Standing Payment Order (ISPO), confining the next government to pay the money in three years and after calculation we found out that in every month, about N400 million will be deducted from the state coffers and as responsible legislators, we felt that having done well as a government; it was not proper for us to strangle the next administration but the former governor was not comfortable with that stand and he decided to use eight people to suspend the speaker. It wasn’t even an impeachment because in their own words they said they suspended the speaker and even if you want to suspend the speaker, you must get two-thirds but unfortunately it never held but what they succeeded in doing was to use police to barricade the Assembly complex irrespective of the court order that we got and the police insisted on not opening the place. Even the so-called speaker elected by eight persons could not access the office for one day. I had keys to my office till the end of the tenure. I received my May salary and I signed the necessary correspondences till the last day. So, what happened was an attempt to frustrate the legislature at the state level. The action of the eight lawmakers had no place in law. You cannot suspend a speaker without the person taking over even for one day not even access-

THURSDAY, JUly 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Why I parted ways with Chime, by Odoh

saw that happened towards the end of the administration started happening even from day one but the difference here is that there was a breakdown in understanding. We had course to engage the executive almost on every item, but in this case, we could not understand ourselves in all the items that was why it came out open. We even gave the civil society an office in the House of Assembly with a view to knowing exactly what the House is doing.

Odoh

ing the office of the speaker. As a government we did well. The ripples that came at the later part of the tenure were unfortunate. We need to appreciate that there are three arms of government with distinct functions to better our democracy. Why did you refuse to approve the loan when you had indeed approved such loan earlier? It was our intention to procure money as loan but the difference is that the N11 billion we approved by November is a loan you can service and pay at convenience but the one of March, you are constrained to pay whether you have money or not even when the oil price is going down, the federation allocation is dropping and the Internally Generated Revenue is also dropping. I don’t think any responsible government can succeed in that. If the condition was like the first one, there wouldn’t have been any problem approving it. But did you see any merit in securing loan at the twilight of an administration? We saw merit in giving the loan as at November 2014 because we have unfinished projects such as the state secretariat and the new Government House and some roads like the old park road among others. The House committee engaged the contractors that agreed to complete their jobs within three months but the Central Bank said no and we thought the whole thing has ended only for it to resurrect by March and the governor said since the CBN turned it down, he made arrangement with UBA under ISPO that will be deducted through the IGR that is about N800 million a month. The bank will be taking N400 million monthly. We felt that to mortgage the IGR of a state for the next three years is

unfair. It was not with a view to assisting the incoming governor; it was with a view to assisting the people of Enugu State. Unfortunately, people think that the governor owns the state.

We felt that to mortgage the IGR of a state for the next three years is unfair...

What do you think made the exgovernor insisting on taking the loan? I don’t know but I think it was most irrational, it has no logical basis because part of the reason why we earlier approved the N11 billion loan was because the contractors said they can complete the jobs in four months but in this case you have less than two months that even if you give them the money they won’t complete the jobs and if they don’t complete the jobs, what then was the essence of the loan. Why not allow the new administration to even take the loan. But we started hearing that it was because I ran for governorship and was not successful. That was too cheap a blackmail. Are you saying that your failed governorship bid had nothing to do with refusing to approve the loan for the ex-governor? No, it has nothing to do with it. Remember the issue of governorship bid was settled in August 2014 when they endorsed the present governor (Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi) and two months after, we approved the first loan. If it were about governorship bid, we would not have approved the first loan. Don’t forget we joined in the campaign and I hosted them in my country home. How do you feel whenever it is said that the state Assemblies are rubber stamps of the executive? The House has never been a rubber stamp but unfortunately people have ascribed a legislature as rubber stamp for the executive. We did not set to fight any member of the executive. In fact, what you

Were your group of 14 legislators that dissented against the ex-governor able to receive your allowances and entitlements before the close of the legislative session? The ex-governor did not pay anybody severance for eight years, not just the legislators but the commissioners. I doubt if he even paid himself, it was a general thing which of course the present government is indebted to. It was not just the 14 legislators but the entire house members, commissioners and a host of others were not paid severance allowance. Was it because of the dwindling revenue that made him not to pay? I don’t know but that is the way it is but I know that Enugu State is not too broke not to have paid severance of less than 80 public officers. What did you do to help the 19992003 set of state legislators that are still being owned their salaries and allowances? They came to me and I forwarded their letter and accompanied it with my letter headed paper to the governor who promised to pay but at the end of the day, he did not pay and that explains why we are insisting on financial autonomy for the state legislature. If the House had autonomy, all they need to do is to incorporate all these things in the budget and release it to their colleagues but for a legislator to go to Abuja, he has to apply to the governor and that’s why most governors see the Houses of Assembly as an extension of the executive arm. That’s why the ex-governor paraded somebody with only eight members as speaker even to the point of masquerading the person in government brochure. That was impunity. What could you say were the high points of your administration as speaker? Transparency, in whatever we did, every member knew. Punctuality is also what we achieved; courage is what I expect the present leadership of the House to emulate because you must have courage especially when you are standing on the truth. If you trade in your personal interest for public good certainly you will lose. People have mistaken politics as job and it is a major problem in politics. You should have a job before going into politics.

Politics | Interview

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JUly 2, 2015

National Chairman of Labour Party (LP), Alhaji Abdukadir Abdulsalam, believes that President Muhammdu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), cannot give Nigerians the desired change. In this interview with JOHNCHUKS ONUANYIM, he speaks on the crisis rocking APC, the National Assembly and kicks against bailout for states. Excerpts: What is your take on the allowances of National Assembly members? I felt it was very terrible and unbelievable when I heard that some quantum of money would be meant for one section of Nigerians in a country where many states including the Federal Government have not paid workers’ salaries. This is an institution that has failed in its responsibilities. The same institution can now have billions of naira at the expense of suffering Nigerians. This, certainly, is not acceptable and it needs to be corrected. All sorts of allowances are paid to the lawmakers – from constituency allowance to hardship allowance. What hardship if I may ask? Hardship from what end? Hardship that the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and some other principal officers use our aircraft to go to wherever they want to go to? We give them car and we pay for the driver and every other thing. We pay for accommodation, utility allowance, domestic staff and personal assistants. I think the Nigerian public, civil society organisations, the organised labour and well-meaning Nigerians should rise against this provocative expenditure of the legislators. If the All Progressives Congress is serious, sincere, honest and committed to this country, this is where the change should start. Why should a very minute section of the country, which its relevance has not been sufficiently felt by Nigerians be given N120 billion budget in a year. How many professors with their wealth of experience receive one-tenth of what each of the legislators receives? How many doctors, other professionals or Nigerians receive that amount? I think we are pampering them too much. Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari stated that his age would affect his performance, though his spokesman has clarified the statement. What is your take on that? I personally raised the issue of his age and his health; that APC and Buhari are hiding so many things from Nigerians and that they should tell us the true situation of things and about his age. I don’t believe that Buhari is just 72. He is far more than 72 years old. Looking at him critically, you will know that he cannot be a 72-year-

Buhari, APC can’t give Nigerians desired change – Abdulsalam old man. It is just like Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; he said he does not know his age. So, Buhari should come out and tell us if he is tired that he can no longer do it and this will confirm our fear. The APC should come out and tell us the true position of things. The fact of the matter is that Nigeria should not expect any change. No change would come with those people who surround Buhari. Change would not come because most of the APC governors are the people who can no longer pay salaries. Rochas Okorocha is owing 11 months; Rauf Aregbesola is owing eight or more months. The so-called change governors are the people who cannot pay salaries; they are the people who are owing workers many months of unpaid salaries. So, what change do we expect from people of these kind? They deceived Nigerians that they are going to make change possible but they themselves need to be changed first before they can make change possible. Nigerians are worried that no serious appointment has been made. How do you see the delay in the composition of the cabinet? First, before Buhari was inaugurated, the Chadian and Nigerien Presidents visited him. So, what informed his visit to these people again? That is why I say there is nothing like change. Now, four weeks have passed and no ministerial nominee, which means the APC and Buhari were never prepared to govern this country. They just came to gamble to see whether they would win or they wouldn’t win. And because of Buhari’s popularity, APC won. So, how to manage success has become a problem to them. How can they manage the success they unexpectedly got? It is a problem. I call on Buhari not to give any palliative to any state governor. Let them go back to the drawing board by utilising all the money they have gotten from the Federation Account for payment of teachers’ salaries. Let Buhari declare state of emergency in all the states that cannot pay workers’ salaries so that the money from Federation Account would be tailored towards the payment of workers’ salaries. Let the governors concentrate on how to improve their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) that will help them to carry out activities of the states. I want to suggest that workers’ salaries should be put on first line charge instead of lumping it with other expenditures. So, you are not expecting any departure from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the APC government? What is the difference between APC and PDP? APC became relevant when G7 from PDP moved to them. So, the character, the attitude and the tendencies in PDP is more in APC. As at today, the Senate President is APC, the Deputy Senate President is PDP, which means PDP is already a department of the APC or APC is now the elder brother of PDP.

Abdulsalam

So, nothing has changed and APC cannot change anything. Who in APC will change anything? Is it people like Bola Tinubu and Senate President Bukola Saraki? These are people who milked their states dry. So, they cannot change anything. It is not possible? Buhari will do his best but his best would not be enough because he is already complaining of old age which means he cannot go all out to hit the nail on the head like he did when he was 30, 40 years. So, he is already complaining that this thing l thought l could do, it may not be doable.

Who in APC will change anything? Is it people like Bola Tinubu and Senate President Bukola Saraki?

The crisis in the APC has thrown up a challenge of electing an opposition party member as a Deputy Senate President. How do you see the development? That is what I said, like PDP, like APC. They are two fingers of the same hand. PDP must undo APC because APC had undone PDP previously. So, it is trade by barter that they are doing there. There is nothing political, there is nothing democracy, they are all about selfishness. To what extent does the APC insistence on who becomes the President of the Senate help the Nigerian’s situation? What is Nigerian stake in their fight? It is an individual thing. Tinubu wants to control some; Atiku Abubakar wants to control some; Buhari people want to control some. The problem is that Tinubu from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) got the vice president; Buhari from the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), got

the president and the PDP in APC wanted to get the Senate President but Tinubu wouldn’t allow that. That was part of what caused the crisis in the APC. The defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) is now the crying child because Ogbonnaya Onu is in the cold. He doesn’t know what he is being considered for. So, you can see that the other three within the group have gotten something but ANPP has not got anything. What are you doing to organise LP for future elections? We are already organising our party. Immediately we saw the outcome of the elections, the massive rigging because that was why l said if l were Buhari, l will appeal to Nigerians like late President Yar’Adua did, saying that although this election was massive rigged, l will create instrument that would correct the massive fraud. We know that the APC has assumed the ruling party status and we have now assumed a constructive opposition. We will criticise them constructively; we will criticise them objectively. When they do well, we will praise them. When they do badly, we will draw their attention to it. So, we are already organising our party from the ward to the local government and the state levels. We are relating with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to see how we can synergize and move our party forward. As I speak to you, we have already printed membership cards that are being distributed in the states for our records.

16 Politics | Interview

THURSDAY, JUly 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ikpeazu must avoid past mistakes – Okafor Chief Emeka Okafor, a onetime Commissioner for Commerce, Special Duties and Youth Development in Abia State, is the state chairman of the Progressive People’s Allaince (PPA) and chairman, Intra-Party Advisory Council (IPAC). He spoke with NORMAN OBINNA on governance in Abia State and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu. Excerpts: How do you assess Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu’s performance in the past one month as the Governor of Abia State? The governor has started on a very good note. The road construction he quickly embarked upon is very commendable when you realise that roads have become one of the major challenges in Abia State especially in Aba, which the last administration saw no need to develop. But I must advise him to use quality contractors in constructing the roads so they can last longer. Aba has a problem of poor drainages and that is one of the reasons roads in Aba are very deplorable. So, it is commendable that he has identified this at the early stage. And the putting on hold of the multiple tax collection is also commendable. That shows that he is not insensitive to people’s plight. But the truth is that no state will survive without revenue. So, I advise that he blocks all revenue leakages, get real consultant who knows what to do in terms of revenue collection to handle that. I think he is on the right track. Cynics said the governor is pulling a political stunt considering that the construction companies contracted are not big names. What is your take on that? Using a company like Julius Berger is not the issue and we should not be carried away by their name after all, they started from somewhere. The most important thing is the quality of the engineers and also who is willing and ready to give you what you want and the same standard at afford-

Okafor

able rate. A quality road should last as long as 10 or 20 years irrespective of who constructed it. Do not forget that Abians especially those residing Aba have suffered so much, they have witnessed so much political stunts from the past administration, so you don’t have to blame anybody who doubts Ikpeazu’s promises of not only starting the roads but delivering them in his first 100 days in office. For now, it is not proper to call his efforts political stunt because that will sound judgemental and sentimental. Let us all encourage him. Again the issue of demolition of illegal structures should not be politicised at this moment because that is what Aba needs if there must be any meaningful development there. Any serious government must take same action if Aba must be revived. Any building without approval is an illegal structure, we must consider first, if the structure is blocking the drain lines, then if that is the case, we must ask who gave such approval in the first place. The person must be questioned and if found culpable prosecuted, because we have town planners and their duty is to standardise the town.

Ikpeazu should not be in a hurry, but have a plan and blueprint on how to execute the plan

What policy of the past administration do you think Ikpeazu should discard? He is an insider and does not need any advice on the policies of the past administration he should

‘Bribery allegation saddens me’ C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 3

back, I was distressed economically and I would have run into PDP ranks and live very good. But I didn’t do that. I put up with all the deprivation for so many years. So, if anybody tells me now that I am taking

peanuts from individuals in politics, the person must be totally out of his mind. If what was going around in the days of the PDP does not horde temptation around me, is it now at the twilight of my life that I will start taking peanuts? What am I doing with it? I don’t have

a house or land in Abuja to maintain. So, what is it for? Is it at 76 I want to be building estates? It’s just stupid and silly. For those who are doing that, there is a nemesis. And when you start to destroy somebody’s reputation unjustly, there is a nemesis.

do away with. He is a PhD holder with a very sound mind, he should know the right thing to do. He should organise town hall meetings where he will be in constant touch with the people, bring in high cerebral people to work with him and leverage on their intelligence to the best rewarding proportion. Good a thing he has put a stop to sycophancy; he needs people who will tell him the truth because he would be the one that will shoulder all the blames. I do not believe that he has to compensate politicians with appointments and positions. He needs to get the right people to give the people what they want. Was there any policy you presented to the administration you served, which was not considered you feel Ikpeazu should look into? Well, I do not sincerely want to go into that now; government is continuum. Though I once serve as a Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in 2007, you should also agree with me that administrative style varies and changes. Government of three years ago cannot be the same with that of today. I think Ikpeazu should not be in a hurry but have a plan and blueprint on how to execute the plan. He has shown to Abians that he meant well for them by the roads he has flagged off, but very importantly, I want him to do more of planning so as to get things right and put Abia in its rightful position. What do you think the governor should do to placate civil servants in Abia State who are owed as much as six-month salaries’ arrears, to get the best out of them? He must reengineer the civil service. But, first of all, a hungry man is an angry man; he should sincerely work out modalities to offset these salaries’ arrears. That is what I mean by planning; he should communicate with them to see how they can be paid. Heads

must be put together, though the state is financially down but honestly Abia has what it takes to turn the economic status around. How do you think that the high rate of unemployment among the youth can be tackled in the state? I think we should follow some legacies of Michael Okpara of blessed memory, though the companies are there but moribund. Let government seek ways of revamping them. They do not need to put in their money but seek for public, private, partnership with capable organisations and individuals to ensure that the companies are revamped so that the youth can be gainfully employed. I am aware that the past administration started something but it must be consolidated. Education is also very important in this discussion; Abia government should invest on our future leaders by encouraging children to go to school, through scholarships. A child who has no education is like an animal; he can only become useful to the society when he is educated. A lot of people believe that not having elected local government chairmen to manage the councils slowed down development in Abia. Do you expect Ikpeazu to conduct local government elections soon? That is the right thing to do; it is part of the planning I talked about earlier on. But there are some salient issues that require urgent attention first. Besides, the state needs to first and foremost be financially stable before any election will be conducted. Ikpeazu is exposed enough to know that Abia State needs elected chairmen to run the affairs of the local government. He should not suffocate any arm of the government and try as much as possible not to make himself one man standing or the sole centre of attraction because that was the greatest undoing of the last administration that brought them more enemies than friends. Your party, the PPA, was the first to congratulate Ikpeazu, does that means that you believe in the electoral process that declared him winner? We supported him because he is a serious-minded person. All we have ever wished for is to see a better Abia and Ikpeazu has what it takes to make Abia better. Does that mean that you are not in support of the tribunal case at the moment? Well, it is the civil right of every candidate, I am not a lawyer and would not want to go into that at the moment. Like I said, I will officially make a statement at the appropriate time. At this point in time, what advice would you give to the governor? He should not be in a hurry to appoint people who will work with him. He should search for the people who have the knowledge and capacity to deliver. He needs people who can advise him professionally not hooligans and sycophants. Nevertheless, Abia State is blessed with individuals who fit these description. But the issue is how to leverage on their intelligence. Even if it will take him six months to search for the right people, he should do that. He should try as much as possible to deviate from appointing people on political sentiment.

Politics | Interview 17

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JUly 2, 2015

Govt should scrap Senate, says Arogbofa The Secretary of the pan Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Basorun Seinde Arogbofa has advocated the scrapping of the Senate because of the huge amount of money being used to fund it. He also advocated a unicameral legislature for the country. In this interview with Babatope Okeeowo, he also speaks on the bail-out for states and non-payment of workers’ salaries. Excerpts: What role do you think Afenifere should play after the 2015 elections which have been won and lost? We are what we have always been in Afenifere; focused, principled, not that we are unbending but we are quite prepared to look at things from better perspective. The cardinal philosophy of Afenifere has always been education for all, better health for all, integrated rural economy which has something to do with our agrarian lives and gainful employment, which is the bane of this country. These cardinal points are still what we stick to. Since the group is not in government at any level, how do you hope to achieve this? We will keep on talking about them, impressing it on those in government as to why these things should be, more so when most people know these are the areas we need to tackle for a better Nigeria, better health, better education, and gainful employment and integrated rural development. These are the areas and we keep on talking about them and we know that every government in this country had always listened to Afenifere when we talk as a body whether we are in government or not. They see us as the conscience of the nation, they see us as a serious body and they take us seriously. We don’t beg anybody, we don’t ask anybody for money, we speak for common people, and we speak to make things better. When we come out to speak, people are bound to listen to us; they may not react immediately or it may take time for them to act but they know those who are talking and they know we are talking sense. What is your take on the agitation by some people that the 2014 National Conference report should be jettisoned? One of the people that participated in the conference said recently that President Muhammadu Buhari should have nothing to do with the report. What is your reaction to this? Everybody has right to his or her opinion. But if a member of the confab has said that, it is sad; sad in the sense that such a member who represented some

people at the confab or any member who is knowledgeable at all should know that government is a continuum. Where one government stops, another should take off. But more importantly for any member of the confab to say that is very unfortunate because the way we ran the confab is very simple; we had 20 committees and every member was allowed to pick three of which he would like to serve on, which one would be giving to him. If his preferred committee did not work out, the next available would be given to him or her and thereafter we went into committees. I belonged to Political Restructuring and Forms of Government. And there we took decisions and the decisions were brought to the plenary and at plenary, where all of us conve r g e d ; every item discussed at the committee level was brought for discussion and resolution. W e had over 600 resolutions and they were all taken by consensus; not through voting but consensus. If after having a consensus, somebody is now turning around to say that decision should not be taken

Arogbofa

The Senate should be scrapped because it has been the greatest source of wastages in this country

by the new government is unfortunate. It is too soon for anybody to think in that way because such people were part and parcel of the decisions taken on consensus and in any case, Goodluck Jonathan has left office and he initiated the confab and the issues surrounding the confab have the problems of Nigeria since independence. The issues of true federalism, state creation, local government autonomy, peace, security, education and parity; all these things are what over 500 Nigerians of different categories – old and young, powerful and non-powerful, knowledgeable people across the country, ex-governors, exsenators, university eggheads and even the physically challenged they were all there for about six months racking their brains on how things could be better for this country. Because pressure was mounted on the gover nm e n t , the gover nment ag reed these issues must be resolved once and

for all. We must remember that about six confabs have been set up, if somebody said what Jonathan did should be outdone is unfortunate for Nigerians. Rather, the current government should be encouraged and persuaded to carry out the decisions at the confab because Nigerians did it. As a member of the Committee on Political Restructuring and forms of government, did you discuss the emoluments of the National Assembly members? If yes, what are you recommendations? We were radical and revolutionary about the National Assembly thing. In our committee, we said the Senate should be scrapped because it has been the greatest source of wastages in this country. We said we should have unicameral legislature. What we said in our committee is that there shall be a unicameral legislature whose members shall be full-time and the membership should be 50 per cent based on equality of states and 50 per cent base on population. We did this because it has been very wasteful; how can a senator for God’s sake be entitled to N250 million per annum? This is a country where people die of hunger. We said it should be scrapped. But you know Nigerians; at the plenary our decision was jettisoned. We were not surprised because some ex-legislators were also member of the confab. The matter has once again come up. It is unthinkCONTINUED ON PAGE 20

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion Osun: Price of development John Ogunlela

he present Osun financial crises evoke pity if one takes the time to understand its structural roots. It is hard for those of us who are familiar with the turf watch the governor, a man otherwise adored and praised by his people being picked at by an understandably aggrieved public over the turn of events. It will be a grave political mistake to treat this as a simple public finance management issue and turn a blind eye to the larger picture of fiscal dealings of the federal government with states. Everyone is familiar with the narrative of a crash in allocation from the Centre. Well, it is real. If the receivables on your budget have had to take a 60 per cent crash without precedence or warning, you are certainly going to be caught struggling in a net awhile, especially if your payables remain unforgivingly deductible at source, principal, interests and all! But there is more. The creation of Osun state in 1991 by the Ibrahim Babangida administration left certain key elements out which was key to the survival and thriving of a federating entity - and some of such omission can be observed in a few young states as well. You can expect those states to reach their critical cusp any moment too and manifest fiscal trouble symptoms akin to what we have seen in Osun this far, unless the present federal administration alters the fundamentals to protect other states. No.1. A new state must have a down payment of certain basic infrastructures. For Osun, the capital was billed to be linked to the Ibadan-Ilesha expressway by a 32-km road at Gbongan on the bill of the Federal government. This was left undone. Oshogbo remained a capital with a little “This way to” signboard pointing in its direction. How is that type of an environment to grow and become selfsustaining? Who wants to put his business in a location with no roads in a modern sense? The city

was to be skirted by a 30-km axial road to broaden its rim and make movement faster. About 12km of that was built by the Federal government way back under military administration and the rest abandoned. But for the Bisi Akande government of 1999 to 2004, Osun could up till now still be without a state secretariat. The whole environment remained a pastoral and idyllic one, hardly the type that attracts or stimulates forward socioeconomic movement at all. The Rauf Aregbesola administration in its zeal to accelerate economic development in the state had eagerly taken the bull of those projects by the horn and had gone to source long term loans to build those roads I mentioned as well as another federal road linking the state to Kwara. That bridge you see on the expressway that links Oshogbo at Gbongan on your way to Abuja is being built by the state, not the federal government. Pubic schools were pathetic, empty sheds and something just had to be done. Those projects are important if the state is to be stimulated economically and it is not fair for the Federal authorities to have shown a cavalier attitude in its duty to the newborn state 25 years on. I believe if the Fed should repay Osun for those projects today, the state will be out of financial woods for the good part of its present N36billion salary bill, to begin with. Talking about salary, how does a state like Osun cope with this huge personnel cost that swallows over 70 per cent of its total revenue? No. 2 , Osun has proven gold reserves which havebeen mined artisanally since the Portuguese colonisation in the 16th century. Till date, there is no structured exploration of the mineral for lack of funding. Gold exploration is not as simple and as cheap as oil exploration. In prospecting for oil, the earth is bombarded with sound signals and the echoes analysed to reveal subterranean liquid bodies. For gold, you need extended periods of digging with actual augers to several meters of depths. Workmen descend as deep as 5km in some South

African gold shafts following gold veins. The Fed should have funded the exploration of this mineral for the benefit of the state right from inception. Such legacy projects would have given the state a solid local economic foundation on which viability and development can be built. The standard practice in gold exploration is to engage what is called a Junior Mining concern. This will map out the gold and gather geological data that the actual mining company will rely on for a mining contract and actual exploitation. The means for engaging a Junior Mining company is beyond the state. One would have thought that a special development federal fund should do this. There must be some basic economic skeleton to give form and structural integrity as foundation for a political entity like a state upon which further development can be built. If this is not done, the states are but mere geographical expressions and the governors are mere transmitters of handouts from Abuja. No.3 is water resources, which among other things, is cardinal to local economic development. The Osun River is a branch of the Niger running through the state all year round. It seems that river in fact played a crucial role in making the survival and the thriving of early settlers possible in what grew to become Oshogbo, the state capital. Since Aregbesola came in, death by flooding has stopped in the state. And for a fact, here is another area where the Federal government is indebted to the state in form of Ecological Funds. I believe if the Federal government honours 70 per cent of its statutory obligations to the state right now, its present troubles will be history. If it goes further to endow the state by helping it in the area of gold exploration and water conservation/ irrigation, that state will become another golden egg goose in a most literal way. • Ogunlela is an agricultural scientist, entrepreneur, blogger, public policy analyst. He resides in Osogbo an can reached via johnogunlela@gmail. com

Amaechi: Life after power Mike Arayuwa Wilkie

x-Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi if Rivers State ranout his tenure of eight years (four years each) on May 29, 2015. He became the Governor of the oil rich State under the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) before he, out of his personal volition, decamped to the All PROGRESSIVES’ Congress (APC). Even before this political cross-carpet, he had running battles with the Presidency and in the process ridiculed ex-president Dr. Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan. And, when, it became obvious that Amaechi’s arrogance and impunity had aggravated to an unbearable situation, the PDP resolved to field Barrister Nyesom Wike, a former Minister of State in the Ministry Of Education to square it up with Dakuku Peterside, the anointed APC Governorship candidate of Rotimi Amaechi who was then the incumbent Governor. In addition to his constitutional functions of the office of a Governor, Amaechi was also appointed by his political party, the APC, as the director General of the Buhari’s presidential campaign council. His dual status and function, no doubt, affected adversely the

rigorous Governorship campaigns which he would have engaged upon in favour of his party’s gubernatorial candidate. At the close of the campaigns and during the day of the presidential election, Amaechi insisted that he must as compulsion see the result sheets. Due to the disagreement between himself and candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. Despite the refusal to vote, he also directed his followers never to vote. The Rivers State result of the presidential election was clearly in favour of the PDP, an indication the APC candidate under the watchful eyes of Amaechi lost with distinction. It is also on record that he lost to the PDP, the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections. I gathered however that his inability to take charge of his annoyance may have caused him to lose his consideration for the high profile position of the Secretary of the Federal Government (SFG). This office is the engine room of the administration of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is an office which certainly requires a level and coolheaded technocrat and not for likes of the Amaechi. At the end of the entire elections and results, Amaechi tried to stop Barrister Nyesom Wike from being

sworn-in as the Executive Governor of Rivers State having defeated. Peterside with a wide margin. Till then Amaechi closed the Judiciary in the State because he refused to meet with the workers requests and demands. Hence, he left to seek court injunctions from outside the state inorder to stop Wike’s Swearing-In ceremony. For the purpose of clarity, Rivers State had no substantive Chief Judge and President of the Customary Court. Apart from the fact that the Judiciary was not on duty, the ex-Governor also clashed with the National Judicial Commission (NJC) on the controversy of who should become the next Chief of the Rivers State. Amaechi has this preferred Judge while the NJC was of the opinion that another Judge was more qualified to be appointed as the Chief Judge. Consequently, this controversy graduated into a deadlock which was resolved by Nyesom Wike, the new PDP Governor of the State. He has long sworn-in the NJC preferred Judge and also the President of the Customary Court. Here, again, Amaechi shot himself on his foot on the ground that it was recently revealed that his political intention of ensuring that there were no Chief Judge and President of the Customary Court of Appeal was to frustrate Barrister Nyeson Wike from being Sworn-In as Governor. However,

this barrier was dislodged by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Federation who directed that the Chief Judge of Bayelsa, a sister state, should proceed to Port Harcourt, to perform the constitutional function of the Swearing-in of the new Executive Governor. On May 29, 2015, ex-Governor Amaechi was to hand-over the State’s asset and liability to the Governor-elect in an inaugural ceremony. Rather that perform this constitutional function, the ex-Governor was in Abuja to witness the Swearing-In-Ceremony of the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari as President to pilot the affairs of the State for the next four years. In the midst of APC people, he played the talking drum to the admiration of his wife who danced endlessly. What a show of shame? It is pertinent to appreciate that after the emergence of Nyeson Wike, he led some top dignitaries and the press to the Governor’s Office and House only to find that this official House of Government were plundered and virtually all government properties were effortlessly looted. This scenario was surprising to the team. Government also discovered that her vehicles were scattered all over the country even up to Abuja. • Wilkie can be reached at pmikky1950@yahoo.com (08023097251)

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Strengthening NDLEA’s detection capacity

NTIL the early 1980s, drug trafficking was relatively unknown in the country. The arrest of three Nigerians by the military regime of General Muhammadu Buhari brought the illegal drug trade to the fore. However, the trio of Bartholomew Owoh, Bernard Ogedengbe and Lawal Ojulope were found guilty by the Justice Adebayo Desalu tribunal and made to face the bullets. Years later, trafficking in drugs became a thriving ‘business’ even as mules could not be deterred by the surveillance mounted by government operatives. Between January and April 2015, no fewer than 25, Nigerians were executed abroad for drug related offences. About 132 others are on death row in Singapore. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency [NDLEA] at the weekend raised the alarm over the increasing number of Nigerians in various prisons abroad. Just last week, a 32 year-old courier, David Ikechukwu and his friend, Patrick, were arrested at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport after disembarking from an Ethiopian airline flight from Kenya. While Ikechukwu ferried 60 wraps of cocaine, Patrick ingested 72. Both were promised huge sums upon delivery. But this never happened as they

were caught by the long arm of the law. Today, Nigeria is battling to eliminate the thriving illegal drug trade business. Danger posed by hard drugs had propelled the government to establish the NDLEA with a mandate to exterminate trafficking and its consumption in the country. The NDLEA is saddled with the responsibility of ridding the country of drugs especially their importation, exportation, sale, transfer, purchase, cultivation, manufacture, extraction and possession. Specifically, the agency is Nigeria’s deliberate attempt to work in tandem with global effort to rid it of this cankerworm within its borders. NDLEA was established by Decree 48 of 1989, now Act of Parliament. Twenty-six years on, illicit drug trade is on the rise. Are the laws enacted to tackle drug related offences not effective? Is NDLEA ineffective to curb drug trafficking? If yes, does Nigeria need tougher laws like other countries of the world where death is the ultimate price for mules or traffickers? As a matter of fact, existing laws are more than enough to curb the illicit drug trade. Death penalty cannot serve as a deterrent although countries with death penalty for couriers are already being avoided by drug barons. Nevertheless, there is need to

strengthen NDLEA’s enforcement capacity particularly in the area of trafficking and drug abuse and proper public education on the dangers of drugs. The agency needs adequate funding, to train its personnel. If this is done, drug traffickers will avoid Nigeria as they avoid the United States and the United Kingdom because of availability of necessary equipment. Although the challenge is not the small drug mules that are being apprehended every day at the nation’s airports, it is on how to apprehend drug czars who are behind the syndicate. This, unfortunately is missing as the government has not really shown commitment in the fight against drug barons. Also, there is the need for the strict implementation of the existing laws as the nation does not need any new law just as the laws must produce results first if Nigeria must make progress with a view to curbing drug trafficking. Government must review its policy on job creation as masterminds of this illicit business often say they were lured into it as a result of lack of job. Job creation can play a role as the saying goes: an idle hand is the devil’s workshop. So, it is for the government to address the nagging issue of youth unemployment in the country. Until the problem of youth unemployment is addressed, incidence of drug trafficking in the

country will continue unabated. Although NDLEA has limitations, it needs to be better equipped to meet the drug challenge in the 21st century. Capital punishment or stiffer penalty would not serve a deterrent as found out in Malaysia and other countries with death penalty . Despite imposition of capital punishment in these countries, drug trafficking is still on the rise. Nigeria does not need death penalty as the laws are in place to effectively tackle drug trafficking. Apart from the laws, there is a need for people to be enlightened on the dangers involved in carrying drugs just as the institutions need to be strengthened. Although this does not preclude a review or amendment of the law in respect of the forfeiture of assets, a situation where anyone caught trafficking in drugs will be stripped bare will deter others. In other words, assets of the person involved would be confiscated . In this case, the person who ferried and those who introduced him or her into the business should have their assets forfeited. The laws must be amended in a way to ensure that NDLEA is capable of performing its duties as poverty would never be an excuse for taking to crime just as the government also has a duty to create employment for its people.

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20 Politics | Interview

THURSDAY, JUly 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

‘Why Buhari should implement confab report’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

able and immoral what we hear people say about emoluments of our legislators at that level. It should not be so and I think the President should come down heavily. We thought at our level that if the Upper House does not exist, we shall save money for other areas. Let us have a unicameral system where we should be represented. Before then, we said it should be part-time.

So, those recommendations were not upheld. That is what I am saying. In our committee, we all agreed but at the plenary, we were defeated. What is the way out? For now, it would be too late to say it should be part-time because elections have been held and people have been voted for. We may be thinking of the next election, we can be planning for the next election to say let us make the legislature part-time. But for now, it would not

work because some people are already in place. Again, what they are proposing is too outrageous, how can they be taking such amount of money? I was reading in the dailies recently that what they received as allowances is nine times their salaries; for Christ’s sake that should not be. I think the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) should do something about it. I know that we Nigerians also contribute to these mess because a lot of

money go for electioneering. But if people are now aware that you don’t need to sell your houses to go to contest for any election, I think sanity would prevail. Our National Assembly should not receive such terrible amount of money. Do you share the view that the Federal Government should bail out states that are owing workers’ salaries? Luckily enough, one of the papers carried the news that the Federal

Government was probing the governors’ request. First and foremost, I think this should be pushed through, the Federal Government should ask how they spent the money given to them. Secondly, I don’t believe that what was given to states to pay salaries was not enough, perhaps some mismanagement came up somewhere and if that is the situation, anybody that does that should be called to order. A few of us are privileged to be alive and were knowledgeable

enough when we started democracy in this state during the time of Papa Adekunle Ajasin. I was close to Pa Ajasin; he never spent a dime of this socalled security votes. And governors are receiving this security votes. They go to Abuja to receive money every month and if they are now saying they cannot pay salaries, we should ask them questions. Some of them said some of the money were spent on Federal Government’s projects. I see that as a hiding point, the Federal Government should pay back what has been spent. But the Federal Government should not punish them because as a matter of fact, before they spent money on Federal Government’s projects, they should have agreed on something. But if they did not agree on that the states should not be penalised because the Federal Government ab nitio should have done all these things. But if they mismanaged funds, let the axe fall on them. How do you think the issue of security and unemployment in the country should be tackled? There are areas these issues can be tackled and this is getting jobs for a particular category of Nigerians that now swam the market; the fresh graduates. Year in, year out we turn thousands of Nigeria graduates who swell the labour market who become jobless. Senator Bruce Murray toyed with an idea recently and it is not a bad idea. He said as soon as these young graduates complete their youth service, they are given something to go and establish every one of them. Once they are established, they would have something doing. The devil finds jobs for the idle. If they get something doing, the idea of robbery will be reduced, the idea of kidnapping will be reduced because all these violent crimes are perpetrated by educated people. The issue of insecurity and unemployment can be tackled if the Federal Government can make it possible that as these youths pass out, something is given to them. At another level, if the university curriculum is improved upon so that a whole session is devoted to skill acquisition that itself will have two advantages; once they leave as corpers, the money they are given would not be wasted and secondly, they would reduce the pressure from the labour market.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, juLY 2, 2015

Interview

News

Daramola: Don’t split AG, Justice Minister’s office

N2bn fraud: Bail variation stalls ex-Wema Bank chairman, others’ trial

22&25

Law Notwithstanding the seeming delay in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet, lawyers yesterday rose in defence of Mr. President and said he is still covered by Section 147 of the 1999 Constitution. TUNDE OYESINA and AKEEM NAFIU report

arely 35 days after his inauguration as Nigeria’s 5th executive President, Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet, may not come until September. Reason: The President needs time to clear what he allegedly referred to as the rot he inherited from his predecessor. But this has raised dust as opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described Buhari’s government as ‘motion without movement’ as Nigerians did not vote for a sole administrator but a democratic government. PDP particularly said that it regretted that after 30 days on the saddle President Buhari was yet to appoint his ministers. This, it said “has brought government business in ministries, departments and agencies to a dangerous standstill as important policies vested on ministers and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) are now in tatters while the system drifts”. Similarly, an activist lawyer, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa has approached a court, asking it to sack President Buhari on the grounds of his refusal to constitute cabinet members to assist him in the running of government in accordance with the 1999 Constitution. According to him, there was the need to determine ‘whether

FOLUSO OGUNMODEDE JUDICIARY Editor

foluso.ogunmodede@ newtelegraphonline.com

Quakers

Okoye

Cabinet: Lawyers in Buhari’s defence

under and by virtue of Section 147(1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, President Buhari is not obliged and under a duty to appoint qualified persons into offices to function as the ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, upon his swearing in and oath of office since May 29, 2015. Besides, Adegboruwa who asked the court to sack the President from office, said among others that ‘the failure, omission or neglect by Buhari to appoint qualified persons into offices to function as the Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is illegal and a contravention of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, such as to disqualify him. Accordingly, he said Buhari was not ‘entitled to run and administer the affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as his personal family empire or as a lone ranger and in a dictatorial manner without appointing qualified persons to run the affairs of the country with him in the Federal Executive Council in contravention of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of

It is difficult to say Mr. President has breached the Constitution because there is no time frame for him to make the appointment

Nigeria, 1999. Adegboruwa specifically said ‘under and by virtue of Section 148(1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, Buhari is under a duty to hold regular meetings with Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, duly appointed by him, to formulate policies for and plan the affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not to be running and operating same as a private family empire or as a lone ranger or as a dictator”. Adegboruwa finds an ally in a Senior Advocate and titled chief, Mike Ozekhome who believes President Buhari was running the nation’s affairs as a dictator. Ozekhome said: “If the President is running the council alone, it still means that he is a dictator, may be President Buhari is still having a mindset of a military dictator. You know full well that a Leopard cannot change its skin. It also shows that he himself wanted power but was not really sure that power will get to him and when it probably got to him, all of them got confused.

“You can’t run a government for one month without ministers as we are not a Banana Republic. No Secretary to government, no Chief of Staff, no Minister, all the ministries are dead, money is not flowing in the country, there is nothing going on. “The president that is supposed to hit the ground running is not only sitting down but also lying down with cosmetic things here and there. What does it mean to be visiting Niger and Chad? These are not the change Nigerians are expecting, the situation of light is worse, nothing has moved; nothing has changed. If there is any change at all, it is change for retrogression so far and Nigerians like I warned the President in a series of writes up are very impatient. “They shout Hossanah today and cry crucify him tomorrow, so he should not take the love Nigerians bestowed on him for granted. Jonathan did it in 2011 after he led Buhari with 10.5 million votes, Buhari only beat Jonathan with 2.8 million votes, in spite of that, Jonathan did two things that made Nigerians to leave him. “First, he refused to declare his assets and secondly, was the removal of oil subsidy. After that Nigerians withdrew the love they had Jonathan. “Even though, Buhari was CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

22 Law | Interview

THURSDAY, juLY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Daramola: Don’t split AG, Justice Minister’s office He holds an LL.M from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, in Osun State. Olu Daramola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria is the Deputy Head of chambers, Afe Babalola and Co. Daramola, in this interview with AKEEM NAFIU, speaks on the separation of the Attorney’s-General office from the Minister of Justice, judiciary, corruption and sundry issues. One of the issues in the contentious amendment of the 1999 Constitution is the need to separate the office of the Attorney- General from the Justice Minister. Is there a need for this in the first instance? To me separating the office of the Minister of Justice from that of the Attorney-General will not change anything. It does not make any of them to be more effective. On the contrary, rivalry can develop between the two officers as to their respective functions and powers. What is important is to appoint a credible lawyer as the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General. If we have two people who are not credible occupying the two offices, I don’t see how they can make any difference. Meanwhile, the country would be saddled with maintaining the two of

them when no effective services are being rendered. The problem with us in this country is that we run away from addressing the real issues. We look for ways to avoid confronting a problem headlong. For instance, many people without thinking will tell you that it is the immunity clause that is responsible for the pervasive corruption in Nigeria. This is a laughable proposition. If immunity clause is responsible for corruption, how many ex-governors have been jailed or effectively tried since they left office? All those public officials whose terms expired, how many of them are in jail? Mind you, the only persons who are entitled to immunity from prosecution under the Constitution are the President, Vice-President, Governor and Deputy Governor. None of them signs gover nment cheques. If a governor perpetrates fraud through his commissioners and AccountantGeneral, why are the law enforcement agencies n o t

Cost of running government must be reduced drastically to discourage profiteers

going after the officers? After all, they are not covered by the immunity granted to the governors. The immunity granted to the governor is only for the period when he is in the office and there is no limitation of time in prosecution of crime. Separating the offices of the Minister of Justice from that of the Attorney-General will only lead to duplication of offices which create more financial burden for the government. It is not the way to go with our dwindling resources. It is high time we began to merge some offices to reduce cost of governance. The Chief Justice of Nigeria recently lamented that there are too many fake lawyers in the system. Do you share his view? It is unfortunate, there is no profession in Nigeria including the medical profession that deals with human life, where you don’t have fake practitioners. In England, you cannot hear of fake lawyers because proper records of practitioners are accessible to the public. Until we begin to keep proper records, the issue of fake practitioners will continue to plague the system. I am aware that NBA is presently addressing the issue by trying to establish a data base for all lawyers enrolled to practice in the country. They are also working on Stamps and Seals. The Supreme Court should create on its portal a section where members of the public can access the name of all lawyers in the country. If this is done, it will be difficult for fake practitioners to have easy ride on the system. How would you want the Buhari administration to address the neglect of the judicial sector? First and foremost, the government must ensure

Daramola

that judicial officers are well paid. This will attract the best legal minds in the country to the Bench. Secondly, the president must appoint credible lawyers to the Federal courts as judges. He has the power to appoint Judges on the advice of the National Judicial Council (NJC). He must use this power effectively and ensure that only credible persons are allowed to mount the judicial saddle. Sir, how best do you think the government can address the issue of corruption in the country? The main reason why the electorate voted massively for Buhari was because he was seen as a man of integrity who would deploy all necessary arsenals to fight corruption and restore the integrity of the country. He cannot afford not to deliver on the promise. Happily, he has an eminent lawyer who is well respected for his integrity as a deputy. The war against corruption must be fought centrally from the presidency to the local government. There are many States where no single official has been prosecuted by the state governments since 1999. Does that mean we do not have corrupt people in the State? The anticorruption agencies must scrutinise budget implementation at all levels of government to see areas where contracts are inflated or not executed at all. Several means have been devised to steal public funds and make stealing look legitimate. Many government officials use companies where they have interests as consultants to perform the very tasks they were elected to perform. Security vote is another means through which public officials steal public funds. As a first step, all public officials must be made to do open declaration of assets. Jonathan lost the moral battle against corruption when he refused to follow his predecessor in declaring his assets publicly. Many states made laws where they awarded jumbo terminal benefits for some selected officials which include annual overseas medical check-up and treatments. This is another area of corruption because such laws guarantee a permanent life of obscene luxury for political office holders while the people continue to wallow in misery and poverty. What is the morality of allowing a president or a governor who cannot build functional hospitals for his people to be given the privilege of overseas treatment even when he has left office? I have never heard that the president of America, the chancellor of Germany or British Prime Minister travelled to another country for medical treatment but here, Nigerian public officials take it as a pride and status symbol. To sustain the confidence of the Nigerian people, the new government must depart from the ungodly and sadistic trend of spending the bulk of the nation’s resources only to secure comfort CONTINUED ON PAGE25

Law

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, juLY 2, 2015

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 1

voted for by Nigerians, if he takes Nigerians for granted the same Nigerians will tear him into pieces; they will start from the social media”. What then does the law say on ministers’ appointment? Is Buhari in breach of the Constitution as said by the duo of Ozekhome and Adegboruwa for the seeming delay to constitute cabinet members? No, siad his colleagues. According to them, since there was no time frame specified in the Constitution within which Mr. President must appoint his ministers, President Buhari’s cabinet delay was not violation of any provisions of the law. Section 147 of the 1999 Constitution says ‘there shall be such offices of the ministers of the Federation as may be established by the President. In other words, Section 147 (2) empowers the President to make nomination and forward to the National Assembly for purposes of confirmation. While Section 147 (3) mandates the President to give effect to Section 14(3) by appointing at least one minister from each state who shall be an indigene of such a state. For instance, Mr. Norrison Quakers said there was no provision of the Constitution that sets a time limit for the President to appoint his ministers. Quakers said: “Really, if you look at the Constitution there is no time frame for the appointment of ministers, though the President is duty bound to do so. In relation to Section 14(3), the President is expected to follow what is called the Federal Character in his choice of the ministers. “In other words, ministers must be appointed from the 36 states of the federation. So, there is really no time frame except for the fact that in Section 147 of the Constitution which mandated it for the President to appoint ministers to run the affairs of the state with him. To me, that is the best interpretation one can give. So, because there is no time frame for him to make the appointment, it is difficult for one to say he has breached any part of the Constitution more so, it is within the discretion of the President to appoint these ministers”. Quakers was echoed by a rights activist, Mr. Festus Okoye who simply said there was no constitutional provision breached by the President. Okoye said: “By the provision of Section 147 of the 1999 Constitution, ‘there shall be such offices of the ministers of the Federation as may be established by the President. By Section 147 (2), it is the President that makes the nomination and forward to the National Assembly for purposes of confirmation. “By the proviso to Section 147 (3), the President in making this appointment shall give effect to Section 14(3) by appointing at least one minister from each state who shall be an indigene of such a state. “The implication is that such people are supposed to assist the President in carrying out his assignment. But there is no time limit for the appointment of ministers and special advisers. “But Nigerian people want the government to settle down as soon as possible. The President cannot run government alone, we know that the President has the interest of the nation at heart, we know that he means well for Nigeria, we know that he is coming into government with his own personal integrity, so we want him to appoint people of integrity and purpose who have the interest of the country at heart. “The President cannot run government all alone, he should settle down

‘Buhari not in breach of the law’

Buhari

Ubani

Adegoruwa

Ogunade

as soon as possible to appoint people of character as ministers and settle down to the business of governance”. Also, Mr. Destiny Obun Takon, said the President had not violated any provisions of the Constitution by not appointing his ministers up till now. takon went on: “Speaking as a legal practitioner, I believe setting a time limit for the President is not the kind of a thing one will like to enshrine in the Constitution, not even in any law or any Act of the National Assembly. It is the prerogative of the President to appoint his ministers. So, if he is taking his time to look at those he thinks should be in his cabinet, we cannot stampede him. So, he has not breached any law known to me and the delay is not in any way actionable or reprehensible especially given that his party has come up with a bogus promise of change in Nigeria. He should be allowed to take his time”. Monday Ubani, the immediate past chairman of the Ikeja branch of the

Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) was not different. He said: “There is no time limit for the President to appoint his cabinet. The President will surely appoint ministers but he has to know what has been handed over to him. The committee set up to look into this issue has also made recommendations and I think the recommendation must be implemented. There are a number of things involved in appointing ministers. So, it’s not something you rush into. “Even though there is no time limit, the President must appoint his ministers within a reasonable time because Nigerians are full of expectations for his government. However, what is reasonable now is contextually in the sense that the circumstances must also be looked at”. Wale Ogunade corroborated his colleagues, saying “there is no provision in the Constitution compelling or directing the President to form his cabinet within a specific period

of time. It is at the prerogative of the President to do that. Constitutionally, the President term starts to run immediately he was sworn-in. So, appointing his cabinet now or later can either be to his own advantage or disadvantage. But it seems the time is tickling against him and the electorate are waiting for him to deliver. “But to me, that is not even the issue. The issue is that this man is the only person that is well prepared for this position. All others have been accidental Presidents right from Tafawa Balewa till Goodluck Jonathan. This man has prepared for the office of the President for a long time and now that he has assumed the position, he is taking his time not to make the mistakes of others before him. We should also remember that this man came on board on the mantra of change. So, he needs to do things differently. So, if he is slow in constituting his cabinet, it is part of the change philosophy that he is preaching”.

Law | File

THURSDAY, juLY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Augie, Olanipekun, Ajogwu task lawyers on ethics Foluso Ogunmodede

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr. Fabian Ajogwu has urged the leadership of the Bar to devise policies that would aid the welfare of young lawyers with a view to positioning the legal profession for the future. Ajogwu who spoke at this year’s Law Week organized by the Lagos branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) held at the MUSON Centre, said although the industry would grow to be ‘increasingly’ competitive, its future would largely depend on how lawyers equip themselves for the challenge ahead. He however decried exploitation of the industry by sundry stakeholders as juicy briefs

were being yielded to foreign firms especially in the petroleum industry due to non-compliance with the Local Content Act by many International Oil Companies (IOCs), urging NBA to wade into the matter in order to make more work available to Nigerian lawyers. Ajogwu who spoke on the theme, “The future of the legal profession: Protection from exploitation” at the opening ceremony of the Law Week in Lagos, urged senior lawyers and law firms to shore up their remuneration packages for their employees especially junior lawyers, adding that this is also in the interest of such seniors and law firms, otherwise they would become mere “training ground” and targets for others who appreciate the

value in those employees and juniors. Noting that the average client seeks to see the practice owner or “craftsman” due to the depth of the latter’s skill, Ajogwu urged young lawyers to invest in their future by acquiring requisite skills as the reward system in the industry was ‘both instantaneous and deferred’. Also, the presiding justice of the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, Justice Amina Augie urged lawyers to always abide by the ethics of the profession. In an impassioned speech which earned her a standing ovation, Justice Augie who traced her career trajectory, warned lawyers to avoid cutting corners as this would ultimately detract from their individual standing and the nobility of the

profession just as she counseled that wayward lawyers should retrace their steps by embracing honesty and integrity as the profession would be the better for it. Former NBA President, Chief Wole Olanipekun decried the abandonment of the profession and the Bar by some lawyers. His words: “They are only known or remembered as lawyers through the prefix of ‘Barrister’ or ‘Lawyer’ without making any contribution whatsoever to the growth of the profession whether contextually or tangentially.” Speaking on “virtue of service to the Bar” at the Elders’ Night/Awards held at Ikoyi, as part of the Law Week programme, Olanipekun warned

(L-R) Law Week Committee member, Mr. Emeka Nwadioke; NBA Lagos Branch General Secretary, Mr. Adebola Lema; medical law expert, Mr. Laolu Osanyin and Branch Chairman, Mr. Alex Muoka

Law Week Chairman, Mrs. Tolani Edu-Adeola (3rd from right) with a cross section of honorees at the Elders’ Night/Awards

that ‘contribution’ to the Bar must not be construed as merely financial donations “but also incorporates mentoring of young lawyers and shouldering leadership responsibilities. “It also dovetails into knowledge sharing, including participation and attendance at a forum like this. Senior members of the Bar should inspire the juniors to make it in the profession and also climb to its Mount Everest.” However, the weeklong programme was rounded off with a high-profile Dinner & Award Night at City Hall, Lagos to celebrate the immediate past governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN). The Law Week Committee Chairman, Mrs. Tolani Edu-Adeola said the choice of Fashola for this year’s award was “unanimous,” adding that he was “head and shoulders above other potential honorees” for changing the face of governance in Nigeria. Edu-Adeola was echoed by the outgoing NBA Lagos branch Chairman, Mr. Alex Muoka as Mr. Geroge Etomi, a National Productivity Order of Merit laureate, spoke on the Dinner Speech entitled “The legal profession in an emerging economy” while Mr. Ebun Sofunde (SAN) was chairman in an occasion witnessed by the cream of Nigeria’s legal profession. They were the immediate past Lagos State AttorneyGeneral and Justice Commissioner, Mr. Ade Ipaye; Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, Chief Anthony Idigbe, SAN; Prof. Chioma Agomo, a former Dean Faculty of Law, University of Lagos; Mr. Osaro Eghobamien, SAN; Mrs. Titi Akinlawon, SAN and Dr. B. A. M. Ajibade, SAN. Others include Prof. Bankole Sodipo, Dean of Faculty of Law, Babcock University; Dr. Mrs. Onuobia also of Babcock University; medical practice expert, Mr. Laolu Osanyin; a former NBA Lagos branch chairman, Mr. Chijioke Okoli; Mr. Seyi Akinwunmi, NFF Vice-President; Mr. V. Uche Obi, President of Capital Market Solicitors Association; Dr. Dapo Olanipekun; Chief Samuel Alabi, Company Secretary/Legal Adviser, Eko Hotels, and Barrister (Mrs.) Vera Chinwuba of NTA Lagos.

Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, Hon. Justice Amina Augie (CON) delivering her address as Chairman of the Opening Ceremony of the 2015 NBA Lagos Branch Law Week held at MUSON Centre, Lagos

Law | Interview

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, juLY 2, 2015

‘Why EFCC, ICPC must scrutinise budget implemetation’ C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 2

achieved.

for the tiny minority of politicians in public office. President Buhari must resist pressure to use political appointments to compensate those who worked for his success at the polls. He must appoint credible persons who can help him lift Nigeria to the first world. This is his chance and he must utilise it so that history can remember him for good. With the resources we have in this country, there is no basis for mass poverty and suffering. He must ensure that only those who want to serve are in government and not the political merchants who have held the country down by their greed and callousness.

To what extent would you say the newly enacted law on Violence Against Person’ Prohibition would impact on the nation’s justice system? All these issues are already in the criminal code, so also are issues relating to corruption. There is nothing in the EFCC Act that is not covered by the Criminal Code. It has always been the law that violence is unlawful, so I do not see any new thing the law is bringing on the table. Rather than enforce existing laws, we keep on making new laws in the vain hope that the new laws without more will prevent the problems we are seeking to address. It does not work that way. No matter how good a law is, unless it is properly enforced, nothing will change in the society. The point is that we like multiplying things and all these will not change anything. All that need to be done is to amend the criminal code to bring it up to date and not creating new laws to address issues already covered by the law.

Cost of governance is another conduit pipe, how do you look at this vis-a-vis Nigeria’s nascent democratic process? The cost of running government must be reduced drastically to discourage profiteers from seeking public office. There is no reason why a senator should earn more than a professor in a university. It is only in Nigeria that all categories of political office holders can be clamouring for life pension. If the anti-corruption crusade of President Buhari succeeds, he will have enough money to provide infrastructure across the country. In fact, his economic and political programmes will only succeed to the extent of his success in the anti-corruption crusade. For me, he has started well by refusing to be drawn into the controversy of selecting or nominating leaders of the National Assembly. It is not the business of the president to nominate or even advise the National Assembly on who should be their leader. The due process office must work to prevent fraud in the conduct of government business and not function as a clearing house of corruption. He must devise a way of watching the watchers. The anticorruption officials must be strictly monitored in the discharge of their duties and must not be allowed to operate as loose cannons. The cleaning exercise must start with the law enforcement agencies or else no tangible result w i l l b e

Is death penalty for drug related offences enough to deter perpetrators? Personally, as a pacifist, I don’t subscribe to death sentence for any crime but in saying that, we must not lose sight of the damage being done to the society by drugs. Drug pushing constitutes a serious risk to the health of any society and any responsible government cannot fold its arms and allow the illicit to continue unchecked. When Buhari executed three drug pushers in 1984, most drug pushers avoided Nigeria because they knew that the implication of being caught was death sentence. If you are issued visa to some of the countries that retain death sentence for drug pushing, it would be clearly spelt out in a booklet given to you that the offence attracts capital punishment. A person who knows the implication of taking drugs to some countries but decides to take the risk can only blame himself. It is tragic that most people become wiser after the event. It is no use claiming that you have become b o r n again

Christian after you have been sentenced to death. Many countries will not grant pardon on that basis. The proper thing is to avoid any conduct for which you may go to prison or be made to face capital punishment. The multiplying effect of crime are so much that one may not blame countries who still execute criminals for certain offences, after all, you are aware of what the law says. It is said that justice delayed is justice denied and lawyers are being blamed for the delay of cases in court, what do you think is the cause and how can it be addressed? It is true that some lawyers deliberately delay the hearing of their cases to either gain time for their clients or frustrate the claimant. Somebody is not sick and you procure documents indicating that the person is ill. The court may have no option than to adjourn the matter. Some lawyers file frivolous applications and when the prayer is refused, he rushes to file an appeal and motion for stay of proceedings. Some judges do not sit on time and will readily grant an application for a d -

Daramola

journment even when no tenable reason is offered for the application. All these contribute to delay in the administration of justice. Some of these issues are already being addressed but we can do more to sustain the confidence of the people in the administration of justice. Granting stay of proceedings on ground of interlocutory appeals should be discouraged. Where an objection is raised in a case where affidavit is used, the objection should be heard with the substantive matter. The Bench and the Bar must cooperate to ensure speedy and effective administration of justice. What advice do you have for young wigs? The advice I will give to upcoming lawyers is what I will give to anybody who wants to succeed in life. Nobody can succeed in anything except he is disciplined, focused and committed. You must have passion for what you are doing. The passion sustains you when you are facing daunting challenges. I am sure you are a practising journalist not because you are paid fat salary but because you have passion for the profession. When you are passionate about something, you will readily do it even for free.

26 Law | News Akeem Nafiu

he trial of a former chairman of Wema Bank Plc., Olapade Mohammed and others who were arraigned before Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged N2 billion fraud has been stalled following the accused persons’ inability to perfect their bail conditions. Olapade, who was also the Chairman of AKS Steel, was arraigned alongside former managing director of the company, Tony Obinwa and

THURSDAY, juLY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

N2bn fraud: Bail variation stalls ex-Wema Bank chairman, others’ trial

a director, Sanni Aliyu Mohammed. Olapade, Sanni and Obinwa were alleged to have fraudulently conspired with others still being sought for to launder about N2 billion belonging to AKS Steel through some Nigerian banks to Dubai in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India. At the last adjourned date, Justice Abang, had after arraignment granted bail to the accused persons in the sum of N20 million with two sureties each in

like sum. The sureties, according to the judge, shall be owners of landed property in Lagos and must deposit their title documents to the court. The Deputy Chief Registrar of the Court in charge of litigation, according to the judge, must confirm the title documents at the Lands Registry, while the sureties shall also produce three years tax clearance certificate. The sureties were fur-

ther required to swear to affidavit of means with their three recent passport photographs. But when the matter could not proceed following an application brought forward for the variation of the accused persons’ bail conditions. One of the accused persons had stated that he could not meet up with the bail conditions. He urged the court to vary same. Subsequently, the matter was adjourned to September 22 and 23 for trial.

The funds which the accused persons allegedly stole were said to have been transferred without the company’s board resolution using another company identified as 3 Brothers Concept Nigeria Limited. The affected banks are Diamond Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Spring Bank (now Enterprise Bank), Ecobank, Unity Bank, Intercontinental Bank (now Access Bank) and Equitorial Trust Bank (now Sterling

Bank). The accused persons were also alleged to have forged various documents and submitted same at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with the aim of further committing monumental fraud. For instance, the trio were said to have forged a board resolution of the company dated October 31, 2005 and filed same at the CAC on January 17, 2006 whereby they purportedly unilaterally increased 3, 250, 000 shares of AKS Alloy PVT Limited, and reduced the status of Shinning Star from majority shareholder in the joint venture company of AKS Steel Nigeria Limited, whereas there was no Board meeting where such decision was made.

Tariff: Lawyer threatens committal proceedings against NERC, Discos Akeem Nafiu

Lagos based lawyer, Toluwani Yemi Adebiyi, has threatened to commence committal proceedings on the Chairman/Chief Executive Officers of both the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) should they increase the electricity tariff despite a subsisting court order. It would be recalled that Justice Mohammed Idris of a Federal High Court in Lagos had restrained the NERC and the electricity distribution companies from making any increment in electricity tariff pending the hearing and determination of a suit instituted by the lawyer. Adebiyi in a statement said he was shocked to watch series of interviews on a national television granted by top officials of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, where the said officials allegedly asked Nigerians to prepare for electricity increment. He said: “I find that action very disrespectful of the judiciary which is currently adjudicating on a case I filed against the planned increment”. “Let me make it categorically clear that I shall not hesitate to file committal application against the Chairman/ Chief Executive Officers of both NERC and the distribution companies if the threat of increment is effected”. “People must learn to accord the judiciary the needed respect”.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

27 Healthy Living

Health Interview

Chronic noise behind ringing in the ears

Standards, a challenge in IDP camps

Health

Nature Power

Healing powers of onion

vailable data shows that malaria remains a big burden to Nigeria. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 3.3 billion people are at risk of malaria globally and that Nigeria accounts for about a quarter of the global malaria burden with 97 percent of its 180 million population at risk. In spite of this challenge, experts recently highlighted that human barrier is the hindrance militating against various interventions to eradicate malaria from the country. This was disclosed during the media round table by Malaria No More, a nonprofit organisation, in collaboration with ExxonMobil, the Nigerian Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), among others. Leading the discussion was an Associate Professor and a Consultant Medical Parasitologist at the College of Medicine University of Lagos, Wellington Oyibo who submitted that though several interventions deployed including the long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), medicine for intermittent malaria prevention in pregnant women, efficacious malaria medicine, artemisine combination therapy (ACTs), among others to tackle the parasite, “most of the barrier we have is from the human population.” In 2013, there were an estimated 198 million cases of malaria worldwide. Ninety percent of these cases were in sub-saharan Africa. Fifty to 10 percent of these cases progress to severe form of malaria In his presentation titled, Attaining Malaria Pre-elimination Phase in Nigeria: Strategies and Way Forward, Oyibo said, ACTs are very efficacious medicine. Within 24 hours of use, they will reduce parasite loads for confirmed malaria. He asked, “but how come chloroquine is still being sold? How come many people are still using chloroquine and not using the right drugs? How come some expired malaria test kits are still being used by health facilities?” As a measure in preventing drug resistance, the WHO in 2011 discouraged the use of chloro-

Appolonia Adeyemi Health Editor

appolonia.adeyemi@newtelegraphonline.com

An anopheles mosquito feeds on a human host

PHOTO: extension.entm.purdue.edu

Why that malaria won’t go The burden of malaria on Nigeria and its populace is overwhelming, yet the attitude of many to perceive malaria as non-consequential continues to set back the fight to eliminate the parasite, writes APPOLONIA ADEYEMI quine, artesunate, sulphadoxine pyremethamine and other monotherapies, yet the drugs continue to thrive in Nigeria. Many Nigerians are still using the drugs in treating malaria, Oyibo added. Relating how entrenched negative behavoiur and attitude counter science based healthy lifestyles being advocated to put malaria at bay, Oyibo said “when we (medical experts) advise people on the basis of what we feel, 95 percent of people feel differently and that goes to the way we see the mosquito nets.” Furthermore, acute power shortage also impact negatively on test results. “In some facilities, there is power problem but if you do not have power generators running you cannot do tests. “Our health system is weak. If the primary malaria test is negative, there are other tests that should be done but some facilities do not have those materials required to do the subsequent tests. So when they do the one that can be done, they manage the patient the best way they can.” Hence the health workers who manage patients in those settings

Expired malaria tests kits are still being used by health facilities

are trying their best, depending on what is available, added Oyibo. “And in some public facilities when they do the tests you find the results are not coming early enough and because patients should not be kept waiting, they use some parameters, again to just define what to do. “It is true that there are some circumstances where malaria parasites are just coming (developing) and may not be seen by the test kits being used by some health facilities. “It is also true that the capacity to do some malaria tests is also weak. Therefore relevant authorities are currently training people.” Speaking further, he said even when trained people do malaria tests and issue a negative result, some patients do not even accept it. They say: “I know I have malaria” However, he noted that malaria symptoms people get can equally be caused by over 300 other health conditions. Leslie Emegbuonye, west & central Africa Regional Manager, Malaria, Clinton Health Access Initiative, said the plan of CHAI is to ensure zero death from malaria

but lamented that 90 percent of people in Nigeria are diagnosing themselves with malaria as well as treating themselves. On the contrary, he noted that current policy is that severe malaria must be treated in secondary health facility. Malaria presents with fever symptoms, and if untreated in the first 14 days of incubation, may progress to severe malaria between day 14 and 21 and could ultimately lead to death, he added. “If left untreated, severe malaria leads to near 100 percent mortality within 48 hours, with a heavy toll on pregnant women and children.” According to him, available data shows that severe malaria was the cause of an estimated 588,000 deaths in Africa in 2013 and 208,000 deaths in Nigeria alone. He said treatment for severe malaria has changed but if not effected, children will die. “ours is to get states to effect policies that will ensure appropriate use of approved malaria treatment for seCONTINUED ON PAGE 28

Health News

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Healthy Living

Protect your child in rainy season

he rainy season is here and it seems to be an unfriendly season mostly for children. Sneezing, coughing, running nose with itching eyes are the most common features tantamount with children during this period. Little wonder, school registers are no longer marking punctuality for the school age children and many hospitals are recording more child patients. Oreoluwa Daniels, 7, was away from school for a whole week due to chesty cough, running nose and malaria. According to his mother, it started a week before the alarming stage. She said her child was constantly stretching, and was complaining of headache and painful stomach. She administered self-treatment; the complaint stopped but two days afterwards, it continued and the third day, he was vomiting and collapsed on the floor! At that stage, she rushed him to the hospital where the boy was diagnosed of malaria parasite lactose intolerance in his body system. At the children ward (hospital) where Daniels was admitted, there were 22 children on admission due to malaria, severe cough and catarrh. Most of the parents there blamed their children’s health condition to the present weather. lma Akabueze, a teacher and a mother brought her three children to the hospital. She told NT HEALTH that her three kids, from ages 9,6 and 4 became ill almost the same time. She said that they took turn to fall sick. According to her, it started with catarrh and cough which she thought she could treat with over-the-counter drugs from a pharmacy. How wrong she was! The children condition only got worse. At night, she said they all started running temperature, a situation which made her to rush them to the hospital. The doctors diagnosed her kids to have malaria and cold occasioned by the season. Seun Anjorin, another mother who brought her two children to the hospital

said her kids were placed on a four-day injection and had drips administered on them two days. She said they were weakened by the malaria and cough. She noticed it started with incessant sneezing and running nose couple with body temperature. Even while at the children ward of the hospital, there was no moment of respite for the kids as they were receiving treatment. As one kid is keeping quiet from blowing nose, coughing, sneezing or crying out of discomfort, another one is picking up the tempo. To the irritation of Kehinde Ayida, a mother who brought her eight year old daughter to the hospital for malaria treatment complained that that is the second hospital she was visiting and the same is the case of air borne diseases, “honestly, children are the worst hit of this harsh weather. For three days, my daughter couldn’t go to school because of health condition,” she said. Ayida alleged that her daughter was well but got infected from school where majority of the student were suffering from one form of air borne infection or the other. True to her allegations, a teacher (name withheld) who came to greet three of her students at the hospital said about twothird of her students were absent in the class due to mostly cold and malaria. “I guess the students pass it to one another. I strongly suggest that parents should take proper care of their wards before sending them off to school,” she said, adding that the rainy season is a very critical season. It is also a cold season when respiratory diseases are very common. It is a period when stagnant water resulting from rain causes various diseases. According to Dr. Adeyeye Arigbabuwo, Chairman, Association of General Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN), Lagos State Branch, in the list of top common monsoon ailments, malaria takes the number one spot. FeCONTINUED ON PAGE 28

Self-medication, bane of malaria fight

A member of the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) at the Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs. Adaolisa Ezechukwu; Dr. Oyibo, Mrs. Itohowo Uko of the NMEP and Dayo Oluwole at the media round table by Malaria No More, held in Lagos recently CO NTINUED FRO M PAG E 27

vere malaria. Similarly, Emegbuonye said complications from severe malaria can lead to other long term defects in children such as deafness and even brain damage in some cases. Country Director of Malaria No More, Dayo Oluwole said although malaria is a preventable and curable disease that can be eliminated. “Yearly, Nigeria annually, loses over N132 billion - a figure that factors in costs of

health care, absenteeism, days lost in education, decreased productivity due to brain damage from cerebral malaria, and loss of investment and tourism. “Children miss up to 10 million school days per year due to malaria. “Seventy-seven percent of deaths occur in children under five years of age (one child dies every 60 seconds). “The impact of malaria on children remains a serious obstacle to the achievement of many of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including Goal 2 (achieving universal primary education).”

Ihuoma Uko-Ndukwe ada.ndukwe@yahoo.com

Chronic noise behind ringing in the ears

Unidentified woman experiences ringing in the ear

efined as ringing in the ears unrelated to external sounds, ringing in the ears called tin-

nitus can also sound like roaring, clicking, hissing or buzzing. It may be soft or loud, high pitched or low pitched, may be heard in either one or both ears, people with severe tinnitus may have trouble hearing, working or even sleeping. It occurs in about eight percent of people over 48 years old, but persists more in much older adults. Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease. Its underlying cause which can be multiple can be found to help the patient. In most cases, the causes of tinnitus are unknown, but there can be multiple causes of ringing in the ears. Subjective tinnitus is the most common. It is audible only to the affected person. Internal/or external damage to the nerves that manage hearing is the most common cause found in most populations. Tinnitus is a symptom, hence, there is no disease behind it and there is no known objective test to confirm tinnitus, or its severity. Most of the work to diagnose it is without merit/or evidence, because the cause is multifactorial and in most cases it is a response of the central nervous system to insufficient or abnormal input from the ear. Ringing in occurs in most persons with normal hearing who are exposed to silence. It can be affected by input outside of the auditory hearing, Tinnitus is associated with increased prevalence of depression and anxiety, but precise timing and sequence of the relationship is unclear. Anxiety or depression may alter a patient’s toleration of tinnitus or be exacerbated. Individual personal factors such as

being socially withdrawn, less tolerant of stress and more likely to feel victimised by life’s circumstances, were associated with longer duration and greater annoyance from tinnitus. Hearing loss and noise exposure are the most consistent risk factors associated with tinnitus. Associated events are chronic noise exposure, recurrent ear infections, head injury, after dental work and some medications that cause damage to the ears Associated symptoms are headaches, hearing loss, noise annoyance, intolerance of pain, jaw pain, and dizziness. Some of the characteristics can be bilateral (most common) or unilateral. It can be high pitch (most common) or low pitched, and it can ring constantly nonstop or intermittently. Causes: Cerumen (wax) build up, removing of wax may have a therapeutic effect, and recurrent ear infections. Injury to the jaw bone, change in perception of tinnitus during teeth grinding, side to side or head twisting may be due to musculoskeletal problems, and use of some medications. In some cases brain damage may be a risk factor. Medications the side effect of which cause damage to ears resulting to ringing in the ears are aspirin, ibuprofen, chloroquine, some common antibiotics like tetracycline, doxycycline, cancer medications, andsome blood pressure therapy like lasix. Diagnosis: A thorough physical examination to rule out and treat simple cause like wax build up, stopping medications and treating ear infections, an audiometry examination are done to check hearing. Conduction is done to investigate if there is a damage to the ear organs, facial injury, brain injury. Management: Correct underlying medical problems if any, eliminate medications that damage the ear organs, treat ear infections on time, and for the noise masking, soft monotonous noise objects like fans, radio with low soft music at night are better. Avoid ineffective measures like use of herbs.

Health Interview 29

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

Standards, a challenge in IDP camps Olusoji Adeniyi is the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) officer in UNICEF. In this interview with APPOLONIA ADEYEMI, he discusses challenges militating against emergency preparedness for internally displaced persons, strategies to restore dignity among camp inmates, role of civil society in youth engagement, among others. How many states have established emergency agencies? About 21 to 25 states have established state emergency agencies and that is affecting preparedness. Even in the states that have established they are not fully equipped; and they are not funded appropriately. They still use them as relief agencies and as relief agencies, they would only be functioning only when there is a crisis. So, most of the time it is too late for them to start doing anything when the crisis has already occurred. So, we need more state emergency management agencies that are fully funded and established by law as well as appropriated by the state management authorities. In the development world and in the emergency world, a dollar used in preparedness saves five in response. So, we could say N1 used in preparedness actually saves five in response because once you prepare, you would know exactly the vulnerability of the population and you try to reduce that vulnerability by increasing the capacity of the people to respond when the crisis comes. This is resilience building. This can be achieved by using disaster risk reduction model which exposes them to increased capacity in order to reduce their vulnerability. Challenges affecting operations in the internally displaced camps It is still a question of adequate preparedness. if we have preparedness, for instance if we have 1,000 displaced population we will need to give them water to take their bath and to drink and we are already preparedness for that. Hence, we need to provide these number of toilets for them and this is how we are going to manage them on day-to-day basis for one week and that one week is going to cost us N1 million. Then, if there is a displacement, because you have based your plan on the 1,000 people and you are going to spend N1 million managing them for one week, it becomes easier for you to implement that plan when the displacement happens. Alternatively, if you wait until

the people are actually displaced and then you start taking numbers and start planning what you are going to do with them, then the gaps will be very obvious before you actually get into response mood. So, we encourage people to do a lot more preparedness in order to reduce those challenges that we are seeing now but as more and more camps are opening, the response is getting better and more support is coming from civil society organisations, faith-based organisations, national as well as international non government organisations (NGOs) that are providing support in the camps. Adeniyi I will not say that the challenges are numerous but standards are a challenge because globally, there is a standard that we need to follow. There is an amount of water that should be allocated to a person per day; there is an amount of food for a person per day; there is an amount of sanitation facilities that needs to be provided per group of people per day for the period that they are there. Those standards are not being necessarily followed now but responses are going on. Rating Nigeria in terms of preparedness We still have a long way to go, though we are getting better. We are much better than we have been in the last ten years. Since the flood in 2012, we have learnt quiet a lot. A lot more preparedness have taken place. National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has become stronger. They now have zonal offices even at some state levels where the risk is high. So, we have identified high risk states successfully with them and they have positioned themselves closer to the people in those states. Right now, flood awareness campaign is going on in the flood risk states. So you can expect that even if we had that type of challenge we had in 2012, we are unlikely to lose as so many lives or as many property as we lost in 2012 due to improved preparedness. Strategies to meet care standards in camps

If you spend more time in preparedness, your response will be straight, fast and targeted

The first infrastructure that needs to be in place is a structure that manages emergency with or without emergency. If you spend more time in preparedness, your response will be straight, fast and targeted. So, that is what we need to do. We need to spend much more time in preparedness. We need to set up those state emergency prepared agencies, equip and fund them and then use them as agents of communication before the crises. It is during preparedness that you can take care of the numbers in order to know the numbers of resources to be allocated to the women, men and the children and pregnant women because you have thought through the people and their needs and this will make your response easier. Measures to ensure infrastructure in emergencies The first infrastructure that needs to be put in place is the structure that manages the emergency, with or without the emergency. We need to set up those emergency agencies and also to equip them with enough fund and then use them as agents of communication. These will tell people possible risks, need to clean drains that could obstruct the flow of water, they need to enlighten the schools, mosques and churches, preparing them ahead of the crisis and then when the crisis finally comes, they know the stake holders they have worked with and immediately

CONTINUED FROM PAG E 29

Measures to protect children

male anopheles mosquito causes malaria; they usually breed in waterlogged areas. Thus, Arigbabuwo who is a family physician, urged Nigerians to clean their water tanks frequently and ensure clean environment that is devoid of stagnant water so as to avoid the risk of malaria. “Another common ailment

during the monsoon is diarrhea, which is caused due to unhygienic handling of food and water as well as the consumption of contaminated food and water. “Dengue fever is also a monsoon ailment caused by mosquitoes. To avoid being a victim of tiger mosquito, use insect-repellent and cover yourself properly

with clothes,” the chairman of AGPMPN in Lagos said. Chief dietician, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Obinna Ogbonna confirmed that eating enough fruits and vegetables is the diet needed most during the rainy season. “A lot of vitamin C is con-

tained in fruits in these fruits especially citrus could help cub cold.” According to the dietician, during the rainy season, foods like hot peper soup could also be taken in other to suppress the effectiveness of cold after its penetration in the body. Ogbonna said it is unhealthy

work better in the response. In terms of responses to the displaced people, the maintenance response has been fantastic. They may not have gotten it right in terms of the actual standard that were supposed to be followed but there is also what is called national pride in doing things in the Nigerian way. So, it is not necessary that we need to adhere too strictly to guidelines that we may not have the resource to handle. For instance, if the international sector says 50 people should use the latrine facility and we have between 70 to 80 people using the latrine facility, it doesn’t mean that we are falling completely out of process. It simply means that is what our money can control at that particular period. States that have legislated emergency agencies According to NEMA’s report, we have about 24 states now that have fully legislated their emergency management agencies. We have about 12 that are not legislated, about 10 are functional with offices and their structures. But we have a long way to go because even out of the 24, 10 or 15 of them are only existing on paper. So, they need to be funded; they need to have office structure of their own; they need to have their own vehicles; and they need to have agreement with other agencies that can support them during the response. So, it is not a difficult thing to do. What is needed is the political will of the various governors to make it happen.

to take cold foods and drinks during rainy season because it may cause a lot of complications to the entire body system. Furthermore, he listed fruits that could be taken along with the normal dishes during rainy season as orange, pineapple, carrot, citrus, green-leafy vegetables, water melon, among others.

Health News

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Why child marriage is illegal Esther Albert

Founder/ Chief Executive Officer, Benola, Air Vice Marshall (AVM); Femi Gbadebo; NAWOJ President, Ifeyinwa Omowole; Co-founder of Benola, Alaba Gbadebo; and Founder, Living Fountain Orphanage, Lady Bethy Obieri during the birthday celebration of the president of NAWOJ at the Living Fountain Orphanage, held in Lagos recently

NAWOJ seeks support for orphanage children Appolonia Adeyemi

oncerned with ensuring quality living for abandoned children, Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has urged Nigerians adopt orphans by showing them love as well as providing them needed resources. President of NAWOJ, IfeyinwaOmowole who made the call in Lagos, said as a strategy to ensure that abandoned children attain their full potential, it has become necessary to show them love, as well as provide them financial and moral support. She spoke during her 2015 birthday celebration, which held at the Living Fountain Orphanage, Oniru in Victoria Island, Lagos. The high point of the

birthday celebration was the presentation of songs by children in the orphanage. Among dignitaries who graced the occasion during which gifts were presented to the children, were Hon. Lynda Chuba-Ikpeazu, a former member of the House of Representatives representing Onitsha North-South federal constituency under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Tolani Animashawun, a House of Representatives candidate representing Etiosa in Lagos State under the PDP in the 2015 general elections, and Co-founders of the cerebral palsy initiative, Benola, Mr. and Mrs Alaba and Femi Gbadebo, among others. In her remarks, Omowole said though, she has the passion to care for children in orphanages but lacks the time to commit to the project.

Hence, her decision to mark her birthday at the Living Fountain Orphanage, which provided her the opportunity to show love to the children. “I urge you to similarly devote time to demonstratte love to kids in orphanages. You may visit them on weekends, Valentine Day or other festive occasions to show them love. You may visit children in any orphanage that is closer to your home for the sake of proximity. “Adopt an orphanage and make sure you visit the children there. All of us do not have to be Bill Gates before we can show love to these children.” She reasoned that whatever resources individuals can contribute to these orphanages will go a long way to help these children attain quality living as well as achieve their potentials.

Founder of Living Fountain Orphanage, Lady BethyObieri expressed joy at the assistance from workers and volunteers at the orphanage. Similarly, she appreciated those who visited the orphanage to demonstrate love to the kids. In addition, she appreciated the gifts. “These children are possibilities. God through the orphanage turn things around for the kids many of whom were abandoned.” Many of the kids were brought into the home by the Lagos State Government, which also decides who among them is given out for adoption. Established in 2007, Living Fountain Orphanage is home for vulnerable children, children abandoned, orphaned and children who have parents that are not ready yet to be parents.

irl child marriage involving children as young as 12 years old is very common in the country but remain one of the fundamental violations of human rights, often leading to life time disadvantage and deprivation. This is the submission of a panel of experts during the commemoration of the 2015 Day of the African Child with the theme, Accelerating Our Collective Efforts to End Child Marriage in Nigeria. Day of the African Child is marked globally on June 16. In her presentation, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Omobolanle Ogunmola said some of the affected children reach puberty in the home of their husbands and this is usually done against their consent. The event was organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) in collaboration with UNICEF and Child to Child Network, a non-government organisation. Ogunmola said that “Many girls are married off as third or fourth wives by their parents to men who are old enough to be their fathers or grandfathers”. According to Ogunmola, child marriage is condemned because the child is still growing and parts of her body especially reproductive organs are not fully developed to carry out reproductive activities. “The child is not

physically matured to run a home” she added. Barrister Oluwabukola Olowe, head, Teens Department, Center for Sexuality Education and Family Life, said that some countries are really working hard to cub this horrible act. In our country Nigeria, the incidence of girl-child marriage is no longer has high as it used to be when people engaged in it without fear of been arrested. According to Olowe, the Part 3, Section 21 of the Law on the protection of Rights of the Child, says “No person under the age of 18 years is capable of contracting a valid marriage and accordingly, a marriage so contracted is null and void and no effect whatsoever.” Similarly, Section 22 of the same law stated that “No parent, guardian or any other person shall betroth a child to any person,” he added. Some of these children who agree to be married to an elderly person as their husbands decide to do this due to the environment in which they are brought up. “You can imagine a girl of about 12 years who has friends of the same age who are married and doing well while she is still finding it difficult to feed once daily; this girl will agree to get married at this age in order to erase poverty and hunger for herself,” said Olowe. According to Olowe, the government has been playing a vital role in cubing girl-child marriage in Nigeria by passing the Bill, seeking 18 years as rightful age for marriage.

Healing powers of onion (3) CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK

n this concluding three part series, science confirms that onion works powerfully against the following bacteria: I wish to suggest that our women should take onions as much as possible. Onion will act as a good prevention against cancer as well as help in dissolving cancerous tumours. I am very worried about the prevalence of such illnesses as fibroids, breast cancer and infertility among our women. What do we do? Are we to fold our hands and watch our sons and daughters die in pain and desperation? Or are we to once again sit lazily and wait for some people somewhere to help us find the solution as we did during Ebola? Is it not true that the best remedy to our health problems are those that come from our environment? The challenge before us is big indeed. I therefore encourage you read-

Nature Power Anselm Adodo

naturepower@paxherbals.net; twitter: @anselmadodo ers to help spread the Gospel of herbal medicine to our fellow brothers and sisters. We must continue to pray and reflect together and explore deeper ways of finding solutions to the problem of the world. ANTI-HYPERTENSION: Onion has been a beckon of hope for hypertensive patients all over the world. It not only helps to regulate the blood pressure, but also helps to keep it normal. Chewing one bulb of onion daily helps to lower hypertension. This is a proven fact. Onion not only purifies the blood but also repairs weakened or damaged parts of the body. Those who faithfully take onion daily have had no regret in doing so

as they saw a big improvement in their conditions. IMMUNE BOOSTER: Onion is a good immune booster because it purifies and strengthens the liver and the kidney as well as cleanses the blood. Onion is a good remedy for hepatitis, which is becoming coming in Nigeria these days. Do you suffer from resistant typhoid fever, inability to sleep well, persistent malaria and low sperm count? Try Onion and experience the difference. Onion has been of help to men who experience weak erection or low libido. On many occasions I have recommended Onion to women who experience premature menopause and annovulation [inability to ovulate] and the re-

Onions are available in diferent colours

Onion has been of help to men who experience weak erection

PHOTO: www.ufseeds.com

sult have been encouraging. In cases of sickle cell anemia, onion has been of invaluable help. Onion is rich in enzymes, which helps in the production of blood. Onion contains iron and trace elements, which are often lacking in sicklers. Some people do not eat onion because of its pungent smell. However, onion is less pungent than garlic and is more tolerated. In summary, everybody who wants to look and feel healthy should take onion every day.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

Industry

ICT

Standardisation: Forum seeks harmonisation

Nigeria’s tech start-ups draw foreign investment

Business What's news

42m ATM cards active in Nigeria, says NIBSS

Nigeria currently has about 42 million Automated Teller Machines (ATM) cards being used by holders of various accounts residing with the 23 banks in the country, New Telegraph has learnt.

p.32

Cadets withdraw from Maritime Academy over hike in fees Cadets at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron in Akwa Ibom State, have started withdrawing from the institution over an hike in tuition fees introduced by the management of the institution.

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Director, Legal Affairs, Airtel Nigeria, Gbenga Rotimi (left), with President, Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Pretty Okafor, at the MOU signing ceremony between Airtel Nigeria and PMAN in Lagos.

Contributory pension assets hit N4.7trn a year after presidential nod APATHY

The Business Desk Ayodele Aminu

Deputy Editor (Business)

About 91 per cent of workers are yet to key into the scheme

Bayo Akomolafe

Asst. Editor (Maritime)

Sunday Ojeme

Asst. Editor (Insurance)

Tony Chukwunyem

Asst. Editor (Money Market)

Dele Alao

Industry & Agric Editor

Dayo Ayeyemi Property Editor

Adeola Yusuf Energy Editor

Wole Shadare Aviation Editor

Chris Ugwu

Capital Market Editor

Abdulwahab Isa

Sunday Ojeme

ension assets under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) have recorded an increase of 4.4 per cent - exactly one year after former President Goodluck Jonathan signed the new bill into law. The assets, which stood at N4.5 trillion as at June 2014, currently stand at about N4.7 trillion. The former president reviewed the Bill on July 1, 2014.

Finance Editor

Kunle Azeez

Senior Correspondent

Chuks Onuanyin Energy

Nnamdi Amadi Reporter

Johnson Adebayo

Asst Production Editor

New Telegraph gathered from a source at the National Pension Commission (PenCom) on Monday that the funds, which had risen steadily since inception about 11 years ago, increased by N200 billion within the period under review. A report from the commission early in the year had revealed that the assets increased by about 2.2 per cent from N4.5 trillion in June to about N4.61 trillion at the end of 2014 financial year. Director-General of the Commission, Mrs. Chinelo AhonuAmazu, said from a story of about N2 trillion pension deficits under the defunct Defined Benefit Scheme as at 2004, the CPS had accumulated a large pool of investible fund of over N4.5 trillion pension assets as at

June 2014 with over 6.2 million contributors registered into it since inception. A report from the commission earlier in the year had revealed that the assets had also increased by about 2.2 per cent from N4.5 trillion in June to over N4.61 trillion at the end of 2014 financial year. The new law, among other things, had repealed the 2004 Pension Reform Act No. 2 and prescribes a 10-year jail term for pension thieves and also accommodates employees of

N4.5trn Total pension assets as at June 2014

private firms in the CPS. The new law, which consolidated earlier amendments to the 2004 Act, also makes it mandatory for a refund three times the amount embezzled by the thief. “Operators who mismanage pension fund will be liable on conviction to not less than 10 years imprisonment or fine of an amount equal to three-times the amount so misappropriated or diverted or both imprisonment and fine,” the document read. Although the new law makes room for more workers to be registered under the scheme, sheer apathy from some private sector employers and employees has continued to work against the growth of the funds. CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

Rates Dashboard INFLATION RATE May 2015.................................9% April 2015................................8.7% March 2015.............................8.5%

LENDING RATE InterBank Rate....................12.57% Prime Lending Rate...........17.93% Maximum Lending Rate...26.83%

EXCHANGE RATE (BDC as at Jun 26)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N226 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N350 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N247

l Foreign Reserves – $29.029bn as at 25/06/2015

Source: CBN

EXCHANGE RATE (Interbank as at Jun 26)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N200 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N307.65 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N223.50

Business | News

GROWTH PoS average daily transactions rose to 54,000 in 2014 Kunle Azeez

igeria currently has about 42 million Automated Teller Machines (ATM) cards being used by holders of various accounts residing with the 23 banks in the country, New Telegraph has learnt. This was contained in a recent Flash Report released by the Nigerian Interbank Settlement Systems (NIBSS) obtained by our correspondent. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has also increased the number of licensed Payment Terminal Service Providers (PTSPs) from six to 19. It was learnt that the banking watchdog’s moves were in line with its determination to deepen access to and the adoption of cashless economy in the country by ensuring that more Point of Sales (PoS) terminals are made available for people to transact with. The 19 terminal operators include Global Accelerex Limited, Citiserve Limited, Interswitch Limited, ITEX Integrated Systems, Top Limited, Paymaster Limited, Globasure Technologies Limited, Signal Sources Nigeria Limited, Bizzdesk Global Solutions Limited,

42m ATM cards active in Nigeria, says NIBSS CBN raises PTSPs to 19 Callphone Limited and Cloud Systems Limited. Others are TITIS/ Goswiff Limited, Nera Networks Nigeria Limited, Electronic Settlement Limited, Computer Warehouse Group Plc, Inlaks Computers Lim-

According to the Managing Director, Premium Pensions Limited, Wilson Ideva, about 91 per cent of workers are yet to key into the scheme. He said that out of about 80 million workers, the scheme has only enrolled a subscriber base of 6.5 million, stressing that although the achievements were significant considering that it is a new scheme, there was need for more persuasion and enforcement by the regulator. He said: “I believe that as an industry and as individual PFA (Pension Fund Administrator), we need to do more on public awareness. If you look at 6.5 million, as against 70 million, that is about nine per cent penetration. This means that we still have 91 per cent untapped. “You also look at the fact that it is a new scheme, so, compliance level is low, which is expected. We in the industry are also worried about that.

ited, Easyfuel Limited, Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Limited and Ameya Infocom Limited. The 2015 Flash Report shows that Nigerian consumers are beginning to enjoy greater conve-

nience through multiple payment channels beyond ATMs. It, however, revealed that current payment trends show that the Internet, which is used for Instant Payments (IP) and PoS are extensively utilised for money transfers and payments for goods and services.

The report noted: “Since 2012, growth in Instant Payments and PoS grew by an average of 87 per cent and 77 per cent year-on-year respectively, which is representative of consumers’ increasing appetite for immediate and convenient payment options “The increased re-

A cross-section of bank customers on last minute rush for BVN registration at Ikota Shopping Complex, Ajah , Lagos.

Contributory pension assets hit N4.7trn CO NTINUED FRO M PAG E 3 1

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

“You also consider that people are still worried and contending about what happened to the investment in the past, such as National Provident Fund (NPF) and other social security schemes, which all failed. “When you look at the figure, it looks like the industry is still at a scratch; but we know that by the nature of Nigerians, which has a lot of what you call family businesses, it will take a lot of persuasion and enforcement to get people to key into the scheme. We believe that much of that untapped potential lie within this highly informal sector and that is where the industry is going.” Large part of the funds is invested in domestic and foreign ordinary shares, Federal Government securities, state government securities, corporate debt securities, supra-national bonds, local money market securities, and foreign money market securities among others.

liability, accessibility and security provided through electronic platforms have created a paradigm shift in consumers’ spending patterns, leading to an increased dependency on these platforms for funds transfers and payments of goods and services.” The report noted that although, only a small fraction of the cake has been cut in terms of opportunities in the e-payments space in Nigeria, the industry can boast of over 73 million registered bank accounts out of which 42 million have active bank cards.

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Cadets withdraw from Maritime Academy over 100% hike in fees POOR FACILITIES The school’s hostels are overcrowded and have very unhygienic kitchens Bayo Akomolafe

adets at the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron, Akwa Ibom State, have started withdrawing from the institution over the hike in tuition fees introduced by management of the institution. New Telegraph learnt that the college’s management raised fees by 100 per cent with effect from the 2014/2015 session. Before the tuition was increased, National Diploma (ND I) and higher National Diploma (HND I) cadets paid N100,702, while ND II and HND II paid N61,340. But with the increase, ND I and HND I students now pay N200,704, while ND II and HND II cadets will pay N121,980. Thirty-five years after its establishment, cadets of the academy are still sitting on the floor

to receive lectures, it was learnt. Also, the school, which was established by the Federal Government in 1979, is still struggling to achieve adequate training for seafarers due to inadequate funding by the same government that established it. Some cadets of the academy, who spoke anonymously over the tuition fees, said that they could not afford the money. They explained that some of them had withdrawn from school, noting: “We all know that this is a Federal Government institution and we expect the tuition fees not to be on the high side. The facilities are poor. The hostels are overcrowded and we have a very unhygienic kitchen.” Also, a nautical science cadet, who is in his second year, said that the school should have improved on the basic amenities on the academy’s campus before increasing the tuition fees. “The fees are not commensurate with the facilities, yet they want our parents to pay more, from where will they get the money?” he asked.

The cadets said that they were not hinted before the tuition fees were doubled. “We lack training ships where we can acquire sea time, yet they went ahead to increase our tuition. This is more selfish than real,” he said. When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the academy, Mr. Sidi Mkpandiok, said: “The issue of the increase in tuition fees was aptly addressed by the Rector last year in an appropriate forum. I promise to react to it next week.” For over three and half decades, MAN lacked training vessels for the mandatory sea time training, which qualifies a cadet to receive certificate of competency that will permit them to work on-board seagoing vessels. However, the academy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for affiliation to the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmo, Sweden and for the provision of sea time experience to a backlog of over 5,000 cadets. WMU is owned by the IMO.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

Textile union, NACCIMA chide FG for lifting textile import ban p.34 FOCUS Nigeria, other African countries to ensure implementation of the common African market Amadi Nnamdi Abuja

he harmonisation of standards within the African region has been described as one of the ways to eliminate trade barriers. This argument, among others, was part of the submissions from a three-day forum organised by the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), held in Abuja recently. The forum, which had “The role of Standards in promot-

Industry

Standardisation: Forum seeks harmonisation ing sustainable Agriculture and food security in Africa,” as its theme, also featured an exhibition tagged: “Made in Africa Expo,” which afforded local small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the opportunity to showcase their products. The President, ARSO, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, at the opening session of the forum, said that the current state of globalised trade required the standardisation of products and services in line with the requirements of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). “Regional and continental integration and cooperation is,

perhaps, the most appropriate way of improving the low levels of intra-African trade as well as international trade. It enhances the reaping of economies of scale. It promotes integrated or harmonised treatment of transboundary issues such as trade, regulatory frameworks and policies, regional infrastructure and other cross-border issues. “This has resulted in a growing demand to scale up international, continental and regional solutions, with a greater focus on mainstreaming regional issues in national planning, regional infrastructure and the missing link and economic in-

tegration,” Odumodu said. Odumodu, who is also the Director-General, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), added that it was important to note that organised standardisation has now become an important element of infrastructure needed for the healthy growth of industry and commerce in all countries of the world. The SON boss, who lamented that the absence of harmonised standards in Africa had made it difficult for products produced within the continent to remain competitive, said that this had led to the exportation of unprocessed products to the rest of the world. On his part, the Secretary General, ARSO, Dr. Hermogene Nsengimana, said that many developing countries in Africa faced significant standardisation challenges, which he noted, had made it impossible for them to effectively participate in global trading activities, becoming signatories to international agreements, developing a strong base for sustainable economic development and slowing the process of Africa’s quest for deeper integration. “With the increasing global-

isation of markets, standards have become critical to ensuring access to export markets as standards and conformity assessment are the pillars that underpin the global trading system,” Nsengimana said. The forum, which drew participants from representatives of twenty-two African countries, Observer Missions, European Union, the United Nations Industrial Organisation (UNIDO) the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), among others, also drew attention to the need to mainstream the SMEs into formal economy through standardisation and training programmes taking into consideration the problems faced by SMEs in their efforts to be competitive through getting compliant with regulatory requirements and the Conformity Assessment regimes. It also advocated an effective participation of African countries in the harmonisation of African Standards and conformity assessment schemes and the alignment of national standardisation activities with the continental standardisation agenda and integration priorities.

NIPC trains staff on diversification of economy

L- R: Category Head, Juice, Nectar and Still Drinks, Chi Limited, Mr. Amitabha Das; prize winners, Samuel Chika Nwaokoro; Obi Olivia; Shotonwa Samson and Sales Director, Chi Limited, Mr. Ita Ekpenyong, at the prize presentation of Chi Happy Hour Burst of Refreshment Social Media campaign in Lagos.

Ondo plans N100bn power project Deborah Olayode

ndo State Government and a Korean firm, Kingline Development Limited, have sealed a deal that will lead to the construction of a 550 megawatts Independent Power Plant (IPP) worth N100 billion. This is aimed at supplying the state’s industrialisation aspirations. The project, known as Kingline Ondo IPP Project, is to be situated at the Ondo State International Industrial Park, Omotoso, and will be operated through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework. According to its design plans disclosed to reporters in Abuja by the Chief Business Development Of-

ficer, Kingline Development Ltd, Akinnola Fola, its first phase will generate about 550MW, using both simplecycle and combined-cycle options. Fola, who noted that the project would transform the state and make it an industrial hub in the South West region, said: “The output now is N100 billion for 550MW. This is the phase one of the project. At the second phase, we would do another 550MW to bring it to 1100MW. He said that the land for the project had been secured as a contribution from Ondo State Government. “The total area for the project is 250 acres. Also, the Engineering Procurement and Contracting (EPC) contractor’s name will be

announced shortly after concluding the competitive bidding exercise currently ongoing to select the best contractor among the offers received,” Fola said. On the status of the initial phase of the project, he added that the project was progressing well, as approval for evacuation study from it had been secured from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). The evacuation study is one of the key documents that ensure that the generated power can be evacuated and taken on to the national grid using the transmission facilities of the TCN. He spoke on other preparations towards the project like the power purchase agreement (PPA) and Gas supply Agreement (GSA).

n line with the new administration’s goal of diversifying the nation’s economy, the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) has begun training of its staff. According to the Executive Secretary NIPC, Uju Hassan-Baba, while declaring open a oneday capacity building for the directorate staff of the Commission in Abuja, the country was at the point where the speedy diversification of her economy away from oil was critical to her economic development. Hassan-Baba, who assured staff of the Commission that management would place high premium on training and effective re-tooling to fully understand the crucial role that they are expected to play in the new administration’s vision for Nigeria’s economic prosperity, said that Buhari’s administration was determined to expose staff of the Commission through the training to the best thinking, innovation and research findings in international business and marketing strategies for attracting Foreign Direct Investment [FDI] with focus on the country. She noted the need for the agency to be fully deployed to

market opportunities of the country as destination of choice for local and global investors. “Constant training and Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-driven innovations are hallmarks of global best practices in FDI attraction,” the NIPC boss said. The NIPC boss noted that attracting beneficial FDI and local direct investment (LDI) was critical for Nigeria’s economic diversification and development. “Beneficial FDI and LDI protect the national interests of Nigeria with the needed capital for infrastructure, creation of new jobs and drive transfer of technological know-how for development. “However, today, beneficial FDI is only attracted to and located successfully in nations that are implementing the most innovated and researched international business and marketing strategies for attracting FDI,” she said. Hassan-Baba added: “The NIPC Diamond Project has a vision for Nigeria’s economic success through effective FDI and LDI attraction by proactive, innovative strategies of investment promotion.”

Business | Industry

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Textile union, NACCIMA chide FG for lifting textile import ban

APPEAL Group seeks reversal of policy

Deborah Olayode

he National Union of Textiles Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) have rejected the lifting of import ban on textile products by government. They said that it was illegal and did not follow the due process. The Federal Government,

through the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, (NCS), Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, announced at the official launch of the implementation of Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Common External Tariff (CET) that Nigerians can now import textile materials into the country if right duties are paid. But the General Secretary, NUTGTWN, Issa Aremu, said in Lagos that the ban on im-

port of textiles into the country was imposed by the Olusegun Obasanjo’s government in 2010, after due consultation with all stakeholders. He said that the ban was imposed to help the Nigerian textile manufacturers gain comparative advantage over foreign firms and the decision to reverse the ban will kill the textile industry that is reeling under the impact of cheap Chinese imports and smuggling. Aremu said that the ban on

import was necessary for the textile industry to get back to its former glory and help in the industrialisation of Nigeria. He called upon President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse the decision to lift the ban. Also, the Director-General of NACCIMA, Emmanuel Cobham, condemned the revocation of the ban on import of textiles products. He noted that the decision would expose the Nigerian

textile industry to serious danger. “Lifting the embargo on importation of textile products would be counterproductive to government’s efforts to revive the moribund textiles sector of the economy. We are mortgaging our economy; the economy will not grow under such circumstances. We now depend on China and India for things that can be locally produced,” Cobham said.

BCI to Buhari: Scrutinise economic agenda

he Business Club Ikeja (BCI) has advised President Mohammadu Buhari’s administration to critically scrutinise its new economic agenda before making it public. President of BCI, Mr. sulaiman Tella, gave the advice at a business luncheon organised by the Club in Lagos. He said that the delay in the release of the new economic agenda was expected and urged critics of the delay to be patient, advising the new administration to consult with stakeholders regularly on issues concerning all sectors of the economy.

Tella added: “Policies, whether to build on existing ones or to formulate new ones, should be built around the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and large scale investments. “There is obviously an urgent need for the revival of the oil and gas as well as power sectors because the poor state of the sectors could retard the growth of the economy. “For instance, we have been trying to engage the Presidency in a roundtable discussion and we hope that when the economic agenda is released, we will hear positive news.”

Chancellor, Akpabiosm Centre for Leadership, Bassey James, is an advocate of rapid industrialisation in Akwa Ibom State through promotion of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). He bares his mind on the need for investors to take advantage of the conducive economic climate in the state and other issues in this interview with select journalists. Dele Alao was there. Excerpts You have always urged investors to come to Akwa Ibom and take advantage of the investment opportunities. What incentives are there for those who may wish to come to the state? We started this journey several years ago by inviting investors to come to Akwa Ibom. We have clearly stated that Akwa Ibom State in Nige-

L-R: Commercial Manager, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Mr. Richmonel Mejico; Regional Consumer Service Manager, Mrs. Imabong Martins; Category Manager, Diary, Mr. Temitope Eseigho and Sales Performance Development Manager, Mr. Stanley Okochu, during the Nido Raffle draw in Lagos. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

‘SMEs is the way out for industrialisation’

James

ria is the best place to invest, because we have stability in terms of economic development, politics, security, and we have a wiling government that listens and the people that are ready to work. So, everything that an investor needs is already in Akwa Ibom State. And Akwa Ibom State is strategically positioned by God to service the needs of the entire South-South, South East and the Gulf of Guinea. So, for us, we have done several semi-

nars in Lagos, Abuja and some other parts of Nigeria. Under Akpabiosm, we had the opportunity of having the present governor, Deacon Udom Emmanuel, speak on the investment opportunities in Akwa Ibom, in Lagos and in Abuja, even when he was not the governor. So, being the governor of Akwa Ibom State now, it behoves us to go to the streets, to the markets, to the entire world to announce the Akwa Ibom project for everybody. So, the Akwa Ibom project is a project for all and sundry, especially Akwa Ibomites. If you talk about the most stable state in Nigeria, it is Akwa Ibom. If you talk about hospitality, you can find it in abundance. If you talk about a conducive atmosphere for investors, the place is Akwa Ibom. I had a chat with somebody from Italy and some of the investors from Indonesia. They said to me that they want to come to Nigeria to go round the states. I told them that in Nigeria, the first point of call should be Akwa Ibom State. We also have some people from Turkey who are coming with an idea of doing a project with government on housing. Whenever people re-enact the good story of Akwa Ibom, we

cannot forget that Governor Godswill Akpabio has placed on the world map. So, every state, every part of the country wants to identify with us. But we really discovered that government cannot do all things. Udom’s administration cannot do everything. The people of Akwa Ibom must team up with him to do so many things. As the President and the Chancellor of Akpabiosm, by the grace of God, I have three companies that are doing well in terms of security management, in terms of business development and product services. We also have the biggest conference centre in South-South. We have the biggest in Nigeria. We built one thousand square metre of land. We are reaching out to investors to come. One of the things we are trying to do in that centre is to give it an international outlook. We are working on what we call Uyo Shopping Mall, where companies all over the world can come in to display their goods and services, so that anybody that wants to identify with their services can just walk into Akwa Ibom Shopping Mall, discuss business and just what he or she wants. So, that is the package. And I think that with the

infrastructure that we have on ground, with the level of development that my governor has done across the state, there is need for people to tap the untapped resources. In terms of agriculture development, the land is wonderful. In terms of human capital development, the people are ready. In terms of sustainability, it is perfect. So, we are ready, and coupled with what we have already put on ground, in the next few days we will be having what we call Akwa Ibom Investment Forum, where most of these investors will come in to look at what we have in our state. We believe that His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel, will also be part of that project. Past governors, the professors of business and all that, we are bringing them all to Akwa Ibom State, Nigerian investors and foreign investors. We have done this over the years. We want to make sure that we take the bull by the horn by creating more avenues for people to come and invest in Akwa Ibom State. We have said it over and over that some of the big leaders of the Nigerian markets are ready to come in to Akwa Ibom State. So, all they need is the encouragement. But we are driving our state to a great destination.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

ICT

44trn gigabytes of data expected by 2020 p.36

igeria’s Information and Communication Technology industry has, over the years, attracted over $32 billion investment and this development has continued to create multiple effects on the nation’s economy, according to available data from the telecom authority. Aside the telecoms operators and other big players in some key areas of the industry cutting across data provision, infrastructure-oriented companies, hardware companies and the rest, the country is witnessing a new breed of technology start-ups. By sythesising their ideas into an organised system backed with the right environment where they can get their innovative ideas incubated into becoming a successful business, the tech start-ups may soon appear to be the next multinationals springing up from within Nigeria. The Federal Ministry of Communication Technology has continued to support designated incubation centres such as the Lagos-based Co-Creation Hub. Other launchpad initiatives have also been established to help the young entrepreneurial Nigerians develop their ideas into becoming full-blown and successful business enterprises and there are other young technology-savvy entrepreneurs who look for angel investors and venture capitals. Demo Africa as launchpad Perhaps, one of the most visible launchpads for emerging technology and trends for tech start-ups in Nigeria and other African countries is Demo Africa. According to the Chairman, Local Organising Committee (LOC) of Demo Africa (Nigeria), Mr. Yele Okeremi, the platform has, so far, given young men and women, who have great vision and intentions to change the world positively in diverse manners through information technology, the opportunity to learn and earn on the real world. The event has lived up to its name as over 16 of the 40 startups launched in 2014 have received an investment of some kind. Six startups shared $4 million. Andela’s $10m success story Meanwhile, the latest of such tech start-ups that has actually benefited from such juicy foreign investment opportunity in recent past is Andela, which recently

Nigeria’s tech start-ups draw foreign investment Nigeria’s technology space is witnessing a seeming investment bulge as foreign investors’ appetite in tech start-ups in the country gathers momentum with the latest $10 million foreign investment opportunity coming the way of Nigeria’s Andela, a software and training start-up, reports KUNLE AZEEZ

Okeremi

Onuegbu

closed a large funding round of about $10 million led by an early Twitter investor According to Reuters, Andela is a software training and outsourcing platform started in Lagos and which has raised a large round of funding led by Boston-based venture capital firm, Spark Capital, whose early-stage portfolio included Twitter and Oculus VR. The round, one of the largest for a homegrown African start-up, is a strong endorsement for an unusual business model that knits together education, software development, outsourcing and social impact. It also attracted investment this round from the Omidyar Network, San Francisco’s Learn Capital and

Access to adequate spectrum bands is key to faster broadband deployment

other investors, including Hakeem Bello Osagie, chairman of Etisalat Nigeria, the country’s third-largest phone network. Though report says that Silicon Valley has been relatively slow to turn to the opportunity investment of African online start-ups and much of the external investment into online ventures on the continent has been European, Andela has had a good pedigree of United States venture capital seed backers from the start, including Steve Case, Founder Collective, Rothenberg Ventures, Melo7 Tech Partners and Facebook early member, Chris Hughes. Andela was founded by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji and Jeremy Johnson

on the basic principle that, with the right kind of training, there is enough talent in almost any country to create a base of advanced software developers. Unlike a traditional outsourcing firm, Andela operates on all links within the talent supply chain. It makes a call for applications to join its four-year training programme, undergoes a highly selective recruitment process to find those with the right fit and places the chosen few on its programme. Within six months of the programme, it starts to place people with clients, which, so far, include Microsoft and online education platform, Udacity. Another $1bn opportunity Meanwhile, Nigeria and other African countries are also set to benefit from $1 billion technology entrepreneurship fund aimed at spurring the growth of business ecosystem in the continent. A private equity funding from TPG Growth is set to grow new businesses across Africa, specialising in telecommunications and related technology, financial services and healthcare. TPG Growth, which combines the financial might and know-how of Satya Capital and the TGP equity investment platform, is looking to making the investment a part of its move to make a social impact across the continent. TGP has lots of tech investing experience and holds positions in the likes of Uber and Airbnb. Satya has a track record in telecoms, working with mobile operators in Africa and across the globe. The Managing Partner at Satya Capital, Ms Tsega Gebreyes, said: “The idea is to use the combined strength of both organisations. Satya has depth of experience in Africa while TGP has the global strength. “In the new investment, Nigeria is to be a focus,” he said, adding that the aim will be to use large countries as bases. He C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 3 6

Intel’s Atom Processor powers Tecno WinPad 10 Kunle Azeez

he Atom Processor of the global chip maker, Intel Corporation, is the technology powering the newlylaunched WinPad 10, a tablet cum Personal Computer (PC) by Tecno in collaboration with Microsoft. The device, a cross between the tablet and laptop, was unveiled in Lagos recently in a move to ignite the next wave of innovative technology experi-

ences as it is expected to offer users a whole new experience. Consumer Manager, Intel Corporation Nigeria, Mr. Womiloju Olabanji, described WinPad as an efficient device, adding that its Intel processor offer users a brilliant and faster experience. “The Atom Processor Z3735F, Quad Core 1.83GHz is a fast and an efficient quad-core. Actually, the four cores it operates on, is why the WinPad would be very efficient for multi-tasking in

comparison to dual core processors. The Pad, with these processors, would be highlybeneficial to those whose businesses involve multitasking,” he said. WinPad 10, with a 10.1 inch High-Definition screen device, is expected to offer consumers an entirely unique videos watching and browsing experience. The device comes with a 5.0 MP Back Camera and 2.0 MP Front Camera that give a captivating interface, virtual quality

and a smooth operating experience on its preloaded Windows 8.1, while running on Intel Atom Processor Z3735F, Quad Core 1.83 Ghz, a 32GB ROM and 2GB RAM. The broader ROM and RAM also offer space to users to store and run apps at the same time. According to Tecno, the Tecno WinPad is more mobile than a laptop, more productive than a tablet and more affordable than a Ultrabook. It has dual “Boom” speakers

with amazing surround stereo sound, which offers high quality sound and brings a new experience of sound perception to its users, thus offering more than a triple package. “The new WinPad will help to expand the company’s market and provide new opportunities to those who desire to work on the Windows Operating System, said the Vice General Manager of Tecno Mobile Nigeria, Mr. Chidi Okonkwo, at the launch.

Business | ICT

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Micro Station unveils customer loyalty scheme

icro Station, one of Nigeria’s leading telecoms and mobile devices retailing firm, is rolling out a unique customer loyalty scheme for its existing and potential customers. This, according to a statement from the firm, is in line with its commitment to continually delight its customers and make them get value for their money. Tagged: “Great Value, Happy Customer”, the loyalty scheme is aimed at sustaining the buying behaviour of customers as well as acquiring new customers, who would associate with the Micro Station brand, “which has built the right partnerships around the world to deliver quality products to Nigerians.” The scheme, being run on the Interswitch’s electronic solution platform, would be flagged off on Thursday July 9, 2015, at Micro Station, Kodeso Street branch, opposite KFC in Ikeja and will last for a year after which it will be renewed. Explaining how the initiative works, Managing Director of Micro Station, Mrs. Tinuola Coutroupis, said that the solution is built into the conventional Point of Sales (PoS) terminals through its trusted

technical partners and a leading e-payment company in Nigeria, Interswitch Limited. “Unlike conventional loyalty programmes that use barcodes on card or payment and nonpayment cards being used on PoS terminals, we have implemented a phone number programme as the customer identifier, as customers will just insert their phone numbers in the terminals to earn and spend their reward,” she said. According to her, “when customers buy products up to N25,000, they get instant one per cent discount from the PoS. “We have also factored in those who are regular customers but who do not spend up to N25,000. So, on every visit, you earn points, which you can redeem with great practical items in exchange,” she said. She, however, said that in the promo, customers don’t have local accounts. “What they have is their phone numbers. The customer’s phone numbers will work at any of Micro Station branch nationwide on the PoS terminals run on network. So, what you earned in any branch in Lagos can be used in our store in Ogun and Ibadan stores, for instance.”

Why we commit 10% annual income to research, by HP

n Information and Communication Technology, Hewlett Packard (HP), has explained why it decided to commit 10 per cent of its annual income to research and development (R&D). According to the company, through such investment, it is able to focus on creating values for businesses, ensuring mobility, cloud with enhanced security features that makes every HP product unique. HP management explained this during its 2015 Technology Tour held in Lagos recently as part of its contribution to the Information and Communication Technology ecosystem in Nigeria. The event, which also held in Abuja, was a gathering of captains of industry, small and medium scale business owners

and IT professionals who were fascinated as they experienced firsthand the value, which the new HP products will add to their businesses. The technology tour by HP is aimed at providing Nigerian businesses and IT professionals the opportunity to tap into the latest technology; and improve the performance and overall profitability of businesses while also guaranteeing security of business intelligence. Speaking at the Lagos leg of the event, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, Lagos State, Mrs. Nike Animashaun, said that businesses around the world needed advanced technology as a way of reducing the cost of doing business while also churning out high scale productivity that redefines economies globally.

New VAS targets 28.6m Airtel subscribers

he over 28 million telecoms subscribers on Airtel network have been offered new value-added services (VAS) that makes it possible for them to personalise their telephony usage experiences. The two new smart services are the Airtel Name Tune and the Caller Ring Back Tunes. While the Name Tune will avail subscribers the opportunity for their phone calls to be formatted as though picked up by one of Airtel’s Smart Icons, the Ring Back Tune allows subscribers to download ring back tunes from a plethora of the body of work of any of the Airtel Smart Icons in a more easily-accessible interface.

Speaking on the new services, Airtel Nigeria’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Maurice Newa, explained that the new package reiterates the telcos’s commitment to provide a wide spectrum of products and services for their subscribers that meet their networking needs and at the same time keep them happy. “With the union of theSmart Network and ourSmart Icons, it has become imperative to provide smart services. The Name Tune and the Caller Ring Back Tunes are designed to delight our esteemed subscribers by providing them with these exciting services to bring joy to the world of communication,” he said.

L-R: Chief Executive Officer and Executive Secretary, E-payment Providers Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Onajite Regha; Chai man, Nigerian Electronic Fraud Forum and Director Banking and Payment Systems Department, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Dipo Fatokun Ntia and General Manager, E-PPAN, Mrs. Nnene Sylvia, during the NeFF general quarterly meeting in Lagos.

44trn gigabytes of data expected by 2020 – Study EXPLOSION The growth in the use of mobile smart devices is leading to increase in data consumption

he estimated 30 billion mobile devices to be connected by year 2020 would create 44 trillion of gigabytes of data, a new study has shown. The new study titled: “The Information Generation: Transforming the future, today,” conducted by the Institute for the Future and Vanson Bourne on behalf of EMC, suggests strong indications that the world is moving toward an era in which nearly every element of life will be data-driven. “In the current 21st Century, it is evident that individuals and corporations will sell, donate and trade information on open exchanges. Inanimate objects will spring to life all around human beings, becoming more aware, responsive and connected. “Decision-making will also be enhanced by artificial intelligence in ways never seen before,” the study also revealed. According to the study, information will be communicated and absorbed through multiple human senses and customers will be able to better control their own privacy

through new tools. In the new world order, the study suggests that value will shift from products and services to the information they generate. The study explored the impact of a growing global community of digital citizens and these individuals are always connected and engaged online and have the world’s information at their fingertips. They also view the world very differently. Based on input from 3,600 Director-to-CSuite business leaders across 18 countries, the study reveals new expectations of these individuals and identifies the fundamental business attributes critical for organisations to successfully compete and thrive in this new landscape. The study further revealed that 96 per cent of business leaders surveyed believed that new technologies have forever changed the rules of business. In addition, 93 per cent reported that recent technology advancements are resetting customer expectations, and nearly all say this will accelerate over the next decade. The top reported customer expectations are faster access to services, round-the-clock and “everywhere” access and connectivity, access on more devices, and a more unique personalised experience. The polled business leaders

agreed that essential requirements for any business in this information-driven era include: Predictively spot new opportunities in markets, demonstrate transparency and trust, innovate in agile ways, deliver unique and personalised experiences, operate in real time. At the same time, the sampled population agreed that very few have thoroughly embodied them. Specifically, when asked whether they address these attributes both very well and company-wide, only 12 per cent said they can predictively spot new opportunities, nine per cent innovate in agile ways, 14 per cent demonstrate transparency and trust, 11 per cent deliver personalised experience, and 12 per cent operate in real-time. “The Information Generation is demanding more from the organisations they interact with,” said Chief Executive Officer of EMC Information Infrastructure, Mr. David Goulden. “Businesses ‘born of the cloud’ are driving this shift in expectations, and mature businesses must redefine themselves to adapt and remain relevant.” Also, the study found that by 2020 over seven billion people on at least 30 billion devices will have created 44 zettabytes of data (or 44 trillion gigabytes), according to Gartner and International Data Corporation respectively.

Tech start-ups draw foreign investment CO N TI N U ED F RO M PAGE 35

stressed that technology is an important part of the deal. “Building great new companies and growing employment means you can affect such a wide scale of people. The capital deployed will generate more capital,” he further said.

Conclusion Meanwhile, founder of Lagos-based technology investment company, Sasware, Mr. Collins Onuegbu, has advocated government support for the development of smaller tech start-ups towards building the “Microsoft, Oracle and Google or Nigeria.” Other industry analysts

also said that with the right support from the Nigerian government through the creation of an enabling environment for young technology-savvy entrepreneurs, young start-ups could be nurtured into becoming successful business entities where Nigeria is able to create many Andelas.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSday, JULY 2, 2015

Photo | News

L-R: Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Suleiman Lasun Yusuf; Chairman, Ad-Hoc Committee on the review of the standing order of the house, Orker-Jev Emmanuel Yisa and Akpatason Peter Ohiozojeh, at the inauguration of the committee at the National Assembly in Abuja. PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

L-R: Administrative Secretary, Independent Electoral Commission For Rivers , Mr. Roy Obijuru; Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dame Gesila Khan; President, New Rivers Vision Students (NRVS), Mr. Chimzi Ihunwo and Publicity Secretary of NRVS, Mr. Kelvin Mopho, at the presentation of meritorious award to the REC by the NRVS in Port Harcourt.

A cross-section of the newly promoted officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Adamawa State Command, shortly after their decoration at the Command’s Headquarters in Yola.

Principal, Pacelli School for the Blind, Sister Jane Onyenerie (middle), with pupils of Royal Master’s School, Alausa (right) and pupils of Pacelli School for the Blind, during an excursion visit of the pupils of the Royal Master’s School to Pacelli School in Lagos.

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Lagos State Governor Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (right), receiving a plaque from the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin, during his visit to the Chief of Naval Staff at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja.

L-R: President, International Development, Mr. Robert Leth; Vice-President, International Relations, Stephnie Lessard; Esu Karu, Dr. Luka Panya Baba; Chief Technical Relation Officer, Bruce Tilley and Chief Executive Officer, Travsi NH3 Technology, Mr. Innocent Obande, during the visit of the development partners to the Esu Karu in Nasarawa. PHOTO: NAN

L-R: Bishop of Methodist, Owo Diocese, Rt. Revd. Babafemi Olaniyan; Mr. Seun Solarin; Methodist Archbishop of Lagos Archdiocese and Bishop of Lagos, The Most Reverend Joseph Ajayi and first female Registrar, University of Lagos, Mrs. Folashade Olumide, at an evening of popular Methodist hymns and songs to mark the 50th remembrance of late Rev. Amos Solarin in Lagos.

L-R: Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Dele Olowokudejo; Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Rahamon Bello; guest lecturer, Prof. Akin Oyebode and Dr. Funmi Sofoluwe, at the 3rd Annual Lecture in honour of Prof. Adetokunbo Sofoluwe, organised by the university alumni, in Lagos.

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

Mom&Parenting

Warning her daughter

PHOTO: WWW.GLORYSURGEY.COM

Discipline through warning

PHOTO: BLOG.AFRICAX5.TV

Making ‘warnings’ work Oluwatosin Omoniyi

or most parents in this part of the world, Africa and Nigeria in particular, warning is part of a disciplinary action for children. Parents, who especially don’t believe in spanking or scolding their children use warning as a way of achieving the corrective measure they desire. But the question is, does it really work? According to Sharon Silver, author of ‘108 Ways to Discipline Consciously and Become the Parent You Want to Be’, that needs to stop right now!”, because parental warnings are more effective when they tailor their approach to their children’s

Mom&Parenting

Oluwatosin Omoniyi City Editor

temperament. “One of my children used to interrupt my warnings as a personal challenge to “bring it on.” My other child reacted as if my warnings were an assault on his tender emotions,” she said. Silver explained that some children need warnings to be very direct and firm so they know you mean business. Other children do much better when you use a soft, gentle voice and confine the warning to information only. And some children need a blend of the two. Only you know what your child needs. She however suggested ways to make warnings effective The Keys to a Successful Countdown We’ve all said to our child, “You don’t want me to get to three!” Some parents even add, “I mean it.” That’s the point when a lot of parents wonder, “What am I going to do when I get to three?” Many experts say being consistent is the answer, and I agree. But it’s not the full answer. If you don’t know what you’re going to do when you get to three, you can’t be consistent. Most parents say, “I’m going to send her to time-out if I get to three.” But time-out tends to stop working when it’s overused, so consistently using time-out isn’t the answer either. You

can increase the chances that your child will listen if you say what’s going to happen as you count and if you say it in a way that’s suited to your child’s temperament. Your follow-through then becomes effortless because you’ve already announced what was going to happen.

Children need warnings to be very direct and firm so they know you mean business

1) A Script For Warning Strong-Willed Kids A strong-willed child needs clear, emphatic, direct, firm directions and no wiggle room. Firmly say: “Do not write in the book; that’s one.” Wait five seconds to see what he does. If nothing happens, say: “I will come and take the book and the pen if you don’t stop now; that’s two!” Wait five seconds to see what he does. If nothing happens, say: “I see you chose not to listen; that’s three. I need the book and the pen right now.” Notice: There’s no way for the child not to comply aka no wiggle room, as long as you immediately get up and take the book. 2) A Script For Warning More Tenderhearted Kids A tenderhearted child requires a softer voice and maybe some eye contact. Calmly and gently say: “Sweetie, please put my pen

down. You’re not allowed to use it to color; that’s one.” Wait 10 seconds to see what he does, then repeat if need be: “Honey, put my pen down. You can use crayons or a pencil, but not my pen; that’s two.” Wait 10 more seconds to see what he does, then repeat if need be: “Sweetie, that’s three. You didn’t put the pen down. I need to take it right now.” Silently take the pen. Notice: The time in between warnings was 10 seconds with a tenderhearted child and five seconds with a strong-willed child. 3) What These Scripts Have in Common Are basically the same; you’ve just adjusted your tone and words to fit your child’s temperament. Allow you to enforce the choice your child made to either listen or not listen. Take less than one minute and keep your child engaged enough to listen. Teach him you mean what you say and you’ll take action, without anger, if need be. Require a slight change in your tone of voice to match your child’s temperament. “Remember, warning works best when you tell your child what’s going to happen as you count and when you match your tone to your child’s temperament,” she explained.

40 Mom&Parenting

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Grooming for effective parenting

MOM’S ALERT with

Grace Essen

grace.essen@gmail.com

Could it be your child is being bullied?

J A cross section of participants at the training

Chijioke Iremeka

s part of ways of grooming mothers for effective modeling, counseling and parenting of their children, mothers at a-day specialised training of ‘The Wife,’ were tasked on the counseling of their children within and outside schools to prevent them from going off course. ‘The Wife,’ is a body of married women saddled with the responsibility of building excellent homes and strong generation of godly children to transform the society; through regular trainings and empowering women, who are the major stakeholders in the family, According to the Chief Coordinator of the Ministry and Director Inspections, Federal Ministry of Education, Lagos State, Doctor Nkem Okoro. ‘TheWife’s specialized training 2015 on mothers and effective counseling is a strategy of the ministry’s ‘Mission Rescue Our Children,’ which started in 2011 to help every Nigerian child. She noted that the training is centered on topics that would help the wives and mothers become more effective and productive in assisting family members, especially their children to successfully weather the challenges that they are going through. Okoro said in order to effectively help in counseling the children, mothers must have good knowledge of the child, his circumstances, his background and the values of the society; advising parents, especially mothers to spend quality time with their children to understand their makeup and challenges. On the characteristics of an effective Counselor, she said, “A good Counselor must spend quality time with children to properly understand them; understand the challenges children are facing in their world, their internal struggles and their circumstances. He must exhibit nature and behaviour that empathise with children in their suffering.” Dr.Okoro said mothers must study and be knowledgeable, reading good books, Bible, newspapers and magazines on children to receive necessary education to cope with and assist the children, especially with an increasingly technological advancement in the world. Again, in order to breakthrough and achieve this feat, she stated that the application of different effective communication techniques of attending, listening and probing skills to establish rapport to get more informa-

tion from children would be needed to do more good in understanding and solving the child’s problems. “Mothers should be ready to invest time, energy and money, and have confidence in themselves as counselors and maintain confidentiality required for the job. They must effectively monitor and evaluate their children, which help in re-strategising further improvement and effectiveness,” she quipped. Identifying counseling needs early in children and steps to avert them, Mrs. Omolara Euler-Ajayi(WHO IS SHE SIR?) said mothers should be receptive to know when to make referrals to professional counselors and other professionals in the related fields, such as doctors, lawyers and psychologists among others. She said, “Investigate if the person need to see a doctor, lawyer etc first. You can do harm if the person needs medical treatment and you give counseling instead. Some people have multiple personality server depression. Sometimes, they will need counseling after the medical treatment but not before. Like every illness, if the wrong treatment is given, there are chances that illness will progress instead of getting better.” Speaking on the cognitive approach to counseling models, she said problems are caused by wrong thinking; and change occurs by correcting the mental constructs. “Problems are a result on one’s past history; growth occurs by exploring issues related to past experience and conflicts; change is produced by insight derived from the explorations.” Euler-Ajayi noted that all counseling models target the problem, analyse and bring it into awareness to assist the counselee in decision-making, saying that they cannot go deep down to transform the heart! “Parents, should, therefore, tap spiritual resources from God, who has the ability to transform their children, bringing lasting character change. On academic challenges of the children, another guest speaker, Mrs. Josphine Akenuwa said the educational sector of the nation is undoubtedly gilding downward with a dangerous speed that unless some urgent intervention takes place the country may be headed for academic doom. “If children are left with the academic challenges they face, it will further deal a deathblow on education. Education has been simply defined as “training of the mind and body to produce self-control.” It could be formal or informal.

The first form of education children get is from the parents

ust about a week ago, I watched a mom on TV tell the story of how her child told her colleague in the office he felt like committing suicide! She said it all started when her son said he didn’t want to go to school on a certain day and she insisted he had to go. Sometime later, she had him in her office and while she was busy with her work, her little boy got talking with her colleague and then told her he felt like committing suicide. When she heard it, she froze. Immediately she recalled the experience of another mom whose child had repeatedly said he didn’t want to go to school and she forced him. One morning he told his mom he was preparing for school alright, only to be found dead minutes later! When the boy was asked about his experience, he said he was being bullied by his classmates in school and he wanted to “end it all” - they called him names and made fun of him, the bigger boys would grab him by the hood of his sweatshirt and swing him round and hit him against the wall. When asked if he reported to his teacher, he said his teacher also made fun of him and called him a ‘turtle’. How much can a boy of 10 years take?! That got me thinking. My little boy (5), on some occasions on our way from school after closing, would say, “Mummy I don’t want to come to school again!” And immediately I know something had happened that day. All the way home and thereafter I would try to get him to tell me all about it. I watched out for his emotions and how he felt when he mentioned names. But before I started doing this, I used to waved off, down play or even ignore such complaints like most moms would until they became more frequent and were accompanied with cries. And then I would have a talk with the class teacher and thereafter follow up on him to be sure he’s okay. Sometimes we overlook little complaints or signals that could open up more if only we paid a little more attention; of course we are all so busy with ‘more important and urgent issues’. Maybe we need to be reminded that some of the things our children go through at their young age could affect them all through their lives. Bullying can include anything from mean words, isolation, spreading rumours, namecalling to physical aggression which are terribly damaging

to their psyches, and cause lasting negative effects. Most kids simply whimper at every move by the bully as they are lacking the emotional tools, and the emotional adult support necessary to help them stand up for themselves. Now the question is: Can you really bully-proof your child? Experts unfortunately have come out to say, no. The good news however, is that you and I can help our children develop the skills to stand up to bullying behaviours, and we can also keep them from becoming bullies too. How? Here are a few strategies I found that have proven to work: *Stay connected to your child through thick and thin. Lonely kids are more likely to be bullied. Parenting as they say is 90% connection - a close relationship with your child - and only 10% guidance. The guidance won’t stick unless you have the relationship to support it. Keep those lines of communication open, no matter what, and always look out for warning signs. *Model confident behaviours always. Your child is learning by watching you. Try finding healthy ways to assert your own needs or rights while maintaining respect for the other person. It’s also important not to put ourselves or our children down, because we’re teaching them to follow suit. *Directly teach your children respectful self-assertion. Children need to know they can get their needs met while being respectful of others. Give them words to stand up for themselves in advance such as: “It’s my turn now.” “Hey, stop that.” “Hands off my body.” “I don’t like being called that. I want you to call me by my name” etc. *Teach your children basic bully avoidance. Bullies operate where adults aren’t present, so if your child has been bullied, she should avoid unsupervised hallways, bathrooms, behind classroom blocks, and lonely areas of the playground. Sitting in the front of the school bus, standing in the front of the line, and sitting at a lunch table near an adult or caregiver are all good strategies for bully avoidance. And don’t hesitate to intervene. Your job as the parent is to protect your child. That means that in addition to teaching your child to stand up for him/ herself, you may well need to call the teacher or principal or whoever can help, depending on where the bullying happens.

Business | Money Line 41

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

Tony Chukwunyem

CBN bans BDCs’ forex sales to rice importers, others

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has barred Bureaux De Change (BDCs) from selling foreign exchange to importers of the 41 items that it recently added to its list

of goods and services that are not valid for foreign exchange in the country’s foreign exchange markets. In a circular posted on its website yesterday, the CBN warned authorised foreign exchange dealers

REstriction

$5000 limit for cash transactions

to ensure that the affected items are funded from sources outside of the Nigerian foreign exchange markets-interbank, export proceeds and BDCs. The apex bank specifically reminded BDCs

of regulatory requirements, which state that they (BDCS) should use cash for transactions on BTA/PTA, mortgage monthly payment, school fees abroad, credit card payment, utility bills and

Naira in free fall on parallel market Tony Chukwunyem

$735.74m traded at N198.45 on interbank

currency market or by the use of export proceeds in its bid to conserve external reserves and stabilise the exchange rate. President, Association of Bureaux de Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Aminu Gwadabe, disclosed that the naira traded at N215 per dollar before the introduction of the new restrictions. He said the restricted items account for as much as $6 billion of goods imported every quarter. “The ban is putting pressure on naira on the streets,” he said. Reuters also quoted the head of a foreign exchange bureau, Harrison Owoh, as saying, “The market is very volatile now as a result of the restrictions

with agency report

he naira’s decline against the dollar on the parallel market continued yesterday, falling to N230 per dollar from N226/$ last Tuesday. It had previously traded at N225 to the greenback last Monday. Traders attributed the local currency’s worsening fortunes to importers’ increased demand for the dollar due to fresh curbs on access to foreign exchange introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) last week. The apex bank listed 41 items, including rice, private jets, foreign securities and Indian incense, which it said cannot be funded in the interbank foreign-

placed on about 41 items by the central bank. Most importers are now patronising the parallel market to source their dollars.” However, the naira strengthened on the interbank market yesterday, increasing marginally by 0.1 per cent to N198.95. The CBN lowered its exchange rate peg to N196.95 to the dollar on Tuesday from N196.90 last week. With the price of oil, the source of two-thirds of government revenue, plunging by 45 per cent since June last year, the regulator has been trying to defend the naira and conserve the external reserves by imposing currency restrictions. Data on the CBN’s website showed that the reserves fell to

$29.02 billion by June 26, down 2.1 per cent from a month ago. The reserves stood at $29.64 billion as at May 26 and have declined 22.1 per cent year-on-year from $37.26 billion. Meanwhile, a trade of $735.74 million went through on Nigeria’s interbank currency market at N198.45 yesterday, Thomson Reuters data showed. Market sources said a foreign client had sold dollars to a bank in Nigeria. Total interbank market volumes stood at $1.12 billion yesterday, far higher than typical trading sessions since the central bank introduced a naira peg in February. The naira traded at N230 to the dollar on the parallel market yesterday.

Economic Indicators As at M2* CPS* INF MPR 91-day NTB Bonny Light Ext Res**

N19,142,526.05m N18,579,219.49m 9 13 10.77 US$60.72 US$29,033,682,354

Mar, 2015 Mar, 2015 May, 2015 4/6/2015 Mar 2015 10/6/2015 22/6/2015

Source:CBN

Description 13.05 16-AUG-2016 13.05 16-AUG-2016 16.00 29-JUN-2019 15.54 13-FEB-2020 16.39 27-JAN-2022 14.20 14-MAR-2024 10.00 23-JUL-2030

TTM

Price

1.13 1.13 4.00 4.62 6.58 8.70 15.06

FGN Bonds 98.50 98.50 103.38 102.02 106.90 97.71 68.00

NIBOR

Tenor (Days) Call 30 90 180

Rate (%) 8.5000 14.8801 16.2136 17.0458

Bid Yield

14.50 14.50 14.85 14.90 14.71 14.66 15.56

Change (%) 0.42▲ 0.25▲ 0.23▲ 0.26▲

Change (%) -0.01▼ -0.01▼ -0.13▼ -0.08▼ -0.13▼ -0.04▼ 0.00 ↔

Price 98.65 98.65 103.68 102.32 107.20 98.01 68.30

Tenor (Months)

Offer Yield 14.35 14.35 14.75 14.81 14.64 14.60 15.49

NITTY

1 2 3 6 9

Treasury Bills

Rate (%) 11.8438 13.0747 13.4151 13.7495 13.9062

Spot($/N)

Offer 198.70

Change (%) -0.06▼ -0.18▲ 0.06 ▲ 0.02 ▲ 0.03 ▲

Money Market

Maturity Date Discount Bid Yield Change (%) Discount Offer Yield Change (%) Rate (%) 12.87 13.30 -0.32▼ Open-Buy-Back (OBB) 7.25 01-Oct-15 13.12 13.57 -0.32 ▼ 13.35 14.27 0.05 ▲ Overnight (O/N) 7.67 24-Dec-15 13.60 14.55 0.05 ▲ 12.43 14.04 0.08 ▲ 02-Jun-16 12.68 14.36 0.08 ▲ Bid 198.60

Change (%) -0.01▼ -0.01▼ -0.13▼ -0.08▼ -0.13▼ -0.04▼ 0.00 ↔

Change (%) 0.62 ▲

NIFEX

Bid Spot ($/N) 198.9500

Offer 199.0500

Change (%) -0.08▼ -0.08▼

Change (%) 0.00↔

CBN Clearing Rates of July 1, 2015 Spot($/N)

195.95

196.95

0.03 Source: FMDQ

life insurance premium payments, “provided the invoices,/demand notes for the payments do not exceed $5,000 or its equivalent in other foreign currencies per transaction.” The regulatory further stressed, “Under no circumstances should authorised dealers engage in wire transfer of funds on behalf of any of the Bureaux De Change operators.” It warned that any authorised dealer that flouts the directive would be appropriately sanctioned. The CBN had last week Tuesday listed items such as rice, private jets, for-

eign securities and Indian incense, in the category of goods and services, which it said cannot be funded in the interbank foreign-currency market or by the use of export proceeds in its bid to conserve external reserves and stabilize the exchange rate.

Nigeria to raise N50.4bn in Treasury bills

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday announced that it plans to raise N50.4 billion worth of Treasury bills of 3-month and 6-month maturities at an auction on July 8. The apex bank said it would sell N25.40 billion worth of the 91-day paper and N25 billion of the 182day debt using the Dutch Auction System (DAS).

Top 1000 World Banks: HSBC, Citigroup lose ground to Chinese rivals

he world’s biggest banks continue to lose ground to Chinese rivals, according to The Banker’s latest ranking of Top 1000 banks. In a statement, the publication, said, “This year HSBC – which has restructured significantly and increased its focus on Asia – slipped from fifth place to ninth. Citigroup – which has also curbed its overseas presence – fell from sixth to seventh place. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) fell to 18th place after the UK government bailout thwarted its international ambitions.” Before the financial crisis in 2008, HSBC topped the list, Citi placed second and RBS third, measured by capital strength. Said The Banker, “Chinese banks are powering ahead in the ranking. China now has three banks in the top five places, with Bank of China moving from seventh place to fourth, and China Construction Bank staying in second place. Agricultural Bank of China moved up from ninth place to sixth. The top four Chinese banks are also the world’s most profitable. Combined profits from all Chinese banks in the ranking are almost double those of US rivals and 10 times bigger than those of UK banks. In 2008, both UK and US banks were more profitable than their Chinese counterparts.” However, Chinese banks are not taking as much global market share as their predecessors. ICBC, which tops the ranking for the third year in a row, is aiming

to have 10 per cent of its assets outside China in five years’ time. But this is small in comparison with the global banks in their heyday. Editor of The Banker, Brian Caplen, said: “At one time the ambition of the largest banks was to have operations in all parts of the world and across all business sectors. Now they are focussing on a few areas in a bid to restore profitability. We may have seen the end of the global bank.” The rankings further showed that, “While global banks are cutting back on employees – Citigroup has reduced staff by 12 per cent since 2011 and HSBC by nearly 8per cent with further losses to come – China’s ICBC and in contrast China Construction Bank have each increased staff by 13per cent over the same period. China’s big four banks now employ 1.6 million – 1.5 times more than the number employed by the big four US banks. In most areas of the world banks increased their profits. Suffering heavy losses in 2012 and 2013, Eurozone banks have increased their profits by 123 per cent from a low base. African banks increased profits by 18per cent, Latin American banks by 17 per cent and Asian banks by 7.5per cent. Asian banks account for more than half of total world profits. “The worst performance was in central and Eastern Europe where profits plummeted 69per cent, largely due to falls in the value of the Russian and Ukrainian currencies.”

Business | Financial Market News

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

1-Jul-15

The DQL contains data relating to, amongst other things, market and model prices, rates of foreign exchange products, fixed income securities and instruments in the financial market (the “Information”). The Information does not constitute professional, financial or investment advice. We attempt to ensure the Information is accurate; however, the Information is provided “AS IS” and on an “AS AVAILABLE” basis and may not be accurate or up to date. We do not guarantee the accuracy, timeliness, completeness, performance or fitness for a particular purpose of any of the Information, neither do we accept liability for the results of any action taken on the basis of the Information.

Bonds FGN Bonds

Price

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description ^13.05 16-AUG-2016 ^15.10 27-APR-2017 9.85 27-JUL-2017 9.35 31-AUG-2017 10.70 30-MAY-2018 ^16.00 29-JUN-2019 7.00 23-OCT-2019 ^15.54 13-FEB-2020 ^16.39 27-JAN-2022 ^14.20 14-MAR-2024 15.00 28-NOV-2028 12.49 22-MAY-2029 8.50 20-NOV-2029 ^10.00 23-JUL-2030 ^12.1493 18-JUL-2034

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

16-Aug-13 27-Apr-12 27-Jul-07 31-Aug-07 30-May-08 29-Jun-12 23-Oct-09 13-Feb-15 27-Jan-12 14-Mar-14 28-Nov-08 22-May-09 20-Nov-09 23-Jul-10 18-Jul-14

13.05 15.10 9.85 9.35 10.70 16.00 7.00 15.54 16.39 14.20 15.00 12.49 8.50 10.00 12.1493

581.39 476.80 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 233.73 600.00 599.99 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 324.50

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,838.17

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,421.77

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

16-Aug-16 27-Apr-17 27-Jul-17 31-Aug-17 30-May-18 29-Jun-19 23-Oct-19 13-Feb-20 27-Jan-22 14-Mar-24 28-Nov-28 22-May-29 20-Nov-29 23-Jul-30 18-Jul-34

1.13 1.82 2.07 2.17 2.91 4.00 4.31 4.62 6.58 8.70 13.41 13.89 14.39 15.06 19.05

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

14.50 14.73 14.77 14.78 14.82 14.85 14.92 14.90 14.71 14.66 16.20 16.42 16.67 15.56 14.82

14.35 14.63 14.68 14.69 14.75 14.75 14.81 14.81 14.64 14.60 16.14 16.36 16.58 15.49 14.77

98.50 100.51 91.46 90.20 90.51 103.38 75.43 102.02 106.90 97.71 93.45 78.68 55.87 68.00 83.12

98.65 100.66 91.61 90.35 90.66 103.68 75.73 102.32 107.20 98.01 93.75 78.98 56.17 68.30 83.42

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Modelled Price

03-Apr-12 09-Dec-11 20-Apr-12 06-Jul-12

17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

2.10 112.22 116.70 66.49

03-Apr-17 08-Dec-16 19-Apr-17 06-Jul-17

0.76 1.44 1.80 2.01

2.94 1.39 1.00 1.00

17.29 15.97 15.72 15.77

100.02 100.00 104.40 101.00

Agency Bonds FMBN ***LCRM

17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 08-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 19-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

297.52

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

303.31

Sub-National Bonds A/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.17

4.44

16.66

99.23

A-/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

2.16

30-Sep-15

0.25

3.23

17.01

98.97

BBB+/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

2.60

30-Jun-16

0.75

4.46

18.81

96.80

‡ /Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

3.96

30-Jun-16

0.76

3.48

17.83

98.43

A+/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

1.80

1.00

15.72

91.28

‡ /Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

21.24

30-Jun-17

1.29

1.00

15.44

98.12

‡ /Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

2.50

1.79

16.59

94.88

‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

30.81

30-Sep-18

1.88

1.80

16.54

96.10

Bb-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

1.90

1.00

15.74

97.24

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

14.50

12.40

09-Dec-18

2.08

1.00

15.77

97.85

Bb-/Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

9.21

12-Dec-18

2.08

4.78

19.55

91.16

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR

*ONDO

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

27.00

14-Feb-19

2.07

1.00

15.77

99.50

BBB+/Agusto; A-/GCR Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

*GOMBE LAGOS

15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019

BBB-/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019

02-Oct-12 22-Nov-12 12-Dec-12

15.50 14.50 14.75

15.09 80.00 24.74

02-Oct-19 22-Nov-19 12-Dec-19

2.50 4.39 2.57

2.02 1.00 1.00

16.82 15.93 15.80

97.41 95.55 97.90

BBB-/Agusto

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020

10-Oct-13

14.75

10.78

10-Oct-20

3.01

1.82

16.64

95.81

Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

13.50 LAGOS 27-NOV-2020

27-Nov-13

13.50

87.50

27-Nov-20

5.41

1.00

15.84

91.68

A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro

KOGI

15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020

31-Dec-13

15.00

5.00

31-Dec-20

5.50

1.00

15.82

97.05

‡ /Agusto A-/GCR

*EKITI *NASARAWA

14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021

31-Dec-13

14.50

4.30

31-Dec-20

3.34

1.00

15.84

96.76

06-Jan-14

15.00

4.56

06-Jan-21

3.19

1.00

15.83

98.07

99.65

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

440.84 418.72

Corporate Bonds BBB+/Agusto BBB-/Agusto

*UPDC

10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015

17-Aug-10

10.00

2.50

17-Aug-15

0.13

1.00

12.53

*FLOURMILLS

12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015

09-Dec-10

12.00

9.38

09-Dec-15

0.44

1.00

15.36

98.60

BB/GCR

*CHELLARAMS

14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016

06-Jan-11

14.00

0.42

06-Jan-16

0.27

2.63

16.49

99.42

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016

29-Sep-11

13.00

15.00

29-Sep-16

1.25

1.00

15.40

97.31

A-/Agusto

FSDH

14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

25-Oct-16

1.32

1.34

15.81

98.15

A/GCR

UBA

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017

30-Sep-10

13.00

20.00

30-Sep-17

2.25

1.00

15.78

94.84

BBB-/GCR

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.56

30-Nov-17

1.48

1.88

16.51

102.58

Nil

*C & I LEASING *DANA#{r}

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

09-Apr-11

16.00

5.40

09-Apr-18

1.52

1.00

15.65

100.39

A-/DataPro†; B+/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

18.00

2.54

09-Sep-18

1.69

1.00

15.69

103.11

AAA/DataPro†; A/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.70

09-Sep-18

1.69

1.00

15.69

100.36

A+/Agusto; A/GCR

UBA

14.00 UBA II 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

30-Sep-18

3.25

3.00

17.84

90.76

BBB+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.10

18-Oct-18

1.80

2.29

17.01

98.09

BBB-/DataPro†; BB/GCR

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

17-Feb-12

18.00

0.36

17-Feb-19

1.88

6.11

20.85

95.97

Nil

*DANA#{r}

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

2.50

2.16

16.96

98.07

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

5.37

2.76

17.60

91.98

BBB/GCR

FCMB

14.25 FCMB I 20-NOV-2021

20-Nov-14

14.25

26.00

20-Nov-21

6.39

1.80

16.49

91.32

A/GCR

UBA

16.45 UBA I 30-DEC-2021

30-Dec-14

16.45

30.50

30-Dec-21

6.50

2.63

17.30

96.76

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

182D T.bills+1.20 STANBIC IA 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

16.29

0.10

30-Sep-24

9.25

1.00

15.75

102.53

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

13.25

15.44

30-Sep-24

9.25

1.00

15.75

87.99

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

178.07

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

167.87

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

IFC

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

11-Feb-18

2.62

1.00

15.80

88.34

Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P

AfDB

11.25 AFDB 1-FEB-2021

10-Jul-14

11.25

12.95

01-Feb-21

4.75

1.00

15.92

81.04

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

24.95 21.10

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value ($mm)

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

5.99

5.79

103.53

104.51

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

5.00

4.64

100.35

101.35

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

6.30

6.14

100.46

101.48

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

BB-/Fitch; B+/S&P BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,521.70

Corporate Eurobonds B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

5.99

101.25

B+/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

7.51

99.50

B/Fitch; B/S&P

FIDELITY BANK PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

11.20

10.20

89.71

91.95

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

7.63

7.24

95.25

96.36

B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P

ZENITH BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

7.24

96.75

B/Fitch; B/S&P

DIAMOND BANK PLC

8.75 May 21, 2019

21-May-14

8.75

200.00

21-May-19

10.22

9.66

95.37

97.09

B-/Fitch; B/S&P B-/Fitch; B/S&P B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK PLC ACCESS BANK PLC II FIRST BANK LTD

8.25 AUG 07, 2020 9.25/6M USD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021 8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021

07-Aug-13 24-Jun-14 23-Jul-14

8.25 9.25 8.00

300.00 400.00 450.00

07-Aug-20 24-Jun-21 23-Jul-21

9.29 10.58 9.54

9.29 10.26 9.54

95.25 94.53 92.33

95.25 95.88 92.33

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

10.54

10.06

91.38

93.38

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

3,650.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

3,486.91

**Treasury Bills^ DTM 8 15 22 29 36 43 57 64

FIXINGS Maturity 9-Jul-15 16-Jul-15 23-Jul-15 30-Jul-15 6-Aug-15 13-Aug-15 27-Aug-15 3-Sep-15

Bid Discount (%) 10.24 10.29 10.57 10.29 10.39 12.24 11.97 12.18

Offer Discount (%) 9.99 10.04 10.32 10.04 10.14 11.99 11.72 11.93

Bid Yield (%) 10.26 10.33 10.64 10.37 10.50 12.41 12.20 12.45

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 8.5000 14.8801 16.2136 17.0458

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

7.25

O/N Tenor Call 1M

7.67

REPO

Rate (%) 7.25 7.50

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M 3M

198.60 201.81 202.13 202.87 204.24 205.60

198.70 201.93 202.28 203.37 205.31 207.21

Rating/Agency

Description

Issuer

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

# Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Modelled Price

03-Apr-12 09-Dec-11 20-Apr-12 06-Jul-12

17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

2.10 112.22 116.70 66.49

03-Apr-17 08-Dec-16 19-Apr-17 06-Jul-17

0.76 1.44 1.80 2.01

2.94 1.39 1.00 1.00

17.29 15.97 15.72 15.77

100.02 100.00 104.40 101.00

Agency Bonds 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 08-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 19-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

FMBN ***LCRM

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

297.52

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

303.31

Business | Financial Market News

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 Sub-National Bonds

A/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.17

4.44

16.66

99.23

A-/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

2.16

30-Sep-15

0.25

3.23

17.01

98.97

BBB+/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

2.60

30-Jun-16

0.75

4.46

18.81

96.80

‡ /Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

3.96

30-Jun-16

0.76

3.48

17.83

98.43

A+/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

1.80

1.00

15.72

91.28

13.75

21.24

30-Jun-17

1.29

1.00

15.44

98.12

Stock market begins Q3 on negative track ‡ /Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

‡ /Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

2.50

1.79

16.59

94.88

‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

30.81

30-Sep-18

1.88

1.80

16.54

96.10

04-Oct-11 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018 The twin14.00 market per- the market capitalisation 09-Dec-11 ‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR† *EKITI 14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018 LOW formance measures, the appreciated by N203 bil12-Dec-13 Bb-/Agusto *NIGER 14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018 ‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR *ONDO ONDO 14-FEB-2019 NSE ASI and15.50 market capi- lion or 1.7 per cent 14-Feb-12 from CONFIDENCE 02-Oct-12 BBB+/Agusto; A-/GCR *GOMBE 15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 talisation dropped by 1.7 N11.421 trillion to N11.218 Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR LAGOS 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019 22-Nov-12 Market closes per cent on 14.75 theOSUN back of trillion. 12-Dec-12 BBB-/Agusto; BBB+/GCR *OSUN 12-DEC-2019 10-Oct-13 BBB-/Agusto *OSUN 14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020 blue chip companies. Further analysis of the downwards with a LAGOS 27-Nov-13 Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR 13.50 LAGOS 27-NOV-2020 The market had in the day’s trading showed that 31-Dec-13 A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro 15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020 loss of N203billionKOGI 31-Dec-13 previous day closed the Livestock Feeds Nigeria ‡ /Agusto *EKITI 14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 06-Jan-14 A-/GCR *NASARAWA 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021 second quarter of the Plc topped the gainers’ TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE year with good numbers, table with 4.63 per cent to TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Stories by Chris Ugwu as bargain hunters took close at N2.26 per share, Corporate Bonds while Sterling Bank Plc rading activi- investment positions. 10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015 BBB+/Agusto *UPDC At the close of trading, followed with 4.5017-Aug-10 per ties on the floor 12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 BBB-/Agusto 09-Dec-10 *FLOURMILLS 13 stocks appreciated, cent to close at N2.09 per of the Nigerian 14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016 BB/GCR 06-Jan-11 *CHELLARAMS 13.00 constitutNAHCO 29-SEP-2016 share. Seven Up Bottling while 39 others Exchange A+/Agusto; Stock A-/GCR 29-Sep-11 NAHCO FSDH 25-OCT-2016 Company Plc gained A-/Agustoyesterday opened 25-Oct-13 FSDH ed the losers’14.25 table. 3.85 (NSE) 13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017 A/GCR 30-Sep-10 UBA The twin market indiper cent to close at N187.00 the first month of the 18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 BBB-/GCR 30-Nov-12 *C & I LEASING cators, the All-Share per share. third quarter (Q3) of 2015 MPR+7.00 DANA In9-APR-2018 09-Apr-11 Nil *DANA TOWER 9-SEP-2018 On the flip side,09-Sep-11 B+/GCR *TOWER dex dropped MPR+7.00 by 593.4 basis NeiinA-/DataPro†; a red trajectory followMPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 09-Sep-11 AAA/DataPro†; A/GCR *TOWER points or 1.7 per cent from meth Health Care Niing low investors’ confi14.00 UBA II 30-SEP-2018 A+/Agusto; A/GCR 30-Sep-11 UBA dence, which eroded *LA the 33,456.83 the previous day geria Plc led the losers’ 15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 BBB+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR 18-Oct-13 CASERA MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS 17-FEB-2019 BBB-/DataPro†; BB/GCRgain. *CHELLARAMS previous day’s to close at 32,863.43, while IIchart with a drop of17-Feb-12 7.91 Bb-/Agusto; A-/GCR

14.00 9.00 per cent to close at 12.40 N1.28 14.50 per share, while Evans 14.00 9.21 15.50Plc shed five 27.00 Medicals per 15.50 15.09 cent to14.50 close at N4.96 per 80.00 share.14.75 UBN Plc followed 24.74 14.75per cent to10.78 with 4.90 close 13.50 87.50 at 9.31 15.00 per share. 5.00 4.30 On 14.50 the activity chart, 15.00 4.56 the Banking sub-sector 440.84 dominated in volume 418.72 terms with 237.8 million shares worth N2.7 billion 2.50 in 1,77210.00 deals. The sub-sec12.00 9.38 tor was enhanced by 14.00 0.42the activities 13.00 in the shares 15.00 of 5.53AcZenith14.25 Bank Plc and 13.00 20.00 cess Bank Plc. 18.00 0.56 Other sub16.00 financial 5.40 2.54 sector18.00sector boosted 0.70 by the16.00 activities on the 14.00 35.00 shares15.75 of FBNH Plc 2.10fol0.36 lowed 18.00 with 24.03 million

NIGER

#{r}

Nil

*DANA#{r}

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

20-Nov-14

14.25

26.00

30-Dec-14

16.45

30.50

30-Sep-14

16.29

0.10

30-Sep-14

13.25

15.44

Mobile financial services: CWG, firm set for Africa

omputer Warehouse 14.25 FCMB I 20-NOV-2021 BBB/GCR FCMB 16.45 UBA I 30-DEC-2021 moA/GCR Group Plc’s (CWG) UBA 182D T.bills+1.20 STANBIC IA 30-SEP-2024 A/GCR bile financial STANBIC IBTC Services 13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024 A/GCR STANBIC IBTC partnership with CIT VeriTOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE cash, is set to power the mobile TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION financial services of one of Supranational the largest Bond banks in Nigeria 10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 AAA/S&P IFC with plans for full scale Africa- ber one Technology Platform 11.25 AFDB 1-FEB-2021 Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P AfDB wide deployment in the com- Provider, the increasing pace of TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE ing months, founder and Chief roll out of platform solutions and TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Executive Officer of CWG, Mr. growth in subscriber numbers Austin Rating/Agency Okeke, has said. are clear pointersDescription of reaching Issuer He said this this at the compa- that ambitious goal sooner than FGN10th Eurobonds ny’s Annual General Meet- later,” he said. 6.75 JAN 28, 2021 comBB-/Fitch; B+/S&P ing (AGM) in Lagos. Okere reiterated the Okeke said CWG and its conpany’s commitment to continue BB-/Fitch; FGN 5.13 JUL 12, 2018 BB-/S&P sortium partners have started its focus in developing new lines BB-/Fitch; 6.38 JUL 12, 2023 their first phase of the deploy- of businesses, under the CWG2.0 BB-/S&P ment of a unique third party model, which according to him, TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE insurance management system are better positioned to withTOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION for one of the largest states in stand macroeconomic shocks, Corporate Eurobonds Nigeria. especially those relating to for7.50 MAY 19, 2016 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC I He said that the system is pro- eign exchange movements. 7.25 JUL 25, 2017 B+/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC jected to help the stateFIDELITY generate He listed the6.88 new products MAY 09, 2018 B/Fitch; B/S&P BANK PLC to include the flagship CWGsignificant revenue while ensur6.00 NOV 08, 2018 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC 6.25 APR 22, 2019 B+/Fitch; ZENITH BANK PLC ing thatBB-/S&P the public gets benefit SMERP, the cloud-based Enter8.75 May 21, 2019 B/Fitch; B/S&P DIAMOND BANK PLC for their mandatory third party prise Resource Planning (ERP) 8.25 AUG 07, 2020 B-/Fitch; B/S&P FIRST BANK PLC insurance on their vehicles. product for SMEs, the award9.25/6M USD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021 B-/Fitch; B/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC II “While numwinning 8.00/2Y Openshopen.ng, USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 e2021 B-/Fitch; B/S&Pnot yet Africa’s FIRST BANK LTD B-/S&P

14-Aug-14

8.75

97.24 changed15.74 a total of 323.5 1.00 15.77 97.85 million shares valued at 4.78 19.55 91.16 1.00N4.7 billion 15.77 in 4,090 99.50 deals.

02-Oct-19 22-Nov-19 12-Dec-19

2.50 4.39 2.57

2.02 1.00 1.00

16.82 15.93 15.80

97.41 95.55 97.90

10-Oct-20

3.01

1.82

16.64

95.81

27-Nov-20

5.41

1.00

15.84

91.68

31-Dec-20

5.50

1.00

15.82

31-Dec-20

3.34

1.00

15.84

96.76

06-Jan-21

3.19

1.00

15.83

98.07

97.05

nity holders of of N115.20 million. Legacy Equity Also, the Fund recordFund sharehold- ed a net profit of N92.81 99.65 as at 30th June ers17-Aug-15 at their 4th0.13Annual 1.00million12.53 09-Dec-15 0.44 1.00 15.36 98.60 General Meeting (AGM) 2014. 06-Jan-16 0.27 2.63 16.49 99.42 approved a dividend of 1.00 Speaking at the97.31 AGM, 29-Sep-16 1.25 15.40 25-Oct-16per share 1.32 for the 1.34the Managing 15.81 98.15 87 kobo Director of 30-Sep-17 2.25 1.00 15.78 94.84 financial year 2014. CSL Stockbrokers Limit30-Nov-17 1.48 1.88 16.51 102.58 The Balo09-Apr-18dividend 1.52is 8.75 1.00ed, Mr. Olugboyega 15.65 100.39 1.69 15.69 per09-Sep-18 cent higher than the 8 1.00gun, said that the103.11 Legacy 09-Sep-18 1.69 15.69 100.36 kobo that was paid in the 1.00 Equity Fund continues to 30-Sep-18 3.25 3.00 17.84 90.76 previous for all 18-Oct-18 Fund year. 1.80 Given 2.29create real 17.01 value98.09 17-Feb-19 20.85 95.97 that the average1.88 inflation 6.11unit-holders. 01-Apr-19 rate in the Fund2.50 year was 2.16 This 16.96 according 98.07 to him, 14-Nov-20 5.37 2.76 17.60 91.98 of the com8 per cent, the 6.39 dividend 1.80is a reflection 20-Nov-21 16.49 91.32 represents a real 6.50 return of 2.63pany’s 17.30 commitment to 30-Dec-21 96.76 9.25 1.00delivering 15.75 “best-in-class” 102.53 0.7530-Sep-24 per cent to investors. 30-Sep-24 9.25 15.75 87.99 The dividend of 87 1.00performance to investors, kobo per unit is payable to who have entrusted the unit holders of the Fund firm with their savings. whose names appeared in The Chief Executive 2.62 1.00 88.34 Officer 15.80 of First City Asthe11-Feb-18 Register of members 01-Feb-21 4.75 1.00 15.92 81.04 at the close of business on set Management LimitFriday, June 19, 2015, with ed, Mr James Ilori, stated effective dividend pay- that the recent approval ment date 7,(%)2015. granted Maturity Date of July Bid Yield Offer Yield (%) Bidby Pricethe Securities Offer Price In a statement made & Exchange Commission & Yields available by the company’s Prices (SEC) for the revised Fund 28-Jan-21 103.53 104.51 management, the5.99 meeting 5.79Strategy , should positivealso12-Jul-18 considered the report ly impact Fund perfor5.00 4.64 100.35 101.35 and financial statements mance. 12-Jul-23 6.30 is be- 6.14 of the Fund, which “We 100.46 aim to 101.48 outpering managed by First City form the benchmark, Asset Management Lim- the Nigerian Stock Exited (a subsidiary of CSL change All-share index, Stockbrokers Limited, a on an on-going basis, at 19-May-16 5.99 101.25 101.25 member of FCMB Group, 5.99relatively lower volatility 25-Jul-17 7.51 7.51 99.50 99.50 Plc), for the year ended 10.20of returns. At First City 02-May-18 11.20 89.71 91.95 June 30, 2014. Asset Management 08-Nov-18 7.63 7.24 95.25 96.36Lim22-Apr-19 7.24results 7.24ited, we 96.75 In the audited continue96.75 to em10.22 97.09 for21-May-19 the year ended June 30, 9.66phasise95.37 talent, teamwork, 07-Aug-20 9.29 9.29 95.25 95.25 2014, Legacy Equity Fund 10.26 innovation, integrity and 24-Jun-21 10.58 94.53 95.88 consistency ,” he said. recorded a gross income 23-Jul-21 9.54 9.54 92.33 92.33

178.07 167.87

250.00

14-Aug-21

10.54

10.06

3,650.00

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1.00

Legacy Equity Fund owners get 87k dividend

11-Feb-13 10.20 commerce technology platform 12.00 10-Jul-14 11.25 12.95 and CWG-SES Teleport Services. 24.95 Okere said being Intellec21.10 tual property locally developed, Outstanding Value implemented by Issue Date and supported Coupon (%) ($mm) CWG, the business growth and profitability are immune from 07-Oct-11 the shocks of foreign6.75 exchange 500.00 fluctuation. 12-Jul-13 5.13 500.00 Also addressing the share12-Jul-13 6.38 holders, the company’s Acting 500.00 Chairman, Mr. Abiodun Fawun- 1,500.00 mi, said: “CWG Plc made signif- 1,521.70 icant progress in her key business objective for 2014, which was to19-May-11 scale out the 7.50 subscrip- 500.00 25-Jul-12 7.25 350.00 tion business in order6.88to be the 300.00 09-May-13 number one technology platform 08-Nov-13 6.00 400.00 22-Apr-14 6.25 a busi500.00 provider in Africa by 2015, 21-May-14 8.75 ness model that would provide 200.00 07-Aug-13 predictability , as well8.25 as ensure 300.00 24-Jun-14 9.25 400.00 annuity revenues”. 23-Jul-14 8.00 450.00

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

04-Oct-18 1.90 units worth N161.2 mil09-Dec-18 2.08 lion in 622 deals. 12-Dec-18 2.08 14-Feb-19 2.07 In all, investors ex-

91.38

93.38

1-Jul-15

3,486.91

The DQL contains data relating to, amongst other things, market and model prices, rates of foreign exchange products, fixed income securities and instruments in the financial market (the “Information”). The Information does not constitute **Treasury Bills^ FIXINGS Money Market (Spot & Forwards) professional,DTM financial or investment advice. We attempt to ensure the Information isOffer accurate; however, theBid Information is provided “AS IS” and on an “AS AVAILABLE”Tenor basis and mayRate not be accurateForeign or up toExchange date. We do not guarantee Maturity Bid Discount (%) Discount (%) Yield (%) (%) NIBOR the accuracy, 8timeliness, completeness,9-Jul-15 performance or fitness for10.24 a particular purpose of9.99 any of the Information, neither do we accept liability for the results of any action taken on the basis of the Information. 10.26 15 22 29 FGN Bonds 36 43 57 Rating/Agency 64 71 85 92 106 120 134 148 155 162 169 NA 176 190 197 204 211 218 225 232 239 246 TOTAL OUTSTANDING 260

VALUE

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION 267

16-Jul-15 23-Jul-15 30-Jul-15 6-Aug-15 13-Aug-15 27-Aug-15 Issuer 3-Sep-15 10-Sep-15 24-Sep-15 1-Oct-15 15-Oct-15 29-Oct-15 12-Nov-15 26-Nov-15 3-Dec-15 10-Dec-15 17-Dec-15 NA 24-Dec-15 7-Jan-16 14-Jan-16 21-Jan-16 28-Jan-16 4-Feb-16 11-Feb-16 18-Feb-16 25-Feb-16 3-Mar-16 17-Mar-16

10.29 10.57 10.29 10.39 12.24 11.97 Description 12.18 12.43 ^13.05 16-AUG-2016 12.35 13.12 ^15.10 27-APR-2017 13.60 9.85 27-JUL-2017 13.66 9.35 31-AUG-2017 13.72 10.70 30-MAY-2018 13.80 ^16.00 29-JUN-2019 12.53 7.00 23-OCT-2019 13.61 12.24 ^15.54 13-FEB-2020 13.60 ^16.39 27-JAN-2022 12.68 ^14.20 14-MAR-2024 13.73 15.00 28-NOV-2028 13.60 12.49 22-MAY-2029 13.55 13.60 8.50 20-NOV-2029 13.69 ^10.00 23-JUL-2030 13.75 ^12.1493 18-JUL-2034 13.81 13.57 13.76

10.04 10.32 10.04 10.14 11.99 11.72 Issue Date 11.93 12.18 16-Aug-13 12.10 12.87 27-Apr-12 13.35 27-Jul-07 13.41 31-Aug-07 13.47 30-May-08 13.55 29-Jun-12 12.28 23-Oct-09 13.36 11.99 13-Feb-15 13.35 27-Jan-12 12.43 14-Mar-14 13.48 28-Nov-08 13.35 22-May-09 13.30 13.35 20-Nov-09 13.44 23-Jul-10 13.50 18-Jul-14 13.56 13.32 13.51

10.33 10.64 10.37 10.50 12.41 12.20 Coupon (%) 12.45 12.74 13.05 12.71 13.57 15.10 14.16 9.85 14.30 9.35 14.44 10.70 14.61 16.00 13.23 7.00 14.48 12.97 15.54 14.55 16.39 13.57 14.20 14.82 15.00 14.72 12.49 14.70 14.80 8.50 14.96 10.00 15.07 12.1493 15.18 14.94 15.25

Bonds

24-Mar-16

13.56

13.31

15.06

281

7-Apr-16

13.35

13.10

14.88

295

21-Apr-16

13.31

309 Rating/Agency

5-May-16 Issuer

12.92

337

2-Jun-16

12.68

Description

Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 8.5000 14.8801 16.2136 17.0458

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

7.25

O/N

7.67

REPO

Maturity Date

NITTY

581.39

Tenor 476.80 1M 20.00 2M 100.00 3M 300.00 6M 351.30 9M 233.90 12M

OBB

16-Aug-16

Rate (%) 27-Apr-17 11.8438 27-Jul-17 13.0747 31-Aug-17 13.4151 30-May-18 13.7495 29-Jun-19 13.9062 23-Oct-19 14.1091

233.73 13-Feb-20 600.00 27-Jan-22 NIFEX 599.99 14-Mar-24 75.00 28-Nov-28 Current Price ($/N) 22-May-29 BID($/N) 150.00 198.9500 OFFER ($/N) 199.0500 200.00 20-Nov-29 591.57 23-Jul-30 324.50 18-Jul-34

Tenor Call TTM (Yrs) 1M 3M 1.13 6M

Bid 7.50 Yield (%)

Rate (%) 7.25 7.75

Tenor

Spot 7D 14D 1M Offer 2MYield 3M (%) 6M 14.35 1Y

14.50 8.00 1.82 14.73 14.63 2.07 14.77 14.68 NOTE: 2.17 14.78 14.69 :Benchmarks 2.91 14.82 14.75 * :Amortising Bond 4.00 Bond 14.85 14.75 µ :Convertible AMCON: Asset of Nigeria 4.31 Management Corporation 14.92 14.81 FGN: Federal Nigeria 4.62Government of 14.90 14.81 FMBN: Federal of Nigeria 6.58 Mortgage Bank 14.71 14.64 IFC: International Finance Corporation 8.70 14.66 14.60 LCRM: Local Contractors Receivables Management 13.41 Aviation Handling 16.20 Company 16.14 NAHCO: Nigerian 13.89 16.42 16.36 O/N: Overnight UPDC: UAC Property Development 14.39 16.67 Company 16.58 WAPCO:West Africa Portland Cement Company 15.06 15.56 15.49 19.05 14.82 14.77

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

198.60 198.70 201.81 201.93 Price 202.28 202.13 202.87 203.37 204.24 205.31 Bid Price Offer Price 205.60 207.21 206.28 213.47 98.50 98.65 220.29 226.27

100.51 100.66 91.46 91.61 90.20 90.35 NA :Not Applicable 90.51 90.66 ^ : Market Prices 103.38 # : Floating Rate Bond 103.68 75.43 coupon bonds 75.73 ***: Deferred 102.02 102.32 ‡ : Bond rating under review 106.90 107.20 †: Bond rating expired 97.71 98.01 N/A :Not Available 93.45 {r} :Issuer in receivership93.75 78.68 78.98 NGC: Nigeria-German Company 55.87 56.17 UBA: United Bank for Africa 68.00 68.30 83.12 83.42

4,838.17 4,421.77

13.06

14.91

12.67

14.50 Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

# Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Modelled Price

03-Apr-12 09-Dec-11 20-Apr-12 06-Jul-12

17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

2.10 112.22 116.70 66.49

03-Apr-17 08-Dec-16 19-Apr-17 06-Jul-17

0.76 1.44 1.80 2.01

2.94 1.39 1.00 1.00

17.29 15.97 15.72 15.77

100.02 100.00 104.40 101.00

12.43

14.36

Agency Bonds bonds, the average life is calculated and not the duration *for the Amortising 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 FMBN Risk Premium is a combination of credit risk and liquidity risk premiums **Exclusive of non-trading t.bills 0.00/16.00 LCRM 08-DEC-2016 #

***LCRM

0.00/16.50 LCRM II 19-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

297.52 FMDQ FGN BOND INDEX 303.31

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Sub-National Bonds

Modified Duration Buckets

Porfolio Market Value(Bn)

A/Agusto

KADUNA

A-/Agusto

*EBONYI

BBB+/Agusto

*BENUE

‡ /Agusto

*IMO

A+/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

‡ /Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

‡ /Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

Bb-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR† Bb-/Agusto ‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR

<3 3<5 >5

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015 842.42 13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015 1,227.66 14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 671.99 15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 2,742.07 10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

Total Outstanding Volume(Bn)

828.10 1,199.99

31-Aug-10 28.13 30-Sep-10 40.76 30-Jun-11 31.11 30-Jun-09 100.00 19-Apr-10

Weighting by Mkt Value

12.50 13.00 14.00

30.72 44.77

Bucket Weighting

8.50 2.16 2.60

0.28 0.41

Implied Yield

31-Aug-15 14.28 30-Sep-15 41.32 30-Jun-16 44.40 30-Jun-16 100.00 19-Apr-17

0.17 14.80 0.25 14.68 0.75 15.26 0.76 14.95 1.80

Implied Portfolio Price

4.44 103.0983 3.23 107.5374 4.46 77.9597 3.48 97.0858 1.00

INDEX

YTD Return (%)

16.66 1,155.11 17.01 1,073.02 18.81 1,095.73 17.83 1,097.06 15.72

99.23 4.2659 98.97 5.9697 96.80 8.8095 98.43 3.9688 91.28

57.00

30-Jun-10

13.75

21.24

30-Jun-17

1.29

1.00

15.44

98.12

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

2.50

1.79

16.59

94.88

30-Sep-11

14.00

30.81

30-Sep-18

1.88

1.80

16.54

96.10

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

1.90

1.00

15.74

97.24

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

14.50

12.40

09-Dec-18

2.08

1.00

15.77

97.85

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

9.21

12-Dec-18

2.08

4.78

19.55

91.16

*ONDO

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

27.00

14-Feb-19

2.07

1.00

15.77

99.50

2,944.15

3.96

0.31

% Exposure_ Mod_Duration

24.51 15.50 100.00 10.00

Market

916.07

Weighting by Outstanding Vol

1.00

Daily Summary as of 01/07/2015

Business | Capital Market

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Printed 01/07/2015 16:16:17.017

Daily Summary as of 01/07/2015 Printed 01/07/2015 16:16:17.017

Daily Summary (Bonds)

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at July 1, 2015

No Debt Trading Activity

Daily Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Activity Summary on Board EQTY AGRICULTURE Crop Production OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC Crop Production Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals

Symbol OKOMUOIL PRESCO

No. of Deals 11 12 23

Current Price 28.76 36.00

Quantity Traded 24,821 148,769 173,590

Value Traded 713,616.05 5,342,729.00 6,056,345.05

Symbol LIVESTOCK

No. of Deals 16 16

Current Price 2.26

Quantity Traded 356,220 356,220

Value Traded 794,886.32 794,886.32

529,810

6,851,231.37

Quantity Traded 1,000 5,562,343 1,304,091 6,867,434

Value Traded 1,400.00 15,137,839.70 55,404,722.89 70,543,962.59

6,867,434

70,543,962.59

AGRICULTURE Totals

CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Daily Summary as of 01/07/2015 Diversified Industries Totals Printed 01/07/2015 16:16:17.017

Symbol AGLEVENT TRANSCORP UACN

No. of Deals 1 79 60 140

CONGLOMERATES Totals

Current Price 1.47 2.76 42.25

140

ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC Computer Based Systems Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Page

Building Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. Building Structure/Completion/Other Totals

Symbol COSTAIN

No. of Deals 10 10

Current Price 0.78

Quantity Traded 407,102 407,102

Infrastructure/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. Infrastructure/Heavy Construction Totals

Symbol JBERGER

No. of Deals 24 24

Current Price 48.50

Quantity Traded 121,500 121,500

Value Traded 5,860,736.23 5,860,736.23

Real Estate Development UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED Real Estate Development Totals

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 19 19

Current Price 10.20

Quantity Traded 366,673 366,673

Value Traded 3,784,466.38 3,784,466.38

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) UPDC REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Totals

Symbol UPDCREIT

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 10.00

Quantity Traded 10,000 10,000

Value Traded 100,000.00 100,000.00

905,275

10,065,002.17

Quantity Traded 17,949 183,519 907,000 3,764,825 4,873,293

Value Traded 116,664.01 29,491,544.72 17,688,200.00 555,820,416.49 603,116,825.22

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals

Daily SummaryGOODS as of 01/07/2015 CONSUMER

Printed 01/07/2015 16:16:17.017 Beverages--Brewers/Distillers

CHAMPION BREW. PLC. GUINNESS NIG PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals

54 Symbol CHAMPION GUINNESS INTBREW NB

Daily Summary

No. of Deals 3 30 17 (Equities) 140 190

Current Price 6.25 160.28 19.50 148.50

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Page

CONSUMER GOODS Beverages--Non-Alcoholic 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals

Value Traded 319,799.56 319,799.56

Symbol 7UP

No. of Deals 28 28

Current Price 186.00

Quantity Traded 198,186 198,186

Value Traded 35,705,518.40 35,705,518.40

Food Products DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. Food Products Totals

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR NASCON NNFM

No. of Deals 52 50 67 8 30 1 208

Current Price 3.80 6.65 33.50 3.50 7.69 18.05

Quantity Traded 2,214,264 3,579,988 683,491 287,544 559,751 20,760 7,345,798

Value Traded 8,433,079.33 24,068,713.00 22,951,051.73 1,005,164.60 4,418,147.60 356,034.00 61,232,190.26

Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. Food Products--Diversified Totals

Symbol CADBURY NESTLE

No. of Deals 31 140 171

Current Price 35.05 850.00

Quantity Traded 263,739 644,080 907,819

Value Traded 9,395,244.36 547,409,736.12 556,804,980.48

Household Durables VITAFOAM NIG PLC. VONO PRODUCTS PLC. Household Durables Totals

Symbol VITAFOAM VONO

No. of Deals 11 3 14

Current Price 5.59 1.09

Quantity Traded 224,259 3,666 227,925

Value Traded 1,238,413.37 3,952.60 1,242,365.97

Symbol

No. of Deals 29 44

Current Price 30.45 44.00

Quantity Traded 105,512 694,773

Value Traded 3,246,507.53 30,481,195.72

Daily Summary as of 01/07/2015

Printed 01/07/2015 16:16:17.017

Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC.

Daily PZ Summary (Equities) UNILEVER

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Page

CONSUMER GOODS Personal/Household Products Personal/Household Products Totals

Symbol

No. of Deals 73

CONSUMER GOODS Totals FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. DIAMOND BANK PLC ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED FIDELITY BANK PLC GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC UNION BANK NIG.PLC. UNITY BANK PLC Daily Summary as of 01/07/2015 WEMA BANK PLC. Printed 01/07/2015 16:16:17.017 ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Banking Totals Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services AFRICAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC

Current Price

684

Micro-Finance Banks NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC

Micro-Finance Banks Totals Daily Summary as of 01/07/2015 Printed 01/07/2015 16:16:17.017 Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services ABBEY MORTGAGE BANK PLC Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © FINANCIAL SERVICES Other Financial Institutions CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC FBN HOLDINGS PLC FCMB GROUP PLC. ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UBA CAPITAL PLC Other Financial Institutions Totals

HEALTHCARE Healthcare Providers UNION DIAGNOSTIC & CLINICAL SERVICES PLC Healthcare Providers Totals Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC PHARMA-DEKO PLC. Pharmaceuticals Totals HEALTHCARE Totals Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Symbol

No. of Deals 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 1,000

Value Traded 500.00

Symbol CHAMS

No. of Deals 6 6

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 2,500,000 2,500,000

Value Traded 1,250,000.00 1,250,000.00

2,501,200

1,252,594.00 Value Traded 1,295.00 3,453,540.39 446,958.00 102,711.15 835,192.88 39,905,517.70 138,024.90 67,756,435.19 112,639,675.21

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials AFRICAN PAINTS (NIGERIA) PLC. ASHAKA CEM PLC BERGER PAINTS PLC CAPas PLC Daily Summary of 01/07/2015 CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC Printed 01/07/2015 16:16:17.017 DANGOTE CEMENT PLC PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. Building Materials Totals

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Electronic and Electrical Products CUTIX PLC. Electronic and Electrical Products Totals Packaging/Containers BETA GLASS CO PLC. GREIF NIGERIA PLC Packaging/Containers Totals

8 Symbol AFRPAINTS ASHAKACEM BERGER CAP CCNN DANGCEM PORTPAINT WAPCO

Daily Summary

No. of Deals 1 22 1 3 14 47 4 38 (Equities) 130

Current Price 2.72 22.60 11.24 41.00 10.71 172.00 4.45 103.00

Quantity Traded 500 154,789 41,850 2,637 76,114 230,520 32,630 665,156 1,204,196

No. of Deals

Current Price

Quantity Traded

Symbol

OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Energy Equipment and Services Totals

Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals Courier/Freight/Delivery Daily Summary as of 01/07/2015 RED STAR EXPRESS PLC Printed 01/07/2015 16:16:17.017 TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC.

No. of Deals 32 7 3 1 3 1 8 1 34 2 1 5 9 108

Current Price 0.92 1.00 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 2.83 0.50 0.72 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

Quantity Traded Page 1,318,372 86,784 580,200 38,000 1,000,000 400,000 76,672 5,000 3,159,216 50,000 888 1,000,000 315,115 8,031,247

11 4Value Traded of 1,213,633.66 86,416.00 290,100.00 19,000.00 500,000.00 200,000.00 214,328.32 2,500.00 2,277,175.52 25,000.00 444.00 500,000.00 157,557.50 5,486,655.00

Symbol NPFMCRFBK

No. of Deals 20 20

Current Price 1.05

Quantity Traded 391,555 391,555

Value Traded 405,238.10 405,238.10

Symbol ABBEYBDS

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 1.25

Quantity Traded 1,000 1,000

Value Traded 1,190.00 1,190.00

Symbol AFRIPRUD

No. of Deals 39

Current Price 2.70

Quantity Traded 523,390

Value Traded 1,431,921.59

Symbol CUSTODYINS FBNH FCMB ROYALEX STANBIC UBCAP

No. of Deals 5 423 46 2 55 52 622

Current Price 4.00 7.80 3.00 0.50 25.93 1.39

Quantity Traded 313,198 16,834,129 2,940,458 5,000 522,919 2,897,133 24,036,227

Value Traded 1,252,496.00 132,191,659.23 8,709,526.59 2,500.00 13,547,689.77 4,053,297.71 161,189,090.89

270,325,408

2,911,471,188.36

Current Price 1.57

Quantity Traded 4,249 4,249

Value Traded 6,373.50 6,373.50

Symbol BETAGLAS VANLEER

No. of Deals 10 1 11

Current Price 36.00 11.48

Quantity Traded 1,776,612 237 1,776,849

Value Traded 63,688,313.25 2,844.00 63,691,157.25

2,985,294

176,337,205.96

143 Symbol JAPAULOIL

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 521,125 521,125

Value Traded 260,562.50 260,562.50

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 222 222

Current Price 15.60

Quantity Traded 8,985,043 8,985,043

Value Traded 140,906,761.61 140,906,761.61

No. of Deals 1 10 2 74 (Equities) 16

Current Price 0.50 40.85 2.45 188.00 150.00

Quantity Traded 9,206,155 4,125 1,016 472,684 49,495

Value Traded 4,603,077.50 160,366.45 2,458.72 87,413,461.84 7,418,799.61

Symbol BECOPETRO CONOIL ETERNA FO Daily Summary MOBIL

Page

Symbol UNIONDAC

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 100,000 100,000

Value Traded 50,000.00 50,000.00

Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER NEIMETH PHARMDEKO

No. of Deals 4 6 8 16 9 5 48

Current Price 1.15 3.50 44.00 1.50 1.28 2.21

Quantity Traded 255,025 1,436,100 66,727 1,222,754 204,626 178,100 3,363,332

Value Traded 293,978.75 5,012,757.60 2,916,714.00 1,873,131.00 262,401.28 400,231.00 10,759,213.63

3,463,332

10,809,213.63

Symbol MRS TOTAL

No. of Deals 3 16 122

Current Price 50.54 165.00

Quantity Traded 1,756 11,738 9,746,969

Value Traded 84,323.12 1,952,127.50 101,634,614.74

Symbol SEPLAT

No. of Deals 8 8

Current Price 340.06

Quantity Traded 5,697 5,697

Value Traded 1,942,760.00 1,942,760.00

19,258,834

244,744,698.85

354 Symbol AFROMEDIA

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 1,000 1,000

Value Traded 500.00 500.00

Symbol RTBRISCOE

No. of Deals 4 4

Current Price 0.77

Quantity Traded 40,000 40,000

Value Traded 29,600.00 29,600.00

Symbol REDSTAREX TRANSEXPR

No. of Deals 15 1 16

Current Price 5.00 1.27

Quantity Traded 223,020 1,200 224,220

Value Traded 1,104,402.66 1,452.00 1,105,854.66

Symbol

No. of Deals 12

Current Price 0.52

Quantity Traded 163,091

Value Traded 84,807.32

Daily Summary (Equities) CILEASING

Page

Symbol

No. of Deals Current Price 12

Quantity Traded 163,091

Value Traded 84,807.32

Hotels/Lodging IKEJA HOTEL PLC TOURIST COMPANY OF NIGERIA PLC. TRANSCORP HOTELS PLC Hotels/Lodging Totals

Symbol IKEJAHOTEL TOURIST TRANSCOHOT

No. of Deals Current Price 1 3.65 1 3.51 1 8.70 3

Quantity Traded 24,000 100 148 24,248

Value Traded 87,600.00 350.00 1,223.96 89,173.96

Media/Entertainment DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC Media/Entertainment Totals

Symbol DAARCOMM

No. of Deals Current Price 1 0.50 1

Quantity Traded 500,000 500,000

Value Traded 250,000.00 250,000.00

Printing/Publishing ACADEMY PRESS PLC. LEARN AFRICA PLC UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. Printing/Publishing Totals

Symbol ACADEMY LEARNAFRCA UPL

No. of Deals Current Price 3 0.87 5 1.26 14 6.03 22

Quantity Traded 445,000 20,000 348,592 813,592

Value Traded 387,150.00 24,000.00 2,063,843.76 2,474,993.76

Road Transportation

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals Current Price 10 0.50 10

Quantity Traded 402,553 402,553

Value Traded 205,462.50 205,462.50

Symbol No. of Deals Current Price Daily Summary (Equities) AIRSERVICE 8 2.08 NAHCO 17 4.99

Quantity Traded 94,000 107,440

Value Traded 186,920.00 530,506.39

Daily Summary as of 01/07/2015 ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Printed 01/07/2015 16:16:17.017

Road Transportation Totals

No. of Deals 2 2

SERVICES Employment Solutions Employment Solutions Totals

Symbol CUTIX

OIL AND GAS Totals SERVICES Advertising AFROMEDIA PLC Advertising Totals

Value Traded

Page

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals

Symbol AIICO CONTINSURE CORNERST GNI INTENEGINS LINKASSURE MANSARD MBENEFIT NEM NIGERINS SOVRENINS UNIC WAPIC

Processing Systems CHAMS PLC Processing Systems Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

1,291,829,583.58

Value Traded 2,094.00 2,094.00

Exploration and Production SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD Exploration and Production Totals

14,353,306

Page

Quantity Traded 200 200

OIL AND GAS Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals

Value Traded 389,412,109.89 73,326,567.27 147,099,949.79 9,960,178.27 683,932,938.06 2,263,521.95 12,489,908.66 188,054,533.92 2,299,160.36 3,293,142.02 885,533.02 1,231,371,471.16 2,744,389,014.37

Current Price 11.02

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Quantity Traded 71,438,685 16,985,035 6,674,955 6,002,169 25,351,696 973,317 6,137,656 38,161,697 246,956 1,321,158 943,991 63,628,064 237,865,379

2,523

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 5.42 4.20 22.15 1.74 26.95 2.33 2.09 4.90 9.31 2.49 0.96 19.21

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals

Symbol NCR

BECO PETROLEUM PRODUCT PLC CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. MOBIL OIL NIG PLC.

Value Traded 33,727,703.25

IT Services NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. IT Services Totals

Daily Summary as of 01/07/2015 Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Printed 01/07/2015 16:16:17.017

Quantity Traded 800,285

Page

Value Traded 500.00 500.00

Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals

No. of Deals 311 27 74 65 336 48 234 218 5 25 17 412 1,772

Daily Summary (Equities)

Quantity Traded 1,000 1,000

Activity Summary on Board EQTY FINANCIAL SERVICES Insurance Carriers, and Published by The Nigerian StockBrokers Exchange © Services AIICO INSURANCE PLC. CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CORNERSTONE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC. GREAT NIGERIAN INSURANCE PLC INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC MANSARD INSURANCE PLC MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC UNIC INSURANCE PLC. WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

Current Price 0.50

Electronic and Electrical Products

Symbol ACCESS DIAMONDBNK ETI FIDELITYBK GUARANTY SKYEBANK STERLNBANK UBA UBN UNITYBNK WEMABANK ZENITHBANK

Daily Summary (Equities) AFRINSURE

No. of Deals 1 1

ICT Totals

Daily Summary (Equities)

Symbol COURTVILLE

Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Transport-Related Services Transport-Related Services Totals

Symbol

No. of Deals 25

SERVICES Totals

Current Price

Page

Quantity Traded 201,440

Value Traded 717,426.39

2,370,144

4,957,818.59

EQTY Board Totals

4,090

323,560,037

4,728,862,499.10

Equity Activity Totals

4,090

323,560,037

4,728,862,499.10

Daily Summary (ETP) Exchange Traded Fund

Name LOTUS HALAL EQUITY ETF NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF) VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF Exchange Traded Fund Totals

Symbol LOTUSHAL15 NEWGOLD VETGRIF30

No. of Deals 2 3 1 6

Current Price 10.45 2,222.00 15.07

Quantity Traded 9,265 75 15 9,355

Value Traded 99,131.75 168,355.00 226.05 267,712.80

ETF Board Totals

9,355

267,712.80

ETP Activity Totals

9,355

267,712.80

Page

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

Features Ilemobade: Tricked to death F rom their looks and demeanour Olayemi Bamitale and Daniel Ita seem too tender to even break an egg. But they confessed to a crime that professional criminals would green with envy. The late English writer and author, René Lodge Brabazon Raymond, better known as James Hadley Chase, would have loved their story as a good plot for his celebrated crime novel series also known as James Hadley Chase. But unfortunately, Bamitale and Ita’s story was not a fiction, it was a real life horror. The two men allegedly murdered the former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology (FUTA), Prof Albert Ilemobade, in his Akure, Ondo State residence. The suspects, one a former driver and the other, a guard, not only killed the professor of Veterinary Medicine, to cover their track, they made it look like a kidnap. They poured diesel on his body to prevent odour and buy them some time. They succeeded but for a while. For seven days, family and church members, sold on the idea that the man was in captivity, were sending text messages to Ilemobade’s mobile phone numbers. This, in their thinking, was to make it easier for the supposed kidnappers to demand a ransom. The people had a good cause to believe it was a kidnap. In the last couple of weeks, abduction for ransom has taken the centre stage in many states of the South-West such as Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun, etc. A few weeks ago, the Regent of Akungba-Akoko in Akoko South-West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Princess Oluwatoyin Omosowon, the Executive Secretary of Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN), Mr Michael Adewunmi and former Chairman of Muslims Welfare Board, among others, were abducted. So when Ilemobade ‘disappeared,’ family, church members, security agents and journalists, reasoned that the 79-year-old professor was another victim of kidnapping gangs that are on the prowl in the state. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Isaac Eke, said the impression was that the former VC was abducted. But while the family and security agents were working on the kidnap theory, Ilemobade’s body lay cold in an abandoned store close to his car park. His suspected killers were also negotiating the sale of his Rav 4 Toyota car in Ogun State. But the long arm of the law caught up with them as they were arrested by the police.

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun. bello@newtelegraphonline.com

Domestic aides callously murdered former Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof Albert Ilemobade and made it look like a kidnap, reports BABATOPE OKEOWO

The late Ilemobade

The suspected killers

It was when Bamitale and Ita led police to his house in Ijapo estate Akure, the Ondo State capital that the family knew that it was a case of premeditated murder. One of Ilemobade’s children said the family did not discover the body through the odour because there was poultry behind the house. According to him, the thinking was that the odour was coming from the poultry. Although Bamitale and Ita confessed to the crime, they blamed each other for initiating the idea to steal the car and kill the professor. But Bamitale said he was prepared to pay the supreme sacrifice for the crime.

He said: “The wages of sin is death.” The 36-year-old suspect admitted he was the one who strangled Ilemobade on the night of June 21 but blamed it on Ita. According to him, his accomplice mooted the idea that they could make money if they could steal Ilemobade’s car. Bamitale, who spoke in Yoruba, said he was at home in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, when Daniel called him that they could make money by stealing the car. He said: “When he called me, I said I had no money but he said I should come, adding that he would pay for my transport when I got to Akure. “He came to meet me at Obanla Junction and gave me N1,000 to pay

for my transport. He said I should meet him at Papa’s house at Ijapo by 9pm because I had worked there before as a driver. “When I got there, he told me that he had gone to his herbalist who said if he wanted to steal the car, Ilemobade must be killed. He told me that the herbalist said he should bring the sand of the house so that there would not be any problem thereafter. “I asked him that the man had slept, how would he come out? He said he would say there is an electric spark in the house and once he comes out, we will strangle him. “True to his word, he went to the window of the man and told him that there was electric spark in the security post. The man came out through the kitchen door and we killed him. Ita suggested we should take him to the car park. We dragged the body there so that we could enter the house. “We went inside his room and saw the car key; we took it with two bags, N7,000, two handsets, one laptop computer and one I-pad. We left the house while Ita locked the gate from outside. When we wanted to leave the estate, we saw the security men but when they saw Ita, they asked us to go.” Bamitale said an argument ensued over where to sell the car. According to him, Ita wanted them to drive the car to Calabar in Cross River State to sell but he reasoned the money on them would not take them that far. Bamitale said thereafter they resolved to take the car to Lagos where they could easily find buyer. He said it was in the process of looking for buyer that they were caught by the policemen. However, Ita said it was Bamitale who came up with the idea that they should steal the car because he had stolen the car before. The suspect said if they could steal the car successfully, they would be able to raise enough me to start business of their own. He said: “Bamitale said this one will succeed and the best way to make it succeed is to kill my boss. I refused. I said he can steal money; he can tie him down but not to kill him. I told him that since I was born, I have never killed anybody. He insisted that if we did not kill the man, he would trace us. I now agreed with him.” During a visit to the family on Tuesday, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State said the perpetrators of the murder would not go unpunished. Mimiko described Ilemobade as a man who devoted his life to the service of humanity. He, however, decried the manner of the exit of the deceased. The governor commended the efforts of the security agents in getting to the root of the incident. Mimiko, who later visited the store where Ilemobade’s body was kept by the culprits, enjoined the people to always look into the profile and details of whoever they wanted to engage as domestic workers.

News

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

SOUTH-WEST

Oyo tribunal dismisses Akande’s petition Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

he Oyo state election petition tribunal yesterday dismissed the petition of former majority leader in the House of Representatives, Mrs. Mulika Akande-Adeola , against Ebenezer Segun Ogunwuyi of the Labour Party, who won the March 28 senatorial election on the ground that the peti-

tion was filed out of time. Akande-Adeola, a twoterm lawmaker on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), represented Ogbomoso North, Ogbomoso South and Oriire federal constituency but lost to the Labour Party. She had approached the Justice James Abundaga- led tribunal judges, praying it to upturn Ogunwuyi’s election on the ground that he (Ogunwuyi) did not valid-

ly resign his membership of his former party, the PDP before joining the LP. Her lawyer, Yunus Ustaz Usman, last week told the tribunal that the application being sought by Ogunwuyi’s counsel, Oluwasina Ogungbade, be dismissed on the grounds that the merit of the case and not the other way round. Usman cited similar cases including the general rule principle of election petition matters

to back up his stand as he urged the tribunal to dismiss Ogungbade’s application and let the matter be decided on its merit. Ogungbade who is the counsel to the 1st and 2nd respondents (Ogunwuyi and Labour party) had urged the tribunal to set aside the petitioners’ joint reply filed on the 27th May, 2015 having been filed a day outside of the period limited in paragraph 16 (1) of the first schedule to the Elec-

toral Act 2010 (as amended). He also sought an order setting aside the application of the petitioners dated 28th May, 2015 and filed on the 29th May, 2015 for issuance of Pre-hearing conference with the provisions of paragraph 18 (1) of the first schedule to the Electoral Act 2010. In striking out the petitioner’s petition in their unanimous decision read

by Justice Abundaga, the tribunal held that “in an election petition, time is of essence”, adding that as judges, they were bound to interpret what the law said and not the way it should be. New Telegraph, however, gathered that the exlawmaker, a lawyer, will be to appealing the ruling. She said her lawyer had briefed her on what the outcome of the ruling was, stating that, “we are going on appeal.”

Ekiti judiciary workers suspend six-month strike Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

L-R: Commander, Federal Road Safety Commission, (FRSC), Ogun State, Mr. Adegoke Adetunji ; Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun and his Deputy, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga, during a visit to last Friday’s accident scene where 12 students of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), lost their lives along the Sagamu-Benin Expressway...yesterday.

Don’t allow politicians hijack anti-graft war, Fayose tells Buhari Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

kiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to allow politicians hijack his administration’s war against corruption or use the anti-graft agencies to hound perceived opponents. According to him, the use of anti-graft agencies to pursue personal agenda will always be counter-productive. Speaking in Ado-Ekiti yesterday while inaugurating 10 new commissioners, he opined that anti-graft agencies would perform better if not used for vendetta or hounding of opponents. He saluted the doggedness of the former Aviation Minister, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode and congratulated him on his victory in the court of law over the corruption cases instituted against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC). On political develop-

ments in the country, Fayose stressed that he would remain a committed member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and would not forget the contributions of former President Goodluck Jonathan to the growth of democracy in the country. “The fact that Jonathan is not there today does not mean I must turn my back against him. He did his best and I still support him. We won’t allow anybody to sabotage the PDP. Those who want to leave, we wish them luck and we will be here when they will come back to rejoin our party,” he added. He told the new commissioners to be loyal to the government and warned that he would fire whoever is found displaying any act of betrayal among them. The governor also warned the new commissioners not to engage the permanent secretaries and directors in battle of supremacy in the course of performing their duties, urging them to see the opportunity as a divine grace.

UI workers protest non-payment of allowance Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

hree labour unions at the University of Ibadan yesterday paralyzed academic activities, as well as businesses within the institution as they protested the non-payment of their allowances for the month of June. As early as 7.30am, the leadership of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and National Association of Technologists (NAT) barricaded all the four entrances leading into the university, thereby preventing movement into the university. They put their reason for the protest on what they called unfulfilled promise by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Isaac Adewole, to increase the top-up earned allowances paid to workers in the university, coupled with the authorities’ failure to pay anything in their June salary. According to one of the union leaders, Wale Akinemi (SSANU), the unions had met with Council of the University where they agreed that the earned al-

lowances be reviewed upward with 2-week briefing from the Vice Chancellor. The protesters went from one department and unit to the other to stop people from working, compelling them to join the protest. Many lecturers were seen trekking distances into the school in apparent move to meet up with their lectures while their cars were parked at the gates. However, many of the students who had arrived the campus on foot were later told that lectures could not hold because of the strike. Until 1p.m yesterday, no vehicle was allowed to move out of the campus, while many people seen stranded at the gates of the Premier university while traffic gridlock became the order of the day. Responding on behalf of the UI management through a statement made available to our correspondent in Ibadan, UI Director of Public Communication, Mr. Olatunji Oladejo, acknowledged the workers’ claim but said the university failed to pay in June because of a shortfall in its finance.

ourts in Ekiti State that have been closed for about six months will soon be re-opened, following the suspension of the industrial action by members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN). The union suspended their strike yesterday after a meeting with Governor Ayo Fayose and the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in AdoEkiti. The courts are to be re-opened on Monday. Governor Fayose, at a press conference jointly addressed by the parties in Ado-Ekiti, thanked the union for its understanding in resolving

the crisis, promising to meet all their needs as soon as the finances of the state improve. He lauded the NBA for its intervention and for working hard to resolve the issue, saying his government would continue to embark on policies that would promote justice and the rule of law in the state. The JUSUN Chairman, Mr Niyi Ogundare, who lamented the colossal damage the strike had caused the judiciary, said, “the strike has crippled the activities of lawyers in the state since it started. It would be recalled that JUSUN had embarked on a nationwide strike since the beginning of the year to press home certain demands, including financial autonomy for the judiciary.

Group advocates inter-tribal co-existence Temitope Ogunbanke

he Igbo Conscience (TIC), a group of well-meaning Igbo professionals from diverse fields of human endeavour, has called for unity among ethnic groups in Nigeria, adding that people must learn to live together without endangering themselves. Addressing a press conference in Lagos yesterday, the group chairman, Mr. Onyekachi Ubani, also canvassed harmonious co-existence between Ndigbo and their communities wherever they live. Ubani said the group will engage in a meaningful way with like minds everywhere to not only build mutual relationships between Ndigbo in every part Nigeria, but will sustain such relationship for Ndigbo common good. He said: “With the fear of xenophobia

threatening to catch up with Nigeria, TIC feels it is time for Nigerians to come together and build a country where no one is oppressed. “We feel Ndigbo must bond with other Nigerians for them to excel in whatever they do. We feel it has come to a time we must work fully on the task of working on building a common platform of understanding and unity that will unite all Nigerians as one and not fan divisive embers that diminish us individually and collectively.” “TIC will work to develop a broad based approach to smoothen relationship between Ndigbo and other Nigerians. We shall work to assist out people to live with others in the multi-ethnic Nigerian polity without endangering others or have themselves endangered by others.”

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

News 47

SOUTH-EAST

Alleged murder case stops commissioner’s inauguration lAs Umahi swears-in 18 appointees Uchenna Inya ABAKALIKI

ollowing allegation of murder against one of the commissioner designates in Ebonyi State, Chief Sabinus Nwankwegu, Governor

Dave Umahi, could not swear-in the commissioner, at the ceremony held yesterday. Nwankwegu, a former Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly who was accused of murder some years ago could not be sworn-in following a security report sent to the governor

He was, however, released from custody on health ground. The Governor, while commenting on why he could not swear-in the Commissioner, said there were combinations of political and security issues against Nwankwegu. He said leaders of his

area will meet and discuss the issues against Nwankwegu who had earlier been cleared by the House of Assembly. Gover nor Umahi, however, called on the newly sworn-in members of his cabinet to shun division and carry the people of their areas, especially those that worked

for his election along, warning that refusal to do so will amount to their automatic sack. Speaking at the Akanu Ibiam International Conference Centre, Abakaliki, during the swearingin of the newly appointed Commissioners and other political appointees, Umahi, said, ‘’I expect the appointees not to create divisions because they are a lot of people that hate us and if you start pushing up your shoulders and refused to recognize them , then you will be putting a lot of pressure on me. He directed the Com-

missioner for Works to set up committee to look into certificates of contracts generated and check how the government can downsize the ministries. The new Commissioner include; Sen. Emmanuel Onwe who is to take charge of Information and State Orientation; Mrs. Elizabeth Ogbaga. who takes charge of Commerce and Industry; Mrs. Rebecca Ogbuewu in charge of Women Affairs and Hon. Augustine Nwankwegu who is Commissioner for Justice and Attorney general, among others.

Epileptic power, bane of Nigeria’s economic growth-Ex MAN boss Okegwo Kenechukwu Onitsha

Ebonyi State Deputy Governor, Kelechi Igwe(fifth left); his wife, Nnenna; Governor Dave Umahi; his wife, Rachael and members of the newly inauguarated state executive council in Abakaliki …yesterday

Only senate can remove Ekweremadu, says Ohuabunwa Igbeaku Orji Umuahia

he Senator representing Abia North Hon. Mao Ohuabunwa, has said that those who are clamouring for the removal of Senator Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President needed to be reminded that it was only the Senate that elected him has the constitutional power to remove him. Ohuabunwa also dispelled insinuation that there was crisis in the Senate and the PDP, not-

ing that there was no crisis within the PDP or the senate and called on those behind the crisis in the National Assembly to have a rethink in the interest of the nation. The Senator, who was at the Election Petition Tribunal in Umuahia, yesterday, said the interest of the nation should be paramount to whoever occupied any office. He said members of the National Assembly were committed to working to make Nigeria better for all irrespective where tribe or religion.

Reacting to the claim of his opponent and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate in the senatorial election, Dr. David Ogba Onuoha, that he would recover his mandate at the tribunal, Ohuabunwa, said the mandate given him by the People of Abia North will remain with him, expressing confidence in the ability of the tribunal to deliver justice. Meanwhile, the tribunal has adjourned to Friday July 3, 2015, to hear the motion challenging the competence of the petition brought

Leave N’Assembly leadership alone, lawyer tells APC Igbeaku Orji Umuahia

human rights Lawyer, Dr. Anthony Agbazuere, has cautioned the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), against escalating the crisis in the National Assembly, warning that it might consume the party and the nation if restraint was not exercised. Agbazuere said yesterday in Umuahia, that the emergence of Saraki and

Dogara as Senate President and House Speaker, was in line with the rules of the two chambers in electing their leaders, saying that party or personal interest should not override national interest. The lawyer, who was the immediate past Commissioner for Information in Abia State said, “I advise the APC hierarchy to swallow its pride and accept Senator Saraki and Hon Dogara in their own interest and for Nigeria to move for-

ward. He also advised the APC to stop threatening the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, because according to him the structure that produced the National Assembly leadership was the same and greater in number. He also described as shameful the conduct of members of the House of Representatives on June 25, when cautions were thrown into the wind in an open fight by the members, saying it was the height of dishonor.

by the 1st Respondent. Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Adeniyi Adegbanjo, adjourned the matter after counsels admitted to being served the petition. Counsel to Ohuabunwa, Donald Chika De Nwigwe, said after the adjournment that “what the tribunal has done is to try to streamline the processes to determine what is to be done when,” adding that “the have admitted documents which are not disputed and those ones disputed would be taken during the hearing of evidence proper.”

or mer president of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), South East Zone Dr. Chike Obidigbo, has blamed the stunted growth confronting the Nigerian economy on the epileptic power supply being witnessed in the country. Obidigbo stated this in a paper he presented at the South East Industrialist Summit in Awka, the Anambra State capital. Obidigbo, who is also the chairman of Hardis Group of Companies, noted that Nigeria’s successive past administrations had only paid lip service to the growth and development of indigenous industries. He said that it was neglect, insensitivity and short sightedness of past leaders that has culminated in mass unemployment and rise in crime rate, including the Boko Haram insurgency. According to him Nigeria has since independence been grappling with problems of

energy generation and supply, stating that if nothing pragmatic was done to arrest the situation there would be no end to the socioeconomic problems bedeviling the country. On the country’s challenge on external reserves, Obidigbo, observed that government had never consulted with captains of industries as stakeholders in the nation’s economy on way forward. He also advocated for more energy generation, saying that if Nigeria fails to generate at least 20,000 megawatts of electricity by the next four years, the country may be heading for a serious economic doom. He said the Buhari regime should invest in power generation to create employment and promote indigenous companies and encourage investors to invest in the country. He said fighting corruption was important, but said the only hope to restore the country back to the past of glory and development is through energy generation.

Group chides FG over transfer of alleged Boko Haram detainees Mojeed Alabi

n Igbo socio-political group- Aka Ikenga, has described as brazen impunity the relocation of some Boko Haram detainees to Aguata Prisons in Anambra State by the Federal Government. In a statement issued yesterday by the organization, signed by its Publicity Secretary, Okey Onyemobi, the group said the action of the Federal Government was condemnable for defying the pub-

lic protest that had initially greeted the suggestion of the relocation, saying the decision was a violation of the people’s wish. The statement reads; “This brazen impunity was perpetrated by the Federal Government on Sunday night in spite of torrents of protests recorded in the commercial city of Onitsha and other major cities of Anambra State last weekend over rumours of Government’s intention on the matter. “The Governor of

Anambra State, His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano, as the Chief Security Officer of the state expressed his reservations over the decision cataloguing the security implications. This was followed by an avalanche of denials from the Federal Prison Authorities. Dramatically, the Federal Government still went ahead to relocate them to Ekwulobia in flagrant violation of the avowed wishes and volition of the peace-loving people of Anambra State.”

48 News Group warns APC against forcing Oyegun to resign Cajetan Mmuta Benin

embers of the Assembly of Benin Aborigines, Edo State yesterday urged the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to steer clear from forcing its National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, to resign. The body in a press release yesterday in Benin, the state capital, said such a move will be counterproductive as the change envisaged by Nigerians would become difficult to realise. According to the release signed by its Chairman, Prince Solomon Ebuwa, the group said APC must learn from the mistakes of its predecessors in office by knowing how to manage the victory it won in the recent general elections. They said: “We are urging the leadership of the party to resist any attempt to forcefully ask Odigie-Oyegun to resign... as the setback that would occur thereafter would be unimaginable.”

thursday, july 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

south - south

Bayelsa governorship race: I am yet to decide, says Sylva Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

ormer governor of Bayelsa State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timipre Sylva, yesterday said he has not made up his mind whether to contest the governorship election of the state. Bayelsa governorship election is coming up at the end of the year. Sylva, who spoke at the APC national headquarters in Abuja, said his present concern would be for the party to win the governorship election in

the state. Addressing journalists shortly after he led a delegation of some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders from the state, who were in the party secretariat to consult with the APC leaders, the former governor said the much talked-about division in the party is being engineered by the people he described as ‘miscreants’ from his state. When asked whether he will contest the coming governorship election, he said: “I don't know yet, that's the honest answer, I don't know yet. My role is to make sure APC wins the

governorship election in Bayelsa, that's my role. The APC is going to win, that we are very sure about. On the division in the APC leadership in Bayelsa, he said: “There's no division at all, it's just some miscreants being sponsored by the present administration in the state, it's people who are not even members of the party making some noise. The party is intact, everybody is intact in the party, and we don't even want to discuss them.” Earlier, the leader of the group, Senator John Kofo Brambaifa, told the APC leaders that Bayelsa

State has been unfortunate with the present governor, who he said has no respect for elders and youths of the state. According to him, what is currently happening in the state can never happen in any of the South-West states including Edo State, saying that the people of Bayelsa have now made up their minds. Responding, National Chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun, assured the delegation that the national leaders of APC will give them all the necessary support to ensure their easy defection to the APC.

Delta community mourns teacher’s death Dominic Adewole ASABA

esidents of IsseleUku community in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State yesterday mourned the death of a woman they described as a dedicated teacher at St. Martins Primary School, Mrs. Constance Onyeisi Ohaegbunem, in the community. The deceased was described by her pupils as an amazon, a virtuous woman and a philanthropist. Besides the Chairman of the council, Hon. Chuks Oseme, who grieved over her demise, hundreds of her pupils, who besieged the family house of Olikaeze of Oligbo, where she hailed from, wept uncontrollably. Ohaegbunem, popularly known among his kindred as Ugo-Nwanyi of Issele-Uku, died at the age of 48 while undergoing treatment at the National Hospital, Abuja. She was married to a two-time Chairman of Aniocha North Local Government Area, Hon. Emeka Ohaegbunem, the Olikaeze of the community.

L-R: Administrative Secretary, Independent Electoral Commission, Rivers State, Mr. Roy Obijuru; Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dame Gesila Khan; President, New Rivers Vision Students (Nrvs), Mr. Chimzi Ihunwo and Publicity Secretary of Nrvs, Mr. Kelvin Mopho, at the presentation of meritorious award to the Rec in Port Harcourt…yesterday

Emmanuel: My membership of probe panel, call to national duty probe

Governors shuns party affiliation, vows to help probe NNPC accounts

kwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel, has described his recent appointment into a fourman committee to scrutinise the accounting records of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as a call to national duty, which he said transcends party partisanship. The governor spoke at Ibom International Airport on his arrival from the Presidential Villa,

where he was inaugurated into the committee by the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo. In a chat with Government House correspondents, Emmanuel said he was committed to delivering on the assigned responsibility by President Muhammadu Buhari, as he had earlier swore to an oath to serve the country. He explained that the President, like him, was elected to serve the people and that political parties only serve as a springboard for them to provide leadership and deliver democratic dividends to the people. He said: “What should be uppermost in our minds is whether we are delivering the dividends of democracy to the

people? This is what the President stands for and you know when I also took over office, I pledged my total loyalty to the President, I pledged to work with the President. I see a President who is ready to work and who is willing to work.” The committee is to unravel the N3.8 trillion not remitted to the Federation Account from 2012 to May 2015 as well as the $2.1 billion said to have been deducted from the Excess Crude Account by the petroleum corporation. Emmanuel is to work in the committee alongside Zamfara State governor, Abdulazeez Yari, Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomole and Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir ElRufai.

Ayade seeks death penalty for kidnappers Clement James Calabar

ollowing the spate of kidnappings in Cross River State in the last few years, the state governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, has sent an executive bill to the House of Assembly, seeking death penalty for convicted kidnappers in the state. The bill also seeks to empower the state to seize property belonging to convicted kidnappers and other criminals even as it offers rewards to citizens who offer credible information to security agencies on activities of such criminals. A statement released by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Christian Ita yesterday, said the bill is meant to tackle the menace of kidnappings in the state. The governor, while imploring the House to dispassionately consider the bill, expressed dismay at the regularity with which residents are being kidnapped by hoodlums for financial gains. According to him, the bill if enacted, will serve as deterrence to those who nurse the ambition of committing such crimes, saying such was against humanity. “In the recent past, kidnappers have taken advantage of the political situation in the state to abduct residents for money, with the latest being a pastor in the Living Faith Church, who was kidnapped and later released a fortnight ago."

Rivers’ scholarship beneficiaries protest abandonment Emmanuel Masha Port Harcourt

eneficiaries of Rivers State overseas scholarship programme yesterday staged a protest at the Government House, Port Harcourt, over what they described as their abandonment by the state government, lamenting that they had been waiting to pursue their studies since 2013 when they were picked by the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) for their programmes. The protesters, who besieged the main gate of the Government House, said their future was being toiled with and that something urgent needed to be done so that they can achieve their goals. The protesters, who

were carrying placards with different messages, including “Please help secure our future,” “We are idling away our lives,” conducted themselves peacefully throughout the protest. They were met by the Chief of Staff, Government House, Emeka Woke. They appealed to Governor Nyesom Wike to intervene in the situation by empowering the body in charge of the logistics for their travelling abroad for further studies, just as they pledged to use their knowledge to contribute to the growth of the state. Parents of some of the protesters equally appealed to the government to intervene, so that their children will be able to realise their ambition.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

Musa Pam Jos

o fewer than four people were reportedly killed and seventy houses razed in a clash involving Fulani herdsmen and Berom in Radura Foron District of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State. New Telegraph also gathered that three soldiers were injured during the clash. The Acting National Chairman of Berom Youth Moulders (BYM), Samson Tsok said: “One Berom village, Radura in Foron District was attacked by gunmen suspected to be Fulani last on Tuesday, two of our boys were killed in the attack and four people are still missing.” He continued: “Early this morning, some soldiers of the Special Task Force (STF) stormed the

News 49

NORTH

Four killed, 70 houses razed in Plateau village without notice; we were embarrassed and felt as if we were under siege. “The soldiers came to ransack our village without informing our community and youth leaders, we were not informed of the search, we don’t even know what they are searching for, they came in company of some Fulani people, who were pointing at the house to raid, they just burst into any house and started searching, at the end of the so-called search, they did not tell us if they found anything,” said Tsok. But the leaders of the Fulani in Barkin Ladi council area, Muhammed Adams said: “Some of our boys went to graze their cows on Tuesday and while grazing, some suspected Berom youths shot our cows and killed eight of them. “Apart from shooting

our cows, the herdsmen grazing the cows were killed, we have found one body of the herdsmen, but the other bodies were still missing. When New Telegraph contacted the spokesman of the Special Task Force (STF), Operation Safe Haven, Captain Ikedichi Iweha said: “We did not go to the village for nothing, it all started last Tuesday evening, at about 4.30pm,

when about 400 cows were rustled in Foron, we followed up the report and recovered the cows. “Apart from the cows rustled, eight others were shot, six died, the other two were injured. “In addition to that, the herdsmen who were grazing the cows could not be found, so early morning of yesterday; we went to the village to search for the missing herdsmen. We

later found one body; we are still in search of five missing Fulani herdsmen till now. “But while our men were conducting the search, some Berom youths re-grouped and attacked the men of the STF, they shot three soldiers who are on peace keeping mission. Two of the men shot are in critical condition, but the other is stable.

“Now our frustration as soldiers on national assignment is that why are the people we are protecting attacking us. That has been the habit of the people of this local government, especially people of Barkin Ladi. Why should we be the subject of attack,” Iweha said. STF warned people of the state against arbitrary attacks of personnel on peace keeping operation.

Insurgency: North-East govs to establish secretariat in Bauchi Alhassan Yusuf Bauchi

ix governors of the North-East have advocated for the internationalisation of issues of development in the region in view of the devastating effect of insurgency. To this end, Bauchi State governor, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, said governors in the region should consider the establishment of a secretariat to harness such development efforts in the state. This was contained in a press release signed yesterday at the Government House, Bauchi, by the Director, Press to the Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Umar Sani. The governors made the statement in Abuja while receiving report of the North East Transformation Strategy tagged “Development Agenda a follow-up to

last year’s North East Economic Forum. Meanwhile, Governor Abubakar has called on his Yobe State counterpart, Alhaji Ibrahim Geidam and the people of the state for a dialogue over the multimillion naira Kafin Zaki Dam project as development strategy for the region. The governor made this known through his Director, Press Affairs, Alhaji Ibrahim Umar Sani, in a press released signed by the director in Bauchi. The governor made the call after a transformation strategy meeting in Abuja. He said both economic and environmental realities of the region required the development of dams like the Kafin Zaki Dam, saying that both the Kamadugu-Yobe and Ngure Basins of Yobe State are drying-up without the presence of the Kafin Zaki Dam.

A cross-section of some traditional rulers from Jigawa Emirate Council disbursing cash to indigent women in Dutse …yesterday

Suswam’s senatorial campaign DG arrested for homicide Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

enue North-East senatorial district campaign DirectorGeneral of former Governor Gabriel Suswam, Mr. Terfa Atii, has been arrested by the police for culpable homicide. Atii, who represented Ushongo/Kwande federal constituency between 2003 and 2007 in the House of Representatives, is now cooling his heels at the Police AIG Zone 4, for allegedly be-

ing responsible for the murder of a 14-year-old girl, Terkumbur Aguji. Investigation by New Telegraph revealed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain had invaded a polling unit in Ushongo Local Government area with armed thugs during the April 11 senatorial election with the intent to snatch INEC ballot papers to enable him thumbprint in favour of his party. It was gathered that when the plan was foiled by the voters, the thugs

Zungeru dam contractors exhume corpses lCommunities petition Buhari Dan Atori MINNA

ommunities in Zungeru, Niger State, have petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari, saying contractors handling the dam construction have littered everywhere with corpses exhumed from the graveyard. In the petition made available to the New Telegraph yesterday and titled; “Buhari

Must Hear This: Another Bakolori Dam Killing Waiting To Happen In Zungeru Dam, Niger State,” sent to President Buhari, it was stated that the contractors are using military personnel to harass the villagers in disregard of court orders. It is glaring that Zungeru, first capital of Nigeria and birth place of the late Owelle of Onitsha, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, may soon be engulfed in crisis of no

mean dimension over the non-payment of compensation to communities affected by the construction project. If the petition written by the communities is anything to go by, then the catastrophe of the Bakolori Dam in Sokoto State, in which many people were killed in the early 80s may be a child’s play. One of the grounds of their grouses is the flagrant manner in which the contractors

handling the project, Messrs. CNEEC-Sino hydro and consultant estate surveyors and valuers, handling the payment, Messrs. Mohammed & Co and Messrs. George Nzei & Co, have treated a court injunction restraining them from going on with the construction work until the people whose lands and economic trees were taken over in the course of the dam construction have been adequately paid their compensations and properly resettled.

started shooting sporadically during which a stray bullet hit the innocent girl, who was rushed to Wantor Hospital in the local government, where she later died. A top politician in the area, who spoke with

New Telegraph on condition of anonymity, disclosed further that the deceased, a nanny, who was washing her aunt’s clothes nearby, belonged to a family that has a land dispute with the Atii’s family.

change of name

AYOTUNDE

I, formerly known and addressed as OGUNLOLA, Olusegun Abiodun, now wish to be known and addressed as AYOTUNDE, Olusegun Abiodun. Mrs. Kehinde Temitope OGUNLOLA, now wishes to be known and addressed as Mrs. AYOTUNDE, Kehinde Temitope. Aseoluwa Oluwasoretope; Ayomikun Deborah Iretomiwa; Kehinde Oluwakorede, and Taiwo Oluwakolade, all formerly surnamed OGUNLOLA, now wish to be surnamed AYOTUNDE. All former documents remain valid. MTN Nigeria, Peculiar Treasure School, OAU Ife, and general public, take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE PEOPLE AND PLANET PROTECTION ADVOCACY OF AFRICA The general public is hereby notified that the above named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No. 1 of 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE 1. NELSON OBINE 2. CYRIL OTUYA 3. PATRICK UKAIGWE 4. ODUOLA OLAGOKE ALABA 5. JOY UDOFIA 6. YAKUBU O. YAKUBU AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1 2 3

To inform, educate and communicate modern method and mechanism towards environmental protection among industrial operators in Africa Advocacy towards ethical and sustainable business practices that protects the planet and its inhabitants towards a better world Mobilizing support towards programmes and initiatives that addresses human protection, environmental degradation, social environment, climate change, pollution and empowerment in a society

Any objection to this registration should be forwarded within 28 days of this notice to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja. Signed: SECRETARY

WORLD | News

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

US, Cuba to reopen embassies July 20

S President Barack Obama affirmed to Cuban President Raul Castro their decision to restore diplomatic relations and said the former Cold War enemies could reopen embassies in each other’s capitals beginning July 20, the Caribbean country said on yesterday. Cuba’s foreign ministry cited a letter, which Obama addressed to Castro that it received from the senior

US diplomat in Havana. Obama was due to speak at 11 a.m. from the White House’s ceremonial Rose Garden on the historic rapprochement with Cuba, as the two countries moved ever closer to restoring diplomatic ties that had been severed for 54 years. It was unknown whether Castro would reciprocate with comments of his own. A formal announcement would fulfill a pledge made 6-1/2 months ago, when Obama and Castro first

Russian gas supplies to Ukraine halted amid new pricing spat

as giant Gazprom yesterday halted gas supplies to Ukraine after Kiev said it was suspending purchases of Russian energy in the latest row between Moscow and its war-torn exSoviet neighbour. The dispute comes against the backdrop of ruptured relations between Moscow and Kiev over the conflict in eastern Ukraine, in which Russia denies directly supporting separatist rebels. Both countries were quick to stress Wednesday that gas supplies to Europe had not been affected. “Ukraine did not pay for July gas supplies,” Gazprom chief Alexei Miller said in a statement. “Gazprom has

halted gas supplies to Ukraine from 10 am (0700 GMT) July 1,” he said. He added that the gas pricing formula for Ukraine would not be changed until late 2019, reiterating that no more gas would be sent to the pro-Western country without prepayment, irrespective of the price. The announcement came after Ukraine declared Tuesday it was suspending all purchases of natural gas from Russia after EU-mediated negotiations in Vienna aimed at keeping supplies running broke down. Ukraine’s state energy firm Naftogaz has said it would continue transporting Russian gas supplies westward to its other European clients.

Indonesia’s transport plane crash death toll rises

ndonesian officials say 141 bodies have been recovered after a military transport plane crashed in a residential area of Medan on yesterday. The military says none of the 122 people on board the Hercules C-130 survived when it hit houses and a hotel before bursting into flames. Many of the victims are thought to have been relatives of servicemen and women. But the latest death toll indicates there were at least 19 people killed on the ground. The military has repeatedly revised the passenger list, a sign of how loosely it keeps track of who gets on its planes, correspondents say. The Indonesian military allows relatives of servicemen and women to hitch a ride on

military aircraft. The definition of relatives could be quite loose they often include people outside the immediate family. But the Hercules crash in Medan may have exposed a long running operation in military air bases in Indonesia’s remote areas. People living in places like Natuna islands, where the plane was supposed to go later, are fully aware that flying with the military is a cheaper and sometimes more convenient option when they need to get somewhere. The military denies that it is a common practice and vows to hunt down any rogue elements within the ranks who may have been involved. Police official Agustinus Tarigan told reporters at a Medan hospital yesterday morning that 141 bodies had been received.

French soldiers suspended over Burkina child sex claims

rance has suspended two of its soldiers over allegations they sexually abused children in Burkina Faso. One of the alleged victims was a five-year-old girl whose father found a camera containing images of his daughter being sexually abused report AFP news agency. It comes after another abuse scandal involving French soldiers. A leaked UN report claimed 16 French peacekeepers abused children

in the Central African Republic. “This is an army that confronts [such accusations] head on,” the army’s chief of staff, General Jean-Pierre Bosser told AFP news agency. French military police are travelling to the country to investigate, alongside the local police. The French army has come under criticism for being slow to react to previous child abuse claims in Central African Republic.

announced detente. Jeffrey DeLaurentis, chief of the US interests section, handed the letter to Cuba’s interim foreign minister, Marcelino Medina, at the Cuban foreign ministry. The two shook hands in front of Cuban and US flags. The Cuba deal marks a major achievement for Obama, who has been criticized for foreign policy stumbles, especially in the Middle East. It follows his recent victory in a congressional fight for fast-track authority that could undergird a landmark Asia trade deal and comes as Washington appears to be on the cusp of a nuclear agreement with Iran.

Following 18 months of secret negotiations brokered by Pope Francis and Canada, the two leaders announced separately but simultaneously in December that they planned to reopen embassies in each other’s capitals and normalize relations. US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected at a flag-raising ceremony in Havana later this month, when the US interests section will become a full embassy. Cuba’s mission in Washington will undergo a similar upgrade. The deal in December also included a prisoner swap and sought to relegate to history

56 years of recriminations that have predominated ever since Fidel Castro’s rebels overthrew the US backed government of Fulgencio Batista on Jan. 1, 1959. Two years later, President Dwight Eisenhower closed the U.S. Embassy in Havana on Jan. 3, 1961, less than three weeks before President-elect John F. Kennedy was due to take office. By April of that year, Kennedy would authorize the US organized invasion of Cuba by a force of Cuban exiles. The attack at the Bay of Pigs failed and reinforced Castro’s standing at home and abroad.

Smoke rises in Egypt’s North Sinai along the border with southern Israel yesterday.

Islamic State’s attack in Egypt’s North Sinai kills 70

slamic State insurgents attacked several military checkpoints in Egypt’s North Sinai yesterday in a co-ordinated assault in which at least 70 combatants and civilians were killed one of the biggest militant attacks in Egypt’s modern history. The action marked a significant escalation in violence in the Sinai Peninsula, located between Israel, the Gaza Strip and the Suez Canal. It also raised questions about the government’s ability to contain an insurgency that has already killed hundreds of police and soldiers. Islamic State’s Egyptian affiliate, Si-

nai Province, claimed responsibility for the attacks. The army said five checkpoints were hit by about 70 militants and the fighting raged for more than eight hours. One security source put the number of militants at about 300, armed with heavy weapons and anti-aircraft weaponry. Security sources said the militants had planned to lay siege to Sheikh Zuweid town, where most of the fighting has been concentrated, by hitting all army checkpoints simultaneously. “But we have dealt with them and broke the siege on Sheikh Zuweid,” one source said. Army F-16 jets and Apache helicopters strafed the region. Soldiers had destroyed

three landcruisers fitted with anti-aircraft guns, the army said. The insurgency, which is seeking to topple the Cairo government, has intensified since 2013, when then-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi removed President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood after mass protests against his rule. Sisi, who regards the Brotherhood as a threat to national security, has since overseen a harsh crackdown on Islamists. The courts have sentenced hundreds of alleged Brotherhood supporters to death in recent months. Mursi himself, and other senior Brotherhood figures, also face the death penalty.

Defiant Greek PM stands ground on referendum

reek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras vowed yesterday to push ahead with a controversial bailout referendum despite pressure from European leaders, and urged creditors to accept a fresh reform offer by Athens. Hours after Greece became the first advanced economy to default on the IMF, the leftist leader used a televised address to tell Greeks to vote ‘No’ on Sunday to creditor austerity demands. European ministers were due later yesterday to consider a new proposal from Athens but German Chancellor Angela Merkel has already in-

sisted there can be no new deal before the referendum. “A ‘No’ vote does not signify a rupture with Europe, but a return to the Europe of values,” Tsipras told the nation, rebutting accusations from EU leaders that the plebiscite was essentially a vote on whether to stay in the union. “Come Monday, the Greek government will be at the negotiating table after the referendum, with better terms for the Greek people,” he added, standing between Greek and EU flags. The radical Greek leader spoke hours after Merkel effectively ruled out all negotiations until after Sunday, saying that

Europe could “calmly” await the outcome of the referendum. “The world is watching us. But the future of Europe is not at stake,” Merkel told Germany’s Bundestag lower house of parliament. But there were signs the crisis was opening rifts in Europe’s united front, with France’s leader Francois Hollande urging an “immediate agreement” after six months of stalemate with the radical-leftists in Athens. A poll yesterday showed the ‘No’ camp in the lead with 46 percent, against 37 percent for ‘Yes’ and 17 percent undecided. However the ‘No’ vote share was down compared to before capital controls were introduced Sunday.

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY JULY 2, 2015

News

International

Messi not worried by lack of goals as Argentina wallop Paraguay

Aminu joins Portland in $30m deal

Beer is my greatest weakness – Symmonds

Watson relishing Williams date after beating Hantuchova

Sport News

Sport

Features

Did you know? That Martina Navratilova became the oldest woman to win a tennis Grand Slam when she won Wimbledon in 1990 aged 33 years and 263 days. Serena Williams was 12 days younger when she won the 2015 French Open.

Wimbledon: Djokovic, Sharapova in third round D

Djokovic (right) sang the praises of Nieminen after ending the Finn’s Wimbledon career

efending champion Novak Djokovic, on Wednesdaymade short work of Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen on a day when the temperature hit 41.2 degrees on Centre Court at Wimbledon. The top seed won 6-4 6-2 6-3 to set up a third-round clash with Australian 27th seed Bernard Tomic. Djokovic, who wrapped up his match in one hour and 31 minutes, told BBC Sport: “On this warm day it’s good to spend a little bit less time out there. “I’m glad with the way I’m playing and I’m getting into form.

As the tournament progresses, hopefully I’ll be able to elevate the level of my performances.” The match was a farewell to Wimbledon for Nieminen, who is retiring at the end of the season at the age of 33. “I congratulated him for a terrific career,” said Djokovic. “He is a very nice guy, one of the nicest and a fighter on the court. It was a pleasure to be the last one to play him at Wimbledon.” In the Women’s single, fourth seed Maria Sharapova powered into the third round with a 6-3 6-1

Team Coordinator

win over Richel Hogenkamp The Russian will face Irina-Camelia Begu in the next round after the Romanian beat Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 7-5. “It’s much warmer in my hometown of Long Boat Key, Florida,” said Sharapova. “There’s some cloud coverage. I think I’ve trained quite long in the heat over there. “I think understanding it’s going to be warm, not going for too much because you want to make the points quicker because of the heat and just being a little bit smarter out there is important.”

Crisis won’t affect Eagles against Tanzania Ajibade Olusesan

uper Eagles coordinator, Patrick Pascal, has assured Nigerians that the crisis rocking the

The Sport Team Adekunle Salami Group Sport Editor

Emmanuel Tobi Assistant Sport Editor

Ifeanyi Ibeh Sport Correspondent

Ajibade Olusesan Sport Correspondent

Charles Ogundiya Sport Correspondent

team would not deter them from winning their next 2017 Africa Nations Cup qualifier against Tanzania. The team has not known peace since it defeated Chad in their opening fixture of the qualifying series last month. Some players and even coach Stephen Keshi have been at the loggerheads with the Nigeria Football Federation since that 2-0 win. Midfielder Ogenyi Onazi was fined for bagging a red card during the match. Captain Vincent Enyeama was queried for his comment before the encounter and the coach is under investigation after he was linked with a Cote d’Ivoire job. These distractions have led many pundits to express fears about Nigeria chances of making 2017 AFCON. But in an interview with our correspondent, Pascal allayed such fears saying although the development was regrettable, the players and the crew were professionals who would not allow such things get in the way of their job.

He said that the coach had started work already and is even looking beyond the Tanzania game with CHAN qualifiers being part of his programme. He said the team was poised to make it to the 2017 AFCON after missing out of the last edition and would surmount all challenges in its bid to achieve the objective. “I can assure you that the problem will not affect our chances against Tanzania. This is an internal issue and I can tell you that the crisis will soon be resolved. The players, the coaches and everyone in the team are professionals. They know that football is business and they can never allow what is going on to affect them when they get on to the pitch. “These players are always ready to work. Already the coach has submitted his programme to the federation because we don’t have time on our hands, we only concentrate on the task ahead and I can say that we will go to Tanzania and get the result,” he said.

Keshi

Sport

THURSDAY JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Returning to National Sports Commission (1)

t was at the editorial Conference of the National Concord Newspapers in the summer of 1994 presided over by Editor, Nsikak Essien, that the subject came up ahead of the recommendation to the Editorial Board. The topic was Nduka Ugbade who was left out of the USA ’94 World Cup squad. President Muhammadu Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media, Femi Adesina, and his successor as Managing Director/editor-inchief at the Sun Publishing, Eric Osagie, came from the features department. The argument put forward was that Nigeria had been denied a place in FIFA’s history books as well as the Guinness book of records with that singular act of coach, Clemens Westerhof in connivance with those soccer lords at the Nigeria Football Association at their infamous Abuja Glass House. Adesina was (and I still think is) a passionate fan of IICC “Shooting Stars” with Kunle Solaja while I remain a “stab-in-the-back” follower of the “Flaming Flamengoes” Stationery Stores. The position of the Concord titles was that Ugbade who led the U-17 team to the 1985 FIFA Coca Cola/JVC trophy and was in the 1989 Saudi U-20 team under the tutelage of Tunde Disu in the “Damman Miracle” of conquering Russia from 4-0 down before crashing

Muyiwa Daniel on Thursday

md_muyiwa@yahoo.com 08023525087 (sms only) against Luis Figo’s Portugal in the final deserved a place in the senior team for history at the World Cup. It was not to be. However the ouster, by Roberto Baggio’s Italy in a tactical game where the “Azzuris” got rid of Emmanuel Amuneke and Daniel Amokachi as the coaching personnel failed to communicate with the entire defence line populated by players fluent in the “Igbo” language, made the Eagles exit the tournament. Adesina, Abdulfatah Oladehinde and myself remained on the Concord stable until the last edition rolled off the machine on February 8, 2000 and an internal memo by MD/ Editor-in-chief, Dr. Doyin Abiola, expressed gratitude for our loyalty to the organisation and pledged that further communications will be made as soon as the intervention committee led by the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Oyebade Lipede, had concluded “talks” with members of the Abiola clan. After 15 years, that has not been carried out and I

believe-we still remain in the record books as part of the family’s liability. Anyway, Femi and Abdulfatah joined Mike Awoyinfa, Dimgba Igwe and Solaja on the Sun stable while Tunji Bello(now Lagos State Secretary of government) led Kayode Komolafe, Segun Adeniyi and others to Thisday. Later, my sister, Funke Egbemode, who had gone on sabbatical from media duties by working with Mrs. Omotosho at the Culture Ministry before being the media aide to House of Representative Speaker, Patricia Etteh, completed the Sun squad and she is now the “chief reporter” at New Telegraph Newspapers. We all love reporting and had remained so as I accepted, without a hitch, the invitation of uncle Demola Omotosho to edit the AllSports newspapers, first as a weekly and later a daily that gave Sunny Ojeagbase’s Complete Sports a run for its invincibility during the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup. Having satisfied a profes-

sional challenge it was time to have a “sabbatical” serving as a member of the Chief John C.Ojidoh Nigeria Football Association electoral committee. I, however, still could not run away as Louis Odion as MD of National Life Newspapers got me to maintain a column before departing to serve the “Comrade” Adams Oshiomohle as Information commissioner. From the NFA, it was to the media department of the AllAfrica games COJA 2003 courtesy of Dr Tijanni Yussuf who had been a friend since himself, Dr Amos Adamu, Bobo Jama and wing-commander Wale Olupitan were recruited for the National Sports Commission (NSC) when Air Commodore Tony Ikhazoboh was sports minister after heading the NFA at a time Buhari held office as Head-of-State. Yussuf was in the National Institute for Sports (NIS) as director before returning to the NFA secretariat and later to the sports ministry as deputy director to Adamu in the sports development department. Adamu in the days of Chief Alex Akinyele had held that office without letting go of that of the NFA where he was sole administrator and boss of Sanni Toro in those days of Decrees 10 and 11 of 1992 which later were fused as Decree 101 of 1992.

Watson relishing Williams date after beating Hantuchova

H The collapsed ball boy getting revived

Ball boy collapses in record Wimbledon heat

ball boy collapsed and fans took cover as Wimbledon sweltered on Wednesday on the hottest day ever recorded at the championships. Britain’s Met Office national weather service said a temperature of 35.7 degrees Celsius (96.3 degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew -- its nearest station to the All England Club. That topped the previous record of 34.6C (94.3F) set nearly four decades ago in 1976. The heat got the better of one Wimbledon ball boy, who was stretchered off Court

17 after passing out. He was sent to hospital for a precautionary check-up and after treatment was “feeling much better”, the All England Club said. “We wish him a speedy recovery.” Spectators sheltered under umbrellas while others folded up newspapers into hats to keep the sun off. Some draped towels on their heads or used hand fans, while others formed lengthy queues to buy ice creams and refill their water bottles. Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki handed out iced coffee to sun-baked spectators queuing to get in the grounds.

Daniela is a great player,” said Watson. “I had to be aggressive otherwise she would have beaten me. I went 3-1 down in the first set but didn’t panic.

To be continu e d

British prospect, Broady, crashes out

Wimbledon 2015

eather Watson is relishing the prospect of facing Serena Williams for the first time after she beat Daniela Hantuchova in straight sets. Wa t s o n beat Hantuchova 6-4, 6-2 on Court One on Wednesday, and will now face five-time Wimbledon champion and world No.1 Williams in the third round. “I am really looking forward to playing Serena,” said the 23-yearold British No.1. “I have never played her before. She is an amazing champion, an amazing athlete, amazing everything. “I am looking forward to playing her for the first time, especially here at Wimbledon.” Watson, the last British woman left in the main draw, won four games in a row to recover from 1-3 down to take the first set. She played some impressive tennis to see out the match in 81 minutes. “I am very pleased with my performance, getting through the match as

The enormous powers of the sports development department dwarfed whoever was sports minister since the days of Omeruah, Ikhazoboh, Bayo Lawal and later NSC Chairmen after general Henry Adefope blazed the trail with Decree 13 of 1971 as amended in 1973. With the military’s return in 1984 the NSC came back with general Kehinde Sho-Silva as Chairman and Major Maharajah Mamudu as Secretary. They were succeeded by Chiefs Alex Akinyele, Sylvanus Akinwunmi and Sola Rhodes – the Lagos “boy” who had the guts to “suspend” Adamu and the “powerful trio”. The quartet took solace at the Lagos National Stadium’s S.O.O. Sports shop until Chief Jim Nwobodo succeeded Rhodes, restored their positions and after the Olympic Games of Atlanta ’96 where Nigeria’s team led by Kanu Nwankwo took the soccer gold at the expense of Brazil, Argentina and Mexico while Chioma Ajunwa leapt to the gold medal from her first jump on the pitch, it was firm control by the civil service cadre. The power was so much that details of the NSC and its legal control in terms of composition, responsibilities and the role of states was kept under raps. And the 1999 Constitution seems to be in conflict.

“She played a few good games but I stayed calm, kept playing my game and it brought me back. I was more calm today and was striking the ball better.”

Watson

ritain’s Liam Broady could not repeat his first-round Wimbledon heroics as he was comprehensively beaten by Belgium’s David Goffin on Wednesday. Broady saved three set points in the first set before losing it 7-3 in the tie-break, but lost the second set in rapid fashion as Goffin’s superior ATP Tour experience began to tell. The 21-year-old Englishman was then broken twice more in quick succession in the third set, and although Broady saved match points at 0-5, Goffin closed out the match 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 6-1. “I think obviously he’s a very good player,” said Broady. “It was a very tight first set, nip and tuck, which is very positive for me considering he’s 15 in the world. “I think the longer the match went on, the more fatigued I became, which is obviously again something to work on.” Wildcard Broady, ranked 182nd in the world, had battled back from two sets down on Monday against Australia’s world number 138 Marinko Matosevic to win in five.

International Sport 53

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY JULY 2, 2015

No one can prove I am corrupt - Blatter

Messi in action for Argentina

Messi not worried by goal drought as Argentina wallop Paraguay

ionel Messi asserted that he is not concerned by failing to get among the goals for Argentina as they thrashed Paraguay 6-1 in the Copa America semi-inal on Tuesday. The Albiceleste captain was an influential figure for Gerardo Martino’s men in Concepción, supplying three assists

and earning the Man of the Match award. He failed to find the net during the comprehensive victory over La Albirroja at the Estadio Ester Roa but insisted that the team’s impeccable display more than made up for it. “I am not too worried that I did not score any goals. We played a com-

plete game,” Messi told reporters after the match. “We did what we were doing in the previous matches. We follow the same idea. “We fulfilled the first objective of being in another final. We are very excited that we can be champions.” The victory set up a date with hosts Chile in

the final at the Estadio Nacional on July 4. Messi - who has scored just one goal so far at Copa América 2015 - is predicting a tight encounter and revealed his eagerness to get his hands on a trophy with Argentina. “It is a final and I am hopeful. It will be a close game,” he added.

IFA president Sepp Blatter has challenged those who claim he is corrupt to prove it amid legal allegations rocking world football’s governing body. Over a dozen FBI indictments were announced just days before FIFA’s presidential elections in May, with various current and former officials from within the organisation accused of serious financial crimes, including money laundering and racketeering, by the US justice system. Blatter initially refused to accept any responsibility for the arrests and indictments, insisting FIFA was coordinating with the FBI over the allegations, and was then re-elected for a fifth term at the head of football’s governing body. But a few days after the election, he unexpectedly announced his intention to stand down, though the Swiss insists suggestions that his decision makes him guilty of corruption are baseless and without any evidence. “People don’t understand the word they are

Blatter

using when they accuse me of being corrupt,” he told Bunte. “Someone who accuses me of being corrupt must first prove that to be the case. “But no one can prove I am corrupt, because I’m not. I don’t mind constructive or legitimate criticism, there’s benefits in seeing things differently. But if someone says ‘Blatter is corrupt because FIFA is corrupt’ I can only shake my head at them. “I have a clear conscience, otherwise I could not look people in the eye when I talk about this topic. The accusations against me have nothing to do with football, they’re an attack on my personal life.”

Man City, Southampton my biggest worries –Mourinho Bolt to see ‘world’s best doctor’

ose Mourinho says Manchester City and Southampton were Chelsea’s most difficult opponents last season. The Blues romped to top-flight glory in 201415, finishing eight points ahead of second-placed Manchester City to add to their League Cup success. They were, however, given stern tests by City and the Saints both home and away and Mourinho pointed to the games against the two sides as their most tricky encounters. He remarked: “I have to be pragmatic and also choose two, the only two teams we couldn’t beat. We didn’t lose against them but we didn’t beat them. Manchester City, two matches and two draws, and Southampton, two matches and two draws.” Mourinho also hailed his most recent title win

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard (middle) battling for the ball with Man City players

as the most rewarding, because of the greater competition in the Premier League last term. “[The Premier League] is more difficult than ever, I would say it was the most difficult one. It’s very competitive with good teams,”

the Portuguese told Chelsea’s official website. “The mentality is very important and, in this country, even the teams without the same human potential as the top teams really fight and really believe. Every game becomes

very competitive and mentality is a big part of it. “At the same time, the good financial situation that every club has allows even the smaller teams and the promoted teams to get good players, have good squads and to be competitive.”

print star Usain Bolt was in Munich on Wednesday, seeking treatment from famous doctor Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt in a bid to cure his problematic pelvis injury before August’s world athletic championships. The reigning world and Olympic 100m and 200m champion has withdrawn from both the Diamond League meets this Saturday in Paris and on July 9 in Lausanne as he struggles for fitness. Bolt is suffering from a blocked sacroiliac joint in the pelvis which effects his left leg and the injury also forced him out of last week’s Jamaican championships. His goal now is to be fit for the world championships in Beijing from August 22-30 as he starts work with Mueller-Wohlfahrt, the team doctor to

TRANSFERS

Costa joins Bayern Munich

ouglas Costa has completed his move to Bayern Munich after the Bundesliga side agreed a €30 million fee with Shakhtar Donetsk. The Ukrainian side revealed an agreement with the Bundesliga champions had been reached on Wednesday, thanking the

Brazil international for his five years of service. “Shakhtar Donetsk and Bayern Munich have agreed all the necessary formalities regarding Douglas Costa’s move to the German club,” the club said in a statement. “The transfer fee for the Brazilian midfielder is €30m.

Man United give up on De Gea

anchester United are resigned to losing David de Gea to Real Madrid this summer and have given up on attempts to keep him at Old Trafford. Sources have told Goal that United have accepted De Gea’s desire to move to Madrid in the transfer

window and are concentrating on negotiating the best possible deal for the Spaniard. De Gea told United early June that he would not sign the new 280,000-aweek contract offered by the club and informed them of his desire to move De Gea to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Bolt

football’s World Cup winners Germany, who has treated Bolt throughout his career. “He’s the best doctor in the world and a great, great man,” Bolt has said of the 72-yearold German doctor, who has a string of famous patients. “He has treated my muscles, but he is more than a doctor to me,” added Bolt, who set the 100m and 200m world records in 2009 in Berlin.

54 News

THURSDAY JULY 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Baba-Ali plans big for Kogi sports Charles Ogundiya

Al-Farouq Aminu executing a dunk for the Dallas Mavericks

Aminu joins Portland in $30m deal Ifeanyi Ibeh

igerian basketball star, AlFarouq Aminu, according to reports in the international media, has agreed a four-year, $30 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. The deal was, according to reports, concluded on Tuesday night, shortly after free agency opened. And the 24-yearold Nigerian, who spent

the last NBA campaign with the Dallas Mavericks, joins a revamped Portland team that has already traded Nicolas Batum and is in a fight to retain star forward LaMarcus Aldridge. Aminu averaged 5.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 74 games for the Dallas Mavericks last season. He has never scored 20 points in a game in his five-year career, but he gives the Blazers a versatile presence in defence

for a team ranked among the poorest in defence last season. However, the Blazers can’t officially sign Aminu until July 9 when the NBA’s free-agent moratorium ends. Blazers general manager Neil Olshey was GM of the Los Angeles Clippers when they made Aminu the eighth overall pick of the 2010 NBA draft. Aminu also played with New Orleans for three seasons.

gover norship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in Kogi State, Alhaji Suleiman Baba-Ali, has promised a massive turnaround for sports in the state if elected. Kogi State election is scheduled to hold in October but the primary poll will take place later in July. Baba-Ali, was the Managing Director of Team Nigeria to the Algiers 2007 All Africa Games where he sourced funds for the country’s athletes for the continental event. He said the state of sports generally in Kogi required a change as he expressed concern over the fortunes of Kogi United Football Club and Confluence Queens.

Kogi United are in the last position on the Nigeria National League Table with just six points from six matches. Confluence Queens are fourth on the female football league table with three points from three matches. Baba-Ali said; “We have to drive sports professionally. I have knowledge of what to do to boost the two teams in the state. The male team will have to move up to the elite class to attract bringing other top teams to the state and also to play in the continent. “The female team is good and we are going to encourage them especially by bringing in private sector to provide the basic things.” The gubernatorial aspirant is however thinking beyond football in his

Charles Ogundiya

nyimba of Aba increased their unbeaten run in the Nigeria Professional Football League with a 3-2 away victory against Kwara United in Ilorin. The victory, in one of the midweek games played on Wednesday, made it eight games without defeat for the former CAF Champions League champions.

Abuja

Ifeanyi Ibeh

here were a number of knockouts on display in Wednesday’s round of matches at the ongoing Kenneth Minimah Open Boxing Championship, taking place at the National Stadium, Lagos, as the country’s pugilists battled for a spot in the boxing team to the upcoming All-Africa Games in Brazzaville, Congo. Delta state boxer, Odigbo Stephen, led the way with the opening bout of the day as he progressed to the quarterfinals after knocking out Lagos-based Oliwo Kazeem in the opening round of their three-round contest. A devastating uppercut to Kazeem’s chin in the opening exchanges of the round was all Odigbo needed to confirm his supremacy over his adversary and secure a spot in the last-eight. Fatai Sikiru of the Nigeria Police also stopped his Adamawa state opponent, Ismaila Ajibola, with a technical knockout in the second round of their contest, while Sanusi Abiodun of the Civil

attempt to lift Kogi sports. “We were 24th on the final medals table of the last National Sports Festival and that is not acceptable, we have to move up because we have talented youth all over the place who can make the state proud. All we need to do is to plan ahead and generally have a template for development of our youths,” he added.

Enyimba extend unbeaten run Sunshine Stars returned to the top of the league after defeating Akwa United 3-1 in Akure as Wikki Tourists failed to cement their position at the top of the table after a disappointing 1-1 draw at home against Giwa FC. Gbenga Ogunboteled Shooting Stars compounded Sharks’ woes as the Ibadan side won a 1-0 win over the Port Harcourt-based side. Rangers defeated

Knockouts galore as Minimah NRA President under investigation Boxing tourney enters quarters Adeolu Johnson Defence Corps also gained a technical knockout victory over Sheriff Ogubanjo of Oyo State in the first round to advance to the quarterfinals. Also through to Thursday’s quarterfinals are Tunde Olejede of the Nigeria Army, who defeated his Kaduna State opponent, Kabiru Oladejo 2 -1 in their second round preliminaries, while Borno State pugilist, Rotimi Abayomi got the better of Michael Onyemachi of Abia State to advance to the quarters finals. Ogun state’s Kazeem Oseliu also advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Adesola Abiodun of Adamawa State 3-0 in their 56kg weight category clash. Imo State fighter, Rasheed Adeniran, was no match for 19-year-old Olayinka Yusuf of Oyo State, who turned him into a punching bag before dismissing him 3-0 to book a deserved quarterfinals ticket. It would be recalled that Yusuf was part of the Nigerian team to the 2013 World Junior Championships in Kazakhstan.

Baba-Ali

hairman of the Organising Committee of the NFF, Seyi Akinwunmi, has disclosed that the allegations of match fixing against the President of the Nigeria Referees Association, Tade Azeez, is under investigation. He explained that, “We have a referees committee that works well. There’s no secrecy about their ac-

champions Kano Pillars 2-1 in Enugu while former Nigeria U-20 national team coach John Obuh started his tenure at Ifeanyi Ubah FC with a 1-0 defeat away to Heartland. In other matches played on Wednesday, El-Kanemi Warriors beat Dolphins 1-0; Abia Warriors won 3-1 at home to Bayelsa United, while Warri Wolves defeated Lobi Stars 1-0. Nasarawa United also defeated FC Taraba 2-0. GLO LEAGUE RESULTS

tivities. When a team loses they blame the referee. The committee is organised in a manner that may not allow it to be so influenced. Sometimes referees make mistakes because they are human but I want us to appreciate the integrity of refereeing in the country.” LMC chairman, Shehu Dikko, in his comments said they have taken additional steps to ensure standards in matches with secret assessors and such standard ensuring personnel.

El-Kanemi 1-0 Dolphins Warri Wolves 1-0 Lobi Shooting Stars 1-0 Sharks Wikki 1-1 Giwa Abia Warriors 3-1 Bayelsa Rangers 2-1 Kano Pillars Heartland 1-0 Ifeanyi Ubah Kwara Utd 2-3 Enyimba Nasarawa 2-0 Taraba Sunshine 3-1 Akwa Utd

Temile joins call for Eagles return to Lagos Ifeanyi Ibeh

ormer Nigeria international, Clement Temile, has joined the recent clamour from Nigerians for the Super Eagles to return to their traditional base in Lagos. Ex-Super Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh, recently called on the Nigeria Football Federation to move the national team back to Lagos in order to get the best out of the blundering former African champions. It was a statement that was in agreement with comments made by Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, prior to the team’s last Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Chad in Kaduna.

Temile

And Keshi’s former Super Eagles teammate, Temile, in a television programme monitored in Lagos, said: “Keshi is the manager of that team and I think he knows what is best for his players. If he is recommending that

they should come to Lagos he must have a reason for that. “The Super Eagles should come to Lagos because in our days, when we played in Lagos, the feeling was fantastic.” Lagos fans are renowned for their passion for the game and have on numerous occasions made their grievances known to the Super Eagles by booing them whenever they appear to be underperforming on the field of play. Temile, however, insisted the so-called boos, are actually Lagos fans’ peculiar way of encouraging the players to put in more effort on the pitch. “It is not true (that Lagos fans boo the Super Eagles and shift support to the opposition),” he said.

Features 55

NEW TELEGRAPH THURSDAY JULY 2, 2015

Beer is my greatest weakness – Symmonds My best friend in athletics Will Leer (US 1500m runner). He’s a good guy, very smart which makes for great conversation both on and off the track. He’s a great fan of the sport, follows what is going on and he is a very positive guy. I’ve known him longer than anyone in professional athletics and I’ve been racing and training with him since 2000. My greatest achievement Winning my world 800m silver medal, I think this is the defining moment of my career, although I think the 2008 US trials (Nick won in 1:44.10) is my most satisfying race to date. As far as my biggest achievement it was Moscow. It was my fourth major outdoor championship final and I knew it was probably going to be my best shot at winning a medal. What was going through my head that night was ‘don’t waste this opportunity.’ It wasn’t ‘hang on for dear life’ which has sometimes been my mantra in the past. I knew if I seized the opportunity, I’d walk away with a medal. The difference between winning a medal and not winning a medal in a World Championships final is so different. Eight guys run the final and three of them get to run around the track on a celebratory lap of honour while the other five basically get dragged off the track. Having been dragged off the track several times before, getting the chance to jog around the track with an American flag on my shoulders was a much better feeling. My greatest disappointment It was running a personal best of 1:42.95 in the 2012 London Olympic final and not winning a medal. It still stinks to be honest. As an athlete who tries to bring his best product to the biggest stage, I have nothing but pride for what I accomplished that night. I took near a full second off my personal best in the biggest event of my entire career, but to run a 1:42.95 and not end up with a medal is so hard to swallow. My greatest rival Duane Solomon (US athlete who finished fourth in the 2012 Olympic 800m

USA’s world 800m silver medallist Nick Symmonds won his sixth national title over two laps of the track on Sunday to qualify for his fifth consecutive IAAF World Championships. In this interview with the IAAF’s website, he reveals some of the best things in his life.

Symmonds

final in 1:42.82 with Symmonds fifth). The reason I love racing Duane and why we have such a great rivalry is because we approach it from such different backgrounds. I’m a stocky white kid from Idaho, who trains more like a miler. Duane is a tall, lean African-American who trains like a sprinter and despite our incredible physical differences, and differences in upbringing and background, we run the 800m within less than a tenth-of-a-second of each other. He’s often 10 or 20 metres ahead of me at the quarter (400m split) and I’ll try to reel him in. It makes for a catand-mouse game and the fans can identify with either Duane or myself. The energy that the fans bring to the track

when Duane and I race gets us both excited and pushes our performance level up a notch or two. The greatest athlete I have ever seen Ashton Eaton. He’s a good friend of mine and I’ve watched him develop as an athlete first hand in Eugene. I saw him come in as a goofy kid and watched what his coach Harry Marra has done and now Ashton has become the greatest athlete in the world. I have so much admiration and respect for him. I know he does it the right way. Ashton’s success almost brings tears to my face because I know he’s such a humble guy, a great worker and such a great competitor.

Onazi apologises to NFF over red card Ifeanyi Ibeh

igeria and SS Lazio of Italy midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi, according to a report on the website of the Nigeria Football Federation, has formally apologised to the NFF for the red card he bagged in last month’s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Chad in Kaduna. Onazi was issued a straight red for violent conduct in the game against the Chadians and was subsequently fined $5,000 by the NFF. The NFF also wrote to the player and Onazi, in his response dated June 30, 2015 and addressed to the General Secretary of the NFF, Mohammed Sanusi, wrote: “Sequel to your letter REF: NFF/ OGS/Admin/Vol.V/009, I hereby tender an unreserved apology with respect to my conduct which led to my dismissal in the game Nigeria’s midfielder Ogenyi Onazi vies with France’s midfielder against Chad in Kaduna.

“I accept the fact that my act was tantamount to an unacceptable one on the field of play. However, I want to inform you that my action on the pitch was not premeditated and was only a reaction to a violent attack on me by the Chadian player, who hit me from behind while I was standing outside the penalty box. “In addition, I had tendered an unreserved apology immediately after the match via my official social media accounts, as well as in the traditional media, to my teammates and to Nigerians who felt let down by an act they considered surprising because of my reputation in that regard. “Also, I had volunteered to attend the two matches that I have since been punished for by CAF both at home and away, to support my teammates. I believe this is an amenable punishment and therefore appeal for the further fine of $5,000 that was imposed on me by the NFF.”

My greatest indulgence In-N-Out Burger. I love a good cheeseburger. I joked once after setting a big PB down in Southern California that every time I get a personal best, I’m going to celebrate with an In-N-Out Burger! It is maybe not the best thing for an athlete to eat but I can’t say no to them. It is a terrible indulgence. It is a toasted bun with two patties, two pieces of cheese and sautéed onion all melted together. My greatest weakness Beer. I’m like most working guys in that at the end of a long day I want to kick my feet up and have a couple of beers with my friends. For me, it is more of a social thing, I love going out with my buddies to sit down and have a beer and talk about your day. I really like the social aspect. My best piece of kit My half-tights. I hate shorty shorts. I have these big quads that look so silly in the little short shorts. I just think halftights are a magical piece of clothing. The best venue Zurich. It just has a great atmosphere with the fans banging on the advertising hoardings, but I think the reason the fans have so much fun with that meet is that the organisers allow booze and gambling. It is just like an American football game in that if you have $20 on your favourite athlete and a pint in your hand, that makes the experience so much better. I’ve said before, if you want a successful track meet, allow booze and gambling. My best achievement outside of athletics My biochemistry degree. It took me four years to complete and I had to fight to the finish. I’m the kind of guy who when I start something I like to finish it. It was a very rigorous degree and I didn’t think I’d ever be using it. I guess I’m really proud of my perseverance and being able to see it through to the end.

On Marble

World Record The Caravan Bridge over the

Sanctity of Truth

“Whilst men may play the game, women know the score.”

– Habeeb Akande

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015

N150

river Meles in Izmir, Turkey was built around 850 BC, which makes it more than 2,860 years old, qualifying as the oldest functioning bridge in the world.

Handover notes and matters arising

“E

very man, every woman who has to take up the service of government, must ask themselves two questions. Do I love my people in order to serve them better? Am I humble and do I listen to everybody, to diverse opinions in order to choose the best path? If you don’t ask these questions your governance will not be good” These words in marble by Pope Francis as road map to good governance cannot be more fitting than now in Nigeria, when we are transiting from an old to a new government especially given the irritating stories emerging from government handover notes. Every four years in this country, governments at federal and state levels change from old to new. During this period, there is always the customary handing over notes from the old to the new to provide insight to the incoming government on the state of government affairs. Oftentimes, these notes come without certain relevant truths about the correct situation of things. Since May 29, 2015, the media have always been awash with such notes but the content of some of them make our hearts bleed. In one of the states for instance, about 22 vehicles, which were nowhere listed in the handover notes, were said to have been recovered from the wife of an immediate-past governor. In Delta state, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa reported that a whopping sum of over N637 billion debt formed the base of what was handed over to him by his predecessor Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan. In Akwa Ibom the uncommon governor is reported to have left an uncommon huge debt for his godson and successor. In Enugu state, the wrestling between former Governor Sullivan Chime and the immediate past state Assembly over last minute demand for N11 billion Naira loan is still fresh in our memory. In Jigawa and Kano, the new governors inherited over N300 billion debts which, the states would battle to offset. The story is the same in virtually all the states and Nigerians appear not to be getting the import that the future of their children is already mortgaged by their leaders. From disturbing stories emerging from handover notes of various state governors, I am under obligation to drag into this discourse the name of former Governor of Anambra state, Mr. Peter Obi, who left office about 15 months ago. The way and manner Mr. Obi handled governance in his state in the eight years of his administration and which culminated in the unique handover note he presented to his successor, Governor Willie Obiano on March 17, 2014 stands him out as somebody extra ordinary in his leadership style. Since 1999 when the country returned to democratic rule, never has any state government, apart from that of Obi left office with no kobo owed anybody or group locally and internationally. Former Governor Obi did not only hand over clean note to his successor, but also ensured that there was no salary arrears, whether of workers or pensioners. He proudly left an asset in investment to the tune of about N75 billion.

Political Musings IKE ABONYI

igwebuike2001@yahoo.com 08024024029 (sms only)

Buhari

Obi

While handing over mantle of leadership, Obi said to his successor, “the state of Anambra is strong, financially, economically and indeed psychologically. You will be taking over the reins of state where there is sanity, political civility and overall decorum”. Why wouldn’t he sound that way? He left no salary arrears whether workers or pensioners. He left a local investment of over N27 billion, Foreign currency investment of about $156m, certified state/MDAs of over N28 billion. This was a governor who clearly knew his tenure would end one day and planned and programmed all his actions to terminate with him except the revenue yielding investment. When juxtaposed with what the current Nigerian governors left in office; huge debts and months salary and pension arrears, not to talk about sums owed to contractors with what Obi handed over on March 17, 2014, one cannot but conclude that he must have different political and economic DNA. No wonder Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote reacted to Obi’s unique prudent approach to governance saying, “God certainly will sort you out for the wonderful governance you have given to your people”. If Obi had taken half of the over N75 billion investment he still would have been a hero but he did not. He was futuristic in thinking for Anambra of tomorrow.  Obviously, the former Governor did not arrive this destination by accident. There was no extra largesse that accrued to Anambra state that others did not get, the state is not even an oil producing state yet.  What happened was just a product of fiscal discipline backed by productive and realistic style. He approached governance as a business and as a foundation and made accountability paramount in all his dealings.

Most of the governors who left huge debts for children yet unborn in their various states operated a life style that only kings could imagine. They used public funds as if it would never finish and as if it was an asset left behind by their billionaire parents instead of the people’s money. This development should worry us as a country because the future is bleak for a nation whose young political managers squander public fund the way our leaders do.    President Muhammadu Buhari whose antecedents of prudence and fiscal discipline are well known at least for now must have been like most other Nigerians thoroughly disappointed at the low level of governance at the state and local Government levels. There is no doubt that governance is on the decline in this country lately with the embarrassing stories coming out of governments at all levels. States and local governments have been experiencing difficulty in meeting up basic obligations as payment of staff salaries. Shamelessly, some of them have been operating as if it was normal for them to owe workers their wages and acquire huge debts even in absence of any project to back it. They buy and maintain private jets and expensive vehicles with their states lacking basic things such as potable water and drugs. Some of the projects that incurred the debts came from grandiose selfish desires that have no direct relevance to their people. For instance, how do you explain one of the poorest states in the north, incurring billions of debt for building an airport in the state capital which only the governor and his guests use while basic amenities are not available to the people.  After watching these governors operate a lifestyle that cannot reflect the underdevelopment in their area, it is not surprising that President Buhari finds it hard

to stomach the picture of hopelessness being painted by these governors to meet a basic responsibility as the payment of workers’ wages. As a matter of urgency, President Buhari said he wants the state governors to explore efficient means of gradually clearing all unpaid salaries of staff,= to remove the untold hardship thousands of families have been subjected to in recent times while calling for distance between politics and development programmes. I sincerely believe that Nigerians device a means of holding our governors accountable if they really desire to see an end to these senseless debt acquisitions. Even though on paper the various state Houses of Assembly are supposed to statutorily provide checks to the excesses of these state chief executives, most of them have compromised the legislative independence and instead become the appendage of the executive arm. Whenever you notice an active state House of Assembly, it is either quarrel instigated by sharing of loot or the governor wanted to use them to achieve one selfish goal or the other and had to activate them for that purpose. The vehemence with which these governors confronted the former Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for suggesting to save money for the rainy day speaks volume about the kind of leaders and the nature of leadership they provide. They have been after the head of the former Finance Minister for introducing the monthly publication of funds allocated to state and local Governments and for disclosing that from 2011 to 2014, state governors collected a total of N2.92 trillion. For the new governors, we know that politicians believe that you don’ have to fool all the people all the time, just during elections, but we also know as Edmund Burke said that there was never a bad man that had ability for good service the choice is theirs, but they should never forget that when a person assumes a public trust, he should consider himself not a lord but as public property.

HIGH CHIEF THOSE PLOTTING AGAINST TINUBU ‘LL FAIL -Group

-But they can tell you the truth!

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