Binder1 friday, june 19, 2015 by Newtelegraphonline

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Friday, June 19, 2015

Vol. 2 No. 485

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Chad bombs Boko Haram's camps in Nigeria NEW TELEGR

Chevron rakes in $70m from oil blocks' sale

Adeola Yusuf

he United States oil company, Chevron Corporation, has netted $70 million from the sale of two offshore oil blocks in Nigeria; Oil Mining Lease (OML) 83 and

OML 85, two years after it had put them up for sale, New Telegraph learnt yesterday. The oil firm confirmed in a statement the completion of the sale of its 40 per cent stake in the two Nigerian offshore oil blocks, which it started in 2013.

Reuters, which reported this, added that the oil company completed the sale to local firm, First Exploration & Petroleum Development Company Limited, chaired by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia.

The two blocks, OML 83 and OML 85, hold an estimated 200 million barrels of oil and an unknown amount of natural gas, but there has been no production yet, two industry sources told Reuters. Chevron did not CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

APH FRIDAY,

N150

JUNE 19, 2015

Reality

‘It’s great to be a black woman on TV’

Entertainme nt 27

Interview

‘Sex sells, that 28 D’banj was ’s why the toast’

Comedy Seyi Law cracked ribs at Legend Taste And Tell 26

Kerry Washington

Highest paid : actress in th e world

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Highest paid actress }25 in the world People With Money’s In compi factors magazine ling this yearly list, considers the as upfron factors such t tion, residu pay, profit partic ipaadvertising als, endorsement s and work. The Ameri timated net can actress has an esworth of She owes $245 millio her n. investments fortune to smart stock , substantial holdings, property lucrat ive endor deals with sement also owns CoverGirl cosmetics. “Fat Washi several restaurants She Washingtonngton Burger” chain)(the in “New York , a Football Team Angels”), (the her own has launch brand of ed Vodka (Pure derwashingt Wonthe junior on - US), and is tackling s market perfume (With Love with a top-selling fashion line from Kerry Seduction”. called “Kerry Washi) and a ngton The rankin g is signifi Kerry fans, cant for her triump who have been waitinmany g for for what hant return to the seems like glory days a lifetime. She has accum ulated through being a succes her net worth actress. sful Hollyw In began appea 2012, Kerry Washi ood ring in a ngton “Scandal” TV show ABC channwhich is broadcasted called been portrael. In these TV series, on the ying she has a character Rhimes, who of ment adviso is a former crisis Shonda manager for the Presid she was named ent. In 2013, as one of paid actres the highes ses t it also proves on TV by Forbes . Thus, that Kerry Washington

APC in fresh crisis sony neme

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CONTIN

UED ON PA G E 2 6

lTinubu, NWC disagree on selection procedure for Senate Leader, others lOdigie-Oyegun battles to retain post }4 Quick Read

Herdsmen sack Suswam's village }49 APC celebrating failure, naivety, says PDP }8 Reps begin debate of legislative agenda next }5 week L-R: Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje; Senator Kabiru Gaya and Sokoto State Governor, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, at an international seminar organised by The Gusau Institute, in Kaduna...yesterday.

EFCC arrests Ohakim, quizzes Lamido}4

Ramadan: Governors, lawmakers, PDP seek prayer for Nigeria }8

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Congratulations!

His Excellency, Abdulfatah Ahmed, Executive Governor, Kwara State

My family and I wish to congratulate Your Excellency Abdulfatah Ahmed on your election as the Executive Governor of Kwara State. This is a true attestation of your ability by the people of Kwara State to take the state to the next level. We wish you a successful tenure in office. Signed

Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, MON Chairman,

Slok Shipping

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

News

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

APC in fresh crisis over N'Assembly posts Iyobosa Uwugiaren, Onwuka Nzeshi and Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

he All Progressives Congress (APC), which is still smarting from the crisis over the defeat of its candidates for the leadership positions of the National Assembly, is enmeshed in a fresh trouble, New Telegraph has learnt. It was learnt yesterday that the fresh crisis in the party followed another attempt by some party chieftains to select those to occupy the positions of the Senate Leader, Deputy Senate leader, Chief Whip of the Senate and the Deputy Senate Whip. New Telegraph gathered that the party became divided following pressure by a national leader of APC, Senator Bola Tinubu, on the party to nominate those to fill the positions. However, the APC National Working Committee

(NWC) prefers that the remaining principal officers should emerge by allowing the various zonal caucuses to nominate them from among their members. A source told New Telegraph that Tinubu had already written to the NWC, led by the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, that the party should nominate the Senate Leader and other principal officers of the Senate. The idea of the party nominating these officers, New Telegraph learnt, has not gone down well with majority of the senators who regarded such a formula as another attempt by Tinubu to manipulate the process and impose his "lackeys" on the parliament. New Telegraph learnt that members of the NWC and some APC senators have been reluctant to accede to Tinubu's request for fear that there might be a backlash on the long run. According to a source, Odigie-Oyegun expressed

discomfort with the formula out of fear that it might lead to another rebellion in the party, especially on the heels of the defeat the APC suffered in the leadership tussle in the National Assembly. In the race for the Senate presidency and the House of Representatives speakership, the party's consensus candidates, Senator Ahmed Lawan and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila had lost to Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara. The party was embarrassed by the victory of Saraki and Dogara and has been battling to contain the crisis. The selection process for the other leadership positions in the Senate, it was learnt, dominated discussions at some high level meetings of the party yesterday as the NWC members explored ways of resolving the matter without further widening the cracks in the party. A senator confided in our correspondent that he

and his other colleagues were already mobilising members of the different caucuses to ensure that the Senate followed its tradition in the selection of principal officers. According to him, it will be an aberration for a person outside the Senate to pick the principal officers of the parliament. "We may just ask the NWC to ignore the letter because it would be a breach of the tradition. But the trouble is that this may further widen the gap between Tinubu and members of the NWC. All the same, we intend to impress it upon anyone who cares to know that things are not done that way. There are traditions and there are precedents which we cannot shove aside," he said. Earlier yesterday, the NWC meeting of the party was inconclusive and would continue today. Odigie-Oyegun and APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, declined to speak to journalists on

the agenda and resolutions reached. They just stated that the meeting would continue tomorrow (today). Yesterday's NWC meeting was the first since the crisis in the party over the National Assembly leadership crisis. The meeting, according to a source, was on how to resolve the internal crisis among the NWC members. However, New Telegraph which was at the party secretariat, noticed that all may not be well between the party’s NWC members and Tinubu as banners of the APC national leader have been removed at the national secretariat of the party. Hitherto, Tinubu's banners were used to adorn the APC national secretariat in Abuja. Meanwhile, OdigieOyegun has embarked on spirited moves to keep his job amid calls for his resignation. He has been under attacks from party members over his perceived poor

L-R: Senator Danjuma Goje, Senate President Bukola Saraki, United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle and Senator Uche Ekwunife, during Entwistle’s visit to Saraki in Abuja…yesterday. PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

EFCC arrests Ohakim, quizzes Lamido Emmanuel Onani Abuja

n continuation of its renewed vigour to fight graft, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arrested a former Imo State Governor, Mr. Ikedi Ohakim. A source told New Telegraph that Ohakim was picked up at his Abuja residence at 10a.m. He was arrested on the day the commission inter-

rogated former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, on alleged award of contracts during his administration to companies linked to his son and other cronies. Lamido's son, Aminu was, in 2013, convicted by a Federal High Court in Kano on a charge of money laundering, which was preferred against him by the EFCC. It was, however, learnt that Ohakim, who governed Imo State on the platform of the Peoples

Democratic Party (PDP) between 2007 and 2011, was arrested by operatives of the commission, over his failure to honour an invitation to appear for interrogation on Wednesday. The source added that Ohakim was arrested over a petition alleging fraud and embezzlement of public funds during his four-year tenure. According to him, "The suspect thought he could treat our invitation with contempt without con-

sequences, but now he knows better. "Apart from answering questions on alleged diversion of public funds during his tenure, he may also have some serious explanations to offer regarding one or two property, which our eagle-eyed operatives may have traced to him." It was gathered that the EFCC may also question Ohakim on what his government did and what it may have spent on Royal Oak Refinery, Midwest

Airline as well as Oguta Lake Resort. Before Ohakim and Lamido's separate interrogations, the EFCC had quizzed former Adamawa State Governor, Alhaji Murtala Nyako and those of Borno and Ebonyi states, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Chief Martin Elechi, respectively. The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the arrest of Ohakim as well as the interrogation of Lamido.

handling of the National Assembly leadership crisis, which led to the defeat of Lawan and Gbajabiamila. New Telegraph learnt that besides the fact that some party members held Odigie-Oyegun responsible for not being able to rally the party lawmakers to ensure victory for Lawan and Dogara, APC leaders were also piqued with him over his statement that the party had come to terms with Saraki's leadership of the Senate and Dogara's position in the House. It was gathered in a bid to stave off any attempt to remove him from office, Odigie-Oyegun is relying on support from Tinubu, who was instrumental to his emergence as the party chair. Odigie-Oyegun also, on Wednesday, sought the backing of APC state chairmen during a meeting in Abuja after which he proceeded to the National Assembly to interface with the APC legislators. A source said the state chairmen had resolved to align with Buhari and Odigie-Oyegun on the need to work with the present leadership of the National Assembly. A source said Tinubu and Odigie-Oyegun had decided not to allow the emergence of Saraki and Dogara to further polarise the party. The source told New Telegraph in Abuja yesterday that their decision to close ranks over the National Assembly leadership crisis was informed by their strong conviction that the political forces that stopped their preferred candidates from emerging were beyond them. The crisis took a different dimension recently when one of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) members, Mr. Timi Frank, called on the party’s national chairman to resign. However, giving a hint about the latest moves by Tinubu and Odigie-Oyegun to reconcile their differences, a leader of APC who is close to the duo, denied any “serious conflict” between the two leaders. Although the APC chieftain blamed Tinubu for bungling the issue of the National Assembly leadership elections, he said the two party leaders had “suddenly realized” that the forces that worked against them were too powerful. He said: “I am an insider in the whole arrangement; two strong political forces prevented Tinubu CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

News

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

Chad bombs Boko Haram's camps in Nigeria Emmanuel Onani and Ibraheem Musa

he Chadian military has announced that it carried out air strikes on some identified Boko Haram camps in Nigeria, to retaliate the sect's deadly attack on N'Djamena, a few days ago. But the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) denied the claim, saying it was the Nigerian Air Force that actually identified a camp it tagged as Camp 6 somewhere in Bosso, and alerted the country's authorities. The air strikes are said to have resulted in heavy casualties on the side of Boko Haram.

"In all, at least 30 were killed. Some of them died when their houses were set alight," a security source said. Authorities in Chad have said four Boko Haram fighters were among the dead and at least five suspects have been detained in connection with the attacks, but no one has claimed responsibility for the bombings. "Our defence and security forces will hunt down without mercy these terrorists without faith or law, so that spilling the blood of Chadians will not go unpunished," said army spokesman, Colonel Azem Bermendoa. Reacting in a statement

by its spokesman, Major General Chris Olukolade, the DHQ said: "The claim that the Chadian military have conducted air strikes against six terrorist camps in Nigeria is not correct. "The fact is that the Nigerian Air Force surveillance mission identified targets tagged as Camp 6 around Bosso town which is not within Nigeria's territory and alerted the partners accordingly. "The places reported to have been struck by the Chadians are, therefore, most likely to be in Niger Republic and not Nigeria as widely reported in the international media. "Although the terms of the multilateral and

bilateral understanding with partners in the war against terror allow some degree of hot pursuit against the terrorists, the territory of Nigeria has not been violated as insinuated in the reports circulated in some foreign media. "The Nigerian military will continue to cooperate with partners in the mission to exterminate or contain terrorists strictly in conformity with existing terms of the Concept of Operation at strategic, operational or tactical levels. "It is, however, important that issues are accurately reported while avoiding misleading or

unnecessary sensationalism from any quarter." However, Boko Haram militants attacked two villages in southern Niger's Diffa region overnight, killing at least 30 civilians, two security sources said yesterday. The attackers drove into the villages in the Gueskerou area with cars and motorbikes and shot residents before setting fire to the mostly straw thatched houses where others were hiding, the sources said. "In all, at least 30 were killed. Some of them died when the houses were set alight," said one of the security officials. The source said he expected the death toll to rise because a number of survivors had serious burns. Gueskerou is along the banks of the Komadugu River separating Niger from Nigeria. Meanwhile, unknown gunmen have killed 13 per-

sons in Katsak and Ungwan Danborno villages of Jema'a and Birnin Gwari local government areas of Kaduna state respectively, in the early hours of Wednesday. According to reports, the gunmen also injured about 15 persons who are presently receiving medical attention. Governor Nasir El Rufai has condemned the killings, just as he expressed sympathy to the victims. In a press statement issued by El Rufai’s Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, the governor said that his administration has designed a series of comprehensive measures in order to tackle the problem and secure sustainable peace across the state. "We have briefed President Buhari on the security challenges and he is supportive of the measures being designed to address them,” he added.

Chevron rakes in $70m from oil blocks' sale CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema; President, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; Secretary, National Council of The Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mrs. Tinuade Awe and First Vice-President, NSE, Mr. Abimbola Ogunbanjo, during NSE’s 54th Annual General Meeting in Lagos...yesterday. PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

Reps begin debate of legislative agenda next week Philip Nyam Abuja

peaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has stated that the House will commence debate on the Eighth Assembly Legislative Agenda next week. A statement issued by his spokesman, Hassan Turaki, yesterday said the Speaker made this known when he received the draft 8th Assembly Legislative Agenda from the committee members and experts he commissioned a few days ago. “As early as next week, we will debate the legislative agenda and adopt the final version,” he said. Dogara informed the panel that the 8th House, under his leadership, “will do everything possible to

implement the legislative agenda even if it means setting up a substantive committee. This will define the character of the 8th Assembly.” The Speaker also lamented a situation whereby revenue generating agencies of the Federal Government hide under laws establishing them to withhold monies they generate. He said even though some laws have allowed the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to retain certain percentage of the revenue they generate, there is the need to review those laws in order to plug the leakages because most of them do under-declare their earnings. Dogara further advocated for prudent management of the nation’s

foreign reserve in such a manner that interests accrued are declared by the foreign fund managers which may be running into hundreds of millions of dollars. Another key area that came up for discussion was the issue of donor funding with some committee members disclosing that between 10 to 17 per cent of some ministries’ budgets are funded through foreign aids. Some members of the committee also lamented that in most cases, the funds are neither reflected in the annual Appropriation Bill nor are they declared by the affected MDAs. The draft legislative agenda is proposing the introduction of sectorial debate, the conduct

of legislative NEEDS assessment of the House of Representatives by experts and restructuring of the House Standing Committees among others. Dogara had on Tuesday inaugurated the 22man committee under the chairmanship of C. J. Osman with Hon. C.I.D Maduabum, Aisha Dukku, Abdulsamad Dasuki, Shehu Garba Sarkin Noma, Zakari Mohammed, O.K. Chinda, Toby Okechukwu, Funke Adedoyin, Ahmed Yerima and Ibrahim Baba as members. Other committee members are Adeyinka Ajayi, Ahman Pategi, Adetunji Ajagbe, Clement Nwankwo, Mansur Jarkasa, Omotayo Brimmo, Enoch Jarumi, Cordelia Akunwafor, J. O. Amupitan and Oscar Okoro.

give details of reserves. Spokesperson for the company’s subsidiary in Nigeria, Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), Mr. Deji Haastrup, could not be reached on phone for comment yesterday. He did not pick calls to his phone when New Telegraph called. A source close to the deals, however, told New Telegraph that the company's “revenue base could receive a boost of about $70 million from the sale of the blocks located in shallow waters offshore Bayelsa State.” He said: “The company’s subsidiary is not likely to disclose the revenues accruable from the sale without getting a clearance from its headquarters in the United States (US), but one thing we are sure of is that the First E&P cough up about $70 million for this transaction.” According to Chevron, approximately 45 per cent of discovered resources is gas in OML 85. "As part of a continuous process of portfolio evaluation and business prioritisation, Chevron Nigeria Limited has put forward its interests in two oil mining leases for auction," a company spokesman said. "The assets are located in the shallow waters." Chevron owns a 40 per cent stake in 13 shallow water blocks with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and

also has several deep offshore assets. Its 2012 net daily production in Nigeria averaged 238,000 barrels of crude oil and 165 million cubic feet of natural gas. Several oil majors have sold assets onshore or in the shallow waters of the Niger Delta over the past few years. Nigeria suffers from widespread oil theft and, at times, difficult relationships with local communities onshore, driving up the costs of operating there, while a long-delayed energy bill is stuck in parliament, adding to industry uncertainty. Joint owners, Royal Dutch Shell, Italy's Eni and France's Total, have sold several blocks. Buyers of these included UK-listed firms, Heritage Oil and Eland Oil. Chinese-owned Addax has said it is interested in buying more Nigerian assets. Chevron's blocks are at the exploratory stage, unlike Shell's already producing fields, which will make valuations less straightforward, one banking source said. US firm, ConocoPhillips is also planning to sell its Nigerian businesses to Oando Energy for about $1.79 billion, the company said in December. Oil majors, which are looking more towards deepwater offshore, said they could not invest in large new projects until the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is passed.

News

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Senate’ll sustain Nigeria-US investment relations –Saraki lEnvoy reiterates support for fight against Boko Haram Chukwu David Abuja

he President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki, yesterday assured that the Senate under his leadership would embark on legislations that would sustain an investment friendly relations between Nigeria and the United States. Saraki, who gave this assurance while receiving the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, in Abuja, said that such legislations would be enacted purposely with a view to bringing the country out of the present economic recession. He said that with the much abundant resources deposited in the country, he had the confidence that the current National Assembly would meet the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians from all facets of the society. The President of the Senate highlighted the challenges militating against the progress of the country to include epileptic power supply, insecurity, unemployment and revenue leakages, stating that

the present administration would focus on tackling them in order to uplift the well-being of Nigerians. Saraki further extolled the cordial relationship between Nigeria and the United States, saying that the envoy's visit was prompt and coming at a time the nation was preparing to re-address most of the challenges militating against her developmental goals. He said: “I can assure you that Nigeria will continue to be attractive to investment opportunities.

We have the human capital and with our younger generation of steadfastness, training and development, our much-needed goals would be achieved. “We will put in place, comprehensive systems to make our revenues meet our needs. Our oversight functions would be strengthened in such a way that there will be no room for loopholes in implementing government plans and projects.” In his remarks, the US Ambassador assured the Senate President of ad-

equate cooperation and support in the areas of security, power, human capital development and investment opportunities. Entwistle expressed optimism that Nigeria was destined to be a great nation. He said: “I am optimistic about the future of this country, especially when I meet young Nigerians. Their energy, their zeal and prowess indicate that Nigeria will be great." The U.S Envoy disclosed that his country designed a lot of programmes for

the youth, challenging Nigerian government to put up programmes targeted at developing the young people in the country. "We have a lot of programmes focusing on youths. We have what we call Young Africa Leadership Initiative. So, we do it a lot but I have to turn the question around and ask: what is Nigeria doing to develop young people in this country? That's the first step and it is only then that we can see how we can help," he stated. He promised that the US

would assist Nigeria in the area of agriculture, environment and energy. On the fight against Boko Haram insurgency, Entwistle said: "No other countries of the world is doing more than US is doing in the fight against insurgency in Nigeria. I have spoken to the new administration on new ways of fighting insurgency. We have been helping in fighting Boko Haram for years and we will continue to assist the country in that fight, I can assure you", he stated.

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST LAGOS

ABUJA

PORT HARCOURT

KANO

ENUGU

IBADAN

CALABAR

MAIDUGURI

ONITSHA

29oC 25oC Storm

30o C 22oC Thunder Storms

21oC 18oC Storm

38oC 24oC Mostly Sunny

21o C 12oC Cloudy

30oC 23oC Storm

21o C 12oC Cloudy

39oC 26oC Mostly Sunny

28oC 23oC Storm

L-R: Managing Director, Wema Bank Plc., Mr. Segun Oloketuyi; Chairman, Lafferty Group, UK, Mr. Michael Lafferty; President/Chairman of Council, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Mrs. Debola Osibogun; chairman of the occasion, Chief Emeka Anyaoku and Managing Director, Airtel, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, at the institute’s annual lecture in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

Tinubu, Oyegun, NWC disagree on selection procedure for Senate Leader, others CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

from having his way this time around – in the election of the National Assembly leadership: first, there are those who believe he was solely dictating the entire affairs of APC. And the other force comprises those around President Muhammadu Buhari, who rightly or wrongly calculated that unless they stop Asiwaju (Tinubu) now, he might sooner than later become too powerful to control. “There is no need calling for Odigie-Oyegun’s head or looking for scapegoat in Tinubu for mismanaging the entire arrangement. You recall it was when the national chairman called for support for the new National Assembly leadership that they started looking for somebody to blame for their failure. “But, within these circumstances, is there any alternative? Are we going to start fighting ourselves and start behaving like opposition? Are we going

to take our members to court for expressing their rights? Nobody should blame Odigie-Oyegun for not managing the process very well because he was not carried along.” The source, who is a member of APC’s National Working Committee (NWC), advised leaders of the party to work with the new leadership of National Assembly to make things very easy for Buhari. “In the next few days, President Buhari will forward a list of ministerial nominees to the National Assembly for approval and this is not the time to start fighting them (National Assembly leaders),” he stated. Narrating how the whole process started, the source said although the party did not use the word ‘zoning’ from day one, leaders of the party agreed that the president of the Senate should go to the NorthCentral and that Senator George Akume should be their preferred candidate.

“Having been a Senate Minority Leader, we felt we should support him for the president of the Senate. But the whole arrangement changed when Senator Saraki joined the race and he was getting mileage. And in order to stop Saraki, Asiwaju switched his support to Lawan from the North-East and insisted that the party must support Lawan. “Nobody was carried along; he was doing it alone and forcing everyone of us to toe his line. There was no proper coordination of the entire arrangement. Two weeks to the inauguration of the National Assembly, Asiwaju forced members of NWC to invite senators-elect and House of Representatives members-elect for a briefing. The whole idea was to see how we could present consensus candidates for the leadership positions of both chambers. “We were mindful of the fact that if we do not present consensus candidates, the PDP may capi-

talise on it, present its candidates, and go ahead and win the election. But instead of adopting opensecret system for the inhouse election, we were told to use open ballot. At that point, Saraki-led supporters pulled out from the arrangement; the same thing with members of the House of Representatives. “We were at that stage when, on Tuesday morning, about 4a.m., the day of the inauguration, Asiwaju went to the national chairman’s house in Asokoro, Abuja and said President Buhari had agreed to meet with the senators-elect and their counterparts in the House and advised him to schedule a meeting for 10a.m. same day. “The chairman asked Asiwaju what would be the reaction of PDP members and he said he had taken care of that. The chairman fixed the meeting; many of us were at the venue of that meeting until about 10a.m., when somebody called us to say that senators

had conducted their election and new leaders had emerged. It was at that point everybody started running back to the National Assembly. “Asiwaju bungled the entire thing. He did not carry people along. Do you know that he even gave a directive to the Inspector General of Police to lock up the National Assembly’s gate until we are through with the meeting, claiming the directive was from the president? The National Assembly was eventually locked, thousands of policemen deployed until somebody advised the IG to crosscheck with the presidency – and it was at that point that the IG discovered that there was no such directive from the president," the source added. Efforts by New Telegraph to get Tinubu's media aide, Mr. Sunday Dare, to state their side of the story were abortive yesterday as calls to his telephone line did not go through.

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

News

Our Correspondents

s the Muslim faithful began the 30-day fasting period yesterday, prominent Nigerians and groups have asked them to use the period to pray for Nigeria. Some of those who sent greetings yesterday included the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara; his Deputy, Hon Yusuf Lasun; Governors Ayo Fayose, Rauf Argbesola, Tanko Almakura and Abdulfatai Ahmed of Ekiti, Osun, Nasarawa and Kwara states respectively; the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the Soun of Ogbomosholand, Oba Oladunni Oyewumi. Dogara urged Muslim faithful to use the Ramadan period to pray for Nigeria. In a goodwill message issued by his spokesman, Turaki Hassan, Dogara said the present crop of leaders in Nigeria came in at a very critical time. "I want to use this medium to call on our Muslim brothers and sisters to use the holy month of Ramadan to pray for peace, unity and prosperity of Nigeria.” Lasun enjoined Muslims to pray to Almighty Allah to solve the problems bedevilling the country. Lasun advised Muslims to continue to pray for the peace of Nigeria noting that it is in the atmosphere of peace that development can be achieved. He called on Muslim leaders to intensify efforts to eliminate the root of extremism and terrorism especially in the North eastern part of the country. Aregbesola tasked Muslims to use the holy month to pray fervently for peace, security and economic recovery in the nation in general and the State of Osun in particular. In a statement by his Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the Governor said, “Ramadan is a month in which Muslims redouble their spiritual efforts for the attainment of piety. We should seize this opportunity to pray for the country and our state to overcome all the socioeconomic and political problems facing it.” Fayose said there was the need for them to open their minds and hearts to learning from the teachings by Islamic scholars during the period. In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, Fayose said that the great Prophet of Islam,

friday, june 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

national

Ramadan: PDP, lawmakers, govs seek prayer for Nigeria Muhammad (PBUH), described Ramadan fasting as a shield against vices and noted that it was important for Muslims to assist the country with prayers during this Ramadan period. He said; “Fasting as one of the five pillars of Islam should not be just a period for abstaining from food and drink, the period should also be used to make greater sacrifice

by praying fervently for the country.” In a similar message, Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, called on Muslims across Nigeria to use the Ramadan fasting season to pray for speedy economic recovery and growth in the country. In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Abdulwahaab Oba, the governor noted

that Nigeria seems to be experiencing unusual economic and security challenges that require concerted efforts and prayers from everyone to get it back on track. "At a time like this when our state, and indeed our country is passing through dire economic challenges due to the slump in national earnings, national rebirth through good governance,

Allah's intervention in guiding our leaders in rejuvenating the economy and rebirth is crucial", the governor said. The PDP charged political office holders in the country to use the period to reflect on the enormous responsibility vested on them and rededicate themselves to the service of the people for which God will hold them accountable.

L-R: Wife of the Vice-President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo; Wife of the President, Hajiya Aisha Buhari and wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Toyin Saraki , with Sickle Cell Anaemia children at the launch of World Sickle Cell Awareness Day campaign in Abuja …yesterday.

PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

Nine foreigners arraigned APC celebrating failure, naivety — PDP over possession of crude oil Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described as ridiculous that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has already started listing its achievment in office when it is yet to organize itself even to take basics steps of conventional appointments such as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief of Staff to the President and advisers in key sectors of the economy. PDP said in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, yesterday that the APC and the presidency are making mockery of governance with premature celebration of imaginary achievements. "The nation and democrats world over were thoroughly embarrassed by the frivolous list of so-called achievements which has further exposed APC’s lack of capacity and direction as

well as the inability to draw a line between propaganda by an opposition party and disseminating of credible information as a party in government," the party noted. It wondered how a serious government could start listing its achievements and make bogus claims on the fight against terrorism when the effort is apparently losing stream. According to the party, the insurgents who had been pushed to the verge of surrender in the Sambisa forest by the Goodluck Jonathan administration are now surging back into the country under the APC-led government. "How can a serious government shout achievement based on pledges by foreign interests, a dangerous slide towards neo-colonialism, instead of settling down to galvanize bequeathed resources and potentials that have already placed our great country as one of the fastest emerging economic and political powers in the world?"

Akeem Nafiu

he Federal Government yesterday arraigned five Filipino, four Bangladeshi and a vessel before Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged unlawful possession of crude oil. The foreigners and the vessel were arrested and charged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The five Filipinos are: Axel Joseph Gibo Jabone, Juanito Camireno Infantado, Suarin Fernado Alave, Gatila Jaypee Gadayan and Rolando Jose Commendador. The Bangladeshis are: Md Zahirul Islam, Islam Shahinul, Islam Rafiqul and Shaikn Shibli Nomany, while the name of the vessel docked along with them was MT Asteris. The anti-graft agency, in the charge, disclosed that the accused on or about March 27, 2015 in

Lagos, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court conspired among themselves to commit an offence to wit: dealing in 3423.097 metric tons of crude oil without lawful authority or appropriate license and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(19)(6) of the miscellaneous offence Act, Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and punishable under section 17 of the same Act. The EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, further informed the court that the accused on the same day and time within the jurisdiction of the court, without license, stored 3, 423. 097 metric tons of crude oil in MT Asteris' cargo tanks marked 1C, 3C and 4C and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 4 of the Petroleum Act, Cap P10, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. They all pleaded not guilty to a four counts charge levelled against them.

The party also called on those behind the insurgency ravaging parts of the country to see the Ramadan as a turning point in their lives and retrace their steps, return to God, quit the live of violence and live in peace with other citizens. "The holy month offers Nigerians a wonderful opportunity to draw from God, regenerate their souls while making room in their hearts for forgiveness, unity and peaceful co-existence upon which the nation is built," PDP said in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh. Oyewumi called on the Nigeria Muslim community to imbibe the teachings and lessons of the Holy Quran in their daily lives. In a message signed by the Palace Secretary, Toyin Ajamu, Oyewumi said, " As we begin the Ramadan fasting, I would like to congratulate the Muslim ummah for witnessing the holy month. It a special season that calls for peace, togetherness, spiritual upliftment and togetherness". Al-Makura urged Muslims to use the month to re-dedicate themselves to Allah and adhere to the lessons of piety, obedience and sacrifice which the Ramadan symbolises.

Travel agents decry raise in air ticket, antitrust practices Wole Shadare

ravel agents, under the auspices of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agents (NANTA) have cried foul over German airline, Lufthansa’s planned surcharge of E16 for tickets issued through the General Distribution Systems (GDS) from September, 2015. They have called on the aviation regulatory body, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to sanitise the travel industry market with a view to ensuring that fares offered in Nigeria are at par with those of other countries and that Airlines operating in Nigeria, conform to global best practices NANTA also decried what it described as sharp practices engaged by some foreign airlines which they claimed have direct impact on the passenger and the travel business and lead to capital flight from the country using the latest Lufthansa surcharge as an example.

NEW TELEGRAPH friday, june 19, 2015

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national

50,000 Nigerians live in Cameroon, Chad as refugees — Commission Yekeen Nurudeen ABUJA

he National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons yesterday disclosed that approximately 50,000 Nigerians are currently living as refugees in Cameroon, Chad and other countries, including Nigeria as a result of the unending insecurity in the North East.

Director General of the Commission, Hadiza Kangiwa, who made the disclosure on the occasion of World Refugee Day, said Nigeria is host to over 2000 recognised refugees and 1000 asylum seekers. She said that the Federal Government, as a signatory to both the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, as well as the 1969 OAU Convention, would continue to be committed to the principles of

international protection towards refugees and asylum seekers. The Director General added that the Federal Government has come up with the National Migration Policy. The policy, according to her, was recently unveiled with the aim of addressing the many challenges of migration while hoping to harness other positive aspects of migration to develop. Also speaking at the

event, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Angele DikongueAtangana, said her office in Nigeria has been reinforcing its activities in support of IDPs in the North East through distribution of relief materials, protecting training among other activities. She added that her office would soon engage in psychological support to liberated IDPs and also offer them shelter support. While noting that

UNHCR and ECOWAS on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding to further improve on the protection of persons of concern, she commended the federal government for its collaboration and sustained support in the protection of the rights of the persons of concerns. "No doubt much has been done but much can still be achieved both at national and sub-regional levels,” she said.

Labour Party opposes bail out for states Yekeen Nurudeen ABUJA

s many state governments across the country continue to struggle to pay their workers' salary, the Labour Party (LP) yesterday kicked against the planned bail out of state governors by the Federal Government over unpaid workers’ salaries. National Chairman of the LP, Alhaji Abdukadir Abdulsalam said in Abuja that states only need to look inward to generate enough funds to pay their workers and depend less on federal allocations which he said they can use for other developmental needs.

change of names

OMONIYI

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Bamidele Omolola Jumoke, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Omoniyi Omolola Jumoke, All former documents remain valid. General public should take note

OKWUKWE

I formerly known and addressed as Paul Faith Okwukwu, now wish to be known and addressed as Paul Faith Okwukwe, All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

Yakubu

L-R: France's Ambassador to Nigeria, Denys Gauer; Editor-In-Chief, France 24, Caroline De Camaret; Director, Climate Change Department, Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr. Jare Adejuwon and EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Michel Arion, during EU's Climate Change Diplomacy Day Lecture in Abuja …on Wednesday. PHOTO-NAN

Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

rom the Governors of Oyo and Osun states, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola respectively yesterday came a testimony that the vacuum created by the late Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji AbdulAzeez Arisekola Alao (CON) in terms of generosity can never be filled by any individual. The two governors said this at the 1st year fidau prayer for Arisekola, which took place at his palatial residence at OluwoKekere, Basorun, Ibadan.

Nobody can match Arisekola in generosity, say Ajimobi, Aregbesola Arisekola died on June 18, 2014 in his London home, thus making yesterday exactly one year of his death. Ajimobi said he missed Arisekola's advises, but that he was consoled by the fact that he lived a life worthy of emulation. He urged wealthy Nigerians to assist needy individuals. According to him, "We should know that life is ephemeral; we will die one day. And the funniest part is that we behave like we are

Court delivers judgement in Fani-Kayode’s money laundering July 1 Akeem Nafiu

ustice Rita OfiliAjumogobia of a Federal High Court in Lagos has deferred judgement in a case of a former Aviation minister, Chief Femi FaniKayode, charged with money laundering by

the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), till July 1. The judge had earlier fixed yesterday for judgement after the adoption of final written addresses and summary arguments by parties in the matter.

going to live forever. Some people will be fighting each other; others will be angry at each other. Some people are stingy. They have but they can't give. And also, some people are not easily satisfied. If you give them a certain amount, they will still complain." "None of us can act like the late Arisekola. Even, some of us that are governors have offended some people since Aare died because some of them see us not being able to satisfy

their wants. If your wife was delivered of a child or you are in dire need of help, Aare Arisekola was ready to help. Those who didn't know his worth are now facing the reality", Ajimobi remarked. Aregbesola, in his tribute, said that there are many rich individuals but none is as generous as the late philanthropist. He explained that the late Arisekola helped people without discriminating about where they come from.

IGP constitutes junior officers' promotion committee Emmanuel Onani ABUJA

high-powered committee has been constituted by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Solomon Arase, to screen junior police offi-

cers with higher educational qualifications, for promotion to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), and the Inspectorate cadre. The Police high command had earlier made the pledge of elevating deserving junior officers.

Military can’t solve Boko Haram insurgency — Akinrinade Ibraheem Musa Kaduna

ormer Chief of Defence Staff, Lt.-Gen. Alani Akinrinade (Rtd), has reiterated that the military is not the solution to the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. However, he did not offer a panacea to the problem. Akinrinade spoke yesterday in Kaduna at a seminar on Power and Influence in Africa, organised by Gusau Institute, a research centre founded by the former Minister of Defence, General Aliyu Gusau (rtd). According to him, “I am not aware of any military doctrine that has been put down that has addressed effectively guerrilla warfare, which is easier. But this kind of insurrection we are now having in our hands have never been addressed by any military doctrine successfully.

I formerly known and addressed as Ahmed Abubakar, now wish to be known and addressed as Ahmadu Abubakar Yakubu, All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

Sawyerr

I formerly known and addressed as Mr. Gbadero Olajide Sawyerr, Company Director, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Gladstone Olajide Sawyerr, All former documents remain valid. General public should take note

Eweka

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Nneka Josephine Umeh, Company Director, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Nneka Josephine Eweka, All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

Ibukun

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ibukun Juliana Adeyemi, now wish to be known as Mrs. Ibukun Juliana Ibikunle. All former documents remain valid. NYSC, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Nigeria Bar Association and general public take note.

Oluyinka-Oworu

I, formerly known as Oluwatoyosi Christiana Adedayo, now wish to be known and addressed as Oluwatoyosi C. Oluyinka-Oworu. All former documents remain valid. Pampers Private School and general public please note.

ZIGE

I Formerly known and addressed as Miss Izon-Ebi Zige, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Izon-Ebi Stephen Kalama. All former documents remain valid .General public take

CANUS

I Formerly known and addressed as Kemesuodei Canus, now wish to be known and addressed as Canus Ayebapreye. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

FRIDAY,JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Metro

Gunmen kill Egba chief, leave ‘assassination note’ MURDER

A new dimension has been added to the series of murders in the country as the killers of an Egba chief call the victim a promiscuous man in an assassination note Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

he police in Ogun State yesterday said they had launched investigation into the murder of an Egba chief, Chief Moses Oyebade, by gunmen in Abeokuta on Wednesday. Oyebade, who is the Oluwo of Ikanna, was reportedly killed in his home in Ago-Oba area of Abeokuta North Local Government Area of the state. It was gathered that the victim was shot several times by his assailants while sleeping about midnight. The gunmen were said to have broken through the sliding glass window into the room of Oyebade, who marked his 75th birthday in Lagos two weeks ago. He was the only occupant in his house at the time of the incident. Other chiefs in Ikanna reported the matter at the Ibara Police Station, Abeokuta. The first son of the deceased, Mr Oluyemi Oyebade, confirmed the incident, saying he had earlier been informed of some unknown persons who used to trail his late father.

Oyebade’s house showing the window through which the gunmen entered

Oluyemi added that gunmen had on two occasions, visited his late father’s house but they could not get access into the building. He said: “My father was sleeping in his bedroom. The bed is close to the window. As the glass was broken, he woke up to see what happened. He took his torch to see who was there. That was how he was shot. The first gunshot was in his hand which was seriously damaged. Maybe when he was still struggling, they shot him again. I guess they shot him

three times.” The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi, also confirmed the incident, saying investigation was ongoing. He said: “We have a case of murder at hand. Some men went to his (Chief Oyebade) residence, broke his window and shot him at 12am. “We have examined the place and recovered assassination note which contained a message written in both English and Yoruba languages. “The content read, ‘useless

man, Oni dokudo’ (promiscuous). In our preliminary investigation, it could be a case of assassination. We will invite some people for interrogation.” The PPRO said the Police Commissioner, Val Ntomchukwu, had directed that the case be transferred to the Department of Criminal Investigation. He added: “The perpetrators would not go scot-free. The commissioner of police sympathises with the family, even the Kabiyesi, the Alake of Egbaland.”

Fire razes bank’s headquarters Tony Chukwunyem and Taiwo Jimoh

ire yesterday gutted a section the Zenith Bank headquarters at Plot 87, Ajose Adeogun, Victoria Island, Lagos. The Lagos State Director of Fire Service, Mr Rasak Fadipe, said on the phone that his men responded immediately to the distressed call put across to the fire office. He said: “The fire was put out by our men who raced to the bank. They also rescued some of the staff of the bank who were trapped inside the building.” The fire was said to have been caused by a power surge from one of the offices. No live was, however, lost in the inferno. The Public Relations Officer of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South-West, Ibrahim Farinloye, said the fire was put off by a combined team of firefighters. Farinloye added that the fire only affected a room in the building. A spokesman for the bank, Mr Ufot Essien, said the incident occurred in one of the buildings adjoining the lender’s head office, stressing that it was a minor incident which was quickly brought under control. He said: “It was a very minor issue which lasted only a few minutes. In fact, I would not describe it as a fire incident. What happened was that smoke was noticed in one of the buildings behind the old head office and this triggered the fire alarm. “In line with safety procedures staff and customers had to evacuate and assemble at a safe place. But the fire was quickly put out and normal banking services resumed without any hitches.”

Sergeant shoots FRSC official over argument Juliana Francis

policeman attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, La-

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com

gos State has been arrested for shooting an official of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). The SARS operative is identified as Sergeant Akuku Chris. The altercation between Chris and the FRSC official occurred on Benin-Ore-Sagamu Expressway. During the quarrel, each man was claiming that his job was more important than other’s. Before one knew what was happening, Chris shot the FRSC

official in the leg. The man fell on the ground and started screaming while blood gushed out from his leg. Chris was among five policemen that went to Port Harcourt to recover a truck in an ongoing investigation. When they got to the BeninOre-Sagamu Expressway, the truck developed a fault. The five SARS operatives tried to jumpstart the truck, but it was futile. They were making attempts to locate a towing vehi-

cle, when the FRSC official and his colleagues came to the scene. The FRSC officials ordered the policemen to immediately remove the truck from the road. The policemen explained that they were coming from Port Harcourt and that they were looking for a towing van. The policemen were also said to have presented their identity cards. But it was learnt that the FRSC officials further demanded the truck’s particulars.

A source said: “It was at that point that the argument started. When the FRSC officials demanded for the particulars of the truck, they did not care that the five men were police officers. “Soon, both party started an argument over who was superior to the other. The FRSC official that was shot was more hostile than others. The sergeant just opened fire and shot him in his leg. The FRSC official was stupid. You don’t argue with a man holding a rifle.”

Metro 11

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY,JUNE 19, 2015

City Briefs ‘Jonathan didn’t pay N15m for cousins’ release’ Chris Ejim Yenagoa

olice in Bayelsa State yesterday denied the claim that a N15 million ransom was paid before they secured the release of the two abducted cousins of former President Goodluck Jonathan from kidnappers. The victims, Kate Ene and Patience Ebani, were kidnapped on May 15 alongside their friend, Edith Ekeni, at Akemplai community in Ogbia Local Government Area. Sources in the community claimed that Jonathan’s family paid N15 million to the kidnappers to secure their release. But the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Astimin Butswat, denied knowledge of such ransom payment and negotiations. He said: “We are not aware of such payment.” Astimin, however, said the victims were released about 11.30pm on June 5 at Abua waterfront in Abua Local Government Area of Rivers State. Meanwhile, the police have announced the release of a 54-year-old woman, Madam Ebiye Simpson, abducted on May 24 at Agrisaba community in Ogbia Local Government Area.

Gospel singer, others held for murder Taiwo Jimoh

he Homicide Section of the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID), Alagbon, Lagos, Annex, has launched investigation into the abduction and killing of the son of a Customs officer. A gospel artiste and two others have been arrested by the police in connection with the crime. The victim, identified as

Enere Ukonga, was said have been kidnapped at his resident, 10, Ajanaku Street, off Salvation Road, Opebi, Ikeja. The suspects, identified as Elijah John (the gospel singer), Ibrahim Maina and Okafor Jude, were said to have kidnapped Enere, killed and buried him. It was learnt that the father of the deceased, Mr Ajayi Ukonga, was contracted by one Osarentin Enabulele, to help him ‘clear’ his goods at the seaport.

Tai Anyanwu

he General Overseer (GO) of Mountain of Liberation and Miracles Ministries, Dr Chris Okafor, brought joy to the family of Sola Afolabi when he donated N500,000 to save their son, Oluwanimilo, from a tormenting lump in the head.

Expressing appreciation, the father of the tree-year-old boy, said he did not know that there were still pastors who really cared about other people’s wellbeing. He said: “The general belief is that today’s pastors only amass wealth for themselves.” Afolabi recalled that Oluwanimilo had lived in perpetual pains from birth owing to the

Gbemisola Oyedepo

Police to auction abandoned vehicles

he Lagos State Police Command has warned owners of abandoned vehicles parked at Aswani and Langbasa police divisions to remove them within 21 days. According to the police, the vehicles would be auctioned to members of the public after the ultimatum. The vehicles are three unregistered Golf cars, Volkswagen LT bus, marked XJ 64 EPE, MAN Diesel truck with registration number XF 434 KTN and a Honda Civic car marked FU 948 EKY.

that I should not continue the clearing. I told him that I have already used it for his job. “To my surprise, Enabulele and four others came and kidnapped my son, killed him and buried his body at Abesan Estate, Ipaja where we later exhumed his body for re-burial. “We are carrying out a DNA test on his body to be sure he is the person in question, while the suspects would be charged to court as soon as the DNA result is out.”

Pastor donates N500,000 to save boy with lump

‘New counter-terrorism unit needed to combat Boko Haram’ resident Muhammadu Buhari has been advised to set up an elite Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU) within the Presidency to tackle Boko Haram and bring an end to the deadly terror attacks in the North-East. A security expert, Dr Ona Ekhomu, who gave the advice, said the purpose of the unit was to use knowledgeable tactics to predict Boko Haram attacks, create the necessary focus and synergy required for the war on terror as well as prevent terror attacks. Ekhomu, who is the president of the Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria (AISSON), spoke while reacting to the twin suicide bombings in Potiskum, Yobe State on June 15, in which 11 persons were killed, as well as other suicide bombings in the North-East since Buhari’s inauguration. He said: “It is obvious that Boko Haram is resurgent. Although the terrorists were defeated by the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Air Force in the conventional warfare which they opted for in 2014, they have now chosen guerrilla tactics and suicide terrorism.”

Enabulele, the alleged mastermind of the crime, was said to have given Ukonga about N1 million for the job. It was gathered that immediately Ukonga collected the money, he started the process of clearing the goods, while he waited for Enabulele to bring the bill of laden. After waiting for some time, it was discovered that Enabulele had no bill of laden. Ukonga said: “I was surprised that one day he came to demand for his N1 million,

Pastor Okafor donating the money

lump which he first thought was a boil. He added: “We noticed the lump on his head right from the day he was born. He was born on January 12, 2012. It was the mother that noticed the lump; and as at that time, the lump was very small. “Initially I thought it was a boil and I waved it aside, believing it would go away; but as days turned to weeks, we noticed it was growing in size.” According to him, his family was advised to take the child the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. He added: “At LUTH, we were told he could not eat because the passage where food goes to was blocked. As I speak with you, he only eats through the tube attached to his navel. “Doctors at LUTH prescribed an operation to rectify the anomaly, but insisted that it could not be carried out immediately because the boy was still young.” When Oluwanimilo turned one, his parents took him back to LUTH but they were told that he was still too young.

Speaking after the donation done on behalf of Chris Okafor Humanity Foundation, the GO said whatever position God gives anyone in life was not because of one’s work, righteousness or qualification but by the mercies of God. He noted that practical Christianity is captured in the Book of Matthew 25 verse1-46: “Jesus said: I was hungry I came to you; you did not give me food to eat. I was thirsty, you did not give me water, I was sick you did not come to visit me. And you will say, lord when were you hungry that we didn’t give you food, or when were you thirsty that we didn’t give you water, and when were you sick that we didn’t visit you? And Jesus will reply that when you do for those that didn’t have, you have done for me.” Offering scriptural explanation, the man of God said: “You can’t do anything for God. The only thing you can do for God is to reach others. The Bible says he that lendth, lendth to God. You don’t help someone because of what they can give to you.”

Ex-Fuji star, others arraigned for N30m fraud Lagos creates emergency Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

ive suspected ritual killers and fraudsters, who allegedly defrauded many victims to the tune of about N800 million, were yesterday arraigned before two magistrates’ courts at Iyaganku in Ibadan, Oyo State. Police in the state arrested the accused last Friday at Oloya village at Asejire area of Osun State. The anti-kidnapping squad of the Oyo State Police Command had on a tip-off swooped on the accused at their hideout where they swindled their unsuspecting victims through ritual means. The accused are Akeem Olayode aka Santana, a former Fuji artiste and

leader of the syndicate; Ayankunle Ayanlowo, the syndicate’s fake herbalist; Samsondeen Abiola, a photographer whose role was to lure rich victims to the gang’s trap, and Sherifat Gbadamosi, a female member who played the role of a witch during their criminal exploits. Although after their arrest, the police said they had duped people to the tune of N800 million, the accused are facing a three-

count charge bordering on conspiracy, fraud and stealing to the tune of N30 million before Magistrate O. I. Uthman. The fifth accused person, Oriyomi Adebayo, who was alleged to be the gang’s spy, was arraigned separately before Magistrate A. A. Adebisi, where he was charged with breach of peace. When the case came up before Uthman, all the accused pleaded not guilty and were granted bail. The prosecutor, Mrs Gladys Inegu, said the accused fraudulently obtained and stole N30 million from one Ade Adeniran under false pretence that they were herbalists who would cure him of diabetes, “knowing it is false.”

line for flood

Muritala Ayinla

agos State Government yesterday dedicated an emergency telephone number for the residents to notify the government whenever they notice flood-related issues in their streets, neighbourhood and highways. A 12-year-old girl, Kehinde Popoola, was last week swept away by flood at Orilowo Ejigbo in Ejibo Local Council Development Area. But the government, which described the dedication of the line as part of efforts to reduce the incidence of flooding to the barest minimum, urged the residents to call 0809 918 3777 for urgent attention on flood prone areas. The Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services, Ayodeji Adenekan (an engineer), who made the disclosure, re-reaffirmed government’s commitment to ensuring safety of lives and property.

News

Lagos Assembly urges revival of Yoruba teaching in schools Wale Elegbede

n a bid to save the Yoruba language from going into extinction, the Lagos State House of Assembly has urged Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, to ensure the compulsory teaching of the language in primary and secondary schools in the state. The House made the call yesterday, following the adoption of a resolution of a motion to revive teaching of the language in schools in the state. The Majority Leader, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, introduced the motion. Hon. Bisi Yusuf moved it while it was seconded by Hon. Oladele Adekanye. The House urged all its 40 members to go back to their various constituencies to promote the teaching of the language by organising competitions among pupils and students, in order to encourage the revival of the language in schools in the state. The House also mooted the idea of holding a stakeholders’ parley which will host Education officials, educationists, parents, teachers, among others, to brainstorming on the way forward. Lamenting the poor attention being paid to the teaching of Yoruba Language, Hon. Yusuf said said the situation had made Yoruba sons and daughters communicate poorly in the language.

Tribunal fixes June 23 for pre-hearing in Ladoja’s petition Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

he Oyo State governorship election petition tribunal sitting at the Oyo High Court, Iyaganku, Ibadan, yesterday fixed June 23, 2015, for pre-hearing of the petition filed by former governor in the state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, against the victory of Governor Abiola Ajimobi in the April 11 governorship election in the state. Ladoja was the Accord party candidate in the election while Ajimobi contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress and won to break the second term jinx in the 39-year old state.

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

SOUTH-WEST

PDP will regain power in 2019, says Mimiko Babatope Okeowo Akure

he newly elected Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, said yesterday that the party has com-

menced the process of regaining power at the centre in 2019. With hard work and commitment, Mimiko, who is the Ondo State governor, said the party which is now the opposition party, following its loss in the March 28 presidential election, would become the ruling

party again. Speaking at a minireception organised in his honour at the Akure Airport, on his return from Abuja where he was elected Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum on Wednesday, he said the forum was determined to give the PDP a new face as the

opposition party. Mimiko said the party’s engagement at the national level would be robust and would also offer alternative policy platform and programmes for the country. He maintained that the governors have resolved collectively to

work assiduously and excel in governance with a view to re-branding the party and make it sellable to Nigerians. He said the PDP in Ondo State, has reached an appreciable level of repositioning, adding that the party is overwhelmingly in charge in the State.

Former Ogun State governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel in the midst of his supporters during his appearance at the High Court, Isabo, Abeokuta…yesterday

Ambode promises to end Lagos traffic problem APC, Fayose bicker over N720m lApproves construction of Berger pedestrian bridge Muritala Ayinla

n a bid to end perennial traffic gridlock across Lagos metropolis, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday visited traffic prone areas in the state with a promise to expand the roads and remove all the impediments to ease the free flow of traffic. The governor also approved the construction of a pedestrian bridge at Ojodu- Berger area to save lives and ensure free traffic flow along the Lagos Ibadan Expressway, assuring motorists

and commuters that he would do everything possible to aggressively address traffic gridlock on Lagos roads. Speaking after the inspection of traffic prone areas, such as: IyanaOworo, Ketu, Mile 12, IleEpo, Iyana-Ipaja, Abule Egba, among others, Ambode, assured residents that they would soon experience better traffic flow across the state always. The governor was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transportation,Oluseyi Coker, General Manager,

Lagos state Traffic Management Authority, Engr Babatunde Edu; General Manager, Lagos State Public Works C Corporation, Engr. Ayotunde Sodiende and other heads of relevant agencies. He also promised to open up roads and execute inter modal transportation system for easy movement of commuters in the state. He disclosed that construction of the pedestrian bridge at Berger Bus Stop would also reduce the traffic gridlock from the Third Mainland Bridge, saying that he had directed the engineers to commence on the bridge.

Resident doctors protest in Osun over unpaid salaries Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

esident doctors in Ladoke Akintola University Of Techonology (LAUTECH)teaching hospital, Osogbo yesterday staged a peaceful protest to press home their de-

mand for the payment of their seven months salaries from the Osun State Government. The protesting medical experts, who trooped to the streets of Osogbo, the state capital as early as 8.00a.m, condemned what they described as hard line posture of

the state government towards their unpaid salaries. They complained that many of them now find it difficult to pay their children’s school fees while, their family responsibilities have adversely been affected, including their feeding.

alleged severance payment Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

kiti State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Ayo Fayose, yesterday traded words over the allegation that the governor awarded himself N720 million as the arrears of salary of his unfinished first term. APC State Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, in a statement, alleged that the governor gave himself the jumbo pay in the last eight months of his uncompleted first term in office. The opposition party alleged that the action came at a time the state was having difficulties meeting certain obligations. However, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, in his reaction, said the APC had turned falsehood to its trademark. “From all indications, the APC in Ekiti State, has promoted falsehood to the level of a trade and we pity the party and its

lying leaders. “Governor Fayose left office on October 16, 2006, eight months to the end of his tenure and Ekiti State had three governors within that period. Does it then make any sense that the same Fayose would come back eight years after to approve payment already made to three governors after him for himself ? “Let’s even assume that the eight months salary is to be paid, is the monthly salary of a governor more than N1m? How then can one say N1m per month equalled N720m in eight months? “Again, Severance Allowance is 300 percent of annual basic salary and the basic salary of a governor is not more than N2 million. So can N2 million in three places be equal to N720 million? This is simply falsehood promoted to the most ridiculous level and we wish the APC spokesperson, Taiwo Olatubosun well in his lying assignment,” Adelusi said.

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

National Assembly

Wardrobe allowances

PDP and Anenih

Parliament

Musa: Nigerians must reject bogus allowance

Tanko: N’Assembly making caricature of change

Deconstructing Osunbor’s narrative

Gov’s men take charge of Ebonyi Assembly

Politics Few weeks after his political godson, former President Goodluck Jonathan relinquished power, questions have started dominating discussions on whether elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark is shifting base and support to President Muhammadu Buhari. WALE ELEGBEDE writes

Edwin Clark’s new song Prof. Attahiru Jega, stating that, “it is disgraceful that Jega whom we thought was an upright man has allowed ethnicity and religion to take control of him.”

s envisaged, the reality of losing out in the presidency is gradually dawning on supporters of former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). While some are already ploughing other means for sustenance, others are making moves to change their political blood from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Arguably described as the most strident supporter of former President Jonathan, a former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, was a leading champion for the reelection of the immediate president. In fact, the elder statesman was synonymous to Jonathan in his six years stay in Aso Rock. Like a mother watching jealousy over her child, Clark has lived for the past few years to shield, defend and speak for the erstwhile president. In fact, Jonathan cannot put any foot wrong in his eyes, hence, the appellation that Jonathan is his political son. Support for Jonathan Prior to the March 28 presidential election, Clark swore many times that Jonathan would be reelected. In fact, he is always at the rooftops to castigate anyone that dared raise voice against the second term of his godson. At a time, he was up in arms against former

AYODELE OJO

DEPUTY EDITOR, PoLITICS ayodele.ojo@newtelegraphonline.com

Clark

President Olusegun Obasanjo when the Owu chief wrote a horrid letter to Jonathan in the wake of jostling for the 2015 elections. Replying Obasanjo through a letter, Clark described the former president’s letter to Jonathan as being a vicious attempt aimed at heating up the polity and inciting Nigerians against the leadership of Jonathan. Extract of Clark’s letter to Obasanjo reads: “My dear former President, what do you really want from President Jonathan? Most of the various issues you raised in your letter are mere re-visitation of the many things you did and failed to do in your eight years of misgovernance. “How dare you point accusing fingers at others when you have a cupboard filled with skeletons? You have forgotten the saying that “a man who lives in a glass house should not throw stones”. “Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in your usual characteristic hatred and use of sarcastic remarks about Ijaw, you have again berated and insulted us, the Ijaws, in your letter to Mr. President. Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has never for once acted nor behaved as an Ijaw man since he took office as President, and we hold no grudge against him for that.” Drumming support for Jonathan at a forum in Abuja before the election, Clark said the former president’s second term is non-negotia-

Buhari is fit for the job and he’s capable of leading us. We will support him

ble, insisting that the North must wait until 2019, after Jonathan’s second term, for its turn. He said: “Don’t exclude us from the scheme of things, Nigeria belongs to all of us, don’t practice double standard. “We cannot continue to feed this country and we are not ruling the country. When Obasanjo wanted Yar’Adua to become the President he blackmailed everybody. How many of the northerners came to me to say that Jonathan should step down and allow the North to finish their four-year term, and I told them you are not well. People thought that we from the South-South are second class citizens and we say no. When we reply critics, they say we are enemies of Jonathan.” At another point, Clark alleged that Jonathan’s life was under threat from the opposition politicians who see the former president as a big threat ahead of the elections. “I appeal to the national chairman of APC, who is my very good friend, who in those days, we regarded as super permanent secretary, not to join those who want to take office at all cost. If it is possible, they will like to kill Jonathan, they will like to poison him provided they will get into office. Is that the Nigeria that you want?” he said. On several occasions before the election, Clark also took a swipe on the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and its chairman,

Collapse tale From the blues, an unconfirmed report went viral especially in the social media that Clark collapsed after the result of the March 28 election showed that his godson will not return to Aso Rock after all. Debunking the tale, the selfstyled Ijaw leader who left the country for the United Kingdom days after the presidential poll, said he never collapsed and that he will not die because Jonathan lost the election. He said: “I am here today to tell you that I am not dead. Or am I dead? In every election, there would be winners and losers. The same thing happened during the last presidential election. “I am alive. Today, I won’t talk about what happened before, during and after the election. That will come another day. “I am talking to you now because I am travelling tomorrow and some people will go into the streets and say I was carried into air ambulance. “President Jonathan who contested election had congratulated the winner and the whole world acclaimed him for conceding defeat. “Jonathan was the one who contested election, I didn’t. So, why should I die?” he quipped. Deserted by political hangers-on After Jonathan’s loss, the once bubbling Asokoro, Abuja residence of the Ijaw leader became an ordinary abode as many of his supporters, favour-seeking politicians, contractors and political hangers-on have all disappeared from the residence. “With his influence in Aso Rock, many politicians flocked around Clark’s house to seek his support on one thing or the other. But after Jonathan’s loss, the once partying atmosphere looks like a grave and even the number of security aides to the house has reduced,” a source said. Congratulates Buhari In a letter dated April 3, 2015, which he personally signed, Clark congratulated President Buhari, stating that, “I am pleased to join our other compatriots in this country and friends from the international community to convey my words of congratulations to you and CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

Politics

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

OPEN FORUM

...lawmakers’ WARDRobe allowances

Musa: Nigerians must reject bogus allowance Alhaji Balarabe Musa is a former governor of old Kaduna State

he bogus allowance is contemptuous of Nigerians and the president should step out in support of the people by rejecting this demand by the members of the National Assembly. The revelation clearly shows that legislators are not there for the interest of the people; they are representing their own interest. But the question is: Can Nigerians continue to tolerate this, or should they do something? The first thing is for the president to demonstrate that he is opposed to this selfish demand by the members of the National Assembly. If he does so, Nigerians will support him. I also want the president to know that this was how the floodgate of corruption, stealing and criminal waste of the nation’s resources

Chief Chekwas Okorie is the National Chairman and presidential candidate of the United Progressive Party (UPP) in the 2015 elections

t is scandalous to read that these elected people receive such huge sums of money just for their wardrobes annually. We should not be proud that such thing has been going on in the sytem. You can imagine what would happen if every public officer is asking for wardrobe allowance. So, my position is that it is not only high but shouldn’t exist. There is no justification for somebody who is being paid salary and other allowances, including payment for his house helps to now ask for an allowance to dress up when he is not wearing any special costume. Members of the National Assembly are not wearing any special costume; they are still wearing the native dresses for which they are known for and we

Musa

started in 1979 during the Second Republic, when members of the then National Assembly did the same thing and President Shehu Shagari failed to stop them. The legislators then got what they

wanted and that opened the floodgate of corruption in this country. So, what the current legislators are demanding should not be allowed; the president should stand up against it and the people should support him in stopping the members of the National Assembly from getting what they want at the expense of the masses. At the moment, there are at least 70 million unemployed Nigerians. How can those who are supposed to represent them be so selfish? It is crazy and Nigerians should stop tolerating this. The fact that we are in a democracy that recognices separation of powers does not mean that the legislators should be allowed to fritter the nation’s resources. If things get worse and the country becomes unbearable, it is the president who would be blamed and not the National Assembly because the bulk stops on his table. So, in spite of democracy and separation of powers, we have a President who was elected to take care of the welfare and security of Nigerians. Members of the National Assembly

are in conjunction at work with him, so whatever separation of powers that exists; the president is there to lead the country, and he should rise and ensure that what happened in 1979 does not reoccur. Also, I think that it is improper for the members of the National Assembly to fix their own remunerations. They are only using their powers as legislators to intimidate everyone including the president. If the president comes out to say he is against the allowance and the National Assembly members insist they must have it; all that Nigerians need to do is to organise public protests, so that if any legislator steps out of the Assembly complex, he or she would be embarrassed. Nigerians can stop them constitutionally and legally. But, my advice to the leadership of the National Assembly – Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara, is that they should make sure that the demand does not sail through if they are not party to it.

Interview by Felix Nwaneri

Okorie: Such allowance should not exist It is scandalous to make provision for the dressing of legislators know what these things cost. So, it is scandalous to make provision for the dressing of legislators. It is not a question of being high; it shouldn’t even exist in the first place. The mood of the moment does not require that such an expenditure head should exist. There is no special costume for one to ask the state to assist them. Their salaries are quite fat and they are entitled to other allowances. On the need for the president to intervene, it is my view that it will not be in good faith for him to interfere because he was not the one who approved those figures. The legislators approved them for

Okorie

themselves and the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission approve the allowances. The issue has nothing to do with the president. It is the Nigerian public, who should rise and say no to it. The president is not expected to dabble into the

issues of the National Assembly as it is too early in his administration to do that. He can cut down the allowances of members of the executive, but not interfering in the affairs of the legislature. But, Nigerians should be able to say with one voice that such a provision should be expunged. In resolving this, I will advise the Senate president and speaker of the House Representatives to draw the attention of their members to public opinion on the issue. Also, the media should come in and make sure the people’s voices are heard. Equally, a concerned legislator can move a motion against the scandalous allowance although it would be tough because it is like asking one to expunge benefits others before him had enjoyed. But, this is a time every patriotic Nigerian should be making one sacrifice or the other, and it would not be a big sacrifice on the part of the legislators to relinquish the idea of taxpayers clothing them.

Interview by Felix Nwaneri

Tanko: N’Assembly making caricature of change Yunusa Tanko is the Chairman, Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and National Chairman of the National Conscience Party (NCP)

think it is morally incorrect and totally unacceptable; it transcends everything that is morally illogical for this set of National Assembly that have all the favour of the people to deny them of their collective wealth thereby making a caricature of what is called change. Nigeria at the moment needs a complete overhaul, a departure from the past, a new lease of life. How can a House of Representatives member who cannot afford three square meals a day collect N17 million as wardrobe allowance, and a senator,

Tanko

N21 million? How can they go to this particular length when they know that such amount of money could change the lives of millions of Nigerians and give them

the hope that Nigeria is in the path of greatness again? It would be a show of love, care and sacrifice to make Nigeria a great country. It would have been an opportunity for this particular National Assembly to make a collective declaration by saying “we are not going to collect this allowance,” or rather say each and every one of us is going to take N2 million just to enhance our cultural fashion or cultural background so as to show to the whole world when we are coming to the National Assembly where we come from. It will bring them closer to the people, people will love them and it will show really, they are ready for legislative business. And the rest they can donate to create employment for the people. How much are these clothes? Is it not trousers and shirts and agbada and babariga? How much is it? Salary is different. How much is the salary? Some of them are going to take

about N15 million per year. Some state workers have not been paid salaries for almost a year now. One of the federal lawmakers even said he is going to donate his allowance to Osun State government for salaries of its workers. That should have been a collective declaration, not just for Osun State but other states. That is what Nigerians expected them to do. We elected them to represent us and they are collecting millions of naira but we that elected them can not earn up to N500,000 a year as salary. The irony is that the public doesn’t even know how much members of the executive are collecting because their own is never made public. That is what the National Assembly members should do. If they cut down their allowances, then they will be in position to check how much members of the executive are collecting. They should set the example.

Interview by Onyekachi Eze

Politics

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

OPEN FORUM Alhaji Abubakar Tsav is a former Lagos State Commissioner of Police and anti-corruption crusader

he allowances of the National Assembly members are too outrageous. There are many states that have not paid their workers for about six to seven months and these workers, who have not been paid for a long time have families. And suddenly some people came out with outrageous allowances for themselves as representatives of the people. I think the allowances are too much. And some members of the National Assembly despite the huge allowances they collect don’t even go to the House or move any motion, not to talk of them sponsoring a bill. The situation is very complex for President Muhammadu Buhari. The other time we thought the president said he was going to liaise with them to

...lawmakers’ WARDRobe allowances

Tsav: Allowances too outrageous reduce their allowances but it appears nothing is happening. He excelled when he was Head of State but now he has to depend on the two houses of the National Assembly. If the two houses are against him, he will not succeed. The president must have to concede to the demands of the lawmakers for him to succeed because if he insists on cutting their allowances and they too refuse to cooperate with him; then we would be in trouble. So, I will appeal to the legislators to do something about the allowances because they are too much. The lawmakers should pity ordinary Nigerians and be reasonable in reducing their allowances because there are many states that have not paid salaries to their workers. It would be unfair for lawmakers to be receiving outrageous allowances and some of them don’t even attend proceedings of the House. There are some governors that have decided to cut salaries in order

Tsav

to pay workers; the lawmakers should tow the same line. I believe making National Assembly part-time will save a lot of money for the

country. During the First Republic, legislation was part-time affairs. I remember that during the First Republic, all elected members of House of Assembly and House of Representatives in those days were not accommodated in their state headquarters. They would only be invited to come for meetings and debates after which everybody will go back to their constituencies and find out what the problems of the people are, so that when next they go to Assembly, they will discuss the problems of their constituents. They were like ordinary persons; the wives of ordinary people go to the same market with them. They visited the same hospital and paid the same electricity bill with others. But in the case of the present National Assembly, government is paying them. Some of them after serving for four years even go with government properties.

Interview by TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

Ajulo: Lawmakers must reject outrageous allowances Barrister Kayode Ajulo is the National Secretary of Labour Party (LP)

ogus, criminal, self-serving and wicked. These are just a few of the words to describe the recently revealed allowances allocated to lawmakers at the Senate and the House of Representatives. It was nothing short of bare-faced robbery for public servants elected on the premise of service to the Nigerian citizenry to be earning such outrageous amounts in a situation where several states have been owing civil servants for as long as seven months. The jumbo allowances being allocated to these lawmakers is a stranger to the present economic reality in Nigeria today. It is only in a nightmarish scenario that a nation acknowledged by all to be in a financial crunch would claim to be able to afford to pay its legislators such humongous amounts. I find it not only surreal but painfully offensive that a nation declared to be “broke” in every sense of the word,

Comrade Debo Adeniran is a human rights activist and Executive Chairman of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL)

t is like this present National Assembly is starting on the same note that the old regime left behind. Our argument hitherto has been that the jumbo allowances being paid members of the National Assembly be reduced. Their pay and allowances should reflect the mood of the time in the country and they should lead by example. If they are given N9 billion wardrobe allowance, each member would have access to an average of N17 million when an average Nigerian cannot boast of one square meal in a day. It is going to be lopsided and unreasonable for those who are elected to represent us with a view to making our lives better. The N9 billion allowance would be a

This travesty is nothing short of a rape on the intelligence of Nigerians everywhere Ajulo

a nation in desperate need of funds to resuscitate crucial sectors in the polity would dare to commit such amounts to servicing lawmakers who spend only about four to five months in a year for the actual business of legislating. The principal culprits in this blatant plunder of the nation’s commonwealth are the lawmakers that constituted the seventh Assembly. Like pirates seeking to pillage an unsuspecting community, they smuggled their cunningly contrived allowances into the 2015 budget when the majority of Nigerians were none the

wiser. This travesty is nothing short of a rape on the intelligence of Nigerians everywhere. The very ones who were elected to safeguard our patrimony are the traitors who betrayed us all by serving their pockets alone. The blame for the successful execution of this “crime against the Nigerian people” squarely at the feet of the Civil Society Organisations in particular and the Nigerian public in general. Truth be told, our naivety and gullibility caused this. We allowed the issue to fester before we woke up to this obscene fraud. Where were our self-appointed

watchdogs when this crime was still in its formative stages? That was the point at which the nation’s collective outrage would have driven back the pirates who pulled a fast one on us. On the decision of the senator representing Bayelsa East Senatorial District, Ben Murray-Bruce, to donate his allowances to the unpaid civil servants in Osun State and impoverished widows in his home state Bayelsa, the gesture is an insult to Osun State people. We are talking about the unacceptability of such allowances, and he is telling us how he intends to use the funds. Is that action intended to salve his guilty conscience? The right thing to do for any lawmaker who is sincere to the mandate to serve the interests of his people is an outright rejection and condemnation of the allocated allowances. Or what is he trying to say? That other senators should go ahead and look for spurious projects to invest their own allowances in? I strongly believe that the lawmakers must reject the allowances as accepting it would be a total disservice to the electorate who voted the lawmakers into office.

Interview by WALE ELEGBEDE

Adeniran: Allowance retrogressive, insensitive wrong way to represent an impoverished people because what the people thought before they elected these lawmakers is that their representatives are already rich enough to take care of their own wardrobe. Who are they trying to impress by the expensive wardrobe that they are paid? If the wardrobe is that high, then what is it going to be when it comes to furniture, car and other allowances? It means Nigerians should expect a shocker for those ones because the cost would be too outrageous and insensitive. It is apparent that our so-called representatives are not in tune with what the situation in the country is. Naira is daily depreciating, industries are folding up and majority of the youth do not have jobs. It is high time the lawmakers realised that the youth look up to them as role models and as long as they (the youth) are not able to match the standard expected of them, they would feel inferior and inadequate and that sense of

Adeniran

inadequacy would lead to them thinking of short-cut to success, which is the major reason for the high crime rate in our country. It is very appalling and unfortunate

that the present administration is starting on a note like this despite the promise of change before they got to power. It is preposterous that the National Assembly of a country that has a preponderance of its citizens living below poverty line could set aside a whooping N9 billion as wardrobe allowance. Earmarking such a humongous amount for such frivolous purpose is the highest height of insensitivity on the part of the lawmakers to the plight of the country as a whole. This is a government Nigerians are expecting to cut salaries and emoluments of its officers. This makes one to wonder if this new administration is sincerely ready to live up to its promise of a better Nigeria for all and sundry. In essence, the action of the lawmakers is not only reprehensible, but retrogressive and must be condemned by every wellmeaning Nigerians.

Interview by TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

Politics

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Deconstructing Osunbor’s narrative Francis Ulinfun

ormer Governor of Edo State, Professor Oserhiemen Osunbor, in a recent interview deliberately and maliciously revisited a political past that should have been better forgotten when he spoke on the so-called money quarrel between him and former Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Anthony Anenih. But since Osunbor had decided to dance naked by his unsavoury narrative, it is only proper to recall and put the event that happened in 2007 in context so that Edo people in particular and Nigerians in general who may be interested in the issue would not be deceived by the one-sided story told by a man who is still in pains over how he allowed power to slip through his fingers as governor. Contrary to the impression he may have created in some quarters that Anenih was instrumental to his loss of the governorship seat, his misfortune was deservedly self-inflicted. It is therefore uncharitable for Osunbor to demonise Anenih as unforgiving. A vast majority of Nigerians who have benefited from Anenih’s large-heartedness and political mentorship would readily describe Osunbor’s characterisation as inappropriate. The historical fact that Anenih mentored Osunbor in politics is an eloquent testimony to my assertion: while not maintaining that Anenih is not easily offended by the disloyalty of his followers and associates, I must state without any fear of contradictions that he has on so many occasions welcomed home some of his prodigal followers and associates who have shown penitence and promised to be of good behaviour in their political relationship with him. I shuddered when I read Osunbor’s claim that he had gone to Anenih on countless number of times to beg for forgiveness. If that claim is true, then it may be that he (Osunbor) is yet to sincerely beg for forgiveness. Assuming he was truly desirous of being forgiven, his action of going to press to rake up issues that should have been allowed to reside in the past clearly does not show that he was sincere about his plea for forgiveness from a man that God used to give him (Osunbor) political visibility in Edo State and Nigeria. To be precise, Osunbor was a Professor of Law at the Lagos State University (LASU) from where Anenih, acting on a recommendation by some associates, got the powers that be to nominate him into the

Anenih

Osunbor

1994/95 Constitutional Conference. Strengthened by his belief that Osunbor did well at the conference, Anenih decided to procure the nomination form for him to contest election to represent Edo Central Senatorial District from 19992003. Anenih funded the entire electioneering. He also ensured that he was returned unopposed for a second term in the Senate from 2003 to 2007. Osunbor was offered the gubernatorial ticket in 2007. It was Anenih, after the most popular aspirant – Odion Ugbesia – had been prevailed upon to withdraw from the race, who directed his delegates to cast their votes during the December 9, 2006 governorship primaries for Osunbor at the expense of Professor Julius Ihonvbere, who was next to Ugbesia and more popular than Osunbor. That was how with the solid support of Anenih, he emerged as the PDP gubernatorial candidate and went ahead to win the 2007 governorship election. No sooner did he become governor than he began to challenge Anenih for control of the PDP structure in the state. He resorted to biting the finger that fed him. Perhaps, unknown to him, Anenih was not new to political treachery, confrontations, disloyalty and accusation of being high-handed by some of his followers. With God on Anenih’s side, the plot by Osunbor to use his office as governor to humiliate him did not succeed. Osunbor’s action was indeed shocking to many of us who were watching the development then. That Osunbor could allow some forces within

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 3

your party, the All Progressives Congress. “I note that the election was keenly contested but the outcome has been determined by INEC, in the exercise of its statutory duties. We must therefore move forward in the interest of peace, unity and progress of our country. “I have noted that this is equally the position which you so well stated during your acceptance speech at the collection of your Certificate of Return.” Eating the humble pie While many Nigerians were not ruffled

Anenih was not new to political treachery, confrontations, disloyalty

the party to incite him against his mentor was awfully painful. This brings to the fore the socalled money quarrel which he said existed between him and Anenih. Some leaders who were privy to the funding of the election campaign that produced Osunbor as governor have clarified that Anenih had already spent over N500 million before he sought for a bank loan when the campaign ran out of funds. According to one of them, Anenih had in company with Osunbor met with the bank officials in his Uromi country home where he requested for N300 million loan; but the bank could only give N200 million in addition to another N10 million which the bank donated to the campaign. Anenih provided the Certificate of Occupancy of one of his property as collateral, which the bank took possession of before granting the loan. The campaign at the end overdrew the loan by additional N6 million. Osunbor was said to have paid back the loan while in office. The claim by Osunbor that funds were sent to state branches of the PDP to finance campaigns in the run-up to the April 14, 2007 governorship election did not indicate that these funds were supplementary or auxiliary and, therefore, not enough to take care of the entire campaign. Consequently, Osunbor’s assertion that “I didn’t see any N200 million that Anenih contributed to finance my election; but I am aware that he contributed N100 million to the PDP in Edo State and, as governor, I ensured that money was paid to him,” is dubious and self-indicting if, indeed, Anenih facilitated and

Edwin Clark’s new song by Clark’s congratulatory letter to Buhari, his subsequent statement that the Buhari he once vilified is fit and ready to move the country forward definitely ruffled many feathers that see him as one of the leading foot soldiers of the erstwhile president. Speaking in Abuja on June 3 when he hosted a group, Probity Ambassadors Organisation of Nigeria, who conferred on him a life time achievement award, Clark described the President as being capable of leading the country and therefore

should be supported by all Nigerians. Clark said: “I have congratulated President Buhari and today, he is our President. He’s not the President of a section of the country. “Buhari is fit for the job and he’s capable of leading us. We will support him. My advice for Mr. President and APC is to regard Nigeria as one, the attitude of winner takes all should not be employed. “Campaigns are over and a winner has emerged. We must come together

secured the N200 million loan with his connection and property as collateral. Is Osunbor claiming that he does not remember his meeting in Anenih’s Uromi country home with the bank officials where the deal was perfected? Osunbor’s ranting against Anenih is, to say the least, very despicable and reprehensible. His people of Iruekpen, Esan West Local Government and, indeed, the entire Esanland, must take a strong exception to the ranting of their son against his benefactor (Anenih). Osunbor should be advised to be mindful of his public utterances and the falsities he wilfully peddles because such falsities might do him more harm than good. He should be warned that attacking and casting vain aspersions on Anenih is the most unwise and therefore non-productive way of re-launching his hitherto slumbering political career. Besides, Osunbor should remember that he might one day go back to Esan and Edo people for support for any possible political ambition like 2016 governorship, which he is, without disguise, nursing. He should then not be surprised that he will find those fingers that once voted for him to have been either blunted or bitten off by his unalloyed disloyalty to some of his leaders and many of his followers while he was governor of Edo State. In fact, Osunbor turned his back on his friends, followers and leaders while in office. He surrounded himself with a coterie of praise singers and hypocrites who did not have the capacity, influence or the wherewithal to intervene for him when he desperately needed assistance. It was therefore not surprising that he lost the legal battle he faced at the Election Tribunal in spite of the fact that he is a Professor of Law. He did not get his acts right and he apparently misplaced his priorities by concentrating on needless plots to bring down Anenih. He understandably and explicably lost focus and with the loss of focus, it was not surprising that he was not able to fight with a singleminded purpose for the validation of his governorship election “mandate” both at the Election Petition Tribunal and at the Court of Appeal. I expect that Osunbor should have by now learnt his lesson and try to avoid the mistakes of the past rather than celebrating them and trying to blame Anenih for his gubernatorial misfortune. •Ulinfun is the PDP Leader in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

after the election and give our support to the President. We all want a Nigeria where everybody believes that we are one. Without the minority or the majority, no group can succeed,” the Ijaw leader stated. Clearly, the elder statesman has a destination in mind with his new found rhythm of support for the once denigrated Buhari and the APC. With many expecting him to lead the charge for the reform of the PDP where he ranks high, it is only left to be seen whether the Ijaw leader would champion the course for a reformed opposition party or jump ship at the end of the day.

Politics

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

UCHENNA INYA writes on the emergence of Governor Dave Umahi’s men as leaders of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly

Gov’s men take charge of Ebonyi Assembly

he fifth Ebonyi State House of Assembly was inaugurated on Monday June 8 by the state governor, Chief Dave Umahi with the former Deputy Chief Whip of the Assembly and member representing Izzi West constituency, Hon. Ogbonna Nwifuru, elected the Speaker. The House also elected Hon. Odefa Obasi Odefa, a third term lawmaker and member representing Onicha East constituency, the Deputy Speaker, while Hon. Joseph Nwaobasi representing Ezza North East constituency was elected the Majority Leader. Also elected were: Hon. Ikoro Kingsley of Afikpo North West constituency as Deputy Leader while Hon. Chike Ogiji of Ikwo South constituency elected Majority Whip of the Assembly and Hon. Frank Onwe representing Ohaukwu North state constituency was elected the Deputy Chief Whip. The position of Minority Leader was ceded to Hon. Maria Nwachi of Afikpo North East constituency who was elected on the platform of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA). The position of Minority Whip went to Hon. Anthony Nwegede of the Labour Party (LP) and member representing Izzi East constituency. All the principal positions were given to the ranking lawmakers except the position of Minority Leader and Whip which were given to the first timers. The new Speaker was nominated by Odefa through a motion and was seconded by Nwaobasi. Hon. Chike Ogiji nominated Odefa as the Deputy Speaker and the motion was seconded by Hon. Onwe. After his swearing-in, Speaker Nwifuru announced Hon. Chike Ogiji the Chief Whip and Onwe his deputy. Only three ranking members were not accommodated in the principal positions. They are Hon. Chris Usulor of Ezza South Constituency, Hon. Valentine Okike of Onicha West constituency and Hon. Julius Nwokpor of Ishielu South constituency. They were unhappy for their exclusion from the juicy positions as seen from their mood during the inauguration of the fifth Assembly. One of them contended that after being one of the lawmakers who fought for the emergence of the state governor and was one of the key lawmakers in the fourth Assembly, he was sidelined by his ‘senior’ colleagues in the sharing of principal positions of the Assembly. In the fourth Assembly, the lawmakers amended the House rules on the election of principal officers through a resolution where they resolved that principal positions of the House must

Nwifuru

Odefa

Onwe

Nwobashi

be held by ranking members. The motion on the resolution was moved by Hon. Chris Usulour who represented Ezza South state constituency and was seconded by Odefa. The interesting thing about the new leadership of the Assembly is that the principal officers are those who fought the Martin Elechi administration and instrumental to the emergence of Umahi as the state governor. For instance, the new Deputy Speaker, Odefa, is a political associate of the governor who has been in the Assembly since 2007. Odefa was Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation in the fourth Assembly which investigated the local government accounts, leading to the freezing of the accounts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC). It was Odefa who approached a Federal High Court and stopped former Governor Elechi from accessing the N15 billion bond he sought from the capital market.

Indecent dressing and corruption became the code of conduct of the fourth Assembly...

In his inaugural speech, Nwifuru promised to perform his duties in accordance with the provisions of the constitution even as he added that previous members of the House has created an enabling environment for them to kick start. He equally assured the executive of good working relationship by providing an enabling legislation for the executive to operate in synergy in order to guarantee quality life for Ebonyians. While proclaiming the fifth Assembly, Governor Umahi expressed the hope that members of the fifth Assembly will restore the lost glory and integrity of the House of Assembly which he said became the worst in the fourth Assembly after being adjudged the most peaceful Assembly in the federation. He assured that he will not interfere in the affairs of the House, adding that he will only play a fatherly role to ensure the success of the Assembly. He described inadequate funding, refusal of government officials to obey the laws enacted by the Assembly, interference of the

executive in the matters of the legislature and interference of external forces as some of the factors that hindered the immediate past Assembly and called on the members to resist such so as to succeed. He said: “Let me briefly highlight some of the issues that characterised the fourth Assembly such as inadequate funding, government officials not obeying the laws enacted by our legislature, over-reaching attitude of the executive in matters of exclusive rights of the legislature, interference of executive in the matters of the legislature. “There was also high level of infighting among members which brought so many dishonour to the honourable House of Assembly. Members conspired to cheat one another. To say the least of the fourth Assembly, there were so many activities that highly discredited the fourth Assembly and turned the House which was in the past described as the most peaceful House of Assembly to nearly the worst Assembly in the federation. “There were many cases of impeachment of principal officers of the House through external family influences. Many House members and legislators surrendered their honour, rights, privileges, and integrity to disreputable touts to the extent that the Assembly at many times was run from private houses. “Cheating of members by members, suspicions, hatred, bitterness, revenge, greed, indecent dressing and corruption became the code of conduct of the fourth Assembly. This crisis would not have been made possible without members making themselves available to be used and dumped. “In the fifth Assembly, we are very hopeful that the integrity of the House will be restored. I am saying this because your victory came from hard work, determination, good manifestoes of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the determination to set our state free,” he said. Earlier in his valedictory address, the former Speaker of the House, Hon. Chukwuma Nwazunku, now a member of the House of Representatives, said members of the former Assembly discharged their legislative duties to the best of their knowledge. According to him, “since people have their individual differences and were entitled to their opinions, they judged us objectively, some according to their personal interests while others judged us in their parochial perspectives. To all these people, we owe no apologies, because our conscience tell us that we tried our utmost best in the discharge of the duties entrusted to us by the good people of Ebonyi State under the condition we found ourselves within the time under review.”

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion When experience wrecked expectations Emissary EMEKA OBASI

emobas2003@yahoo.com 08094457557 (sms only)

he drama that unfolded following the election of Dr. Bukola Saraki as President of the Senate and the emergence of Mr. Yakubu Dogara as Speaker House of Representatives was expected. I saw it coming. Those who went partying after the March/April polls forgot that such situation could throw itself up. I am not an admirer of Senator Ike Ekweremmadu, never met him all my life. However, the way he wriggled himself back to the Senate was of interest to me. He was ready to give Governor Sullivan Chime a fight. At the end, both men played politics like gentlemen. The governor had his say in Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the senator had his way and Enugu is better off today. When the All Progressives Congress[APC] Tsunami struck Nigeria, some Peoples Democratic Party[PDP] stalwarts lost their head and began to cross over. Ekweremadu did not mince words. ‘ I will not leave PDP’, he said. Then Senate President David Mark also vowed to remain loyal to his party. That was instructive. The hype and hoopla was deafening. Even before the Presidential Inauguration, positions had been shared. The Spirit of One Nigeria did not factor into the arrangement. It reminded me of the Civil War when a section of Nigeria was ostracized for daring to pull out of the arrangement called Nigeria. At the end of that bloody war, those of us who survived, especially the adults faced another uncertain era. After escaping the bullets and hunger, it became even more difficult to survive the peace. In war, one could be pardoned if he failed to fend for his family. Not so when there are no more battle

fields. Inability to cater for your own meant something unwholesome. However, those who survived the war had to survive the peace. They had to begin life anew. Twenty pounds was what the Nigerian government offered to each Biafran who operated a bank account before the crisis. Even if you were an Aliko Dangote or a Femi Otedola before the mayhem, as long as you bore names that sounded Igbo, or maybe Ibibio in many cases, all your millions became worthless and you had to start from the scratch. You know what it means to impound all the billions belonging to Chief Mike Adenuga and ask him to start all over from poverty level. That was how so many people learnt to survive the peace. It is more than a miracle that less than five years after that war, so many Igbo became millionaires , from mere 20 Pounds while some of those who were supposed to benefit from their plight were still trying to handle their first millions effectively. The point am trying to make is that a lot of the PDP politicians threw their electoral waterloo to the lagoon and began to strategise while so many in the APC went lunching alfresco. The booties of war were shared, it was a done deal. How wrong events have shown. PDP loyalists have shown that though they lost the war, they can survive the peace. With campaigns over and everyone expecting the much anticipated change and action, many APC stalwarts went to bed. Some of us thought it was going to be a nap. It became a deep slumber. Thank God, the sleep is over. Now is time for everyone to shine their eyes. Experience, they always say, is the best of schoolmasters, only the school fees are heavy. What PDP tacticians taught their APC friends is enough to go back to the classroom. Change is a word you can use to advantage in any form you did fit. Change has taken place in the National Assembly and change will still take place even in government. I expect APC to change their game soonest. What came out clear is that those who have experience in government at the Federal level ,swept

the rug off the feet of those who are coming with experience from the states and geo- political zones. Senators Mark and Ekweremadu understand how things work at the centre. Dr. Saraki is also versed in Abuja politics. It was easier for them to map out a workable battle plan that made the locals look like real fringe politicians. Fringe in the sense that they did not know what hit them. In a football match, the term is walk over. It is more honourable to lose in the field of play than for your opponent to gain a walk over. APC could prove force majeure, the big wigs did not miss their flight, they did not miss their way. Simply put, in African traditional parlance it is like you are bathing in the river and your eyes go red with bath foam. The way the ruling party is going about their self inflicted embarrassment is even more laughable. President Muhammadu Buhari quickly accepted the outcome of the exercise. As the leader of the APC and President, that should have sent a signal to the party. And the show would have been forgotten. The party began to sing a different tune. It was quite disrespectful. Even if Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Chief Odigie Oyegun were bitter, they should have held fire after President Buhari’s message. Eventually, the APC Chairman engaged reverse gear. For doing that, the former Edo state governor has fallen into the black book of the ACN part of the APC. The Lagos group will not let Oyegun sleep. He may have to run back to ancient Benin city to be protected by the moats. The way they are going after this man’s jugular, I doubt if they will not kick him out like Felele just as he was brought in. The cracks are visible now, a situation that will give the more experienced PDP politicians more elbow room. This is just round One and it sounds like a Technical Knock Out[TKO]. What I expect APC to do is simple. Do not count your chicks before they are hatched. Electoral victory is ephemeral. We did not fight another Civil War. As long as those who want to descend on the South –East and South –South have failed to hearken to Turakin Abubakar Atiku’s wisdom, they will continue to cry buckets.

Arisekola-Alao: A man was here Ayo Akinyemi

he drivers were set with the convoy to depart Ibadan for the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, to receive their boss, Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Arisekola Alao, expected to arrive Nigeria later in the day, from a trip to Switzerland and London. As usual, many were awaiting his arrival, as there had been promises of different shades and dimensions, made to them, that were to be redeemed on his return home. Besides, the month of Rhamadan was a few days away, and, characteristically, the distribution of the back-up items for the 30days fasting was being eagerly awaited by hundreds and thousands of traditional beneficiaries. The day was Wednesday, 18 June 2014. A day of wailing, a day of tears, a day of gnashing of teeth, a day of dashed hopes, a day of failed expectations, the day turned out to be when the news broke by mid-day, that the man, the great philanthropist, the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, had answered the home-call from his creator. The news was shocking. It was devastating. It sounded incredible, unbelievable. It was a sunset at dawn, a bad dream. Many asked; Aare dead? Can Aare die

like that? Some, who attributed invincibility to him, wondered aloud; So, Aare can die! – forgetting, he had blood flowing in his veins, like every mortal. Three hundred and sixty five days have rolled by, and it seemed like it happened yesterday. Many are still in a trance, yet to come to terms with the reality that Aare, as he was fondly called, had gone on a journey of no return. Erin ti wo. Ajanaku ti sun bi oke. Ko le dide mo. The elephant has fallen. The monstrously big animal is as motionless as a mountain. It can no longer stand on its feet. A metaphorical description of Aare Arisekola Alao, as an elephant, by every measure, fits perfectly. Although of a moderate frame, he had an intimidating presence that could not be ignored, wherever he showed up. Ajanaku kojaa mo ri nkan firi. Bi a ba ri erin, aa mo pe a ri erin. The passage of an elephant cannot be likened to a flash in the pan experience. Like an elephant, from whichever side you are located, with a knife, there is enough to slice from the succulent fleshy body. Aare’s very deep pocket was for people of all classes – high and low, rich and poor. Aare was indeed a human mountain, a mountainous heap with accommodation for all sorts of elements of all kind of fragrance. I can boldly say, that in my years of so-

journ on earth, I have never seen or met a man as accommodating, as tolerant, as liberal and as generous as Aare. His gates and doors were wide open for all, without restriction, without discrimination. One could count the number of times that Aare went beyond the gates of the palatial Villa at Oluwo Kekere in the 17years (1997 – 2014) of his residence in the mansion. Every day of the years, day in, day out, there were heavy vehicular and human traffic – the visitors with varied and variegated issues to discuss, centred mainly on one form of assistance or the other. He would attend to the visitors, known and unknown, at times, forgetting to have his meals. I always wondered, how a man could be made, or become a prisoner in his own home. Baba Lamidi Adedibu, may Allah bless his soul, once put it simply that – “A visit to Aare, is not for God’s sake. Every visit by everyone would cause Aare a dip into his deep pocket. As for us, Aare is our own Central Bank.” Aare was like a book that could not be judged by its cover. The true picture of the person of Aare Arisekola Alao could not be appreciated from a distance. He was a man with many sides, sadly, largely misunderstood by many. Like an object viewed through a glass prism, the resultant image would depend on the an-

gle of focus and the spectacle employed. The Aare Villa, itself, is a museum of sort, with hundreds of photographs that tell stories. I could remember suggesting to him to allow us stage an exhibition of the historical photographs. Had it been, such an exhibition would have afforded many a vivid appreciation of the enigma of a man, from another perspective. In all honesty, this writer belongs to the group of those still emotionally traumatized by the shocking unexpected transition of Aare. I know of some others too, even highly placed. There are a number of miraculous creations of God, whose being and existence, are shrouded in mystery, thus continually and perpetually giving rise to questions begging for answers. Aare, - a unique being with a unique name, with all the components starting with the foremost A alphabet. – Aare Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Akanmu Arisekola Alao – was one. He was in every sense an A-Plus person. In life, he left so many questions unanswered, and many more at death. Even, his death gave rise to many more questions. Like every mortal, Aare had his own failings but, he was an unusual person of no comparison. A man was indeed here. May God grant him Aljanah Fridaus. • Akinyemi writes via akinyemiayo@yahoo.com

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

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ISIS: Another refugee crisis

s ISIS militants heighten their struggle in the Middle-East and its environs, they continue to leave on their trail tears, sorrow and blood. Following the emergence of the movement for the creation of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, they have overrun many cities, towns and villages and disrupted lives therein. In August 2014, the Islamist militants surged across northern Iraq towards the capital of the Kurdish region and sent tens of thousands of Christians fleeing for their lives, in a military offensive that sent shockwaves through the Baghdad government and even world powers. Besides overrunning pockets of towns earlier in the year, the same fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq descended on Ramadi, one of the last remaining districts held by government forces, early last month, forcing government forces to flee. The armed group which was earlier reported to have made significant gains in its battle to control Ramadi besieged the army base, killing 15 soldiers in multiple suicide car bomb attacks. The fighters’ success and seizure of most of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province boosted the spirit their spirit as they planted their flag on the local gov-

ernment headquarters at the city centre. If their escapades in Iraq are heart-rending, the gruesome offensives in Syrian are horrendous. Also last month, the extremists captured the town of Palmyra, shooting or beheading a number of governments loyalists in public, in a display designed to serve as a warning to others and a way of imposing their strict interpretation of Islam in the area, to maintain their grip on the strategic town that was overrun. ISIS, which has become the richest terrorist group on the planet has continued to sustain its many wars because it controls numerous oil wells, operates refineries. Hence it’s near unfathomable access to weapons with which it has sustained the wars in the region. The war in Syria alone has claimed over 200,000 lives and created more than 3,200,000 refugees sparking a humanitarian catastrophe and serious splits in the international community. In Turkey, the population of Syrian refugees in 22 of the governmentrun camps is estimated to be around 217,000 people. There are roughly 800,000 additional Syrian refugees living in Turkey outside the camps. The carnage has left over 80 per cent of Syria wallowing in poverty, life expectancy reduced

by 20 per cent and millions of refugees, mostly women and children, scurrying across the borders into neigbhouring countries. By the same token, Iraqi refugees have continued to find ways to sustain themselves in the impermanent pockets of tolerance and sanctuary across the region, especially in Iran. Expectedly, the challenges faced by these refugees of the internecine wars are imaginable. Having lost practically everything in their homeland and hanging on to live, the children contend with disruption of their education and often come down with low literacy skills-and stand to be impaired for life. Evidence has shown that though temporary schools are set up in response to such emergency, it is extremely difficult to carry out successful education of these kids using traditional education tools and methods. Of equal importance is their health, environmental and housing needs. Viewed from the impermanent nature of such facilities, the crisis that may emanate from this refugee issue in the region is the challenge of responding to their health needs. Daily these needs are over-stretched by personnel and supplies constraints even as the wars becomes more intractable. Also worthy of mention is the provision of food and water in this region notorious for

its history of poor water supply exacerbated over the years by the Israeli Palestinian dispute. While the respective governments take care of internally displaced persons in their respective countries, the continued influx of the refugees into various camps across various borders especially into Turkey is currently a course for concern to the government. The magnitude of the problems calls for more concerted efforts from United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) that has been so personalized (Commissioner) for its quintessential duties, and the International Red Cross, Red Crescent, humanitarian organisations and various governments. Besides, the fact that the host country of refugees provides not only humanitarian needs like land space, housing, food and health, by virtue of the Refugee Convention of 1948, the magnitude of the current refugee crises in the region, especially as it affects Turkey, should be of great concern to the Arab League. As long as the future well-being of the refugees depends on the hospitality of their host countries while the war festers, the Arab League should rally the European Union and even the United States to assist Turkey in addressing the humanitarians needs in the region, especially in Turkey, in view of its not too buoyant economy.

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Politics

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

N’Assembly: Humbling of the APC Ayodele Ojo

he troubles in the All Progressives Congress (APC) on June 9 manifested as Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara emerged the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively in the eighth National Assembly against the choice of the party. Saraki and Dogara’s emergence was made possible through a power deal the duo struck with the leadership of the Peoples

Democratic Party (PDP) through concession of some principal offices to the opposition party. The reality is that the APC has been humbled. The new Senate President and House Speaker were former members of the PDP until they pitched their tent with the APC in 2013. Saraki, the former governor, emerged unopposed through the support of about 60 senators who were in attendance. Dogara polled 182 votes against Femi Gbajabiami-

la’s 174. Ironically, Saraki’s main challenger, Senator Ahmed Lawan and 50 other APC senators were at the International Conference Centre (ICC) where they were billed to hold meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari when the election took place in the Red Chamber. Indeed, the June 9 event was a repeat of the Aminu Tambuwal’s scenario in 2011 in the House of Representatives. Tambuwal, elected on PDP platform, defied his party and teamed

up with the opposition parties – the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) and others – to humble his party. The difference was that the then ruling party, the PDP, produced the principal officers unlike now where the ruling and opposition parties share the positions – Saraki (Senate President), and Ike Ekweremadu (PDP – Deputy Senate President). As it is, the APC has lost control of the legislative

arm of government despite its majority status. The legislature has asserted its independence by electing its own leaders without external interference. Just like PDP could not claim ownership of Tambuwal, the APC cannot claim ownership of Saraki and Dogara. The duo’s emergence was purely that of PDP. Their allegiance is to the PDP and cannot do otherwise. There are options for the APC. One, the party will have to accept its fate and reconcile its members

to support the executive. The party cannot expect to do otherwise if it wants smooth governance. But Buhari cannot expect robust cooperation from the National Assembly with Saraki in charge. If the APC fails to reconcile with Saraki, he will be on his way back to the PDP. Although the judgement of the Supreme Court forbids elected office holders crosscarpeting, except there is a clear division in the party. Saraki, who is in firm control of APC structures in Kwara State and in good terms with his governor, Abdufatah Ahmed, could engineer crisis in the party thus creating room for his eventual defection to the PDP. This was the initial fear of the APC. But it is now a reality waiting to happen. One thing is clear: President Buhari and the APC leadership failed abysmally in resolving the impasse over the National Assembly leadership. The party was dilly dallying on the zoning question. In one breath, there was no zoning and in another breath there was zoning. Again, President Buhari acted too late. How would a president summon a meeting with the APC lawmakers on the day the National Assembly would be inaugurated? What was he waiting for all along until the D-day? This is a failed political tactic. The president failed to pull the party together. While the crisis over the National Assembly leadership lingers, the president showed less interest whereas his loyalists were in the camp of Lawan. He frittered the opportunity to pull the party together. There is no way Buhari’s administration won’t suffer for this political miscalculation. Already, the PDP now has a hold in the National Assembly as its members now control the two chambers where they will not only provide vital opposition to the APC-led government but will checkmate the government. For the APC, it has been humbled. The party seems to have lost its moral compass on its members. It has failed the first test of party discipline. Surely, more members will flout its directives. The lack of discipline was the major albatross of the PDP as things later fell apart leading to its humiliating defeat in the 2015 general elections. With the Presidency and APC leadership against the choice of Saraki, the Senate is likely going to witness instability like the Olusegun Obasanjo administration. No matter the level of reconciliation, APC cannot gain political control of the National Assembly. Already, APC is not sounding reconciliatory.

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

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I am a big fan of Sefi Atta and she knows it – Charles-Fadipe

Arts

Moses Kadiri

here are specific moments and pertinent issues raised by the late renowned Nigerian novelist, Chinua Achebe in his globally acclaimed novel, Things Fall Apart, such as birth, culture, environment, colonisation and many others. Three scholars Krydz Ikwuemesi, George Odoh, and Henry Mujunga have literally translated the operation of the novel into visual arts in an up-coming exhibition of drawings and water colours scheduled to hold on Saturday, June 27, 2015 at Quintessence Gallery, Parkview Estate, lkoyi, Lagos. Titled, In The Heart of Things Fall Apart, the graphic arts produced by Krydz, Odoh, and Mujunga give a human face to the happenings in the novel, a project which began in 2008 when Things Fall Apart was 50 years old. No doubt the exhibition will provoke peoples thought and extend the debate of the novel from the graphics perspective. There are 75 works, 25 each from the participating artists who choose to address specific moments in chapters of the novel and bring out some of the iconic issues which the late author tried to address. “We started in 2008 to make drawings on the novel that will address specific moments in the novel. These issues in Igbo culture like birth, death, marriage, social organization, lgbo architecture, among others, and how the novel addressed these issues and how have they become resources in the hands of visual artists,” Krydz reveals. He also disclosed that the same year a conference was organized in Enugu to discuss Things Fall Apart after 50 years, “the drawings were to be exhibited in that conference but it was not possible for personal reasons. l just returned from a long sabbatical leave in Japan and it was not possible to organize things. Few of the works that were ready were displayed, but since then these drawings have been shown in different occasions,” he said. “Originally we were five in number, Krydz lkwuemesi, Chijoike Onuora, Okey Nwanfor (Unizik), George Odoh (Nsukka), and Henry Mujunga (Kampala). We included Mujunga to see how a

TONY OKUYEME Arts Editor tony.okuyeme@newtelegraphonline.com

Accra Weizo seeks integration in west coast tourism

CULTURE

Things Fall Apart on canvas

One of the works by Mujunga

One of the works by Ikwuemesi

non-lgbo Nigerian artist would look at Things Fall Apart. Eventually the other artists are not part of these collections for personal reasons. What we have are basically 75 works of arts - 25 drawings by Krydz lkwuemesi, 25 drawings by George Odoh, and 25 water colour paintings by Henry Mujunga. What we tried to do with each 25 set of art works is to represent one art work. Things Fall Apart is just one work of art. There are 25 movements in one collection. For instance if a collector wants to pick a work we expect he picks the whole from one artist or another, we intend to have limited prints like 10 sets each so that other people would be able to access the work weather or not they are single collectors,” he said. He reiterated, “What we are doing is how Things Fall Apart as a work of literally art can also inspire and drive the work of visual artists to look at the connection between the written word and graphic images.” Kryz, in one of the pieces, uses candle light to make stripes on paper; the piece appears somewhat dark. He

Ikwuemesi

also uses eraser to draw white lines on the burnt paper, and also draws with ink. The work explores the conflict in the novel. “The burnt paper in the work is a way of enacting the onslaught, and colonization against an existing culture. For me it is not just to put in the figures, but it is also to see how one can achieve a level of empathy by the kind of elements that are infused into the work.” His works goes beyond figures as he tries to explore the story as a basis for artistic statement. While Krydz’ works goes beyond figures, George Odoh tries to, despite some images, give character to some of the persons that are mentioned in Things Fall Apart. For Mujunga whose pieces are only in water colour, he uses bleach and salt in his work. His works contain splashes of water colour. Mujunga did not use images throughout his works. He embedded excerpts from a particular chapter of Things Fall Apart in his work. There is a level of unrest in Mugunga’s works -colonization brought

into African environment and culture which the society is unable to overcome. Krydz notes that the pieces in the exhibition are not illustration. “They are not illustrations even though one of us have done something that tends towards realism. It is not like you are doing this so that it can be put in an edition of Things Fall Apart to make it clearer to readers, off course the drawings will be able to raise issues, open more vistas for readers; but they are far from being illustrations. l refer to them as real representations of some of the key moments in Things Fall Apart. It is not that there are sets or prescribed moments each artist has to look out for or address in his work. Each artist is free to look at what he wants, and address it graphically.” The works comes in uniform sizes for each artist, the idea is that when they are mounted, it becomes five pieces in a row, each set becomes an installation with a statement. CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

Arts

Tony Okuyeme

ith the advent of globalisation, which has intensified artificial boundaries created by colonialism, and reduced the world into a global economic unit, Africa’s unity in diversity must be of urgent necessity, if Africa is to come to table of humanity on equal terms with the rest of the world, the Director General of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), Sir Ferdinand Anikwe said. This, according to him, is so because, for Africa to make any meaningful headway in terms of her developmental efforts, Africa’s development must be conceived on the basis of her diverse cultures. Therefore, any developmental plan that does not recognize or take into cognizance Africa’s very rich cultural potentials is bound to fail. In this regard, the examples of the South East Asian tigers such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore etc, comes to mind. According to Ali Mazuri the South East Asian countries witnessed rapid socioeconomic development by ‘scientification’ of their languages. And, it is on this basis that the theme of this conference. “Unity in Diversity for Africa’s Development”, becomes very relevant. The CBAAC DG stated this in his paper titled Multiculturalism: A Critical Perspective, which he presented at the 4th Pan African Cultural Congress (PACC4), organised by the African Union Commission in Collaboration with the Government of South African, and held recently in South Africa. For Africa, he posits, to experience rapid socio-cultural and economic growth, political leaders in the continent must shun all manners of ethnic and religious sentiments, invest massively on our rich cultural values. According to him, “one of the greatest features of our cultures is the ability to be creative in responding to new challenges of the environment. Challenges posed by our different environments in the grassland, forest and riverine areas, motivate people to reflect on apparently insurmountable problems and improve strategies or adopt new technologies to overcome them. Our creative energies are sources of success in our survival in difficult and threatening situations”. Multiculturalism, he posited, remains one of the most crucial issues in many countries of the world, particularly Africa, no thanks to colonialism that has polarized and created artificial boundaries which caused divisions among peoples that were supposed to be one. Thus, Multiculturalism is one of the inescapable consequences and fallout of colonialism. Therefore, African States must enact and redesign policies that will ensure peaceful co-existence if the 21st Century is to be regarded as the decade for Africa’s development. “The term Multiculturalism means many cultures that co-exist within a geographical unit. Nigeria, like many other countries in Africa, with an estimated population of over 160 million people, and about 450 ethnic-bound cultures and society that co-exist is thus, defined by Multiculturalism. “It would be a repetition of the obvious to state that Africa is a multicultural and pluralistic society. In

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Africa’s rich cultural potentials, key to development – Anikwe such a heterogeneous society, it is not unexpected that the problems of complexities will arise as a result of cultural differences. Thus, issues such as tribalism, ethnic sentiment, mediocrity and social injustice usually take the centre stage… “It has been observed that multiculturalism itself is not detrimental but could be used as a platform to usher in the much needed paradigm shift if Africa is to come to terms with its developmental needs. Multiculturalism presents to us enormous opportunity to tap into our very rich culture for growth and development. As highlighted earlier, the problem of multiculturalism in Africa lies in the continual politicization of ethnicity and religion by political elites for their own interest. For Africa to experience rapid socio-cultural and economic growth, political leaders in the continent must shun all manners of ethnic and religious sentiments and invest massively on our rich cultural values. “Therefore, why should we waste time and money in search of symbols of unity, which may turn out to be ‘dangerous and misleading’ when all we need to forge a national unity is to draw from complementary values embedded in many of our over-arching cultural institution… Thus, there should be an urgent response to cultural diversity from African leaders in the review of our immigration policies to curb the incidence of xenophobia, ethnic and religious clashes and all manners of political violence in Africa. In enacting these policies and programmes, care should be taken to build on our shared attributes, which Otite (2010), referred

Anikwe

to as “traits”. These traits which are common to us as Africans include; culture of hard work, respect for elders, culture of hospitality, communalism, transparency and accountability, popular participation, mutual dependence as social

insurance and creativity. “For Africa to meet the challenges of the 21st century, all the indices of socio- cultural development highlighted above should be incorporated in her developmental plan of action.”

Things Fall Apart on canvas CO NT IN U ED F RO M PAGE 2 1

The exhibition also comes with documentations and texts that tend to help admirers to understand and interprete the novel better. “We have planned it to look like a book. We have 5 essays in the book; the first is from Professor Ben Obumselu the eminent literary critic. He was the first person to review Things Fall Apart when it was published in 1958. He wrote the first review in 1959. The essay we are using was written by him in 2008 when Things Fall Apart was 50 years, but he could not arrange it. He has been sick and currently in India for medical attention,” he said, “The other four essays is from Professor Emeka Nwabueze, Director, Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria, Professor Peter Ezeh, George Agbo and Professor Chike Aniakor. These essays have tried to look at art, the story told by Achebe in Things Fall Apart, and to see what connections it has

Work by Mujunga 1

for artists, and what kind of relationship the artist wants to find between the novel and their own works of art. This is what we are going to have

at the opening,” he said. The book comes with 120 pages, 60 pages of text and 75 works of arts. The book will also be useful to artists and stu-

dents of literature who want to see and explore the relationship, connections between the visual and the verbal metaphors in Things Fall Apart.

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NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

Many Nigerian parents won’t allow their children to study Drama. How did your parents take your decision to study Acting in the UK? I always enjoyed acting right from primary school, the freedom to make a fool of myself in front of an audience and at the end they applaud me...what’s there not to like? My senior drama play at secondary high school was when I made the definite choice to go to drama school and pursue character acting professionally. At school I always enjoyed business studies and classical history, so I would probably have chosen to study something in that line had I not chosen drama. At first my parents were not exactly 100% sure of my chosen profession but they have always been 100% supportive. Many a time I had ‘the talk’ with both my parents about choosing a different and more stable profession, like economics or law etc. Eventually over time my parents saw that I had absolutely no desire to change my mind...and that’s that. On your study abroad, why did you opt for the UK? I left Lagos when I was 10yrs old, so I didn’t exactly have a choice or say in the matter. I spent 7yrs in boarding school in Dublin, I have so many fun memories from there. I made a lot of friends there and played different kinds of sports. For a while I couldn’t decide whether to stay in Dublin or go to England to study drama. Eventually I chose UCLAN University in Preston Lancashire that had a wonderful acting course that focused on training and developing my acting skills. It prepared me for the challenges that I would face when involved in theatre, television and film productions. I also spent 4yrs at The National Youth Theatre in London. Tell us a bit about your professional experience; do you have other passions apart from performance arts? My professional experience includes performance roles on stage and screen. Over the years, I have been involved with several television and film productions. Working as a supporting artiste on several feature films and television productions has greatly informed and prepared me for the challenges of screen acting; representing both Ray Knight Casting Ltd and Mad Dog Casting Ltd. I am comprehensively interested in all aspects of performing arts – acting, writing, producing and directing. Apart from acting, I also enjoy modeling, having done so professionally for Looks London Ltd and BMA Models in the United Kingdom. I have also had the privilege to model for the Okunoren Twins Limited, a bespoke luxury men’s fashion designer label, based in Lagos, Nigeria. I am also a qualified football coach with certificates from both the Hertfordshire and London Football Associations. I manage TCF Football Academy in Lekki Phase 1; a proactive company that coaches children of different ages and abilities in improving their football skills, knowledge and technique. You worked for a while in the UK and now you are back to Nigeria for good. How would you rate the Nigerian theatre vis-à-vis the London theatre?

Charles-Fadipe (left) and Omoye Uzamere in the play How Dearly I Detest Thee, staged in Terra Kulture, Lagos recently.

I am a big fan of Sefi Atta and she knows it – Charles-Fadipe Timi Charles-Fadipe is a professionally-trained actor, with several years of theatre, film and television experience. Born in London, he did his primary education at St. Saviour’s School, Ikoyi, Lagos, before proceeding to St. Columba’s College in Dublin and UCLAN in the U.K. for his secondary and university education respectively. Having featured in a good number of plays and films in the UK, he is back to Nigeria for good and has just begun to wow the Nigerian audience in the stage plays he has featured in. He spoke with EBERE AMEH after one of his outings in Terra Kulture recently on acting and his other passions. Excerpts

Whatever character I explore, I always try to give it 100%, trying out different mannerisms, accents, speech

Firstly, I enjoy the thrill of watching and performing theatre Lagos, London, anywhere! Theatre in Nigeria is growing rapidly, more and more people are being exposed to it one way or another. The challenge facing the growth of theatre in Lagos is the lack of traditional theatre spaces. Instead what we have here are events spaces or centres that are used temporarily for plays. Watching you at Terra Kulture the other day, I could see that you act with so much passion. What drives you? One of the most important lessons my training has taught me is discipline. Whatever character I explore I always try to give it 100%, trying out different mannerisms, accents, speech patterns etc. for the character. The rehearsal process of a play is just as important as the performance, this is where I try out all my options and I make sure that I always make mistakes. Better to make mistakes in rehearsals than live on stage! Two things drive me; myself and the competition. I always try to find the truth in the characters I portray. As well as watching movies, I always make time to watch plays and I have a few actors (past and present) that I really admire and I try to use some of their acting techniques.

How has it been, working on stage in Nigeria? I am currently performing only my second stage performance in Nigeria - Single in Gidi at TerraKulture. So far my experience here has been tremendous, hard work but so much fun. I have been lucky that the cast and crew that I’ve worked with so far have been very easy to collaborate with. I’ve been to several auditions here for both screen and stage, but things haven’t worked out for some reason or another; however I will continue to look for acting work here. Working on my Nigerian or Lagos accent is something I am constantly aware of and I am always working on it. There are a few Nigerian writers/authors and directors that I admire and would love to work with someday. I am a big fan of Sefi Atta and she knows it. Theatre in Nigeria, compared to the film, is struggling. What is your take and how can theatre be revived to become as vibrant as Nollywood and London theatre? I honestly think it is a combination of several factors. Theatre here is definitely growing, and attendance is rapidly improving. However people tend to give more time and financial support to film productions than theatre. The lack of proper theatre venues doesn’t exactly

Charles-Fadipe

help the situation. Nevertheless, there is a lot of performing arts in Lagos; theatre, music concerts, comedy shows etc. So I believe the best thing we can do is to continue to express ourselves through performing arts. With a new government in power, what do you think Nigerian government should do to revive theatre? The government could help with providing financial support to theatre companies and performing arts productions. They could also help with marketing productions, this would help us reach a larger audience and this would greatly improve the attendance rate.

Tourism

Andrew Iro Okungbowa

s the travel world looks forward to the staging of the debutant Accra Weizo, a day travel exhibition, organisers of the event say all is set for the travel and tourism trade event, which is expected not only to attract various travel operators and stakeholders from the west coast of Africa but also across the Africa continent and the global fields. Billed to hold on July at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra, Ghana, the travel exhibition is being put together by Africa Travel Quarterly (ATQ) who are the organizers of the yearly Akwaaba and Abuja Bantaba will be hosted by Ghana’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Arts, Mrs. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare in conjunction with the Ghana Tour Operators Union (TOUGHA), National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA), Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NATOP), International Air Transport Association I(ATA) and Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). With the theme, Seamless travel experience in West Africa, the travel show, which is a combination of exhibition and talk sections, appear to be an audacious event, which is seeking to forge the so much unity and synergy that has eluded the West Africa region over the years. The dream of making bring about integration in the west coast as encapsulated in the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) is about 40 years as the organisation came into being in 1975 but sadly, the dream of the founding fathers of the regional body has been best observed in the breach and haphazardly by the regional leaders and body, which have so far proved to lack the political will and understanding of the full picture envisaged by the former Gambia president, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara who was the visionary. Interestingly, while the west coast is still pretending to walk the dream path regions such as Southern and Eastern blocks have not only announced their presence on the scene but have actually taken the whole meaning of regional integration to the greatest height with the Eastern bloc raising the bar with its common visa and tourism market and promotion matrix. It is perhaps, taking cue from what these two blocks have achieved and seek to achieve in the years ahead the publisher of ATQ, Mr. Ikechi Uko and his team have decided to put up their reputations and everything else to rally the beleaguered west coast, at least in the area of travel and tourism. Reflecting on this new venture, Uko appeared to have also be inspired by wish and proclamation of the former Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren when receiving his travel personality award at the Abuja Bantaba in 2012, he speak extensively of a West Africa with a single domestic aviation environment integrating safety regulations, airline connections and airports. Three years on, this vision of a seamless travel experience is the main focus of one day travel event with all the major players in the west coast travel and tourism trade expected in attendance. Optimistic about this new venture, Uko strongly expresses the belief that with a population close to 300 million people in 15 countries and

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Accra Weizo seeks integration in West Coast tourism

La Palm Royal Beach Hotel

a fast growing economic block and over 40 airports, the economy of the region can sustain a viable Travel and Tourism industry. To this end, he reveals that, ‘‘Weizo seeks to bring travel professionals together to share knowledge and work out a future path of success for the region.’’ To set the stage for this new vision, a talk session is put together with key speakers from the various arms of the industry expected to lead the discussion. According to the line - up of speakers, the special adviser to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Secretary General, Mrs. Rosette Chantal Rugamba, will deliver the keynote paper, entitled “Regional blocks as tourism destinations.” Mrs. Rugamba is experienced tourism personnel who is widely respected and honoured for her various contributions to the industry, especially giving birth to the famous gorilla naming ceremony of Kwita Izina in her native country, Rwanda. Talks in the aviation sector will be headlined with a presentation on ‘Intra Africa air connectivity, the facts, challenges and benefits by the head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) FOR Africa and the Middle East, Mr. Adefunke Adeyemi while the second paper will be on ‘passenger friendliness and airport infrastructure in West Africa.’ Also expected is a panel of discussants made of airlines’ chief executive officers, aviation heads and airport managers from across the west coast. Other speakers at the event include, the head of HRG and general sales agent (GSA) for Delta Airlines in Nigeria, Mr. Femi Adefope, one of the leading travel professionals in Nigeria with vast experience and would be speaking on ‘transborder investment in travel business’ while the managing director of ABC Transport, Nigeria, Mr. Frank Nneji, will speak on ‘doing business across West Africa.’ The other paper to be presented at the event will be on the ‘role of the private sector in regional integration,’ by a travel expert from the region. Africa World Airlines (AWA) is the

official airline for Weizo. The airlines is adjudged ‘domestic airline of the year’ by the Ghana Tourism Awards and is Ghana’s fastest growing regional airline commanding a sizeable share of the domestic traffic and operate flights between Accra and Lagos. It has also offered chartered services for renowned world leaders including the President of Liberia. List of awardees As part of the travel show, 20 persons who have distinguished themselves in various aspects over the years are to be honoured with travel awards. According to the organizers, the list of awardees include: Kwabena Adjei - founder of Kasaprenko, makers of Alomo Bitters; Dele Momodu – journalist, publisher turned politician; Wanel Akinboboye – resort operator and owner of La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort; Mustapha Njie - a Gambian real estate developer with footprints all over West Africa; and Theo Akatugba- a Ghana - based Nigerian movie maker providing linkages across borders. Others are Sir Joseph ArumemiIkhide – chairman of Arik Air, Mr. Adeseyi Sijuade – managing director of Nigeria Railway Corporation and the minister of Tourism and Creative Arts for Ghana Mrs. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare. These individuals were selected by Atqnews.com from a list of 100 Top Travel Personalities in West-Africa based on their impact, legacy and influence in tourism promotions, aviation, hospitality, conservation, transport and travel business. …. Tour packages To give a complete experience of Ghana, tour packages are also being offered and are categorized into pre and post Accra Weizo of different packages. The details of the tour packages are: July 20 Accra City Tour Attractions include the Independence Square in the country’s capital, the second-largest city square in

Ikechi Passp

the world. The square’s construction ended in 1961 and was named “Black Star Square”, and it hosts all major national public gatherings and national festivals; Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park - created in the honor of the first President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. His remains are kept in the Mausoleum; the National Museum - opened on 5th March 1957; and the Art Centre, the biggest Art and Craft market in Ghana. Price - $61.00 inclusive of transportation in air-conditioned bus, lunch, entrance fees, tour guide services and taxes. July 3 Full Day Weizo Fair July 4 Cape Coast and Elmina Castle plus Kumasi Price - $100.00 inclusive of transportation in air conditioned bus, lunch, entrance fees, tour guide services and taxes. July 5 The Akwasidae Festival, which is celebrated by the Ashanti people to honour personal and community ancestors, with drumming, dancing and singing and occurs every six weeks on a Sunday. The King of the Ashanti region, the Asantehene, meets his subordinate chiefs in the courtyard of the Manhyia Palace. All the paramount chief of Ashant Kingdom Coverage at the palace grounds with a colourful ceremony in the presence of the king, and people visit in large numbers, singing and dancing. Price - $225.00 inclusive of transportation in air-conditioned bus, lunch at Brenu Beach Resort and full board in Kumasi based on shared rooms (single supplement USD 20).

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

25 Reality

‘It’s great to be a black woman on TV’

Entertainment Interview

‘Sex sells, that’s why D’banj was the toast’

Comedy Seyi Law cracked ribs at Legend Taste And Tell 26

sony neme

Editor, entertainment sony.neme@newtelegraphonline.com

Kerry Washington: Highest paid actress in the world

n 2012 it looked like the actress’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, she was back on top. People With Money reports on Tuesday (June 16) that Washington is the highestpaid actress in the world, pulling in an astonishing $82 million between May 2014 and May 2015, a nearly $50 million lead over her closest competition.

People With Money’s factors In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work. The American actress has an estimated net worth of $245 million. She owes her fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. She also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Washington Burger” chain) in Washington, a Football Team (the “New York Angels”), has launched her own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderwashington - US), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Kerry) and a fashion line called “Kerry Washington Seduction”. The ranking is significant for many Kerry fans, who have been waiting for her triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime. She has accumulated her net worth through being a successful Hollywood actress. In 2012, Kerry Washington began appearing in a TV show called “Scandal” which is broadcasted on the ABC channel. In these TV series, she has been portraying a character of Shonda Rhimes, who is a former crisis management advisor for the President. In 2013, she was named as one of the highest paid actresses on TV by Forbes. Thus, it also proves that Kerry Washington C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 6

Entertainment

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Highest paid actress net worth is going to increase even more in the upcoming years. Kerry Washington is also known from movies, as well as from the TV series. She was casted to appear in films such as “Django Unchained” by Quentin Tarantino, “The Last King of Scotland”, “Ray” and the films of “Fantastic Four”, in which she appeared between the years 2005-2007. These appearances in films also added a lot of revenues to the total amount of Kerry Washington net worth. Also, Kerry Washington appeared in films “Our Song”, “Night Catches Us” and “The Dead Girl”. Kerry Washington was born in New York City, in the neighbourhood of Bronx, to her mother who worked as an educational consultant and professor and her father who was involved into real estate. After graduating from high school, Kerry Washington was studying at the George Washington University. In 1998 she graduated and got her degree in sociology and anthropology. Also, she was a student at the Michael Howard Studios in New York. In 1994, Kerry Washington appeared in her first film which was “Magical Make Over” and it was a film made for television. It was released in 1994. In 2000, she appeared in a 3D version of a movie called “Our Song”. In 2001, she appeared in a film called “Save the Last Dance” and two years later she appeared in another movie called “The Human Stain”. Thus, appearances in film increased the overall amount of Kerry Washington net worth a lot. In 2004, she appeared in a film called “Bad Company”, where she acted alongside Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock. In the same year she appeared in a film called “She Hate Me” by Spike Lee. In both of these movies, her appearances received mainly positive reviews from critics. After that, she appeared in films, such as “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”, “I Think I Love My Wife” and “Little Man”.

Kerry

Seyi Law cracked ribs at Legend Taste And Tell Stories by Sony Neme

Is Anita Solomon truly dating Toke Makinwa’s hubby?

his is not the best of times for radio and television presenter, Toke Makinwa. Her heart broken was orchestrated by her husband, Maje Ayinda, and she is in serious pain. Efforts to reach her met a brick wall as her phone was switched off as at the time of going to the press. Her close friends swore that her husband; has taken his cheating a step further by impregnating his Cross River State based lover, Anita Solomon. The gist making the round has it that her husband spends lavishly on Anita’s Saloon in Calabar, and has relocated the pregnant lover to the United Kingdom for proper care.

eyi Law, one of Nigeria’s A-rated comedians was on the spotlight as he thrilled fun lovers, who gathered at the Seaside Bar, Ikoyi Lagos for the Legend Extra Stout Taste and Tell night. He acted the clown that he is a n d cre-

ated amusing moments that spurred laughter and cheers from the spectators. Dressed in white jumper suit over black T-shirt for the night’s show, Seyi Law who has been active for over nine years was at his wit best. He was at his jocular world as delivered jokes that cut across various aspects of life from social life to politics, prompting bursts of laughter across the event venue. Since emerging as the 2006 winner of the AY Open Mic competition, the comedian has not let down his guard... Also on hand to entertain was Lagos-based live band group, Platinum Blazers, with contemporary and old school tunes. The band got the audience shuffling as they performed a medley of popular gospel and secular tunes as the crowd went dancing all night. There were no dull moments as the Eyo Dance Troupe danced their way to the stage to perform their traditional party moves. Expectedly, beer buffs and patrons of seaside bar expressed satisfaction with the quality of entertainment on offer.

Entertainment 27

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

‘It’s great to be a black woman on TV’

hough Washington has been a pioneer as a Black female lead in prime-time. But she was followed by Viola Davis of How To Get Away With Murder, Gabrielle Union of Being Mary Jane, Nicole Beharie of Sleepy Hollow and Taraji P. Henson of the nascent hit Empire, among the many Black women prominently starring on TV this year. Washington applauds the change. “It’s really exciting that the business of storytelling is beginning to understand that people respond to inclu-

sivity. You don’t make a success of yourself by leaving people out. You don’t make a success of yourself by leaving people off the table. We are starting to see more diversity and it’s really great. It’s great for everybody. It’s great for Black people, it’s great for white people, it’s great for everybody.” At one point, Washington could claim prime time to herself and all the attention and accolades that came with being on a major hit show. Though she’s starred in several movies and TV shows, Washington’s career blew up even bigger as

Scandal became a fixture of must-see (and DVR, and tweet) TV. But if there’s more competition in the TV world, Washington believes that’s a boost for everyone. “I don’t see it as competition. The tweets that warm my heart are the ones that their week is set up Being Mary Jane on Tuesday, Empire on Wednesday and How To Get Away With Murder and Scandal on Thursday. That’s how my DVR is set up. I think we support each other and I think we’re excited for one another and I’ve said from the beginning that when one of us has a

success it makes room for more of us to have success. I don’t think of it as competition, I think of us as water rising together.” Still, despite DVR, Scandal remains the kind of show that, as Washington says, If you don’t watch it live, someone is going to ruin it for you at work tomorrow.” Washington says she herself has gotten behind on Scandal, maybe because she’s been in almost every scene of the show in the last several weeks.

CinemaWatch (Radio/TV/Events Guide)

JUNE 19 — 26 Highlights

Miguel gets June 29 date ‘Wildheart’

rammy Award winning recording artist, Miguel’s highly anticipated third studio album Wildheart is set for release on June 29t via ByStorm Entertainment/RCA Records (Sony Music). Fans can now officially pre-order their copy of the album on iTunes, receiving six album tracks (NWA featuring Kurupt, Hollywood Dreams, Goingtohell, FLESH, and Face The Sun featuring Lenny Kravitz) and the lead single ‘Coffee’ ahead of release. The official music video ‘Coffee’ was released online to VEVO earlier in the week and can be viewed as well. According to a Sony Music, “Miguel first hit the mainstream in 2010 with the infectious first single ‘All I Want Is You’ from his major label debut album of the same name. The album also featured ‘Sure Thing, which hit number one on Billboard’s HipHop/R&B chart and a second US number one hit called ‘Quickie’. Miguel’s reportedly follow up was his critically-acclaimed, four-time Grammy Award nominated, sophomore album ‘Kaleidoscope Dream’ which features his third US number one hit single ‘Adorn’, the intoxicating ‘How Many Drinks?’, ‘Do You…’ and ‘The Thrill’. In 2013 Miguel was nominated for a total of five Grammy Awards. Lead single ‘Adorn’ written and produced by Miguel, garnered Miguel his first Grammy Award for Best R&B Song and resided at number one on the R&B/HipHip Airplay chart for more than 23 weeks, becoming the longest running number in the history of the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hip Airplay chart. Miguel will be touring North America in support of the new album all the way through until September. Check his website for specific dates, which have just been announced.

Entertainment

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

‘Sex sells, that is why D’banj was the toast’ Mrs. Ndidi Obioha, an international relations graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, is the CEO, Enthyst Place - an event management, fashion and bridal outfits that has pulled off several successful colourful events in Nigeria. The multiple awards winning, Germany born happily married mother of three, who spoke with New Telegraph on Tuesday at her Lekki residence, explains the challenges of female artistes and her plans for them. How have you been able to navigate in showbiz being married with children? In showbiz, there are lots that I have on my kit that I am going to give birth to next year. I am very passionate about women in the entertainment industry. It is one of the things I am going to dedicate my time to next year. I don’t think women in the industry are getting much leverage being in that industry. I think it is a male dominated industry, with them trying to suppress the women on the side, especially in the music industry. The ratio of women to men that has been given opportunities, even the record labels is not encouraging. Go to Mavin, how many women are there? Though I like what Don Jazzy is doing as he is now trying to recruit some more. Look at Chocolate City, how many women are on their label? It is unfortunate. That is why I am going into a different kind of mentorship. I have a lot of girls that I am talking with. Omowumi will tell you that when she came out from Idols West Africa, I was one of the women that gave her the opportunity. I carry them on my back, and they know how passionate I am to get women to where the menfolk are presently. And I will get there by God’s grace. I have seen lots of good young girls trying to do it alone, but have not been given the opportunities. A record label owner owned by a man will first consider a male before thinking of a female! When are you starting your mentorship? Honestly I have not had the time, because I am setting up pockets of my businesses. The fashion clinic is able to stand on its own now. Next year I will take on another arm of my business. I try to take things one at a time. There is this organization that is trying to bring me in, and I hate to bring

myself into what I cannot be able to make out all the time. To be a mentor to somebody, you need to have all the time for mentorship, which is giving back, and it is something I like to do. Why? But sex sells, record label owners are businessmen and it is all about merit for quick returns? I don’t think it is about merit. Yes sex sells that was why D’banj made so much hit because of his music appeal to the opposite sex. Trust me I have studied the situation. Some of these female artistes come for help, and as an event person I provide them needed opportunities, especially the up and coming artistes. Helen Paul was barely known. But she got her biggest break, by God’s grace, through me; I try to use my platform to help the female artistes. A female artiste, who was based in Spain and made a success of her career while she was there, came to Nigeria and it was difficult for her to be accepted. I saw her looks, very pretty and her dress sense very revealing which was not good in our society. Women in Nigeria have very strong hold on their husbands. If I like a song and my husband is in love with me, I have the power to get him to like that music. But if I am in a party with him and I saw a girl that will make him sexually uncomfortable, it is my duty to protect him from buying into that artiste. So women are their own problems? To an extent, yes.. In Nigeria we are still very cultured. Yet we copy a lot from foreign cultures. We look at videos and we think indecent dressings will make us sell. I have seen a lot of amazing female talents in this country. I attend events where I see them perform, they don’t go beyond that and I can tell why. We feel threatened by ourselves. When a female artiste is coming all revealing, we try to stop them. It should not be so. You should first appreciate that talent in her. Unfortunately you are addressed the way you are dressed. If people feel disgusted about your looks then you are done. Take a look at Omowumi. She is a home girl to every woman. The moment you become a threat to every woman, they will kill it for you. We are still a bit laid back. And my question is who your target market is? You are coming out with a song that will appeal to weddings. You want people to invite you to perform at weddings and other you

think a bride’s mother will watch you looking very indecent on television and you think she will invite you to come and perform for her child’s wedding? Hell no! They will tell you, ‘her music might be amazing but ask her to dress well’. Recently I did the Vilisco Women Awards at Eko Hotel. It was a female awards and the conceptualization is celebrating women. So we can do everything without any man as part of it. So we don’t need a male MC, we don’t need a male band. And I was able to get an all-female band that I am ready to invest in because they are good. There are plans for an all-female talent hunt next year. A woman in event management, what brought you there? What got me there is the passion for wanting to feed people, to organize and put things together as they should be. That is what got me to run an event consulting company. We conceptualize, we define, we plan, we manage, we coordinate and we execute the plan of a client. I am not a decorator, but what we do is to come up with concepts for every different aspect that makes up an event. If it is a wedding, the concept of what the décor should be like, what the event should be like, it depends on the kind of wedding we are doing, the theme of that wedding, and we define. Which was the biggest and challenging concert you ever managed? We have done a lot of events that I cannot readily remember. Rhythm Unplugged is one of them. It was a huge concert with about 6,000 people in attendance. We manage that for them including the artiste because we get some of them on board as well. For me when an event becomes very tasking is when the fans are crazy. We did Miss Delta Pageant for Orange Drugs Plc. Every step of the way, every time the thank you I get from my clients is my staying power. We just did the African Magic Igbo Channel, Ebe Ona Akpotu in Enugu in April How many of you concerts have gone awry? There is none that I can remember. It has honestly has not happened. The day it happens that is when I will stop being an event planner, because I cannot take the disappointment. There may be one or two slight areas, that is because of my professional know. Otherwise for the clients and guests that attended it was okay.

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

Labour

Pipeline vandalism: Oil workers want security agencies empowered

Agric Funding as fillip for fish production

Business What's news

Broadband: Nigeria begins 20% penetration journey Having achieved 10 per cent penetration of its muchtouted 30 per cent broadband penetration target, Nigeria has begun the journey to actualising the remaining 20 per cent broadband penetration, New Telegraph has learnt.

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Pension: Board inherits N213.7bn liabilities Lack of adequate resources to fund inherited liabilities amounting to N213.7 billion is posing a challenge to the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD).

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The Business Desk Ayodele Aminu

Deputy Editor (Business)

Bayo Akomolafe

Asst. Editor (Maritime)

Sunday Ojeme

L-R: President, Information System Audit and Control Association (ISACA), Lagos chapter, Tope Aladenusi; Past president, Tokunbo Martins, and immediate past president, Peter Ineh, during the investiture of the new president Aladenusi and other board members of Lagos chapter.

Construction firms desert sites over unpaid N500bn ig construction firms handling roads and other infrastructural projects in the country have abandoned their sites, New Telegraph has learnt. The absence of the contractors from their duty posts may not be unconnected to the in-

ability of the Federal Government to pay them the over N500 billion allegedly owed them for completed projects. New Telegraph’s investigations showed that contractors handling the Lagos-Ibadan road expansion project, Messrs Julius Berger Plc and RCC have reduced the pace of work. Some of the staff cited on sites were executing skeletal jobs. In Abuja, Julius Berger had already stopped construction works on the Abuja centenary city project. When our correspondent visited the company’s headquarters in Abuja recently, the place was not its usual self.

INFLATION RATE April 2015................................8.7% March 2015.............................8.5% February 2015.........................8.4%

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

INTERVENTION

Construction firms want a state of emergency declared in sector

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

Dayo Ayeyemi

Finance Editor

Kunle Azeez

Senior Correspondent

Chuks Onuanyin Energy

Nnamdi Amadi Reporter

Johnson Adebayo

Asst Production Editor

New Telegraph gathered that the company had embarked on job cuts to be able to cope with the attendant lean resources. It will be recalled that the former Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, had revealed that the ministry’s N100 billion proposed budget for 2015 had been cut down to N11 billion by the

N100bn

Proposed Ministry of Works’ budget for 2015, which was later slashed to N11 billion by the Ministry of Finance

Ministry of Finance. He stated that the finance ministry took the drastic action due to the economic realities on ground. Onolememen also expressed concerns that only 33 out of the 210 ongoing road projects had been provided for in view of the lean allocation to the ministry, adding that the budget was insufficient to encourage contractors to sustain significant progress on their respective work sites. Worried by the money owed his members by the Federal Ministry of Works, President CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

Rates Dashboard EXCHANGE RATE

EXCHANGE RATE

(BDC as at Jun 5)

(Interbank as at Jun 5)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N218 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N330 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N240

l Foreign Reserves – $29.343bn as at 4/06/2015

Source: CBN

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N199 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N308 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N228

Business | News

HURDLES

Obstacles to broadband penetration need to be addressed Kunle Azeez

aving achieved 10 per cent penetration of its much-touted 30 per cent broadband penetration target, Nigeria has begun the journey to actualising the remaining 20 per cent broadband penetration, New Telegraph has learnt. Nigeria, two years ago, launched a National Broadband Plan (NBP) 2013-2018, designed to accelerate broadband from six per cent in 2012 to 30 per cent by 2018.

Construction firms desert sites

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Broadband: Nigeria begins 20% penetration journey From six per cent penetration, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Eugene Juwah, recently claimed at an Internet forum in Lagos, that broadband penetration had now reached 10 per cent. New Telegraph learnt that the current 10 per cent penetration of the total 30 per cent target come 2018, represents about 34 per cent of the overall 30 per cent targeted penetration level. According to findings, at the time of launching the NBP, penetration stood at just six per cent

and within two years, the country has only been able to move four points higher to 10 per cent. As such, Nigeria has just the next three years to achieve the remaining 20 per cent. However, speaking at the presentation of an award to him by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Lagos during the week, President of the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Lanre Ajayi, expressed doubt as to the readiness of the telecoms industry to achieve the remaining

20 per cent broadband penetration target within the next three years. “Currently, we are not doing well in the area of broadband as we have done in the voice segment. In the voice segment, we keep meeting and surpassing forecasts. So, at the rate at which we are going in the area of broadband growth, I am afraid we may not be able to meet the 30 per cent penetration by 2018,” he said. Ajayi, who congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari for his election, said that ATCON was confident

that his administration will bring the necessary change promised during the electioneering campaign, tasking him to pay attention to some key areas for accelerating the industry growth. “Buhari’s administration should focus on enforcement of Cybercrime Act, particularly the section dealing with the protection of National Infrastructure under which telecoms infrastructure also belong; promotion of e-government and e-commerce as a strategy to stimulate demand for broadband access provided by AT-

CON members, as well as provision of enabling environment. “Recognising the power of ICT in modern governance and socioeconomic development, we advice the incoming administration to address issue bothering on Right of Ways (RoW), multiple taxations, promotions of Nigerian local content, vandalism of telecoms infrastructures, promotion of e-services as well as acceleration of the implementation of the broadband plan,” he said. While noting that aside challenges around land-mile broadband deployment, he said telecoms operators’ access to adequate spectrum bands is key to ensuring faster broadband network deployment, adding that the NCC should be transparent in its spectrum licensing activities.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

of the Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI), an umbrella body for about 125 major construction companies operating in Nigeria, Mr. Solomon Ogunbusola, told our correspondent that most of the construction firms have abandoned their sites. He alleged that most of the projects executed by FOCI members were done with funds borrowed at very high interest rates from commercial banks. The FOCI boss called on President Muhammadu Buhari to bail contractors out by declaring a state of emergency in the construction industry. The directive given to commercial banks by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to blacklist contractors indebted to them (banks) irked Ogunbusola. He stated that the Federal Ministry of Works alone owes contractors over N500 billion for projects already executed and delivered, wondering why the same government, which owes (contractors), would allow its agency, the CBN, to publish their names as chronic debtors. He said: “We have retrenched a lot of people, and we are still retrenching people and the process will continue until when we get to a stable position. We need an emergency intervention. Government should declare a state of emergency in the construction industry.” Ogunbusola, a builder, said that the country might not witness major development if the construction sector is pushed to the background.

L-R: Registrar, Elizade University (EU), Prof. Omololu Adegbenro; Vice-Chancellor, EU, Prof. Valentine Aletor; Managing Director, Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), Mrs. Funke Osibodu; Representative of Chief Legal Officer, BEDC, Ms. Morayo Fadipe; Executive Director, BEDC, Abu Ejoor and Chief Corporate Services Officer, Mrs. Kunbi Labiyi, during the signing of Memorandum of Agreement between Vigeo Power Academy and Elizade University in Benin, Edo State.

Pension: Board inherits N213.7bn liabilities CHALLENGE

There are strong resistance to change and subtle campaign for return to the old order Sunday Ojeme

ack of adequate resources to fund inherited liabilities amounting to N213.7 billion is posing a challenge to the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD). A report obtained by New Telegraph revealed that arrears of 33 per cent increase, over 10,000 inherited cases of death benefits and benefits of over 13,000 state pensioners with federal shares, are among the factors that have posed some challenges for the pension agency.

Others are funding sustainability for monthly pension and pensioner verification exercise in the face of dwindling oil revenues and trapped funds with underwriters. According to the study, strong resistance to change and subtle campaign for return to the old discredited order and absence of comprehensive database from the old pension offices, have hampered some pension payments. Also, the non-rendition of database returns and difficulties in taking possession of some inherited assets have also made it difficult for the agency to carry out its statutory duties smoothly. According to the Director, Civil Service Pension Department, PTAD, Mr. Godson Ukpevo, the directorate, in spite of the challenges, is clearly transforming public sector pension administration. Ukpevo, who described the agency as a child of necessity,

said that the feat was being achieved with the collective input and strong support of all stakeholders. “Though the dip in government revenues poses a great challenge to our ability to pay pensions as at when due, we are hopeful that the incoming government will be committed to pension payment. “On our part, we remain focused on strengthening the institutional structures of PTAD, building a sustainable operation, stronger stakeholder collaboration and enforcement of zero tolerance for fraud,” he said. The director noted that PTAD rose from the ashes of the Defined Benefits Scheme (DBS) otherwise called the ‘old pension scheme’ after the management of the old scheme had fallen into disrepute with allegations of misappropriation of pension funds, maltreatment of pensioners and general malfeasance pervading

the air. He added that the public outcry led to widely publicised public hearings and criminal proceedings against suspected pension thieves, stressing that against this background, PTAD was established in August 2013 as an independent agency to consolidate and manage pensions under the Defined Benefits Scheme (DBS) for pensioners who did not transit into the contributory scheme introduced in 2004. This was in compliance with the provisions of section 30 sub-section (2) (a) of the Pension Reform Act of 2004 and as restated in section 42(1) of the amended act of 2014 Ukpevo emphasised that currently, all pensioner data fields (biometric, documentation, photo imaging, complaints) were captured and could be centrally accessed, including an automated benefit re-computation for all pensioners.

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

FG blames unregistered firms for poor outsourcing operation p.32

Labour

Pipeline vandalism: Oil workers want security agencies empowered JOINT VENTURE Poor funding of Joint Venture agreements by FG has drastically affected the oil sector Stories by Sunday Ojeme

roducers Forum, a unit of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN), has called on the Federal Government to empower the nation’s security agencies to secure oil pipelines and other public assets against vandalism. Chairman of the Forum, Comrade Emmanuel Onuorah, said this in a position paper made available to New Telegraph. He said it was better to empower the security agencies instead of using unconventional methods through award of contract to those without security and intelligence know-how to protect these critical national assets. He said, “As a major stakeholder in the industry, we lament the huge loss, which could have been deployed into critical areas of national development. Huge unbudgeted costs are being incurred to repair or replace pipelines at damaged/theft points in addition to the amount lost above to crude theft. Government needs to develop the political will to stop pipeline vandalism and oil theft including sanctioning collaborators.” Onuorah said pipeline vandalism was a key cause of massive divestment by the International Oil Companies (IOCs) since 2010. He stressed that it was also one of the reasons that have forced the refineries to shut down since the feedstock is always truncated and contributing to the justification for importation of petro-

President Muhammadu Buhari

leum products and payment of humongous subsidy, which all Nigerians know the outcome of in the last investigation. According to him, pipeline vandalism affects the plants’ operational/functional effectiveness, and lead to man-hour and production losses. Regrettably, sabotaged pipeline is the major reason for spillages and environmental degradation setting the host communities against both the oil operators and the government. He said, “Pipeline integrity

Regrettably, sabotaged pipeline is the major reason for spillages and environmental degradation

TUC lauds NERC over plans to revoke licences

he Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria has commended the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for commencing the process of revoking licences awarded to power generation companies that fail to live up to expectation. The electricity regulator, in a statement, lamented that most of the licences have been dormant and not gone beyond the stage of issuance. While commending NERC over the plans, the congress also appealed against further increase in tariff in the face of epileptic power supply. It will be recalled that NERC had threatened to

revoke non-performing licences from among the 134 it has so far issued. The agency’s Commissioner of Engineering, Abbah Ibrahim, said the licences the commission had so far issued ought to have translated to a generation of 20,000Mw even as the country’s required an estimate of 40,000Mw. He lamented that since most of the licences were not presently delivering power, NERC had started the process of reviewing them. He said: “But within your licence, there is a blue book with your licence terms and conditions. I am raising this because we have issued 134

licences so far, which has translated to over 20,000Mw of power in Nigeria. We have a requirement for over 40Mw. “As we speak now, the issue is that a lot of the licences are not delivering. And the commission has commenced the process of reviewing those licences. And once targets are not met, we have no choice but to cancel those licences. I hope that these whole licences will not go the way of the majority we are looking at.” He vowed that NERC would enforce stringent terms in the licences and that there would be no option but revocation owing to their non-performance.

should be sound enough to enable safe transportation of crude and refined products all over the country. Pipeline installation can now be done using state of the art technology in manner that will be inaccessible to vandals. “We expect that the managers of the pipelines can imbibe the culture of regular maintenance while government will live up to its responsibility of providing adequate security by committing to usage of modern hi-technology equipment for the surveillance and protection of pipelines and other oil and gas installations. “There should be regular surveillance of pipelines to detect and prevent vandals’ action. Enabling legal instruments for sanctioning violators/defaulters should be reviewed, while more effective counter-strategy against oil theft and sabotage is implemented by applying appropriate sanctions.” He noted that the Producers Forum, which comprises workers in the upstream sub-sector of the oil and gas industry, is responsible for the exploration and production of crude oil and gas. Crude oil remains the most significant source of income accruing to the country. It accounts for about 95 per cent of our income as a nation. While the sub-Sector has persistently pursued boosting Exploration and Production (E&P) activities and increase oil reserves by deepening the existing discoveries and exploring new frontiers, it has been hampered by lack of commitment and unwillingness on the part of the Federal Government to remit counterpart funding. He also attributed the limitation in growing the upstream sector to a number of factors, saying that the hope of sanitising the oil and gas industry was further dimed due to Federal Government’s unwillingness to

provide adequate funding for her industry partners. This, he said, hampered new investments in the industry, which would have contributed in no small measure in addressing the nation’s unemployment challenges. He pointed out that rather than the industry being run based on the rule of law and due process, uncertainty, lack of clarity, policy inconsistency and executive fiat reigned in the government process and procedures of administering the industry. Some of the issues he identified as constituting challenges include inadequate Joint Venture funding, crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and delay in the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) On Joint Venture, he said the one between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and oil companies presently accounted for more than 60 per cent of Nigeria’s crude oil production, saying that this emphasised the importance of the JV despite increasing production from the Production Sharing Contracts (PSC) fields. The JV structure is an average of 60 per cent for government and 40 per cent for private oil companies. He said despite the fact that government had a larger chunk of the proceeds from the JVs, it has always been defaulting in payment of its own counterpart funding of projects. “The sector’s activity has been greatly hampered and is almost being grounded completely by the challenge of funding the operating budget and cash call obligations. Over 50 per cent cut in JV funding and irregular release of Cash Call has made the operators to scale down on the whole spectrum of the Exploration & Production (E&P) operations,” he added.

Chams names Olasiyan chief services officer

hams Plc has announced the appointment of Mr. Ola Olasiyan as its Chief Services Officer with effect from March 2015. With the new appointment, Olasiyan, according to a statement, will be responsible for directing, administering and coordinating the business operational activities of the organisation in accordance with policies, goals and objectives set by the Board of Directors. Olasiyan has over 20 years experience in Information Technology, business processes and project management. He started his career in 1995 in the United Kingdom, first as

a bookkeeper for the London underground, then as a project manager for computer brain system. The statement said, “Olasiyan’s trajectory quickly took an impressive turn as he moved to the financial services sector in the United States working as assistant Branch Manager for TCF Bank in Illinois from 2000 to 2002 and then as a project analyst for LaSalle Bank Corporation from 2002 to 2004. “Not slowing down, he got entrenched in Information Technology and business processes across reputable organisations in the US, including Ernst & Young LLP.”

Business | Labour

FG blames unregistered firms for poor outsourcing operation

VICTIMS Employers and employees have been victims of fraudulent job recruitment

Stories by Sunday Ojeme

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

ollowing the poor outsourcing operation by some agencies and consultants, the Federal Government has resolved to sanitise the sector for the good of Nigerian employees and employers. The development was revealed during a workshop organised by the the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity in collaboration with Human Capital Providers Association of Nigeria (HuCaPan). According to the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Clement Illoh, unregistered companies in outsourcing business have constituted nuisance to the operations of the genuine operators.

To check the situation, the ministry and HuCaPan are collaborating to tackle the abuses and ensure some decency in line with Decent Work Agenda of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Consequently, the Federal Government will also work with other stakeholders to ratify Labour Organisation’s Private Employment Agencies Convention 181 of the ILO. Illoh said, “It is common knowledge that unregistered recruiters are the bane of the industry. As you know, these faceless operators do not have regard for the core values of the industry especially those relating to the fundamental principles and rights at work. “More than anything else, whenever one of our critical stakeholders, the trade unions express concern over

the adoption of out sourcing as a preferred mode of employment, it is actually the abuses perpetrated by unregistered operators that they are poised to fight.” On his part, the President of HuCaPan, Mr. Neye Ochuko Enemigin, said: “Regulation is the way to check quacks, to ensure that standards are observed and maintained to ensure compliances within laid-down rules and to ensure that professional ethics are observed in line with international best practice.” He pointed out that HuCa-

Pan was of the strong view that effective and efficient collaboration with the ministry could help in eliminating quacks from the industry, reduce unfair practices by some employers of labour and enhance the productivity of outsourced employees. In his comments, a representative of the International Labour Organisation, Dr. Runo Onasode, observed that Nigeria was yet to ratify Convention 181 on the regulation of Private Employment Agencies. He stressed that the Convention, when ratified, is aimed at

promotion of workers’ rights and the protection of the rights of migrant workers. Onasode advised the relevant stakeholders to work towards the ratification of the ILO Convention. The Director-General of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Mr. Olusegun Osinowo, advised participants to use the opportunity of the workshop to address issues that are very important to them, adding that operators had complained about dealing with multiple unions in one sector.

Labour leader sees end to NLC crisis he crisis rocking the Ni- ible chairman because 30 T geria Labour Congress affiliate industrial unions (NLC) may soon come to an in the state participated in end as the factional leaders have commenced discussions on the way forward. A statement by the factional chairman, NLC, Delta State chapter, Williams Akporeha, said that the national leaders had started discussions to resolve the controversies. He added that the resolutions would also be implemented in the respective state councils of the congress. He said, “I am aware that discussions are presently going on at the national level to find acceptable and lasting solution to the issues and once this is achieved, the resolutions will be cascaded down to the state levels for compliance in the same manner that directives were received during the state congresses. “I must add that I am very optimistic that the issues will soon be resolved and we will have one indivisible NLC again.” On his emergence as the state’s chapter leader, he said that he was the leg-

the election that returned him unopposed as Delta State NLC council chairman for a second term. In spite of the perceived factionalisation, he, however, promised to ensure that issues concerning workers’ welfare, pension arrears, outstanding 13th month salary and casualisation were adequately addressed. “It is however, unfortunate that a lot of the issues on our check list such as pension arrears and other payments, primary school teachers issues, outstanding 2014 13th month salary payment for public sector workers and casual staffing in both public and private sectors among other issues affecting congress members in other affiliate unions, which were not completely addressed. “But we are poised this time around to tackle them head on with the support and strong partnership with the incoming government of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, ” he added.

NLC President, Ayuba Wabba

Factional President, Joe Ajero

L-R: Former president, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Mr. Mark Dike; Tax Consultant, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele and President, CITN, Dr. Olateju Abiola-Somorin, at the institute’s workshop on Federal Government’s Budget in Lagos… yesterday. PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

LUTH resident doctors end warning strike L

agos University Teaching Hospital LUTH) resident doctors have resumed work after embarking on a three-day warning strike early in the week with a resolve to embark on an indefinite strike on June 29 if their demands are not met. The doctors embarked on the strike over their May salary and unpaid arrears. The President, Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), LUTH chapter, Dr Ramon Moronkola, said they were owed 13 months arrears of skipping from Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) 10 to 13. The money, he said, was their entitlement, adding that it should be paid without further delays as other doctors have received theirs. He said, “We don’t know why our case is different in LUTH. Other doctors in the employment of the Federal

Government have since been paid. Failure to address the problems, we will not hesitate to commence an indefinite strike on June 29.” The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof Chris Bode, however, faulted the industrial action, which he described as gross insensitivity. He said the warning strike was a misplaced priority on the part of the protesting doctors as the new government that ought to consider its demands was still trying to settle down. He said, “Skipping policy is the policy of the Federal government, not of LUTH. It was the previous government that made the policy and it is only naturally for the new government to decide whether to continue with it or not. I think it is grossly insensitive on the part of resident doctors to go on warning strike. Who are they warning, the old or the new government?

“We lost innocent lives last year to strike. We can’t continue like this. Resident doctors should at least wait for the new government to consider the policy before going on strike. We should give the new government the benefit of doubt. Money should not be our priority right now.” Moronkola, however, said that the Federal Government had directed in January last year that the money be paid, adding that he was surprised at LUTH’s refusal to do so. He said some doctors in other government-owned institutions have received their skipping arrears in eight centres, adding that rather than having a dialogue with the doctors, LUTH management chose to threaten them. He said such threats would only worsen the matter because doctors would remain resolute until their demands are met.

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

Agric co-operative societies hold great benefits to farmers p.34

Agric

Funding as fillip for fish production With a staggering N125 billion spent annually on fish importation despite the country’s huge potentials stakeholders in the sector recently met to discuss the way forward. DELE ALAO writes

orried by the huge financial resources estimated at N125 billion, spent yearly on importing fish into the country and the need to encourage local production, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), had instituted a policy to achieve 35 per cent reduction in annual fish importation. This policy was resisted because of the perception that it would suppress Nigeria’s fisheries sub-sector, which is largely dependent on import to meet local demand.

Checks showed that the total demand for fish in the country is 2.7 million metric tones but the country produces about 800,000 metric tons, with the deficit of 1.9 million metric tons addressed by imports. The immediate past Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, had, at different fora, insisted that the 35 per cent reduction in fish importation was sacrosanct, as it would help in making the country’s fisheries sub-sector self-sufficient. Adesina, now the president of African Development Bank(AfDB), had noted that for Nigeria to be self-sufficient in fish production, it should promote greater investments in aquaculture, improve inland and marine fisheries. Private investment In the last few years, local importers had been taking steps to improve their investment in the fishery sector. Some of the importers have now engaged in backward integration. The total investments by these players in the sector, analysts said, is in the region of $300 million. One of such is Triton Aqua

Africa. Regarded as one of the biggest fish importing companies in the country, the firm said that it added $60 million to boost local production. The company stated that it intends to use its resources and a large percentage of its importing facilities for the production of different species of fish locally. Way forward The Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON), which met in Abuja recently, called on the Federal Government to establish a Fisheries Commission. This, FISON said, is to ensure good fisheries and aquaculture governance as well as proper development of the sector as in many countries across the world. At the end of a three-week fisheries and aquaculture governance training, organised in collaboration with

Centre for Development and Innovation (CDI) Wageningen UR, the Netherlands, FISON also urged government to review the draft Fisheries Act 2014 to accommodate more details on aquaculture legislation, especially in the areas of certification and endorsement, fines and penalties on defaulters. The National President, FISON, Dr. Olajide Ayinla, said that the purpose of bringing the workshop to Nigeria was to ensure that participants have a clear understanding of the principles behind fisheries and aquaculture governance, since the new administration in Nigeria is expected to deliver good and participatory governance in all sectors of the economy. Ayinla noted that “this is the first time fisheries governance training is held in Africa and Nigeria is the first to

host aquaculture governance training in the world.” Participants at the training suggested an urgent review of the syllabi used by Nigerian universities, polytechnics and monotechnics in fisheries and aquaculture to accommodate good governance practices and entrepreneurship in order to make our graduates responsible and productive fishery practitioners. FISON harped on the need to promote subsidies in fisheries and aquaculture at the production end of the value chain to ensure that it’s only the producers that will benefit for a sustainable operation in the sector. The society also stressed the need for Nigeria to improve the budget allocation to fisheries sub-sector in line with the Maputo declaration on national agriculture budgetary allocation.

Agricultural Commodity Prices – Grains Commodity Wheat Corn Soybeans Soybean Meal Soybean Oil Oats Rough Rice Hard Red Wheat Spring Wheat

Price 499-6 358-6 969-0 325.0 33.22 260-2 9.880 517-0 558-0

Change +10-2 +3-6 +7-2 +0.9 -0.04 +5-6 +0.060 +9-4 +9-4

Contract Jul 15 Jul 15 Jul 15 Jul 15 Jul 15 Jul 15 Jul 15 Jul 15 Jul 15

Time(ET) 08:49 08:49 08:49 08:49 08:49 08:43 08:49 08:49 08:49

Softs

Cat fish in a pond

Commodity Cotton #2 Orange Juice Coffee Sugar #11 Cocoa Sugar #16 CME Coffee CME Sugar #11 CME Cocoa CME Cotton #2

Price 64.71 120.80 130.00 11.45 3241 24.68 1.2935 0.1156 3248.00 0.6443

Change -0.39 -1.10 -1.35 +0.04 +6 +0.10 +0.0155 -0.0015 +37.00 +0.0122

Contract Jul 15 Jul 15 Jul 15 Jul 15 Jul 15 Sep 15 Jul 15 Jul 15 Sep 15 Jul 15

Time(ET) 08:49 08:49 08:49 08:49 08:42 06/16/15 06/16/15 06/16/15 06/16/15 06/16/15

Lumber

296.30

-3.30

Jul 15

06/16/15

Price 151.125 224.700 77.850

Change -0.650 -1.050 +0.450

Time(ET) 08:49 08:49 08:49

17.00

-0.05

Contract Aug 15 Aug 15 Jul 15 Jul 15

Meats Commodity Live Cattle Feeder Cattle Lean Hogs Class III Milk

08:45

Commodities trade on different exchanges with different trading sessions. Change always shows from the previous close price. Quotes delayed, except where indicated otherwise. All prices in local currency. Time is ET. Source: Bloomberg

NACCIMA set to boost agric value chain

he Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), has pledged to support Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to boost agric value. Its president, Chief Bassey Edem, said this after his investiture at the 55th Annual General Meeting of the association held recently in Calabar, Cross River State. Edem promised that NACCIMA would work towards being the focal point for the development of MSMEs in Nigeria in terms of access to funds, assistance with feasibility studies and business plan as well as enhancing their representation in any intervention programmes,

of the Federal Government. He assured of NACCIMA’s support and encouraged members of the association to ensure that they continue to partner government and other private sector stakeholders with genuine intention to move the economy forward. The newly elected president, who described the association as a paragon of economic and social development in the country, noted that the theme of the conference: ‘Policy Consistency in agricultural value chain: A key to socioeconomic development,’ was carefully chosen in view of the current effort by government at diversifying the economy. He, however, called on mem-

bers of the association to look inwards and go back to the basics so as to appreciate the contributions of agri-business in socio-economic development of the nation. “The business community is facing serious challenges. In order to ease these problems and chart a course for the nation’s sustainable growth and development, we make a clarion call on the various tiers of governments, especially now that we have a new democratic regime in place, to create a conducive environment that will make the economy a private sector driven one. This is a sure way of making our country a prosperous nation that we all will be proud of,” he said.

Business | Agric

PLATFORM Farmers can obtain credits from the CBN‘s N220b MSME Fund

Stories by Dele Alao

gricultural co-operative societies have been described as a good platform to access funds by farmers. According to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Devel-

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Agric co-operative societies hold great benefits for farmers opment, Mr. Sunny Echono, such societies will enable farmers to obtain credits, especially as regards the N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund, provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Echono spoke at the maiden special matriculation cer-

emony of the Federal Co-operative College, organised for co-operative registrars and officers of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development undergoing professional diploma courses on co-operatives at NCDC Sheda. He was represented by the director of co-operatives at the ministry, Dr. Dickson Okolo.

He said that the ministry was also in touch with officials of the Nigerian Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) on how best to assist farmer groups and agricultural co-operatives access credits for their farming operations. “With a good number of available credit windows now in place, we are confident that the difficulties in accessing credit from financial service providers will soon be a thing of the past,” Echono said. Restating the commitment of the ministry towards supporting co-operative societies to play a greater role in achieving the goals of the Federal Government’s transformation

agenda, Echono added that it was partly for this reason that approval was given for the 23 staff of the ministry to attend the nine months course. “We hope the training you receive at the end of the programme will equip you to be technically able to discharge your duties as cooperative registrars and officers respectively,” the permanent secretary said. In her address, acting provost of the institution, Hajiya Aisha Ishaq, who called for a law establishing the college, among others, said that there was no doubt that farmers would gain a lot by joining cooperative societies.

Nigeria’s agro industry holds 10m jobs Deborah Olayode

D Maize farm

Kogi distributes new maize varieties to farmers F armers in Kogi State are to receive 20,000 tons of new maize varieties free from the state government. Governor Idris Wada said at the launch of the distribution in Lokoja, that the two new maize varieties were high yielding and mature within 90 days of planting. He described the new maize varieties as major breakthrough for the country in view of dramatic change in climate, saying that the 20,000 tons to be distributed to farmers would yield 1.2 million tons of maize. He ordered that the management of the state Agricultural Development Project (ADP), charged with the responsibility of distributing the maize should ensure that it was dis-

tributed across the 21 local government areas of the state. Wada said that government had decided to commit more funds to the sector and to provide modern equipment to farmers to boost food production and achieve food security for all. The governor added that the state would take steps to consolidate its position as the number one producer of cassava and cashew in the country, explaining that government intends to make agriculture attractive to reduce unemployment and create wealth for farmers. Also, the Managing Director of ADP, Prof. Dominic Akpa, said that the new maize varieties, SAMMAZ20 white and BR99-DMR yellow, would replace the indigenous maize used over

the years but with low yield. He added that the foundation maize seeds were actually cultivated by farmers in the state on the orders of the Federal Government through the West African Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP), saying that the new seeds were produced to specifications under the strict supervision of WAAP. A maize farmer, Mr. Francis Oyibo, commended the governor for making food security a priority, but urged government to be fair and just in the distribution of the maize. He also expressed happiness over the buy-back price offered to farmers in 2014 and pleaded that the price be reviewed upward to further create wealth for farmers in the state.

CADA urges communities to sustain food production

ational Coordinator, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a United Nations’ agency, Mrs. Irene Jumbo, has advised Community Apex Development Association (CADA) to sustain food production in their communities. She gave the advice in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, during a recent training session of CADA members from Akwa Ibom and Abia states.

Jumbo said that the training was meant to strengthen CADA members to sustain agricultural development in rural communities of Niger Delta, adding that the programme would end in September. The coordinator, who expressed the hope that CADA would serve as an entry point to future donors coming into the communities for development, noted that before now, communities only requested for building

of infrastructures when donor agencies and governments visited them, instead of development of agricultural activities. “We do not want to exit without strengthening you for sustainable development. Community Apex Development Association (CADA) is our exit point. It is very important. We train you for continuity. You will be an entry point when any partner agency wants to come to your community,” she said.

iversification of Nigeria’s economy through the expansion of agro- industries has the potential of generating 10 million jobs, Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Export Import Bank, Roberts Orya, has said. According to him, the most important pillar for promoting Nigeria’s agroindustrial sector is the potential for job creation across the agric value chain. Orya, in a recent report, said that the value chain of the agric sector was capable of generating the 10 million jobs over the next decade, and it can serve as one of the centrepieces of capital formation in Nigeria’s new economy. “Indeed, agro- processing promises exciting prospects for inclusive growth and social stability. Nigeria is heavily endowed with

natural assets, but unfortunately, the country has concentrated on one - oil. The country needs to seriously look towards the expansion of agro-industries as the key to unlocking the huge potential in agric production,” Orya said. He notes in the report: “One of the reasons economic diversification is imperative for Nigeria is because the country is too richly endowed with natural assets for us to concentrate on tapping just one. The one we have concentrated on is a depleting asset. Therefore, the economic diversification model that the country needs is one that can help absorb fiscal shocks, fend off monetary instability, provide employment for the teeming work age population as well as generate more revenue for government to meet its commitments to the people.”

Songhai Centre to partner FG in agric

he founder and Director of Songhai Centre in the Republic of Benin, Godfrey Nzamujo, has said that his centre is willing to partner with the Federal Government to develop the agricultural sector. The partnership, he noted, would further help the country become selfsustaining in food production and be economically buoyant. “Also, it would provide job opportunities for several unemployed youths and reduce the social vices they were dissipating their energies on. Nigeria, as rich as it is,with all the blessings from God, still

imports some of its foodstuffs from other countries; we are importing petroleum products into Nigeria, which we produce. We can grow various foodstuffs locally and export them to other West African countries if we key into agriculture. What we are doing at Songhai Farm is to show that Africans can do it,” he said. Nzamujo advised President Muhammadu Buhari to choose credible citizens to serve as ministers in his administration. He said that the success of the Buhari-led administration would largely depend on the calibre of people working with him.

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

Auto Beat

Audi dusts Benz, BMW Paul Ogbuokiri

udi has consecutively sustained the lead in luxury car sales, edging out BMW AG’s namesake brand and fast growing Mercedes Benz in April and May 2015 respectively, the German car maker affirmed. Audi reported that the first five months of 2015 increased 11.7 per cent from last year to 73,353 vehicles while in May 2015 sales rose 11.0 per cent to 18, 428 vehicles, total that stands as the second-best month since the brand was launched in the United States market 45 years ago. The brand has similarly achieved significant sales growth in Nigeria with more than 400 units sold since the beginning of the year, Anurag Shah, Audi Centre Head of Sales

and Marketing said. Shah attributed the growing popularity of the brand to ingenuity and some intriguing Audi models that were recently launched. Meanwhile the best Audi sale ever in the U.S. market was in December 2014 with 19,238 cars and SUVs. One of the key drivers of Audi sales gains in the US was the significant increase in demand for the A3 and S3 models that form the base of the Audi product lineup. Audi said May 2015 was best month on record for the A3 and S3 sedan models with 3,035 cars sold, as well as for the A3 Cabriolet with 458 cars sold. Combined, the 3,493 A3 and S3 sales trailed only the 4,280 sales of the popular Audi Q5 and SQ5 crossovers in the Audi results. “A year after

launching the new A3 models, we are seeing payoff from our bold decision to reimagine a key component of the Audi lineup and take advantage of a luxury car segment poised to take off,” said Scott Keogh, President, Audi of America. He said: “The record sales for the A3 and S3 sedans, along with the A3 Cabriolet, show this was a risk well worth taking. And we aren’t done yet with the all-new A3 Sportback e-tron coming this fall as the fisrt plug-in Audi. Notwithstanding, May represented strong demand for Audi luxury SUVs with a 36.7 per cent increase in May sales encompassing the Audi Q3, Q5 and Q7 models. The Q5 posted an 11.6 per cent increase from a year earlier, and the Q7 posted a 25.3 per cent increase from last May. The Audi Q3 wasn’t available in May 2014. Audi Certified pre-owned vehicle sales also achieved their second-highest total for any month and the best May ever with a 5.8 per cent gain on 4,405 CPO vehicles sold. Audi CPO sales year-to-date increased 8.3 per cent.

Audi

Asahi introduces new NGK plugs

sahi Brands Limited, a member of the Kewalram Chanrai Group, has launched new NGK spark plugs into Nigeria markets nationwide. According to the group’s Deputy Managing Director of the company, Mr. Victor Eburajolo, in a statement made available to Sunday Telegraph, he said that his firm would continue to distribute the full range of only genuine NGK plugs through its six branches and authorised dealers in the markets nationwide. He added that they would educate the public on how to identify the genuine NGK plugs from fake ones, “Asahi is associated with NGK from the last three decades and holds the number one position in the spark plug market”. “Asahi will source for NGK plugs from all NGK factories, including Brazil and Japan, and ensure that only genuine ones are sold,” he said. Also the Managing Director of NGK Spark Plug Middle East FZE, Mr. Hisataka Sato, said the company offers the highest quality products for virtually every vehicle. According to him, a genuine NGK plug has a lifespan of 40,000km to 100,000km depending on the type, all of which are available in Nigeria. “NGK is the world leader in spark plugs and known for its high quality and wide range of products. All plugs come direct from NGK plants and assure 100 per cent genuine supply,” he added.

Ford GT for Le Mans Grand Prix

Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe features in new movie

ord announced today it is returning to one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world with its new Ford GT race car, based on the all-new ultra-highperformance supercar that goes on sale next year. The Ford GT race car will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans - referred to by many as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency - starting next year. Revealed today at the famous circuit in Le Mans, France, Ford GT will compete in the Le Mans GT Endurance class for professional teams and drivers (LM GTE Pro). The new race car - a further proof point of Ford innovation - is based on the all-new Ford GT supercar unveiled in January. Both the production car and race car will arrive in 2016 to mark the 50th anniversary of Ford GT race cars placing 1-2-3 at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford went on to repeat its victory at Le Mans in 1967, 1968 and 1969. “When the GT40 competed at Le Mans in the 1960s, Henry Ford II sought to prove Ford could beat endurance racing’s most legendary manufacturers,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company. “We are still extremely proud of having won this iconic

t has been 22 years since executive producer; Steven Spielberg took to the big screen with the film series, Jurassic Park. The man behind films including ET, Saving Private Ryan & Jaws is back with Jurassic World. In the new movie, Jurassic World the characters put their trust in the off-road capabilities of numerous MercedesBenz models; one vehicle in particular being the GLE Coupé, which appears in its series look for the very first time. The new GLE Coupé really does show off its best side. The first prototype of its new SUV-sector vehicle was handmade one and a half years before the model’s market launch for the film. “Unveiling the new GLE Coupé in Jurassic World was a natural fit as we continue our relationship with Mercedes,” said producer Frank Marshall. “Audiences will find that the vehicles featured in the film lend themselves perfectly as the transportation of choice in the fully functioning international theme park we have created at Jurassic World.” The movie, however, is not the first Mercedes-Benz to feature a Jurassic Park film. The brand first took partnership with Universal in 1997, for the first Jurassic Park film: The Lost World, which introduced the M-Class.

race four times in a row, and that same spirit that drove the innovation behind the first Ford GT still drives us today.” The new Ford GT race car will run the full 2016 schedules of the FIA World Endurance Championship and TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, making its competition debut in January 2016 in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Florida. The two Ford teams will be operated by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS). Both series teams intend to compete with a four-car effort at Le Mans. Drivers will be announced later. The all-new Ford GT serves as the pinnacle product of the new Ford Performance group, a division dedicated to providing innovation through performance. Set to deliver more than 12 new performance vehicles by 2020, Ford Performance will leverage its racing efforts and expertise to speed innovations on dedicated performance models and performance parts in order to more quickly iterate the latest technologies that can ultimately be applied to the full Ford vehicle line-up. The performance segment is a growing business for Ford, as the company recognises its customers’ desire for vehicles that offer excellent fuel economy,

leading technology and a great driving experience. The Ford Performance line-up includes Ford GT, Focus RS, F-150 Raptor, Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT350R, Focus ST and Fiesta ST. “Ford remains focused on three priorities globally - accelerating our One Ford plan, delivering product excellence with passion and driving innovation in every part of our business,” said Mark Fields, Ford Motor Company president and CEO. The Ford GT race car features a number of innovations Ford believes will not only make it competitive in LM GTE Pro, but ultimately positioned to provide benefits to each vehicle in the Ford line-up. These include state-of-theart aerodynamics to deliver outstanding levels of downforce for improved stability with minimal drag, advanced lightweight composites featuring carbon fibre for an exceptionally rigid but light chassis, and the power and efficiency of EcoBoost technology. “As we developed the Ford GT, from the outset, we wanted to ensure we had a car that has what it takes to return Ford to the world of GT racing,” said Raj Nair, Ford Motor Company group vice president, Global Product Development and chief technical officer.

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

Kano State Deputy Governor, Prof. Hafizu Abubakar (third right); Managing Director/CEO, Bank of Industry, Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa and others, during a courtesy visit to the governor in Kano.

L-R: Member, Christian Welfare Initiative (CWI), Deacon Moses Kalu; National President, Prof. Magnus Adeyemi Atilade and Mrs. Theresa Maku, during a press conference on the state of the nation by the Coalition of Christian NGOs and CWI in Lagos.

L-R: District Sales Manager, Print and Personal Systems, Africa Hewlett-Packard (HP) Mr. Jean PancPinto; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, Lagos State, Mrs. Nike Animashaun and Commercial Channels Director, Middle East and Mediterranean Africa, HP Mr. David Rozzio at the opening of HP ‘Technology Tour 2015’ in Lagos.

L-R: Secretary, Humanities, Government Girls Secondary School, Maimuna Gwarzo, Tudun Wada, Kaduna State, Mr. Usman Garba; Shakiru Kayode Yekeen of Artec Practice Limited; Secretary, Vocation and Technology, GGSS, Rashida Mohammed; Vice-Principal, Admin., Mrs. Rose Auba; Principal, Malama Umma Ibrahim and Ibrahim Kyari, at the presentation of computers to the school by Artec Practice Limited in Kaduna.

Photo | News

L-R: President, Osun Indigenes in National Assembly, Ajibade Oluremi Gbadebo; Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Yusuf Suleiman Lasun and Hon. Saheed Akinade-Fijabi, during a courtesy visit to Lasun in Abuja. PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

L-R: Past President, Ikeja Golden Lions Club, District 404B-2, Lions International, Ola Etti-Williams; exco member, Modupe Adeniyi and incoming president, D’Ivy Lions Club, Florence Osofisan, at the children’s celebrations by the Lions International District 404B-2 in Ikeja, Lagos.

A shooting training sessions at the 192 Battalion, Nigerian Army Shooting Range, during the 2015 Western Naval Command Small Arms Firing Exercise at Owode in Ogun State

L-R: Bishop, Word of Salvation to all Nations, Bishop Kelvin Chima; Overseer, Resurrection Power Apostolic Church, Pastor Joel Udosen; Shepherd-in-Charge, The Ark of Deliverance Bible Church, Apostle Imoh Umoh and Officiating Minister, Bishop S. M. J. Udoh, during the ordination of Apostle Umoh at The Ark of Deliverance Bible Church, Owode-Elede, in Lagos.

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Islam UNDERSTAND YOUR FAITH

Women inferiority or superiority to men in Islam QUESTION Are women spiritually and intellectually inferior to men in Islam? ANSWER

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Thanks for this interesting question, which reflects part of misconceptions that some people have about Islam and the way it treats women. We really commend your efforts in pursuit of truth. This is what is required of all people, to seek truth and not to give in to anything that may cloud their minds with fake ideas about Islam. Sister, it’s noteworthy that the status of woman in Islam constitutes no problem. Many verses of the Qur’an and practices of the early Muslims bear witness to the fact that woman is, at least, as vital to life as man is, and that she is not inferior to man in any way. Islam never belittles woman or underestimates her role in the society. Allah has made this clear in the Glorious Qur’an, by stating shining examples of some women for the believers– male and female- to emulate. In this context, the Glorious Qur’an says, (And Allah citeth an example for those who believe: the wife of Pharaoh when she said: My Lord! Build for me a home with thee in the Garden, and deliver me from Pharaoh and his work, and deliver me from evil doing folk; and Mary, daughter of Imran, whose body was chaste, therefor We breathed therein something of Our Spirit. And she put faith in the words of her Lord and His Scriptures, and was of the obedient.) (At-Tahrim 66: 11-12) Thus, as the regards the point you raised in your question, we’d like to make it clear that the Hadith does not depict a woman as inferior; not at all. As it’s a fact that man has been given a form and nature by Allah which is distinct from that of woman, it’s also a fact that the form and nature of man and woman is complementary. This indicates that the distinction in form and nature must not be equated with an intellectual pre-eminence on the part of man. Based on this, we’d like to stress that the issue of having a woman’s testimony corroborated by another woman does not imply a sign of gender superiority. One will get this point clear by bearing in mind that shyness is a specific feature of woman as compared to man. In this case, she needs another woman to stand by her side and corroborate the evidence. There is nothing wrong with having a witness’s testimony corroborated by another witness if the statement of the former falls short of being admissible as a conclusive evidence. So the main issue here is how to make justice run its course. Focusing more on the question in point, we’d like to cite the following Fatwa issued by the late Muslim scholar, Sheikh `Abdul-`Aziz Ibn Baz, the former Mufti of Saudi Arabia: The Prophet, peace be and blessings upon him, explained that women’s mental deficiency is reflected in their CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

E X H O RTAT I O N

2 Ramadan 1436 AH

“O ye who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that, you may attain piety.” (Quran 2 : 183)

NO VIOLENCE HIERACHY Fasting ranks higher in terms of rewards from Allah

Stories: Adeola Yusuf

he National President, Islamic Progressive Association of Nigeria (IPAN-ASLAMNA), Sheikh Abdul-Rahamn Adegboyega Lawal has tasked Muslim faithful to increase in piety and unity. Abdul-Rahman who said this in a statement to herald the month of Ramadan, informed that the fasting in this month of Ramadan is one of the most firmly established values of Islam, that has significant moral, social, spiritual and economic benefits of reformation of character and social harmony. The cleric who doubled as the National Co-Ordinator, ASSALAM Praying Centre, Nigeria said the underlying reason behind the command to fast in the month of Ramadan is to increase the faithful in the fear of Allah and piety. He said that the in Suratul Baqarah Chapter 2 : 183 Allah says: “Oye who believe, fasting is preached for you as it was preachedfor those before you, that, you may become pious” (those who fear God).” He continued: “Fear of God is an overarching quality of a believer that Allah stresses endlessly in the Quran, hence, this Ramadan fast in this Month of Ramadan increases muslims in this fear of Allah. “Two things that make

L-R: President of the newly inaugurated Nasrul-Lahi-L-Fatih Society of Nigeria (NASFAT) Iloffa Branch, Alhaji Sulyman Salami; Chief Missioner, Alhaji Jamiu Ibrahim and the state’s Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Alaya at the inauguration of Nasfat Branch in Iloffa, Kwara State

Ramadan: Cleric tasks Muslims on piety, unity look on all muslims with mercy on the 1st night of Ramadan, The smell from the mouth of the fasting faithful is very dearing to Allah. The angels will be asking for forgiveness for the fasting muslims, Allah (SWT) will command paradise to be ready for the pious ones (those who fear God), and Allah will forgive all

fasting Muslims on the last. “The first ten days of Ramadan are Allah’s forgiveness, the next 10 days for His mercy and the last ten days has as rewards salvation from Hell fire and the Prophet said, while all other acts of ibaadah fail to be rewarded, fasting enjoys a higher rank in terms of rewards from Allah” – the Imam added.

Hajj 2015: Medical screening compulsory for prospective pilgrims –Board

on Saudi rules and regulations, in addition to new policies introduced for this year’s Hajj by the Saudi authorities and the Nigerian Hajj Commission.’’ Lawal noted that the board would commence the distribution of literature materials and uniforms to the intending pilgrims immediately after the payment of the balance of their Hajj fare. The distribution, he said, would, however, depend on when the Federal Government would release the final fare for this year. He then urged intending pilgrims to take the orientation programmes with all seriousness it deserved in order to get the value for their money. He also urged those who were yet to submit their international passports to the board to do so as soon as possible to enable the board to process their travelling documents or risk the chance of performing the Hajj.

he Medical screening is compulsory for prospective pilgrims to this years pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards in states across the country have said. Checks by New Telegraph revealed that most of the boards have issued circular to inform pilgrims on the need to engage in medical test before they could qualify for the religious rite. Nonetheless, they also spoke through the Federal Capital Territory Board (FCTMPWB), which threatened to disqualify any intending pilgrim who fail to make himself or her Self available for the medial screening. Notice of the screening is contained in a statement is-

the fast unique are – It is the month, Quran – the greatest guidance for mankind was revealed – There is a night worship in which is equal to the worship of Allah for 1000 months – the Laylatul-Qadri – The Night of Majesty.” The Islamic scholar further listed five special gifts of the Ramadan fast as :- Allah will

sued by the Public Relations officer of the FCT Board, Malam Muhammed Lawal in Abuja. The Director of the Board, Malam Bashir Muhammad, had, according to the statement, told the prospective pilgrims while monitoring the second phase of the education/orientation exercise that there would be thorough screening. The public relations officer then advised the intending pilgrims to present themselves to the screening committee raised by the board and to participate in all activities arranged for the success of the exercise. Failure to participate in any of the activities by the intending pilgrims, he said, would lead to disqualification

of the erring pilgrim. The board, he added, had fixed July 28 and July 30 for the medical screening, to be conducted at the permanent hajj camp in Gwagwalada, FCT. He added that the third phase of the education/orientation exercise will be conducted on July 25 and July 26. He said that the fourth and final education/orientation exercise would involve practicals and examinations, scheduled for Aug. 1 and Aug. 2. “The orientation programmes organised in phases were aimed at educating intending FCT pilgrims on all aspects of Hajj rites, transportation system, morale and manners during Hajj. “The exercise will also educate the intending pilgrims

Feminique NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

Akinkugbe: Monopoly more than a board game Nimi Akinkugbe is an independent financial consultant and the Chief Executive Officer, Bestman Games Limited. She had a successful banking career spanning 23 years. A great advocate of personal financial management and financial independence for women, she had a chat with EBERE AMEH where, among other things, she harped on the need for women not to ignore their personal finances and the benefits accruable from the African edition of monopoly board games

couple of days ago, Nimi Akinkugbe received yet another award, an additional feather on her already over-crowded cap. It was the ‘Women4Africa™ Awards UK 2015’. “For many years, African women have made huge strides in business, in the corporate world and in government, and continue to strengthen their earning power and influence. Power and position come with responsibility, yet sadly far too many women still feel ill equipped to make bold financial decisions. Powerful and influential women are often powerless regarding their finances; many successful women find little success in their financial lives. If women ignore their personal finances, it is likely that they will be forced to face these issues at a time of crisis such as illness, divorce or death of their spouse,” Nimi told an enrapt audience at the The Great Hall, Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, London. For nearly two decades, Nimi has been a champion of Personal financial management, using different media to enlighten the people. She breaks down money matters into engaging practical forms through various platforms including columns in leading publications, radio, television, the Monopoly Board game and most recently, her first book titled, A-Z of Financial Literacy. “There is no excuse for being totally ignorant about your finances with the plethora of information around you both in print and on line. At a minimum you should have some basic knowledge of the principles and the various investment vehicles available in order to build a diversified portfolio. Seek guidance from an experienced, qualified professional, but remember

EBERE AMEH ebere.ameh@newtelegraphonline.com

that ultimately, you are responsible for your finances,” she said. Having spent over two decades at Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, where she was General Manager and Head Private Client Services and a Director of Stanbic IBTC’s Asset Mnanagement Limited, before taking up the role as the Regional Director (West Africa) Wealth and Investment Management at Barclays and Chief Country Officer for Nigeria, one would understand where her wealth of knowledge comes from. But in addition to that, Nimi said she was engrained at an early age, with distinct and invaluable lessons in personal financial management by her parents; a combo that has made her one of the most sought after speakers on personal financial management and financial literacy in Nigeria. Recently, she was one of the resource persons at the inaugural edition of the financial independence and capacity building for women, organized by the Public Affairs Section of the US Consulate General, Lagos, where she continued to encourage women to take charge of their financial future. Now the CEO of Bestman Games, she says monopoly game is not so far removed from personal financial management. “I spent 23 years as a banker, dealing with peoples personal finances. Monopoly is much more than a board game; it presents the basic principles of personal financial management in a profound yet entertaining way. When you play monopoly, you learn the basic principles of asset acquisition, passive income, rent, dividends, bank deposits, inheritance, salary, and income tax. So it is very much connected to it and it’s a fantastic game to learn,” she explained. Bestman Games is the African distributor of customized editions of Monopoly, the iconic board game

We also hope to instill a sense of community both at home and in diaspora

owned by Hasbro for 48 African countries. The City of Lagos Edition of Monopoly, the first African city edition of Monopoly, was launched in December 2012. Bestman subsequently launched The Nigeria Centenary Edition in February 2014 and a stunning Calabar edition will be unveiled this June. Through the African editions of Monopoly, Nimi’s Bestman Games seeks to, among other things, promote personal financial literacy from an early age to encourage economic empowerment and entrepreneurship in communities across Africa, promote and encourage strong ethical values and a sense of integrity amongst players by penalizing negative or dishonest behaviour, and reward positive actions in a symbolic but fun way and reinforce the importance of family values by creating a reason for family members to spend quality time together face to face and learning through play. “We also hope to instill a sense of community both at home and in diaspora by presenting the customized board game that we can relate to, including familiar streets, landmarks, locations, and historic sites,” she added. An all-rounder, Nimi is not only a personal finance freak. Despite holding a bachelors degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and an MBA from Lagos Business School, she also has a Piano Teaching Diploma from the Royal College of Music, London. Talking about life

as an artist, she said that piano for her is a hobby but she derives joy in supporting young musicians. “For me, piano is a hobby. For a part of my life, for a short time though, I taught piano because I wanted to spend time at home with a young family. So I had children come to my home for piano lessons. But beyond that, it is just part of my destressing. I love music and I also like to support young musicians who are up and coming. A tiny little way, but it adds value to people’s lives.” As a director of the Play Pen (Child Development Centre), The Daisy Management Centre and Chief Executive Officer Bestman Games Ltd. A member of the board of trustees of the Ajumoghobia Foundation, Women in Manangement and Business (WIMBIZ) and member,

Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON) Artistes Committee, Nimi is indeed a very busy person but juggles work and family by having the right sort of network around her. “My family are very spotted. My husband, my mother in law, my children are very spotted. But also one tries to build the team of people around one that are very good. So at Bestman Games, I’m building an outstanding team of people. Also in my home, I have good staff. I take time to choose people very carefully so they can support me.” Married to Yinka Akinkugbe and blessed with three children, Nimi relaxes by playing the piano, writing, travel, boating and orchid gardening.

Akinkugbe

Feminique

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

10 meals that will kill your sex mood and life (2)

ast week we talked about some of the surprising food. We will now continue where we left off. Alcohol. We men definitely love our Stout, Star, Heineken etc. Even some women too. Over the years Red wine has been given a role as an aphrodisiac. This is true. The only problem is when taken in excess. Sure a glass of wine or even bottle of beer is okay if you are in the mood. Unfortunately, a lot of men take it as a sexual enhancer. And then they overdo it. The white man that we try to copy and do follow follow knows how to sip his wine or his beer. He could spend up to one hour over a glass of wine or a can of Heinekens. Not my fellow Nigerians. You need to see us gulp the thing as if it is just ordinary water. Especially at parties. Of course, that one na AWOOF wey no dey get bone. And you know the funniest thing? Most of those that do such wining and dining no dey give kobo to the celebrant. Anyway sa, the truth of the matter is that too much alcohol destroys the sexual urge instead of enhancing it. Especially if you have such problems as premature ejaculation, weak libido or weak erection problems. The other side of alcohol over con-

sumption I should mention is this. Delayed ejaculation or non-ejaculation. This actually occurs in about 2% of men. They go on and on for a long time. This is no longer sex but punishment. Both of you get tired and exhausted. You both end up with bruises and cuts. It becomes painful to her because her vagina has become dry. Vagina wetness occurs only when the woman is turned on and enjoying the sex. But not when she is not. That is why rape is so painful physically. That is apart from the medical and psychological trauma. These bruises and cuts can easily lead to sexually transmitted infections and the almighty Hiv/Aids (God forbid bad thing) Soft Drinks. This is the opposite of Alcohol, or should I say, hard drinks? I know some guys who take between 4 – 6 bottles of coke, Fanta or other soft drinks daily. It is worse when they are at parties or beer parlours with their friends. They will proudly announce to all and sundry that they don’t drink beer. I tend to wonder who is worse. Heavy beer drinker or Heavy coke drinker. To me, it is simply a case of the kettle calling the pot black. Soft drinks are all carbonated sugar. They don’t have any benefits as far as your

Fadeyi

body goes. Of course the same thing goes for the women. Actually women consume more soft drinks than men. Fortunately and unfortunately for them, they can always cover up sex wise. Women can always pretend they are enjoying the sex, when they are actually doing mental calculation and inventory about their shops. Or how they can make you pay for the Voile Lace they intend to buy for the party next week.

They can make all the right noises to make you think you are a real man. Ask the call girls. And poor you will make it easier for them because all your senses have been dulled by beer. Fast food/Junk Food. These are almost always fried. So they contain hydrogenated fat. These will lower your testosterone level over a period of time. They are also responsible for low quality sperm and abnormal sperm. So if you are used to going to fast food restaurant to eat junk food as a form of foreplay, then take it easy. You can go there for your pre-nuptial outing no problem. Fortunately, most of them have very wide varieties you can choose from, that are not necessarily junk. Due to lack of space, here are some of the others briefly. Cornflakes, Popcorn (microwave oven prepared), Soy and Dairy products, Coffee (a stressor that pumps adrenaline into the wrong places), Mint sweets and chewing gums (produce menthol which cools down the sex drive as fast as it sweetens your breath.). Cheers. Dr T. A. Fadeyi. MB. BCH. Sexologist, Sex and Marriage Counselor. drtaiwofadeyi@gmail.com 08033148899 (sms only)

Ego: Diary of a single mom

At last, Danny’s father regains freedom Ebere Ameh

wo days have gone without any clue on the whereabouts of my father in-law - no phone calls, no demand for ransom. The worst of it is that the police also seem clueless. Could his abductors be hired assassins and have killed him? If they were kidnappers, they would have asked for a ransom to release him. God have mercy! The curious thing is that in the midst of all the misery and suspicion, my uncle seems calm and as though he has gotten everything under control. “Cease crying my daughters, everything will soon be alright,” he says with an air of confidence. “My in-law, all the way from Edo State, to marry my daughter? Ah! Mbanu! Never! It has never happened in Umu-Eze and my family will not be the first,” he adds, shaking his head as if in disagreement with the evil plans of his abductors. Agu, the head of the youths was in touch with him but he told nobody the outcome of their discussions. All attempts to persuade my mother-in-law to go back to Abuja while we work for the release of her husband proved abortive. She has been in my family house since the incident. My mother assigned herself the role of comforting and placating her, while my father liaises with my uncle, my husband and the police to see how the old man could be rescued. The problem is that she freezes at any sound, including a knock on the door, thinking that they have come to kidnap her too. Her prayer during some

of her wailing fits is for God not to allow her husband to be killed and buried in a foreign and hostile land. One wonders if she is concerned about his life or his burial place, I once thought. But given the circumstance of his health, even Danny, the stronger and more faithful is losing faith that he will be found alive. “God, why have you allowed this to happen to me? How can you make me begin well only to turn around and make me a laughing stock? Please, bring this nightmare to an end or take my life,” I prayed that fateful Tuesday morning, the third day since the incident, before wan-

dering to the roads, leaving my phone behind. I wanted to walk to an unknown land, get kidnapped or knocked down by a moving vehicle, anything but live and see the marriage I so desired collapse before my eyes even before it started. What with my once lovely and friendly mother in law looking at me like I am a witch? Who knows what Danny is thinking? Who knows if the marriage will be over if his father dies in my village. “I need to end all these. God, just take my life before I take it myself,” I cried. It was almost noon and I was about three villages away from mine. I could

imagine search parties organised to look for me but I didn’t want to be found. I could imagine the double agony in my father’s house, but I want them to suffer once and for all. I wouldn’t want to cause them anymore heartache. If I wasn’t kidnapped or killed, I will kill myself at dusk. Weak, hungry and listless, I sat on a huge trunk close to the road to rest when I overheard some passers-by discussing. With their wheel-barrows laden with firewood and palmfruits, the women were taking their time as they pushed home. “I heard that the man has been found,” the younger one said. “They dropped him at the express road at dawn and he walked into the police station as he said his abductors directed.” “How did you know all these, radio without battery!” the older one interjected. “Could it be Danny’s father? Is he found? I must talk to them at once,” I said, springing to the road. Upon a little interrogation in the native language, they told me all that was happening at home and more. “As if the troubles of the previous days were not enough, they got home to find that the lady the man’s son came to marry has also gone missing. Her parents refused to be consoled as they are at a loss, whether she has also been kidnapped. While they have gone out in search of her, her mother is going in and out of consciousness. The rumour now is that she is an Ogbanje who is bent on taking the lives of her parents before she dies,” the younger one said. “My dear, your face is not familiar at all, are you from this village?” the older one asked suspiciously, but I was too much in a haste to see my mother to answer her.

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

Crime

‘Obasanjo to be poisoned through drink’ Juliana Francis

he Media Aide to Senator Buruji Kashamu, Mr. Austin Oniyokor, yesterday said that the story flying that a lady, posing as the daughter of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, approached Kashamu with the aim of getting payment to kill the ex-president, was just a tip of the iceberg. Oniyokor revealed that the lady, Victoria Alaegbu and her accomplice, Peter Uwakala, were supposed to poison Obasanjo through his drink while he played the Ayo game. But the quick wittedness of Kashamu put pay to the plan. It was gathered that immediately Obasanjo sighted the lady who posed as daughter, he had slapped her, asking why she went to his enemy to plot to harm him. Oniyokor said that the lady and man in their statements never denied approaching Kashamu with such a proposal, adding that even the Police, according to a Police Report, also confirmed that the accused persons, committed the alleged offences against them. The image maker also noted that there were also an associate and relation of the former President who witnessed the whole scenario. Oniyokor said: “All these facts are contained in public documents before the Chief Magistrate Court 1, Igbosere, Lagos.” It will be recalled that on Wednesday, detectives attached to the Zone II Police Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos State, released information about the arrest of Alaegbu, who posed as the daughter of Obasanjo, demanding

JULIANA FRANCIS CRIME Editor

juliana.francis@newtelegraphonline.com

Obasanjo

money from Kashamu in order to poison her supposed ‘father.’ The police said that the lady presented herself as Yetunde Obasanjo. She was accompanied by Uwakala and allegedly met the senator in a hotel, where the lady introduced herself as one of Obasanjo’s daughters. The man, who accompanied her, introduced himself as one of the intelligence officers of the former president. The duo allegedly called the former president names and urged Kashamu to allow them to poison him in exchange for some money. A police source said: “Before they talked about causing harm to Obasanjo, they said they wanted to resolve the political rift between Kashamu and Obasanjo.”

Kashamu

Rather than grabbed at the chance to deal with his enemy, the senator who was suspicious of the lady and man, alerted policemen. While the suspects were still waiting to hear from him, it was the police they heard from. The police said: “The suspects met with the senator at a hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, on May 8, 2015, where they demanded for an unspecified amount from him in order to harm Obasnajo. The XSquad section of Zone II was detailed to handle the investigation and we soon arrested Uwakala and Alaegbu. We later found out that they were not impersonators. They told the senator they were going to resolve the political rift between him and Obasanjo. He said the suspects met him at Best

Western Hotel, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, where they made uncomplimentary and derogatory remarks about Obasanjo. They said the ex-president was bad and wicked, that most of his workers hate him and wouldn’t mind to poison him if they get the opportunity.” Oniyokor said the suspects actually meant business, stressing that all they wanted was to be given money to carry out their evil plot and then be handsomely rewarded thereafter. “It should be stated that in all his life and politics, Kashamu never plotted with anyone to harm a soul. It was when he could not stomach all that the point man, C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 4 2

Crime

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

‘Why I abandoned tiles business for cocaine trafficking in Brazil’ Juliana Francis

ne of the ways for a businessman in Nigeria to grow and expand his enterprise is usually to travel overseas. Many of them usually come back with good fortune, but a good number has sorry tales to tell. Mr. Udemezue Chukwuma Cosmos, 36, is now among the teeming thousands, if not millions of Nigerians, who left the shores of the country, to increase their fortune, but came back empty handed. Indeed, he is likely going to spend the next few years in prison depending on the court. According to him, he left Nigeria with 60,000 dollars, equivalent of N11 million in his pocket, but now had nothing to show for it, except for the wraps of cocaine he had been excreting since his arrest by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Cosmos, who was said to have had tears running down his cheeks, cursed his best friend, alleging that the man was the genesis of his troubles. He alleged that his friend duped him of the N11 million at Brazil. His words: “I’m a businessman. I sell tiles. My friend in Brazil invited me to Brazil to buy tiles at a cheaper price. I left Nigeria with my hard earned 60,000 dollars. My friend took me to a company where I deposited money for tiles. My friend went behind me and requested for a refund of the money that we have changed our minds on the purchase. That was how he duped me of my life savings and capital. I reported the incident to the police but by then the man had fled Brazil. That was how my problem started.” The suspect was arrested at the

Giade

Cosmos

Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos for importing 665grammes of cocaine into

the country. The arrest occurred during routine screening of passengers on an Etihad flight.

Cosmos further said that he became stranded in Brazil and resorted to drug trafficking as a last resort. “It was circumstances that forced me into drug trafficking. I feel bad because I left Nigeria with my 60,000 dollars but circumstance forced me to smuggle cocaine for 5,000 dollars. I have prayed to God for forgiveness,” said Chukwuma. According to the NDLEA airport commander, Mr. Hamza Umar, Cosmos, from investigation gathered ingested the drugs in Brazil and was to deliver same in Bangladesh but was denied entry and deported to Nigeria. He later excreted 31 wraps of cocaine weighing 665 grammes. Chairman of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade has promised to investigate the case and take appropriate action. Giade said: “There is no justification for drug trafficking. The case is already under investigation and appropriate action shall be taken.”

Kashamu sets up impostors for arrest C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 4 1

Nwalaka, was telling him on the phone each time he called that he agreed to meet him in the presence of one of the relations of the former president, Princess Folashade Omotade, who had been trying to make peace between him and Obasanjo.” Oniyokor noted that the said Princess Omotade attended the meeting with another aide of Obasanjo whom Kashamu introduced as his sister and brother. Kashamu urged the impostors to freely say anything before his brother and sister that he trusted them. Oniyokor recounted: “It was before the very eyes of Princess Omotade and

Obasanjo’s aide that the lady and man began to say all manner of things about the former President. They said they could poison Obasanjo since they were close to him. Nwalaka showed various pictures of his close engagements with Chief Obasanjo and Victoria who was introduced as Yetunde Obasanjo, said she had an unfettered access to the former President and could easily harm him. Nwalaka also spoke of how Obasanjo used to leave his drinks while playing the Ayo game. Nwalaka said that the drinks could be easily used to harm him.” Oniyokor explained that it was after the duo unveiled their evil plot that Kashamu invited the Police and they

Nwalaka also spoke of how Obasanjo used to leave his drinks while playing the Ayo game. Nwalaka said that the drinks could be easily used to harm him

were arrested. The Police investigation team was led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr. Sola Akinyede of the Zone II Police Command, Onikan, Lagos. “During the investigation, the suspects were taken to the Abeokuta residence of the former President who, upon seeing Victoria, screamed and asked why she would go to his enemy with the intention of harming him. He then hit her in the head and told the Police to jail her for five years because if they did not, God knows how many top Nigerians that would be wasted by them.” Oniyokor disclosed that it was then that Obasanjo said he couldn’t believe that Kashamu could be so mag-

nanimous. “The former president then told Princess Omotade that he had forgiven Kashamu of any grudge he had against him. She, in turn, prevailed on Kashamu to withdraw the N20 billion libel suit that he had instituted against Chief Obasanjo,” recalled Oniyokor. The spokesman continued: “As an honourable man, Senator Kashamu did and the rest, as they say, is history. The Senator has dedicated his life to doing good to all manner of people, at all times, without fear or favour. He is not about to change irrespective of whatever anybody says or does to him because, according to him, God has been good to him. He believes that the almighty God will surely reward every man according to his deeds.”

Business | Money Line

NEW TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015

CBN to meet banks today over forex rules VOLATILITY Traders seek review of restrictions Tony Chukwunyem with agency report

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has called a meeting with chief executives and treasurers of commercial lenders today to discuss issues surrounding its policy on the foreign exchange market,

multiple banking sources told Reuters. The apex bank imposed tight controls on the foreign exchange market in February in a bid to curb speculation on the currency and save its dwindling foreign reserves and the weakening of the naira in Africa’s biggest economy. Before setting the restrictions, the CBN had been battling to prop up the naira after a sharp fall in the price of oil, Nigeria’s main export, which triggered a sell-off in assets by foreign investors. The regulator also fixed the rate at which banks can buy

StanChart client chief exits as CEO Winters starts

tandard Chartered Plc’s group head of corporate and institutional clients, Sean Wallace, is leaving, in one of the first senior executive departures since Bill Winters took over as chief executive officer. Wallace will leave his Singapore-based role on June 30 after five years in the job, bank spokesman Piers Townsend said by e-mail. Two people, Mark Dowie and James Courtenay, are taking on extra responsibilities, Townsend said. Wallace’s exit adds to the overhaul in Standard Chartered’s senior management team since Peter Sands announced in February that he would step down. Winters, a former JPMorgan Chase & Co. investment banker, is seeking to reverse two years of declining profit and rebuild investor confidence in Standard Chartered, whose stock has dropped 20 percent in London in the past 12 months, the worst performance among Britain’s banks. “It’s a good indicator that real change is starting to happen at the board and senior management level at Standard Chartered, which is what everyone wants,” said Sandy Chen, an analyst at Cenkos Securities Plc in London with a buy recommendation on the shares. “More evidence comes from Naguib Kheraj being ap-

pointed senior independent director just a few days after Winters has taken the reins.” Shares of the London-based lender jumped as much as 3.3 percent in Hong Kong. Standard Chartered was little changed at 1,030 pence at 9:22 a.m. in London. The shares have gained about 7 percent this year after dropping 29 percent in 2014. Dowie, vice chairman of clients and products in London, will be responsible for strategic direction for corporate and institutional clients, Townsend said. Courtenay, head of global corporates, will be in charge of day-to-day management of those clients, on an interim basis, while remaining in Singapore. Along with Sands, Viswanathan Shankar, former Europe, Middle East, Africa and Americas CEO, and ex-Asia head Jaspal Bindra, also left this year. John Peace will step down as chairman next year. The bank named Kheraj as senior independent director on Wednesday. Kheraj, a former finance director at Barclays Plc, will lead the search for Peace’s replacement. Winters, 53, pledged in a letter to employees on June 10, his first day on the job, to focus on capital and returns. He also said he would give details on his senior management team “following the summer” and his broader plans by the year-end.

African nations beat Yellen to rate hikes

ive sub-Saharan African central banks have bucked a global trend by increasing borrowing costs this year to ward off inflation and defend their currencies. They’ve had little success. On Tuesday, Uganda’s central bank boosted its benchmark rate by 100 basis points for the second time this year, while Namibia raised its repurchase rate by 25 basis points on Wednesday. Angola, Kenya and Ghana have also tightened monetary policy and South Africa has indicated it will follow suit soon. Brazil is the only major emerging market outside Africa to have increased rates in 2015. While Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen announced an unchanged monetary pol-

icy stance on Wednesday, the prospect of US rates rising later this year has placed currencies globally under pressure. African nations have fared worse than most due to the compounding effect of lower prices of commodities that account for the bulk of their exports. The price of Brent crude oil is down 44 per cent over the past 12 months, while copper has dropped 14 per cent in London trading. “Many sub-Saharan economies are paying heavy price for not having implemented tighter fiscal and monetary policies when market conditions were favourable,” Nicholas Spiro, managing director of Spiro Sovereign Strategy in London, said.

dollars from oil companies. Traders were upbeat on the outcome of the meeting, which they claimed was long overdue to ease the tight control in the market and allow the local currency to find its real value. “We are anticipating that the meeting would naturally discuss the present market conditions and explore possibility of reviewing the tight control on the forex market,”

one senior treasurer told Reuters. JPMorgan has threatened to eject Nigeria from its Government Bond Index (GBIEM) by the year-end unless it restores liquidity to currency markets in a way that allows foreign investors tracking the benchmark to transact with minimal hurdles. The CBN set its exchange rate peg at N198 to the dollar

in February but has changed it to N196.90 against the dollar last week, with dealers, saying the tweaking was not a reflection of the market. The restrictions included central bank plans to limit the amount commercial bank customers can spend using their debits cards while abroad in a crackdown on dollar demand to save its dwindling foreign reserves.

US equity firm to invest $1bn in African firms

S private equity firm TPG will invest up to $1 billion in African companies under a tie-up with Sudanese billionaire Mo Ibrahim’s Satya Capital, the companies said yesterday. TPG is a newcomer to Africa while Satya’s interests range from healthcare in Nigeria to manufacturing in Tanzania. Satya will also make available an extra $300 million to $400 million for investment under the tie-up, Ibrahim told Reuters. “Actually it is much more than that because we will leverage this money as well,”

Ibrahim said in a telephone interview. “We are going to look at everything from $1 million to $200 or $300 million investments.” The partnership is a special purpose vehicle called SatyaTPG, and the companies, in a joint statement, said it would focus on businesses in healthcare, information technology, consumer and financial services, among other sectors. “We know the good guys. We know the bad guys. We know which countries have rule of law. We know which countries don’t have rule of law,” Ibra-

him said of Satya’s role. Ibrahim said TPG’s funds would come from its middle market platform, TPG Growth. William McGlashan, managing partner of TPG Growth, told the Financial Times, which first reported the partnership, that Africa is the last major market in which his company has not yet invested. Ibrahim said the idea for a partnership came up when Satya and TPG executives spent a weekend at the house of U2 frontman, Bono, a mutual friend, who has long had an interest in Africa.

FG raises N144bn in treasury bills, yields mixed

igeria raised N143.64 billion naira in Treasury bills with mixed yields, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said yesterday. Total bids for the notes stood at N275.30 billion, up

from N253.82 billion at the last auction on June 3, it said. The bank said it sold N26.30 billion naira worth of 3-month bills at 10 percent, up from 9.79 percent at the previous sale. It sold N25 billion worth of the

six-month paper at 12.7 percent, unchanged from the last auction. The bank said it sold N92.34 billion worth of the one-year note at 12.80 percent, down from 12.99 percent.

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

N19,142,526.05m N18,579,219.49m 8.7 13 10.77 US$64.03 US$29,004,196,194

Mar, 2015 Mar, 2015 May, 2015 4/6/2015 Mar 2015 10/6/2015 17/6/2015

Source:CBN

Description 13.05 16-AUG-2016 15.10 27-APR-2017 16.00 29-JUN-2019 16.39 27-JAN-2022 14.20 14-MAR-2024 10.00 23-JUL-2030 12.1493 18-JUL-2034

TTM

Price

1.16 1.86 4.03 6.61 8.74 15.10 19.08

FGN Bonds 99.00 102.03 106.11 110.58 101.95 68.00 86.36

NIBOR

Tenor (Days) Call 30 90 180

Rate (%) 16.7083 15.7276 16.7002 17.6693

Bid Yield

13.97 13.79 13.96 13.88 13.80 15.55 14.24

Change (%) 1.61 ▲ -0.24 ▼ -0.17 ▼ -0.01 ▼

Change (%) 0.03 ▲ -0.15 ▼ -0.13 ▼ -0.12 ▼ -0.16 ▼ 0.00 ↔ -0.05 ▼

Price 99.15 102.18 106.41 110.88 102.25 68.30 86.66

Tenor (Months)

Offer Yield 13.82 13.70 13.87 13.82 13.74 15.48 14.19

NITTY

1 2 3 6 9 12

Treasury Bills

Rate (%) 11.8497 12.7591 12.7944 13.6054 13.6996 14.2875

Spot ($/N)

Offer 198.42

Change (%) 0.32 ▲ -0.12 ▼ -0.35 ▼ 0.08 ▲ -0.03 ▼ -0.13 ▼

Money Market

Maturity Date Discount Bid Yield Change (%) Discount Offer Yield Change (%) Rate (%) 12.03 12.43 0.35 ▲ Open-Buy-Back (OBB) 15.33 24-Sep-15 12.28 12.70 0.35 ▲ 12.28 13.08 -0.10 ▼ Overnight (O/N) 15.67 17-Dec-15 12.53 13.36 -0.10 ▼ 11.99 13.55 -0.37 ▼ 02-Jun-16 12.24 13.87 -0.37 ▼ Bid 198.32

Change (%) 0.03 ▲ -0.15 ▼ -0.13 ▼ -0.12 ▼ -0.16 ▼ 0.00 ↔ -0.05 ▼

Change (%) 198.42

NIFEX

Bid Spot ($/N) 198.9000

Offer 199.0000

Change (%) 1.25 ▲ 1.17 ▲

Change (%) 0.00 ↔

CBN Clearing Rates of June 11, 2015 Spot ($/N)

197.40

197.50

-0.12 ▼ Source: FMDQ

Business | Financial Market News

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

18-Jun-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 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 193.73 600.00 573.14 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 299.50

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,746.32

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,410.13

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

1.16 1.86 2.11 2.20 2.95 4.03 4.35 4.66 6.61 8.74 13.45 13.93 14.43 15.10 19.08

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

13.97 13.79 13.83 13.83 13.90 13.96 13.98 13.97 13.88 13.80 16.98 17.49 18.07 15.55 14.24

13.82 13.70 13.74 13.75 13.83 13.87 13.87 13.88 13.82 13.74 16.92 17.41 17.97 15.48 14.19

99.00 102.03 92.91 91.70 92.46 106.11 77.79 105.20 110.58 101.95 89.61 74.16 51.38 68.00 86.36

99.15 102.18 93.06 91.85 92.61 106.41 78.09 105.50 110.88 102.25 89.91 74.46 51.68 68.30 86.66

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

0.79 1.47 1.84 2.05

2.27 1.00 2.67 2.85

15.75 14.89 16.52 16.67

101.11 101.40 102.61 98.93

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

301.45

Sub-National Bonds A/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.20

4.44

17.04

99.01

A-/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

2.16

30-Sep-15

0.28

3.23

16.12

99.09

BBB+/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

3.90

30-Jun-16

0.53

4.46

17.84

98.16

‡ /Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

5.73

30-Jun-16

0.56

3.48

16.87

99.30

A+/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

1.84

1.00

14.85

92.41

‡ /Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

25.73

30-Jun-17

1.10

1.00

14.63

99.14

‡ /Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

2.54

1.79

15.65

96.63

‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

30.81

30-Sep-18

1.92

1.80

15.63

97.41

Bb-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

1.93

1.00

14.83

98.61

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

14.50

12.40

09-Dec-18

2.11

1.00

14.83

99.43

Bb-/Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

9.21

12-Dec-18

2.12

4.78

18.61

92.49

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR

*ONDO

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

27.00

14-Feb-19

2.10

1.00

14.82

101.08

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

2.54 4.43 2.60

2.02 1.00 1.00

15.88 14.98 14.87

99.17 98.46 99.76 97.77

BBB-/Agusto

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020

10-Oct-13

14.75

10.78

10-Oct-20

3.05

1.82

15.73

Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

13.50 LAGOS 27-NOV-2020

27-Nov-13

13.50

87.50

27-Nov-20

5.44

1.00

14.93

94.78

A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro

KOGI

15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020

31-Dec-13

15.00

5.00

31-Dec-20

5.54

1.00

14.92

100.26

‡ /Agusto A-/GCR

*EKITI *NASARAWA

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

31-Dec-13

14.50

4.55

31-Dec-20

3.20

1.00

14.92

99.00

06-Jan-14

15.00

4.56

06-Jan-21

3.23

1.00

14.92

100.16

99.42

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

448.65 435.40

Corporate Bonds BBB+/Agusto BBB-/Agusto

*UPDC

10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015

17-Aug-10

10.00

2.50

17-Aug-15

0.17

1.00

13.43

*FLOURMILLS

12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015

09-Dec-10

12.00

9.38

09-Dec-15

0.48

1.00

14.31

98.96

BB/GCR

*CHELLARAMS

14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016

06-Jan-11

14.00

0.42

06-Jan-16

0.31

2.63

15.57

99.59

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016

29-Sep-11

13.00

15.00

29-Sep-16

1.28

1.00

14.76

97.96

A-/Agusto

FSDH

14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

25-Oct-16

1.35

1.34

15.15

98.88

A/GCR

UBA

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017

30-Sep-10

13.00

20.00

30-Sep-17

2.29

1.00

14.84

96.48

BBB-/GCR

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.56

30-Nov-17

1.52

1.88

15.79

103.58

Nil

*C & I LEASING *DANA#{r}

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

09-Apr-11

16.00

5.40

09-Apr-18

1.56

3.84

17.74

97.74

A-/DataPro†; B+/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

18.00

2.54

09-Sep-18

1.73

1.00

14.87

104.38

101.54

AAA/DataPro†; A/GCR

*TOWER

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.70

09-Sep-18

1.73

1.00

14.87

A+/Agusto; A/GCR

UBA

14.00 UBA II 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

30-Sep-18

3.29

3.00

16.93

92.78

BBB+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.10

18-Oct-18

1.83

2.29

16.14

99.34

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

1.91

6.11

19.94

97.16

Nil

*DANA#{r}

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

2.54

2.16

16.02

99.88

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

5.41

2.76

16.69

94.95

BBB/GCR

FCMB

14.25 FCMB I 20-NOV-2021

20-Nov-14

14.25

26.00

20-Nov-21

6.43

1.80

15.68

94.30

A/GCR

UBA

16.45 UBA I 30-DEC-2021

30-Dec-14

16.45

30.50

30-Dec-21

6.53

2.63

16.51

99.76

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

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

30-Sep-14

16.29

0.10

30-Sep-24

9.29

1.00

15.02

106.17

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

13.25

15.44

30-Sep-24

9.29

1.00

15.02

91.22

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

178.07

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

171.34

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

IFC

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

11-Feb-18

2.65

1.00

14.87

90.03

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

14.96

84.25

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

24.95 21.71

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

5.91

5.70

103.93

104.97

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

4.94

4.58

100.51

101.54

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

6.19

6.04

101.16

102.13

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

1,527.96

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

4.36

102.75

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

10.87

9.71

90.34

93.01

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

7.46

7.06

95.69

96.85

B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P

ZENITH BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

7.19

96.90

B/Fitch; B/S&P

DIAMOND BANK PLC

8.75 May 21, 2019

21-May-14

8.75

200.00

21-May-19

10.11

9.59

95.69

97.30

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

8.99 10.49 9.77

8.99 10.17 9.77

96.35 94.78 91.25

96.35 96.18 91.25

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

10.37

9.90

92.01

94.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

3,650.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

3,500.49

**Treasury Bills^ DTM 7 14 21 28 35 42 49

FIXINGS Maturity 25-Jun-15 2-Jul-15 9-Jul-15 16-Jul-15 23-Jul-15 30-Jul-15 6-Aug-15

Bid Discount (%) 14.09 13.91 11.39 11.63 11.83 12.16 12.39

Offer Discount (%) 13.84 13.66 11.14 11.38 11.58 11.91 12.14

Bid Yield (%) 14.13 13.98 11.47 11.73 11.96 12.33 12.60

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 16.7083 15.7276 16.7002 17.6693

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

15.33

O/N Tenor Call

15.67

REPO

Rate (%) 15.50

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M

197.40 201.81 202.13 202.87 204.24

197.50 201.93 202.28 203.37 205.31

FGN Bonds