Friday, april 29, 2016 new telegraph by Newtelegraphonline

$115m lodgement: EFCC to quiz more, INEC denies knowledge Emmanuel Onani, Onyekachi Eze and Tony Chukwunyem

here were indications last night that the Economic and

Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, might spread its dragnet in the investigation of its latest discovery of about $115 million in Fidelity Bank allegedly lodged by a former

Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Allison Madueke. The money, according to the anti-corruption agency, was meant for the 2015 elections. It was allegedly distributed to of-

ficials of the Independent National Electoral Commission in 36 states of the federation and was allegedly contributed by some oil companies and the then Petroleum Minister.

It was learnt last night, that the EFCC might invite some of the INEC staff named in the payment scheme, as well as some of the executives of the companies involved in

the deal. As at last night, the EFCC was still holding the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc., CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Sanctity Of Truth

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

Friday, April 29, 2016

Saraki: CCT chairman refuses to step down }7

/newtelegraph /newtelegraph

Vol. 3 No. 800

Ndigbo won’t succumb to Islamic plot –IPOB }42

@newtelegraph1 www.newtelegraphonline.com @newtelegraph1 www.newtelegraphonline.com

N3.4 bn fees: NBC writes EFCC, justifies action }40

Army arrests Boko Haram }5 logistics chiefs

N150

Soyinka: Herdsmen, successors to B'Haram Saraki

Kanu

Magu

...accuses Buhari of inaction lSenate summons service chiefs

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Buratai

}6 & 7

But let us assume indeed that we are already in the past of Boko Haram. It is now clear that the succession is already decided, the 'vacated' space is already conceded and the new territorial aspirants are already securely positioned. The entire nation appears to be theirs without a struggle

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Former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu; wife of the former Vice President, Beatrice and her husband, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, at the burial service of late Chief Michael Nkwoji at Immanuel Church, Enugwu-Ukwu, Anambra State... yesterday.

Buhari to governors: FG has funding problems ...states seek 18-month moratorium on debts

Lab Sperm made from skin cells may cure infertility }10

FRIday, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

NEWS

FRIday, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Buhari to governors: FG has funding problems Anule Emmanuel Abuja

resident Muhammadu Buhari told governors of the 36 states of the Federation that his government was having funding challenges. Speaking when he met the governors at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja, the president promised that he would do all he could to salvage the states from the financial mess they have found themselves. The governors had gone to meet with the president to press home their demands on the Federal Government to help cushion the effects of the economic crisis on states. The president promised to make more funds available to state governments to meet their financial obligations, including payment of salaries. Governors of the 36 states, at a meeting with the President yesterday, demanded a total review of the current revenue sharing formula, insisting that it was not helping them with the present economic situation. The current revenue formula provided by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) gives

the Federal Government 52 percent, states 26.72 percent and local governments 20.60 percent from the Federal Account. President Buhari, during the meeting with the governors at the presidential villa, Abuja expressed concern that nearly twothirds of states of the federation (nearly 24) were still having difficulties with salary payments, despite the bailout funds provided to them by the Federal Government. The President said that he was very disturbed by the hardship, which state government workers across the country and their families were facing due to the non-payment of salaries. According to the President, as a step to ameliorate the hardship being faced by affected workers, government at the national level was working to make more money available to the states by expediting action on refunds due to them for the maintenance of federal roads and other expenses incurred on behalf of the Federal Government. President Buhari also said that he would establish an inter-ministerial committee to study a Fiscal Restructuring Plan for the Federation, which was presented to him by the governors.

He said that the committee would review the plan to improve the finances of state governments and make recommendations on how proposals in the plan should be dealt with by the Presidency, the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly through legislation. President Buhari urged the governors, however, to understand that while he was ready to do all within his powers to help the states overcome their current financial challenges, the Federal Government also has funding problems of its own to contend with. "You all know the problems we have found ourselves in. You have to bear with us," he told them. Chairman of the Governors’ Forum, Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State and Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, who chaired the committee that worked on the Fiscal Restructuring Plan, asked the Federal Government to do more to help the states financially. The governors told the President that they had resolved to take other measures to boost their internally generated revenue. The governors also said that the implementation of the Fiscal Restructuring Plan would help them to deal with their funding

problems on short, medium and long-term bases. They noted that if the plan was adopted and implemented by the Federal Government, states of the federation would become more financially empowered to fulfill their constitutional responsibilities. Speaking to state house correspondents after the meeting, chairman of the NGF, Governor Yari said: "The meeting is about the economy. We deliberated amongst our colleagues and we did say we would pass our demands to the Federal Government to look at demands per state. "The economy of this country lies in the state. Everything comes from the

state; the oil, agricultural produce, mining and people are in the states, while the Federal Government is in Abuja. He explained that, "therefore, if any state has any issues and it is known to Mr. President, I doubt very much if he will be able to sleep with his two eyes closed. "We are closer to the people and have many challenges in the states. "Today, we have received support from the Federal Government in terms of bailout, restructured our debts, given us 15% of the Excess Crude Account for development. Yari explained that "all these are temporal mea-

sures. Each state has a programme right from short to mid and long term, which we presented to Mr. President and he graciously accepted and he plans to put a committee in place that would look at the matter starting with short term. He said: "For the short term, we are looking at a situation whereby our debts that are hanging since 2005 will be restructured. The governor noted that "loan restructuring, bailout and ECA, we are asking for 18 months moratorium before we can start paying, so that we would able to strategize. "To develop IGR is not overnight. It is a long-term CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

Army arrests Boko Haram logistics chiefs Ahmed Miringa MAIDUGURI

he troops of the Nigerian Army have arrested five Boko Haram terrorists, who specialized in moving Boko Haram food items and other logistics to their base in Sambisa forest. The Army, in a press statement signed by the Acting Director, Army Public Relation (ADPR), Col. Sani Usman, said the arrest was made follow-

ing reports by some good citizens on hearing of very loud explosions near Dikwa. He said the operation was carried out on Wednesday, where troops of 22 Brigade embarked on a patrol to Ajiri and Antul villages, South East of Dikwa, along DikwaGulumbagana road. “The troop came in contact with Boko Haram logistics elements, who specialised in using the two villages as base for food storage and other lo-

gistics before moving them to Bama and then to Sambisa forest”, he added. Usman said during the encounter, five Boko Haram terrorists were arrested comprising three adults and two minors. He said: “The underaged male children were dressed in new Boko Haram uniforms we earlier reported. The troops recovered one truck, two Golf cars painted in mud, four bicycles and three 5kva power generating sets, as well as 55 bags of corn.”

NEWS

FRIday, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Soyinka: Herdsmen, successors to Boko Haram

Onwuka Nzeshi and Obinna Odoh ABUJA

obel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, yesterday, took a swipe at the Federal Government. He accused its leadership, headed by President Mohammadu Buhari of failing to take a decisive action that could curtail the activities of the Fulani herdsmen who have been on the rampage, killing and maiming people and destroying farming communities in different parts of the country. Soyinka, who has been silent on several national issues in the past 10 months apparently due to his alleged romance with some bigwigs in the All Progressives Congress (APC), broke his silence yesterday at the opening of the National Summit on Culture and Tourism in Abuja. He said that while Nigerians were yet to get over the horrors unleashed on them by the Boko Haram terrorists, a new terror group in the mould of herdsmen seem to have taken over the country without any challenge from the Federal Government and its security agencies. In an address titled: "The killing culture of the neonomadic", Soyinka drew a nexus between culture and tourism and the opportunities they present for social interaction and revenue to the economy. He, however, lamented that these opportunities cannot be realised in an atmosphere of insecurity, such as being experienced in Nigeria. Soyinka, who described the serial massacre of innocent Nigerians by the Fulani herdsmen as an act of undisputed impunity, blamed the frequent clash between the herdsmen and farmers on the inability of the government to apprehend and punish those found culpable of crimes to serve as deterrence to others. "Impunity evolves and becomes integrated in conduct when crime occurs and no legal, logical and moral response is offered. I have yet to hear this government articulate a firm policy of non- tolerance for

£29.8m

The net amount of money spent/ received by Leicester City in the whole 2015-16 season. Source: 101greatgoals.com

£794,118 The monthly salary of Bastian Schweinsteiger of Bayern Munich in 2014/2015. Source: Paywizard.co.uk

the serial massacre which have become the nation's identification stamp. " I have not heard an order given that any cattle herders caught with sophisticated firearms be instantly disarmed, arrested, placed on trial and his cattle confiscated," he said. Soyinka described as dispiriting, President Muhammadu Buhari's proposal that the Federal Government was working on solutions which would make cattle rustling, destruction of livelihoods and killings by herdsmen a thing of the past in the next 18 months. He said that such a loose time frame cannot be considered as a solace or reassurance for the ordinary Nigerian farmer, the numerous victims of the massacres or intending tourists who would have loved to visit places of interest in different parts of the country. He added: "The nation is treated to an 18-month optimistic plan, which, to make matters worse, smacks of abject appeasement and encouragement of violence on innocents. Let me repeat and of course, I only ask to be corrected if wrong. I have yet to encounter a terse, rigorous, soldierly and uncompromising language from this leadership, one that threatens a response to this unconscionable blood-letting that would make even Boko Haram repudiate its founding clerics. "The leadership of any society cannot stand idly and offer solutions that implicitly deem massacres of innocents mere incidents on the way. For every crime, there is punishment, for every violation, there must be restitution. The nomads of the world cannot place themselves above the law of settled humanity," he said. The Federal Government had, in recent months, told the whole world that the Nigeria Army had "technically defeated” Boko Haram and that the terrorist group no longer had capacity to hold any territory. But the radical playwright and activist said that given the scenario of renewed violence across the country, it was doubtful if the scourge of Boko Haram could be said to had ended as the Federal Government and the Nigeria Army would want citizens to believe. " In fact, at this moment, Boko Haram has no 'after' since it is by no means ended. No after what technical expressions such as 'militarily degraded' means. But let us assume indeed that we are already in the past of Boko Haram. It is

now clear that the succession is already decided, the 'vacated' space is already conceded and that the new territorial aspirants are already securely positioned. The entire nation appears to be theirs without a struggle and the continuity of an established Nigeria necropolis north to south and east to west is being consolidated," Soyinka said. Buhari had, in an address delivered at the summit, reiterated his administration's policy to develop a sustainable tourism industry driven by the cultural heritage of the diverse peoples of Nigeria. Buhari, who was represented by the Minister for Industries, Trade and Investments, Mr Okechukwu Enelamah, described the summit as timely, considering the administration’s efforts and resolve at diversifying the economic base of the country. He noted that given the combination of various factors, such as the sharp drop in the price of oil, combined breakdown of protectionist policies and changes in social relations, countries

were compelled to look for alternative sources of revenue and employment. According to him, tourism has become a resource of development and means of providing an additional opportunity for a non-industrialised country like Nigeria to diversify its economy. "One of the most remarkable traits of development since the middle of the 20th Century has been the mobilization of culture and tourism as a preferred form of economic development at local, regional and national levels. Indeed, many governments have integrated tourism firmly into their economic development strategies in recognition of its potential and as response to particular moments. "Tourism brings individuals and human communities into contact, and through cultures and civilisation, has an important role to play in the diversification of any economy. Tourism also has the capacity to assist the world inhabitants to live better together and thereby

contribute to peaceful coexistence between peoples and cultures. The road for us as a nation to achieve our set objectives of diversifying our economic base will depend partly upon the quality of design and implementation of tourism policies; we must develop appropriate policies and the right attitudes towards achieving the desired goals. "We are aware that the development of the tourism sector all over the world is largely private-sector-driven. However, as evident in the 2016 budget, this administration will continue to provide the required enabling environment for arts, culture and tourism to thrive and develop, through the massive upgrading of infrastructure and the provision of security. We will continue to encourage public and private sector participation and partnership in all the desired areas including transportation, beach and resort development as well as tour operations, hotel and hospitality development," he said. Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mu-

hammed, who is the convener of the summit, assured the nation that its battered economy resulting from the fall in oil prices would be restored through culture and tourism. He observed that the crash in the price of oil, the mainstay of the nation's economy, has triggered a lot of challenges for the economy, but assured that the situation would be turned into a blessing through diversification from the mono-product economy. "Of course, there is a context to our ongoing efforts to mainstream the culture and tourism sectors, just like agriculture, solid minerals, manufacturing, etc. The crash in the oil price, the mainstream of our economy, has triggered a disaster for the economy. But this administration has decided to turn that disaster to a blessing by diversifying the mono-product economy and widening our national revenue base. We want to turn adversity into sustainable fortune by tapping our national cultural heritage and tourism.

L-R: Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abuja Branch, Mr. Agada Elachi; Managing Director, Asunto Diversified Limited, Mr. Jimi Atoki; Director-General, Consumer Protection Council; Mrs. Dupe Atoki and Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), during the presentation of the Guiding Light Award to Mrs. Atoki by the NBA in Abuja …on Wednesday.

$115m lodgement: EFCC to quiz more, INEC denies knowledge CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo. Okonkwo and Martins Izuogbe, the bank’s head of operations are being held by the anti-graft agency. Sources said he was still being interrogated as at yesterday evening. But some officials of his bank insisted that the bank was doing everything it could to secure Okonkwo’s release, even if on administrative bail. Okonkwo was arrested on Wednesday over allegations that Alison-Madueke asked him to release the money to some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in some states, ostensibly to compromise the electoral process. A source at the antigraft agency, who spoke with New Telegraph in

confidence as at the time of filing this report, said the bank's chief was still with the Commission. He, however, did not say whether he would be released on administrative bail or not. “Yes, he is still here. There is also the possibility that we will invite more people who are involved in this, once his interrogation and investigation are concluded. Even those who are feigning ignorance now, will be confronted with the payment details. So, you just watch”, said a source at the agency. Yesterday, Fidelity Bank said that the said transactions were duly reported, as required by the relevant regulators. A statement signed by the bank’s management reads: "Our attention has been drawn to reports in

the media on investigations into transactions undertaken by the bank in the normal course of business in 2015. "The transactions are now the subject matter of investigations by the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). "We can confirm that the transactions were duly reported as required by the regulators and the bank is cooperating fully with the authorities on the investigation. "We assure our numerous stakeholders, including our customers, that we are working assiduously towards a quick resolution of the issues." Similarly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) denied any knowledge of the money, which the EFCC said was paid to some of-

ficials of the commission. In a telephone interview yesterday, INEC’s Director, Voter Education and Publicity (VEP), Oluwale Osaze-Uzzi, said he was not aware of such payment. "We are not aware of any such payment," he said. The All Progressives Congress (APC) had challenged the outcome of elections in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Delta State, at the tribunals. The matter was pursued up to the Supreme Court, where the governorship elections were awarded to the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The Appeal Court, however, ordered rerun elections in some federal and state constituencies in these states.

NEWS

FRIday, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

CCT chairman refuses to disqualify self lSaraki pleads not guilty to amended charge

Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

he Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar, yesterday, refused to disqualify himself from presiding over the trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki. The Senate President is standing trial over alleged anticipatory declaration of assets while he was the governor of Kwara State. This was just as Saraki pleaded not guilty to the 16 amended count charges filed by the prosecution. Based on the amended charges, the tribunal, however, adjourned till May 10 for continuation of trial. Saraki had filed an application seeking the tribunal chairman to disqualify himself on ground that he (Umar) was under the investigation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged N10 million bribe and hence, there was likelihood of bias which could invariably affect justice in the matter. Meanwhile, the chairman of Elders’ Council of Arewa Consultative Forum, Senator Joseph Waku, speaking shortly after the ruling, alleged that from all indications,

the tribunal chairman was being tele-guided to deliver a pre- determined judgement that would not be in the interest of justice. Waku further stated that "by Saraki's trial, democracy is on trial, judiciary is on trial and even the nation is on trial and only God knows where we are heading to with this kind of biased trial. "In as much as we are against corruption, let the legal process take its due cognizance. It is the last hope of the ordinary and common man". However, Saraki has appealed against the refusal of the tribunal chairman to disqualify himself from further presiding over his trial, having been accused of bias in the conduct of the trial. In the Notice of Appeal filed by Rapheal Oluyede, Saraki claimed that the CCT chairman erred in law when he arrived at a conclusion that the application seeking his disqualification lacks absolute merit. Part of the grounds of appeal was that the tribunal chairman, by his action, has turned himself to a judge in his own case, leading to a ruling that was essentially a tirade against the office of the Attorney General of the Federation. In the ground two of the appeal, Saraki submit-

'FG has funding problems' CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

programme that one has to plan for. And also our services have exploded and there is nothing we can do about it because people are getting their daily bread from there and we cannot say we are going to cut salaries and wages. He disclosed that the committee that is to be set up by the President will have the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola and others as members. With the current sharing formula, the states are insisting that they have been unable to save for the rainy day. Governors under the NGF, in 2012, had earlier demanded a drastic reduction in the Federal Government’s share from the Federation Account and an increase of states’ share from 26 per cent 42 per cent. The NGF had earlier challenged the Federal Government on evolving a short-term measure that would bring a lasting solution to the current economic crisis in the country. Yari had told reporters earlier that the state of the

economy was intensively giving states and the Federal Government headaches. That, he said, was despite the bailout and a number of interventions by the Federal Government to assist the states. "If you look carefully at this month's federation account, it is the worst ever in the last six years. "So, definitely, we had to come to a round table. We were elected under different party platforms to perform, not just to pay salaries and it is worse off not to be able to pay salaries. So, the issue is very, very serious that we are coming back to discuss it and if we have the opportunity, we will come back to see our leader, Mr. President," he added.

355

The number of fatalities in terrorists’ violence involving security force personnel in 1997. Source: Satp.org

122m

The total number of followers on social media of Lionel Messi in 2015. Source: Goal.com

ted that the CCT erred in law when it decided that the application lacks absolute merit merely because Umar is of the opinion that the AGF has no constitutional right to investigate and that the AGF lacked authority to give instruction to the EFCC to prosecute him. He, therefore, asked the Court of Appeal to set aside the ruling of the tribunal and to, as well, disqualify Umar from sitting on the panel trying him on charges that were investigated and being prosecuted by the EFCC. Earlier in the ruling, Umar held that after analyzing the application of the applicant that it both-

ered on jurisdiction. He held that he has been exonerated by the EFCC through a letter dated March 5, 2015, adding that the 2015 letter supersedes the 2014 letter where the AGF asked the EFCC to prosecute him. Umar further held that the AGF has no constitutional power to investigate. "The EFCC, ICPC, Police, DSS and other investigative agencies are empowered by the constitution to investigate and when someone is found guilty, then the AGF has the power to prosecute. The EFCC that investigated the said case said it exonerated the CCT chairman in a letter dated March 5, 2015. The

letter to the AGF in 2014 was an interim report. "When the interim report was given, EFCC continued its investigation and concluded that the allegation is mere suspicious. EFCC has the power to say whether anybody committed any crime against its laws and that such warrants prosecution", he added. He, however, dismissed the application for lacking in merit. In the amended charge which contains 16 grounds, as against the 13 earlier filed, the prosecution alleged that Saraki failed to declare his asset at 42, Remi Fani Kayode Street, Ikeja, Lagos State, to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) on resumption of office as

Kwara Governor in 2003. It also accused Saraki of receiving salary as Governor of Kwara State after leaving office, from 2011 – 2015. The prosecution also alleged that Saraki refused to declare his interest in a credit card. The offences are said to be punishable under section 23(2) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal act as incorporated under paragraph 18, Part I of the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution and section 6(a) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act. CAP. C15, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and as incorporated under paragraph 2(a), Part I of the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution, respectively.

Senate President Bukola Saraki arriving at the Code of Conduct Tribunal for his trial in Abuja…yesterday. PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

Senate summons security chiefs ...sets up committee to tackle herdsmen menace Chukwu David Abuja

ollowing the escalating attacks of Fulani cattle herders on innocent communities and citizens in the country, the Senate yesterday summoned the security chiefs to brief it on the movement of the terrorists. The motive of the proposed meeting with the security high command in the country is to ensure that measures are put in place to forestall a spread of terrorist activities all over the country. The Upper Chamber also set up a six-member ad hoc committee to holistically look into the menace of Fulani herdsmen attacks in Nigeria, with a view to proffering lasting solutions to the problem. It further called on the security agencies to improve on their intelligencegathering capabilities and be proactive rather than reactive to threats to internal security, especially in cases where there was credible intelligence to act

on to safeguard lives and property. The Red Chamber also urged the security agencies to enforce the laws on arms bearing by unauthorized persons in the country to stop illegal possession of arms by people with clandestine motives to harm others. It also called on the Nigerian Police to expedite action on the establishment of a rapid response police unit around communities where Fulani herdsmen had carried out attacks. The Senate further urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other relevant agencies to urgently dispatch relief materials to Nimbo Community and other neighbouring communities of Nkpologu, Uvuru, Ugbene-Ajima and Adani, all in Enugu State, to ameliorate the conditions of the victims of recent herdsmen attack, who have become internally displaced persons. The Senate made these resolutions, as a result of a motion brought to the floor of the Chamber at plenary

by Senator Chukwuka Utazi (PDP, Enugu North), under matters of urgent public important. In his lead debate, Utazi told the Senate that the people of Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area in Enugu State were attacked by Fulani herdsmen in the early hours of Monday, killing about 38 persons, with hundreds sustaining varying degrees of injuries. He expressed concern that many properties were destroyed, including churches, by the herdsmen, noting that intensive search was still on to recover some dead bodies, while those recovered had been deposited in various hospitals in the state. Many senators cautioned on the dangers of the activities of herdsmen in the country, warning that it posed a great threat to national unity and peaceful co-existence. However, the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Sola Adeyeye, suggested that state and local government police should be established for effective policing of towns and vil-

lages in the country. In his remarks, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the session, asked that this government live up to its responsibilities by promptly attending to the needs of the people. He said: "We have said so much regarding this very matter. We have to do this because to the ordinary people of Nigeria, what they know is that we are all in government. There is no difference between the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary. So, we are all held responsible in issues such as this. He announced the members of the ad hoc committee to look into the menace of herdsmen to include Ali Ndume (Chairperson) - North East; Isiaka Adeleke - South West; Mao Ohunbunwa - South East; Abdullahi Adamu - North Central, Shehu Sani North West and Ben Bruce - South South. Ekweremadu mandated the committee to commence work next week, including holding public hearing on the issue.

ase

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

METRO

ABIODUN BELLO abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com 08023938212

...CRIME, CITY WATCH, COURTS

We’ll rescue Anisulowo, get her abductors, Amosun vows

Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

gun State Gover nor, Ibikunle Amosun, and heads of security agencies yesterday launched a manhunt for the suspected kidnappers of Senator Iyabo Anisulowo. The governor and security agents vowed to rescue the victim unhurt. Anisulowo (65), a former minister of State for Education, was abducted about 6p.m. on Wednesday while returning from her farm at Sawonjo in Yewa North Local Government Area. However, the abductors are yet to contact her family members or demand ransom. It was learnt that the Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) in which the former minister and her aides were travelling was recovered by the police. After she was abducted, the gunmen initially escaped in the vehicle. The vehicle was said to have been recovered at a spot on Iganokoto-Imasayi Road about 10p.m. on Wednesday. Family members said the suspected kidnappers, numbering four, had

not contacted them for ransom. One of Anisulowo’s siblings, Kola Popoola, who spoke with journalists, said none of the family members had been asked to pay ransom to secure the release of the former minister. Popoola also appealed to government to do all within its powers to unmask the abductors. But Amosun, who led some security chiefs to Anisulowo’s farm yesterday, promised that she would soon be rescued. The governor said security operatives, including men of the Nigerian Army, police, Department of State Service (DSS) and local vigilantes had been deployed to rescue the victim. Amosun war ned that the state would never be a comfort zone for kidnappers. He said: “It is our responsibility as a government to secure our citizens. But because of the security nature of what has happened, we can’t probably be disclosing what we have done or what we are doing. But you can be rest assured that everybody is involved and we will get her back safely.

olice in Rivers State have rescued a 14-year-old girl, Charity Ikirigo, who is a student of the Federal Government College, from kidnappers. The police also arrested six suspected kidnappers at their hideout at Abam in Okrika Local Government Area of the state. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Ahmad Muhammad, said in a statement yesterday that one Mitchell Tanmuno and five others were arrested at their hideout. Muhammad said the kidnappers were apprehended after the police got informa-

tion on the whereabouts of the suspected kidnappers in the community. He said: “The kidnappers’ arrest was made possible after the police had received information on their hideout. They also confessed to have been the gang responsible for the kidnapping of the girl. “Immediately after the information, the Anti-Kidnapping Squad went after them, rescued the girl and arrested the suspected kidnappers.” The PPRO listed items recovered from the suspects to include two AK47 rifles and 170 rounds of live ammunition were recovered from them. Muhammad said the suspects would soon be charged to court.

“And to the perpetrators, of course, we are ready for them. They will face the law fully and they will regret doing it. Ogun State will not be a comfort zone for criminals.” Also speaking, the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Bala Hassan, urged people to remain calm and count on law enforcement agents to do their work. Hassan added that the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, had already given necessary directives to ensure speedy rescue of the former lawmaker. He said: “The kidnap of Senator Iyabo Anisulowo is most unfortunate. But all hands are on deck. I want to assure the good people of Ogun and Lagos states that we are going to get to the root of this is-

sue; she would be released safe and those perpetrators would face the full wrath of the law.” Responding, the senator’s husband, Dr. Aderemi Anisulowo, expressed satisfaction with the measures taken by government to free his wife. He said: “I thank the governor for what he has done and pray God to continue to strengthen him and give him more wisdom and knowledge to continue to steer the ship of the state.” Meanwhile, more facts emerged yesterday on how Anisulowo was abducted. Witnesses, including the senator’s driver, Wasiu Afonja, and security detail, Damola Akinwande, said they were ambushed by the kidnappers who were armed with guns and swords.

Renounce cultism or face banishment, community warns

Police rescue teenage schoolgirl, arrest six suspects Taiwo Jimoh

Amosun (middle) and top security operatives at Sawonjo, brainstorming on how to rescue Anisulowo

Uchenna Inya ABAKALIKI

Tanmuno

takeholders in Edda West Development Centre in Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State yesterday gave cult members and drug peddlers in the area one-month ultimatum to desist from the acts or be banished for seven years. At their emergency security meeting, the stakeholders frowned on the increasing cases of cult activities and other violent crimes in the area. Presenting the resolution of the stakeholders at the Development Centre Headquarters, Igbara Edda, the traditional ruler of Ebunwana Edda community, Ezeogo Charles Azuenya, said any political officeholder who promoted cult activities should be sacked. Azuenya, who condemned the activities of some politicians in promoting cultism in the area, said the people would devise traditional means of dealing with insecurity and other violent crimes.

METRO

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Free Catholic priest unhurt, family begs abductors Cephas Iorhemen MAKURDI

amily members of the abducted Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Otukpo, Very Rev. Fr. John Adeyi, yesterday appealed to his captors to release him unharmed. Adeyi was kidnapped last Sunday by gunmen. Palpable fear has gripped residents of Otukpo, homestead of former Senate President, David Mark, over the rising crime cases, especially in the last five days since the cleric was abducted and a N10 million ransom demanded as a condition for his release. At press time, Adeyi was still in the hands of the captors who also confiscated his mobile phones thus rendering him incommunicado. Speaking with our correspondent in an interview, the Secretary-General of a pan-Idoma socio-cultural group, the Opiatoha K’Idoma, Mr. Adoka Adaji, expressed worry over the continued captivity of the Catholic priest. Adaji solicited the support of security agents to ensure his safe release. He said: “We appeal to the abductors to consider the health condition of Rev. Fr. Adeyi and release him unharmed unconditionally. They should heed the call of Och’Idoma, Agabaidu Elias Ikoyi Obekpa and free the Catholic cleric as a matter of urgency.”

240,000 vehicles not roadworthy –Commissioner Muritala Ayinla

agos State Government said yesterday that at least, 240,000 vehicles plying Lagos roads were not roadworthy. Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, disclosed this while briefing journalists at the 2016 Bi-Annual Safety Week of the Lagos State Vehicle Inspection Services held at the State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja. Mobereola said about 45,037 motorists were apprehended for one offence or the other. The commissioner called on motorists to take issue of safety seriously to avert road carnage. While urging Lagos residents to embrace proper maintenance culture and ensure their vehicles are roadworthy, he explained that daily routine checks, fixing defects immediately, preventive maintenance as well as adequate monitoring would

Ambode

help to improve safety. He said: “Of the 1.2 million apprehended last year, about 20 per cent were not roadworthy. This extended further means that about 240,000 of the 1.2 million are not roadworthy. It is in this wise that we say safety is not just a government thing.

Rather, it is for all citizens to ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy.” Moberola, who spoke on the theme of the event, “Unroadworthy (Rickety) Vehicles: Threat to Life on our Roads,” said ensuring that vehicles were roadworthy had become a focal point of

the ministry’s oversight function on the sector. According to him, saving lives is the single most important responsibility of any government. The commissioner said statistics had shown that Africa had only two per cent of world’s vehicles, but that in contrast, 16 per cent of global vehicular deaths were traceable to Africa. Moberola added that in that same study, Nigeria and South Africa had the highest fatality rates of 33.7 and 31.9 per cent per 100,000 population yearly. He said: “Our efforts at ensuring security include rehabilitating the roads, improving drivers’ competence, insisting through monitoring the state of vehicles and promoting attitudinal changes. “When you maintain a vehicle you are guaranteeing a life. There are no economic arguments for allowing rickety vehicles just simply because we cannot place a premium or value on any life. The consequences outstrip the gains.”

Flooding: Lagos threatens to evict cane weavers Muritala Ayinla

Cane weavers

agos State Government yesterday said it might be forced to evict cane weavers under Maryland Bridge for causing flood in the area. Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, who said this at a press briefing held at the Bagauda Kalto Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, blamed flood recorded in parts of the state on improper waste disposal. Adejare said the cane weavers had earlier blocked the drain where the water from the bridge was to discharge into the main collector right under the bridge with concrete, leaving the bridge

and the road flooded. The commissioner urged the cane weavers to operate with a sense of responsibilities otherwise government would be forced to relocate their business from the area. He said: “I will be going to Ojota right after this briefing. This is the second time this is happening; the last rain too also flooded the bridge. When we investigated the situation, it was discovered that drain where the water was to discharge had been blocked because they said water was destroying where they are working. “Are they supposed to be there in the first instance? I am going to take them

City Briefs Ladipo traders protest demolition, killing Taiwo Jimoh

raders at Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market, Mushin, Lagos, yesterday demanded justice over the alleged illegal demolition of their shops and killing of one of their members. The traders, who staged a peaceful protest at the market, asked the police to arrest the alleged killers. The protesters carried placards with different inscriptions some of which read: “We need justice and equity in Ladipo Market,” “Governor Ambode, protect Ladipo traders,” “Lagos State Government, save our souls.” According to the President General of the market, Mr. Kingsley Ogunor, who led the protest, his members’ shops at Odo-Aladura Toyota, were destroyed with goods worth mil-

lions of naira. Ogunor said although three persons had been arrested and charged to court for Anene Utazi’s killing, the main suspect was still walking free on the streets. The president-general alleged that the destruction was carried out by a gang.

The protesters

He said: “We are peaceful people at Ladipo. All we are demanding is justice over the killing of one us and the destruction of our shops with goods. “We appeal to the police to redouble their efforts in the arrest and prosecution of the ring leader of the hoodlums that attacked us.”

out of that place this evening. We will repair it and I assure you that it will not happen on that bridge again. “I grew up to meet cane weavers under the bridge but if they are not going to be responsible because their fathers that started the business have all gone, we will have no choice but ask them to leave.” He assured residents that plans were on for a new water policy that would ensure that households in the metropolis have access to potable water. Adejare, however, said that government was not relenting in its effort to clear the drains so as to avoid flooding at the peak of rainfall.

Court frees suspected kidnappers Okegwo Kenechukwu Onitsha

n Anambra State High Court sitting in Onitsha yesterday discharged and acquitted three persons accused of kidnapping the Chief Executive Officer of GUO Group of Companies, Chief Godwin Okeke, on August 23, 2009. The three persons, Kelechi Okafor, Anthony Okafor and Alexander Onyinaya, have been in detention after being arrested at different places and arraigned by the police in 2013. In his judgement, Justice Alexander Okumah held that the prosecution counsel, Mr Chris Ajug-

we, Okeke and other prosecution witnesses failed to prove their case against the accused. According to the judge, there is no evidence to show that Kelechi was involved in the kidnap. He said: “None of the evidences by Okeke indicated how he identified Anthony Okafor to the police as one of the suspects. “There is no clear, credible or direct evidence that the vigilantes and the police arrested Anthony Okafor at Nsugbe in Anambra East Local Government Area. “The material evidence of Okeke against Alexander Onyinaya was contradictory.”

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Eideagbe: I, I formerly known as Eromosele Augustine Edeagbe now wish to be known and addressed as Augustine Joseph E. A. Eideagbe. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

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This is to confirm that Sunday Zibaghafa is the same person as Sunday Zibafa which appears in most of my documents and also in my bank account. That henceforth I wish to be known and addressed as Sunday Zibaghafa. All former documents remain valid. First bank, Fidelity bank, Access bank Plc and the general public should take note.

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This is to inform the General Public that the above named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja for registration of trustees under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990 (as amended). The Trustees are: 1. Noah Emagbehinaiye Mekuleyi - General Overseer 2. Adediran Olusesan Wale - General Secretary 3. Animasaun Yinka - Treasurer 4. Awe Michael Olusesan 5. Olumuyiwa Oluwatayo Paul. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To propagate the word of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ. 2. To liberate the word through the gospel of Lord Jesus Christ. Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication. SIGNED: TRUSTEES

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

5. Francesca Uriri.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. By catering for the welfare of women in achieving, completing and maximizing their innate potentials 2. By creating an enabling environment for women to interface and support one another in achieving and maximizing their potentials 3. By helping women light up their lives and the lives of others in their environment and community 4. By helping women make positive changes in their community which include their living areas, business areas and for career women, their places of work 5. Mentoring women and ensuring that the mentored women mentor the younger generation and these mentorship in all areas and spheres of live shall be passed from one generation to another 6. To help women with skills, resources, practical tools and information on parenting, marriage and family life 7. To organize forums, talk shows, seminars, workshops on parenting and family life. 8. By training and collaborating with the other similar bodies in achieving its goals and objectives 9. To train and collaborate with the other similar bodies in achieving its goals and objectives. Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication. SIGNED: TRUSTEES

Sheriff: I've not decided on PDP chairmanship

Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

ational Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, said yesterday that he has not made up his mind to contest in the next national convention. Sheriff, who was elected last February to complete the tenure of North East, however, has an opportunity to remain in office as the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), which met yesterday, approved the recommendation of the zoning committee to retain the national chairmanship position to the North East. The zoning committee, which was headed by

• NEC accepts Emmanuel's report Akwa Ibom State Governor, Emmanuel Udom, also zoned the deputy national chairman to South-South and national secretary to the South West. Sheriff, who briefed journalists at the end of the meeting, said he would make his decision public, if he makes up his mind to seek re-election. "We have successfully finished the meeting. We adopted all the resolutions without any dissenting voice. We have also agreed that the body will meet again on May 11, on constitutional review. "We have received report from convention committee, who said they ready for convention. Therefore, everything we have said to you before is

Labour demands probe of bailout funds’ diversion Sunday Ojeme

ollowing the series of complaints by civil servants and pensioners from states that benefitted from the Federal Government’s bailout funds last year, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has called on the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to intensify investigations into how state governments utilised the funds. The bailout fund was meant to offset workers’ outstanding salaries and allowances and the pensions of retirees. TUC President, Bobboi Bala Kaigama and the Acting Secretary Gener-

al, Simeso Amachree, in a statement made available to New Telegraph, expressed concern over the unbridled greed and quest for materialism demonstrated by most governors and politicians, especially at this time when the country is experiencing major economic crunch and workers are being owed their entitlements. The congress said it was criminal for governors to play politics with workers’ welfare, adding that it was unimpressed by some governors’ explanations in the national dailies of how the monies were spent. The union said: “As a labour centre, we get first-hand information from our members in all the states of the federation."

on course," he added. Sheriff described the party's recent rally in Jigawa State as successful, adding, "what they saw in Jigawa State is just the beginning. We will go to all the states and capture them back.” Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, who spoke on behalf of the PDP Governors Forum said the forum will abide by the de-

cision of the NEC. Some governors present at the meeting were: Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Hassan Dankwambo (Gombe), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom), Ben Ayade (Cross Rivers) and Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom). The meeting considered various party issues and arrived scheduled the national convention for May 21.

Reps begin sectoral debate next week Philip Nyam Abuja

he House of Representatives will on May 4, commence its sectoral debate where ministers would be invited to address lawmakers on how to grow and diversify the economy. Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, who announced this at yesterday’s plenary, said the sectoral debate on the state of the economy is in consonance with what is outlined in the House’s legislative agenda. He said the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, the Minister of Fi-

nance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun and the Minister for Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, would open the sectoral debate on May 4. The speaker said the Minister of Trade, Investment and Industry, Mr. Okechukwu Enelamah and his Information, Culture and National Orientation counterpart, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and that of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, would take their turns on May 5. Meanwhile, the House yesterday moved to avert the looming strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) if their demands are not met within 21 days by the Federal Government.

Crisis looms in polytechnics Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

cademic activities in the nation’s polytechnics may soon be grounded to a halt as the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has threatened to embark on an indefinite strike over the failure of the Federal Government to implement the agreement it had with the union in 2014. ASUP President, Us-

man Dutse, at a press conference in Abuja yesterday, lamented that since the suspension of its nine-month-old strike in 2014, none of the contending issues had been resolved by government. "What we have rather is the addition of new problems to the myriad of existing ones. The scenario obviously suggests that the coming years will be grim and marked by sluggish growth and total neglect of the sector," he said.

Breakthrough in lab sperm offers hope for infertility Appolonia Adeyemi

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friday, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

new breakthrough in laboratory sperm has offered hope for thousands of couples struggling to conceive worldwide after scientists successfully created human sperm from skin cells. It builds on previous research that used skin cells to create mice sperm in a laboratory and the medical feat could eventually lead to a treatment for infertility. These are the findings of a study published on Tuesday in the Scientific Reports, the online

journal of 'Nature.' The research was carried out by scientists at Stanford University in the United States. Infertility is the inability of a person, animal or plant, to reproduce by natural means. The researchers said they were working to find a solution for the roughly 15 per cent of couples worldwide, who are unable to have children and whose only option is to use donated sperm or eggs. In Nigeria, one out of every four couples has fertility challenge and low sperm count as well

as zero sperm account for infertility among men. 'What to do when someone who wants to have a child lacks gametes (eggs or sperm)?' asked Carlos Simon, the scientific director of the Valencian Infertility Institute, Spain's first medical institution fully dedicated to assisted reproduction. 'This is the problem we want to address, to be able to create gametes in people who do not have them.' They were inspired by the work of Japan's Shinya Yamanaka and Britain's John Gordon, who in 2012 shared a No-

bel prize for the discovery that adult cells can be transformed back into embryo-like stem cells. Simon and his team managed to re-programme mature skin cells by introducing a cocktail of genes needed to create gametes. Within a month the skin cell was transformed to become a germ cell, which can develop into sperm or an egg, but it did not have the ability to fertilise, they found. 'This is a sperm, but it needs a further maturation phase to become a gamete. This is just the beginning,' Simon said.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Herdsmen menace Odumakin: Govt’s indifference to killings, source of concern

Politics

Interview South-East’s right should be respected – Ojukwu

13 16

Lamido’s eyes on the presidency Onyekachi Eze reports on the declaration by the immediate past governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, for the 2019 presidency, about three years before the seat becomes vacant

t is no longer a subject of speculation that Sule Lamido, a former governor of Jigawa State is interested in the presidency in 2019. It is also not in doubt that he is still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and hopes to run on the party's ticket. Even though President Muhammadu Buhari's office will not be vacant until the next three years, Lamido has already thrown his hat in the ring. The former governor, last Monday told newsmen in his village, Bamaina in Birnin-kudu Local Government Area of Jigawa State, that he would seek the ticket of his party, the PDP, to contest the exalted seat of the land. His words: “If my party finds me worthy of the party’s presidential ticket to serve Nigeria, I will thank God and oblige. Although there are issues in the party that we are all working to resolve, we hope to have success soon and come out united. As I’m talking to you now, we are working silently to resolve our differences and bring back to our fold those that left the party for APC.” Lamido was among those taunted to have interest in the 2015 PDP presidential ticket. He was among the former seven PDP governors, who threatened to leave the party in 2013, when it was obvious that the party leadership had concluded arrangement to make the then president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the sole candidate of PDP. The other former governors who had disagreement with the PDP leadership then were Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Abdulfatah Ahmed

FELIX NWANERI

GROUP PoLITICAL EDITOR nwanerif@newtelegraphonline.com

Lamido

(Kwara), Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto) and Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers). Five of these erstwhile governors later defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) while Lamido and Aliyu remained in PDP. Lamido kept his presidential ambition alive until the day various organs of PDP unanimously adopted Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate in September 2014. At the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party, Lamido's co-traveller, Babangida Aliyu told the party chieftains that the PDP Governors' Forum has resolved to adopt Jonathan as sole presidential candidate without opposition. He also told the meeting that the decision of the governors in adopting Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate of the party was unanimous as there was no opposition, and went ahead to invite Lamido who was present at the meeting to concur his statement. The latter gave Jonathan a thump up, an indication that he has surrendered. Unlike other former governors from the North who left PDP for the APC because PDP was not ready to cede the party's presidential ticket to the region, Lamido did not leave PD. He said he would remain in the party to fight his own fight, while pledging to continue to be loyalty to the party. He told PDP’s assessment delegation in Dutse in 2014 that "I have been maligned, I have been harassed but I remain in PDP. Thirteen years ago where were these

If my party finds me worthy of the party’s presidential ticket to serve Nigeria, I will thank God and oblige

people? We will not allow anybody to take away our finished product.” Despite complains of being maligned and harassed, Lamido campaigned vigorously for the PDP presidential candidate in 2015. While unveiling campaign programmes for PDP candidates in Dutse, the former governor said he would do everything possible for Jonathan to win a reelection. “I had a frank discussion with the president ... in Abuja and I am convinced that he will redeem his pledges; therefore, I will support him. Like I have always said, I don’t do politics based on religion or ethnicity; a PDP man in Enugu state is closer to me than an All Progressives Congress (APC) man in Bamaina my village,” he said. Lamido might have dropped his ambition in 2015 due to the fact that PDP unanimously decided to retain the presidency in the South-South despite strong opposition from the North, but this time around, PDP has zoned its presidential ticket in 2019 to the North. While he could not publicly declare his ambition in 2015, he is emboldened this time, not only because the ticket has been zoned to his region but because PDP is no longer in power. And even though he is still standing trial alongside his two sons over allegation of corruption by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the former governor does not see this as a hindrance to his ambition. Lamido believes that the trial is politically motivated and calculated to stop him from contesting the 2019 presidential election. Umar

Kyari, his spokesman also believes that his principal is being persecuted by those who are threatened by his high political profile. His words: “This current effort to frame and denigrate the former governor of Jigawa State with a view to rubbishing his high performance in office will come to naught at the end of the day. Lamido remains nothing but a scion of accountability and integrity who has always fought on the side of the people, particularly the downtrodden and the vulnerable, since he came into the national political scene. “He remains unshaken over the trumped-up charges slammed on him by the EFCC knowing that he has not committed any offense to warrant being thrown into the prison over a bailable offense. But the refusal by his traducers to grant him and his sons bail when others charged same day and time for even more grievous offences were admitted to bail speaks volume of the intention and mindset of those who are after him. “Nonetheless, Sule Lamido strongly believes that, after being imprisoned several times all in a bid to pave the way for sustained democracy in Nigeria, the current effort by the EFCC and others to humiliate him and his family over the so-called money laundering charges will not break his resolve to continue to fight on the side of the people. “It is Lamido’s strong belief that having not committed any offence against the state to warrant being sent to prison, he and his two sons will be freed and vindicated against the wicked plot of their adversaries.” Lamido himself challenged the EFCC to "proof whether it was a bribe or a code of conduct issue that he has committed. In the charges they brought against me, there was no where they said I stole the Jigawa State government money." Despite absolving himself of any wrongdoing, Lamido still has a big hurdle to scale before he could realise his ambition. He will first square it up with other PDP presidential aspirants for the party's ticket. This is not definitely going to be an easy task. While many believe that Lamido has what it takes to fly his party’s flag in the 2019 presidential election, questions ahead of the race are: Will he be politically relevant by 2019 having been out of government since 2015? Can he contend with other aspirants from the North, who are either in executive and legislative arms of government? These are questions Lamido will have to contend with as he prepares for the 2019 presidential contest.

POLITICS

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

OPEN FORUM

...herdsmen menace

Ezugwu: Issues of grazing should be resolved by law

W Chief Willy Ezugwu is the national coordinator of the South East Revival Group (SERG)

hile I condole with the families of those who lost their lives in recent herdsmen attach at Nimbo in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, I urge the Federal Government to wake up to its responsibility of providing adequate security to Nigerians and ensure perpetrators were punished. I also condole with the state governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who wept openly over the killing of over 40 persons in the state. While I appeal to the people of Enugu State to remain calm and believe in the ability of the governor to address the situation, we urge the National Assembly and the Fed-

We urge the National Assembly and the Federal Government to urgently ensure that by way of legislation, the problem associated with grazing is addressed eral Government to urgently ensure that by way of legislation, the problem

associated with grazing is addressed once and for all to prevent future occurrence. For the governor to weep openly at the scene of the attacks, shows the level of devastation caused by the rampaging herdsmen to his people. I call on President Muhammadu Buhari to not only call the herdsmen to order but also ensure that this dastardly act did not go unpunished. The Federal Government should, as a matter of urgency, wake up to its responsibility and provide adequate security for all citizens irrespective of tribe of political affiliation.

Interview by FeLIX NWANERI

Orker-Jev: Killings’ve reached embarrassing level

Hon. Emmanuel Orker-Jev represents Buruku Federal Constituency of Benue State in the House of Representatives

e have lived with these herdsmen for ages, but when the attacks started, the Fulani herdsmen claimed that they didn’t know where the attackers came from. There is the suspicion that some of these people are not even Nigerians. Due to Nigeria’s porous borders and the linguistic and cultural affinity that some foreigners have with our own Fulani here, they can easily come in and go, or even claim to be Nigerians. So, it is a big challenge for the security agencies and the immigration service to make sure that our borders are monitored to minimise the influx of these people. We have to police our borders so that all manners of people will not be infiltrating because these people, when they come in, have no respect for Nigerian lives since they are not Nigerians themselves. I don’t want us to take the option of self-defence. We are insisting that the government can still defend us. That is a constitutional mandate. We still insist that it is not beyond the Nigerian state to defend us. We may have been known to be warriors, but we have reached a certain level of civilisation that we should not be pushed to the wall to take laws into our hands. If we are pushed to the wall, we can’t wait to be hounded like wild animals. That will

If we are pushed to the wall, we can’t wait to be hounded like wild animals be a final resort. But I think for now, it is not beyond the state to protect us. We don’t want a situation where the government will be embarrassed internationally. There are agencies out there that will begin to ask questions about what is happening in Nigeria. Having so many people killed at a time is something that will bother not only Nigeria, but also the international community. That is why we had to address President Muhammadu Buhari that the issue has reached an embarrassing level. I am sure there is nobody in Nigeria who is enlightened that is not embarrassed by what is going on in this country. On the claim by the Fulani that these attacks are reprisals for earlier killings of their people and the stealing of their

cattle, my reaction is that this is an indictment on the government. If we should talk about ‘you do me, I do you,’ then we should be living in a lawless society. We have a government with laws. So, people are saying ‘I am killing because this person also killed.’ Is that the kind of society we want to build and leave for our children? It will be very unfortunate to allow our society to degenerate to a level where people will kill anyhow and go to the media to tell the world that they killed in reprisal. I don’t even want to look at the legitimacy of those claims; whether indeed, their people were killed and if that is why they have killed in reprisal. If that happened, where were the law enforcement agents? Why are the courts and all the other bodies responsible for enforcing the laws of the land there? Does it mean that any time the Fulani kill Benue people; they should also organise themselves and kill any Fulani that they come across? It is a very unfortunate position to take. Let me say that there are laws against killing of human beings. So, we don’t have to bring a fresh law to say that if you kill, you should be penalised. As for the Fulani issue, it is not something you rush to do. You may be laying a landmine that will explode in all our faces in the future.

Interview by CEPHAS IORHEMEN

Sani: FG should convene a national security conference T

Senator Shehu Sani is the senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly

he need for the Federal Government to urgently convoke a national security conference to address the spiraling herdsmen/ farming communities’ violence cannot be over emphasized at this point. The summit should include representatives from Miyetti Allah Fulani Association, Association of Nigerian Farmers, Federal and States ministries of Agriculture, and Environment, security agencies, traditional rulers, Arewa Consultative Forum, Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndi’gbo, Middle belt groups, representatives of communities along grazing routes, Nigeria Immigration Service and representatives from states and federal parliaments. The summit should aim at proffering short and long term solutions to the incessant violence and killings and rustling activities attributed to some herdsmen. It should unfold a lasting

The summit should aim at proffering short and long term solutions to the incessant violence and killings

socio-economic, security and ecological solutions to the crisis. There is also an immediate need to set up a National Joint Task Force on Cattle Traffic Movement (NATFOC); this task force, made up of the Police,

Army, Civil Defence, DSS, Customs, Immigration and Nigeria Satellite Telecommunications Commission, should be mandated to monitor, trail and track the movements of herdsmen, using both modern technology and other means of communication to ensure they operate within the confines of the law and their cattle and also farm settlement are well protected. NATFOC should also be mandated to disarm all herdsmen. The Federal Government, through the Federal and States Ministries of Agriculture and the Cattle Breeders Association, also need to embark on a national registration exercise and issuance of valid identification for herdsmen. This will stem the activities of violent criminals who masquerade as herdsmen to unleash violence against innocent and vulnerable communities on their path.

POLITICS

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

OPEN FORUM

...herdsmen menace

Odumakin: Govt’s indifference to killings, source of concern

W Yinka Odumakin is the Publicity Secretary of pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere

e are worried about the recent spate of killings by Fulani herdsmen across the country as evident in Agatu killings, murder of Olu Falae’s guard in his farm, killings in Ibadan and the latest being the heinous murder of over 40 Nigerians in cold blood in Enugu. We are also worried that the Federal Government seems to have maintained indifference to the wanton killings going on across the country against the provisions of the constitution. That the Federal Government has a duty to protect the lives and properties of every citizen of Nigeria and we call on President Muhammadu Buhari to speak up on this matter and to take urgent action to restore the sense of people of Nigeria, especially in the South and Middle Belt. We equally condemned the report of the Department of State Services, DSS, which claimed that the bod-

We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to speak up on this matter and to take urgent action

ies of five corpses buried in a mass grave were Fulani herdsmen, saying the statement was made to create tension in the land. We are also worried that the DSS, which highly went to the press to say that they discovered a grave in the South-East where they said they found bodies of the Fulani

men without any DNA has continued to maintain silence also over these killings across the country. The DSS had failed to establish that the bodies are from any ethnic group. It’s an organisation for all Nigerians and, therefore, should be concerned and should make the report on the killing on across the country not just what they called the killing of people from certain ethnic group among the over 250 groups in Nigeria. In view of the fact that Yoruba nation has had more than fair share of this siege in the country by these Fulani herdsmen, we demand immediate meeting of all South-West governors irrespective of their party affiliation and ensure that they meet to device means and ways to protect the lives of their citizens and properties against these invaders who are rampaging everywhere.

Interview by Temitope Ogunbanke

Uko: Attacks confirm plot by Fulani to overrun South

Evang Elliot Uko is the founder of Igbo Youth Movement (IYM)

etween June 2015 and April 2016, Fulani herdsmen have killed over 710 Nigerians, excluding the Agatu incident in 48 recorded incidents, the highest in recent years. For the first time, the nation’s Department of State Services (DSS) only interest in these avoidable blood baths, seems only to accuse one organisation of killing five Fulani. That accusation is yet to be substantiated with photographs or at least a DSS invitation to media people to the graves in order to corroborate their allegations. Monday morning, seven communities in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State received it hot, as usual from the rampaging Fulani warriors. Two churches, over 100 houses, dozens dead and hundreds injured with many still missing. Nigerians do not expect any positive reaction from the Federal Government and the DSS, for obvious reasons. This bloodletting which began since the new government took over power is interestingly redefining how much

Nigerians do not expect any positive reaction from the Federal Government and the DSS, for obvious reasons

faith, large sections of Nigeria should have in the ability or willingness of the Federal Government to protect them from this Fulani warriors, who clearly act as if they know that the Federal Government cannot (or is it, will not) save the helpless victims from their attacks.

But above all, the ongoing war by the Fulani herdsmen, have only confirmed Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), a prophet and visionary, who saw tomorrow. Mazi Kanu correctly predicted over the radio, what the Fulani would do to the Middle Belt, South-East, South- South and the South-West. The serial slaughter by the Fulani, the intimidation by the security agents and the disturbing silence of the President, who incidentally is also Fulani and Life Patron of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, has put Mazi Kanu in the league of avatars, who correctly predicted events before they happened. This development has also greatly increased Kanu’s popularity, especially among the oppressed, suppressed and consistently attacked populations, who now see him as a hero and a legend. This has resulted in a huge sympathy towards the gospel of IPOB and its leader.

Chukwuma: We’ll protect ourselves if government fails I

Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma is the Archbishop of Anglican Communion, Enugu Archdiocese

feel bitter, I feel aggrieved. I feel sad that the All Pro g ressives Congress (APC) gover nment at the centre cannot protect us. We call on the Federal Gover nment to declare a state of emergency in Igbo land over the Fulani herdsmen’s threat to security in the zone or else we will declare war against the Fulani herdsmen. I feel sad that APC government at the centre cannot protect us. Failure to curb the activities of Fulani herdsmen will make us to ban the Fulani herdsmen from rearing their cattle in the zone. Any attempt to harass any Igbo youth, any community will not be taken lightly. We will not tolerate it in Igbo land. We are declaring war against the Fulani herdsmen. We are calling on Northern elders to caution their people.

We are declaring war against the Fulani herdsmen. We are calling on Northern elders to caution their people

With the failure of the South-East governors to rise to the security challenge, we will pass a vote of no confidence on them. Where did the Fulani herdsmen get the AK 47 rifles? We will bring our own Ogbunigwe out to defend our rights. We will match force with force. Fulani herdsmen come to Igbo land, ravage our farm land and rape our women. That we were defeated in the last civil war does not mean we will remain slaves forever even in our land. We will defend our land with our blood and anything, including Ogbunigwe. Why was there security lapse? The DSS and other security operatives alerted the government yet they went ahead with their threat by unleashing mayhem on the villagers. The Fulani herdsmen are more violent than the Biafra agitators.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion Cookie Orkar’s unconventional coup Emissary EMEKA OBASI emobas2003@yahoo.com 0809-445-7557 (sms only)

he name still rings a bell 26 years after he tried to do something different. Gideon Gwazo Orkar, the Tiv man from Benue, officer of the Armoured Corps who led a bunch of tough young officers to shake the Nation on Sunday April 22, 1990. Orkar’s family was more than a football team. There were 12 children, eight boys and four girls. He was the ninth and in football would have adorned the No.9 jersey. That he eventually did as an Army Major leading a crack team to storm the seat of government. The young man joined the Army in 1972 as a member of the Regular Course 12 of the Nigeria Defence Academy [NDA] and was commissioned Second Lieutenant in December 1974 with the Number N/3299. Somehow, some of his postings were in Yoruba land from Ibadan to Shaki. Little wonder he eventually settled for an Ogbomoso wife. Even in death Orkar’s second son, Tarveshima Olayinka behaved like Dad. In 2011, the younger Orkar married an Ogbomoso girl Adeola. In 2013, another Orkar, a lady chose a Yoruba husband. The 1990 coup was unconventional in execution. Many ex-servicemen were drafted to push it and a civilian, Ovedje Great Ogboru, was said to be in the know using his mighty office in Ikorodu to conceal the deal. They took the nation by surprise. The most senior of the officers was Lt. Col Anthony Gabriel Nyiam, a Lagos Boy of Cross River background who was close to the Aide de Camp[ADC] to President Ibrahim Babangida, Lt. Col. Usman Kakanda Bello, a Gwari from Niger state. Nyiam and Bello were of NDA Course 9 which ran from January 1971 to June 1973.

The latter was ADC to Maj. Gen. Shehu Yaradua during the Olusegun Obasanjo military regime. There were a couple of young, daring and very bright officers. Major Saliba Daddy Mukoro of the Army Headquarters Signals Department had Phd in Psychology. Then the duo of Majors Gilbert Turi Omokiniovo Edoja [NDA 859] and Cletus Omue Obahor[NDA 835] came from NDA Course 14. As cadets, they were known as Gillie and Oba of Hor respectively. Obahor was of the 31 Artillery Brigade. The NDA Course 14 produced many notables. Two Service Chiefs : Lt. Gen. Luka Nyeh Yusuf and Vice Admiral Ishaya Ikoh Ibrahim, five governors : Cols. Yakubu Bako, Bala Jibrin, Anthony Uzoma Obi, Group Captain John Kalio and Navy Captain Caleb Omoniyi Olubolade and more officers who had something to do with coup plots. Col. Okon Nyong and Samuel Oyewole were fingered in the Obasanjo/Yaradua coup of 1995. And they faced their mates Lonsdale Adeoye and Alexander Ackumbur who were on the Patrick Aziza Panel that tried and sentenced them. One beneficiary of the Orkar coup was Major Nuhu Bamali who replaced U.K. Bello as Babangida’s ADC. He later rose to the rank of Major General and became a General Officer Commanding [GOC]. Unfortunately, he died in the military crash of 2006 alongside fellow Course 14 mates and Generals, Musa Lemu, Peter Haruna and James Amedu. Earlier, one of their own, Major Victor Kure had died in the 1992 C-130 crash near Ejigbo, Lagos. With the toughies from NDA Course 14, Orkar also had crack subalterns. They included Captains Nimibibowei Harley Empere[N6747], Perebo Abeela Dakolo [N6928], Sowaribi Victor Tolofari of Army Headquarters Provost Battalion, Ben Ighedoise Oziegbe and Lieutenants Nicholas Ekun Odey [N7872], 174 Mechanised Battalion, Awokoya Emmanuel Akogun [N7787], Cyril Okwor Ozoalor[N8119], A.H. Ogboru, Emma Okekumatolor, 123 Guards Battalion, Patrick Chidi Obasi and S.O.S.

Gideon Orkar was said to be a soldier’s soldier

Echendu. Others included Second Lieutenants Arthur Badenyintite Umukoro [N8533] of 242 Recce Battalion, Emma Ale –Alade and E.J. Ejesuku. It was a bloody coup that cost President Babangida his ADC and forced him out of Dodan Barracks but he was able to keep his position thanks majorly to his right hand man Gen. Sani Abacha. Some say it was because of that experience that Dodan Barracks Obalende, Lagos moved to Aso Villa ,Abuja. And the military government was hard on the plotters. Not even journalists were spared. Concordman Onoise Osunbor who lived with one of them at Ikeja cantonment was held as well as two drivers from Champion newspapers. There were reports that Lt. Umukoro escaped like Nyiam, Mukoro, Edoja , Obahor , Obasi and others but on learning that his aged father had been grabbed to account for the son’s sins, he voluntarily handed himself for execution for that is the penalty for coup plotting. The Orkar family had seen one of their own in detention in the 1980s. Dr. Joseph Orkar , commissioner under Aper Aku in the Second Republic, was held for 20 months from 18984-1985 by the military regime of Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. Keeping Gideon was going to be different, he never came back. On July 27 1990, he was executed with 41 others at the Kirikiri Shooting Range. The Maj. Gen. Ike Nwachukwu Tribunal had condenmned them to death. The officer who served as Judge Advocate, Maj. Bello Fadile was Orkar’s mate and was in Ogbomosho for Tarveshima’s wedding. A second Tribunal headed by Maj. Gen. Yohanna Yah Kure condemned more soldiers to death. They died on September 13, 1990. Gideon Orkar was said to be a soldier’s soldier. Tough and refused to give away anything during interrogation. He played a fast one on his younger brother Jerry, leaving his Volkswagen Beetles car with him in Jos a few days before the coup. Today, the Armoured officer is dead, he is not forgotten, so is the 1990 coup.

The man who could be the next Mayor of London Hilton Idahosa

s Sadiq Khan increases his lead over Zac Goldsmith in the race to become the next Mayor of London, we ask ourselves, what does he have for African Londoners? Predictions are that Sadiq khan would most likely win. Polls, pundits and bookmakers are already predicting, the Labour candidate will succeed Boris Johnson following the election come 5 May, while none are doing the same for the only one of his rivals with a realistic chance of beating him, the Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith. The latest voter survey, by YouGov for LBC, gave Khan a tenpoint lead over Goldsmith when respondents were invited to pick between just the two of them, an increase of four points from when the same question was last asked towards the end of November.

Back in October, the pair had been neck and neck by that measure. Khan’s backstory cannot be overstated. He is the lawyer son of a bus driver who now represents Tooting, the area he grew up in, as an MP. He was a loyal Cabinet member under Gordon Brown, and also ran Ed Miliband’s leadership campaign. What could this victory mean? Firstly, London could have the first Muslim Mayor. That would be a striking statement in the context of usual debate about Islam and the Western world. For arguably the world’s most important city to be led and represented by a politician who just happened to be Muslim would be a powerful argument against extremists (Muslim and non-Muslim) who suggest that Islam and democracy are somehow incompatible. The consequence of his election would be discomforting for people who are nastily

intolerant of pluralistic Western societies. Secondly, being the son of immigrants, Mr Khan would have empathy towards the aspirations of African immigrants in today’s London. In his acceptance speech at the Labour nomination, he said: “London gave me and my family huge opportunities: a council house so we could save for a deposit to buy our own home, a secure job for my dad as a bus driver, a great education for me and my siblings, affordable university places and good quality apprenticeships. As mayor, I will provide more opportunities for all Londoners. My priorities for Londoners are clear: an affordable and secure home to rent or buy, more jobs with higher wages for the lowest paid, making it easier to set up and run a successful business, reducing the cost of commuting and making London’s environment safer,

healthier and less polluted.” Finally, Mr Khan has shown in the course of this campaign an understanding of what the migrant community in London faces in their everyday life. He believes that government needs to do more to promote integration; that London can’t simply be allowed to develop naturally any more. “We’ve got to think a bit more about how we encourage, cajole people into integrating much more” he has said. Housing which is a particular area of concern amongst the African community is also under his radar. He fears that London is “being hollowed out” and wants all new properties to have to be offered to Londoners before they can be sold to foreigners. He also proposes a London ‘living rent’. This can only be a good thing for most African Londoners. • Idahosa is a publisher and resides in London.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

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es the country has incurred due spect Pinnick’s right of appeal to one crisis or the other in the since the law allows for 30 day NFF. Nigeria’s failure to qualify before a pronouncement can for the 2015 Nations Cup was a stand. result of leadership crisis beA day after minister’s protween Club Owner Chris Giwa nouncement, Giwa again adand the then NFF President, dressed the press stressing that Aminu Maigari. The recent FIFA and the minister were kidouster from the 2017 edition of ding. He insisted he will hold on the competition was also due to to his ‘mandate.’ He also went the problem between the NFF ahead to dissolve the State FAs and Head Coach Sunday Oliseh and sent the secretary general who threw in the towel just of the federation, Muhammed three weeks Sanusi, on to the crucial compulsory back-to-back leave. game against We believe Both parties should the Pharaohs of the situation be ready to shift Egypt. is becoming Only last ground in the interest too bad and it week, Giwa is a shame on of peace and the again re-filed the country development of a court case that football football against the fedadministraeration to throw the nation into another round of football chaos. The NFF acted swiftly by filling for appeal and also a stay of execution. This was done at a time the country was still tackling the issue of whether to engage a foreign or indigenous coach for the Super Eagles. Minister of sports, Solomon Dalung, was silent for three days before he intervened and we frown at this lethargic disposition to such a sensitive issue especially because the minister was accused of being a strong ally of Giwa. Dalung has urged both parties to embrace peace and added that Giwa should re-

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NFF: Time to move on

part from the keen contest athletes experience in their various disciplines, sport is largely aimed at promoting friendship and unity. Before a basketball match, all the players are expected to shake one another. The same goes for volleyball, handball and many of the team events including football. Individual sports are not left out of the show of friendliness and love. In tennis, table tennis, taekwondo, Judo, wrestling, boxing etc, the athletes exchange pleasantries before and after the event no matter how tensionsoaked it was. The exchange of greetings has become a standard practice to promote peace. This is more pronounced in football where the players greet one another and the coaches also do same. It is however sad that those administering the game do not look beyond their noses to imbibe the spirit of love and friendship which all sport federations preach globally. It is disturbing that crisis has virtually become the other name of the Nigeria Football Federation. The body is engulfed in crisis over everything. For its elections, there is always one problem or the other. To engage a coach, there will be problem within the top executives of the federation and other stakeholders in football. We can count some of the loss-

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tors cannot embrace peace or follow due process to attain their desires. After the Giwa crisis was resolved in 2015, it was proposed that Amaju Pinnick should reconcile all warring factions but this was never done and even some of his executive members on the board of the federation are accusing him of not carrying them along in decision making. It was alleged that Pinnick, his first and second vice presidents (Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko) and the head of technical committee, Chris Green, were the few people running the affairs of Nigerian football. Giwa’s frustration was a result

of the refusal of the current board to close ranks with all stakeholders in the game. It is important to state that the ongoing imbroglio could affect the future of some talented youths in the country. FIFA has sent a warning letter to Nigeria that the country would be banned if the ruling of the Jos court was implemented. It is ignorance that makes people think FIFA’s threat is unreal. FIFA is an independent body that strives to see all its affiliate members enjoy independence in the running of football Recently, the State FA chairmen were in the Federal Capital Territory for a meeting where some decisions were taken on Giwa or and Pinnick. We believe that in conflict situations of this nature, both parties should be ready to shift ground in the interest of peace and the development of football. It is wrong for either party to vehemently maintain a position at the detriment of peace. We make bold to say many of the administrators fight for some of these positions to achieve their selfish desires. The winner in this case should be Nigerian football not Pinnick or Giwa. Mr. minister who had repeatedly told Nigerians that he was a specialist in settling disputes would have to dig deep to settle the current impasse. We can put our house in order rather than allow FIFA to do so for us.

POLITICS

Chief Debe Ojukwu, son of the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, speaks on the recent killings by Fulani herdsmen, agitation for state of Biafra, among other issues. WALE ELEGBEDE reports Are you worried about the recent killings of some Nigerians by Fulani herdsmen especially in the SouthEast? I am worried and it should be stopped because we are talking about survival and means of livelihood. The means of livelihood of the people in the East is farming while the means of livelihood of the people in the North is herding, but you cannot sacrifice one for the other. You cannot say because you need your pasture to roam about to go and feed on grass then you trampled on somebody's farm and destroy the whole crops. It is not done. The problem is that we overconcentrate our energy on one part. In London and other developed nations, the agricultural population is usually about one per cent and they are the richest. Somebody has a grazing field and has about 300 herds of cattle, then he buys fodder to feeds the cattle there, he doesn't start parading the streets of London because he wants his cattle to move about, you don't do that. So, the rights of the people in the South East should be respected and the violence that is attendant is something that should discouraged. What is your take on the agitations for Biafra? My take is that they should agitate for Biafra; they should be supported to have Biafra. The worst thing in a marriage is when you say a marriage is indissoluble. A woman is like a bird, give her chance to fly, she would fly away, after some time she would return to the cage and become yours forever, but when you cage her; tie her in,

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

South-East’s right should be respected – Ojukwu

the secret of Ojukwu. If you look at it, my father had three very identifiable Yoruba friends, but if you look at them you will see that they looked physically identical. He had Engr. Fashola, who was his closest Yoruba friend, an uncle to the former governor of Lagos State. Then he had Wole Soyinka and he had Dr. Tunji Braithwaite. That was why during the ceremony marking my father’s transition, they were all well represented. Dr. Braithwaite at the TBS, Lagos, ceremony looked Nigerians in the face and told them that Dim Chukwueme Odumegwu Ojukwu did not fight against Nigeria; rather, he defended the Igbo. He didn’t fear that any recrimination. He is a very truthful person, typical; he said he never fought Nigeria but rather, people have been misled to believe that Dim Chukwueme Odumegwu Ojukwu fought Nigeria. He never fought Nigeria. He defended the Igbo. Then Prof. Soyinka in Enugu gave a memorable eulogy of his friend and that is what friendship is all about.

Ojukwu

she might even destroy your roof in order to go out. So, the solution about Biafra is within Nigeria; make the Igbo comfortable, make sure that everything is okay because the easiest thing to do is leadership but some people misuse it. For instance, if you come in a year and you are talking about budget and the Ministry of Works says we have 3600km of road to tar – that is what can be accommodated in the budget and we have 36 state. If you say since we have 36 states every state should take 100km, nobody will be interested in your post as the president but when you move and say because I am from Nnewi, I will take 300km, there will be problem So, it is because of the inequities in the country that we have

agitations, remove those inequities and I bet you there will never be any issue.

The solution about Biafra is within Nigeria... remove those inequities and I bet you there will never be any issue

A very close friend of your father, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, recently passed on. What was the relationship between them like? They were very close. Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, at a point was my father’s personal lawyer, and for you to have a personal lawyer you know what it means. For every human being endeavour, you have intimate relationships with your lawyer, your accountant, your doctor and your priest. They were very close. The relationship Dr. Braithwaite had with my father was very cordial and he (Braithwaite) never betrayed his friend. Nobody heard

If you look back at the type of the relationship that your late father had with the likes of Braithwaite regardless of tribal difference, what can you say is the missing link to the current ethnic consciousness in the country and what do you think is the future of this country in that light? First, the future of this country is bright but it could be more solidified if we eschew those things that divide us. We have allowed tribalism and a kind of undercutting of one another and that is the bane of the Nigerian society. When they grew up, there was no Yoruba boy, no Igbo boy and no Hausa. That was why whenever my father sees Dr. Braithwaite then, he says Tunji kilonsele (what is happening), when he sees Soyinka, he calls him Wole, he will never call him Prof, because they grew up together. But corruption and tribalism came in when we started introducing this is my fellow Igbo, this is my fellow Yoruba, it was never like that during their time.

PDP and the burden of justice Doyin Okupe

here is an embarrassing falsehood being propagated by political charlatans from the South-West and some influential collaborators in the top echelon of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The seed of this misrepresentation was sowed by a group of political clowns and court jesters under the leadership of Senator Buruji Kashamu, a political impostor who claims he is the leader of the party and the Yoruba in the South-West. On April 21, the cream of the authentic Yoruba leadership in the South-West gathered at the Golden Gate Hotel on Kingsway road, ikoyi, Lagos under the chairmanship of Chief Olabode George, a retired Naval officer, former governor, former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP and a grandson of the revered, legendary and world acclaimed, distinguished Yoruba Icon and politician, Sir Herbert Macaulay. At that meeting, the true sons and daughters of Yoruba land, in an unprec-

edented unity, condemned the claim by the Yoruba traitors, who went and lied to the PDP National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, that the Yoruba do not want the chairmanship of the party. I want to state categorically here, without any fear of equivocation, that we the Yoruba's from the South-West, desire and demand the post of the national chairman at the next convention of the party. The following are the past chairmen: Chief Solomon Lar, Chief Barnabas Gemade, Chief Audu Ogbe, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, Dr. Haliru Bello (Ag), Alhaji Bamangar Tukur, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, Prince Uche Secondus(Ag)and Senator Sheriff. From the above, within the last 18 years, there have been 11 chairmen from five geo-political zones. Only the Yoruba race from the South-West has been precluded from this exalted office. In the interest of fairness, equity and Justice, it is most compelling that the Yoruba of the South-West zone be allowed

to contest for this post at the coming national convention. Any attempt to do anything to the contrary, no matter the reason advanced cannot be acceptable. Failure for a Yoruba man to emerge as the national chairman can only mean two things: That there is a pervasive and concealed hatred for the South-West in the PDP or that the PDP has very little or no regard for Yoruba interest as was evinced by the obvious cheating of the South-West from the position of Speaker, House of Representatives in 2011, which was never rectified nor compensated for the whole of four years. The sad implication of the above is that, regrettably, many of us from the South-West may have to reconsider our membership of this great party, which we have helped to nurture and supported through thick and thin; a party we have loved almost more than our very existence and a party we have served with all our natural endowment, in victory and defeat. If there exist any conscience, anywhere in this party, let that conscience

Sheriff

speak now and stop the new and alien conscienceless power currently holding sway within the party hierarchy. •Okupe was the Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Arts

Sunny Ade

CULTURE

Lagos partners Akinboboye for culture, tourism

Ugboma

Uwaifor

Renewed call for teaching of history, culture …as Ugboma, Uwaifor, Sunny Ade, Adichie recieve honours

Tony Okuyeme

t was a gathering of the crème de la crème across socio-cultural and political landscape in Nigeria, this brilliant Sunday night at the serene Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. The event was the 2015 Man of the Year award organised by Silverbird Communications. The atmosphere was convivial, colourful, and had the trappings of a celebration of culture, especially with the arrays of traditional attires, including music and dance performances. Significantly, the call for

TONY OKUYEME Arts Editor tony.okuyeme@newtelegraphonline.com

greater attention to be paid to promotion of the nation’s cultural heritage, especially the teaching of history in secondary schools echoed loud and clear. This was brought to the fore by Silverbird Chairman, Senator Ben Murray Bruce, who in his remark, noted that as “a nation, we cannot develop and grow if we have no concept of our history”. He said: “We have a nation where they don’t teach history. The late General Tunde Idiagbon was the Vice President of this country for two years, and children don’t know who he is. The other day I was talking about the Civil War and some of them said they did not know that there was kwashiorkor in Biafra during the war. Some people don’t even know we fought a war. The government at a time, refused to celebrate the war or the event of January 12, 1970 when the war ended, they said because Biafra may rise again. I disagree with the government; because as long as you don’t talk about events, good or bad, you erase it from your consciousness, a generation of people will never know that so many people died put-

We cannot develop and grow if we have no concept of our history

ting Nigeria together, under General Yakubu Gowon. That is a serious issue. We cannot develop and grow if we have no concept of our history; every day I preach about history. “As a nation, we are 56 years old, we had our last census in 2012, 36 million volts, 5.1million powered by NEPA; we produced 4000 megawatts; and we have spent N50trillion producing 4000 megawatts in 5.1 million volts, an average cost of N12.5billion per megawatt. Who knows that? Nobody pays attention to statistics; who we are and we are coming from. At an average of N12.5billion per megawatt at today’s price, when do you think all of Nigeria will power? This is a serious question.” According to him, there is a major problem “when we don’t teach our history, and when people go abroad they don’t even know the names of the leaders of the country.” He added: “How many people in this room care about our history? I think we have a cultural problem when we do not preserve our history. We don’t have archives. “I urge you as Nigerians, we must be proud of who we are; we must be proud of our history. How much budget do

they have for the National Theatre? How much budget do we folks in Culture? The National Theatre needs N5billion to restructure that place. The wood work for the doors, made by Brice Onabrakpeya and Ben Enwonwu, they are historic document. You build it, you preserve it. Ten percent of the budget every year should be spent preserving the culture of this country. You are nothing unless you have a history.” Shortly after receiving the Extra-ordinary Man of the Year Award, Tinubu, replying Bruce, noted that a nation cannot achieve progress without planning, adding that he is committed to that plan towards making Nigeria great. He, however, called on Senator Bruce to “sponsor a bill for the reintroduction of history as a subject in our schools. My darling wife, who is the pillar of the success we are celebrating today, will support you and I am sure Nigerians will support you”. He added, “We can digitalise Nigerian information through which youths and Nigerians in general can have access to all information about the country. Digitalisation will stop piracy. Moving from analogue to digitalisation to protect the history and records of the country will be of great benefit to unborn generations. As information technology is improving every day, we can digitalise Nigeria where the country’s archives or history is preserved.” It was indeed a night of glamour and inspiration as several notable Nigerians including veteran filmmaker, Eddie Ugboma, renowned musician Sir Victor Uwaifo, juju maestro King Sunny Ade, celebrated novelist and short story writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, were honoured in recognition of their contributions to the development of the nation and indeed service to humanity. The awardees include the first civilian governor of Lagos, Alhaji Lateef Jakande; doyen of Accounting profession in Nigeria, Chief Akintola Williams; frontline businessman Oba Otudeko; oil and gas magnate Chief O. B. Lulu Briggs; first civilian governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa. There were post humous awards to the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa; the first Governor-General of the old Eastern Region, Dr. Akanu Ibiam; first civilian governor of old Rivers State Chief Melford Okilo; former Premier of the old Western Region Chief Ladoke Akintola and former Chief of Army Staff Major Gen. Tunde Idiagbon.

ART

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Lagos partners Akinboboye for culture, tourism Andrew Iro Okungbowa

he Lagos State House Committee on Culture and Tourism is to partner with the founder and president of La Campagne Tropicana Beach, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye, towards the realisation of its culture and tourism agenda for the state. Akinboboye while playing host to members of the Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Culture, Arts and Tourism, who visited the Ikegun Village, Lekki – based resort to hold discussion with him in pursuant of the tourism agenda of the House, commended Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for his tourism initiatives, which was described as most embracing and easily deliverable if vigorously pursued with sincerity of purpose. He also commended the committee, led by its Chairman and Nollywood actor, Desmond Olusola Elliot, for deeming it fit to visit the resort and rob minds with him. While pledging his support and assistance to the committee, he urged the lawmakers to work closely with Ambode. He said, “the project, Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment, Sports & Education (T.H.E.S.E) is a very laudable one, which can easily transform the tourism landscape of the state.” He added that the recently held First Lagos International Marathon

Desmond Elliot (2ND right) and Otunba Wanle Akinboboye (3RD right) with members of the committee during the visit to La Campagne

would be bigger than the New York and London Marathons in the immediate future. He advised the committee members to utilise this rare opportunity to facilitate enabling laws that will make the southern part of Lekki a tourism zone and attract massive infrastructure to the zone so as to not only transform the zone but the entire state and make it a humongous tourism destination. Akinboboye who is also the Tourism Ambassador of the World Conference of Mayors and Founder of Motherland Beckons, an initiative that is directed at promoting African culture and bringing back the Diaspora and Blacks all over

Utilise this rare opportunity to facilitate enabling laws that will make the southern part of Lekki a tourism zone

the world to Africa, their ancestral root, also allayed the fears of the Elliot–led committee on the challenges of funding the ambitious project, and exposed to them to how entertainment centres and tourism products can generate the requisite funds, with support from international bodies like Africa Development Bank (ADB) and International Financial Corporation (IFC) among others. He also harped on a synergy between La Campagne and Lagos State government through the efforts of the committee that would make the state more prosperous by tapping into its abundant water – based resources. This

he said is inexhaustible but could be jumpstarted by a Lagos State Sponsored Kayak competition among the riverine communities of the state and the elite who are already into the sport with prize money of one million naira (N1m). In his response, the Chairman of the committee, Elliot, expressed appreciation to Akinboboye for graciously playing host to the committee and taking time to interact and share ideas with them. He assured him of the partnership of the committee and that his exposition has made the work of the committee easier even as he promised on delivery on its agenda. The committee members in the course of their overnight stay at the resort were treated to the best of the resort’s legendary hospitality culture and tradition as well as musical entertainment headlined by outstanding performances by the stars of Atunda Entertainment led by Olo Omidan Bata and Anu, Lady Ekwe as well as Adigun Olohun Iyo. Also thrown to the mix were an Africa centric fashion show on the beach front, classical boat regatta with a 15-man music ensemble, and a test run of Kayaking by enthusiastic resort guests. Lekki indigenes and celebrities like Nollywood diva, Rita Dominic and her friends were part of the joyous crowd who witnessed the enthralling moment.

Popular musician, Q-Dot, IUFC top nominees for Ikorodu Community Awards Tony Okuyeme

ave-making hip hop artiste Q-dot and a new entrant into Nigeria’s premier football league, Ikorodu United top the list of nominees for the 2016 edition of Ikorodu community awards. While Q-dot emerged from the arts and entertainment category of the awards,

Q-Dot

Ikorodu United football club made the list in the sports category. Some of the past winners of the awards, which is fast becoming Nigeria’s leading community awards include, veteran actress Sola Onayiga of the Fuji House of Commotion fame and Adebayo Salami, aka Oga Bello. Lagos legislator and majority leader of Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Ikorodu Constituency 1, Hon. SOB Agunbiade is among other notable Nigerians who are either indigenes or residents of Ikorodu and its adjoining communities who have won the award at one time or the other. In the words of ’Peju Akinyemi Abraham the screening circuit chairman of ICDA ‘our team has once again sustained its mandate of delivering what can unarguably be referred to as one of Nigeria’s most credible community awards through painstaking and research-based method of selection and shortlisting of nominees’. The for mal award presentation dinner has been slated for Saturday 30th Ap r i l , 2 0 1 6 at I ko ro d u

Ultra-moder n Town Hall. Red Car pet commences at 4p.m. Some of the guests expected at the event include, HRM Oba Kabir Adewale

Shotobi, Ayangbure of Ikorodu, who will be formally presented with the Beacon of Ikorodu award, Hon SOB Agunbiade, majority Leader, Lagos State

House of Assembly and Pastor Adebogun, founder/ proprietor Caleb International schools and Caleb University among other distinguished guests.

The Wedding Party set to premiere

bonyLife Films has announced that ‘The Wedding Party’, its latest film, will be in cinemas nationwide in December 2016. The romantic comedy written by Tosin Otudeko and directed by award-winning filmmaker and New York Film School alumnius, Kemi Adetiba. Set in Lagos, Nigeria, The Wedding Party is a riveting tale of the complexity of love. It is the story of Dunni Coker, a 24-year-old art gallery owner and only daughter of her parents about to marry the love of her life, IT entrepreneur Dozie. The couple took a vow of chastity and is looking forward to a ground-breaking first night together as

a married couple. The date has been set and the bride’s parents, who have recently enjoyed a surge in their fortunes, are going all out to make this the wedding of the century. Dunni’s about to be mother-inlaw, Obianuju is having second thoughts about allowing her son marry into a family she considers as beneath them. Between matchmaking attempts on the bridal train, a wedding planner on a mission to succeed, the unruly behaviour of some ‘village’ guests and the groom’s ex-girlfriends looking to make their mark, it is clear the Wedding Party will be the talk of the town. Will it all be too

much to bear for the bride? Or will true love stand even the most chaotic of wedding celebrations? This romantic comedy is set to tickle, challenge and resonate with moviegoers nationwide. The Wedding Party is collaboration by EbonyLife Films, FilmOne Distribution, Inkblot Productions and Koga Studios, respectively. ‘The Wedding Party’ is the second offering from EbonyLife Films after last year’s Fifty, which was adjudged “as the undisputed cinema experience of 2015 as the biggest premiere in the history of the Nigerian Movie Industry and the top grossing Nigerian film of 2015”.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

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Feminique

6 things husbands really want in a marriage (2)

Diary of a happening mom Ron runs from home

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Baruwa: Number of women in National Assembly appalling Olufunke Baruwa is a gender and development practitioner, who currently serves as the C.E.O of the Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund. After an event organized by Friendraiser Community recently, she told FEMINIQUE that government, development partners and all stakeholders need to put action to their words to achieve gender equality in Nigeria by 2030. EBERE AMEH writes

ith a vision to create a Nigeria where women and men participate equally in governance, the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF), is poised to break its previous records and help the Nigerian woman shatter every glass ceiling in sight by 2030. Under the headship of a young, vibrant and seasoned administrator, Olufunke Baruwa, all that is needed to achieve 50-50 by 2030, according to her, is for all hands to be on deck. “If we continue on the path that we are, there is nothing that is impossible to do. But the truth is government and indeed, all partners and stakeholders, need to put action to their words. We are leaving development plans for government alone and that is why we are failing. Nigeria is playing with half a team, according to Barrack Obama, and the whole world is playing with 11. That is not good enough if we want to win,” Funke noted, adding that the number of women in elective political offices is not only poor by all standards, but unacceptable. “In the national assembly right now, there is only six percent of women, which is very poor. While according to international standard, at least 30 percent of women should be in a nation’s parliament, we are still struggling with 8 women

EBERE AMEH ebere.ameh@newtelegraphonline.com

out of 109 members in the Senate and 19 women out of over 300 members in the House of Representatives. States like Abia and Kaduna have no single woman in parliament. It’s too poor.” The NWTF is an unusual coalition of government, civil society and the private sector. Set up in 2011 by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, development partners, including the UN Women and some members of the private sector, its objective is to close the gender gaps in governance at all levels. “We believe that there are not enough women in politics and leadership positions and one of the ways to reduce this gap is to begin to build the capacity of women and provide technical and financial resources for women to be able to run for political offices. “The fund is an equivalent of Emily’s List in the United States, which is basically for fundraising and grants for women who want to go into politics. It is also to help the women in terms of building capacity, lobbying skills, campaign skills, networking and constituency building and running of issue based campaigns. We want to take women away from money politics because we can’t match the men money for money, but we can run issue based campaigns,” the young CEO explained. Before now, women run for political offices only when they are close to people in power – they have godfathers or godmothers as the case may be. But Funke said that that is changing now. “There are new entrants into the political arena; women who have no godfather, and who have run campaigns successfully. Look at the KOWA party lady, even though we didn’t work with her as much as we would have wanted, she ran a competitive campaign and hers was an issue based campaign,” she said, adding that the fund is working on changing the mind-set of Nigerians. “One major thing we are doing is encouraging women that they can do Funke it. We want

we must begin to inculcate in young women the desire to want to lead. There is more to life than marrying and having children

to take away the mind-set of people that they need money before they can run for office. Successful campaign is not just about money, other things are needed too before the money part comes in. You need the technical capacity to run for office, you need to know your constituency, you need to know how to lobby, network and run a good campaign.” NWTF funded 152 women to run for various offices up to the senate in 2011. In 2014/15 however, they could only sponsor three women because of limited resources. Now the fund is working on the younger generation to get them interested in politics. “There wasn’t enough funding but we were doing other things – we are doing a lot of training, networking among other things. For instance, there is this gulf between women in political office and the younger generation. So we are working to break that gulf. Most young people under forty don’t belong to any political party, they feel it’s for the older generation. You don’t sit in the comfort of your home a n d c o m plain that governance is excluding women,” Funke said. To encourage the younger generation of women, the NWTF is doing leadership trainings, mentorship programmes for young women to participate in gover nance. According to Funke, governance is not just about r u n ning for political office, “ yo u may n o t nece s sari l y run,

but at least, have a political ideology, have something you believe in and contribute to decision making in your community and make sure that your vote counts. “We just finished a selection process for young women 1825 for mentorship programme that would run for six months. We believe that we must begin to inculcate in young women the desire to want to lead. There is more to life than marrying and having children, you must contribute something to your society. We attach a young woman to a more experienced person who can provide guidance in that path that you have chosen. It is very good because Nigeria is in dire need of good leaders, and we have people who can teach the younger generation how they overcame challenges.” Expatiating on how they carry the rural women along, she said that the mentees ensure that the knowledge cascades down to the grassroots. “Our mentees are not just going to sit down after training. Each mentee is going to train another 20 women. We started with Birmingham University in Keffi and we also did one in Bida last year. Each of the 40 mentees from each of these institutions need to train 20 other women from the communities they are in and do engagement with community leaders to bring out issues that affect the communities. “Last week we had a town hall meeting in Bida and it was well attended. They identified water as a challenge in that community and we are mobilizing young women from there to tackle the challenge. If you carry out such a project as a young woman and tomorrow you want run for councillorship do you think they won’t support you? It’s not about money, the people should have to trust in you that you have their interest at heart.” An alumna of the University of Abuja, where she graduated with a BSc in Business Administration, Funke did her MBA at the University of Nigeria Nsukka and completed further courses at the University of East Anglia and the University of York. She is renowned for her advocacy on the inclusion of females in strategic political, social and economic positions in Nigeria. Accomplished and f u l f i l l e d , F u n ke b e l i eve s that success is being happy with what one is doing; and to that extent, she a g rees she is successful.

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FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

6 things husbands really want in a marriage (2) Sex and Marriage L ast week I started on this topic, but there wasn’t enough space to finish it. I want to conclude this today for the benefit of our readers who sent me requests for the conclusion. 4. Peace at home. Most women don’t realise how important peace at home is. Imagine coming home after all the stress of the day. Your boss has been impossible on that day. You had queued at the filling station for hours and just when you were two cars away from the pump, the attendant shuts down. No more fuel. Orders from above. You don’t know if truly there’s no fuel, or they were just hoarding it. You are hungry, tired, depressed and frustrated. At the door step, without even a greeting or a welcome kiss, your wife starts complaining

about one of your neighbours. And she wants you to defend her and pick up a fight with that neighbour immediately. This is just one scenario. There are so many of them. Husbands want some few minutes at least to unwind before tackling the problems at home. Kiss him, hug him, ask about his day, give him food and drink and peace. Then you can ask him nicely when he will be free to discuss some issues. The worst women are the nags and quarrelsome ones. They are always fighting with their neighbours. If there are no neighbours to fight with, they pick on their husbands. Poor man. 5.Trust. This is a basic ingredient in a happy home. But unfortunately it is lacking in most homes. One of the most

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Dr. Taiwo Fadeyi common examples of this is the mobile phone. When you start going through your husband’s handset clandestinely, then you are exhibiting a level of mistrust which sooner than later will boomerang. Of course this also applies to us men. I have always said this. A man you cannot trust whilst courting can never make a good husband for you. When you keep on putting every action of your husband under a searchlight, then something is wrong somewhere. If you

find your husband derailing, have a heart to heart talk with him. Find out why. Don’t assume that you are innocent. Trust your husband and I’m sure it will be reciprocated. Stop listening to stories about betrayal of trust from all and sundry. In most cases, you are only hearing one side. If you trusted your husband enough to marry him, then keep it up. If betrayal seems to want to occur, then sit down and talk with him. Not to him. Better still, get a marriage counselor

to talk with both of you. 6. Respect. Woman respect your husband. As the head of the family. As the father of your children. Both privately and publicly. Even if you are the bread winner of the family. Every home has its periods of challenges. When things seem to be going upside down. Don’t allow this to be an excuse for disrespect. Don’t fight with your husband publicly. Physical or otherwise. Not even in front of your children. We men cherish respect so much, that at times, it is unbelievable. One of the hallmarks of a good home is respect. And don’t forget that your children are copycats. They will imbibe what their parents do and in most cases, these will form the bedrock of their behaviour in future. So softly, softly, o !!!

Ego: Diary of a happening mom

Ron runs from home Ebere Ameh

anny was torn between happiness and confusion when I showed him the condoms found in Ron’s room, or so I thought. Else, what could explain his uncontrollable laughter? “Darling, you must be joking,” he said with a loud laughter. “Ron having an affair? he asked no one in particular and continued with his laughter. I used to understand him but this time I was clueless what all that was about. Is he happy or angry? Does he really know the dangers of what he did? I would have said that he has been influenced by the western lifestyle but he was raised in Nigeria for crying out loud. “Danny, I don’t think this is funny. We have such a serious case in our hands and all you know to do is laugh?” I bellowed throwing the pack of condom on the floor and making angrily for the door. “Ego, Ego, come back my dear,” he called as he grabbed me back, still laughing. “Sorry I’m laughing my dear. The whole incident reminds me of my own first time. It was my mother that got me busted,” he narrated. It’s always women; you people pry a lot,” he said in between laughter not knowing I have had enough already. “When you are done, you decide whether to buy more condoms for him or take a decisive action. I wouldn’t want to pry again. For your information, there are female condoms in the market, in case you want some for Lilly.” I added as I banged the door after me. I have never been more upset with him. Trivializing serious issues in the name of civilization? Anyway, I think it dawned on him that I was neither in support nor ready for his stories. I thought it’s a serious issue and so should be

treated as such. About an hour later, he had realised the seriousness of the situation and came downstairs asking for my opinion. “It’s already late,” I responded. “Ron must have noticed that his little secret has been discovered and unsure of what we would do to him and absconded. He ...” “What!” He screamed and not ready for any other explanation from me, he dashed to Ron’s room to be sure I wasn’t pulling his legs. But do I have time for pranks? According to Lilly, Ron was in his room greater part of the afternoon ‘ransacking the whole place as if in search of something’. Just hope he doesn’t go back into drugs and crime, I don’t think I have the grace to handle that again.

If only his father had listened to me early. “We have to organize a search party and assure him that he is safe,” I thought, But Danny has a different plan. “Don’t worry yourself, he will come back sooner than later. Just pretend that nothing happened. I’ll handle it,” he advised as he picked up his phone. “Hold on baby,” I interrupted. “How do you plan to handle it? I know you can handle it adequately. As a matter of fact, you are the only one who can,” I said, looking up to gauge his countenance. “But I just want to be carried along, if you don’t mind.” He seems excited when I said ‘he is the only one that can handle it’. How can he possibly think that I will allow him to handle it alone? So that he will get more condoms for him and

the stupid boy would come and perfect his skills on my daughter? God forbid! “Actually, I want to take him out to the club and have a man to man chat with him. I want to get him to confide in me that the condoms really belong to him and if he did it or not. Then I will give him my little talk on the need to face his studies, the fact that there is time for everything and all those things mothers inundate their sons with. Is that not what you want?” he asked, smiling. “It sounds like a good idea but I’m beginning to doubt if you would say all those,” I responded with my own smile. “Else, why did you say it’s what women talk about? Anyway, I’ll continue from where you stop,” I added and made to leave but he dragged me back rather forcefully saying with a dint of anger in his voice “Don’t even dare, I can handle it!”

friday, april 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

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Nollywood belle, Mercy Aigbe-Gentry, has remained one of the most sought-after actors in the Yoruba movie industry, but beyond picking the roles, she’s unapologetically a power dresser. About her marriage, career and controversies, she speaks with LANRE ODUKOYA What is style to you? Style to me is a personal thing. It’s a way of expressing yourself, especially the way you dress. How you want to be addressed. I always say one thing; look the way you want to be addressed. Style is a way of expressing yourself. And to me it comes naturally. I have this thing about me, when I put this and this together, it turns out good and people will always compliment me for it. And to me, style is about comfort. You have to be comfortable with what you are wearing. When you’ve passed a certain age, there are certain kinds of clothes you shouldn’t be wearing. You don’t look your age. What is your beauty regime like? That’s what everybody has been saying (giggles). They say you look way younger than your age. And when a lot of people meet my daughter, they marvel and ask, ‘are you sure she is your daughter?’ And I just smile and get swollen-headed, getting all

those compliments. But as for my beauty regime, I feel I’ve been blessed. Talking about hard work, a colleague of yours said that you are one actress who loves to work even when you are heavily pregnant… The thing is that I love my job with a passion. My job makes me very happy. When I’m in front of the camera, I come alive. I’m happy when I’m working. Sometimes when I’m back home for like two weeks and I’m not back to location, I feel like, oh God! I need to go back to location. It’s just something that I derive a lot of joy from. Then aside that, I’m very hard working. I like to make my own money. There is this pride that comes with making your own money. Fine, my husband is okay and all that, but there is this joy when I’m spending my own money. And also, I like when I buy things for my kids with my personal money C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 2

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not all the time should one be hearing ‘daddy bought you this or daddy bought you that’. Some people may want to call it pride, it’s not pride. But there is this satisfaction with you making your own money.

I won’t act nude

now that the story came as a blessing in disguise. A lot of people, out of compassion, encouraged me.

So it’s true that you work till you are heavily pregnant, like eight months? No, I don’t work till I am eight months pregnant, but I think I stopped working when I was seven months and I was forced to stop working, I must tell you. My husband had to call my mother and said,” nothing bad must happen to my child o. I don’t know what your daughter is looking for! She has not asked me for anything and I said no, so I really don’t know what she’s looking for.’ He had to plead with me that, ‘sweetheart, please you need to stop working’. So I had to stop. But the truth is that I enjoyed working while pregnant because while I was pregnant, my tummy wasn’t all that big. Sometime back you had a faceoff with a popular blogger accusing you of infidelity. How did you actually feel about it and could you just clear the air about the issue? I have done that. I even took the pain of doing a video and all that. Even people were like, Mercy why did you go as far as doing a video just to clear the air? But, I tell you, we are in this society that you need to take the truth and put on the plate for people to see. And I’m a married woman; I have in-laws to answer to. I’ve got kids. I’ve got a grown-up daughter who has friends in school, who would ask her questions regarding the issue. So, I’m always very careful. I’m a mother and I wouldn’t want anything to affect my kids. A lot of people write bad things about me. A lot of people write things about you and you just let it go, but the way she coated it, it was as if she was there. She wrote it as if she was there and she saw it happen. When I first read it, I was like I’m going to let it pass. It’s one of those things; it comes with the job and all that. But when I saw that the story went viral, it was buzzing, everybody started calling me; my in-laws started calling me, asking questions. My fans were tweeting, asking me questions. The story was so damaging. People advised me to ignore her because she’s known for that. But I knew I have my name to protect. And I have my in-laws to answer to, so I needed to explain what really happened. I actually wanted to sue her, but people advised me to just leave her. It was then that I got to know that she’s not even in Nigeria. So I was like, how

Is that the worst thing that has been written about you? Yes, it is. And I don’t know where that story came from. You said recently that you wished your second marriage was actually your first. Can you shed more light on this? Yes, because I’m married to a very wonderful person and I’ve always been this kind of girl that believes that it’s how you want your life to be that’s how your life will be. I didn’t know that there is something called fate. I didn’t know that fate can actually twist your plans at the end of the day, it twisted it for good but it’s always a regret because that is not how you actually wanted it. I would have just loved to marry my present husband and have my kids, but it’s okay.

could someone call you and tell you something? You should have even called me too. So that when you write the story, you would also be reporting my own side of the story. It shouldn’t be one-sided. Someone should not just call you and tell you this and this happened and you will just go ahead and report it, without getting in contact with me or the organizers of the event. She didn’t. So I just had to come out and clear the air. Be honest, did you have any issues with your husband after the incident? I never had any issues with my husband. There is no way I could have any issues. I never had any issues with my husband before the incident and after then I never had any issues with my husband. Although, my husband was shocked at the way the person cooked up the story and he was really touched. But again, he saw it as the price to pay for marrying an actress. You said a lot of your fans wanted to know what happened. How did that make you feel? The event actually made

me know that I was loved. A lot people called me and they told me to just go ahead with my work and my family. I was touched. I got a particular call that moved me to tears because the woman was so emotional and passionate with the way she was talking. She said, “Mercy, you shouldn’t have done the video. You don’t have to explain to anybody. What is her business? I’m a married woman too and I understand. Why would you do that when you are not mad?” She went ahead to say, “When I read the story, I knew it just didn’t add up. You are a celebrity. Even if you have mental problem, there was no way you could have done that”. I can actually say

Is it true that celebrity marriages are the most difficult to sustain? How have you handled yours? The thing is that, marital problems are not peculiar to the entertainment industry. It’s everywhere. Marriages, these days, are not like those days. A lot of things that our mother took and our fathers took; we women and men of these days will not take it. So, it’s not synonymous to we entertainers. But what I have done, this is my second shot at it and I’ve taken it to God. I believe that marriage is a union ordained by God and I’ve decided to take my marriage to God so that He actually helps me. I think He’s the only one who can give me the grace because the bible says a wise woman builds her home. And that wisdom actually comes from God. It’s not easy. It takes a lot of patience and prayers. I’ve made prayer the foundation of my marriage. So I’ve just taken everything to God, and in my own little way, I’m trying to be the best woman my husband can ever wish for. We’ve seen you on English soap operas, when are you going to star in an English movie? Everybody is always asking why I am not doing English movies. But I really don’t know. Maybe it’s not yet time. It’s not that I don’t get invited by English producers, but most of the time; I’m always on location shooting. By the time they’ll give me a date, I would have been already occupied. I just believe that probably it’s not yet time because I actually started

friday, april 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

with the English movies before I moved to the Yoruba. So, I just feel it’s not yet time. And I really don’t see myself as a Yoruba actress, I see myself as a Nollywood actress. It’s just the medium that is different. I can easily go in and out. I’m a professional. I actually studied Theatre Arts in the university. You are an entrepreneur, you run your husband’s business, you produce and you act. How do you joggle all that? It’s not easy to marry these very important roles together. It’s a lot of hard work, sometimes I ask myself if I can go on because I have to spend time with my husband; I have to spend time with my children. I have a lounge; I run my husband’s hotel… But, somehow, I’m just able to do these things. But it still boils down to the fact that I have a very loving and understanding man. You see, when you have an understanding man, it makes the job easier. After you had your last child, how long did it take you to go back on set? I think when my son was two or three months. I was so bored at home. But I got myself busy going to the gym, but I couldn’t wait to get back on location. What’s the craziest thing a fan has done to you? I remember an occasion a guy came up to me and I was with my husband and he asked me to sign on his chest. I was so embarrassed. But did you sign it? No, I didn’t. I just kept laughing and laughing, I just couldn’t do it. How do you unwind? I love watching movies and taking my kids out. What was the last movie you watched? I can’t remember. When I’m home I just watch films with my kids. Among lots of roles you’ve played, what is that role that is so dear to your heart? I think it’s my movie, Osas. You ask why? That movie allowed me to actually speak my Benin language and speak the Pidgin language. I love to speak Pidgin language. And it also allowed me to speak Yoruba language. So it allowed me to speak the three languages I love so much. And Osas was the major comedy character I played. I never knew I could be funny. Yes, then I did Papa Ajasco’s wife and that was where I actually got inspired to do my movie. In acting, do you have any limitations? Yes I do, I can never act nude. And it doesn’t even come with the job. You choose to.

entertainment

friday, april 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

amous songstress, Seyi Shay, released the visuals to her hit single Pack and Go featuring Olamide off the album entitled Seyi or Shay. This is her second video released in 2016 and it was shot by prolific video director, Meji Alabi for J Films in Lagos with captivating visuals and amazing costumes. One of the most enchanting collaborations in 2016, the two leading singers

Wizkid now father of two? T hat Wizkid allegedly has a son with Binta Diamond is no more news. That matter made the rounds and he has since kept mum. Binta Diamond lashed out at Wizkid several times to take responsibility for the child’s paternity, yet to no avail. His silence has been interpreted to mean he’s ‘guilty as charged’, hence his resolve to turn down comments. But his recent Instagram post suggests he acknowledges just one child yet out of wedlock. The artiste passively gave a shout out to his son, Boluwatife, a child he had with Sola Ogudu. His words read, “Boluwatife! My everything” a witty way of rubbishing reports that he’s got another kid elsewhere.

Seyi Shay, Olamide duet in Pack and Go teamed up to make the street anthem, Pack and Go, a song to condemn horrible acts such as infidelity and domestic violence. In the video, Seyi Shay comes out showing her more crude self that fans had never got to see and Olamide puts off a show with his playful lyrics and street-wise slangs that make him everything fans love and adore. Pack and Go was produced by prolific hit maker, Pheelz.

eun, Afrobeat musician and son of late Afrobeat originator, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, has unveiled a new artiste signed to his record label, Black Haus Music. The artiste, known as ‘Juggernaut’, is the first act to be signed by the Afrobeat musician’s label. In a chat with NETGN on the record deal, Juggernaut said, “It’s been long overdue. We were supposed to have done the unveiling since 2014, but then I had a car accident in which I almost lost my life. I broke my two legs. I was trapped in the car for close to four hours before they brought me out. So, I needed a bit of time to heal properly before we commence on the project. I mean that’s what slowed us down a bit.” Juggernaut has released his first official single, Obirin Asiko with its video under Black Haus Music and he’s working on churning out some other songs in the coming weeks. Speaking on his first official single, Juggernaut stated, “I have a single out called Obirin Asiko. We just released the video for it. The song is produced by a rapper cum music producer, Jagaclyde. He’s Shan George‘s son. The video was shot by Cam World Films.”

Seun Kuti’s record label gets first sign-on

entertainment

friday, april 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Prince’s siblings suspected he’d die of drug abuse L

ate Pop icon, Prince, allegedly was a regular drug abuser, according to two of his siblings. Contrary to popular belief that the singer led a clean and healthy lifestyle, they revealed that he had a very well hidden habit. So shocking! Prince never seemed to have any history of drug or alcohol problems throughout his many years in the music business before passing away suddenly at 57. But a stunning new report claims that he regularly used cocaine and the painkiller, Percocet, and the people spilling on his alleged substance abuse are none other than his own relatives. In a mind blowing new development, Mike Padden, a former attorney to Prince’s half-sister, Lorna and stepbrother Duane, in the early 2000s, tells TMZ that the musician regularly abused both cocaine and Percocet, according to his relatives. While it’s unclear how close Lorna was with her half-brother, Duane was close enough that Prince hired him on as

his bodyguard at one point. Unfortunately, neither of them is around to corroborate Mike’s information as both of the relatives have since passed away. Duane died in 2011 and Lorna in 2006, so it’s unclear if the singer was allegedly abusing drugs in the time leading up to his April 21 death. According to the site, Mike contacted to police about the drug allegations that his former clients had provided him about the singer, and he’s since been interviewed by detectives investigating Prince’s death. However, the site notes the narrative we’ve all known that Prince lived a healthy, clean lifestyle was much more on point. They report that they have “spoken

with several people who were around Prince in the last few years of his life who say they saw no evidence of drug use, saying Prince was a ‘health nut, which is much more believable as Prince is one of the few artistes out there who was never linked to drug abuse over his decades long career in music. Prince’s own attorney shot down the drug use allegations on April 26, telling the Associated Press that “Everybody who knows Prince knows he wasn’t walking around drugged up. That’s foolish. No one ever saw Prince and said, ‘He looks high.’ It wasn’t what he was about,” L. Londell McMillan said, adding that the superstar lived a “clean and healthy lifestyle.”

Blac Chyna, Rob Kardashian expecting first baby?

Why Rihanna doesn’t think Jay Z cheated on Beyonce

R S

omething major is going down in the Kardashian compound. ‘The whole family is visiting Blac Chyna and Rob Kardashian’ after learning ‘some good news,’ a source tells HollywoodLife.com Are Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna having a baby? They went with Kim to visit her obstetrician/ gynecologist on April 26, and now the world is buzzing that the newly engaged couple may be expecting. Plus, a source tells HollywoodLife. com that the family just got “some good news” from Rob and Blac. “Kendall and Kylie went over to visit with Rob and Blac, after Blac visited Kim’s Ob/Gyn. The whole family is visiting Blac and Rob now, so they must have gotten some good news — something definitely happened! Everyone is getting along and

has been looking really happy. The younger sisters are following Kim’s lead. Kim is being very kind to Blac now that they are going to be family. Kim connected Blac with the doctor that Kim used when she was having fertility issues and having trouble getting pregnant before Saint came along,” the source spilled. As previously reported, Blac was spotted entering a gynecologist’s office on April 26. And for the past month, people have been saying that Blac may be developing a baby bump, so this visit just adds fuel to the already burning fire. And if we’re being honest, we wouldn’t be surprised to hear Blac is pregnant. It may even be the reason the family has finally accepted her into the fold. It also may be why Rob was so quick to propose in the first place.

ihanna has spoken! It was only a matter time before Rihanna’s true feelings about ‘Lemonade’ (Beyonce’s latest album) were revealed, and she loves it. But she thinks Jay Z has always been completely loyal to Beyonce. Rihanna, 28, may be the last person on earth who doesn’t think Jay Z, 46, cheated on Beyonce, 34. In fact, this whole incident is bringing back memories of her own tumultuous relationship with Chris Brown. An insider tells HollywoodLife.com exclusively. The three haven’t always been close friends since they rose to prominence, but it should come as no surprise that Rihanna feels loyalty for both Jay Z and Beyonce when it comes to the whole cheating scandal that has thrown the world into frenzy over the last few days. “Rihanna loves Beyonce and respects her as a woman, friend and an artist. The same goes for Jay Z. He’s been nothing but loyal to Rihanna over the years and a true gentleman and she thinks the fans are giving him a raw deal over Lemonade,” the source said. Well, she is right about fans going crazy over the cheating rumors. This is because ever since Beyonce dropped Lemonade, the only thing

people are asking is, who did Jay Z allegedly cheat with? So, Rihanna has good reason to be worried about Jay Z, but as the saying goes, he made his bed, now he must lie in it. The Internet has been buzzing ever since Beyonce’s HBO special on April 23. Rihanna does have a pretty tight relationship with both Beyonce and Jay Z, and if she doesn’t think he’s a cheat, then there may be some weight behind her opinions. Maybe the “Becky with the good hair” lyric was simply some form of creative expression? Either way, Rihanna is not buying into the whole cheating scandal. “She loves that man to pieces and doesn’t believe he has it in him to cheat. He’s a family man who loves his wife and that beautiful girl of his,” says the source. “Like everybody else, Rihanna’s an outsider looking in. And from her vantage point, she’d love a man like Jay Z in her life. He’s the boss of all bosses; mature, educated and very suave. She places him on a pedestal and believes he’s committed to Beyonce.” Sadly, Rihanna is probably the only one still holding onto hope. At least if the rumors are true, Beyonce and Jay have moved on and are staying strong together.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Labour Fuel scarcity: Workers, motorists doubt FG’s May deadline

Business What's news Nigeria, others in $1trn solar investment plan

Agric Climate change: FAO urges more investments in farming

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Rates Dashboard INFLATION RATE March 2016..............................12.8% February 2016...........................11.4% January 2016............................9.6%

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

EXCHANGE RATE

(BDC as at April 26)

(Interbank as at April 26)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N321 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N450 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N394

l Foreign Reserves – $27.175bn as at 26/4/2016

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N200 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N307 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N224

Source: CBN

p.28

Micro-pension: FG targets 20m Nigerians by 2019 p.28

L-R: Board Director, Premium Pension Limited, Mr. Idris Saeed; Independent Director, Mrs. Mosun BeloOlosuga; Managing Director, Mr. Wilson Ideva and Board Chairman, Mr. Aliyu Dikko, at the company’s 11th Annual General Meeting in Abuja .

Telecoms: Divergent views trail N300bn VAS market draft rule The Business Desk Ayodele Aminu

Deputy Editor (Business)

Bayo Akomolafe

Asst. Editor (Maritime)

DISSENT

VAS providers unanimously tackled the regulator on some sections of the policy draft

Sunday Ojeme

Asst. Editor (Insurance)

Tony Chukwunyem

Asst. Editor (Money Market)

Dayo Ayeyemi Property Editor

Adeola Yusuf Energy Editor

Wole Shadare Aviation Editor

Chris Ugwu

Capital Market Editor

Abdulwahab Isa Finance Editor

Taiwo Hassan

Industry, Agric & Brands Editor

Kunle Azeez

Senior Correspondent

Chuks Onuanyin Energy

Nnamdi Amadi Reporter

Johnson Adebayo

Asst Production Editor

Kunle Azeez

takeholders in the telecoms industry yesterday expressed reservations on some sections of the draft regulatory framework on value added service (VAS) prepared by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Specifically, they said more inputs were needed to make the policy holistic and realistic. Nigeria’s telecoms VAS market is currently estimated to be worth N300 billion with some 200 licensed players under the auspices of the Wireless Application Service Providers of Nigeria (WASPAN). Speaking in a presentation on the draft framework at an industry consultative forum organised

by NCC in Lagos last Wednesday, an NCC consultant, Mr. Stephen Bello, explained the key areas that have been clearly addressed by the regulator in coming out with the draft policy. Bello noted that the industry has been restructured into VAS and content developers, VAS hosting and service providers and Mobile network Operators (MNOs), adding that the aggregators would now be obtaining new licence of N10 million renewable after five years. Other areas explained by Bello, where the regulator has come up with improved interventions, include the unbundling of VAS for cost sharing, the decision for NCC to be the sole generator of short codes to the operators to be renewed yearly, blockage of any text messages without properly registered caller ID, to nip in the bud the rising wave of unsolicited SMS and unwanted mobile adverts, among others. However, VAS providers, under the auspices of WASPAN, unanimously tackled the regulator on some sections of the policy draft,

9,000 Being the number of direct jobs created by VAS operators in Nigeria

which they argued could stifle competition, disrupt the current market structure and work against national interest of local content policy. National Coordinator of WASPAN, Mr. Chijioke Ezeh, who noted that current VAS model had been in place since 2001 with periodic changes as various stages of the market expansion occurred, said they were in agreement with positive change such as the intentions of NCC proposed change to the status quo of the industry. He, however, raised concerns on how the new policy draft could hinder competition, leading to loss of jobs and be against local content policy, breed collapse of Nigeria VAS companies, unnecessary decimation of the digital industry, dearth of innovation, work against market evolution as well as constitute potential risk to national security. According to him, while the NCC’s intention was well conceived to regulate the industry, CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

business |NEWS

Telecoms: Divergent views trail N300bn VAS market draft rule CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

Ezeh noted that more time was needed to accommodate more views, especially from WASPAN, in order to have an industry-friendly policy that addresses all the various aspects of the nation’s telecoms VAS market. Ezeh said that existing VAS operators are currently creating 9,000 direct jobs and 85,000 indirect jobs in the economy. Other VAS stakeholders, including the Managing Director of CreditSwitch, Mr. Tayo Adigun and the Chief Executive Officer, L5 Lab, Mr. Chika Nwobi, harped on the justification for the N10 million licensing fee introduced by the new policy, saying that most players are smaller players, as the new fee, they said, suggest a 1000 per cent increase in licensing fee. President, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, said some provisions in the draft policy have implications for threat to new investments, market upheaval, impacts on job creation and economic growth, national security concerns and legal liability issues. The NCC subsequently gave stakeholders the next three weeks to make available to the Commission more inputs with a view to addressing all the issues raised by the stakeholders in final policy document. Speaking earlier, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof Umar Danbatta, said the purpose of the gathering was to reflect on the draft regulatory framework for the provision of VAS in Nigeria was another demonstration of the Commission’s commitment to its auspicious eight-point agenda unveiled early in the year to further develop the industry. He said the Commission had noted that except it was determined to develop and encourage quality local content in Nigeria by rewarding content developers, who are the major players in the VAS segment of the industry, the NCC’s vision would be obstructed. He maintained that the regulatory framework, when finalised, will complement the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2013 and the respective licences issued by the Commission in providing guiding principles, standards and protocols for the VAS operation of the industry. “It is to ensure that we are consistent in our adherence to international best practices for which we are notable, while taking into consideration the peculiar realities of our operating environment,” he said.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Nigeria, others in $1trn solar investment plan EMPLOYMENT 10,000 jobs are expected from solar energy investment in Nigeria

Bayo Akomolafe

igeria and 24 other countries have agreed to raise $1 trillion around the world for solar technologies. Already, a Korean firm, HQMC Korea Company Limited, has indicated interest to invest $30 billion to build 10,000 megawatts solar power plant in Nigeria.

Also, a Canadian power firm, SkyPower, has agreed to invest $5 billion on solar energy projects, in developing a 3000MW solar-powered electricity facility in the country. Other countries in the solar energy investment plans are: Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Peru, Bolivia, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and the United States, France and India. The group has already formed an International Solar Alliance (ISA), which was formally launched at a summit in 2015 in Paris by the Indian and French governments. It was learnt that about 10,000 jobs would be generated if the Nigeria project takes

off, while $1.8 billion would be generated annually from the projects. Also, ISA had pledged to work with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to explore areas for co-operation to promote solar technologies. It also set out a goal to accelerate massive deployment of solar energy at various scales and embark on concerted action to better harmonise and aggregate demand for solar projects. At a meeting in New York this week, ISA said that it would co-operate to lower the cost of finance and facilitate the flow of over $1 trillion investment in solar assets in

member countries. It also agreed to accelerate the deployment of mature solar technologies and undertake collaborative R&D to increase the number of solar applications available and improve the integration of solar power into national energy systems. Recently, the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, signed solar power projects agreement with United Kingdom Gover nment/DFID and French Solar Powerhouse, Vergnet to ensure adequate power supply in the country. Besides, Nigeria has set National Renewable energy policy to ensure 20 per cent by 2020, 40 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2040.

L-R: President, Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria, Mr. Lanre Ajayi and Public Relations Manager, Startimes, Mr. Israel Bolaji, at the presention of an award to Startimes during the 2016 Beacon of Information and Communication Technology (BoICT) awards gala... in Lagos.

Micro-pension: FG targets 20m Nigerians by 2019 ASSETS The Contributory Pension Scheme currently has an asset of over N5 trillion with about 6.5 million registered workers Sunday Ojeme

he move by the Federal Government to incorporate more Nigerians into the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) through micro-pension has been designed to capture 20 million individuals by 2019. The figure is also expected to grow by another 50 per cent to 30 million by 2024. A report by the National Pension Commission (PenCom) described the micropension scheme as a longterm voluntary financial plan for the provision of pension and coverage to self-employed

persons. The reviewed Pension Reform Act (PRA) 2014 expanded coverage of the CPS to selfemployed and persons working in organisations with less than three employees. The report said as this category of workers constituted the larger percentage of the working population in the country, there is no doubt that to achieve the Pension Industry strategic objective of covering 30 per cent of the working population under the CPS by the end of 2024, all efforts were being put in place to extend coverage to this segment of the Nigerian economy. According to the DirectorGeneral of PenCom, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, the Federal Government plans to bring over 50 million workers in the informal sector into the CPS, using the micro pension initiative. She projected that at least 20 million informal sector workers would be brought

into the scheme in the next four years, adding that necessary arrangements were being put in place to ensure a smooth take off of the scheme later this year. Although the guideline for the scheme is still being designed, the commission, however, revealed that it would have some flexibility that is different from how the current scheme works. It added that due to their widely dispersed nature and generally low and irregular incomes, there is need to provide a pension plan that would meet their special characteristics. She said: “In implementing the initiative, the informal sector has been segmented into three broad categories, the low income earners, the high income earners and the Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs). “Each of these categories is going to be targeted with appropriate pension

products and sensitisation programmes that meet their peculiarities. Part of the benefits of the scheme to self-employed persons and informal sector workers include the cover provided under the Pension Protection Fund (PPF). “Due to their widely dispersed nature and generally low and irregular incomes, there is need to provide a pension plan that would meet their special characteristics. “In this regard, the micropension plan initiative has been conceived within the context of an industry-wide strategy to bring this class of workers on board. “However, it is evident that a robust technological platform that would support the provision of customer services is necessary to effectively and efficiently register, collect contributions, provide retirement savings account support, pay benefits and provide financial advisory services to this class of workers.”

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

QUEUES Queues have failed to disappear in places like Abuja and Lagos where the Federal Government promised to tackle in two weeks

labour Fuel scarcity: Workers, motorists doubt FG’s May deadline

Sunday Ojeme

ith just two days left to the end of April, Nigerians are beginning to doubt the May deadline which the Federal Government gave to end the lingering fuel scarcity across the country. The current disbelief, according to a cross section of civil servants, artisans and business owners, stems from the fact that there has not been a substantial change to indicate that the situation would be different in the next two weeks. The petrol scarcity, which has lingered for about three months, has affected other aspects of the economy, as most businesses have remained grounded while cost of transportation and food items has increased by 100 per cent or more depending on the location. With the product still selling for N100 and above in most filling stations and N200 or more at the black market even a few days to the month of May, those who spoke with New Telegraph said it was an indication that Nigerians would still have to wait longer for the situation to normalise. In a chat with our correspondent, a metal fabricator, Mr. Saliu Jimoh, expressed hopelessness, saying he had decided to keep faith in black market to get petrol to power his generator. According to him, the Federal Government is becoming unreliable by the day, as it has failed to deliver on any promise made to the people. “When this scarcity started we all thought it would be over

Head, Media & Communications, Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of The Earth, Nigeria, Mr. Philip Jackpor (left) , with Deputy Director, Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi, at a media conference on: Nigeria Should Make British American Tobacco (BAT) Pay in Lagos PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

in a few days or weeks but it is over three months and government appears not to be in control of the situation. “The other time, the minister said it would end in May, when people shouted he now gave two weeks but the two weeks, had long passed. The way I am seeing things now, even the May he promised appears impossible. “I can’t stop working. I have children to feed and I have to pay school fees as well. Now I rely solely on black market to buy at N180 and above to enable me please my customers,” he said. Also decrying the state of affairs, a civil servant with the Lagos State Government, Mr Oyediran Taiwo, said the prevailing situation was making Nigerians rethink the ability of President Muhammadu Buhari to tackle the problems in the country. He said apart from the fact

ILO laments workplace death among workers

irector of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) HIV/AIDS and the World of Work Branch (ILOAIDS), Alice Ouédraogo, has advised on the scaling up of preventive measures in the workplace to ensure a safe and healthy environment. Ouédraogo, who addressed the plenary session of the second AllRussia Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Week in Sochi, said in a statement, that the best way to ensure a safe and healthy working environment was to take action before accidents or illnesses occur. She acknowledged that every 15 seconds a worker died from a work-related accident or disease at the global level. According to her, every year, more than 2.3 million workers

die at work, while another 317 million suffer from work-related accidents. The economic burden of poor OSH practices in workplaces has been estimated to represent four per cent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) each year. “To take action and ensure a safe and healthy working environment, will positively influence enterprises and economies. Any cost spent to make the working environment safe and healthy should be seen as an investment rather than an expenditure,” she said. The ILO has adopted more than 40 international labour conventions and recommendations specifically dealing with occupational safety and health, as well as over 40 codes of practice.

that the president had reneged on some promises made during his campaign, the petrol scarcity has further highlighted his inability to tackle certain complex issues. Taiwo, who lamented the sudden increase in transportation fair to and

from work on a daily basis, advised those in power to resolve the situation with speed, as civil servants and other employees remain the most affected. He said: “Imagine you have to go to work everyday under this situation. Nothing has been added

to your salary yet everything from household needs to transportation has gone up. Even before the increase the salary was barely enough to cover most needs. “The president should do something fast. We all thought by now the gradu-

Labour hails Buhari on salary payment

he Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for paying the salaries of federal civil servants promptly. The association in a statement, also enjoined him to ensure that promotion arrears and other allowances owed federal employees were settled in good time. It will be recalled that for some months now, payment of salaries of federal workers was delayed and that prompted President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) to ensure that salaries were paid by the 24th or 25th of every month. The ASCSN President,

Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, and the Secretary-General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, expressed joy that the OAGF carried out the directive of Mr. President as April 2016 salaries of federal officers had been paid. The Union said: ‘‘We commend Mr. President for this directive and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation for carrying it out. “It is our hope that the OAGF has put necessary machinery in place to sustain the payment schedule and not to relapse to the old ways after few months”. The ASCSN posited that early payment of salaries would boost the morale of federal employees and ginger them to improve their

productivity. It, therefore, urged the state governments to emulate the Federal Government on early payment of salaries to their workers. The ASCSN also urged President Buhari to ensure that outstanding salaries, promotion arrears and other allowances owed Federal workers and captured in the 2016 Budget were paid as soon as it is signed into law. It emphasised the need for Mr. President to prevail on the federal lawmakers not to remove the vote meant for the settlement of these outstanding benefits to workers from the budget because if that happened, it is the Presidency that would be blamed by Nigerians.

CIPM to axe inactive HR practitioners

he Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) Nigeria has finalised move to deregister 10, 000 Human Resource (HR) practitioners over their inactive membership of the institute and non-payment of mandatory dues. At the 47th general meeting in Lagos, the President of the institute, Anthony Arabome, in a statement, said that the governing

council had given approval that defaulting members be delisted by October 31, 2016. He said though membership had seen significant improvement in the last one year, there was need to keep the number active and relevant. The president pointed out that the CIPM was concerned about the huge numbers involved, adding that the factors responsible for 81 per cent of its registered

members being inactive were under focus. “We are beginning to gather data to understand why that is the case. Although our dues are not exorbitant but the micro-economic issues in the country with salaries not being paid, increased level of poverty and difficulty means that people are going to prioritise other things — food, rents, school fees and so on — over our membership dues.

28 DROUGHT Nearly 80 per cent of the extreme poor and hungry people live in rural areas

Taiwo Hassan

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

agric

Climate change: FAO urges more investments in farming

part from reducing poverty and hunger, agriculture can play a crucial role in making the response to climate change responsible and more effective, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), has said. FAO’s Deputy DirectorGeneral for Natural Resources, Helena Semedo, who disclosed this, noted that rural poor and smallholder farmers are among hardest hit by climate change, Semedo, who spoke during a high-level thematic debate on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States, said that agriculture can help reduce the impact of climate change, thus fostering resilience among communities. She said that agriculture was one of the main sectors of the economy that is severely affected by climate change, adding that the recent El Niño phenomenon is a testimony to that. The FAO Deputy-Director General reiterated the crucial role of family farmers in poverty and hunger eradication, adding that poverty and hunger have similar causes and are often bound together - and must therefore be tackled to-

L-R: Patron, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Lagos State chapter, Otunba Demola Fashola; Chairman, Lagos State chapter, Otunba Femi Oke; Chairman, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Agric and Agro Allied Group, Mr Deola Elliot and Chief Executive Officer, Abeke Farms, Mr Lekan Okanlawon, at the 1st International Agriculture Fair, in Lagos PHOTO: NAN

gether. Her words: “Support to end extreme poverty, hunger and all other forms of malnutrition by 2030 - the key of SDGs 1 and 2. “Nearly 80 per cent of the extreme poor and hungry people live in rural areas, so let’s empower rural actors, small holders, rural women, youth,

FG to donate 50 farm stretchers to Kebbi farmers Caleb Onwe Abuja

he Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) has concluded plans to donate 50 farm stretchers to boost rice production in Kebbi State. Disclosing this in Abuja, the minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh told the Deputy Governor of Kebbi State, Col. Samaila Yombe Dabhi (Rtd) who was on a courtesy visit, that he was impressed by what he saw on ground when he was in Kebbi State recently. Audu also congratulated the government and farmers in Kebbi for their consistency in agriculture, resulting into production of about 10 million tons of rice, thereby boosting the country’s determination to be self-sufficient in rice production. The Minister said stakeholders should involve companies with the machinery and capacity to process and covert rice and wheat chaff into livestock feeds.

He gave assurance that the government will support such initiatives with funds. Speaking further, the Minister expressed concern for farmers’ good yield, suggesting cooperation with boarder countries of Niger to crush cross boarder birds that destroys farms in Kebbi. He said a system shall be designed to check this menace. Also, he advised the Kebbi government to produce and distribute large farming hats to shield farmers from the hot afternoon sun, chemical respirators and shade canopy, which he said will encourage farmers to produce more. The Deputy Governor, Col. Samaila Yombe Dabhi (Rtd), while appreciating the Minister for his visit to Kebbi State, affirmed that such visit were required to boost the morale of the farmers, who needs to be assured frequently that their efforts in promoting food security were being appreciated by the government.

and indigenous peoples in our collective action.” Some 175 countries signed the historic accord - agreed last December in the French capital - at a ceremony at UN headquarters hosted by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The Agreement recognises “the fundamental priority of safeguarding food security

and ending hunger, and the particular vulnerabilities of food production systems to the impacts of climate change”. It also highlights the need to “increase the ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and foster climate resilience (...) in a manner that does not threaten food production.”

The support for the agreement according to FAO comes at a time when some 60 million people around the world are being affected by the El Niño climate event. The agency noted that it is important to note that the rural poor and small holder farmers are severely affected by climate change threats.

Wheat stakeholders in crucial talk on price

Taiwo Hassan

takeholders in the wheat value chains have converged on Abuja to discuss and agree on the price the farmers would get for their wheat, as the harvesting of 2015/2016 wheat season comes to a close. At the meeting, convened by the Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI), under the directive of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, a minimum price favourable to the farmers and millers was considered. Although, the millers according to a statement, seemed to have yielded ground and expressed readiness to pay the minimum suggested by the farmers’ representatives, they nonethe-less asked the farmers ‘ representatives to consider lowering the price a little lower to allow the millers reduce their losses. At the meeting, after a fairly long debate among

key value chain leaders, the discussants according to the statement, realised the need to act fast and fix a price for this season’s wheat. The millers argued that they presently import wheat at nearly half the price the farmers are asking for, while the farmers made a point about their cost of production and the fact that some farmers are under temptation to sell of their wheat harvests in the open market where it presently commands a higher price. The risk, however, was that the market price would drop significantly when harvested wheat floods the market. The Executive Director of LCRI, Dr. Gbenga Olabanji, urged both parties to avoid discouraging farmers from future wheat production through a present low value offer. For the first time, the stakeholders were discussing on how to bulk wheat for ease of transportation by

off-takers (millers), while it was also recognised that the farmers needed to be sensitised on why they needed to sell to bulk buyers (millers). While it was gathered that some middle men buyers were offering too unrealistically high price to some farmers so as to mop up what has been harvested, the farmers were advised to guard against falling into a trap with such deals that might not be sustainable. It was argued that Nigerian wheat competes favourably with foreign wheat in terms of nutritional values. The meeting, which ended with the producers and the millers still discussing, was regarded as a good platform for boosting Nigerian wheat. Other details emanating from the meeting addressed financing, how to produce seeds and make them available to the farmers ahead of next planting season and extension services to help farmers produce and obtain greater yields.

businesS \ agric

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Elumelu urges African leaders to prioritise agriculture DEVELOPMENT 6.3bn people will live in urban cities by 2050 Taiwo Hassan

hairman of Heirs Holdings, the United Bank for Africa and Founder of The Tony Elumelu Foundation, Tony Elumelu, has called on African governments and donors to treat the continent’s agricultural sector as a commercially viable sector with a potential to create millions of jobs and dollars in revenue. Elumelu said this while delivering the keynote address to agribusiness investors and stakeholders at The Global Food Security Symposium in Washington, DC. In a statement, he said agriculture should not be seen as a social welfare programme, rather African farmers should be treated as entrepreneurs as governments create the enabling environment for MSMEs to access finance. Organised by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the event, which gathered a

host of multi-disciplinary stakeholders in agriculture and food business, including Elumelu - a member of The Aspen Institute Global Food Security Strategy Group - presented a platform to discuss transformations in the global food system necessary to feed growing cities, said the statement. Speaking from an African standpoint, Elumelu advocat-

ed for public and private sector collaboration, recommending the adoption of an Africapitalist approach to achieve the transformation and growth needed to meet the increasing demand for safe and sustainable food. Africapitalism promotes the private sector’s commitment to Africa’s development through long-term investment in strategic sectors of the economy that

creates economic prosperity and social wealth. He said: “If the public and private sector work together in shared purpose, we will be able to retain the desired knowledge and manpower in rural areas in order to support agriculture. We will also be able to control the rate of urbanisation, because we would have made it possible for our young people to earn a good liv-

ing and grow their businesses right where they were born and raised as agro-allied entrepreneurs”. On the private sector responsibilities, he advocated for large investments that promote mechanised farming and processing as well as capital to partner with the government to provide key infrastructure supportive of sustained growth in the agriculture sector.

A farmer at work

Curbing sub-Saharan Africa’s malnutrition crisis Malnutrition threat Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest level of food insecurity in the world. An estimated 220 million people lack adequate nutrition. The nature of the problem is shifting rapidly; with overweight status and obesity emerging as new forms of food insecurity while malnutrition persists. But continental policy responses do not address this changing reality. Food insecurity is the outcome of being too poor to grow or buy food. But it’s not just any food. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation’s definition, people need: ... Sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life”. Current policy focuses on alleviating under nutrition through increased production and access to food. It does not focus on the systemic issues that inform the food choices people make. This may result in worsening food insecurity in the region. The thinking around food security in Africa is stuck, even though there are calls for a more nuanced understanding of the problem. The common thought is that the food insecure is poor, hungry people who don’t have the means to grow or buy enough food. The other misconception is that obese people are overweight or unhealthy because of what they eat; that they are at fault for making bad choices.

This leads us to believe that people need nutrition education to help them make better choices, and that they deserve a healthy portion of blame if they make poor ones. Both understandings are wrong. Food insecurity is driven by the economics and the geographies of the food system. Obesity epidemic In the region, 33 per cent of adults are overweight and a further 11 per cent are obese. The levels of diet-related non-communicable diseases are rising as a result of rapid urbanisation, the urbanisation of poverty and rapidly changing food systems. Obesity affects both rich and poor people. In the developed world, obesity rates are levelling off. But they continue to climb in the developing world. This has significant developmental outcomes. In 2010, overweight status and obesity caused about 3.4 million deaths, 3.9 per cent of years of life lost and 3.8 per cent of disability-adjusted life-years - a calculation of the number of years of life lost to ill health, disability or early death. Obesity rates have not doubled and tripled in recent decades because people have spontaneously and collectively started to make bad food choices. The poor eat badly because it makes economic sense for them to do so. South Africa’s food system, for example, is one in which corporate power is concentrated. “Big Food”

dominates the system - large commercial entities that control the food market. The South African experience mirrors global trends in which food markets have been deregulated and liberalised. For example, the liberalisation of trade has opened up imports of highly processed, cheap food, and large private companies that sell highly processed foods are able to exert pressure on national governments. This has handed power over nutrition to food processors and retailers. Healthier alternatives like low-fat foods are generally more expensive than less healthy options because they are “value padded” with sugars and refined carbohydrates. At the same time, the price of fresh produce has increased at a faster rate than that of processed foods. This economic logic is reinforced by marketing and advertising that sends conflicting health messages. For example, soft drink companies or fastfood chains associate themselves with sports events and healthy lifestyles; and schools advocate healthy eating but also have onsite tuck shops that sell junk food. Poor people also have limited access to storage and refrigeration, which affects their options. Responding to malnutrition crisis Blaming the poor for a logical response to a systemic problem is not helping the situation, and nutrition education alone will not change what people eat. Governments must shift their attention from the individual to the system when considering why people eat what they eat.

Governments must also consider the effects when good food policy is overridden by economic growth imperatives that support a food system dominated by highly processed foods. South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan recently announced that the country will implement a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages from 2017. The sugar industry argues that this will harm businesses and negatively affect the poor. It is, in part, correct. Regulation of unhealthy foods without corresponding incentivisation of healthier foods is regressive. Likewise, if issues like access, storage, refrigeration and transport are not addressed,

efforts to moderate food choice through pricing will only be an additional tax on the poor. It will not remedy food insecurity of either kind. Food insecurity in Africa needs to be understood in the context of the wider food system, as well as in the way that food connects to economic and other practices. There needs to be a radical reconfiguration of food security policy that moves away from focusing on production and household poverty alleviation to consider the nature and dynamics of the food system. Failure to do so will simply accelerate the transition from one form of food insecurity to another. *Culled from the FAO site

Nestle builds N5.7bn water factory

estle says it has built a state-of-the-art water factory valued at N5.7 billion. The project, according to a statement by the firm, was made possible through a loan provided by the Bank of Industry (BOI) and guaranteed by the First City Monument Bank. The new factory, according to the firm, occupies 14.13 hectares of land with a potential for future expansion. The statement quoted the Executive Director, Business Development, FCMB, Mr. Adam Nuru, as saying that the FCMB’s involvement in the project was another demonstration of its drive to enhance living conditions and contribute actively to the development of the country in spite of the economic challenges confronting the nation. He said, “Apart from the business inclination of this land-

mark project, we are proud to be part of the venture, especially because it leans towards one of our core pillars, which is environmental sustainability. “Water is a major component of human and industrial needs. Being a scarce resource, the challenge of providing clean and safe water as well as conserving our shared scarce resources should be a collective effort. We are optimistic that our support to Nestle on this project would increase access to safe water supply, stimulate job creation and subsequently aid socio-economic development.” Nuru noted that Nestle’s latest investment in Nigeria was a reaffirmation of the nation’s broadbased economic opportunities, wide flexibility and friendliness offered to both local and foreign investors.

30 OVERHAULING

Environment Watch

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Experts seek review of water supply and sanitation laws in the state

L-R: Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Achim Steiner, World Bank’s vice president and special envoy for climate change, Rachel Kyte: and Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, during the signing of the historic Paris Climate Change Agreement in New York last week.

Dayo Ayeyemi

he Federal Government should dialogue with the Cameroonian government on how the two countries can mutually benefit from River Benue, civil society organisations (CSOs) based in Adamawa State in North East Nigeria have advised. They made this call after a three-day capacity building workshop at the weekend in Yola. The CSOs lamented that the construction of the Lagdo Dam on the River Benue in Cameroon had almost dried up water flow into Nigeria, particularly affecting raw water intake by the Adamawa State Water Board (ASWB). Several years ago, during heavy rainfall, water released from the dam was said to have been responsible for the extensive and devastating flooding experienced in Nigeria, prompting the call for the nation to build a corresponding dam that will receive the shock and cushion the flow of such release of water into Nigeria in the future. In a communiqué, officials of Adamawa State Ministry of Water Resources with the support of the European Union Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Programme Phase III (WSSSRP III) came up with far reaching decisions on the way forward to develop the water supply and sanitation sector in the state. They called for a review of water supply and sanitation laws in the state in order to strengthen

CSOs urge Nigeria, Cameroon to dialogue on Benue River the operations of the WASH service providers, regulators and policy formulators for optimal performance. The participants noted: “Several challenges facing the sector are best resolved by the state government. We therefore call on the government to prioritise the WASH sector through increased funding, and programmed implementation”. They pointed out that the Adamawa State Water Board needed to be adequately funded and granted increased administrative and financial autonomy to enable it effectively deliver its mandate. The Adamawa State Government and the local governments in the state were requested to create a

Earth Day: NCF tasks Nigerians on tree planting

irector General, Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), Mr. Adeniyi Karunwi, has urged Nigerians to engage in activities that will enhance the quality and longevity of the environment. The director-general made this call in commemoration of Earth Day 2016. He noted that exploitation of earth’s resources had brought about a shift from moderate to extreme climate conditions. He war ned that mankind would face serious consequences if unsustainable extraction activities should continue on the planet, noting that the magnitude of a depraved planet was here already. Karunwi said the theme of this year’s Earth Day, “Trees for the Earth,” could not have come at a better time than now as people globally now knew the role trees play in remediating the microclimate and mitigating climate change as well as value addition to property and other health benefits.

To this end, he affirmed the NCF’s commitment to creating a healthier and sustainable planet, as the Foundation supports activities geared toward restoring and rehabilitating degraded forestlands such as the Earth Day’s goal of planting at least 12 million trees on or before the 50th anniversary of the event that was launched on April 22, 1970. He said: “In NCF, we share in the vision of creating a healthier and sustainable planet and we are therefore on course to restoring and rehabilitating the marginal and degraded forestlands across our national landscape to the once lush vegetation cover.” He said the commemoration was an avenue for everyone to exercise love for the planet through planting of trees. April 22 of every year is dedicated to the observance of Earth Day with the aim of channeling useful energy towards environmental conservation.

budget line for financing sanitation programmes. They added: “Regulatory structures should be established for monitoring service standards particularly water quality. There should be increased synergy between the civil society and state actors for effective

development of the WASH sector. “The WSSSRP III should launch the CSO grant component of the programme without further delay. Adamawa State Water Board should introduce water safety plans to ensure the consumers have access to safe drinking water.”

Community leaders seek execution of Ogoni report Dayo Ayeyemi

orried by the delay in the implementation of United Nations on Environment Programmes (UNEP) recommendations on Ogoni clean-up, community leaders and activists have intensified calls for the immediate execution of the document to end environmental degradation in the area. Lamenting the delay, they said in a statement that the damage done to the environmental in the locality had taken a toll on plants, aquatic life and flora and fauna in Ogoni land. An Ogoni activist, Mr. Dum Syl Amainikpo, who spearheaded the call in Port Harcourt, River State during a forum tagged, “Environmental Parliament on Non-Implementation of UNEP Report”, said the community anticipated the clean-up. The forum was organised by the Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/ FoEN). Executive Director of ERA/ FoEN, Dr Uyi Ojo, stated that based on strong evidence contained in the 2011 UNEP report recommendations, there was monumental damage done to the environment in the past 50 years. He said the plight of the Ogonis has worsened with monumental pollution of water sources with potentially carcinogenic substances and soil contamination up to the depth of five meters. These, he said, had resulted in poor wealth conditions, lowering farm yields and fish catch

depletion that has combined to make life more difficult for the Ogonis. He said: “The Ogoni environment has been ruined by the Shell Oil Company operations over the years, and that communities constitute sites of ecological crime against the people and their environment, is no longer news.” Ojo faulted the Federal Government for not putting in place the much-needed institutional framework to either drive the process or inaugurate the proposed governing board. He expressed displeasure over the absence of a realistic timetable and dateline of commencement of Ogoni land. Another activist, Young Kigbara, narrated how he suffered as a result of environmental degradation in the Ogoni land, adding that it was on record that people were dying as a result of pollution. He expressed doubt over Federal Government’s political will to deliver the Ogoni clean-up project. Kigbara said: “Almost a year now we have people in government who told us that we are going to do this in less than no time but there hasn’t been a match of that promise with action.” On his part, the Executive Director of Lokiaka Development Centre, Martha Agbani, said the government was supposed to commence with serious consultation with the people”. She said: “It shouldn’t be the kind of top of bottom approach.” Agbani also advocated an all-inclusive broad consultation, calling for a review of the UNEP Report.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

AutoBeat Ford provides tips on how to drive safely during heavy rainfall Paul Ogbuokiri

igeria is known for its hot climate. If there’s one thing you can count on, it is knowing that temperatures rarely drop below 20 degrees and the forecast will generally be bright. However, during the rainy season these high temperatures result in heavy rainfall, making driving conditions difficult. Getting to your destination thus becomes a challenge during Nigeria’s wet months. That’s why Ford Motor Company wants to make sure that drivers are alert and safe by offering some essential tips for wet weather driving. Slow Down: The first thing you should do is slow down when roads are wet. This will give you more control and more time to react. You will need both, because when it’s raining, the road becomes slippery and visibility is limited. T h e Start of the Storm Can Be Dangerous: When the first rains of the season fall moisture mixes with the oil build up on the road and makes surfaces slippery and dangerous. Heavy rains will eventually wash the oil away—but that’s when you have to worry about hydroplaning. That happens when your car loses contact with the road and skids on the layers of water and almost feels as though it’s floating. Hydroplaning? If you find yourself hydroplaning, keep calm. Avoid going into an uncontrolled skid by slowing down, turning off cruise control and avoiding sudden braking and turns. You’re more likely to hydroplane on nongrooved asphalt roads than ribbed concrete - particularly if there are tyre ruts worn into the asphalt. Also avoid any areas on the road where deeper water collects. Rolling in the Deep: Do not drive in areas that are flooded

or have moving water. Deep water can wreak havoc on your electrical system and engine. As little as a foot of water can cause some vehicles to float, and two feet of rushing water can sweep vehicles away, including SUVs and pick-ups. Turn on Your Headlights: With heavy rain come dark skies, so turn on your headlights. But don’t use your high beams, the extra light can refract against the droplets and distract drivers. Flip on Defrosters and Set AC to Fresh Air: Switch on your defrosters to reduce fog, and set your air conditioner or heater to the fresh-air setting instead

of recirculating the air in the car. Keep Your Distance: The spray from trucks or large vehicles can obscure your vision, so keep your distance or try to pass them if you have a safe opportunity. Head for Higher Ground: Look for higher paths to drive on. And if it gets too harsh out there, don’t take risks: Find a safe place to pull

over on higher ground - away from tall, isolated trees and poles in case there’s lightning — and wait for the rain to pass. Be Prepared: Make sure you are ready for rainy conditions before the season starts. Check that your headlamps, wiper blades, brakes and tyres are always properly maintained

and in working order. By keeping these tips in mind, drivers can make sure they are well prepared to handle rainy conditions and ensure that the added risks that wet weather brings are minimised. Ford wishes all drivers many safe miles on the road this rainy season.

2016 Ford Explorer

Volkswagen Group delivers 2.5m vehicles Q1 2016

eliveries by the Volkswagen Group rose by 0.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2016. The Group handed over 2.5 million vehicles to customers from January to March 2016. At 967,100 units, Group deliveries in March almost matched the prior-year level. “There was a solid growth in the Europe and Asia-Pacific regions in the first quarter of 2016. The Group recorded its best start to the year in China since entering the market there”, Fred Kappler, Head of

Group Sales at Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, said. The Volkswagen Group delivered 447,600 new vehicles to customers in Europe in March, an increase of 2.7 per cent compared with the previous year. While developments in Western Europe (+1.9 per cent) were positive, there was a slight decrease on the home market of Germany (-2.5 per cent). Momentum in France, Italy and Spain was particularly strong. The markets in Central and Eastern Europe

also recorded strong growth in this period (+8.8 per cent), but the continued tense situation in Russia (-3.3 per cent) had an impact. The company handed over 201,500 vehicles to customers in the North America region in the first quarter. 49,900 new vehicles (-3.7 per cent) were delivered in the USA, the region’s largest single market, in March. 40,000 vehicles were handed over to customers in the South America region in the same month, of which 26,000 were

delivered in Brazil where the market decline continued as a result of the macroeconomic situation in the country. The Asia-Pacific region recorded solid growth in the first quarter. Vehicle deliveries in the region during this period rose overall by 4.3 percent to 1,045,400 units. 955,500 vehicles were handed over to customers in China in the first quarter, representing an increase of 6.4 per cent compared with the prior year. A total of 328,000 vehicles were delivered in March.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

EXHORTATION “EVERY SOUL WILL TASTE DEATH. YOU WILL BE PAID YOUR WAGES IN FULL ON THE DAY OF RISING. ANYONE WHO IS DISTANCED FROM THE FIRE AND ADMITTED TO THE GARDEN, HAS TRIUMPHED. THE LIFE OF THIS WORLD IS ONLY THE ENJOYMENT OF DELUSION.” (QURAN 3:185)

Islam

22 Rajab, 1437

UNDERSTAND YOUR FAITH Visiting fortunetellers and Islam QUESTION What is the position of Islam on visiting fortune-tellers? ANSWER

Islam has taken a strong position against visitation of fortune tellers and the art of fortunetelling. The Islamic ruling with regard to a Muslim who visits a fortuneteller and believes what he (the fortuneteller) tells him or believes that the fortuneteller knows the unseen and the future, is that it is kufr (disbelief), according to the scholars. They based their evidence on the saying of Allah: “With Him are the Keys of the Ghayb (unseen); none knows them but He.”(Qur’an 6:59). Allah also told Prophet Muhammad (saw): “Say! I have no power to bring good to myself nor avert harm but it is only as Allah wills. If it were that I knew the unseen, I would have multiplied the good and no evil would have touched me.” (Qur’an 7: 188). Allah also said: “Say! None in the heavens nor the earth knows the unseen except Allah.” (Qur’an 27:65) There are many similar verses in some other chapters of the holy book. But Allah, in some of the verses, said he revealed some of the knowledge of unseen to His chosen Prophets and Messengers in order to preach His message to the people. Abu Hurayrah and al-Hassan bin ‘Aliy (as) both reported from Prophet Muhammad (saw) that he said, “Whosoever approaches a fortuneteller and believes what he says, he has disbelieved in what had been revealed to Muhammad” (Ahmad). This is because such a belief assigns to creation some of the attributes of Allah with regard to the knowledge of the unseen and the future. Islam also opposes any form of association with those who practice fortunetelling, except may be to advise them to give up their forbidden trade. The prophet was reported by one of his wives, Hafsah bint Umar (May Allah be pleased with them), as saying, “The sallah of whoever approaches a fortuneteller and asks him about anything will not be accepted for 40 days and nights.” (Muslim) The scholars said the punishment stated in this hadith is simply for approaching a fortuneteller and asking him/her out of curiosity. But believing him/her amounts to disbelief in Islam. The above hadith is further supported by another hadith reported by Mu’awiyyah Ibn al-Hakam as-Sulamee in which he said: “O Messenger of Allah, verily there are some people among us who visit oracles.” The prophet replied: “Do not go to them.” (Muslim) The Islamic scholars said there is prohibition on visiting the fortuneteller because it is the first step to belief in fortunetelling. For instance, if one went to him doubtful about the truthfulness of his predictions, and some of the predictions later come true, one may become a true devotee of the fortuneteller and a believer in fortunetelling.

L-R: Chairman, Board of Trustees, Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN), Prince Bola Ajibola; President, Alhaji Sakariyau Babalola and Executive Secretary, Prof. Dawud Noibi at the 2nd General Assembly of Muswen in Ibadan …yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

South West Muslims demand respites for hardship, insecurity in Nigeria FORUM MUSWEN mulls establishment of Muslim Elders’ Forum

Adeola Yusuf

he umbrella body for all State Muslim Councils, communities and organizations in the Southwest of Nigeria, Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN), has demanded respites for the economic hardship and insecurity in Nigeria. In a Communiqué issued at the end of the group’s second General Assembly MUSWEN held at the International Conference centre, University of Ibadan, the group declared that Nigeria “today is going through a very difficult time as people are being forced to make hard choices while confronted with insecurity, corruption and unpredictable socio-economic climate that plague the nation.” Signed by MUSWEN President and Secretary, Dr. Sakariy-

au Babalola and Professor D. O. S. Noibi, respectively, the group stated that he political situation in the country today, when combined with the well known insecurity has become so dangerous that only constant prayer can rescue it. Calling for “such prayers from all and sundry,” the group noted that Nigerian Muslims are incessantly confronted by two major problems: “One is poverty. The other is ignorance. Whereas a solution to one of these two problems can automatically pave way for the solution to the other. However, no serious attention seems to have been paid to such solution for a long time.” MUSWEN was established in 2008 to facilitate the unity of the Muslims in the South West of Nigeria as well as to solidify the brotherhood of the Ummah in the entire country. Stating that its second General Assembly was well attended by eminent Muslim men and women leaders from the six states of the Southwest Region, MUSWEN said that given the

current economic, political and religious situations in Nigeria today, it stated that religious leaders in the country are clandestinely fuelling unnecessary antagonism and mutual suspicion through their inflammatory utterances to the detriment of peace and tranquility. It added that Nigerian youths today especially those of the Southwest, majority of who possess qualitative education credentials are unfortunately jobless’, insisting that in all situation, all Nigerians, irrespective of their ethnic and religious backgrounds, should come together to rally round the present government especially President Muhammad Buhari in solving the multifarious problems staring the Nigerian people on the face. Consequent upon the aforementioned observations MUSWEN’s General Assembly, said that it resolved: “That the Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria totally condemned the bloody and destructive activities of Boko Haram insurgents who

are masquerading under the garb of Islam to perpetrate unprecedented atrocities in some parts of the country, insisting that Islam stands for peace in all ramifications. MUSWEN described such atrocities as grossly antithetical to the tenets of Islam and calls the renegades to surrender; that the federal government should quickly devise a means not only of addressing the fundamental causes of insecurity in the land but also in rescuing the Chibok girls criminally abducted by Boko Haram insurgents and thereby bringing relief to the distressed parents of those children as well as all the internally displaced people in the Northeast region.” The communiqué read further: “Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) decides to establish Muslim Elders’ Forum for the southwest to address some socio-economic and political issues affecting Muslims in the region, which were often overlooked by an existing Yoruba Elders’ Council and similar bodies.”

Saudi targets 1.25m Umrah pilgrims monthly

audi authorities have issued a new Umrah system and its executive bylaws with a view to increasing the number of Umrah pilgrims every year, stating that it was expecting 10 million visas to be issued in 2016 and 60 million by 2018. Hajj Minister, Bandar AlHajjar, who revealed this to Saudi Gazette maintained that as many as 1.25 million

pilgrims are expected to arrive every month compared to 400,000 pilgrims last year. Hajjar said the new system is aimed at increasing the number of pilgrims so as to fully utilize the gigantic projects implemented by the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The minister said he would soon meet Umrah company

owners to discuss plans for the Umrah season of 1437H which began in November last year. He called for deeper coordination among all agencies to provide excellent services to Haj and Umrah pilgrims. Hajjar said the ministry will continue to use its e-portal under which procedures to issue visa will not take more than a few minutes.

“We are going online as an ambitious plan to double the number of Umrah pilgrims during the next five years,” the minister said. According to the ministry’s figures, five million Umrah visas were issued in 2013 and six million each during 2014 and 2015. It is expecting 10 million visas to be issued in 2016 and 60 million by 2018.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Fake petition

Crime

Businessman in prison for offering false information

Greed I make N50,000 daily, says pick pocket

Divorce My parents feed me in my husband’s house

35 36

How we dupe greedy passengers –Fraudsters

The fraudsters

Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

etectives attached to the Ogun State Police Command have arrested a syndicate that specialised in using commercial taxi to dupe unsuspecting passengers. The suspects are Adebowale Sunday, Owoyomi Gbenga, Akomolafe Eniola and Oke Seun. The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said that a state-branded taxi marked Ogun XE 517 SGM which was often used as operational vehicle by the suspects, was impounded. Adejobi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), also said some charms were recov-

JULIANA FRANCIS CRIME Editor

juliana.francis@newtelegraphonline.com

The taxi

ered from the suspects. One of the suspects, Eniola, said the syndicate had been involved in the nefarious act for over three years and had duped many people in the process. He further said that he hadn’t made enough money from the illicit business. Speaking on the mode of operation of the syndicate, Eniola said: “Two or three members will be in the taxi and after we pick unsuspecting passengers, we would at-

We will start to talk about US dollars we have inside the booth of the vehicle

tempt to entice them on the way. While on transit, we will start to talk about US dollars we have inside the booth of the vehicle. At that point, only a greedy passenger would fall for our antics.” Eniola, the leader of the syndicate, added: “We usually operate in Abeokuta metropolis. Three or two members of our gang will be in the car with the driver. Because the car is painted Ogun taxi colour, unsuspecting passengers will flag down the car to

board. As soon as we leave that point, one of us will start talking about the bag of dollar in the car booth. Other members of the syndicate will also join the conversation to say they are interested in the money. “If the passengers are the greedy ones, our antics will hook them. Once they show interest, we would tell them that the money (dollars) had been charmed; that we needed money to buy some spiritual materials to exorcise the demons therein. “We tell them to either go home and bring money or if they have their Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards with them, they should go and withdraw some money for us to buy the spiritual materials. That is how we dupe people.” Eniola denied ever hypnotizing their victims . His words: “It’s not correct! We don’t hypnotize our victims. They are merely greedy and love easy money.” The PPRO said that the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abdulmajid Ali, had ordered thorough investigation into the matter, adding that the suspects would be charged to court on completion of investigation. Adejobi urged members of the public to always volunteer information to the police about the activities of suspected criminals in the state.

Crime

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Camillus Nnaji

41-year old businessman, Mr. Carlos Ezeukwu, is cooling off at Ikoyi Prisons, Lagos pending perfection of his bail for misleading Zone 2 police command with a false information. Ezeukwu , a tyre dealer in Lagos, was alleged to have told lie against Meclones Nig. Ltd, that assisted him and his family secure a two-way ticket to the United States. Having successfully travelled to America, where his wife gave birth to a baby, he abandoned the return ticket and instead went for an Emirates ticket, with which he travelled back to Nigeria with his wife and two kids. It was learnt that after arriving Nigeria on board an Emirate sAirline with the ticket he claimed to have bought for over $6,000, he initiated a petition to Zone 2 Command at Onikan against the Managing Director of Meclones Nigeria Limited, Mbamalu Amara, that he was issued a one-way ticket instead of a two-way ticket, knowing full well that his allegation was false and untrue. Ezeukwu further claimed that he bought the return ticket for over $6,000 against about $2, 000 plus he actually paid for the Emirates return ticket to Nigeria. In his petition in August 2015, Ezeukwu alleged he was given one-way ticket for which he was asking for a refund of $6,000 from Meclones Nig. Limited, of which he allegedly procured a return ticket. After police initial investigation, it was discovered that there were some manipulations by Ezeukwu to prosecute the innocent agent. Consequently, Amara objected to the reports and decided to petition him for giving false information to the police and maligning his personality. However, a neutral office was assigned to handle the investigation by the police, and it was discovered that Ezeukwu’s allegations against Mbamalu were false and a deliberate misinformation calculated to bring Meclones Nigeria Limited to disrepute. Ezeukwu couldn’t provide evidence that he actually bought a $6,000 return ticket from the United

Ezeukwu

Businessman in prison for offering false information States to Nigeria. Also, it was discovered that he deliberately abandoned his return ticket which was valid from 29th February, 2015 till 1st March, 2016. Meanwhile, a source told our reporter that prior to Ezeukwu’s arraignment in court, with full consciousness that he had offered police false information aimed at

deliberately subverting justice. He wrote another petition against the Investigating Police Officer, Sergeant Friday Akhimien, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Zone 2; the O/C Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Zone 2 and the Assistant Inspector General of Police in

charge of Zone 2 Command, AIG Bala Hassan of bias. The petition was said to have been sent to the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, through the IGP annex office at Kem Salem House, former Police Headquarters, Obalende. It was learnt that the police investigation team called all the witnesses including the issuing company of the ticket, Inter-Guard and the United Airline to testify in written evidence exonerating Meclones Nigeria Ltd, Amara of wrong doing as he was said to have issued one year valid return ticket to Ezeukwu’s wife and son. The ticket was discovered to have expired 1st March, 2016, over six month he returned from the United States of America. Hence, the matter was charged to Magistrates Court 5, Tinubu, where Ezeukwu was arraigned for conspiracy and giving false information. The two count charges preferred against him read in part: “That you, Carlos Ezeukwu (m) and other still at large on the 10th August, 2015 at Zone 2 Police Command of Nigeria Police Onikan, Lagos in the Lagos Magisterial District did conspire together to commit felony to wit: bringing false accusation and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 94 of the criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011. “That you Carlos Ezeukwu (m) on the same date, time and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District did give false information or statement to the police that one Amala Mbamalu (m) did issued your wife, Cassandra Nkechi Ezeukwu (f) and your son, Somtochukwu Michael Ezeukwu (m) a one way ticket to the United State of America instead of a return ticket an information which you knew or believed to be false and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 96 of the criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.” Ezeukwu pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail by magistrate Mr. A. Adefulune on N50, 000 bail with two sureties, one of which must be blood relations. He was remanded at the Ikoyi Prisons pending the perfection of his bail condition.

Fleeing robbers kill police, injure others Uchenna Inya Abakaliki

policeman was killed while an official of National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) battles for survival, when armed robbers unleashed heavy shootings in Abakaliki, Ebony State. The shootings were carried out by suspected robbers, escaping on motorbikes. The gunmen also shot and injured some civilians who were scrambling for their safety. The shattered body of the policeman was retrieved from the gutter. While the wounded NSCDC official, was rushed to hospital. The NSCDC official was identified as Emeka Ogbonna. The bandits also made away with the AK-47 rifle of the dead policeman. There are different versions of stories that led to the bloody shoot-

ings. While some claimed there was confrontation by armed policemen, another version claimed that some gunmen were returning from operation and started shooting recklessly, when they sighted a policeman on the highway. The policeman was shot and killed. Ogbonna and the injured civilians are currently receiving treatment at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (FETHA). The gunmen had opened fire on passersby along the Abakaliki/Enugu Expressway. The incident made citizens to scamper for safety. When policemen arrived the scene, the bandits had already escaped. But angry policemen embarked on arbitrary arrest of people. They also impounded several motorcycles along major roads in the metropolis. The impounded motorcycles were loaded into a big operational van of the police and taken to the command

Ogbonna in hospital

headquarters. The Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, Mrs. Peace Ibekwe-Abdallah, confirmed the incident. She said that investigation into the matter had commenced. She said: “There was a distress call to policemen attached to the NNPC

mega filing station, located along the area. The caller said there was a robbery operation. “The policemen responded to the call. They raced to the scene and engaged the hoodlums in gun battle. One of the policemen died in the gun duel.”

Crime

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

The suspects

I make N50,000 daily, says pick pocket Taiwo Jimoh

ne of the 13 suspects paraded by Lagos State Police Command, John Madu, has revealed how he makes N50,000 daily picking people’s pockets in Lagos. 28-year-old Madu was among the 14 pickpocket suspects paraded by the police in Lagos. Others include John Okon, Abeeb Nurudeen, Ajakaiye Christopher , Kazeem Bamidele and Oyemi Usman, others are Chinedu Ndubisi, Umokoro Jerry, Akeem Fatai, Lucky Topson, Stanley Osuji, Uba Kenneth and John Madu. State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, who paraded the suspects at the State Police Com-

mand Headquarters, Ikeja said the 13 suspects were notorious, one chance, robbers were picked by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) at different locations across the state. In a separate interview, Madu, told our correspondent that they were into pick pocketing which he described as a lucrative but risky job. Madu however denied being an armed robbers as said by the police. He said he was lured into the business in order to overcome poverty. “I started the business three years ago, I was brought up in Ajegunle.I finished my secondary school at 18, then, I was assisting my mother in her petty trade, frying bean cake (akara).I used to see some of my peer group dressing

If God blesses me, I would pick up to N50,000. Anytime I pick up to N50,000, I would not go to work for one week

very well and making money. One of my former schoolmates approached me and said that he used to admire me, and that he needed to assist me overcome poverty. I asked him how he intended to do it, that was what brought shame to me. “I was so happy that somebody loved me so much that he wanted to teach me how to make money and overcome poverty. I followed him from Ajegunle to Mile 2 bus-stop, where I observed him picking people’s pockets.” That was what he taught me for a month before I started my own ‘one-man business’. “I pick as much as N10,000 daily. If God blesses me, I would pick up to N50,000.Anytime I pick up to N50,000, I would not

go to work for one week. The job is risky because, if you make any mistake, they will beat you up. I have been caught before and beaten up.” Madu explained how his gang pick pockets, “it is simple, I would observe people who go to withdraw money from the bank and I would trace them to the bus stop where they will board a bus, I will follow the person and sit beside the target. I would feel his pocket as he will be rushing into the bus, I will sit on the side where he put the money. I will then pick the money and observe whether he felt anything, if he did not feel anything, I will come down at the next bus stop, but if he came down before me I will proceed with the journey till I get to the next bus- stop. Sometimes, when a victim is uncomfortable while coming down from the bus, I can drop the money on the seat because there is danger.” Another suspect Ajakaiye said: “We are many doing the job. We know ourselves. If any of us is caught, those who were at the scene would assist in the rescue of the one in distress. Some drivers and their conductors know us. After any successful outing, we used to settle such drivers and their conductors. In fact, we work hand in hand with the conductors.” “If I pick a pocket and jump down from the vehicle and the victim raised the alarm, the conductor will pretend as if he did not understand what the victim was saying. He may start accusing the victim of raising the false alarm, so that he would not pay him his transport fare. Before they would resolve the crisis, I would have gone far. When I see the conductor, I would give him ten percent of the money, because, the owner would have told how much that was stolen from him.” Another suspect Umokoro said all the money he made from the business was used to take care of his siblings “It was my friend who brought me into this mess, I have been disgraced. My family will be disappointed in me because, they believed I was learning fabricator, I was not caught in the act, the Police arrested one of us and it was through him that we were picked at various bus stops. I told you that we know ourselves.” Owoseni said the suspects would soon be charged to the court.

Spiritualists defraud househelp of N11 million jewellery Camillus Nnaji

20-year-old househelp, Promise Mbagu, has told an Ikeja magistrates court 1 , how she was defrauded her master’s jewellery valued N11 million. Mbagu according to Investigating Police Officer, IPO, Inspector Austin Imagbe, was detained at Maroko Police station Lagos before her case was transferred to State Anti-Robbery Squad formation in Ikeja. Upon Investigation, it was discovered that Mbaguwas employed by one Mr. Owolabi

Awosan living at No.7B Durosimi Etti , Lekki phase 1, in Lagos. She was trusted and given free hands in her employer’s house. Sometimes she travels abroad with the family for businesses. Mbagu narrated how she was accosted at the road, on her way to Oshodi by a three- man gang, who told her she had spiritual problem implanted in her face, chest and abdomen. The unidentified trio who are still at large told her to be certain of her spiritual problem , they would make her to push out a stone through her vagina. It was alleged that after the magi-

cal perfor mance, and Mbagu ejected a stone-like substance from her private part. she agreed with the fraudsters that she had spiritual problems. She was then asked to go back to the house of her employer and bring all the money and valuables she could lay hands upon to pay for her exorcism. The unsuspecting girl went back to her Awosan’s house and stole two diamond wrist watches and two golden chains worth N11 million naira. Upon handing over the valuables, the fraudsters fled. Awosan had reported the matter to Maroko police station who

transferred the case to Ikeja SARS. Upon arraignment, Prosecutor Friday Mame who stood in for Inspector Peter Nwagu told the court that the defendant, Mbagu has committed an act of stealing punishable under section 409, of the criminal laws of Lagos. Defence counsel, simply known as Akin pleaded the court to grand the defendant bail on most liberal of terms. Magistrate, Mrs. Y.O Aje-Afunwa granted Mbagu bail in the sum of N700,0000 with two sureties and verifiable addresses, she adjourned the case till 20th, July, 2016.

Divorce Court

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

My parents feed me in my husband’s house Dare Akinwoye

26-year -old woman, Toyin Aderele has petitioned an Agege Customary court to dissolve her marital union with her husband, Lekan Aderele because he has refused to provide for the family.

Toyin said, she is seeking an end to the two year old union which produced one child Ibrahim, because her parents have been the one giving her money to feed the family.

According to Toyin, her husband does not take care of her and the child, “ He maltreats me, comes back late at nights, he does not buy food to the house. My parents are the ones giving me money to feed the family” Toyin told the court that Aderele was so heartless that he refused to pay medical bill for her cesarean section during the pregnancy of their son, Ibrahim. Toyin said , her husband usually steals her money and end up giving her heavy beating, if she dares

My wife receives calls from men at home Camillus Nnaji

n Agege Customary court presided by Mr. Phillip Williams has finally dissolved the marital union between Mr. Gbenga Daniels and Omolara Daniels. Williams sited lack of love, incompatibility, broken down relationship as reasons for the dissolution. “In fairness to Justice and impartiality, the court has resolved to grant the petition. The marriage between the two parties has been dissolved.” Omolara had petitioned the court last year 2015, seeking that the marital union be put to an end. She had told the court that her husband became aggressive and always battered her to stupor since he lost his job. “ He is not responsible , not caring and always beat me since he lost his job. he has kept our children away from me” She also requested the court to grant her

custody of the two children, Ayomide and Temidayo whom the husband kept with his mother. Daniels had debunked as figment of imaginations all the accusations saying, that his wife engaged into adultary with men friends . she would be answering and receiving phone calls from some of them in the house. Daniels said he later discovered his wife was deep in love with another man and had packed into his house. On the children welfare, William maintained that their status quo of the must be maintained. Their Education is the responsibility of their father, medical treatment is joint responsibility of the two parties. While the children remains with the respondent, the petitioner should be allowed time at a specific place to see the children. They are to go their separate ways and no one should harass or molest each other. He asked for an appeal from any of the parties who objects to the judgment.

confront him. “The beating became so much that when my parents called him to intervene , he shunned them with abusive words. In order to save my dear life, I ran back to my parents house”. On these I urge the court to dissolve the marriage Responding, Aderele, a Fashion designer said her wife’s family wanted to take over control of his house, always

dictating for him what he must do in his house.” Aderele told the court , he has consented to the divorce and will be taking care of his child. President of the court, Mr. Phillip Williams said the welfare of the child is uppermost in the mind of the state which must not be compromised. Provision would be made on his welfare at the nest adjournment. The case was adjourned till May 26, 2016.

My husband accused me of making him impotent, says wife

house wife, Aisata Lamidi has told a Mapo Customary Court in Ibadan, Oyo State to dissolve her marital union with her husband, Muritala Lamidi because he was spreading rumors, that she was responsible for the erectile dysfunctions of his manhood. Aisata told the court on Tuesday that she decided to call-it-quit with Lamidi because he not only spread the false rumors around, he also used a radio-station to announce to the public that I’m responsible for his impotency. “My stay under the same roof with Lamidi as husband and wife will no longer be possible because he has slandered my name. He told all and sundry through a privateradio station in Ibadan that I am responsible for his inability to achieve erection again. My relatives told me that the presenter of that radio programme had invited me to come and tell listeners why I was so wicked to have caused his

impotence. My lord, I have sworn by the holy Quran that I know nothing about his sickness, but he will not stop tarnishing my image.” She said. Aisata said she had been to the radio-station to clear herself of the allegations. “In fact, I went to see that presenter last Thursday to explain my side of the story. The man was so disappointed with Lamidi that he did not tell the listeners the real story. I am completely frustrated and all I need now is the peace of mind and that is why I want to part ways with him,” Asiata said. However, Lamidi was not in court for the second time to state his own side of the story. Lamidi approached the said private-radio station to help him plead with his wife, Asiata, so that he might regain his manhood. The president of the court, Mr Ademola Odunade, however, adjourned the matter to May 12, for further hearing.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

RISING World Bank raised its 2016 forecast for oil prices to $41 Tony Chukwunyem

he naira’s recent stability against the dollar on the parallel market looks likely to persist in the coming weeks, as falling output drove oil prices to a new high this year. The naira was broadly flat at N321 to the dollar on the parallel market yesterday against the N322 to a dollar last week. The local currency held steady around the official peg of N197 at the interbank market. There had been speculations in industry circles that the signing of the 2016 budget by President Muhammadu Buhari – expected to

business \ money line

Naira stabilises as oil hits 2016 high take place next week would result in the naira falling against the greenback. However, the recovery in oil prices seems to have bolstered the naira. Oil hit its highest level last Wednesday, driven by a falling dollar and evidence of declining U.S. supply, putting the price on course for its strongest monthly performance since last April. The prospect of an agreement among the world’s largest exporters to limit production evaporated almost two weeks ago when a meeting between the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members and their non-OPEC counterparts ended in stalemate. Since then, Brent has hit its highest since Novem-

Nigeria, 3 others record highest private equity exits in 2015

frican private equity firms cashed in on investments last year at the highest rate in almost a decade, with South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria and Kenya accounting for twothirds of these exits, according to a report by Ernst & Young (EY) and the African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCA). The study stated that equity firms sold investments in 44 companies in 2015, compared to 39 companies in the two previous years. The number of successful private equity exits influences a company’s ability to attract investors and raise funds.

Private equity firms in Africa still continue to outperform public markets, the report showed. The financial services sector capped the highest exits at 24 per cent between 2014 and 2015, while the oil and gas sector saw no exits during the same period, the report showed. “The biggest current challenges noted by PE firms included an increasingly tough macroeconomic environment, particularly currency fluctuations, valuations trending upwards, and an intermediary landscape that is underdeveloped in a number of countries,” EY said in a statement.

Lender partners Oyo on economic diversification

n line with the current drive by the government to diversify the economic and revenue base of the country, Heritage Bank and Oyo State Government have gone into a multi-billion-naira partnership to revive agriculture and boost agroallied businesses in the state. Tagged, “Oyo State Agricultural Initiative, OYSAI,” the state government according to a statement from Heritage Bank, announced that the project is part of its revolution in the agricultural sector and a massive empowerment programme for both youths and women across the state. Speaking at the launching of the project in Paago Village, along Igboho – Okeho road, last Tues-

day, the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, explained that the state has “successfully secured a viable partnership with some private investors and financial institutions to back up the project in the areas of poultry development, rice production and processing along the value chain.” The governor according to the statement, thanked Heritage Bank and other partners for electing to support the project aimed at diversifying the state economy and drive selfsustainability by adding value to the lives of about one million beneficiaries. He added that the project would also reposition the state as the food basket of Nigeria and generate massive revenue for economic emancipation.

ber and, aided by further evidence of declining output anywhere from the U.S. shale basin to the North Sea, attracted fresh investment cash. The World Bank had on Tuesday raised its 2016 forecast for crude oil prices to $41 per barrel from $37 per barrel

in its latest Commodity Markets Outlook, stating that oversupply in markets is expected to recede. The crude oil market recovered from a low of $25 per barrel in midJanuary to $40 per barrel this month, following production disruptions

in Iraq and Nigeria and a decline in non-OPEC members output, mainly US shale. “We expect slightly higher prices for energy commodities over the course of the year, as markets rebalance after a period of oversupply,” senior economist and

lead author of the Commodities Markets Outlook, John Baffes, said in the report. “Still, energy prices could fall further if OPEC increases production significantly and non-OPEC production does not fall as fast as expected.”

LIRS hires 1200 tax audit professionals

n its drive to ensure full maximisation of its revenue generating potentials, and to commence tax Audit exercise of 2016 in earnest, the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service ((LIRS) said it had engaged 1200 members of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) as Tax Audit Monitoring Agents (TAMAs). According to statement issued by the Service yesterday, the TAMAs are authorised to act as agents of LIRS for tax audit and assurance purposes. The statement said, “The LIRS carried out a review of the appointment and operational procedure of the TAMAs in order to enhance effi-

ciency in its audit exercise. Their duty would be to collect requisite information during tax audit field exercises, collate, prepare and submit tax audit reports based on the facts gathered for use by the LIRS.” Also, the LIRS on Tuesday, organised a workshop for the agents at The Haven Event Centre, GRA, Ikeja. Present at the workshop were the Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Mustapha Akinkunmi; Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Finance, Honourable Oluyinka Ogundimu; Executive Chairman of LIRS, Mr. Olufolarin Ogunsanwo, and other management staff of the agency. In his opening remark, Mr. Ogunsanwo implored

the TAMAs to demonstrate the highest level of professionalism. “We believe you will demonstrate a high sense of responsibility and integrity in this noble assignment in line with international best practices, as we hope to improve the internally generated revenue of the state and ultimately engender a sustained culture of voluntary compliance amongst tax payers in Lagos. “I have no doubt in my mind that your professionalism will be of tremendous value during this year’s exercise and beyond,” Ogunsanwo said. The revised Tax Audit Manual was also formally presented, which highlights the systematic steps of auditing as well as ethical standards and codes in line with inter-

national best practice. “The TAMAs at the Training undoubtedly emerged to be the best in the stock of applications that we received. The selection process was quite painstaking and took into consideration a number of preconditions, professionalism and track records in the most vital areas,” said the Board Secretary of LIRS, Mr. Jimi Aina. Advising the TAMAs at the workshop, Director, Tax Audit, Mrs Bolaji Akintola, said, “The Image and reputation of LIRS is key in tax audit, therefore we charge you to stand for what LIRS stands for, by avoiding any form of compromise, illegality, unprofessional conducts and shunning all under the table transactions.

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

N19,142,526.05m N18,579,219.49m 12.8 12 10.77 US$44.77 US$27,149,903,122

Mar, 2015 Mar, 2015 Mar, 2016 24/3/2016 Mar 2015 28/4/2016 27/4/2016

Source:CBN

Description 15.10 27-APR-2017 16.00 29-JUN-2019 15.54 13-FEB-2020 16.39 27-JAN-2022 14.20 14-MAR-2024 12.50 22-JAN-2026 10.00 23-JUL-2030 12.1493 18-JUL-2034 Tenor (Days) O/N 1M 3M 6M

FGN Bonds

TTM

Price 104.96 114.56 112.10 120.50 109.35 100.24 83.91 98.09

1.08 3.25 3.87 5.83 7.95 9.81 14.31 18.30

NIBOR

Rate (%) 15.0000 10.6864 12.4601 13.8466

Bid Yield 10.09 10.57 11.56 11.46 12.32 12.45 12.43 12.41

Change (%) 2.17 ▲ 0.20 ▲ 0.24 ▲ 0.22 ▲

Change (%) 0.04 ▲ 0.00 ↔ 0.25 ▲ -0.07 ▼ 0.08 ▲ 0.05 ▲ 0.05 ▲ 0.04 ▲

Price 105.11 114.86 112.40 120.80 109.65 100.54 84.21 98.39

Tenor (Months)

Offer Yield 9.95 10.47 11.47 11.40 12.26 12.40 12.38 12.37

NITTY

1M 2M 3M 6M 9M 12 M

Treasury Bills

Rate (%) 5.4817 7.3699 7.8938 9.2453 9.3846 10.0913

Change (%) 0.04 ▲ 0.00 ↔ 0.25 ▲ -0.07 ▼ 0.08 ▲ 0.05 ▲ 0.04▲ 0.04 ▲ Change (%) -0.25 ▲ 0.06 ▲ 0.29 ▲ 0.60 ▲ 0.45 ▲ -0.44 ▼

Money Market

Maturity Date Discount Bid Yield Change (%) Discount Offer Yield Change (%) Rate (%) Change (%) 7.90 8.06 0.26 ▲ Open-Buy-Back (OBB) 12.67 0.00 ↔ 23-Jun-16 8.15 8.32 0.26 ▲ 22-Sep-16 8.71 8.46 8.82 0.46 ▲ Overnight (O/N) 13.75 0.42 ▲ 9.10 0.46 ▲ 16-Mar-17 9.31 9.06 9.92 0.00 ↔ 10.22 0.00 ↔

Spot($/N)

Bid 198.45

Offer 198.55

Change (%) -0.14 ▼

NIFEX

Spot($/N)

Bid 199.0000

CBN Clearing Rates of January 7, 2016 Spot($/N)

196.00

197.00

0.00 ↔

Offer 199.1000

Change (%) 0.00 ↔

businesS \ Financial Market News

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

businesS \ Financial Market News

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

African market operators seek preference for SMEs LIQUIDITY Integration of African regional market will enhance liquidity

Stories by Chris Ugwu

takeholders in the African capital market yesterday said that there was need for stock exchanges in the continent to have preferential treatment to Small and Medium Scales industries. This, they noted, will en-

sure more liquidity in the markets and grow retail investors. Speaking on the theme, ‘Addressing Liquidity Concerns in African Markets’ at a capacity building seminar on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in Lagos, they said that local investors could finance most of the funds raised by listed companies. The Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance Capital, Mr. Femi Popoola, noted that currently, most exchanges favour institutional investors due to large capital involved in the transaction, which according to him, may not grow

retail investors. He said, “The conversation is always different with foreign investors because there is bigger transaction. Once they (foreigners) exit the market, the country will feel it.” The Chief Executive Officer, Compass Securities Limited, Mr. Emeka Maduibike, said that the population of Africans that invest in the continent are very low compared to developed countries. Also, the Chief Executive Officer of United Capital, Mrs. Toyin Sanni, urged the African stock exchanges to support Collective Investment Scheme

Sterling Bank optimistic as core banking profit rises

terling Bank Plc rode on the back of improving internal efficiency to reduce funding costs and improve profitability of its core banking operations in the first quarter of 2016. Key extracts of the unaudited report and accounts of the lender for the period ended March 31 2016, approved by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday, showed appreciable improvements in core underlying fundamentals, although macroeconomic and industry headwinds subdued overall performance. The report indicated that net interest margin, which measures the profitability of a bank’s lending operations, improved to 8 per cent in the first quarter of 2016 as against 7.4 per cent recorded in the comparable period of 2015. The bank tightened grips on costs with cost of funds improving from 5.9 per cent in first quarter 2015 to 5.3 per cent in first quarter 2016. Major highlights showed steady performance with net interest income increasing by

24.7 per cent to N11.4 billion in 2016 as against N9.2 billion in 2015. This was driven by a 14.4 per cent decrease in interest expense resulting in a 940 basis points improvement in net interest margin to 56.9 per cent. However, profit before tax declined by 30.6 per cent to N2.8 billion in 2016 as against N4.0 billion in 2015. But when adjusted for non-recurring items, which would have brought the 2015 figure to N2.7 billion, the 2016 figure represents a 3 per cent increase on fourth quarter 2015 and 2.4 per cent improvement over the same period last year. Also, while profit after tax on the face of it, declined by 35 per cent to N2.5 billion as against N3.9 billion in 2015, adjustment for non-recurring items would bring the 2015 first quarter figure to N2.6 billion. This depicts a marginal decline of 2.6 per cent. Outlining the bank’s outlook, Managing Director, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Yemi Adeola, said the lender adopted a cautious but progressive approach to business due to the challeng-

ing macroeconomic conditions. He noted that subdued crude oil prices, fuel and power supply disruptions, as well as significant foreign exchange shortages have persisted, increasing the cost of doing business and heightening the pressure on household income. The Sterling Bank boss said that as the nation’s inflation rate witnessed an uptick from 9.6 per cent in December 2015 to 12.8 per cent in March 2016, the resultant monetary tightening measures could further challenge the operating environment. Accordingly, Adeola said the management of the bank prioritised balance sheet efficiency, cost efficiency and prudent credit risk management, which ensured that non-performing loan remained flat below the regulatory threshold of 5 per cent. He said: “We are confident that our goals for 2016 will be met despite the subdued outlook for the Nigerian economy. Our optimism comes from the various investments focused on operating efficiency that the bank had made over the past year, which are now starting to pay off.

to thrive in the market. “I don’t know why it has not been getting support. We need sponsors to succeed,” she added. The President, African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA) and Chief Executive Officer, NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema, said that subregional integration efforts such as WACMI in West Africa and EAC in East Africa,

are important initiatives that have the potential to unlock demand among issuers and boost liquidity. Onyema noted that the African Exchanges Linkage Project (AELP), which is a jointly owned mandate between ASEA and the Africa Development Bank (AfDB), was also aimed at addressing the lack of liquidity in African capital markets.

Lafarge to issue N60bn bond

afarge Africa Plc has said it is set to issue up to N60 billion bond through a book building process. The company in a statement made available to newsmen, said the transaction was a 2 tier bond with 2/3 year and 5 year tenors and the proceeds would be used to refinance the third party debts of its subsidiary company, UniCem. According to the company, the bond issue is awaiting approval by the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) and is expected that book building will commence in May 2016. The company noted that it

was on the verge of concluding the combination of its businesses and integration process, which started in 2014. “The Board of Directors of Lafarge Africa granted approval to issue a voluntary tender offer on the balance of AshakaCem Plc shares, which will increase the company’s shareholding in AshakaCem from the current position of 82.46 per cent. Regulatory proceedings and the evaluation of the Board of AshakaCem Plc are in progress and the shares acquisition process could be concluded by the end of Quarter 2, 2016,” the company noted.

Fidelity shares rise despite EFCC allegations

he bank shares were among the few shares that recorded gains in trading after media reports that the lender’s Managing Director had been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations that $115 million were passed through the bank to bribe electoral officials during the 2015 elections. The banks share price appreciated by 2.56 per cent in yesterday’s trading on the NSE to close at N1.20 per share, making it one of the best performing stocks in

the banking sector, showing that investors’ confidence. Analysts say the appreciation in share price is a sign that investors believe that the allegations will have no material impact on the bank’s operations. “This clearly shows that investors are not really worried about the allegations. Besides, I think the figures being mentioned are exaggerated just for effect. The monies were collected in the normal course of business and disbursed in the normal course of business in my perspective.

News|NATIONAL

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Crisis over N’Assembly clerk deepens Chukwu David Abuja

he crisis between the Chairman, National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), Dr. Adamu Fika and the leadership of the Senate, over the appointment of Mr. Mohammed SaniOmolori, as the acting Clerk of the National Assembly, took a dramatic turn yesterday as seven out of 13 commissioners of NASC reversed Fika and appointed Mr. Benedict Efeturi instead. Senate President Dr. Buloka Saraki, had in a previous letter to the chairman of the commission, directed the reversal of the appointment of Sani-Omolori and instead appointed Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr. Efeture, for the position. The commissioners, who wrote a letter to Fika, indicating their position on the contentious appointment are: Abubakar Rufai,(North We s t ) I d i Adamu Ningi, (North East) Joseph Oru,(SouthSouth-South) Paul Oweh,(South-South), Stephen Yepwi,(NorthCentral) Funmi

Lamuye,( South-West) and Abel Chukwu (South-East). This twist in the tussle for control of the number one position of the National Assembly bureaucracy, also had five commissioners abstaining from the previous meeting held by the chairman and only one endorsing the memo signed by the Chairman of

the National Assembly Service Commission, insisting on Sani-Omolori’s appointment. In the letter signed by the seven commissioners of the NASC, and made available to our correspondent, the commissioners while rejecting Omolori’s appointment, condemned Fika’s action, which they described as unilateral as against the posi-

ABUJA

ormer members of the Board of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) have protested the alleged attempt by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) to criminalise its commercial transaction which they said fetched the commission N34 billion. The ex-board members said the funds is now being used by the Federal Government for the Digital Switch Over (DSO) project in the broadcast industry. In a letter dated April 26, 2016 and addressed to the Chairman of the EFCC, the former board members

PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

through their counsel, O.J. Onoja (SAN) and Associates, alleged that inviting them for questioning through media reports was a deliberate attempt to subject them to media trial, persecution and conviction calculated to embarrass and disparage them in the eyes of the public. The former board members of the NBC, namely: Professor Herbert Orji (Chairman), Mohammed Kabir Umar, Mike Iheanetu, Yakubu Busa Buji, Ebenezer Ayorinde, Isa Badamasi Dahiru, Prince Dennis Sam, Jude Nnodum, , Emeka Mba and Peter Dama, as well as Basil Udotai Esq., and Technology Advisors LLP were reportedly invited by the EFCC, to explain the payment of ten percent of the

fees realised from atransaction to a firm of advisors as service charge. However, their counsel explained that the former members of the commission were completely above board and that the said transaction was in tandem with all laid down procedures and processes for board activities in the Nigerian public sector. According to the letter, the transaction was in compliance with the NBC Act, the National Broadcasting Code, and all relevant regulations. The counsel argued said that it was shocking that whereas only one of the clients had received a formal invitation from the EFCC, others read of their invitation on the pages of the newspapers and on social media.

Abuja

overnor Adams Oshiomole of Edo State has accused former President Goodluck Jonathan of bias in the distribution of the Ecological funds amounting to N2 billion during his administration. The governor who

spoke with State House correspondents after the meeting of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) with President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, said the former President selected only states PDP’s controlled states for the disbursement of the N2 billion ecological fund. He said: “We now have a President who recog-

nise that he is not just president of the Federal Government, but president of the federation of which the states are part and regardless of political affiliation. “This is very important, everybody is able to ask this President to give him support and he is giving, whereas in the recent past some PDP governors got N2 billion

Wale Elegbede

he Director General of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), Dr. (Mrs) Gloria Elemo, has urged food science technologists in the country to take advantage of the policy of government banning some products from being imported into the country to enhance the the activities indigenous entrepreneurs in the foodindustry. Speaking while playing host new executives of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science & Technology (NIFST) Lagos chapter, who were on a courtesy visit to FIIRO, Dr. Elemo, said there was need to reduce the nation’s dependence on imported foods that could be locally manufactured using indigenous technologies. According to her, “It will interest you to note that the Federal Government has brought out a list of products whose importation has been banned. Hence many in the business are forced to change focus and look inwards.

Niger Delta development: NLNG spends $177m Adeola Yusuf

LNG Limited France’s assistance has reduced Boko Nigeria (NLNG), yetersday, declared that it had spent $177 Haram’s excesses – Buhari million in the areas of infra-

Anule Emmanuel

resident Muhammadu Buhari has acknowledged the support of the French government and other members of the G7 nation’s which he said he assisted tremendously in reducing the excesses of the Boko Haram sect. The President who stated this during an interaction with the French Minister of Defence, Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian at the Presidential Villa said that patrols by the multinational taskforce would augment and boost ongoing efforts to improve security in the Gulf, and curb crude oil theft and

Only PDP govs’ got Jonathan’s N2bn ecological fund – Oshiomole Anule Emmanuel

At the meeting, though there were divergent views as follows: five commissioners vehemently opposed the memo, five commissioners made no comment, while only one endorsed the memo, strangely you ruled that the memo carried and that Mr. Sani-Omolori is appointed as the Acting Clerk of National Assembly.’’

Gridlock at Ikorodu Express Road, Lagos…yesterday.

N34bn: Ex-NBC board members protest EFCC’s ‘media’ trial OnwukaNzeshi

tion of the commission. The letter which was addressed to Fika reads: “the Chairman National Assembly Service Commission would please recall that you convened an emergency meeting of the commission on Wednesday 20th April 2016, where you presented a memo for appointment of an acting clerk of the National Assembly.

FIIRO DG tasks NIFST on food production

from the ecology fund, we APC governors were not given but we promised to be different and I am happy President Buhari is showing that difference.” “We are very lucky to have President Buhari I have been here now for seven and half years and I have had the opportunity to work with three Presidents, that is the truth.’’

piracy. He expressed Federal Government’s appreciation of the assistance and support of France and other G7 countries, which he said, had helped Nigeria achieve significant successes against the Boko Haram insurgents. Buhari said that a multinational taskforce would soon be established to patrol the waters of the Gulf of Guinea. President Buhari and Mr. Le Drian also discussed the ongoing French support for the Federal Government’s efforts to end the Boko Haram insurgency. “When we got into office in May, last year, Boko Haram was effectively controlling at least 14 local government areas. But now, it is no longer so, and they have resorted to attacking soft targets with Improvised Explosive Devices. The French Minister assured President Buhari that France would continue to assist Nigeria to overcome insurgency in the country, saying that all terrorists must be seen as common enemies of the free world.

structure, education in the Niger Delta. Managing Director of the company, Babs Omotowa, who said this at a public hearing called by the Federal House of Representatives Committee on Gas Resources, restated that his company remained committed to the development of the area and was willing to partner with government agencies, including the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), to develop the region. This, Omotowa said at the public hearing on a bill to amend the NLNG Act, was why the NLNG, remains one of the biggest promoters of Corporate Social Responsibility in the area, supporting education, infrastructure development, and entrepreneurship. “As evidence of our commitment to the development of the Niger Delta, NLNG has spent $177 million in the areas of infrastructure, education, among others in the region. “So it is not an issue of reluctance to support Niger Delta, but one of ensuring we work within the confines of the law and honour agreements and promises to maintain our valued reputation.”

News|south-west

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Lagos attracts seven new foreign investors Muritala Ayinla

he Special Adviser to the Lagos State governor on Overseas Affairs, Prof. Ademola Abass, yesterday said the state has continued to attract New Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) with seven investment proposals secured through its onestop-shop for investment, the Office of Overseas Affairs and Investment. Abass, who made this known during a Business Review Meeting in Alausa, said this followed the reforms of the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode administration, stating that more investors were now showing interest in the state. According to him, the state government had approved seven investment proposals through its onestop-shop for investment,

the Office of Overseas Affairs and Investment, while the government had also successfully signed memorandum of understanding in respect of four other proposals. Abass said the approved investment proposals involved the construction of a medical park in the old School of Nursing on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi; total redevelopment of Oshodi within 12 months from now; construction of the 4th Mainland Bridge and the establishment of the Epe Car Crush. Others are the development of five cowries shores; supply of boats, weed harvesters and trash skinners; real estate for which 1000 hectres of land had been provided at the Lekki Free Trade Zone; and pencil manufacturing among others.

Mimiko raises the alarm over attacks by herdsmen Babatope Okeowo

Akure

ndo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko has raised the alarm over the incessant killings of innocent Nigerians and wanton destructions of property by Fulani herdsmen in various parts of the country. This came yesterday even as the governor sought all stakeholders’ concerted efforts to arrest the ugly incident in order to avert bloodshed in the country. The governor who stated

this while addressing members of the state’ executive of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), who paid him a courtesy visit in his office, where he warned that, if the crime being committed by the Fulani herdsmen was not checked, Nigeria would be moving towards a precipice. He noted that religious leaders must as a matter of urgency and national importance rally divine intervention for the unity and peace to prevail as the country seeks development, which at the moment was being

challenged. Mimiko commended the religious leaders and the people of the state for their prayers in the last seven years of his administration, promising to further collaborate with the Christian body for the sustenance of peace and progress of the State. On the claim by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) that his administration diverted the bailout funds meant for the settlement of workers’ outstanding salaries, Mimiko, told the religious leaders that a letter had been writ-

11 govs to grace Fayose’s 25 ‘Legacy projects’ inauguration Sulaiman Salawudeen Ado-Ekiti

total of 11 governors of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-controlled states are expected to attend a thanksgiving service in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital in today, in honour of the Taraba State Governor, Mr. Darius Ishaku for his electoral victory at the Supreme Court earlier in the year. The governors included Hon. Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom); Hon. Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa); Dr Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia); Alhaji Ibrahim Dakwambo (Gombe); Hon David Umahi (Ebonyin); Dr Ifeayi Ugwuanyi (Enugu); Senator Ifeayi Okowa (Delta); Dr. Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo); Chief Nyeson Wike (Rivers); Arc Darius Ishaku (Taraba); and Senator Ben Ayade (Cross Rivers). Thee governors are also to witness the inauguration of the 25 ‘Legacy Projects’ of Governor Ayodele Fayose, in Ado-Ekiti. The projects include:

the Women Development Centre named after the late deputy governor of the state under former Governor Kayode Fayemi, Mrs Adunni Olayinka; 6.2km De-Head-Adetiloye Road executed at the cost of N782,021,436, the N488,199,974 800-metre dualised Awedele-Secretariat Road and the N212.1m Ewi of Ado Ekiti Palace gallery. The state Commissioner for Information Lanre Ogunsuyi, explained that the Adunni Olayinka Women Centre, was undertaken through donations from corporate organisations and friends of the governor. Meanwhile, the state government also cleared doubts regarding the possibility of settling more arrears of salaries of civil and public servants in Ekiti State, stating the FG’s announcement on the stoppage of deductions from states allocations concerned only the bailout and not the entire sum owed FG by the state. Ekiti presently owes workers four months’ salaries from January to date and leave bonus from 2014.

Osogbo

he immediate past Senior Special Adviser on Quick Impact Intervention Programme, (QUIIP), Mr. Dele Ogundipe, yesterday affirmed that serious agricultural development had been the cardinal objective of the present administration. Ogundipe said this while speaking on the twenty Osun youths who were selected for modern technology in agricultur-

al practices in Germany, as they rounded up their German Language training in Osogbo. He said because of the quest to develop agriculture in the state, the state governor in May 2012 got in entered into an agreement with the State of Saxony-Anhalt in Germany on assistance to the state in the area of agricultural development. He noted that the Saxony-Anhalt State agreed to the arrangement because of the performance of the Governor

ten to the commission to correct the claim. The commission had said only N7.9 billion was paid to workers out of the 9.4 billion received by the state, but Mimiko, affirmed that his administration added N50 million to the funds to enable it pay workers’ outstanding salaries and pension. He also debunked the claim that the state had been spending local government allocations, saying that the state had been remitting 10 per cent of its Internally Generated Revenue to the councils every month.

Member of the defunct Jackson 5 Group, Jermaine Jackson (left), with National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, during a courtesy visit to the politician, in Lagos…yesterday

SON seals 33 shops, confiscates N2.5m goods Sulaiman Salawudeen Ado-Ekiti

n a major raid across parts of Ekiti State, including Ado-Ekiti, the state capital yesterday, no less than 33 shops were sealed-off by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON). The state Director of the agency, Mrs. Toyin Idowu, said in a statement that items, including cables, tyres, electronics, gas cylinders among others, valued at over N2.5m, all suspected to be fake, were seized from traders. According to her, the

raid was conducted in Ado-Ekiti, Omuo-Ekiti, Ifaki-Ekiti, Oye-Ekiti, Ode- Ekiti and Ikole Ekiti simultaneously, while the exercise will continue in other towns next week. She said the exercise tagged “Zero Tolerance to Sub-Standard Products” was ordered by the

Rauf Aregbesola administration in the area agriculture having sent a delegation to Osun State on consultations with various stakeholders in agriculture programmes. Ogundipe stated that the students had been thought the rudiments of German Language in relation to agriculture, adding that language department at the Obafemi Awolowo University, IleIfe had also been engaged to train the youths for two months in German Language.

Director-General of the agency, particularly on tyres following recent cases of tyre-induced road mishaps across the country. Idowu clarified that the agency believed that most tyres currently selling in open markets were either second hand, expired or sub-standard,

Lawmakers flay marginalisation in LAUTECH’s management Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

Osun embraces modern technology for farming O Adeolu Adeyemo

sun State House of Assembly yesterday decried what it described as the marginalisation of the state by the management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho in terms of fair share of the benefits from the university. The lawmakers at a meeting with the management of the institution at the Assembly Complex in Osogbo, condemned the institution management for not giving the state its equitable share in the management of the institution. The lawmakers who reminded the management that, the university was jointly owned and co-

funded by the Osun and Oyo states wondered why the state was being denied many opportunities due to it. On the appointment of Bursar, the Speaker Hon. Najeem Saalam, directed the institution’s management to review its position and ensure that justice was done. He bemoaned the situation where the Bursar, Registrar and Librarian of the institution had been held their positions in acting capacity since 2013, and were only recently confirmed as substantive office holders with five years tenure. The speaker directed that the bursar be issued a letter of five year tenure appointment, while the appointments of other officers

adding that aside confiscating the items, their owners would still be fined in monetary terms, including payment for the cost of transportation and destruction. She said the penal sanctions were designed as deterrence to others who sell fake or substandard products. back dated to 2013 to ensure justice in the matter. The House therefore directed the management of the institution and the Governing Council to revert its decision “on the injustice” meted out to the Bursar of the institution, Mr. Olagunju Adeniyi, over his appointment. The lawmakers said it would go to any length to get what was due to the state without going beyond its boundary or clash with its counterpart state Oyo. A statement by the Chairman House Committee on Information and Strategy, Tunbosun Oyintiloye, quoted the Speaker, Najeem Salaam, to have maintained that Osun State had been marginalised on issues relating to construction of facilities, appointment of staff of the institution, saying, majority of the benefit were skewed in favour of Oyo State.

NEWS | south-east

Ndigbo won’t succumb to Islamic plot –IPOB Charles Onyekwere ENUGU

he Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has alleged that recent attacks by Fulani herdsmen in the South East Zone was a calculated attempt by the Hausa-Fulani to Islamise Nigeria, especially the Igbo. But the group said that the plans would not work. According to a release made available to journalists in Enugu yesterday and signed by the Director of Media and Publicity, IPOB, Emma Powerful, there had been such attempts in the past, starting from Uthman DanFodio to Islamise Nigeria, but it did not work. The group frowned at the leaders of Igbo nation, who they call Biafrans,

especially the governors of the South East for not living up to expectation. It said that this was what made way for the senseless killing and maiming of citizens by the Fulani herdsmen in parts of Igbo land, with the latest onslaught in Ukpabi- Nimbo in Enugu State as the latest case study. They pointedly accused the South-East governors of playing politics and games with the lives of their subjects by not doing much to check the rampaging herdsmen. "The governors and the politicians used the life of their subjects to play games and politics. If not so, why would they not summon an emergency meeting to deliberate the impending dangers, condition of their people? It is because they are used

CSO urges UN, AU others to intervene on government's lawlessness in Nigeria Amadi Nnamdi ABUJA

uman Rights Writers Association (HURIWA) has called on the United Nations, African Union, President Barack Obama of United States of America to intervene in the multiple cases of alleged impunity and lawlessness perpetrated against the citizens of Nigeria by the Federal Government. HURIWA made this call through its President, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, at the inauguration of Professor Chinua Achebe’s Human Rights Library, in Abuja. The group lamented that the President Muhammadu Buhari is presiding over “a lawless government that has no regard for legal processes and indulges in selective

anti-corruption crusade”. Onwubiko while also condemning the recent activities of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) stated: "As a pro-transparency group, we support a lawbased and rights-based strategy to combat corruption, economic crimes and other financial crimes, but we make haste to once more state emphatically that EFCC has through various back hand tactics, conveyed the impression that it is lawless and indeed above the law. "The attention of HURIWA has been called to an alarm raised that a cousin of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, who is having issues with the EFCC is about to be poisoned. In the alarm by his brother which was extensively published in the Nigerian media, the following facts were adduced."

Search Abia-bound cargo, Assembly charges security agencies Igbeaku Orji UMUAHIA

he Abia State House of Assembly has directed security agencies in the state to henceforth search all trucks and vehicles laden with cows, tomatoes and onions entering the state. The directive was contained in a resolution of the House passed yesterday as part of measures to check the proliferation of dangerous weapons and mindless killing of people by suspected herdsmen. The resolution followed

a matter of urgent public importance raised by the Minority Leader and member representing Bende State constituency, Mr. Chibuzor Okogbuo, who expressed fear that if nothing was done urgently the recent incident at Ukpabi Nimbo in Uzo Uwani council area of Enugu State, where over 40 villagers were massacred by Fulani herdsmen, would spread to other parts of the zone. The lawmakers further enjoined communities in the state to be vigilant and proactive to resist and report the ugly activities of the herdsmen.

by their counterparts in the north against their people. "Let them go and see what the governor of Kaduna State is doing to the Christians in that state and their master in Aso Rock is not saying anything because it is a strategy to Islamise the Biafrans and Christians. "While Fulani herdsmen kill hundreds all around the country daily, we remember this tweet from @elrufai: “never forget, we will write this for all to read. Anyone, soldier or not that kills the Fulani takes a loan repayable one day, no matter how long it takes.” "Now, the Hausa Fulani Boko Haram terrorist group are killing, raping our women and girls, destroying our farmlands and kidnapping our people with impunity on daily basis, in disguise as Fulani herdsmen and cattle hearders and nobody is saying anything because we are Biafrans. The DSS will

never come up with their concocted intelligence report again. "We are totally disappointed on the governors and politicians of this land for not knowing the meaning of chief security officer of their states," the release posits. The group, particularly flayed the Governor of Enugu State, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, for not rising enough to the unfortunate incident that took place in his state, recently, saying that declaring two days fasting and prayer was a mockery of the dire situation. While lamenting what happened at Uzo-Uwani, IPOB stated: "IPOB worldwide, will not fail to let the Hausa Fulani know from history that the Biafrans were not born like cowards and

$23m

The total pay (including salary/ winnings & endorsements) of Blake Griffin (Basketball) for 2014. Source: Forbes.com

we are ready for what is to come. They tried this their Islamisation agenda before, during the era of their fathers Usman Dan- Fodio, but they did not succeed and they did it again in 1966-1970 when they decided by Hassan Katsina, Yakubu Gowon, Muhammadu Buhari, Olusegun Obasanjo, Murtala Muhammed and Ibrahim Babangida and others to kill Biafrans from two years up. "All these happenings, prove the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the prophet and visionary of our time right because all his prophecies have come to pass. "Christians in this country, are you still waiting for the total Islamisation before you do something? This is the time we take the destiny in our hands before what happened to the Christians in North Africa and Turkey happen to you," the group pointed out.

friday, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

PCRC rewards Army, Police, Navy others in Anambra

Okegwo Kenechukwu ONITSHA

he Commissioner of Police (CP), Anambra state Command, Hosea Karma, has said that one of the greatest legacies of Governor Willie Obiano administration was the empowerment, motivation and introduction of a team security network in the state. The commissioner was speaking yesterday at the Central Police Station, Onitsha, during the grand reception and award ceremony to security operatives in the state for the giant stride in combating crimes and criminalities. He said that the synergy between various security operatives involving the Army, Police, Navy, Civil Defense, FRSC and the Anambra state vigilante services, has no doubt helped in making the state the safest in the country. L-R: Head, Media, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Bisi Kazeem; Zonal Commanding Officer RS9, Enugu, Mr. Samuel Obayemi; Corps Marshal, Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi; Chairman, Peace Mass Transit (Pmt), Mr. Sam Onyishi and his Vice, Lolo Ify Onyishi, during the inauguration of Peace Mass Transit's 300 newly-acquired buses fitted with speed limiting device in Enugu.

Charles Onyekwere ENUGU

he Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Enugu State chapter, yesterday expressed fear of possible breakdown of law and order due to the unabated killing, rape, destruction of farmlands and other heinous crimes by Fulani herdsmen in the state. The group, in a statement by the chairman, Chief Eric Ebenyi, condemned the killing of over 20 persons in Nimbo, UzoUwani LGA; incarceration of over 26 youths of Ugwuleshi in Awgu LGA, abduction and killing of youths in Ezeagu LGA by Fulani herdsmen. “We urge the Federal Government to constitute a panel to investigate the involvement of the military in the incarceration of Awgu youths for two weeks in Umuahia Prison. We also urge the govern-

Ohanaeze predicts breakdown of law, order over Fulani attacks ment to direct security agencies in the state, especially the military and police, to put in place a mechanism in protecting lives and property of the people,” the statement reads. The chapter also commended Enugu state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, for his prompt intervention that led to the release of Awgu youths as well as on the massacre at Nimbo, and called on him to constitute a panel of enquiry to investigate the causes of the increasing cases of CONFIRMATION OF NAME

Vincent

This is to confirm that Ojobo Vincent Ifechukwuka and Vincent Fredrick is the same person. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

problems created by Fulani herdsmen in the state. Meanwhile, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Enugu State chapter, rose from an emergency meeting yesterday, describing as "barbaric, wicked and inhuman”, the attack on the people of Nimbo in Uzo Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State by Fulani herdsmen. In a communique issued after the meeting and signed by the PFN chairman, Rev. Dr. Goddy Madu and the head of security, Apostle Dr. Joseph Ajujungwa, the group said the incessant attack by the Fulani herdsmen had become unbearable. While condemning the role of security operatives, the PFN said: "The attack of 25th April 2016 has

shown us that the Nigerian police is not dependable and can never be trusted. "The Fulani herdsmen invaded the community with over 500 armed men who were drawn from Nassarawa and Kogi States, killing over 50 people in their homes and destroyed some churches and buildings." "This is not the first, and the Nigerian police did nothing, rather they filled all the Enugu urban with vehicles that cannot respond to distress calls, but busy collecting N20 and N50 from tricycle (keke) and motorists." The communique stated that based on the development, "The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria has joined the state government to declare three days of mourning."

south-south | news

friday, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Wike restates commitment Sacked Siemens staff to take case to NASS to implementation of D UNEP report Emmanuel Masha Port Harcourt

Emmanuel Masha Port Harcourt

ivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, yesterday restated his commitment to the implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report in Ogoniland, saying that oil pollution has devastated Ogoni and other parts of the Niger Delta. The governor, who gave the assurance when the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Muhammad, paid him a courtesy call at Government House, Port

Harcourt, said the Ogoni was ready for the cleanup exercise. Wike, whose Deputy, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo-Harry, received the minister on his behalf, said they want it done and completed in order for them to return to their farmlands and carry on with their lives, which had been affected by the pollution. He said: “As a state, we strongly reiterate our support towards the holistic implementation of the UNEP report on Ogoniland. "We are excited to see the drive of the Minister for Environment in ensuring that the cleanup exercise becomes a reality.”

The governor said his administration is determined to do all within its powers to provide peopleoriented governance. The Minister, who was represented by the Minister of State for Environment, Alhaji Ibrahim Jubril, sought collaboration and cooperation with the state and the Ogoni stakeholders in the implementation of the report.

143.93m The total number of active lines of Nigeria in March 2015. Source: Ncc.gov.ng

isengaged Nigerian staff of DresserRand, a subsidiary of Siemens Limited, have threatened to storm the National Assembly over alleged unlawful dismissal by the company. The Nigerian workers, who are about 70 percent of the company's workforce, said none of them received any redundancy benefit from DresserRand, just as they alleged that the company did not follow due process in disengaging them. According to one of the workers, their counsel, Soalabo West, will soon send a petition to the National Assembly and other relevant agencies of government, ‘highlighting other breaches of

Association of Contributory Retirees of Delta State, protesting the non-payment of their benefits since retirement at the Government House, Asaba ...yesterday

Nigerian law perpetrated by Siemens and its subsidiary, Dresser-Rand.’ He dismissed comments credited to the Communications Manager of Siemens, Titilola Taiwo, that the workers had been given their entitlements. According to the workers, Dresser-Rand sacked them while a matter to that effect was still pending before the Nigerian Industrial Court (NIC) in suit number: NICN/ YEN/42/2016, at the Yenagoa Division, Bayelsa State. The worker said: "The arrogant attitude of Siemens confirms its disregard for the plight of its Nigerian staff and the laws of the land. Up to now, they have not shown any remorse for what the company has done to us and our families. "The claim by the Communications Manager of Siemens, Mrs. Taiwo, that Dresser-Rand was acquired by Siemens in a business arrangement is correct, but her claim that Nigerians that were disengaged have been adequately compensated is a blatant lie. "Without any equivocation, none of the over 70 per cent Nigerian workers disengaged by DresserRand has received any money in the form of redundancy benefits from the company." Meanwhile, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has deported

Two killed, houses razed in fresh communal clash

Dominic Adewole ASABA

t least two people have been killed and seven houses razed in a fresh clash between the youths of Umuezegoli community of Ebedei clan and those of Akoku clan in Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State. Yesterday’s clash came barely a year after indigenes of Ndokwa axis in the state engaged them-

selves in a bloody clash in which many lives were lost over a boundary dispute. Although the cause of the fresh dispute could not be immediately ascertained, New Telegraph, however, learnt that a peaceful parley between the two communities dovetailed into a heated argument, leading to the crisis. Youths of Umuezegoli allegedly invited an indigene of Akoku to their community for a discussion on Tuesday night, where matters degenerat-

Chinese envoy visits Edo, seeks closer ties Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

he Chinese ConsulGeneral in Nigeria, Mr. Liu Khan, yesterday visited Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, to explore investment potentials in the state with a view to locating more Chinese industries in the state. The visit was a followup to President Muham-

madu Buhari’s recent visit to China. Governor Oshiomhole during the visit said his government was determined to strengthen diplomatic relations with China with a view to deepening investment ties with the People and Government of China. Receiving the Chinese Consul-General, Oshiomhole lauded the envoy for leading a delegation of investors to his state.

ed into a brawl before the Akoku man was brutalised and killed. The incident triggered anger among the youths of Akoku clan, who swiftly mobilised for a reprisal. “In the twinkle of an eye, the youths had invaded Umuezegoli, but the place was deserted because the people had anticipated a reprisal and had fled the community. But early the following day, more than five houses have been set ablaze,” the source narrated.

The Chairman of Ukwuani Local Government Area, Mrs. Ndudi Osakuni, who lamented the saga said: “Immediately I was alerted about what happened, I visited Umuezegoli, but the place was deserted and we met only the Okpala-Uku of the clan, a man of over 100 years.” She confirmed that more than five houses were razed by the rampaging youths and according to her, “One of the buildings that are close to the house of the Okpala-Uku

was still in flames, so we struggled to put out the fire to prevent it from burning the Okpala-Uku house.” She, however, regretted that between Wednesday and yesterday, another person was killed at Umuezegoli, increasing the death toll to two. While Osakuni said drastic action had been taken to calm the feuding parties and restore peace to the communities, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Celestina Kalu said: “No signal about that yet.”

two staff of the company, Messrs. Doudou Sar, from Senegal and Lemuardo Neto, from Angola, who were drafted by Siemens to coordinate the sacking of the workers. They had entered the country without a work permit, forcing the Rivers State Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service, I. A. Haliru, to order their arrest and deportation.

Fresh crisis brews in Delta Labour Party Dominic Adewole ASABA

fresh crisis is brewing in the Delta State chapter of the Labour Party (LP), following the resignation on Tuesday of Chief Great Ogboru, the party’s governorship candidate in the 2015 general elections. Reports said his resignation had assumed a new dimension as two people now laying claim to the chairmanship of the party. Ogboru resigned from the party to realise his agelong governorship ambition in the All Progressives Peoples Congress (APC). The factional Chairmen, Emeka Nkwoala, who stepped down for Ogboru in the defunct Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) and Chief Tony Ezeagwu, are currently in a war of words over the position. While Ezeagwu refused to decamp with Ogboru to the APC and remained in Labour Party, Nkwoala, who Ogboru has since recognised as the authentic state LP chairman, has received Ogboru’s resignation letter and urged Ezeagwu to follow his political master or return to his former party, DPP. Angered by this in Asaba yesterday, Ezeagwu, who said he was the brain-box of Ogboru’s political fortune in the state, threatened not only to arrest Nkwoala and get him sued for impersonation, but that he would weaken Ogboru’s popularity in the 2019 contest in the state.

Commissioner: C’River to conduct Emmanuel makes case for development of A’Ibom’s natural free medical check-up Clement James endowments A T kwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, yesterday said the state was blessed with rich manpower and natural endowments which, if properly harnessed, could turn around the economic fortunes of the country. Emmanuel spoke in Uyo, the state capital, during a solidarity visit to him by elders of a socio-cultural organisa-

tion, Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio, led by the Ntisong, Obong Essien Ekidem, at the Government House. He charged the organisation to strive and foster the unity of all the ethnic groups in the state by rekindling the torch of Ibibio union established by ‘our forebears to promote oneness, political cohesion and socio-economic growth.’

Calabar

he Cross River State government has concluded plans to conduct a one-day free medical check-up for its citizens and give out free eye glasses to residents as part of activities marking this year’s International Safety and Health at Work Day. The day, which is cele-

brated every April 28, has as its theme; “Workplace Stress: A Collective Challenge,” and is observed by the International Labour Organisation to help promote safety and healthy work habit. According to the Commissioner for Health, Dr. (Mrs.) Inyang Asibong, residents of Calabar, the state capital, will be treated free and free eye glasses donated to those with sight problems.

NEWS | north

Sokoto, UNICEF sign N2bn pact

N2 billion agreement that will accelerate the implementation of the 2016 Work Plan in areas of health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and hygiene, has been signed by the Sokoto State government and the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). According to a statement issued by Malam Imam Imam, the media aide to Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the work plan is aimed at accelerating the realisation of the rights of all "children and women to survival, development, protection and participation." Under the agreement signed by the governor

and UNICEF's Chief of Field for Sokoto, Mr. Mohammad Mohiuddin, the state government is to contribute the sum of N1,083,384,750, while UNICEF will provide the sum of N1,006,865,500. The key objectives of the agreement, Mohiuddin pointed out include improved access to, and use of high quality and high impact health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene interventions for women and children; improving access to quality basic education by the most vulnerable boys and girls, as well as increased school retention, completion and achievement rates for all. Both parties agreed that the status of the

socio-demographic and development indicators carried out in Sokoto between 2013 and 2015 need to be improved upon. He said: "At the moment, both infant mortality and under-five mortality rates are high (89/1000 and 185/1000 respectively). However, 55.3 per cent of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition; 35 per cent of under-five children are underweight, 10.3 per cent of under-five children are wasted, while exclusive

3,004

The total number of incidence of terrorist violence in 1997. Source: Satp.org

breastfeeding for children 0-5months is only 10.3 per cent. "In education, out-ofschool children accounts for 66.83 per cent of total school going children, net attendance ratio at primary level is 39.8 per cent for boys and 24.6 per cent for girls, while gender parity index for primary level is 0.55." The UNICEF chief said while there are proven interventions already on ground to address the challenges, what is required now is a strong government’s will and political commitment, release of financial resources and collaboration with development partners towards implementation of the work plan.

Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal (left), with UNICEF's Chief of Field, Mr. Mohammad Mohiuddin, after the signing of an MoU between UNICEF and Sokoto State Government in Sokoto…

friday, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Kwankawso supporters to Ganduje: Stop victimising our members Muhammad Kabir KANO

upporters of former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa kwankwaso, have called on Governor Umar Abdullahi Ganduje to stop victimising their members in his administration or in the All Progressives Congress (APC). The supporters, who gave the advice while lowering the curtains on the fifth annual celebration of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, said that doing so amounted to nothing, but a betrayal of trust of his predecessor, who worked hard to bring him to power. Similarly, Kwankwaso’s followers challenged Governor Ganduje to remove his red cap, since he disliked the ideology, stressing that they would be ready to buy the cap for N1 million, even as they added: “You cannot be wearing the red cap and you are kicking against the ideology of the cap.” The Kwankwasiyya loyalists, who celebrated

the fifth anniversary of the movement in Kano on Wednesday, said: “Instead of organising rallies to specifically protest the alleged negative tendencies of Governor Ganduje against anyone that believes in Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso by removing them from offices and with the open hatred they now decided to pray in different mosques and places of worships.” Speaking during the anniversary, a former Special Adviser on Media to Governor Kwankwaso, Sharu Garba Gwamaja, recalled that on March 15, no fewer than 42 members of Kano State House of Assembly removed their Red Caps in solidarity with Ganduje. Gwamaja, however, hinted that the mistake made by Kwankwaso was to bring Governor Ganduje to replace him, adding that although till today Kwankwaso still respects the governor (Ganduje), even as he wondered that the governor has no enemy today except Kwankwaso, his former boss.

Buhari to open Katsina investment summit Muhammad Kabir KANO

Verification exercise: Jigawa saves N54m, targets N200m Dahiru Suleiman DUTSE

igawa State government has said it has saved N54 million through the recent verification exercise conducted in various ministries and parastatals to fish out ghost workers, and inflated salaries. The State Head of Service, Alhaji Inuwa Tahir, disclosed this during a chat with journalists after the state Executive Council Meeting held at the Government House, Dutse, the state capital, about the outcome of the

verification exercise. According to him, in the Ministry of Health alone, it was discovered that about 40 labourers whose terminal point is Grade Level 04 were placed on Grade Level 06 and 07 respectively. Tahir, who decried the multiple and double salaries recorded in the ministries and other government organisations, lamented the practice, which to him, has continued to raise government wage bills and stagnate development in the state. He also said there were cases where members of

staff, who were on Grade Level 08 were receiving salaries of Grade Level 14 in a particular ministry, as well as those with forged and falsified credentials. He cited a case of a medical officer, who absconded from his duty post for two years and was paid N2.4 million, saying though the affected officer had agreed to refund the money. Besides, he spoke of a situation where account and administrative staff were found to have been collecting hazard and duty shift allowances which they were not en-

titled to. The Head of Service and commissioner described the discovery as shocking, even as he promised that similar exercise would be conducted in all other ministries in the state with a view to putting round pegs in round holes. "The exercise was not meant to witch-hunt anybody or worker, but was in the best interest of the state,” Tahir said, adding that such verification exercise could not be devoid of errors and the government was willing to correct that immediately as the case may be.

resident Muhammadu Buhari is expected to declare open the Katsina State Economic and Investment Submit, billed for May 9 to May 11. The main objective of the summit is to expose the state to foreign investors, with interest in agriculture, solid minerals, power and energy, and Information Technology Communication (ICT) development. The Chairman of the Investment Committee raised by the state Governor, Bello Aminu Masari, for that purpose, Ibrahim Tukur Jikamshi, while chatting with journalists at the Kano NUJ Centre, explained that the theme of the investment forum is: “Unlocking Investment Potentials and Sustainable Development.” He explained that the

theme speaks volume in its aim at attracting global economic gurus, Jikamshi noted that already they have developed a prime work policy and handbook that takes a critical look at all the economic potentialities of the state. “We have also held series of stakeholders’ meetings, all with the intent to straighten the economic viability of the state which would eventually allow investors to take on the areas of their investment interest,” the committee chairman said. He said looking at the agricultural sector, Katsina State today has over 61 water dams that needed to be invested in for irrigation farming and also over 800,000 hectares of farming land, while the state is the second producer of Sorghum, as well as production of one-third of the Nigerian sugar consumption needs.

Emir denies invitation over Ilorin-Jebba road contract Nasarawa moves to cut salaries of civil servants Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

he Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim SuluGambari, yesterday denied insinuations that he was recently invited by President Muhammadu Buhari over the IlorinJebba expressway contract. The monarch, in a statement through the Na-

tional Secretary of Shehu Alimi Foundation for Peace and Development, Mallam Abdulazeez Arowona, expressed concern over such insinuations, saying it is extremely condemnable and capable of causing undesired disaffection in the country. Part of the statement reads: “I have never taken contract either for myself or any other body or group of people from

the Federal Government in my life. I have always maintained a high level of integrity and honesty in my career as a judicial officer until I relinquished the position as Presiding Judge in the Court of Appeal in 1995. I still maintained my stand as the Emir of Ilorin. “At no time have I ever lobbied for contract from the Federal Government or any of its agents."

Cheke Emmanuel LAFIA

ough times are awaiting civil servants in Nasarawa State, if the call for a slash in their monthly wages should see the light of the day. Some stakeholders in the state have recommended a downward review of salaries of public and civil servants in the

state. The state government is currently paying N18.900 minimum wage to its civil servants. In a communique issued at the end of the stakeholders’ forum on Wednesday in Lafia, the state capital, the stakeholders said the current wage bills of the state and local government workforce are on the high side when put side by side the

limited revenue accruing to the two ties of government. The communique noted that in view of the continuous decline in crude oil prices in the global market, the state government considers the option of preparing budgets based on taxes and non-oil revenues rather than on oil as it had been the tradition in the country.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Did you know?

Sport

That Arsenal’s Oliver Giroud is now on his longest run of games without a goal since he joined the club in 2012. He has not scored since January 13 and has gone 14 games without an EPL goal.

Emmanuel Tobi

The Sport Team Adekunle Salami Group Sport Editor

Emmanuel Tobi Assistant Sport Editor

Ajibade Olusesan Sport Correspondent

Charles Ogundiya Sport Correspondent

Eagles return excite Ekong, Arokoyo

Ighalo ready to destroy Villa –Florez

Musa, Aaron inspire CSKA to victory uper Eagles stars Aaron Samuel and Ahmed Musa were on target as CSKA Moscow secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Ural in a Russia Premier League week 26 fixture on Thursday. CSKA head coach Leonid Slutsky handed both Nigerians slots in his starting list and Aaron who was making his third start for the Army men played the entire duration of the encounter, Musa who has been at the club since 2011 was substituted for Kirill Panchenko in the 79 minutes of the game. Aaron opened scoring for CSKA in the 19th minute of the game to record his second league goal since arriving at the club from Chinese outfit Guangzhou R&F. Musa extended the visitors’ lead, 14 minutes after the restart to record his 41st goal in 122 league appearances. In search of at least a consolation having been outplayed by their visitors, Ural decided to throw more men forward and that decision proved to be their undoing as Alan Dzagoev made it 3-0 inside the final quarter. T he victory means Slutsky’s Musa men have now extended their lead on the Russia Premier League log with two points above second placed Rostov.

Sport News

Backs striker to score for late dad

Prince Obiaku

atford manager Sanchez Flores has declared that Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo is in the right frame of mind to play and score against Aston Villa on Saturday despite the death of the player’s father on Monday. P a u l Ighalo

Ighalo

passed away just hours after his son had played for the Hornets during the FA Cup semifinal defeat to Crystal Palace. The Watford top scorer would’ve been granted compassionate leave by the Hornets if he had chosen to return to Lagos, Nigeria. However, he decided to stay in England and see out the remainder of Watford’s English Premier League campaign. Ighalo has trained this week and Sanchez Flores said he was ready to play against relegated Villa on Saturday. “He has trained every day in a normal way,” said the Watford head coach. “Nothing has changed in his training. He has a strong mentality. For me, life is always more important than your profession, but cultures and families work differently. ‘’From the moment I found out his father passed away, I asked him: ‘Do you want to go back to Lagos?’ He told me no because he would go there at the end of the season. ‘’He is sad but focused on the game. He wants to dedicate the match to his father. He is the kind of player who doesn’t need extra motivation. He is an amazing player, someone who scored lots of goals for us at the start of the season. He is very clever.”

Lawal: Lack of funds won’t affect U-23 Eagles Azeez Ibrahim

x-international Garba Lawal believes that the performance of the national U-23 team at the forthcoming Rio Olympic Games, will depend on the tactical input of the coach and not particularly the funds injected into the squad by the Nigeria Football Federation. Speaking with New Telegraph, he explained that the team’s withdrawal from the Toulon tournament in France due to lack of funds should not be regarded as

a setback. “The technical inputs of the coaches will determine the success of the team,” Lawal said. ”We all know the state of the country at the moment. There is no money anywhere, the coaches and players understand this, and should not be an issue. “When Nigeria won the 1996 Olympic gold medal, we did not go for any friendly tournament beforehand, so that should not be a problem.” The former midfielder added that the decision of Chelsea of

England defender, currently on loan at Turkish club Kasımpasa, Kenneth Omeruo, to opt out of the Games should not be taken as big problem. According to him, this would afford other players opportunity to showcase their talents. Lawal said: “Football is all about team work and not about an individual. So it should not be a problem to the team. “We believe in Samson Siasia and have solid faith in him and the boys as well and they can once again bring the glory to the nation,” he said.

Amuneke upbeat as Flying Eagles draw Dream FC

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SPORT NEWS

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Amuneke upbeat as Flying Eagles draw Dream FC Johnson Adeolu ABUJA

Flying Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen

Egypt’s Safwat avenges defeat from first leg winner Adeolu Johnson

lying Eagles coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, has described his team’s goalless draw with Dream FC of Makurdi on Thursday as good test for the players while expressing optimism in Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the U-20 AFCON. After thrashing SiaOne Academy 4-1, Dabo Babes 5-0 and a Kaduna State –selected side 6-2 in test games, football fans left the FIFA Goal Project, Abuja disappointed Thursday morning as the Flying Eagles failed to satisfy their thirst for goals against Nigeria National League side, Dreams FC. But Amuneke admits that the match came at the right time as the team intensifies preparation for their May 22 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations qualifier against Burundi in Bujumbura. “We will continue to lear n until we be-

14-straight sets in the 26-year-old North AfNigerian capital. rican showed that he ABUJA He bagged his is not ready to come gyptian Mohamed 15-consecutive set win out vanquished as he Safwat lived up to with a 7-6(5)tie break broke Van der Duim his ranking in the as both players held was the sixth set of world when he stopped on to their serves in the second set which the first leg winner of a water-tight opening he eventually sealed Tombim Abuja Open set. with a diagonal foreAntal van Der Duim of Safwat’s two previ- hand to end his oppothe Netherlands in the ous matches went to nent’s unblemished quarterfinal to advance the final set and the record. to the semi yesterday. It was a sweet victory for the world number 272 seeded smasher who recorded a 6-7, 6-4, igeria interna- week, according to daily 6-3 victory over the tional striker sports of UK. The highest paid playDutch who beat him Odion Ighalo is two straight sets in last one of the top earners er in Watford Mario Suat his English Premier arez gets £45,000, while Saturday’s final. team captain Deeney T he encounter League club Watford. The former Udinese Troy pockets £35,000 a seemed to be going the way of the Dutchman, forward gets £30,000 a week. who prior to the match had won a combine

come perfect. We need these games to test our readiness for the match against Burundi and hopefully after two or more of such matches, we can conveniently say we are ready to go.” The Flying Eagles

Ighalo among Watford top earners

Ighalo, who has netted 14 goals in the EPL this season, earns double what the team’s goalkeeper Heurelho Gomez gets.

will tackle their counterparts from Burundi in the first leg of the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations qualifying fixture on May 22 in Bujumbura while the second leg will take place in Nigeria two weeks after.

Eagles invitation excite Ekong, Arokoyo

K Haugesund skipper William TroostEkong has expressed excitement over his recall to the Super Eagles for their upcoming exhibition games against Mali and Luxembourg. The former Holland U-20 international had not been called up to the national team since October 2015 when he played in the 2-0 loss to Democratic Republic of Congo in an international friendly staged in Belgium. “I’m very happy to be called up again for Nigeria. Hard work has paid off,” TroostEkong tweeted on Thursday morning. The central defender had his first two competitive games for the Super Eagles, against Chad and Tanzania. Similarly, Gaziantepspor of Turkey defender, Gbenga Arokoyo, has described his recall to the Super Eagles after four years as God’s time. The 23-year-old Arokoyo last played for the Super Eagles in an international friendly against Angola in January 2012. “Yes, of course I was expecting this call up, I believed it would come one day and thank God it finally came, ” an elated Arokoyo told allnigeriasoccer.com. “I was contacted through my club and all I did was to go on my knees and give God all the praise. “The Mali and Luxembourg friendlies are important games for the team and it will be an honour to play in those games.”

C.O.D United partners AFC Bournemouth Azeez Ibrahim

C Safwat

.O.D United Football Club of Lagos and the Community Sports Trust of English Premier League campaigners AFC Bournemouth have agreed a partnership. The partnership will commence with local and foreign soccer camps for young and aspiring footballers. Speaking on the partnership, CEO of C.O.D United Shola Opaleye said he was excited about the partnership and the many possibilities it presents to both clubs. “We are very excited about starting a partnership with yet another team in the biggest league in the world, the English Premier League. We are particularly excited to be working with AFC Bournemouth’s Community

Sports Trust, the community department at a club we share the same values with and which has a similar story to ours.” He added that, “We started our journey in the lowest cadre in Nigerian football and in 6 years, we were within a few games of joining the Nigeria Professional Football League. AFC Bournemouth were also playing in the lower rungs and within a few years, they have made it to the English Premier League.” The first activities leveraging the partnership are soccer camps for young and aspiring footballers in Lagos and England in July and August respectively. The Lagos camp will hold at the City Turf grounds of C.O.D United led by coaches from AFC Bournemouth CST.

Troost-Ekong (middle) celebrating after scoring a goal

Special Olympics Nigeria holds Malaria Day Prince Obiaku

pecial Olympics Nigeria has concluded plans to celebrate the 2016 World Malaria Day by hosting a day filled with activities to raise awareness on HIV and Malaria. SO Nigeria with the support of ExxonMobil plan to engage the attendees in activities such as a unified soc-

cer tournament, Family health forum (FHF), Health Talks with demonstrations, HIV and malaria tests plus provision of available treatment, voluntary counseling, and distribution of mosquito nets. This year the event is scheduled to begin by 9am on Saturday, May 7 at St. Finbarr’s College, Yaba, Lagos with the of-

ficial theme as “End Malaria for Good”. SO Nigeria is currently implementing the ExxonMobil Malaria/ HIV Initiative in special schools/centres and regular Schools in Lagos State. The Initiative involves working with Partners such as Grassroot Soccer, to teach our athletes about malaria and HIV/AIDS using football.

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

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The LMC debacle continues

must admit that I have battled end- were supposed to operating. In other lessly to resist making comments on words, the league is now run on what the activities of the League Manage- they call in Nigerian parlance a “padment Committee but the more I tried dy-paddy affair,” as two mutual friends the more the incontrovertible facts at from the North are in charge currently. my disposal continued to jeer at me. They are now running the league as Indeed, there are obvious contradic- if it is a private enterprise in collusion tions inherent in the constitution of with some vested interests, having sithe LMC and the administration of the lenced the club proprietors permanently Nigerian league. and having compromised their leaders. It is a classic case of “monkey dey To further worsen the situation, memwork and baboon dey chop.” In an at- bers of the once-vibrant body now talk tempt to address the nagging issues in hushed tones for fear of reappraisal or militating against our game, some victimization. It is now a case of speak smart individuals saddled with the re- and be dammed, since the leadership of sponsibility of charting the course of LMC boast of political connection with our soccer revival have only succeeded the powers that can checkmate any opin marking out a fiefdom to cater to position. But can their action be justified their personal wellbeing all to our col- in the court of public opinion? lective detriment. While admitting that they have reIronically, their secret actions un- corded some measure of improvement known to many, are at the bottom of the in terms of organizational structures current leadership crisis rocking the put in place, we also cannot however Nigerian Football Federation that has justify the underhand tactics deployed reduced us to a global laughing stock. by the committee in arriving at some The LMC was initially conceived as points. The popular saying is that “he an interventionist agency by the erst- who must come to equity, must come while Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdul- with clean hands.” To secretly usurp lahi, to articulate views on how best the structures of the league where you to revive our moribund league, whose have no equity interest in any of by-products had suffered much huthe clubs and turned round and miliation due to poor showing at all sidelined the real club owners is continental championships. sacrilegious and the height of Those saddled with the responsiarbitrariness. bility have rather opted to perpetuThe pain here is that they ate themselves in office at the detrihave surreptitiously indulged ment of reviving the game. In themselves with implefact, they have employed menting their recevery antic deployed by ommendations and Generals Ibrahim Bato some extent enbangida and Sani Abagaged in wasteful cha in their transition expenditure. They from military to civilwere alleged to ian rule projects. have rented an LMC Chairman Shehu Diko I recall the twooffice complex years mandate given that belongs to the LMC board during a member with its inauguration by the minister, after vested interest. The former NPFL unwhich they were to hand over to club der Obaseki acquired a multimillion proprietors to manage their affairs. But naira secretariat in Area 11, Garki that here we are, almost six years down the is currently lying fallow due to non-utiline, the ad-hoc committee has trans- lization. Information available points to muted into a permanent committee with the fact that the amount expended anunspecified mandate to continue forever. nually by the LMC on rents would have The signal that they never meant well been enough to purchase an edifice, but ab initio was when they proceeded to invested interests would not allow this to corporate the board of the LMC with the happen. then Honourable Minister and erstwhile In any case, palpable fears now exist President of the NFF, Aminu Maigari, that banks are about to reacquire the alongside other ad hoc committee mem- NPFL building due to outstanding bers as board members. At that point, N100m loan facility the LMC refused questions were raised as to what the in- to honour for reasons best known tentions of the group who appeared to to them. Going by market value, the have hijacked the league for good were, building may worth close to half a bilbut answers were not forthcoming. To- lion naira. Common sense dictates that day however, our fears have been con- it would have been better to pay off the firmed that their real intentions were facility and possibly dispose the propindeed for selfish interests and not for erty with the profit ploughed back. the good of the game. Again, it has become necessary to After all, the leadership of the LMC ask: who authorized the humongous board has become a pathway to occu- salary structure being implemented by pying a lucrative leadership post on the the LMC big-wigs? This is a pertinent board of the football federation. There question that needs answers, to avoid are unsubstantiated claims that huge the arbitrariness that had been associsponsorship funds are now being dis- ated to the organization. pensed recklessly and clandestinely to This LMC’s endless transition to “shareholders” and some considered nowhere must end now because it has “stakeholders” at the detriment of the become a debacle that we don’t need real club owners, on whose behalf they anymore.

he UN Security Council hastily met for closeddoor talks yesterday on North Korea’s failed test-firing of ballistic missiles, the latest defiance from Pyongyang of UN resolutions. The consultations were urgently requested by the United States following North Korea’s unsuccessful launch of two missiles and growing fears that the regime is preparing to conduct a fifth nuclear test. North Korea has made three unsuccessful bids in

two weeks to test-fly a Musudan medium-range missile, which is capable of striking US bases on the Pacific island of Guam. The first effort April 15 the birthday of founding leader Kim Il-Sung ended in what the Pentagon described as “fiery, catastrophic” failure, with the missile apparently exploding just after take-off. South Korean military officials say the North is desperate to register a successful launch ahead of next week’s party congress, at which leader Kim Jong-Un is expected

to take credit for pushing the country’s nuclear weapons program to new heights. The Security Council has repeatedly condemned the missile launches and stressed that they violated UN resolutions that bar Pyongyang from developing nuclear and ballistic missile technology. In March, the Security Council imposed the toughest sanctions to date on North Korea after it carried out its fourth nuclear test and fired a rocket that was seen as a disguised ballistic missile test.

The musician and dancers who were with Papa Wemba when he died paid tributeto him on Wednesday night.

Papa Wemba’s body arrives home in DR Congo

he body of Congolese “rumba king” Papa Wemba arrived in Kinshasa yesterday, greeted by officials and a huge crowd of distraught fans after his fatal collapse during a show in Ivory Coast. His body was flown home after the Ivory Coast held an-all night musical tribute to honour the legendary African music star, who died on Sunday at the age of 66. The white coffin draped in the Democrat-

ic Republic of Congo flag was received by Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo and parliament speaker Aubin Minaku before being taken off in a hearse. Relatives of the flamboyant performer were also at the airport, along with tribal chiefs and numerous admirers of the artist who was a live wire on Africa’s musical scene for more than 40 years. “News of the death of Papa Wemba was an earthquake,” Ivorian

Culture Minister Maurice Kouakou told journalists in Kinshasa. Dozens of musicians joined an international concert tribute to Papa Wemba in Abidjan overnight that was billed as a “big artistic wake”. A funeral for the father of six will take place on Monday and he will be buried Tuesday on the outskirts of Kinshasa. Papa Wemba was a pioneer of the fusion of rumba and Western electric rock and found world renown as African music

Syria conflict: Aleppo in‘catastrophic’state, says UN

he UN says the situation in Syria’s city of Aleppo is catastrophic, after dozens of people were killed in attacks on targets including hospital Air strikes on and around the Medecins sans Frontieres-backed al-Quds hospital killed at least 27 people, while more than 30 died in other attacks. UN envoy Jan Egeland said the next days would be vital for the humanitarian aid lifeline for much of Syria. The violence has left a partial truce hanging by

a thread. UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura warned the cessation of hostilities agreed between non-jihadist rebels and government forces on 27 February were now “barely alive”. Separately, the Syrian government reported that 150 US troops had arrived in the town of Rmeilan in Syria’s predominantly northern Kurdish province of Hassakeh, denouncing it as an “illegitimate intervention”. US President Barack Obama said last week he was deploying 250 troops

to Syria to help certain rebel groups fight socalled Islamic State (IS). Mr Egeland, the head of the UN humanitarian assistance to Syria, said he had been briefed on “the catastrophic deterioration in Aleppo over the last 24-48 hours. No-one doubts the severity of the situation.” He warned that the humanitarian lifeline for much of the country was at risk. “I could not in any way express how high the stakes are for the next hours and days.

On Marble

“Love is an untamed force. When we try to control it, it destroys us. When we try to imprison it, it enslaves us. When we try to understand it, it leaves us feeling lost and confused.”

— Paulo Coelho

Sanctity of Truth

Emeka Obasi Cookie Orkar’s unconventional coup

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FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016

Wives of the rich also cry

on’t we all wish we were somebody else? Aren’t you, this very minute, wishing you were married to the man in the next compound instead of this unfaithful ingrate you call your husband? Aren’t you wishing your wife were as successful or sexy as Tina, the woman next door? How many times have you asked yourself why you ended up with this woman who thinks the height of fashion is lace and a big headgear when every woman is fighting old age with every weapon in their fashion arsenal? Why can’t she lose some weight? Why can’t she make some money of her own instead of asking me for everything? Why is he such an NFA -No Future Ambition- when everybody is buying new cars and houses? Why is he such a bore? A woman whose husband is a socialite wants a homely one who can help her fix a new bulb and help the kids with their homework. The one with a domesticated husband is wishing for a man who is outgoing, an exciting go-getter. The woman married to a man who is contented with two cars and a bungalow is wondering why they can’t have homes abroad and in Abuja plus a few SUVs. The wife of a teacher wishes she were married to a governor. Wishing we were somebody else is a trait, a gene that we all share. And nobody is innocent of this offence, except pretenders. So, don’t bother sending me a text on this angle. Or don’t small pastors wish they were Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Matthew Ashimolowo or Bishop David Oyedepo? You can imagine what small believers like me are wishing for. For years I longed for a set of twins. Yeah, why is it that other women can have twins and I couldn’t ? I used to envy women who looked elegant all through pregnancy. Me? I couldn’t go through pregnancy without being confined to bed because my babies were always too anxious to ‘get out.’ And when the hours on this job gets too much I sometimes envy the alhaja in the next compound. She is a full-time housewife. I’m sure she also wishes she were in my shoes, blissfully ignorant of the fact that those shoes pinch most of the time. I know you know what I’m talking about, but wishing we were in another man’s shoes is such a huge topic we can’t deal with in one edition. ?Now let’s be honest, is there a woman who does not wish her husband were wealthier and more successful than he is? Don’t we envy wives of the rich who globe-trot and drive choice automobiles? Oh we do, please. Let’s come clean for once. If only we know what the wives of the rich have to contend with, their private pains and the demons they battle behind closed doors… Check out these experiences. Ifeoma’s husband is the typical wealthy businessman. Everybody

Adam’s Apple

FUNKE EGBEMODE egbemode3@gmail.com 0805-506-9066 (sms only)

OFF TO DUBAI AGAIN? I’ve lost my sanity

in the estate envies her. She drives all the cars of my dream including

PHOTO: www.mimiadeyemi.com

BMW-X6. She takes the one they call ‘Respect’ to do her shopping. And

what she wears is out of this world. Her two daughters are so beautiful and even more beautifully dressed even in the house. Ify’s major exercise I later learnt , when we got talking, is the one she gets at the gym. And all the attention she gets is the one her toddlers can give. ‘My loneliness is like labour pains, you can’t describe it to the next person. To everybody, I’m living their dreams but I’m the one wearing the shoes and I know I would exchange them for a pair of poor ones. Do you know what it is like to see your husband once in a month? Emeka does not know his children’s school. He simply thinks providing money for all we need is what makes him a husband. I have four maids, a gardener and two drivers. I can travel anytime anywhere but I’m so lonely. You can’t imagine what it is like to have your daughter start vomiting and running temperature in the night and there is no man to reassure you, comfort you that everything would be all right. I suffer terrible menstrual pains and all I get to hug is my hot water bottle. An absent husband is like a curse, a very private pain.’ Ifeoma’s biggest headache is her desperation to have a son, a feat she needs her husband’s presence in her bed to perform. But Emeka spends more time in Singapore, Dubai and Belgium than in his matrimonial bed. His place of primary assignment is offshore, his heart is on the high seas and his conjugal duties have been postponed until further notice. So, when next you cuddle up to your man on a rainy night, remember the likes of Ify who have only their pillows. When next you get angry with your husband for correcting you once too often, think of Ify who has to take all the decisions all alone. The rich wives sometimes wish they could exchange their SUVs for a little time in the arms of their husbands.

Printed and Published by Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Ltd: Head Office: No. 1A, Ajumobi Street, Off ACME Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja-Lagos. Tel: +234 1-2219496, 2219498. Abuja Office: Orji Kalu House, Plot 322, by Banex Junction, Mabushi, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Advert Hotlines: (Lagos 0902 928 1425), (Abuja 0805 5118488) Email: info@newtelegraphonline.com Website: www.newtelegraphonline.com ISSN 2354-4317 Editor: AYODELE OJO.