Friday, october 28, 2016 by Newtelegraphonline

FG mulls $10bn infrastructure investments for Niger Delta Adeola Yusuf and Anule Emmanuel

resident Muhammadu Buhari has launched the oil roadmap codenamed:

Buhari: Oil and gas will rescue Nigeria out of recession “The Seven Big Wins” with the promise of driving $10 billion infrastructural investments to the Niger Delta.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, stated that ending insurgency in the oil-rich region is the first

goal of a seven-point plan for the petroleum industry. Kachikwu disclosed that considering the im-

portance of the oil and gas sectors and militancy in the region, the president will, next week Tuesday, meet with rel-

evant stakeholders of oil producing areas. Both Buhari and Kachikwu spoke at the public presentation of the Ministry of Petroleum CONTINUED ON PAGE 1

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EFCC grants Reuben Abati bail }10

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Ondo guber: Jimoh Ibrahim, Akeredolu, Oke, 25 others make INEC list }12

ExxonMobil discovers 1bn barrels oil }2 offshore Nigeria

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N150

Soldiers' widows lament non-payment of benefits }4

National Assembly strips president of powers Abati

Ibrahim

Kachikwu

Buratai

… takes over control of CCB, CCT from executive Asset declaration: Again, Saraki loses bid to stop trial

Woman jailed 90 years for N5.6m admission scam }9

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose (left) and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, during the monarch's visit to the palace of the Ewi in Ado Ekiti …yesterday.

How Fayose’s aide disbursed N1.2bn ONSA cash – Bank official }5

New chip raises hope of blindness reversal

NEWS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

National Assembly strips president of powers Chukwu David Abuja

he National Assembly has removed and transferred the powers of the president in controlling the Code of Conduct Bureau and Code of Conduct Tribunal Act (CCB and CCT) to itself. At the conclusion of work on the CCB and CCT Amendment Bill yesterday, the National Assembly altered section 18 (2) to enable the National Assembly do the conferment of additional powers on the CCB instead of the president as provided for in the extant Act. The Bill has stopped the president from enjoying the powers of exempting public officers from investigation and trial. Instead, it gave that

power to the National Assembly. Section 18 (1) of the existing Act reads: "The president may, by order, exempt any cadre of public officers from the provisions of this Act if it appears to him that their position in the public service is below the rank which he considers appropriate for the application of those provisions.” Also, Section 18(2) of the existing Act provided that: "The president may, by order, confer on the Bureau such additional powers as may appear to him to be necessary to enable it to discharge more effectively the functions conferred upon it under this act." However, the National Assembly snatched this power from the president while considering the report of its Committee

on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions on a Bill for an Act to Amend the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act Cap. C15 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and other related Matters. The Bill was, however, passed amidst controversy among senators of the Senate Unity Forum (SUF) and members of the Like Minds group. The Bill, initiated and first passed by the House of Representatives, was transmitted to the Senate for concurrence in May. With the concurrence of the Senate with the House, the Bill will be pushed to the president for assent. If the amendment is signed into law by the President, the CCB and CCT, which are currently under the direct supervision of

the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SSG), will now be reporting to the National Assembly. The transfer of regulatory authority would enable cases of exception, including conferment of additional powers under the proposed Act, to be handled by the National Assembly instead of the president. The Senate further reduced the tenure of chairman and members from serving until they are 70, to a term of five years. The first term of five years in office is, however, subject to renewal for one more term only, making a total of 10 years in all. The new provision reads: "The chairman and members shall serve for a term of five years subject to renewal for one further

President Muhammadu Buhari with the former Head State, General Yakubu Gowon, during Gowon's visit to Buhari in Abuja… yesterday

term." Section 20 (4) of the proposed Act made it mandatory that the appointment of the chairman and members of the CCT be subjected to the confirmation of the Senate. Another important amendment effected to the CCT/CCB Act is to make it compulsory for any case of breach or non-compliance to be brought to the notice of the person concerned to enable him to make a written admission of such breach or non-compliance

and where such is done, there shall be no reference to the tribunal. However, after presenting the report of the committee by its chairman, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, some members of the rival Senate Unity Forum (SUF), rose to oppose the passage of the bill, arguing that it would create negative impression in the minds of the public because of the current trial of the President of

Adeola Yusuf

10,410 feet (3,173 meters) in 1,890 feet (576 meters) of water. The Owowo field spans portions of the contract areas of Oil Prospecting License 223 (OPL 223) and Oil Mining License 139 (OML 139). The well was drilled by ExxonMobil affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater Ventures) Limited, and proved additional resource in deeper reservoirs. ExxonMobil holds 27 per cent interest and is the operator for OPL 223 and OML 139. Joint venture partners include Chevron Nigeria Deepwater G Limited (27 per cent interest), Total E&P Nigeria Limited (18 per cent interest), Nexen Petroleum Deepwater Nigeria Limited (18 per cent interest), and the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company Limited (10 per cent interest). This discovery will spur exploration which had been in a decline in Nigeria. President Muhammadu Buhari had in a move to boost dwindling crude reserves earlier ordered the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to increase the tempo on crude oil exploration activities in the northern part of the country. Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Maikanti Baru, said the NNPC currently had exploration activities going on in the frontier basin in Chad and also in some areas close to the Kolmani River, located in Bauchi State, where Shell had made some indicative discovery of hydrocarbons. According to him, the president has directed the NNPC to go into that area to improve and further explore the magnitude and prospect of those finds. In response to the directive of the president, Baru disclosed that the NNPC was currently taking steps to re-strategise and get into those regions to step up crude oil exploration activities.

ExxonMobil discovers 1bn barrels oil offshore Nigeria

il giant, ExxonMobil, yesterday announced a 'significant discovery' with a potential recoverable resource of between 500 million and 1 billion barrels of oil on the Owowo field, offshore Nigeria. The company, in a statement, maintained that the Owowo-3 well, which was spud on September 23, encountered about 460 feet (140 meters) of oil-bearing sandstone reservoir. Owowo-3 extends the resource discovered by the Owowo-2 well, which encountered about 515 feet (157 meters) of oil-bearing sandstone reservoir. “We are encouraged by the results and will work with our partners and the government on future development plans,” said Stephen M. Greenlee, president of ExxonMobil Exploration Company. Owowo-3 was drilled to

Asset declaration: Again, Saraki loses bid to stop trial Tunde Oyesina Abuja

he Court of Appeal, Abuja Division yesterday dismissed the appeal filed by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki challenging the power of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) to try him. The appellate court, however, affirmed the jurisdiction of the tribunal to try the Senate President on charges bordering on false declaration of assets. The Federal Government is prosecuting Saraki before the tribunal over alleged false and anticipatory assets declaration. Saraki had approached the Court of Appeal challenging the power of the tribunal to try him. Delivering judgement in the appeal, the Justice Abdul Aboki-led panel of the appellate court affirmed the CCT’s jurisdiction. All the four other mem-

bers of the panel unanimously agreed with the lead judgement delivered by Justice Aboki who resolved all the eight issues formulated for determination against Saraki. In affirming the earlier ruling of the Danladi Umar-led CCT that affirmed the tribunal’s jurisdiction, Justice Aboki held, among others, that contrary to Saraki’s contention, the Attorney General of the Federation had the power to institute charges against him before the CCT. The Appeal Court also held that under the constitution, the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) was not under any obligation to invite the appellant to enable him to make written admission of breaches in his asset declaration forms before charges could be initiated against him. “The Section 3(d) of the Code of Conduct Bureau does not compel the Federal Government to give

such action notice to suspects who failed to properly declare their assets. “Persons charged for breaching any provisions of the Bureau are expected to file responses as evidence before the tribunal. “In this respect, the Attorney General of the Federation has not erred in any way for preferring charges against the appellant without prior notice,” Aboki held. On whether the AGF’s mandates include bringing actions against alleged offenders of CCB’s Act, Aboki held in the affirmative, adding that an officer from the office could be mandated to also perform that role. “The highest court in the land had decided on this very issue and, as a lower court, it is mandated to align with the decision precedent. “The AGF, who is the Minister of Justice, has the requisite right as provided by the 1999 Consti-

tution to bring charges against anyone who allegedly breached federal laws or delegate such powers,” he said. The court also held that the tribunal had rightly departed from its earlier decision exonerating a former Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, on account that he was not invited by the CCB to confront him with the allegations levelled against him. In addition, Justice Aboki held that the fact that the charges were initiated 13 years after the offences were allegedly committed was immaterial. Justice Aboki, however, described the contention as sentimental which the court had been enjoined not to delve into. “It is clear that the appeal lacks the basic substance to give it any life. It is therefore struck out for want of merit,” he said. The appellate court also

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

struck out a cross-appeal filed by the Senate President seeking for outright quashing of the charges against him. New Telegraph recalls that this will be the second time the Appeal Court would be delivering judgement on the same subject matter of jurisdiction of the CCT to try the Senate President. The Court of Appeal had, last year, ruled against Saraki on the jurisdiction of the CCT and asked him to proceed to face the 16 counts preferred against him.

3,100

The total number of applicants of the 2015 BOI-NYSC batch A Graduate Entrepreneurship Fund (GEF). Source: Bank of Industry

1,002

The total number of approved application of the 2015 BOI-NYSC batch A Graduate Entrepreneurship Fund (GEF). Source: Bank of Industry

NEWS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Tension as military plans invasion of riverine communities •Gbaramatu residents flee •Traditional Council warns of attack Ola James Warri

ear has enveloped residents of coastal communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State following an alleged deployment of several military houseboats to invade the communities. New Telegraph learnt that the houseboats are to be used as launch pads for the impending onslaught on the communities. Worried residents of the riverine communities are said to be deserting their areas just as there are fears that planned onslaught could derail the peace process initiated by the Chief Edwin Clarkled Pan-Niger Delta Peace Forum, which is billed to meet with the Federal Government on October 31. Although military au-

thorities at the 3 Battalion, Nigerian Army, Effurun and Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS DELTA) could not be reached for comments, Gbaramatu residents said one of the military houseboats manned by fiercelooking soldiers is stationed at the waterfront of Oporoza, headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom, in readiness for the planned invasion. New Telegraph gathered that the planned invasion might not be unconnected with last Tuesday's resumption of hostilities by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) in which an offshore export delivery line belonging to oil giant, Chevron, was destroyed. Acting Secretary of Gbaramatu Traditional Council, Chief Godspower Gbenekama, who confirmed the development to journalists yesterday in Warri, said the Nigerian security forces plan to carry

out the onslaught through the use of the military houseboat that is stationed at Oporoza waterfront. His words: "Gentlemen of the press, I called you here to address the burning security issues around the Niger Delta and particularly as it affects the people of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South West LGA of Delta State. "It has come to our knowledge that the security forces of Nigeria are planning another onslaught on the people of Gbaramatu Kingdom and they are going to use military houseboat stationed right at Oporoza waterfront with the guise of looking for militants. "This planned action of the Nigerian military is capable of derailing the fragile peace that some of us have struggled to achieve in the past few months. Let it be known that the presence of mili-

tary houseboats has never stopped these militants from attacking critical oil facilities to the effect that even pipelines very close to the said military houseboats are attacked either with the connivance of the military, or without the military knowing. One now wonders the rationale behind stationing military houseboat at the waterfront of Oporoza." The Gbaramatu chief averred that the plan, as far as the people were concerned, is meant to invade the privacy of the people

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

the Senate, Bukola Saraki, at the CCT. Senators Ahmad Lawan, Barnabas Gemade, Kabiru Marafa and Abdul-

How we'll disburse $29.96bn external loan – Adeosun Abuja

he Federal Government yesterday explained how it will disburse the $29.96 billion external loan it intends to borrow from the World Bank, African Development Bank and Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) within the next three years. It will also borrow money from other international financial agencies such as the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and China EximBank. Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, who gave details of the loan in Abuja, said that out of the total amount to be borrowed, the Federal Government will take $25.8 billion while the sum of $4.1 billion will be distrib-

uted among the 36 states of the federation. A further breakdown shows that $18.3 billion will be spent on infrastructure development, with $14.6 billion going to federal projects and $3.7 billion going to state projects. President Muhammadu Buhari had, on Tuesday, forwarded a request to the National Assembly seeking approval for an external borrowing plan of $29.96 billion to execute key infrastructure across the country between 2016 and 2018. Buhari said the borrowings would target projects across all sectors with special emphasis on infrastructure, agriculture, health, education, water supply, growth and employment generation. Other sectors, he said, included poverty reduction through social safety

net programmes, governance and financial management reforms, among others. According to Adeosun, the projects billed to benefit from the loans are the Mambila Hydro Electric Power Project, which will get $4.8 billion and the Abuja Mass Rail Transit project, phase two which will get $1.6 billion. Similarly, $3.5 billion is slated for the completion of the Railway Modernisation Coastal Project from Calabar to Port Harcourt-Onne Deep Sea Port segment. About $2.4 billion will go to the Lagos-Kano Railway Modernisation project; $1.3 billion is specifically for the LagosIbadan segment and $1.1 billion will go to the KanoKaduna segment. Also, $4.5 billion will go to acquire Euro bonds;

tants from blowing up the facility not up to 70 metres from their station. “Instead of performing their legal duties, they went to Tebujoh/Okpellama and shot a sand scupper to death. If not for the intervention of the Gbaramatu Traditional Council, that would have resulted to a major crisis. “As it is now, there are so many military houseboats stationed across the Niger Delta, this has not stopped the militants from attacking if they so desired. As for Gbaramatu Kingdom,

National Assembly strips president of powers

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike and the Group Managing Director of Access Bank , Mr. Herbert Wigwe, after the inauguration of the Rivers State Golden Jubilee Celebrations Committee in Port Harcourt …yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Onwuka Nzeshi

living in the area. "We see this plan as an invasion on the privacy of the people of Gbaramatu Kingdom and Oporoza, the headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom in particular. We have not forgotten that similar actions were carried out in our area in the recent past,” he said. He recalled that earlier this year, the military stationed at Ikpokpo and charged with the responsibility of guarding the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) there could not stop the mili-

$3.5 billion will be dedicated to the Federal Government budget support. In a statement released by the minister's Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Festus Akanbi, the sum of $2.2 billion will be sunk in education and health projects at state and federal levels; $1.2 billion has been set aside for agriculture projects at both levels while $200 million is earmarked for economic management and statistics.

N36.055bn The total value of payment channels made by Mobile payments of Nigeria in March 2015. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

20.9%

The percentage of the urban population of Solomon Islands in 2012. Source: Un.org

lahi Adamu, all of the SUF, strongly opposed its passage and suggested that it should be withdrawn. However, when it was put to voice vote by the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the session, majority of the senators approved that the chamber should go ahead with the clause-by-clause consideration, resulting in its eventual passage. In his contribution, Senator Ahmed Lawan said: "The Senate is a moderator on legislation. This bill emanated from the House of Representatives and our colleagues there passed it. I agree totally with the submissions of some of our colleagues here that we don't have to tarry to pass it. "Sir, we will be doing ourselves and this National Assembly a better service if we step down this thing and move on to some other things, and then we will make this a better bill only when we convince ourselves that what we are trying to do is not for our sake. "If we are affected today because perhaps either one of us or some of us are before the tribunal or something, this is not a permanent situation and when we legislate, we legislate for centuries and we legislate dispassionately not for ourselves.” But Senator Shehu Sanni, while contributing, urged the Senate to go on with the consideration, stressing that the legislation was not targeted at any person or group of persons, but for the benefit of the present and future Nigerians. "We have already moved to discuss this bill. Laws are not made for individuals and for a specific period of time. They are made for posterity, for future generations. We will all someday stand to account for the laws we make in

this Chamber and I believe it will be suspicious of Nigerians to start this process now and midway we simply stop it. "There is no controversy in it; what is right is right, what is wrong is wrong. We are not making laws for the convenience and comfort of somebody whether in or out of government. As far as I am concerned, I believe that since we have wisdom to table this, we should have the courage to see it through," Sani said. Ekweremadu had to intervene to restore peace. He, however, cautioned Lawan against describing the amendment of the Bill as self-serving. "Ekweremadu said: "For the purposes of the public, I think we need to put this in proper perspective. This bill came as a House bill and like other House bills we concurred, but in reference to this, we decided to send it to the committee so that they can have another look at it. We would have passed it that same day, but we sent it to the committee and it came up this morning. The question was put as to whether we should consider it and the answer was yes. "So it will be unfair to accuse ourselves here of being unnecessarily hasty. We should not create the impression that there is any haste in reconsidering this bill and we have followed the rules to the latter up to this moment." It will be recalled that the Senate introduced a similar bill in April this year and referred it to the Committee on Ethics, but it was suspended because of the public outcry as a result of Saraki's trial at the CCT. It is however, not certain if President Muhammadu Buhari will assent to the Bill when it is finally transmitted to him because of the controversy trailing the legislation.

NEWS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Soldiers' widows lament non-payment of benefits

Sunday Ojeme

ome widows of military personnel, who died in active service, are lamenting years of neglect and failure by military authorities to pay their late husbands’ benefits. Among those affected are wives of soldiers, who died while on mission abroad, some, who fought Boko Haram insurgents as well as a few others who were cut down by armed robbers and other criminal elements while on duty. New Telegraph's findings revealed that while some of those affected have practically given up on the entitlements due to the ‘rigorous’ obstacles placed by the military authorities, others have continued to weather the situation for as long as 10 years. This is in spite of the fact that the military authorities had disbursed over N200 million within the period to families of some victims. It was learnt that while some are lucky enough to have retained their accommodation in some of the barracks, others have relocated, remarried or reunited with their extended family members. While some of them

refused to volunteer information on their plight to our correspondent for fear of being persecuted, those who spoke narrated the effort they have so far made to get the benefits paid. In a chat with our correspondent, one of the widows, Mrs. Janet (surname withheld), who claimed to have done everything possible over the years to get the benefits paid, said her husband was killed by armed robbers while on duty with his colleagues. She lamented that in the past years, she had been subjected to all manner of official and unofficial rigours to get the necessary documents cleared, but that nothing had happened. The widow, who had a child for her late husband shortly before he was cut down, said the most painful aspect was the payment of some other widows whose spouses died years after her husband’s incident. Janet said: “My husband was killed while on duty at night and I started processing the documents a year after he died. When I started, they requested for his passport, his next of kin passport, death certificate, and Part 2 Order of his death. “He used his younger sister as the next of kin

(NoK). That is because he joined the army before we got married and he was yet to change it to my name or that of his son before he was killed. “I have supplied all the information they requested for and I have been waiting. I have been going there alone until they sent for the next of kin and I sent for her. We still went there together, nothing happened. “At a point, they asked her (NOK) to supply those same documents I had earlier given them. She too started from the beginning and supplied the same information to the office, and they promised to call us, but up till now nothing has happened. “The last thing they said was that the payment was being processed in Lokoja before it will be moved to Abuja for clearance. What baffles me is that within these years, so many people have been paid. This year again, I went to the office and was told that I had to start all over again. I have submitted the same information and I am still waiting for them to call us.” Also lamenting her fate, a 26-year-old lady, who simply gave her name as Ubi, said she had been living with her friend since she lost her husband seven

years ago. She said her late husband actually used his son outside wedlock as the next of kin, stressing that it had not been possible to reach the boy, who left home even before his father died. “At a point, I wanted to give up pursuing it, but my friends keep encouraging me to continue. But it appears the payment is not forthcoming. It is becoming more complicated because they keep insisting on seeing the next of kin even when they are convinced that we were married,” she noted. Describing the situation as horrible, Ubi said while some of them wait endlessly, some others were paid within two or three months after they lost their spouses. According to her, “I don’t want to say there is discrimination, but it is better for them to tell us that we are not qualified for anything instead of keeping us waiting for years. The situation is becoming hopeless and we are being pushed around as if we are trying to steal what does not belong to us.” In the case of 31-yearold Hassana, the military authorities actually paid her late husband’s entitlements, but his younger

brother who was the next of kin fled with the money, abandoning her and the only child, who is the product of the marriage. She said all efforts to get part of the money for her son’s upkeep had proved abortive as the family insists that she should get married to one of them. She said: “My husband died in Borno while fighting Boko Haram. I knew from the beginning that he did not use me as the next of kin, although he promised to change it to the son’s name as soon as he was back, but unfortunately he was killed. “To be honest with you, the army did very well and even processed payment of the benefit on time, but my brother in-law, who was the next of kin, ran away with the money, while other members of the family said I should remarry within the family. I felt I could not do that, so I forgot the money and left the barracks with my son.” This newspaper recalls that about six years ago, the military authorities disbursed about N171 million to 41 NoK and relatives of personnel, who lost their lives in active service. The then Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, restated the military’s resolve to ensure

that the relatives and NoKs of deceased personnel get the benefits that are due to them without any delay. He assured that the armed forces would do everything possible to make sure the fallen heroes received their benefits ahead of any other officer. In response to text messages from our correspondent, the military spokesman, Colonel Usman, requested for the particulars of the affected persons in order to establish why the benefits were yet to be paid. He said: “Let me have the details of their complaints and particulars of the deceased husbands, I will find out and let you know. Give me details of their particulars; Army number, rank, name, unit and date of death. I want those details please. It is important to have it, otherwise I cannot communicate or say anything beyond this.”

2.56m

The total volume of payment channels made by POS of Nigeria in April 2015. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

$4,523.86m The capital importation of the Shares sector of Nigeria in Q3 2014. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

In your juicy

Meet powerful Nigerians married to judges

Dogara blackmailed lawmakers to abandon me –Jibrin

PATIENCE OZOKWOR

I weep when I watch my wicked roles in movies New Netim: How choice of village head resulted in bloodbath

Agbebiye

Using carrot and stick approach to fight maternal mortality

NEWS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

How Fayose’s aide disbursed N1.2bn ONSA cash – Bank official Tunde Oyesina Abuja

he Prosecution Witness 1 in the resumed trial of Abiodun Agbele, an ally of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, yesterday told the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja how the defendant lodged N1.2 billion in Zenith Bank. The money was said to have been part of the N4.7 billion that was siphoned from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and deposited into the bank account of Sylvan McNamara, a company allegedly owned by the sons of a former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro. The witness, Alade Sunday, who is the head of Akure branch of Zenith Bank, while being led in evidence by Prosecution Counsel, Wahab Shittu, told the court that on June 17, 2014, his Zonal Head, Abiodun Oshodi, informed him that he received a message from one Lawrence who is a Zonal Head in Oyo State that a customer of the bank will be coming with money to Akure branch. He added that since he is the head of Akure branch, he was informed to arrange for bullion van to be taken to the airport to convey the cash when it arrives. "After about one hour, my zonal head walked to me that Mr. Agbele was

in the bank with him. I followed him to his office and he introduced him to me as the customer. "When we got to the airport, we waited for some minutes before the aircraft arrived with some occupants and one of the occupants was a former senator, Musiliu Obanikoro and one other person who I do not know. "When the occupants came down, Mr. Agbele walked to meet them and they discussed before the cash was put in our bullion van and we drove back to the branch with him. "When we got to the branch we counted the money; it was about N700 million and Agbele told us that more money was still coming," he stated. The witness also told the court that in the evening of the same day, they went

back to the airport, got the remaining money and went back to the branch and that at the bank, they counted the money and added it to the first money which amounted to N1,290,000,000. The witness also stated that Agbele gave them an instruction to deposit the money into different accounts. The lodgement is as follows: "N100 million was credited to Spotless Investment Ltd.; N219,490,000 was credited to De-privateer Ltd.; N300 million was also created to De-privateer and another N200 million credited to De-privateer. "N137 million was credited to Ayodele Fayose’s account and the balance of about N263 million was taken by Mr. Agbele," he added.

He further stated that the money was prior to the 2015 general elections. He added that the money, which was moved in two tranches, was stuffed inside Ghana-must-go bags. The witness said he was among the team that evacuated the money to the bank with a bullion van after it was flown to the Akure airport in a medium-sized aircraft by Obanikoro. "The driver that drove the bullion van on that cash pick-up engagement was Olaolu Omotosho. I do not know the registration number of the aircraft, but the colour is metallic grey. “I was able to recognise Senator Musliu Obanikoro since the appearance resemble his picture that I used to see on the television or newspaper, but I cannot recognise the third person that came out of

the aircraft with him. “The cash was packed inside several sacks popularly referred to as Ghanamust-go sacks. The aircraft that brought the second tranche of the cash was of a smaller size when compared with the aircraft that brought the first tranche. The sacks were many and as such I cannot remember the number.” After the testimony, prosecution counsel, Shittu, prayed the court to mark the PW1 statements made at the EFCC office as exhibits and also apply for a date for the PW1 to come back and complete his testimony. The defence counsel, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), did not object to the application made by the prosecuting counsel. The trial judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, however,

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) while inspecting the Kashimbila 40MW Hydropower Plant in Taraba State… yesterday

FG mulls $10bn infrastructure investments for Niger Delta CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Resources’ 7 BIG WINS, a short and medium term priorities to grow Nigeria’s oil and gas industry between 2015 and 2019 held at the presidential villa, Abuja. According to Kachikwu, "Our target is to ensure zero militancy in the area. This planned meeting shows the level of interest the president has to ensure peace in the area." The $10 billion investment, he noted, is "not necessarily" going to come from the Federal Government, but rather from "oil companies, investors, and individuals." The seven-part strategy also envisaged passing a long-delayed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) by December. The bill, which covers an overhaul of state-owned oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), to taxes on upstream projects, was delayed by violence in the Delta, which at one point cut production to 30-year lows.

The first part is already pending in the Senate. Kachikwu said the second part, which deals with fiscal aspects of the petroleum industry, is "almost completed" and will be presented to the oil industry in the next week or two. The other elements of the plan outlined yesterday are: a business environment and investment drive, transparency and efficiency, stakeholder management and international coordination, gas revolution and finally refineries and local production capacity. Nigeria, the minister added, was also considering asset sales and wanted to improve the investment climate and enable development of the nation's gas assets. Kachikwu disclosed that government's target was to have an incident reduction by 90 per cent by 2018 and to target zero militancy and shut down by 2017. He said achieving this would bring back crude production to 2.2 million

barrels per day. According to him, the country's production capacity stands at 3 million barrels per day. The minister explained that the 7 Big Wins to grow the Nigerian oil and gas industry was aimed at developing a stable and enabling oil and gas landscape with improved transparency, efficiency and stable investment climate. He expressed the hope that the ongoing reform in the sector would provide huge investment opportunities in infrastructure development, oil and gas facilities, operations and maintenance across the value chain. Meanwhile, Buhari has played up the critical role of the oil and gas sector as a key enabler to getting Nigeria out of the current economic crisis. According to the president, Nigeria presently needs a virile and efficient oil and gas industry to take care of its foreign exchange requirements and also help to explore the frontier basins, improve local refining capacity and

build sustainable partnerships with the oil producing communities. He explained that only an efficient oil and gas industry would ensure that agriculture, solid minerals and other critical sectors of the economy were supported to grow and contribute more to the nation’s economy. “The golden era of high oil prices may not be here now, but oil and gas resources still remain the most immediate and practical keys out of our present economic crisis," he stressed. At the presentation of the Petroleum Ministry plan, the president, however, re-emphasised that the oil and gas also remained a critical enabler for the successful implementation of the nation’s budget, as well as the source of funds for laying a strong foundation for a new and more diversified economy. He said this was a national imperative and a core thrust of his administration’s economic policy. He, therefore, reiterated his administration’s

determination to resolve the socio-economic and security challenges in the Niger Delta. Buhari reassured that his government’s resolve and capacity to work with all stakeholders to restore normalcy would guarantee success in the Niger Delta. “As you are aware, recent developments in the Niger Delta have temporarily limited our oil and gas production and supplies,” he said. The oil and gas roadmap, he noted, reflects the vision and aspiration of his administration for the sector. He urged all stakeholders in the sector to deliver on the expectations contained in the Petroleum Industry Roadmap. The president, therefore, appealed for the support and cooperation of the media, local and foreign investors and other critical stakeholders in the oil and gas industry “as we seek to consolidate CHANGE in this very important sector of our national economy.”

endorsed the statements as exhibits AA1A, AA1B, AA1C and AA1D. The court later adjourned the matter till November 14 for continuation of trial. Agbele was reportedly arrested on June 27 for his role in the handling of over N1.2 billion on behalf of Fayose during the Ekiti State governorship election in 2014.

2016 budget: FG releases N2.5trn Chukwu David Abuja

inister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, yesterday, told the Senate Committee on Appropriation that the Federal Government had released N2.5 trillion in the course of implementing the 2016 budget. This was as the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, also revealed that some revenue generating agencies inflated their expenditure figures, threatening that directors of the agencies involved would soon be made to appear before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Adeosun, who appeared alongside Udoma to brief the committee on releases made on the 2016 budget so far, also told the committee that the looted funds were coming into government purse. The minister, however, failed to state the actual amount recovered so far by the government. Giving the breakdown of releases on 2016 budget, she said that N753 billion was released for capital, N117 billion for statutory transfer, N135 billion for service wide vote, N108 billion was released for overhead, and N142 billion for consolidated pension while total releases on personnel was N1.2 trillion. Adeosun informed the committee on the obstacles faced by Nigerian government on the stashed loot in Switzerland and the United States of America. She said: "The process of recovering looted funds is ongoing process; money comes on a daily basis. We have not recovered much from abroad. It is a little more difficult.” Adeosun also said that the Federal Government was still waiting for the finalisation of funding rail project in Nigeria by NEXIM bank in China. Chairman of the committee, Senator Danjuma Goje, expressed satisfaction with the implementation of 2016 budget and urged the ministers not to renege on the tempo.

News|NATIONAL

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

How Dudafa laundered N250.7m-Witness Akeem Nafiu

urther hearing in the trial of Waripamo-owei Dudafa, an aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, over alleged N5.1 billion fraud, continued yesterday before Justice Mohammed Idris of a Federal High Court in Lagos. A prosecution witness, Kayode Temitope Olanrewaju, narrated how the sum of N250.7 million was laundered by the accused person. Dudafa was arraigned alongside one, Iwejuo Joseph Nna, a. k. a. Taiwo Ebenezer and Olugbenga Isaiah by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 23-count charge of alleged fraud. Some of the companies allegedly used by the duo in committing the offences included Seagate Property Development and Investment Limited, Avalon Global Property Develop-

ment Company Limited; Iwejuo Joseph Nna and Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited; Iwejuo Joseph Nna and Rotate Interlink Services Limited. Others are; Ibejige Services Limited; DE Jakes Fast Food and Restaurant Nigeria Limited and Ebiwise Resources. The witness, a compliance officer with Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), while being led in evidence by the EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, informed the court that Dudafa laundered the money between 2013 and 2015. He disclosed that his bank received a letter from the anti-graft agency requesting for the account opening packages of DE Jakes Fast-food and Restaurant Nigeria Limited and one, Florence Itekesi. Dudafa, his wife, Preye, and his son, Dudafa Junior were said to be the Directors of the company.

House probes AMCON over N2.473bn Philip Nyam Abuja

he House of Representatives yesterday mandated its committee on banking and currency to investigate the failure of obligors/bank debtors to liquidate their loans in order to enable Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) redeem the three-year zero coupon bond raised. The decision was taken following the adoption of a motion on the need to investigate AMCON obligors over the non-liquidation of N2.473 billion sponsored by Hon. Johnbull Shekarau (PDP, Plateau). Leading debate on the motion, Shekarau informed the house that AMCON was established to respond to the 2007-2009 global crisis as an intervention agency to provide stabilization capital to eligible financial institution and acquire eligible bank

assets. He recalled that the company was provided with a three year zero coupon Federal Government bond to allow it raise N5. 67trillion through the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria. Shekarau expressed worry that six years after, AMCON was yet to recover over N2.473 from Obligors/ bank debtors to enable her redeem the coupon bond it acquired. The lawmaker further expressed concern that AMCON’s inability to recover this amount has serious implications on the economy, particularly now that it is in recession. Supporting the motion, House committee Chairman on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas, decried the company’s inability to recover monies from its debtors, stressing that the fund would help boost the country’s ailing economy.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar with former Niger State Governor, Dr. Aliyu Babangida during a Babangida’s visit to Atiku in Abuja …on Tuesday

Senate criminalises sexual harassment Chukwu David Abuja

he Senate, yesterday passed the Sexual Harassment Bill, 2016. The bill is aimed at checkingtheusualcomplaints of sexualharassmentbetween teachers and students. The Bill, which was sponsored by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (Labour Party, Delta Central) prescribes a jail term of five years or N5 million option of fine or both, for educators, who are found guilty of sexual harassment against female students at all levels of education institutions. The bill was passed following the clause- by-clause consideration of the report

he Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has assured stakeholders of its resolve to ensure that safety standards are not compromised in the operations of the nation’s maritime industry. This assurance was given by the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, at the 10th Oil Trading and Logistics (OTL) Expo held at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos. Peterside, who was a discussant on the topic “Competitiveness and Standards in Ship and Shore Logistics for Petroleum Products” noted that the logistics of ship

and shore serve as the gateway for supply of petroleum products, which involves interconnection of different modes of transport. Represented by the Agency’s Head of Shipping Development department, Mr. Akin Akinyosoye, he disclosed that the demand and supply equation were central to cost and price differentiation, thereby necessitating enhanced safety standards regulation. He also called on ship owners to be mindful of safety and quality standards which tend to enhance competitiveness in the industry, emphasising that safe and secure shipping was a criti-

act of neglect or failure of administrative heads of tertiary institutions to address complaints of sexual harassment within a specified period of time. He decried a situation where some female students were kept beyond their official years of graduation in school for refusing to have sex with male lecturers. He said:”Today is a landmark. A landmark for our wives; a landmark for our daughters and a landmark for our sisters. You recall immediately I got into the Senate, the first and major bill I proposed was a bill to prohibit sexual harassment of students in our tertiary institutions. We had a reason for doing that. “We did that because we felt that this menace has

been there for so long and it has gone unchecked but we have had our daughters, our sisters, our nieces and wives and students, who have been harassed and nothing was done. “We had instances where students who ought to have graduated in 3-4 years, some of them have to stay for 5-6 years to graduate just because they said no to unwanted sexual advances from educators in this institutions. “Now, it is touch and go. You stay away from these girls; you touch them as a lecturer, you know there is a price to pay. Somebody describes it as a zip up legislation. Henceforth, the lecturers or the educators will either zip up or take five years- the choice is theirs.

a study published in ‘PLOS Biology’. The prosthetic device senses signals and transmits them to the brain by stimulating the cells in the retina – the area at the back of the eye that collects light focused from the lens. The ‘bionic eye’ senses visual signals and transmits them to the brain, but requires extensive training to help patients’ brains learn to see again. Around the world, an estimated 40 million people are blind, with many of them reaching this condition after years of slow and progressive degeneration. The new study comes from researchers at an Italian public research university, the University of Pisa, who wanted to test the brain’s capacity to process artificial visual inputs. They focused on seven patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa – an inherited disease that gradually leads to complete

blindness. Retinitis pigmentosa is the name given to a group of inherited conditions of the retina that lead to a gradual progressive reduction in vision. With the development of this condition, difficulties with night vision and peripheral vision are the first things that are noticed. Later, reading vision, colour vision, and central vision are affected. The age at which symptoms start is variable and the rate of deterioration often varies - for example with the different genetic types - but is generally very slow with changes occurring over years rather than months. In approximately half of all cases, there are other family members affected. The researchers then used functional magnetic imaging - technology that measures brain activity by detecting changes associated with

blood flow. This showed that patients learned to recognise unusual visual stimuli, such as bright flashes, and this ability led to increased brain activity. As the patient practiced seeing, the more their brain responded to visual stimuli using the prosthetic implant. The researchers, led by Maria Concetta Morrone, said: “The boost in response takes a long time and intensive training to appear, being stronger in those subjects who used the prosthetic device more intensely and for a longer time.” The results suggest that after the device is implanted, the brain undergoes plastic changes to re-learn how to process the visual signals. The fact that after years of blindness, the brain still has some plasticity is highly promising for the further development of new prosthetic implants.

New chip raises hope of blindness reversal

Appolonia Adeyemi

n the effort to check rising vision impairment worldwide, scientists have produced a new prosthetic device that is designed to restore lost vision. This is contained in

NIMASA to enforce safety standards – Peterside T

of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters. The initial proposal had earlier targeted only lecturers in tertiary institutions but many senators kicked against the idea during the consideration of the report, and it was amended to include all levels of education institutions in the country. Briefing journalists after plenary, Omo- Agege described the passage of the bill as a landmark achievement, in view of the menace of sexual harassment in education institutions. According to him, the bill created a strict liability offence by removing mutual consent, as a defence in prosecution of sexual harrassment cases as well as criminalise the

cal pillar in the oil and gas logistics chain. “Many national and international organisations, including countries are revisiting and amending safety standards regulations to further strengthen the legal framework relating to ship and shore operations for the oil and gas sector. More importantly, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO’s) Marine Environment Protection Committee is reviewing measures to address issues not already covered by SOLAS, and to improve the supply chain on carriage of dangerous goods and hazardous substances,” he said.

News|NATIONAL

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ekiti Assembly takes Fayemi, others to EFCC over alleged N40bn fraud Salawudeen Suleiman

he Ekiti State House of Assembly has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), demanding the investigation and prosecution of the immediate past Governor of the State and Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr Kayode Fayemi and others, for allegedly looting the state to

lMinister: I can’t be distracted the tune of over N40 billion. The petition, dated October 24, 2016 and signed by the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Pastor Kolawole Oluwawole, was submitted to the EFCC in Abuja, by the trio of the Deputy Speaker, Hon Segun Adewumi; Chairman House Committee on Information, Dr Samuel Omotoso and Hon Sina

Animasaun. The petition was titled; “Complaint of fraudulent practices against former Ekiti State Governor and Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and others: Call for investigation and prosecution.” Other people mentioned in the petition are Mr Dapo Kolawole, Mr Yemi Adaramodu, Mr Abiodun Oye-

banji, Arc Oyelade (CASA Nig Ltd) and Mr Bayo Kelekun. The Deputy Speaker, who addressed journalists after the petition was submitted, said it had become necessary to lodge the petition with the antigraft agency because of the claim in government circles that there were no petitions against any mem-

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Oscar Onyema; Executive Commissioner, Corporate Services, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Zakawanu Garuba; Former Chairman, Senate Committee on Capital Market, Ganiyu Solomon, and President & Chairman, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Oluwaseyi Abe, at the 20th annual stockbrokers’ conference, on “Building New Pillars Creating New Values for Sustainable Development” in Lagos… yesterday. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Witness: Metuh Alleged N47.6bn fraud: Tompolo, others’ trial stalled funded Jonathan’s he filed on behalf of his cli- sentia before the court by ent, challenging the com- the Economic and Finanpublicity campaign Akeem Nafiu petence of the charges. cial Crimes Commission

Witness, Richard Ihediwa, told a Federal High Court yesterday that a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, solely funded publicity activities during Jonathan’s re-election campaign. Metuh is being tried for alleged N400 million money laundering. Ihediwa, who was Metuh’s Personal Assistant on Media, disclosed this while being led in evidence by the defence counsel, Mr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN). He said that it came to a point that the ‘situation room’ was not funded by the party, and Metuh decided to pick up the burden and funded the activities of the publicity team from his pocket. The witness said the financial status of the publicity arm was so bad that it got to a point that they could no longer pay companies that ran adverts for them. He told the court that it was so bad that he contemplated resigning his position because the work load was too much for him to carry. “But Metuh begged and asked me to understand that the office was not funded.”

he absence of a prosecution lawyer, Festus Keyamo, yesterday, stalled hearing in the trial of a former Niger Delta militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo a.k.a Tompolo and others over alleged N47.6 billion fraud before Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court in Lagos. New Telegraph learnt that Keyamo had written a letter to the court seeking for an adjournment of the matter owing to the nonavailability of his main witness. At yesterday’s proceedings, one of the defence lawyers, Oyesoji Oyeleke (SAN), informed the court of a preliminary objection

He said the prosecution’s failure to depose to an affidavit indicating it had concluded investigations into the matter before filing the charge was fatal to its case. He consequently urged the court to strike out the charge against his client. Another defence lawyer, Sylvester Ekwueme, also drew the attention of the court to a bail application he filed on behalf of his client. Hearing of the two applications has been fixed for November 10, while the accused persons’ trial was adjourned to December 13 and 14. Tompolo and eight other accused persons were on April 18 arraigned in ab-

(EFCC) over an alleged N47.6billion fraud. Apart from Tompolo, other accused persons docked in absentia are: Pondi Ebimorbowei Kestin, Igo Akpobolokemi, Julius Akpobolokemi, Stephen Akpolobokemi, Victor Akpobolokemi, Norbert Akpobolokemi, Emmanuel Ebizimo Akpobolokemi and Clement Akpobolokemi. However, the plea of the immediate past Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency(NIMASA) Patrick Ziadeke Akpobolokemi, four other accused persons and seven companies were taken.

Police Commission promotes 4 DCPs, 109 others Emmanuel Onani

Abuja

he Police Service Commission (PSC), yesterday, approved the promotion of four Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) to the rank of Commissioner of Police (CP). The Commission also endorsed the elevation of 17 Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs), and 78 Chief Superintendents of Police (CSPs) to the next ranks of DCP and ACP, respectively. The disclosure was

made in a statement by the Commission’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Mr. Ikechukwu Ani. The statement further noted that the PSC approved the dismissal of six senior officers for alleged impersonation and other acts of professional misconduct. This was as the Commission also rejected the Force Headquarters’ recommendation for special promotion of some officers. The statement reads: “The Police Service Commission, today (yester-

day)... rose from its 17th Plenary Meeting in Abuja with the promotion of four Deputy Commissioners of Police to the next rank of Commissioners. The new Commissioners of Police are; Posi E Ajunwa; Akinsanmi Francis Ayo; Kenneth Ebrimson and Akpoebi Agberebi Egbuson. “The Commission also approved the promotion of 17 Assistant Commissioners of Police to Deputy Commissioners and 78 Chief Superintendents of Police to Assistant Commissioners of Police.”

ber of the present administration on the issue of corruption. “Since EFCC have claimed that the commission does not have any complaint against those holding power in Abuja, we have decided to submit this petition openly so that Nigerians and indeed, the entire world will be able to follow it up and ask questions from the EFCC as to what has happened to it,” he said. Omotoso, who also corroborated the position of the Deputy Speaker, disclosed that the petition bordered on 10 major issues, namely; Construction of new civic centre, construction of new governor’s office, mismanagement of the N25bn bond and N5bn commercial bank loan, construction of new government house, diversion

of State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) N852.9 million, fraudulent purchase of 156 units of Ford vehicles from Coscharis Motors, inflation of road contracts, among others. Similarly, Animasaun said the State House of Assembly could no longer pretend as if nothing was wrong in the face of the monumental looting of the state treasury perpetrated by the immediate past APC government of Fayemi, hence the complaint to the EFCC. The petition, which was accompanied with several documents read in parts: Fayemi, however, described the allegations as childish and ridiculous, saying he would not be distracted by the antics of Ekiti State House of Assembly.

Frank: Oyegun runs APC as civil service Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

mbattled Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Comrade Timi Frank, yesterday stated that the problem in the party was as result of the National Chairman, Chief John OdigieOyegun administering it as a civil service. Frank stated this, while briefing journalists on the disciplinary committee set up against him national leadership of the party. The Deputy National Publicity Secretary, who stated that he would not appear before the Committee set up to investigate, also stated that there was serious division between the party and the organs of government.

According to him, the national leadership of the party does not relate cordially with the Presidency and the Legislature, neither does the Legislature relates well with the Executive. “These are as a result of bad leadership of the APC National Chairman”, he said. Also the he alleged that it was bad leadership that has made the party not to replace four members of the National Working Committee that have been removed with appointments. The members are Alhaji Lai Mohammed, former National Publicity Secretary of APC and now the Minister of Information and Culture; Engr. David Babachir, former National Vice Chairman, North East, now Secretary to the Government of the Federation; among others.

Akinwande didn’t reject nomination, says Presidency Chukwu David Abuja

he Presidency, yesterday, denied media reports that a nominee of President Muhammadu Buhari into the board of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, Prof. Akintunde Akinwande, rejected the nomination. Akinwande, who was nominated as chairman of NERC, was absent at the screening conducted by the senate committee on Power and Steel Development last week, thus provoking the insinuation that he had rejected the appointment. The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Enyinnaya Aba-

ribe, had sequel to the absence of the nominee suspended the screening indefinitely. According to a press statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (senate), Senator Ita Ennang, the nominee had not declined the offer, explaining that the nominee who is an employee of a university, had to follow laid down procedure of the institution to obtain appropriate leave to enable him attend the screening. Enang stated that Akinwade was in contact with his office and had indicated his intention to appear for the screening while also indicating interest to take the offer.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

METRO Corporal leads traffic offender to ATM Juliana Francis

police corporal, identified simply as Ogogor, has been arrested after he went with a driver, who flouted traffic rule to a nearest Automated Teller Machine (ATM) gallery to collect a N30,000 bribe. Ogogor, attached to the Area ‘C’ Police Command, Surulere, Lagos, did not know that while the suspect, a lady, looked agreeable to his demand, she had already called a human rights activist. The activist immediately alerted the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, who instructed policemen to rush to the bank and arrest Ogogor. When policemen arrived, Ogogor refused to be arrested and began to remove his uniform and trousers until he was only in his briefs. A police source said: “The corporal arrested the woman over allegation that she flouted traffic light. He told her that if the matter got to the station, the woman would have to pay N50,000 fine; but if she paid N30,000, he would immediately release her impounded vehicle. The woman went to the UBA to withdraw the money, but quietly called a human rights activist.” When policemen from police headquarters dashed to the scene, Ogogor was caught right in the act. The source added said: “The corporal became violent and resisted arrest.”

ABIODUN BELLO abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com 08023938212

...CRIME, CITY WATCH, COURTS

Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

dismissed official of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Nurudeen (32), yesterday said he did not know what came over him when he murdered his friend and colleague, Isiyaku Fakai, in cold blood. Nurudeen and his accomplice, Muhammed Garba (26), were paraded yesterday by the Oyo State Police Commissioner, Mr. Sam Adegbuyi, for allegedly stabbing Fakai, an FRSC official, to death. Fakai (32) was on October 14 stabbed to death on College Road, Amejiogbe area of Oyo town. Nurudeen, who had earlier been dismissed by the FRSC for procuring fake driving licence for drivers, was assisted by another friend, Garba, to carry out the heinous crime, the commissioner said at the state Police Command Headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan. The two men told journalists that they were propelled by the devil. Nurudeen said the murder appeared to him like a dream. He said: “I just don’t know how it happened. It was as if I was dreaming. I had to call my friend, Garba, to come and help me in carrying out the gruesome murder of my friend, Fakai. “He (Garba) was the one who stabbed the deceased in the neck while I pretended as if I was receiving call on my phone outside the gate. But I later went inside to stab the victim to death and we ran away from the scene.

Why we murdered FRSC official, by suspects

Nurudeen and Garba

“I was being disturbed by the action. I was arrested before I could go to the police to confess but I have already confessed to my neighbours as I could not sleep since the day of the incident.” On his part, Garba said he followed the instruction of his friend who had asked him to stab Fakai and to later take away his car and other valu-

ables. The suspect said he could not withstand the scene and so fled immediately they had successfully killed Fakai. He said: “I was helping my friend, Nurudeen, to stab his friend, Fakai, an FRSC officer, to death and to rob him of his car and other valuables. I stabbed him twice in the neck and my friend, Nurudeen, fin-

ished the job by stabbing in the chest and in the leg. I could not withstand the scene so I had to run away without taking anything from the victim who was helpless in a pool of his blood.” The Police Commissioner, Adegbuyi, said the exhibit recovered from the suspected murderers was a knife which they confessed to have used to carry out the crime.

City Brief

Three remanded for murder Dissolve my loveless marriage –Wife Uchenna Inya ABAKALIKI

n Abakaliki Magistrates’ Court yesterday remanded three persons at the Abakaliki Federal Prisons for allegedly killing a 75-year-old man, Simon Njoku, of Amaeze village, Ishiagu in Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. The accused - Uchenna Anyim, Paulinus Ossi and Ndubuisi Uzoigwe - were said to have hit Njoku with stick on the head on April 30, 2014 leading to his death. They were arraigned on a two-count charge of conspiracy and murder. The

offence is punishable under sections 319 and 324 of Criminal Code Law, Cap 33, Vol. 1 Laws of Ebonyi State, 2009. After the charges were read to them, the accused pleaded not guilty to the offence. In her ruling, the magistrate, Stella Ogoke, ordered that they be remanded in prison custody. She said: “This court lacks the jurisdiction to try them. The prosecutor is therefore advised to transfer the case file and all that is related to the matter therein to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

“M

y husband is irresponsible; he has turned me to a punching bag, I am no longer interested in the union. I want the loveless marriage dissolved,’’ a 30-year-old housewife, Mariam Akeem, told an Agege Customary Court yesterday Mariam, a mother of one, who resides at Abule-Egba on the outskirts of Lagos, said she regretted marrying Iyanu Moses, a 36-year-old businessman, for seven years. The petitioner said she had not studied her husband well before she discovered that she was pregnant. She added: “I want us to go our separate ways and I want him to take full responsibility

for our child’s education. “My husband is troublesome and he constantly beats me over minor issues.’’ The petitioner’s mother, Mrs. Doris Akeem, who was present in the court, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the respondent had been very troublesome. She said: “I tried to stop the relationship until my daughter became pregnant for him.’’ However, while responding, Moses denied the allegations. Instead, he accused Mariam of infidelity. The husband pleaded with the court not to dissolve the marriage. “I am still in love with my

wife,” he said. The President of the court, Mr. Philip Williams, advised the estranged couple, especially the petitioner, to be submissive and warned the husband not to lift his hand against his wife again. He then adjourned the case till November 24 for possible mediation and reconciliation.

METRO

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Admission scam: Female swindler jailed 90 years Four die in auto crash Juliana Francis

woman, Mrs. Chika Charles, who swindled three desperate university admission-seekers of N5,620,000, was yesterday sentenced to 90 years imprisonment. She was found guilty of swindling three young Nigerians of N5.6 million under the guise of helping them secure admission

Charles

into Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUTH), through her unregistered Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Bold and Dynamic Gender Initiative. But luck ran out of Charles in 2007 when one of her victims petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The sentences are to run concurrently from the date of her conviction. Charles was convicted by Justice D. V. Agishir of the Federal High Court, Enugu. Agishir sentenced her to three years imprisonment on each of the 30-count charge preferred against her by the commission. The sentences are to run concurrently from the date of her conviction. One of the counts on which she was convicted and sentenced reads: “That you Chika Amsy Charles, Simon Chidubem, at large and Friday Ali, also at large, on or about October 10, 2007, at Enugu, Enugu State, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria with intent to defraud obtained N330,000 from Okudoh Obinna by false pretense when you represented yourselves as capable of procuring admission for his wards into Enugu State University of Science and Technology which pretense you knew to be false and

12 injured in RTEAN, NURTW clash Taiwo Jimoh

welve people sustained injuries yesterday when members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) engaged in a free-for-all at Igando on the outskirts of Lagos metropolis. It was learnt that trouble started when the NURTW hiked the prices of ticket for RTEAN members and commercial motorcyclists. The increase in the fare did not go down well with the motorcyclists and RTEAN members. They reportedly challenged the NURTW which led to the free-for-fall in which about 12 people sustained injuries, while several motorcycles were destroyed. According to an RTEAN member, who pleaded anonymity, motorcyclists at Alimosho usually pay N50 for security and N200 for booking on a daily basis until the hike. With the hike, the motorcyclists are to pay N500 to NURTW and N200 booking.

Angered by the increment, the motorcyclists’ union was said to have told its members to resist any attempt by NURTW officials to force them to pay the levies. However, the NURTW denied that the hike was over N1,000, insisting that motorcyclists at Alimosho are only mandated to pay N600 daily. The NURTW Secretary, Tijani Pekis, said ‘booking ticket’ was introduced to

One of the victims

thereby committed an offense contrary to Section 1(1)(b) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act NO: 14 of 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.” In another development, a Federal High Court, sitting in Kaduna, presided over by Justice Evelyn Anyadike yesterday convicted a former cashier of Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Aminu Ya’u, for money laundering. The court found the accused guilty on a two-count of money laundering and sentenced him to five years imprisonment on each count. However, following the plea for mercy by his counsel, D. G. La’ah and submissions of the prosecution counsel, M. S. Abubakar, that the court should be guided by the recently enacted sentencing guidelines, the judge directed that the effective date of the sentence should be July 2012 when the convict was first arraigned before the court. Ya’u was accused of running private business enterprise in the name and style of Yuzafa Global Link through which he executed contracts in the local government and deployed the proceeds for the acquisition of choice properties in Zaria, Kaduna State and establishment of a bakery, block industry and sachet water factory, among others. curb levies motorcyclists were forced to pay. He said: “This is a case between a father and his son, which an adopted father wanted to hijack. It is a misunderstanding in the rank and file of the union and we are meeting to resolve it. “What actually happened was that some of our workers used the restriction of motorcycles to certain routes in the state to extort the operators. “They keep collecting money from them and these riders end up paying so much daily. In Alimosho alone, there are over 30 units and imagine how much they spend, with N50 security money on a daily basis. “At Igando, they protested and we reduced the amount to N100 per day and the N500 daily paid to us, totalling N600.” Still they refused to pay. That was what caused the fight, but we would resolve it because we are members of the same family.” The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the clash. Badmos said the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, was at the scene for an on-the-spot-assessment of the situation. She said: “The commissioner has directed that those involved in the fracas be arrested and prosecuted.”

Kunle Olayeni and Camillus Nnaji

our persons lost their lives while three others sustained serious injuries when a car rammed into a truck on the Abeokuta-Ibadan Road in Ogun State. The road crash, which involved a cementladen truck with registration number YKS 194 XA and a white Toyota Picnic space car marked Oyo BDJ 427 SX, occurred about 10p.m. on Wednesday at Alakija village near Olodo in Odeda Local Government Area. The Public Relations Officer of the stateowned Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, who confirmed the accident, said nine persons were involved in the crash. Akinbiyi stated that the driver and three passengers of the Toyota Picnic car died on the spot. According to him, the driver of the car, whose name was unknown at press time, rammed the vehicle into the moving truck from the rear. The TRACE spokesman said three other passengers were critically wounded in the accident while the driver and the ‘motor boy’ of the cement truck escaped unhurt. Akinbiyi blamed the road crash on overspeeding on the part of the passenger car. He, however, said the victims’ bodies had been deposited at the morgue of the State Hospital, Ijaiye, Abeokuta, while those wounded were taken to a private hospital in Odeda town. Also in Lagos yesterday, a truck driver and his assistant narrowly escaped death when their truck carrying container rammed into a stationary trailer. The accident occurred at Sanya bus stop on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway. The driver and his assistant sustained serious injuries and were rushed to the hospital. Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) later removed the vehicles involved in the accident. Witnesses said the truck carrying a 40-feet container had a brake failure before it rammed into the trailer. The accident caused gridlock on the expressway before the vehicles were removed. One of the traders at the bus stop, who identified himself as Mr. Ugochukwu, said it was providence that no one was killed. He said: “We thank God for what He has done. It happened during the rush hours this morning when people were going to work and places of business. “There was brake failure and the driver was on top of speed. He actually dodged many cars; he saw a parked trailer rammed into it. You can see the impact and the damage. The driver and his ‘motor boy’ came out alive.”

Man conceals 620kg of Indian hemp in cloths

Taiwo and the seized Indian hemp

Juliana Francis

35-year-old man has been arrested after policemen, attached to Border Patrol Unit, Ogun State, discovered 620kg of Indian hemp concealed

inside wands of cloths. A police source said the suspect, Olamilekan Taiwo, was allegedly taking the 62 compressed parcels of Indian hemp, weighing about 10kg each, to Togo before his plan was thwarted. When Taiwo was flagged him down, he told policemen that he had a load of cloths for sale. Acting on instinct, the policemen embarked on a search of the cloths and discovered that 90 per cent of the folded packages were filled with wraps of Indian hemp. Taiwo was dragged to the nearest police station. When it dawned on him that the game was up, he owned up to his crime. He admitted to have already moved several of such parcels across the border through Ogun State undetected.

The suspect explained that he had contacts, both in and outside the country, who he described as contractors of the syndicate. He described himself as a mere errand boy. “Investigation is ongoing, to arrest his accomplices, both in and outside the country. It is no longer going to be business as usual on our borders. The Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mr. Idris Ibrahim, had redeployed newly trained officers to assist other agencies to man the nation’s borders. These special officers were sent to developed countries such as the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US) to understudy how best to protect our borders from criminals. Criminals are warned to seek other alternatives as any attempt to take advantage of our borders will no longer be tolerated,” the police source said.”

Scene of the Lagos accident

10 News|NATIONAL

NNPC decries dwindling revenue Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

he Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Dr Maikanti Baru, has decried the dwindling revenue of the country as a result of militants’ action in the Niger Delta. The NNPC GMD, who spoke at the Police Headquarters in Abuja, called on the Nigeria Police Force to assist the Corporation to curb the activities of the militants in the region. According to him, the Corporation would work closely with the Police Force to check the incessant attacks on the oil facilities. Speaking during a visit to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, the NNPC GMD, according to the statement from the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Garba Deen Mohammed, drew the attention of the police to the growing insecurity around oil and

Olori

I, formerly known, called and addressed as Gidado Shakirat Makanjuola now wish to be known, called and addressed as Mrs. Olori Shakirat Makanjuola. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

Oluwole

I, formerly known, called and addressed as Rosemary Nne Akpo now wish to be known, called and addressed as Rosemary Nne Oluwole. All former documents remain valid. Bankers and general public take note.

Clever

I, formerly known and addressed as Iniozunimi Clever Justina, now wish to be known and addressed as Iniozunimi Clever. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. The general public please take note.

Eze

I, formerly known, called and addressed as Miss Agbo Onyinyechi Maureen, now wish to be known, called and addressed as Mrs. Eze Onyinyechi Maureen. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. Banks, NYSC and general public take note.

gas facilities with the latest being the attack on the Chevron gas pipeline in Delta State. Baru explained that the attacks on oil and gas facilities were taking a toll on the national budget with massive shortfalls in revenue as

well huge losses in petroleum products, environmental degradation, refineries shutdown and loss of lives. He called on the police boss to deploy police personnel to all oil and gas facilities, adding that the corporation was

ready to provide whatever support that was needed for enhanced security. However, responding, the IGP stated that the police have enjoyed long-standing cooperation with NNPC and expressed optimism

that such collaboration would continue. He said the police was working on a number of strategies to build capacity for effective policing of the difficult terrain where some of the oil and gas facilities are located.

Judge withdraws from case involving DSS

Fire outbreak causes panic at Lagos Airport

ustice Adeniyi Ademola of a Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday withdrew from handling a case of terrorism filed by the Department of State Service (DSS). The case is against one Haruna Abbas and two others. Ademola said at the mentioning of the case that it would not be fair for him to continue with the case. He announced that he would return the case file to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, for reassignment. “The matter was here last on June 13, and it involves the DSS. I don’t

Wole Shadare

Pulovie

major fire outbreak was yesterday averted at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. The fire incident, which occurred at about noon, emanated from the aviobridge E-54 at the terminal. It took the timely intervention of the fire fighters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, for the fire and the smoke, which enveloped the entire environment to be put off. The reason for the fire incident remained unknown as at the time of filing this report, but a source close to the terminal said that incident might not be

CONFIRMATION/change OF NAME

I wish to confirm that the names Johnson Jackto Pulovie and Johnson Pulovie refer to one and the same person. First Bank PLC, UBA PLC and the general Public Should please take note.

Vincent

I, formerly known and addressed as Mr. Obinali Emeka Chinedu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Obinali Vincent. All document bearing my former names remain valid. First bank and the general public please take note.

Okeke

I, formerly known as Ndujekwu Okeke Solomon now wish to be known and addressed as Solomon Somadina Okeke. All former documents remain valid. General public, please take note.

Obini

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Obini Regina Chika now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ogbonnaya-Samuel Regina. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTEGRATED FISH FARMERS ASSOCIATION OF KWARA STATE

THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY INFORM THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART C OF THE COMPANY AND ALLIED MATTER ACTS NO 1 OF 1990. The Trustees are: 1. Bamidele Adeniyi Oladipupo 2. Tijani Nurudeen Akanni 3. Afolabi Sunday AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. To promote integrated fish farmers as the voice of fish farmers in kwara state. 2. To promote unity and harmonize all Kwara State fish farmers as one body 3. To challenge the influence of Kwara State fish farmers and improve the welfare of all kwara state fish farmers. 4. To use fish farming as a means of creating job opportunity, thereby fighting poverty and reduce crime rate. 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: Bar. Yakub Ajibade

want to handle any of its matters anymore. “In the interest of fair hearing, I think I will move the file to another court because it will not be fair to me and to DSS. “So, I will return the file to the chief judge to reassign. “The case file is hereby retur ned to the chief judge for reassignment to another judge on personal grounds,” he said. However, one of the accused, Abbas, prayed the judge not to withdraw from the case. Abbas said that he and his co-accused would prefer to be tried by Ademola.

CHINYERE

I, formerly known as Miss Okente Chinyere Nkechi now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ikpo Chinyere Nkechi. All Former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Kikile

Formerly known, called and addressed as Miss Olomu Utovie Jerome now wish to be known, called and addressed as Mrs. Kikile Masomese Utovie. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

NNACHI

I, formerly known, called and addressed as Ikechukwu Victor Nnachi Fredrick, now wish to be known, called and addressed as Ikechukwu Victor Nnachi. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. Banks and general public should please take note.

Emmanuel

Nwokwu: I formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwokwu Chinelo Rebecca now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Emmanuel Igwe Chinelo Rebecca. All former documents remain valid. EBSU and the general public please take note.

Egbe

This is to notify the general public that the names Egbe Ikechukwu and Nwakpo Ikechukwu refer to one and the same person. Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as Egbe Ikechukwu. All former documents remain valid. FCMB Plc and the general public should note.

Duruku

This is to confirm that the name Akwakwa Oweiagbe and John Oweiagbe is the same person as Duruku John which appears on my Wema bank account. Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as Duruku John. All former documents remain valid. FCMB Plc and the general public should please take note.

Wambai

I, formerly known and addressed as Maryam Yahaya now wish to be called as Maryam Mukhtar Wambai. All formal documents remain valid. General public should take note.

Anjorin

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Bello

I, formally known and addressed Abubakar A haruna, now wish to be called and addressed Abubakar Bello. All former documents remain valid, the general public to take note.

AGHA

I, formerly known, called and addressed as Miss Nweke Godwin Ebere, now wish to be known, called and addressed as Mrs. Agha Esseh Eberechukwu. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. NYSC and general public should take note.

Okoro

This is to notify the general public that the names Okoro Ruth Uche and Vincent Ruth Uche refer to one and the same person. Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as Okoro Ruth Uche. All former documents remain valid. First bank Plc and the general public should please take note.

Owei-Bubou

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Atiewor

This is to confirm that the names Debekeme Dennis Atiewor and Debekeme Denniswhich appears on my First bank account refer to one and the same person. Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as Debekeme Dennis Atiewor. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

Ebong

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Dorathy Aniekan Ifot now wish to be called as Mrs. Dorathy Gabriel Okon Ebong. All formal documents remain valid. General public should take note.

unconnected with alleged inferior cables used by the contractors in the recent remodeling exercise. Spokesperson of FAAN, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, confirmed the incident, adding that power has been restored shortly after the spark that happened at the Finger Main Distribution Board at the E-Finger of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. She said a spark occurred at the E-Finger of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, at about 11.30am. However, the engineers successfully corrected all defaults and normalcy was restored at affected areas.

Onwudegwu

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Obiahu

I, formerly known, called and addressed as Miss Celestina I. Iyaji, now wish to be known, called and addressed as Mrs. Obiahu Celestina. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. General public should please take note.

Aniema

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Somazhi

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Felix

I, formerly known and addressed as Felix Obharieri now wish to be called as Felix Obharieri Felix. All formal documents remain valid. Niger Delta University and general public should take note.

Gospel

I, formerly known and addressed as Nkwegu Ugochukwu now wish to be called as Nkwegu Ugochukwu Gospel. All formal documents remain valid. Union Bank, Sterling Bank and general public should take note.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

EFCC grants Abati bail Emmanuel Onani

he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday granted bail to Dr. Reuben Abati, a former spokesman to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan. New Telegraph gathered that Abati was required to deposit his international passport, and also produce a surety that is not below Level 16, as part of the conditions for the administrative bail. Abati is being investigated over allegations that he allegedly received money from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). Meanwhile, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday visited a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; Abati, as well as a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Fani-Kayode, Abati and Mohammed, have remained in the custody of the anti-graft agency since their separate arrests about a week ago. A source at Commission, who spoke in confidence with New Telegraph, said Ekweremadu arrived the premises at about 5:15pm. “His visit was to identify with the three stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), cheer them up, and remind them that their travails will be over some day,” the source said. While Fani-Kayode and Abati were arrested in connection with allegations that they benefitted from the $2.2 billion arms cash, Mohammed’s case relates to alleged contract fraud and abuse of office.

Court tells NHRC to halt oil spillage investigation

he Federal High Court has ordered the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to suspend its ongoing investigation into oil spillage and environmental pollution in the country pending the determination of the substantive suit. Justice Adeniyi Ademola gave the order in Abuja, yesterday, following when he ruled in an ex-parte motion filed by the National Petroleum Development Corporation (NPDC). NPDC is seeking judicial review of some actions of the commission.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ondo decides INEC: 1.6m to vote in guber election

Politics Reasons adduced by politicians for moving from one party to another in advanced democracies, include divergent views on the operations of party philosophy, crisis or division and party leaders reneging on agreements. But most recent defection cases in Nigeria have been mainly informed by personal interest as being witnessed in Plateau State, Felix Nwaneri reports

Abandoned projects Reps push for quick dredging of River Benue

FELIX NWANERI

GROUP PoLITICAL EDITOR nwanerif@newtelegraphonline.com

Plateau lawmakers and the allure of APC

t is not the best of times for the Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) given the gale of defections gradually depleting its membership. The party has within one month lost three of its lawmakers to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Those who dumped the PDP platform for the ruling party are former governor of the state and senator representing Plateau Central, Senator Joshua Dariye; Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Yusuf Gagdi and the Minority Whip, Daniel Nanlong. Dariye, who kick-started the move, was elected governor for two terms (1999 and 2007), but later dumped the party for Labour Party (LP) on whose platform he was elected senator in 2011. He was to return to PDP to seek re-election in 2015. The APC, which he joined on September 22, is the third party that he would be joining in the last five years. Though he cited the crisis in the PDP as the reason for his defection, a political school in the state insists that it is part of his grand design to evade justice. The former governor, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Procurement, had in a letter to the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, explained that: “After due consultations with my constituency, I write to notify you of my intention to cross over from the PDP to the APC.

Dariye

“My decision is informed by the protracted division at the national level of the PDP that led to the massive movement of my supporters to the APC. Arising from this, I, therefore, write to formerly inform you of my decision to go along with my supporters. I thank you for your understanding.” But justified as his reason is, the PDP in the state described his action as a betrayal and consequently called on the Senate president to declare Dariye’s seat vacant. The party also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission IINEC) to immediately issue a Certificate of Return to Nde Alexander Mwolwus, who came second in its primaries. The party’s vice-chairman in Plateau Central senatorial district, Mr. Benedict Shignuhul, who stated the position, lamented that Dariye had always shown dishonesty and incompetence in his dealing with PDP members, who trusted him and gave him a platform to get to the Senate. “We the people of Plateau Central senatorial district, who Senator Dariye is representing, are compelled to put the records straight. Dariye’s trajectory points on only one thing: perpetuating his political interest rather than serving the people. That is why he always crossed over from one party to another in the quest to remain relevant. “We see his defection as an act of betrayal of trust and we, hereby, pass a vote of no confidence on him, and therefore no longer have

Gagdi

Dariye’s trajectory points on only one thing: perpetuating his political interest rather than serving the people

him as our representative. We call on the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, to urgently do the needful as requested by our party by declaring the seat being unlawfully occupied by Senator Dariye vacant,” he said. The state chairman of the party, Mr. Damishi Sango, who also spoke on the issue, said: “The party is not sleeping over his defection. We have written to the Senate President demanding that the Senate position of Plateau Central Senatorial District be declared vacant and INEC set a machinery to fill in the position by a PDP nominee. “If INEC and National Assembly refuse to act in accordance with section 68 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution, we will challenge that in court for interpretation. In fact, as we are talking now, the case has been filed to compel Dariye to vacate the PDP seat.” But the APC, in defence of its new catch, dismissed the PDP’s threat of recalling the senator, saying that no serious politician would want to remain in a party rocked by crisis. “PDP had better put its house in order; the conditions for defection are well spelt out, one of which is crisis within a political party. PDP, for quite some time now, has been unstable and in crisis. Senator Dariye spelt out his reasons for leaving the party and anyone who has been following the trend of events in the party knows that the reasons are genuine and fundamental,” Plateau APC Secretary,

Alhaji Bashir Musa said. For the deputy speaker and deputy minority whip, their defection to the APC not only depleted the PDP ranks but swelled that of the ruling party. As it stands, APC has 15 members in the House, leaving the PDP with eight. And there are speculations that more PDP lawmakers are likely to join the ruling party in the days ahead. The Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Peter Azi, gave a hint to this while reading the defectors letters, called on members of the APC in the House to work towards attracting legislators from the opposition. Majority Leader of the House, Henry Yunkwap, who received the decampees, also spoke in the same vein. He said the APC has gained overwhelming majority in the House, noting the possibility of the few PDP members left joining APC in the future. Citing reasons for dumping the PDP, the deputy speaker (Gagdi), who represents Kantana State Constituency, said as a legislator, he had participated in factional congresses of the party, a development that convinced him that there were divisions. “With the establishment of the Senator Ali Sheriff faction and the Senator Ahmed Makarfi faction, I have satisfied the constitutional requirement to defect from the PDP to the party of change. “Meanwhile, my local government, Kanam, including my constituency is an APC stronghold. There has been pressure from the people that voted me to join them in the ruling party, and after several consultations, it dawned on me that my remaining in the opposition party will be at my own political risk. “Hence, after due consultations, I have decided to take the bold step by announcing my decision to follow the dictates of my constituents. I have, therefore, decamped to join my people in the ruling APC,” Gagdi said. The deputy minority leader (Nanlong), who represents Mikang State Constituency, on his part, said he took the decision to decamp after extensive consultation with his constituents. He added that the division in his former party formed the basis for his action. Declaring that he decided to sacrifice his position as the Minority Whip to join the ruling party, he said: “I prefer to lose my position in the House than losing the people that gave me the mandate.” No doubt, the last is yet to be heard of the defections as the PDP has already filed a suit against Dariye and is likely to join the two state lawmakers given the latest development.

POLITICS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

INEC: 1.6m to vote in guber election Stories by Babatope Okeowo Akure

bout I, 659, 000 million eligible voters will determine the fate of the 28 candidates for the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) National Commissioner in charge of Voters’ Education, Mr Solomon Shoyebi, who disclosed this yesterday, said 80 per cent of the voters are between the ages of 18 and 50. Speaking in Akure, the Ondo State capital, during the release of voters’

...raises the alarm over cloned PVCs

register to the political parties participating in the election, Shoyebi said 28 parties will participate in the election. He further said that the use of smart card reader in the election is sacrosanct, urging the electorate to adhere strictly to all electoral guidelines. In his remark, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, said there are reports that some persons are planning to clone the permanent voter cards, warning that such act attracts severe punishment. Agbaje also said the cloned cards would be de-

tected by the card readers that would be deployed by INEC for the election. His words: "We hear people are cloning cards to cheat during the election, cloned cards will not work. The card readers will detect the cloned cards." Agbaje warned voters to protect their cards from those who would want to steal them for dubious purposes. "Pro-

tect your cards, don't sell them, it is a criminal offence. There will be enough card readers, so that if any malfunctions, it would be immediately replaced," he assured. The REC also debunked claims by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and businessman, Jimoh Ibrahim, that top officials of the commission in the state have been compromised. Accord-

ing to him, "INEC has no candidate for the election, anybody who wins will win fairly." Agbaje said he had wanted to go to court over the allegation, but the response by INEC headquarters has addressed the issue. "INEC will not do anything that will reduce the credibility it has built through the years," he said. He disclosed that his office had taken delivery of non-sensitive materials, which had been dis-

tributed to all the local government areas. The state Police Commissioner, Mrs. Hilda Harrison-Ibifuro, said the command is prepared to bring perpetrators of crime before, during and after the election to book. She called on political parties to avoid violence and educate their supporters not to destroy posters of political opponents as such acts would be treated as a serious crime.

I’ll give priority to rural areas if elected – Oke T he governorship candidate of Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Ondo State, Chief Olusola Oke, yesterday, promised to give prior attention to rural dwellers and agricultural development if elected in the November 26 election. Oke, who said rural dwellers have a great role to play in ensuring food sufficiency in the state, said the AD government will make life conducive in rural areas through provision of necessary infrastructures. The governorship candidate, who spoke at Irese, Ikota, ijare, Ibulesoro, Ero and Ipogun during his campaign tour of Ifedore Local Government Area of the state, lamented the neglect of the rural areas by the present government in the state. Oke told his supporters

at Ilara Mokin and Igbara Oke that chief among the reasons he is aspiring to govern the state is the need to restore prosperity to the land and its people. He lamented that the present Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration in the state had reversed all traces of development and left the people impoverished and yearning for an alternative. Oke, who described the AD as the much desired alternative, said he had the experience to turn the present sorry situation of the state around. He promised to revive of the moribund industries in the state as well as to revisit the Olokola and Deep Seaport projects to attract viable investors, and to establish medium scale industries in the three senatorial districts of the state.

Akeredolu promises massive employment

he gover norship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), has promised to turn around the economy of Ondo State if elected. He said he will diversify the economy and create massive employment through agriculture if voted as the governor of the state. Akeredolu also assured that his government will leverage on the mineral resources within the state to boost its economy. The APC candidate, who spoke at a campaign rally in Irele Local Government Area, said the state can no longer wait on federal allocations,

saying diversifying the economy is crucial at this time. He said that since the sharp fall in the price of crude oil and the activities of Niger Delta Avengers, it is imperative to encourage mechanised farming in the state. The legal luminary said he will also create an entrepreneurial institution to produce youths, who would be self reliant. The APC candidate also promised to assist market women in the state with loans to boost their businesses. At Iyansan, Akeredolu promised to build a marine police station in the town and also provide potable water supply.

Akeredolu

Ibrahim

Oke

INEC lists Ibrahim, Akeredolu, Oke as candidates Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

ONDo DECIDES

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has named Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim as candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State. The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and Olusola Oke of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) also made the

list. The commission rejected Eyitayo Jegede, who is candidate of the Ahmed Makarfi faction. In a letter signed by the Secretary to the commis-

sion and addressed to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ondo State disclosed that 28 governorship candidates and their deputies have been cleared to participate in the election. Alabi Ebenezer, a former chairman of the PDP in Ondo State is Ibrahim's running mate, while Alfred Agboola Ajayi is the APC gubernatorial running mate. The drama that led to the recognition of Ibrahim as PDP candidate followed an order by

an Abuja Federal High Court, directing INEC to accept him as PDP candidate. Other candidates are Adeuti Stephen Taye, who is the Labour Party (LP) candidate; Olu Agunloye, Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Aidi Bolarinwa Elijah, Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). Others are Famusipe Rufus Idowu, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA); Daniel Ogungbemi (KOWA); Oluwasegun Odidi People Democratic Congress (PDC).

Court bars INEC from substituting Jegede as PDP candidate

n Akure High Court, yesterday, restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from substituting or replacing the name of Mr. Eyitayo Jegede as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the November 26 governorship election. This development came as another State High Court barred Prince Biyi Poroye from parading himself as a factional chairman of the PDP in Ondo State. The ex-parte order granted by Justice William Olamide was based on the application filed by the Clement Faboyede-led PDP in the state.

Justice Olamide noted that it would be out of order for INEC to replace or substitute Jegede's name, pending the determination of the motion on notice as this would contravene the principles of equity, justice and fairness. He directed the PDP to ensure service of the order herein granted, which is the motion on notice and originating summons on INEC before the next date of hearing fixed for November 7. The judge held that "it is hereby ordered as prayed. The defendant/ respondent is hereby restrained either by itself, chairman, commissioners, agents and servants, officers or privies or

through any person or persons, howsoever from changing, replacing, removing, substituting or in any manner tampering with the name, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the governorship election slated for November 26 pending the determination of motion on notice. "In the interest of justice and fair hearing, the Claimant/Applicant is hereby ordered to ensure service of the order herein granted, the motion on notice and originating summons on the Defendant/Respondent before the next date of hearing." Similarly, the court presided by Justice Olaseinde

Kumuyi, asked Poroye to stop parading himself as a factional chairman of the state PDP as there was no congress where he was elected chairman. Justice Kumuyi, while ruling on an originating summons between Poroye and the state PDP chairman, Clement Faboyede, said Poroye's lawyers could not substantiate with evidence, facts and figures to authenticate that he was elected through any congress. Justice Kumuyi therefore ruled that Poroye cannot take any action in respect of the party having not possessed the status quo to do so base on the PDP’s constitution and the electoral laws.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

The House of Representatives wants expeditious action on the execution of the contract for the dredging of River Benue, PHILIP NYAM reports

Politics

Reps push for quick dredging of River Benue

bandoning projects half way after monies have been paid for their execution is fast becoming a norm in Nigeria, and it is no longer news that the number of abandoned projects across the nation far outnumbers that of completed ones. Two years ago, the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan awarded a contract worth over N25 billion for the dredging of the second biggest river in the country – River Benue. But, like most projects of such nature, the job seems to have been abandoned, hence as part of its oversight function, the House of Representatives last week, passed a resolution advising the Federal Government to ensure that the contract is executed due to the economic and social benefits that the nation stands to benefit from it. The decision of the House to intervene in the slow pace of work on the project was consequent upon a motion sponsored by Hon. Ahmed Abu (APC, Niger), in which he informed the House that the contract was awarded at the cost of N25 billion with a completion date of 2017. He however lamented that less than three months to the year 2017, no tangible work has been done on the project. He said following the dredging of River Niger and calls for the creation of a turning point at Baro Port, commercial marine activities have sprung up along the route of the river leading to economic advancement of the area. The lawmaker submitted that the dredging of River Benue when completed will further consolidate the transformation of the inland water ways sub sector and open yet another chapter in the county's socio economic interaction among Nigerians. He noted that “in addition to providing employment for our teeming unemployed youths, the continuous dredging of the River Benue will be a veritable way of generating income, particularly given the prevailing situation of dwindling resources and deficit budgeting which the country is facing” Worried with the sordid picture painted by Hon. Abu about the project, the House mandated its committees on Ports, Harbours and Water Ways, Water Resources and Works to ensure that the ministries of Transportation, Water Resources and Works, Power and Housing commence work immediately.

Dogara

The delay in the execution of the project is disturbing because if the Federal Government had duly entered into a contract and funds also released, so it is expected the contractor should have resumed work. In fact, it is not just commencing work but the contract has to be delivered as specified in the contract terms because like the lawmakers noted, the benefits that would accrue from the dredging would be enormous. So, if the submission of the House were true, what may have been responsible for the near abandonment of the projects? Could it be that those involved intended to make it one of those elephant projects that are awarded, monies paid but the job never done? The acting Managing Director of Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Mr. Danladi Ibrahim, had sometime last year, confirmed that the contract was awarded to Messrs Oyins Oil and Gas Limited at the cost of N26 billion. In his words, “we have awarded the dredging of lower River Benue for a tune of N26 billion. Also, the dredging of the lower River Niger is completed and quite a number of boats and jetties are under construction. We are all aware that we have completed the Onitsha River Port and it would be concessioned to the private sector to operate any time from now. “Baro is 95 per cent completed; Lokoja is about 60 per cent as well as Oguta Port. We have awarded the construction of Makurdi River’s port and any moment from now, it will take off.”

Abu

The continuous dredging of the River Benue will be a veritable way of generating income

Ibrahim said the major challenge facing the agency was funds even as he unfolded plans to transform the parastatal to make it financially independent in the next few years. The plans, according to him, include the development of a multi-storey office complex in Lagos, for revenue generation; the introduction of hover-barge technology in their operation and carrying of critical stakeholders along. The questions being asked against this backdrop are: If the contract for the dredging of River Benue has been awarded, what is delaying its take off ? Does it mean there are no funds to execute the project? This is a huge investment window, which the Federal Government does not have to play with it considering the financial straits the nation has found itself today. Most importantly, the government of the day is talking about diversifying the economy and further expanding the nation’s maritime frontiers, so it is of significant economic benefit. Some analysts, who spoke on the issue, are of the view that the dredging of River Benue should never be allowed to or treated as one of those contracts that are awarded and abandoned. They are of the view that the Ministry of Transportation should show more than a passive interest in the project and indeed see to the successful completion of a similar project in River Niger. The number of jobless school leavers is increasing by the day and if what has been projected by experts is anything to go by, the dredging of these rivers stand to benefit the nation greatly in

terms of employment. The River Benue has its origins in the Adamawa Plateau of Northern Cameroon. The Lagdo Dam, a 40m high dam, has been built across the river about 50km upstream of Garoua, a major town on the river in Northern Cameroon. Water released from this dam has continued to cause flooding in Cameroon and Nigeria over the years and the resulting devastation reached all the way to the Niger Delta in Nigeria during 2012. Two major tributaries, River Mayo Kebi and River Faro, join the Benue in Northern Cameroon downstream of the Lagdo Dam. Cameroon has an extremely dry north but a very wet high attitude in its western region. River Katsina-Ala rises in the western region of Cameroon before entering Nigeria, it passes through Katsina-Ala before joining the River Benue about 40km east of Makurdi. River Donga, which provides up to 20 per cent of the Benue flow, starts in the Adamawa Highlands of Nigeria, adjacent to the Cameroon. The river joins River Benue at Jibu, while River Taraba, which also has its origins in the Adamawa Highlands, joins River Benue about 20km northeast of Jibu. The Rivers Katsina Ala, Donga and Taraba drain a part of the western region of Cameroon and an area in Nigeria south of the River Benue. The River Gongola, which has its origins in Plateau State, drains an area north of the River Benue before joining the River Benue at Numan. Essentially, these major rivers contribute to the flow observed in the River Benue at Makurdi.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion Jangling generals and jammy Jonathan Emissary EMEKA OBASI emobas2003@yahoo.com 0809-445-7557 (sms only)

rying cannot save this beloved country, for those who wail do not deserve to lead us to our much cherished dream land of milk and honey. The way to paradise is not littered with tears, the tree of liberty is watered with the blood of martyrs. Compatriots must wake up from today and solemnly declare that we have had enough of rulership by proxy, leaders who are foisted on the country simply because a few individuals sit down somewhere and decide who gets what in a country of hundreds of millions of citizens. We have been fed with stories of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan heading the most corrupt administration since the creation of man. On a daily basis there are revelations that it was a stealing bazaar while Jonathan and his wife danced to the kleptomaniac auctioneer’s ringing bell. We must wake up now and begin to think like sane humans. This Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who was he, who brought him and did he on his own decide to pursue the job of leading the nation? We must get things right. Here was a gentleman who was content with his job at OMPADEC and because he was doing well in that office, a senior citizen with high legal background thought the Zoologist was good enough to work with Diepriye Alameighesiegha [DSP] as Deputy Governor. Jonathan was cool and the wise old man knew that was the kind of individual that would make a good Deputy . A wise decision it turned out to be as the Governor General of the Ijaw nation did not have cause to fear his very loyal deputy. However, President Olusegun Obasanjo’s

Third term ambition took its toll on this very loyal Deputy. Governors like Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, Chief James Ibori and Jonathan’s boss were not on the same page as the Commander-in –Chief. They saw it coming and dared Chief Obasanjo. The ex- Marine commando also fought back, ready to demolish the trio. DSP, a retired Air Force Squadron Leader, was not afraid of battle and he did not shift ground. However, the General was in good position to swim in troubled waters like he did during the Civil War. DSP was hunted and hounded. At the end , a sitting governor was impeached in what could be regarded as an Abuja bankrolled plot. That was how Jonathan became a governor against his will, facilitated by the man who authored Not My Will. Of course, by 2005 Governor Jonathan had not even settled down to govern when the race to 2007 gained altitude. And just as he was thinking of his new position, a bigger task came . President Obasanjo had to step aside in 2007. No one really knew his game plan. Some governors in the South South made moves. Mr. Donald Duke was trumpeted, Dr. Peter Odili flew all over Nigeria campaigning, from Calabar to Kano, Port Harcourt to Maiduguri. His dream crashed when Katsina Governor, Umaru Musa Yar’adua, got the PDP ticket on OBJ’s platter of gold. The flag bearer was ready to have the Rivers State helmsman as his running mate. President Obasanjo stunned him when Dr. Jonathan was handpicked as Vice Presidential candidate. Many believed that there was more to that choice that the eye could see. President Yar’adua had health challenges. His plan was to retire to the farm after serving eight years as governor. His presidency ended after three years. The president died. The coast was clear for a highly inexperienced Vice President to assume office. Dr. Jonathan therefore , due to no fault of his, found himself working as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic. This is the story of this Izon saw from the

Today, those who took him to Abuja are the ones who want us to stone Jonathan

Niger Delta. And this is the man they are blaming for all our woes. A lucky man who was pushed to the top. Today, those who took him to Abuja are the ones who want us to stone Jonathan. Na lie, we are wiser now. They put us through all this. Jonathan is innocent, with a very patient wife who rose from selling cold drinks to seeing cool cash, big time. President Buhari was also imposed on Nigerians . Those who are weeping today should continue, Dia is God oo, no be only him waka come. To be fair to Mr. President, he had given up after the 2011 elections. He cried and vowed not to contest again. But some people went to Daura to bring him back to power. Please if you do not like recession, do not preach rejection. A trip to Redemption camp could be facilitated by the Vice President. Even as a Major General, the President was not part of the coup that brought him to power in 1983. He was sitting in Jos as a GOC when younger elements invited him to Dodan Barracks to become Head –of –State. That is the N igerian story. You wake up in the morning and hear that someone has been chosen to lead you. Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was chosen by Sir Ahmadu Bello. Gen. Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi was partying when the Five Majors struck in January 1966. At the end, the politicians handed over to him. Lt. Col Yakubu Gowon did not fire a shot in July 1966, yet he got the plum job from junior officers like Murtala Mohammed and Yakubu Danjuma. Murtala was flown back from the UK after officers like Anthony Ochefu, Alfred Aduloju, Abdullahi Mohammed, Ibrahim Babangida and Shehu Yaradua had sacked Gowon. President Shehu Shagari had no idea the NPN would choose him as Presidential candidate in 1979. Gens. Babangida, Sani Abacha and Abdusalami Abubakar had a hand in the emergence of OBJ in 1999. After Chief Moshood Abiola’s miss and the imposition of Chief Ernest Shonekan, things fell apart and the West went wild again. Abacha died, Abdusalami survived and Obasanjo was imposed. The Generals should leave us alone.

Ewuare's mission, Obaseki's vision Gloria Adagbon

hursday, October 20th, 2016 was a day that will go down in the annals of history in the Benin Kingdom. Oba Ewuare II emerged as the 40th Oba of Benin in full display of pomp and pageantry that showcased the finest of the Bini culture and tradition before the world.

The Urhopkota Hall, venue of the coronation was greeted with several dignitaries who had flown in from different parts of the world. Titled chiefs, traditional rulers of various hierarchy, members of the diplomatic corps were all present to witness one of the most colourful and intriguing coronation s of all times. When the Oba arrived at Urhokpota Hall to the jubilant crowd, the air that greeted his emergence underscored that a great king that will lead his people has come. And that inclination was made manifest when the Oba took to his feet to address the mesmerised audience who were clearly fascinated with the culture and tradition on display throughout the process. One thing that stood out was the striking resemblance of the crowd power that

followed Godwin Obaseki throughout the campaign period. Like Oba Ewuare II, the people have developed deep attachment to Obaseki and saw him as a sincere and a great leader who has emerged to serve his people. In his speech Oba Ewuare II spoke admirably about his people and the expectations, setting a development agenda that he will embark upon. The depth of his vision was profoundly remarkable. It highlighted the problems of unemployment especially among the youth and his concerns about living standards. This bears a striking correlation with the agenda of Edo Governor-Elect, Obaseki who has placed job creation as a major focus of his incoming administration. The Governor-Elect has his mind set on good governance, progress and economic growth with a raft of policy plans to achieve his remarkable vision for Edo people. The policy plans touch on solving the problem of unemployment and empowering women and youth to alleviate their standards, if not achieve their full potential similar to Oba Ewuare's Agenda. This correlation between the Oba's agenda of partnering with government to attract domestic and international resources for the establishment of clusters of Agro-based industries can be seen in

Obaseki's vision to create employment through diversification of the economy; investments in agriculture and establishment of agro based industries. It can be seen that Obaseki has placed emphasis in Agriculture as strategic in delivering his economic policies to transform Edo into the nation's food basket, enhancing food sufficiency and sustainability. This in itself would reduce the poverty level, put money in to the pockets of the Edo people and improve their living standards. Consequently, this move will help enhance economic growth and development for Edo and Nigeria at large. Oba Ewuare's statement to partner with government in order to attract domestic and international resources strikes at the heart of Obaseki's vision to bring investors to Edo state to invest in Agric businesses, boost economic activities and engender growth and development. It is therefore an interesting development to see how these two leaders, from the beginning struck a cord on how they will use their position and mandate to work for the good of the people. . Undoubtedly, there is a synergy of purpose in the Oba's reformist agenda of re-enacting a cultural renaissance and Obaseki's vision of restoring our sociocultural values. While the Oba is focusing

on tourism and production through arts and crafts, Obaseki coincidentally, had pledged during the electioneering campaign to invest in initiatives that would boost tourism and promote the socio-cultural values of the people. Significantly, as Oba Ewuare II has his eyes on carrying out reforms in the cultural world, Obaseki is also set out to make positive changes to rekindle the importance of cultural values and to turn Edo state into a tourist centre for excellence through art and crafts. To drive this Agenda, Oba Ewuare II had announced the Benin Royal Dynasty Trust in collaboration with the Benin Traditional Council to work together in order to increase the productivity of the Bronze Casters' Guild. The Oba also announced the establishment of the Benin Royal Academy for Performing Arts that will train youths and develop their talents. Recalled that Obaseki throughout the campaign said he will set up apprenticeship schemes and skills acquisition to train Edo youths and help them gain the much needed skills and talents for their employability. Here, we see another mutual correlation of Oba Ewuare II and Mr Obaseki both out to ensure the youths garner skills and develop their talents. •Adagbon wrote in from Benin City.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

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The Caliphate and terrorists

errorism is the word for a new wave of attacks launched by killer herdsmen all over Nigeria but most prominently in the Middle Belt, South East and South West axis. While all eyes are on the Fulani, a prominent Fulani, the Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar the Third, is leading the crusade to tackle the aggression headlong. In a country where politicians have used the divisive weapon of ethnicity to heat up the polity and cause avoidable bloodletting, the Sultan has shown that he is not only a man of peace but a man of honour as well. In September, Sultan Abubakar, came out boldly to state that the herdsmen plundering villages and highways were not of Nigerian background. He urged the military to step in and flush out the marauders. He said: “They are therefore terrorists and should be treated as such by Nigerian security agencies. The Nigerian herdsmen are very peace-loving and law abiding people.” Coming from the most powerful Fulani leader in the country, that bold move made a lot of sense. Many compatriots who believed that the killer herdsmen enjoyed the full support of some prominent Northerners, thought the muslim leader could have been economical with the truth. Less than a month after that declaration, Sultan Abubakar

came out stronger to attack the killers. Addressing a gathering of eminent Northerners in Kano, he said: “There are very terrible herdsmen who kill. But they are acting on their own. They are criminals and they must be treated as criminals. Therefore, the Federal Government should prosecute them.” Sultan Abubakar did not spare the terrorists. “ It is disheartening to hear people say Fulani herdsmen want to islamise Nigeria and that is why they are killing. Any Fulani herdsman who kills is not

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background, Sultan Abubakar belongs to Course 18 of the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), which produced a Service Chief, in the person of Lt. General Azubuike Onyejirika. Another course mate, Col. Honest Stephen, who once served as Acting Military Administrator of Lagos State during the days of Buba Marwa, is also a First Class traditional ruler in Taraba State.

Our country needs fair minded leaders

acting the script of the Fulani community in Nigeria, neither is he working for the muslim community,” he added. What the leader of the Sokoto Caliphate has done is commendable. He has challenged the military to get going. If the Defence Headquarters did not know that the country was under siege, it is now spelt out clearly. Foreign invaders are within us. The Sultan is not one to berate his constituency. He served the Nigeria Army dutifully before ascending the throne of his ancestors in 2006, following the death in an air crash of his predecessor. It was because of that unfortunate incident that he left service. For those who do not know his

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Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth – Buddha

There is a bigger task for the Federal Government. The Sultan is all out for the

prosecution of those who have invaded the country from outside our shores. While Abuja concentrates efforts on fighting and killing fellow Nigerians in the South-East who wear the toga of Independent Peoples Of Biafra (IPOB) and militants in the oil rich Niger Delta better known as Avengers, we are yet to see any military offensive against these terrorist herdsmen. Leadership is about being bold and decisive. Sultan Abubakar has, indeed, shown that he is a strong leader and has the interest of this nation at heart. He is Fulani and the herdsmen are Fulani. This is the way forward. Some of our leaders are part of the problem. The Sultan has come out clear as part of the

solution. And we have to give him credit. Sultan Abubakar has red Fulani blood flowing in his veins. He is a descendant of the great Usman Dan Fodio who led a Jihad in 1804. Originally, they migrated from Futa Toro, in today’s Northern Senegal and belong to the Toronkawa clan. It was through Dan Fodio that the Fulani began the conquest of Northern Nigeria. A Fulani could be Bororoje (Cattle Fulani) or Fulani Gidda (Town Fulani). From the Sultan’s intervention, it is now clear that he is not backing killers, who critics believe are out to continue from where Dan Fodio stopped. These strong words coming from this Very Important personality are fair enough. Our country needs fair minded leaders like him. It should not come to some who understand the mind of the traditional ruler as a surprise. As a military officer, he was a FIFA graded referee. As the world soccer body preaches Fair Play, the Sultan has demonstrated that he is not far away from the people. The Federal Government must lead the way. Killer herdsmen have invaded our land. We cannot sit idle. Time has come for President Muhammadu Buhari to do the needful. Nigeria must declare total war on these terrorists who mingle with cattle to destroy our unity.

POLITICS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Obiano and the new definition of failure Oliver Okpala

t is understandable that whenever an election is coming, everyone will get into the fray and in such circumstances, there would be mudslinging, unwarranted attacks and lies just to curry favour and to smear the image of opponents. This is the game being played in Ananabra State by opponents and detractors of Anambra State government under the leadership of Governor Willie Obiano. There is nothing to fight for rather the opposition has gone all out to discredit the government and Governor Obiano for cheap political gains. But it must be understood that seeking power by all means is not a virtue but a sign of depravity and moral bankruptcy. The legendary Martin Luther King Jnr. even warned his fellow comrades while they struggled for their legitimate right to self actualization in the United States. He said: “But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.” This is the least that is expected of those who must fight to gain any manner of victory, be it political or otherwise amongst civilized people anywhere. But unfortunately, some would - be aspirants or candidates in the forthcoming Anambra governorship race have already saturated the media with venom even when the campaigns have not begun. This is an ominous sign that things may get very messy if they don’t call themselves to order in the face for greed for power. Some of these would - be aspirants have even gone into the fray of creating enemies for themselves instead working hard to promote their candidacy and their questionable image. They have set up media teams just for the sake of attacking Governor Obiano. They use all sorts of strategies such as blackmail, name calling, lies and rumours for no just cause. But Governor Obiano is not perturbed neither is he moved because he knows that it is the people who would deliver him when the time comes. He has remained in touch with the people, listening to them and ensuring that their wishes and aspirations are taken care of. And this is all that matters to the amiable, focused, principled and visionary governor. These political jobbers are only interested in their pocket and therefore, had thrown caution and discretion to the wind in discharging their hatchet job. They should be called to order because Anambra state is bigger than any individual or group of persons. Sometimes one reads with concern, materials they circulate on the social media like a recently one purportedly written by the CEO of a conglomerate who hails from Anambra State. They make boastful and extremely inflaming comments that anyone who understand the burden of leadership and has love for the people would never dare to make. The truth is that most of these ill hearted attackers should go for political self-development. They should know that politics must not entail spewing lies against political opponents neither should it degenerate into invoking fire and brimstone against

If a man who, in less than one year in office cleaned up Anambra State of crime and criminality is a failure, then one must prefer to be a failure

Obiano

fellow citizens who share contrary views with theirs. Anambra people are wise and discerning, there are many of them who know the truth and cannot therefore, be hoodwinked into following empty loud - mouthed political contractors. These angry politicians should not take their personal weakness and moral failure into the political arena of Anambra, a state that prides herself as the Light of the Nation. All the allegations leveled against Governor Obiano are at best infantile and laughable. So far what is glaring is that the nauseating posture and utter lack of decorum by these individuals does not positively portray anyone with the ambition to run the affairs of Anambra State. They ought to know that making controversial, unfounded, malice-ridden public commentaries against real and imagined political opponents is not a mark of brilliance but of mischief and bad manners. As the Igbo’s say “he who brings home ant-infested faggots should expect the visit of lizards” One of them has even floated media outfits and is now in the habit of unleashing his editors on the Governor just to pull him down. And in their desperation, they lack political education, finesse and have no sense of limit. These traits are a threat to the political future of Anambra State and the people must all rise up to make sure that these political misfits do not pollute the political air of Anambra State. The truth is that Governor Obiano does not deserve this atrocious campaign of calumny. Some of these emergency social media activists who live in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and other cities and so are completely unaware of the sterling performance of Governor Obiano in Anambra State. They should come home, because nobody drove them from their homes, and they ought to remember that they cannot write the story of Anambra State with their China made smart phones in distant lands as they try to destroy Anambra which could also be a producer of such phones if not for their perfidious and sabotaging attitude. Great societies and nations are built by citizens who are patriotic, not grumblers and spoilers. Anyway, the good thing about all these is that Governor Obiano is calm, collected and focused on his job which is to make Anambra people continue to smile. The governor has refused to be distracted by the po-

litical charlatans and jobbers who see nothing good in a governor that has brought much finesse and humanity to governance just because they are bent on pulling him down. For instance, in recent times, the social media especially has been awash with stories portraying the Governor Obiano as a failure. But this smells of a well funded smear campaign launched with mercenaries and several social media attack dogs. But if we must not be deceived we have to revisit the meaning of failure. Now, if a man who, in less than one year in office cleaned up Anambra State of crime and criminality is a failure then one must prefer to be a failure. In the not too distant past, Anambra was a no- go- area, a forbidden land of a sort and a place which people dreaded to visit. But Governor Obiano wiped the state clean, chased out kidnappers and armed robbers from the town, cleaned up Upper Iweka and restored the confidence of Anambra people in their home state. Having tackled the issue of crime, today there are people from the Netherlands, India, Australia and other parts of the world working in the state without any incident. That was the first important thing he achieved. The governor knew that these people would not have come so at to make Anambra State work effectively. The strategy was borne out of the need to create the enabling environment for development, because he understood that the state did not have the expertise to do what was required. It is one with this testimonial that has attracted leading investors into Nigeria and Anambra State who has been adjudged a failure. If this is a sign of failure then I better be one! If a man who started an agricultural revolution programme that has placed Anambra on the agricultural map of Africa is a failure, then let me be one! Recently, the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe, the Governor of the Central Bank, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, the Kebbi State Governor and chairman of Agricultural Committee, Senator Atiku Abubakar Bagudu all were at Coscharis Farms in Anaku, Ayamelum Local Government Area of the state to witness the impressive and uncommon collaboration between the state government and Coscharis Farms that was facilitated by the Obiano addministration. As the gigantic combined harvester

deployed on the expansive rice farm came alive, the guests were full of appreciation for the governor’s visionary leadership. The chairman of the Coscharis Group, Dr. Cosmas Maduka could not hide his admiration and gratitude as his almost thirty year-old dream had come to pass. Indeed the rice farm project is a clear sign of the commitment of the government to providing the enabling environment for businesses to thrive. If his is a failure then let me fail like this! If a man who built six bridges simultaneously in two years while the country’s economy was sliding into a recession is a failure then that must be a good failure! for it is true that in the past two years governor Obiano has built bridges including Arroma Bridge (Awka), Kwata Bridge (Awka), Amawbia Bridge (Amawbia) Ebenebe Bridge (Awka North), Aguleri-Otu Bridge which is the longest in the SouthEast, and Iyiora Bridge in Anam. These bridges are there for all to see. This is an unusual feat accomplished in the history of Anambra State. With this record, Governor Obiano has demystified the once unapproachable and unthinkable task of building bridges in this clime, especially by state governments. If this fit into the narrative of being a failure, then I pray to be one but in the mould of Governor Obiano! This so called ‘failure’ of a man increased the salaries of workers by 15 per cent at a time when other state governments were borrowing to pay salaries. Only recently he abolished several levies and taxes as a way of cushioning the effects of the recession which the country is going through. In that uncommon feat, he abolished some critical levies and taxes in the state, a move that left many Nigerians dumbfounded and in awe of the exemplary and courageous leadership style of the Governor. The overwhelming feeling was that the governor came out to show the way in an unlikely manner, because in times such as this, governments look for more ways of taking from the people, but the Obiano administration instead, chose to sacrifice for the common man. If this is failure, then it is a positive failure which considers the people before any other thing. It is a well known fact that the Obiano administration has also set an impressive record in internally generated revenue (IGR) with a remarkable increase from the N500 million monthly that it inherited to N1.3 billion per month. This was achieved through a timely deployment of cutting edge technology and a surgical weeding out of over 800 ghost workers from the state civil service. It has opened up the state for rapid industrialization, embarked on massive rehabilitation bad roads and constructing new ones as well as strategic interventions in the education, agriculture and health sectors. In fact if governor that has engaged in massive agriculture and industrialization is seen as a failure then what is failure? Therefore this so called failure must mean something else. It must mean a governor that failed to satisfy the cravings of a few cabal, a governor that has failed to be intimidated to do the wrong things and mortgage the future of Anambra people and a governor that has stood up to ask questions where necessary for the benefit of the people. And when his Jewish opponents picked u stones against our master and savior Jesus Christ, he asked them: "I have showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning me?" In the same vein I ask: For which of these good and great works of Governor Obiano is he now a failure? •Okpala, a political analyst writes from Awka, Anambra State

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Arts

Feast of October Rain in Lagos

CULTURE

In US, another garland for Nigeria’s Mama Adire

Tony Okuyeme

t was a special date for Mrs. Nike Okundaye, fondly called “Mama Adire or simply Mama Nike”, as she was honoured with an award at the Detroit Institute of Arts, US. The founder/director of Lekki, Lagos-based Nike Art Centre, no doubt, one of the most respected internationally known female artists from Nigeria, who has made astounding strides in textile, visual arts and mixed media painting, was recently honoured with the revered traditional title of Yeye Obalufon of Ido Osun, by the Ataoja of Osogbo, His Royal Majesty, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, and while she was still basking in the euphoria of this honour from a first class king, another big international recognition followed suit when the Detroit Institute of Art honoured her with the African Art Recognition Award (ARRA) in the United States of America. The event was aptly tagged, 2016 African Art Recognition Award, and was jointly organised by the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA) and Friends of African and African-American Arts in the Institute’s lavish auditorium in Detroit. The ceremony, which was graced by personalities including celebrities, art patrons, top-ranking academics and other news makers, featured art exhibition, lecture and cultural dance performances. The dancers, clad in colourful costumes, re-enacted some of the rich Yoruba cultural folklore, in a spectacular display, which drew ovation from the audience. A US-based Nigerian art and tourism promoter, Oluwasheyi Awoyomi further spiced the

TONY OKUYEME Arts Editor tony.okuyeme@newtelegraphonline.com

event with her contemporary dance performance. Friends of Nike, whom she mentored, came from different parts of the USA, in their numbers, all gaily dressed to honour her. In his speech, Director of DIA, Salvador Salort-Pons, expressed the need for other artists to emulate Mrs. Okundaye. Salvador, who said the day as a sweet moment, for himself and the institute, described Nike as a successful artist, who continually and diligently, puts African art on the world map. “Nike’s innovative work in the indigenous Yoruba Adire textile industry straddles traditional and contemporary African designs. She has combined her innovative cloth design with dressmaking and fashion in ways that have catapulted her to the global stage,” Salvador said. At the end of the event, it was obvious that many of the dignitaries present went away satisfied that the institute gave the award to the person who, truly, deserves it. They described Mrs. Okundaye “as a unique artist, who, diligently, pushed the Nigerian art into the global mainstream, despite her humble background”. Founded in 1885, DIA remains a beacon of art and culture, as it, firmly, believes in the promotion of arts and creativity. It also boasts of a museum and gallery, among other art and culture facilities. Born on May 23, 1951, Nike attended St. Michael’s Primary School, Ogidi, Kogi State but, her education terminated in Primary 6 because of lack of funds. To many young girls in such circumstance, not being able to continue school would have, probably, led to early marriage, but, it was not so with Nike as she took up the challenge, determined to explore, to the fullest, the destiny that awaited her. She went ahead to teach herself English at home as a way of navigating the pathway of life without let or hindrance. She was later taught art by her great-grandmother, the late Madam Ibikunle, with whom she lived after the death of her mother and grandmother. Her great-grandmother was a weaver and an adire textile maker/dyer. Watching her great-grandmother and helping her out in the art of adire processing, Nike worked diligently to become an expert in the art of dyeing, weaving, painting and embroidery.

Nike’s innovative work in the indigenous Yoruba Adire textile industry straddles traditional and contemporary African designs

Okundaye

Steadily building on what her great-grandmother taught her, Nike went ahead to develop her own unique style and technique in textile design, and painting as well as how to effectively present them for exhibition. Although, from a humble beginning and without the benefit of any serious formal education, she still strived for excellence and became a source of hope to many who, hitherto, had no hope. As the Chief Executive of Nike Centre for Art and Culture, Osogbo, Osun State, she offers free training to Nigerians in various forms of art. She is also the curator of the Nike Art Galleries in Lagos, Abuja, Osogbo and Ogidi. In 1996, as a way of empowering her native Ogidi women in Kogi State, she established a textile (aso oke) weaving centre in her home town. More than 200 women have, so far, benefitted from that initiative. Nike is

always happy of her Ogidi background that yearly, she brings important foreign dignitaries home to savour the beauty of the town. Among her lists of foreign dignitaries who have followed her home are ambassadors of major western countries like the United States of America, Switzerland, Italy, Ireland etc. Perhaps, more than any Ogidi indigene, she has helped to adequately position her town in the cyberspace. Nike holds the traditional titles of Yeye Oba of Ogidi, Yeye Tayese of Osogbo and Yeye Gbasaga of Ijumu. She is a member of the Society of Nigerian Artists, Society of Nigerian Women Artists, Osun Support Groove etc. She has won awards from all over the world, including one of the highest Italian national awards which she was given in appreciation of her efforts in using arts to address and solve the problems of Nigerian commercial sex workers in Italy.

ART

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Feast of October Rain in Lagos Tony Okuyeme

ll is set for the 2016 edition of October Rain, an annual juried exhibition organised by the Lagos Chapter of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA). The exhibition which opens tomorrow at the Nike Art Centre, Lekki, Lagos, is expected to feature not less than 200 works by about 50 visual artists. It will run till Friday, 4th November, 2016. Speaking at a press conference to announce the hosting of the exhibition, Chairman, Lagos SNA and October Rain host, DotunAlabi, said that this year’s edition is unique. “We have two special features this year. We are also jointly exhibiting artists from Port Harcourt under the banner of New Frames, which is the titled of their own annual exhibition as well. On the other hand, we are also using the exhibition to celebrate the life and times of Mr. Sammy Olagbaju, one of our prominent collectors who recently passed away,” Alabi said. Explaining further, the chairman, Lagos State chapter of SNA, shed more light on the theme of this year’s edition of October Rain. “When the Society started plans towards the exhibition, the theme was ‘Embracing Change’, then, gradually we redefined the theme to be ‘interpretation of change’, that is ‘perspective of change’. We also decided that since it was going to be a joint exhibition between two chapters it will be unfair to the Port Harcourt artists if our works are thematic and theirs are not. So, we had a compromise to the alignment to soft-pedal on the theme of the exhibition, and make it more or less an open house exhibition,” he said. According to him, over the past years they have been having Port Harcourt based artists sending in entries, sometimes five, sometimes 15. “Last year we had about 17 entries from them. So the chairman of the Port Harcourt chapter of SNA suggested that they, as a body, send participants to co-exhibit with us on the October Rain platform, which we saw as a good initiative and we are ready to try out. So this is the first episode of the joint exhibition.”

Some of the works on display for the exibition

The show, he also said, is to celebrate the late art patron Samuel Olagbaju, who died recently. “Olagbaju, as you all know, is the past chairman of the Visual Arts Society of Nigeria (VASON), and ironically he was the one who opened October Rain last year. He is someone that was an active art collector, someone that was very passionate about the art practice; and to have seen him pass on like that, we felt that someone of that magnitude should at least be honoured. That is why part of the exhibits in the exhibition will be to the honour of the late Olagbaju. Some of the artists participat-

ing during this year’s exhibition include Abiodun Olakun, Abraham Iyobasere, Dotun Alabi, Idowu Sonaya, Blessing Emmanuel, Ajobiwe Victor, Ola Balogun, Ajibade Akinyemi, … Udenta, Adeola Balogun, Damola Adepoju among others. The Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) is the professional body for all practicing visual artists in Nigeria. It exists to encourage and promote Nigerian artists and serves as a platform for them to air their views and contribute positively to national development. It was founded in 1963 by artists emerging from various schools and colleges of art, and members of the Zaria

Art Society. The first meeting of the Society was held in 1963, and its present name was adopted.

Alabi

Hospitalised veteran, Ogundaisi appeals for urgent support Outlines how culture sector can bail out Nigeria from economic recession

veteran of the Culture and Entertainment Industry and one of its most prominent business consultants, ‘Yinka Ogundaisi is right now in the hospital, having had his back bones (vertebraes L4 & L6) trapping the legs nerves. He is therefore unable to use his legs to walk and is confined to bed pending when he can source for the necessary fund for an immediate surgery, failing which he stands the risk of permanent paralysis and not being able to walk for the rest of his life! Ogundaisi, architect of the National Films & Video Censors Board’s new Distribution Framework Policy which the large segment of the industry believes that if it had been properly implemented as packaged would by now have seen the industry overcoming its present key challenge of rampaging piracy has so far paid more than a #1m for tests and admission’s formalities. He requires another #1.2m for medical implants and an estimated #3.6m

for other hospital’s expenses. He had health problem back in 2013 but says his present health condition is different. “I had complications of twisted intestines, hernia and enlarged prostrate in 2013. But this time, my illness is the result of intermittent back pains I have had for more than 30 years. Whenever I experienced it, I usually took it as a sign of stress to take things easy. It never occurred to me that the pains and ageing process combined were gradually twisting the vertebrates out of their sockets. Now the back bones have collapsed to trap the nerves and I must have immediate financial support to undergo the urgent surgery while the nerves and back bones could still be repaired,” he said. Ogundaisi is confident that God is keeping him safe to complete the “various background works he is at present engaged in to structure Nigeria’s entertainment and culture industry into an integrated whole with globally-compli-

ant business practices that will enable the practitioners to meet and fully satisfy the cultural re-orientation and entertainment needs of our society while they (the practitioners) get financial rewards commensurate to their works.” He reports about reaching “advance stage of discussion” with two states in the south west where he expects that not later than end of the first quarter next year, there will be structured distribution system of video in place. Producers and musicians alike will be sure to be

Ogundaisi

paid on every copy of their works sold anywhere within those two states. “It is just a simple method of governmental accreditation of all those involved in the video distribution system and a systemic online monitoring that will automatically credits all the stakeholders; government gets its taxes upfront, producers, musicians and the marketers are similarly paid. Just a button on a smartphone, laptop or I-Pad and we all know who has sold what. Piracy will automatically disappear once this system is in place and the state governments now crying for money can boost their IGR with strings of taxes and levies on every copy of movie or music sold in their domains.” Ogundaisi is also almost done on another project which he says will launch the country’s first ever global tourism that will see tourists from all over the world continually flocking the country for cultural entertainment, educational and research purposes. But for all his efforts to now materialise to the overall benefits of Nigeria, the society and especially the stakeholders of our Cultural and Entertainment industry, there is an urgent need to bail out ‘Yinka Ogundaisi of his present health predicaments.

FRIday, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Doctor Meals that will kill your sex mood, life (2)

Feminique

Diary of a happening mom The 'other room' might be the toilet

20 20

Anyanti: Women shouldn't look helpless Dr. Jennifer Anyanti is a Public Health Specialist and the Strategy and Technical Officer at the Society for Family Health (SFH). She told EBERE AMEH the importance empowering the poor and vulnerable

harity Anyanti is not your regular doctor who sits in cosy offices, sporting white coats and prescribing drugs. She chose a different route – tedious, but to her, more fulfilling. As a public health practitioner with the Society for Family Health (SFH), she tours villages and transverses communities with her team, giving lifesaving information and commodities to those almost forgotten. “I manage a project called the Expanded Social Marketing Programme in Nigeria. The main aim of the project is to increase access to child spacing, what we call family planning, as well as products that can save children from death, like anti-malarias and ORS and zinc. We usually work in communities, training either community health extension workers or community members. We talk to them about family planning and also train them on child health management. So far, we have reached 11 million people who have information about family planning, child spacing and child health. Most times people don’t just have information, or there are myths and misconceptions. So they get opportunity to ask questions when we talk to them,” she explained. The expanded Social Marketing Programme, which is sponsored by USAID, also provide commodities for safe family planning that are well packaged with everything needed to administer them; as well as ORS and zinc. “We encourage local manufacturers to produce safe and affordable ORS and Zinc as a result of this programme, which we dis-

EBERE AMEH ebere.ameh@newtelegraphonline.com

tribute. Because they are donated, we are able to sell it at a much cheaper rate than the market rate. We also provide reminder cards and sms reminders to help women keep tab of their children’s immunization or their family planning schedules.” One of the many objectives of FSH is to reach as many parts of the country as possible through their programmes. So they work in most states of the country, including Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states, which many consider a no-go area because of the Boko Haram insurgency. They risk their lives to reach out to those women caught in a web of violence and poverty. And because in the rural areas villages are far apart, they work with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to provide an emergency transport scheme. “We have an understanding with NURTW, so if a woman or child is very ill, usually, one driver in that community will be available, whom they will call to take the person to the hospital. The advantage of that is that we don’t have to actually pay the drivers, they are now doing it as part of their social responsibility. “The challenge with the rural area is that you provide the right treatment; you provide the provider, who would assist in administering the treatment; and you provide a referral system, because not every problem can be treated by the patent medicine dealer. “We work in different parts of the country, focusing on the need of the region,” she explained. At the roundtable on Family Planning and Maternal Mortality, where she was the chairperson, Jennifer spoke with passion, allaying fears and debunking myths as she makes a case for family planning. She laid to rest the concern of the Catholic Church, which has become a recurrent decimal wherever the issue of family planning is raised, saying that the church has opened up a way for quite a number family planning methods and so there should be no excuses. “I think the tradition of the Catholic Church is that family plann i n g is not

I like children looking happy. I feel very sad when people just have children without thinking of how to cater for them

Anyanti

bad, but they prefer it done the natural way. Good enough, the church has opened up a way for quite a number of things and there are many natural methods available now. There is the thermo-regulatory method, the ovulatory method, the billings method, symptom-thermal method, and there is one called psycho-beads method, among others. The psycho-beads is very effective, especially in rural areas where women who can’t write or keep dates or can’t remember, just move the beads. It also helps the union as their husbands get involved. What people have found is that if a woman combines two or three natural methods, it increases the efficacy of the method. “One good thing about the current situation is that the more the method, the more the choice. Now there is no excuse of ‘this method is not good for me,’” she intoned. She encouraged all women, Catholic and non-Catholic, not to sit at home and complain about side effects, but visit their providers who would provide them with information on what they want, adding that the possibility of getting pregnant at each sexual episode is high, and 15% of pregnant women will have complications. Narrating her journey into Public Health, the amiable lady soon got pensive as she recounted the plight of women and children in many rural communities in the country.

“During my Housemanship, I worked in a hospital called Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Kano. It’s probably the busiest hospital in this country. We had 29,000 deliveries per-annum, probably over 80 deliveries a day. Children who were malnourished and women who were stressed out, most of them coming for their 9th or 10th deliveries was a common sight. I always thought, ‘Can’t these women be assisted to use family planning and save their lives?’ Some of them came and their babies were dead already, and they were always unhappy with caesarean sections to remove dead babies. So all that got me very interested in Family Planning, especially to the rural women who are having a raw deal.” She later worked at a Catholic mission in Benue State after her housemanship, doing a lot of community work. It was then she found that the difference between women in the rural areas and those in the urban areas are usually information and services, and her interest in Public Health grew, leading to her acquisition of another degree in the field. “Just that little bit of information, a little bit of talking to the husbands and a little bit of involvement makes a big difference in the lives of these women. I’m happy because I have seen FSH grow from a small organization to a big organization and I see that we make a lot of impact on lives. An alumna of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, Jennifer, who has three well-spaced children, says that her day is made when children are happy. “I like children looking happy. I don’t like children looking sick, I hate seeing children suffer. I feel very sad when people just have children without thinking of how to cater for them. “I also hate seeing women look as if they don’t have a choice in life. Every woman has power and she has a choice. She has the power to persuade, she has the power to speak out. If all women would speak up, a lot of our problems would be solved,” she noted. One thing one cannot take away from Jennifer is her sincere smile, which she is not selfish beaming. A smile that seems to assure her numerous rural women that indeed they have a choice, that all can still be well.

20 FEMINIQUE

FRIday, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Meals that will kill your sex mood, life (2)

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

Sex and Marriage Counselor drtaiwofadeyi@gmail.com

08033148899

Dr. Taiwo Fadeyi erection problems. The other side of alcohol over consumption I should mention is this. Delayed ejaculation or nonejaculation. This actually occurs in about 2% of men. They go on and on for a long time. This is no longer sex but punishment. Both of you get tired and exhausted. You both end up with bruises and cuts. It becomes painful to her because her vagina has become dry. Vagina wetness occurs only when the woman is turned on and enjoying the sex. But not when she is not. That is why rape is so painful physically. That is apart from the medical and psychological trauma. These bruises and cuts can easily lead to sexually transmitted infections and the almighty Hiv/Aids (God forbid bad thing) Soft Drinks. This is the opposite of Alcohol, or should I say,

hard drinks? I know some guys who take between 4 – 6 bottles of coke, Fanta or other soft drinks daily. It is worse when they are at parties or beer parlours with their friends. They will proudly announce to all and sundry that they don’t drink beer. I tend to wonder who is worse. Heavy beer drinker or Heavy coke drinker. To me, it is simply a case of the kettle calling the pot black. Soft drinks are all carbonated sugar. They don’t have any benefits as far as your body goes. Of course the same thing goes for the women. Actually women consume more soft drinks than men. Fortunately and unfortunately for them, they can always cover up sex wise. Women can always pretend they are enjoying the sex, when they are actually doing mental calculation and inventory about their shops. Or

Women can always pretend they are enjoying the sex, when they are actually doing mental calculation

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

Ego: Diary of a happening mom Ebere Ameh

still laugh when I remember the new interpretations Nigerians are giving the comment President Buhari made while on an official visit to Germany recently. ‘While fielding questions from the press, with the German Chancellor, Angela Markel by his side, our dear president said that his wife belongs in his kitchen, his living room and the other room,’ I explained to Lance, a middle aged American as we dined in Sandra’s new house. Sandra had invited a couple friends for dinner to celebrate her new apartment. A typical Yoruba values friendship and loves to celebrate. Sandra, though a native of Delta State, was born and bred in Lagos and I thought her long stay in the white man's land would make her change her owambe ways, but no. She says she hosts a dinner every now and then. At the small gathering, which has a good mix of white and blacks, the issue of ‘the other room’ came up on our table, with different interpretations of 'the other room', setting the mood for a laughter filled evening. While Nigerians are busy ascribing ‘the other room’ to be the bedroom, Jessie, a Nigerian living in the US and a close friend of Sandra, brought a new dimension that got everyone laughing, and later, thinking. “It's not a laughing matter. There are so many rooms in Aso Rock, and if the president could mention the kitchen and the living room, he could have mentioned the bedroom, if he meant it. Or you think he doesn't know what a bedroom is?' she asked no one in particular. "Look, if everything is going as expected in the bedroom they wouldn't have said all that in public," she continued. And if Aisha has goofed because of all that she said, the president would have remembered the good relationship in

The 'other room' might be the toilet the bedroom, and used wisdom to cover it up for his wife. In fact, their outbursts show that the condition of the Aso Rock bedroom is not healthy. So, permit me to conclude that ‘the other room’ is the toilet," she said, adding that their age difference and the president's demeanour should make us think more about what the poor lady must have gone through before she blurted out in London. "I see," Kayode said thoughtfully. “The ‘other room’ could also mean the ‘naughty room’, in similitude of children's naughty corner, where Aisha is kept to discipline her when she misbehaves," he added. While we were still trying to re-

cover from our laughter, Sandra came around with her own analysis. "Did you see that it took time before he made up his mind what to call the room? He was trying to be decent and called it ‘the other room’. I think Kayode is right, it's more like the naughty room," she said. "I could almost hear the president command in a military way ‘Go to ‘the other room’ now and let me have my sleep in peace, I had a hectic day" she said with gesticulation, mimicking the presidents tick northern accent. "In that case, the first lady need to seek help then? It looks like she is in pretty good trouble," Li, Lance's partner observed. I had to let her know that it was all a joke, that they are just having fun

twisting his statement, and it’s not as bad as they make it look." "But such a statement is unbecoming of a president in this age and time," Lance said, trying to portray us as the usual crude and undeveloped Africa, when Sandra cut him short. "Don't even go there," she said with her right hand raised high up in anger. "Gender bias and discrimination is not only an African thing. If it were, Hillary Clinton would have had a smooth cruise to the white House. As advanced as you guys are, you also have gender prejudices; the difference being that majority don’t talk like Buhari and Trump." she said as she stood to get more helping of her delicious onion soup, while the laughter continued.

friday, october 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Entertainment Weeks after ailment tale, Baba Suwe preps for son’s wedding

Kim Kardashian’s sex tape becomes virtual reality experience

BIMBO MANUEL:

Actors MUST TAKE every role as challenging founding fathers Veteran actor and one of the speaks to of Nollywood, Bimbo Manuel, ys’, a film on FLORA ONWUDIWE on ‘93 Da k the lives too the ravaging virus, Ebola, that spital in ho of health workers at top class Lagos and sundry issues. I observed that you have not been as regular as you used to be in the movies in the last three years or more, what happened? I play regularly. If you say that you have not seen me in a lot of movies, yes, I would agree. But that has always been so. I have never been an actor who plays in everything. No. My works have always been determined by quality. So I play, I will continue to play. I have done quality works.

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Day Genevieve stormed Lekki Market unaided

What are those things you look out for before picking scripts? The story and the screen play. I like issue driven scripts, it is not as if I don’t feel good movies, yes I do. Usually, they will have to be really good quality script. But my preference has always been that the script is issue driven script; there is something that comes out of it when people come to watch it; whether in the homes or cinemas, there is no ambiguity about what the movie is about. They are taking something away, not

just something people will come to watch and they will say what was it about? I like clarity, I like good quality content, issue driven story, fine dialogues; yes all of those put together determine whether I accept the script or not. You featured in 93 Days. Do the criteria apply to the script and role? Yes, absolutely! I made bold to say that 93 Days was one of the best written scripts that I read in recent times. Brilliant script especially because again, 93 Days is a true life story, it can be extremely difficult to write. The balancing was incredible, because every side of the story has to be told in clarity, in truth with respect to the people who actually lived those lives; it was a well done script. The same criteria applied to 93 Days. Are you aware that the family of the late Dr. Stella Adadevoh is threatening to take legal action against the movie producer? What is your take on that? I heard about it and I also heard that it is not an issue. There may have been some misunderstanding along the line. But from what I heard, it was quickly resolved.

But I also cannot speak on that, because I am not privy to the relationship between the Adadevoh family and the producers of the movie. I am not privy to the understanding that they had at the beginning of the project. It will be irresponsible of me to comment on it. The attention of stage is shifting to Nollywood because of money, what is your take on that? No. I will very quickly disagree. Yes, because I think now it is actually the time we should be celebrating the theatre in Nigeria, there is a big comeback. Now we have more live more theatrical performances than we had in the more recent past. People like Wole Oguntokun, Bolanle Austin-Peters, Ifeoma Fafunwa, amongst others, they are consecutively working on projects all over. Some of them go outside this country. There is a big renaissance; it is not possible that anyone would say that they have not noticed that there is that revival in the theatre. Even people from Nollywood are beginning to consider migrating to the theatre. So, I think it is the reverse and not the way you think is working. What has been your most challenging role? C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 2

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friday, october 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

‘I accept issue-driven scripts’ C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 1

That will always be a difficult one, because each role that one plays as an actor comes with its own challenge that will not ever be similar to any other thing that you are going to do tomorrow or in ten years’ time or what you have done in the past. Every role is new for the actor; the actor is prepared as a matter of fact for the challenges of the next role, if he is not, then he is not ready. So saying this role or that role has been most challenging up to date would be to also say that I didn’t give something to some of the other roles that I played. Each one is different, each one came with its challenges but you have to dedicate yourself in preparing for all that.

nobody knows now. I met her in the course of work. She was working, after theatre, she went into production. But now she has left all that, she is a lecturer now. But she has not lost any interest in watching, she has a keen interest in Nollywood. She has a keen interest in the theatre and she follows happenings there. When she is able to get time off work, she watches, whether is live or it is at home she watches.

The non theatre graduates have flooded the industry while the real theatre graduates do not have space to explore their skills. What is your take on it? First of all, if people go to school and they study Theatre Arts, Creative Arts or Dramatic Arts, whatever your university calls it, you have a choice where to practice first. If your preference is television or film, then go and train to function in film or television. This is because they demand different techniques, same basic ideas and so on. But they demand different techniques, whether somebody is taking other peoples job and so on, is something that I feel is up for conversation. There are people who may not have studied Theatre Arts, they may not have gone to any film school to study acting, but they may have dedicated themselves to constantly improving themselves in the roles that they get; constantly they are getting better until the directors begin to trust them with roles. It would be unfair to now turn around to say, because I read Theatre Arts, and you didn’t, therefore how can you claim to be more professional than I am? No, it could actually be that the person that did not read Theatre Arts or study acting in school actually proves to be better in the interpretation of a role better than the person who went school to study acting. It is a possibility; I will be reluctant to engage in it. It will be purely academic, or may be not academic, it may be political. People who feel that they have lost out because some other people feel that they have invested themselves a bit more in what they are doing, they seem to have more visibility, they seem to have more frequency in playing in front of the camera and so on. I don’t think it is anything that should make anybody lose any sleep. If people went to school to study acting also want to have the same visibility get the same kind of job that you are talking about, then let them invest themselves as well. I read theatre arts, ordinarily; film and television would be my second option, but because theatre slumped out at a point. Those of us, who knew that we had to feed ourselves, we had to clothe ourselves, we had to pay rent, we wanted to move ahead; we committed ourselves to tweaking whatever we learnt in school and making that table for television, for film and all that, even for radio. So, it is a constantly evolving thing. If you want to be part of it, then evolve with it; invest yourself in it, dedicate yourself to your art, to your craft and then move on. It is a different thing if you feel that you do deserve a role that you have worked hard for it and someone out of a whim decide that I am not going to give it to this guy. But then that is a personal thing. Is your wife a lover of theatre and has that passion been reflected in you as a theatre person? My wife started as an actor as well,

Manuel

What’s your definition of a woman’s beauty? I think everybody is beautiful and I am not joking, because beauty is not in the flesh, in the physical that we see. I think a woman cheapens herself, if she feels that it is what she has as physical attributes that determine how beautiful she is, no. I think the beauty of a woman is inside and you can help it, it comes out, no matter how hard you work to hide it and not let people really know, who you are, it shows at some

point. Good people find it difficult to hide them, no matter how trying the times are, it still shows. The same goes to a bad person. Who is Bimbo Manuel when he is not onset? I am a happy-go-lucky person, I like to stay with my friends, I like to spend time with my family. I like to read. I read a lot and I write a lot as well. What do you mean when you said, there can never be another Amaka Igwe? No I don’t think I ever made any such statement as that there would never be another Amaka Igwe. Yes, though, I cannot remember I ever said that, so I will not claim that quote. Again, it could be true. Because we are all different, we were like some points known for some things that are just us. There will never be another Zeb Ejiro, there will never be another Bimbo Manuel, it can’t happen, and there may never be another Andy Amaechi, Lola Fani Kayode, Femi Odugnemi or another Bolanle Austin-Peters and so many people, because each one of us is different, so we can’t be two, so that may be true, though I did not say that. You were among the veterans that started Nollywood but they are saying that the old Nollywood was better. What do you notice that is wrong now? I don’t even know where the differentiation in appellation came from, who call who what; I don’t know its origins. But it’s obvious that everyone accepts that the Nigerian audio visual business is called is Nollywood, especially, the film industry. Everybody accepts that is called Nollywood. Whether people argue the appropriateness of that name or not is a totally different matter altogether. Apparently, some people at some point felt that they wanted to do something differently; some people felt at some point that they didn’t want to be part of politics of the industry; some people felt at some point that they didn’t want to follow the norms, the standard that seems to be operating in the industry at the time they were coming in, you can’t blame them. I think it is informative that it’s started by young people. Young people are usually impatient, young people are usually people who are convinced that they know a lot more than you that is older; young people are more daring, they are more courageous, they want to try new things, things that the older and more settled directors will not try; businesses that some producers will not want to do. They are more daring and they want to do it and we see the footprints all over the place. They have more films in the cinemas than the older generation. We little acknowledged them and it pleases me that the older people in the business that I spoke with at different times have been insistent that at no point did anybody make that difference that Nollywood is one. Approach to business may be different but Nollywood is one and it stays well with me. I work with everybody across generations. The gentleman that I have just finished working with over the weekend would probably be young enough to be my son. But I trusted his ability, I trusted his story, I trusted his crew who were as young as he was. I saw the pictures and the interpretations, I was comfortable. Not too long ago, I was in Zeb Ejiro’s project. I knew him closed to 30 years ago. We worked and I trusted his judgment. Let the people who are political carry on with their politics, I want to feed my household and it does not matter what colouration anybody’s business is, so long as is clean money I work for it and get pay my dues, I go home , my family feeds and I pay my rent, I am okay. So it does not matter whether it is new or old Nollywood.

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friday, october 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Weeks after ailment tale, Baba Suwe preps for son’s wedding

omic actor, Babatunde Omidina, otherwise known as Baba Suwe, is already making preparations for his first son’s wedding slated for December 16 and 17. The date doesn’t seem to be as far as would be imagined, December is just around the corner. An inside source revealed that, “Baba Suwe’s first child, Adesola Morenikeji will soon tie the nuptial knot with his lover, Adetoun from Iwo, Osun state. I learnt Baba Suwe has started informing everybody that matters within and outside the industry. He has even visited his in-law in Iwo for preparations.” Confirming the story, Baba Suwe said, “Yes, that’s what I am working on now. I am happy that my first born, Morenikeji, who lives in the US has found his lost rib, and Nikkai is what we’re planning for now because our wife is from Iwo and her parents are core Muslims, which also makes me very happy. The wedding will hold in December Baba Suwe this year, Insha Allah.”

Day Genevieve stormed Lekki Market unaided

UNN students bubble for Glo Campus Storm

tudents of the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus last Friday hosted the Glo Campus Storm, a flagship entertainment show of Globacom during which they enjoyed sizzling excitement. Thousands of the students trooped to the White House Auditorium venue of the show which had three of Nigeria’s best musical stars, Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa, Timaya; Mr. Incredible, Jude Abaga popularly called MI and new music sensation, Runtown on the bandstand for several hours. The three big acts took turns reeling out hits from their collections for the enjoyment of the youths who responded by dancing and singing along with their idols. Runtown who incidentally grew up in the city of Enugu opened the evening with a nostalgic tale of his growing up years in the Coal city and thereafter reached into his fecund repertoire of danceable songs, including “Lagos to Kampala”, “Galado”, “Baby Answer”, ”Banger” and “Bend Down”. When MI mounted the stage, he injected ecstasy to the crowd who erupted in shouts of admiration of their idol who seemed bent on serenading them in an indelible manner. He rendered some of his popular songs in-

cluding “One Naira”, “African Rapper Number One” and “If Nobody Talks About You.” Egberi Papa himself, Timaya, literally tuned up the decibel of fun when he appeared on stage for what became the delicious icing on the evening’s cake. The energetic song performer gyrated and same in his typical manner in response to his fans who ululated and hummed some of his favourite songs including “Shake Bum Bum”, “When Money No Dey”, “Dem Mama” among others. Highlights of the evening included Mr. Glo Campus Data Dude and Miss Glo Campus Data Diva contests by 18 beautiful ladies and 18 handsome gentlemen who employed all tricks in their arsenals to emerge favourites of the judges for the competition. At the end of the keenlycompeted process, Ogbuefi Pascal, a 500 level undergraduate of Medical Radiography won the coveted crown while Ikpe Igbe Joy a 400 level student of Law became the Miss Glo Campus Data Diva. The two winners won hundred thousand naira each. Glo Campus Storm music concert is on a tour of 24 campuses nationwide and is expected to extend into the second quarter of 2017.

Genevieve

cores of Nigerian entertainers have explained that being a celebrity has robbed them of their private life and that they can no longer visit public places as they once did. Seasoned actor, Genevieve Nnaji has faulted that with a sudden appearance in the market square. Not many would believe that despite her status, she could easily walk round a market without being mobbed by fans but yes, she actually went to the market. The actress shared a picture of herself checking out some art works at the popular Lekki Art market and she was walking freely with a friend who had accompanied her to the market. Amazingly, even those who knew who she was kept their calm and refused to display anything to suggest they were star-struck. On the social media where Nnaji posted her photo, some fans jokingly concluded that fans are more concerned about surviving recession than hailing any showbiz star.

Genevieve (right} in Lekki market

New record label, Shafer Records, to support upcoming acts A

new record label is in town, which, according to its promoters, is mainly focused on projecting up and coming music acts in Nigeria. Named Shafer Records, the new music house was officially launched on October 12, 2016 and it promises to scout the streets of Lagos to discover and groom music talents who may not have the resources to pursue their passion. According to Isaiah Oyibo, C.E.O of Shafer Records, the label intends to produce top ar-

tistes that are capable of producing good music across Africa and beyond as well as influence the lifestyle of its esteemed audience and fans positively. Beyond just talking about it, a song titled ‘Too Much Love’ produced by Lugi, is the first collective effort of acts on Shafer Records. The label has signed three artistes at present and they are Theory (Samuel Oyibo), Lugi (Utibe Ndah Mackenzie) and Eluku (Lameed Temitayo Lukmon).

The record label has been endorsed by notable Nigerian music industry players such as Vector and Del B and the team effort, ‘Too Much Love’ is currently enjoying airplay across Nigeria. Shafer Records, which is the brainchild of South Africa-based entrepreneur, Isaiah Oyibo (popularly known as Shafer), was founded as a wholly independent music label on February 17. The label, boasting an in-house state of the art studio, is located in the Lekki area of Lagos State.

L-R: Lugi, Shafer and Eluku

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friday, october 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ciara expecting first baby with Russell Wilson

Kim Kardashian’s sex tape becomes virtual reality experience

superstar later posted on t’s joy for baby. Ciara has agram the identical just shared the news that his Inst black and white photo with she’s received the best caption, “The Greatest birthday present ever — she the Blessing of All. Forever and hubby, Russell Wilson, Grateful. #BabyWilsonOnare expecting their first TheWay.” These two can child together. make the most amazing How thrilling! We knew parents. time of ter mat a it was only There had been speculabefore newlywed lovebirds tion that Ciara was expectRussell Wilson, 27, and ing when she showed up Ciara, 31, would start a Oct. 21 at a Revlon brand ially offic they family, and ambassador appearance have their first child on the wearing an unusually ks haw Sea ttle way. The Sea oversized jacket for her quarterback had been tiny frame, looking like m agra Inst showing off she could be hiding a baby er birthday love for his sing bump. HollywoodLife.com wife all day on Oct. 25, exclusively revealed after but he left it up to her to couple’s lavish July break the news that they’re the tials that Russell was nup expecting. erate to become a dad desp hbirt ial spec “On this couple was already the and day I received an abuntrying for a baby. dance of love from friends Our source told us that, ted and family.. and I’m exci “Russell is very eager to to finally share one of the become a father and he is greatest gifts of all that looking forward to starting God could give…” she a family as soon as possible. wrote on her Instagram Ciara is clearly on board and let emoji’s of a infant’s and no one should be surtell face and a baby bottle to prised when she announces the world she’s pregnant! herself as pregnant.” Well, So exciting!!! Russell is they got down to business seen holding her tenderly quickly because less than in his arms and both of four months after tying the to on ing hold them are knot, they have a baby on s her tummy to show she’ the way. in a family way. The NFL

ylie Jenner went all out for King Cairo’s birthday, and you won’t believe the ‘expensive’ gift she got for her boyfriend, Tyga’s son. A source gave details on the extravagant present. Tyga’s four-year-old son, King Cairo, had a birthday party fit for, well, a king, on Oct. 16. The Ferrari-themed bash came complete with a Ferris wheel, insane car cakes, crazy party favors, a trampoline, an inflatable slide, pony rides and so much more. But what did he get as a present from his dad’s girlfriend Kylie Jenner? “Kylie’s lavish birthday gift to little King Cairo was the expensive Ferrari themed birthday party,” a source tells HollywoodLife.com. What?! Holy moly, we can’t imagine what Tyga possibly could have gotten his little boy to outdo that. “She was happy to spoil her boyfriend’s son,” the insider revealed. “Kylie wanted King to have a memorable birthday party like so many that she had when she was about his age. She helped with the planning, the ideas, the design, everything.” Wow, that’s a lot of love. “She loved seeing the look on his face when King arrived at the party, it made it all worth it.” Tyga has reportedly had trouble with money for the last few years. He’s had multiple cars repossessed (including his Ferrari, ironically), and there was a warrant out for his arrest for not showing up in court to settle a lawsuit from his former landlord, who he never paid. Kylie allegedly paid his settlement to ke ep him out of jail, and now she’s paying for his son too. But it makes sense, little King hangs out with the Dissick kids, North West, and Saint West, who all have over-the-top parties. It would be super sad if he didn’t get one too because Kim Kylie is such a sweetheart.

Ciara and her hubby Russel

Blac Chyna’s ex demands paternity test to prove baby is not Rob’s D irty signs of desperation! Blac Chyna’s lover, Pilot Jones, is reportedly pressing for a court ordered DNA test to prove Rob Kardashian is not the father of her baby, according to a recent report. He apparently didn’t believe the results of the test she took on ‘Rob & Blac’ and things could get very ugly. Blac Chyna, 28, and Rob Kardashian, 29, could be headed into a battle round

after this latest report. Blac’s alleged ex-lover, Pilot Jones, is reportedly telling his friends he will demand a DNA test, according to Radar Online. The site is claiming he wants to prove Rob is not the father of her baby girl, due in November 2016. This report comes right after the same site claimed to have photos of Chyna and Pilot caressing each other in Sept. 2016. The two were reportedly hooking up for months and rumors of the child potentially being his, set the internet on fire. Radar now claims he’s spreading the word that he will demand the test and it will not be in front of the Rob & Chyna cameras. Blac has insisted from day one that the baby belongs to Rob, and she’s already taken a paternity test on the reality show. The results turned out like you already

thought — Rob is the father, according to the E! show. But, not everyone apparently believes that. With Chyna’s due date is just weeks away, this is the last thing the couple needs at this point. They’ve already had their fair share of relationship woes, with Rob’s habit of deleting any trace of Blac on social media when they reportedly fight, and her assumptions that he was “still texting bitches” on the opening of their show in Sept. 2016. Who could forget that? But, the two seem to be going strong, so this news is definitely unexpected. The pair looked like they had an amazing time with her son, King Cairo, on a fun-filled day on a trip to California Park and Disneyland on Oct. 23. As they gear up for the arrival of their baby girl, we hope the Rob and Blac are doing well.

Blac Chyna

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Labour Recession: FG tasks young entrepreneurs on creativity

Business DOWNTURN Increase in inactive lines result in loss of potential revenue for telecoms service providers

Kunle Azeez

he amount of potential revenue being lost by telecoms operators to the rising number of inactive telephone lines in the country currently stands at N113 billion monthly, New Telegraph has learnt. This conservative valuation is arrived at using the prevailing average revenue per user (ARPU) in the country and the number of inactive subscribers as at end of August, this year. ARPU is the industry benchmark that determines the average spending of mobile subscribers in a telecoms market on their respective monthly networks, usually monthly. According to the latest data for August released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), while the total connected lines in the country stood at 226.7 million, the actual number of active lines was 152.8 million. As such, by subtracting the active lines from the total connected lines in the country, the number of inactive lines in the country stands at 73.9 million. Currently, industry ARPU is estimated at between $4- $5, according to the President of Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Olusola Teniola. In Nigeria, the exchange rate of naira to dollar is N305,

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Tony Chukwunyem

Environment New environment policy seeks protection of natural resources

27 30

Inactive lines: Telcos lose N113bn revenue monthly L-R: Chairman, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, Mazi BankAnthony Okoroafor; Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), Bayo Ojulari; Managing Director, First Exploration and Petroleum, Ademola Adeyemi-Bero and the Business Opportunity Manager of SNEPCo, Segun Owolabi, at the 2016 edition of the Annual PSRG – Richardson Health, Safety, Security, and Environment Forum…recently.

meaning monthly ARPU in the country is N1,525 if multiplied by the $5. When N1,525 is multiplied by 73.9 million inactive lines on operators’ network as at last August, the amount of potential revenue losses is conservatively N113 billion monthly. “If a subscriber abandoned his or her registered line instead of using same to access mobile services, the affected operators are losing potential revenue and this, I believe, runs into billions of Naira monthly,” said Vice President, Medallion Communications, Mr. Ike Innamani. Innamani, who is also a board member of the Nigerian Internet Registration Association (NIRA), said that no operator wanted to lose its subscriber to competitors or have them not using their lines to

access services. “Competition in the telecoms sector is getting keener by the day and this makes subscribers have the tendency to change their existing line for another preferred network, since they now have multiple options,” Teniola said by telephone. According to him, if subscribers find better tariff plans or a more quality service on a new network, “they can switch freely and then keep the old line in inactive mode, if they choose to.” Meanwhile, President, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS), Mr. Deolu Ogunbanjo, said if a telecom operator sells a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) to a customer and gets him connected on its network, the intention is to start generating revenue from the subscriber anytime the subscriber loads its account with airtime to access services.

INFLATION RATE Sept 2016 ..............................17.9% August 2016 ...........................17.6% July 2016...............................17.1%

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

226.7 million Being the total connected lines in the country as at August 2016

“However in a situation, where the subscriber, for one reason or the other, does not load the line with airtime for a specified period of time, thereby rendering the telephone line redundant, the network is definitely losing some potential revenues.” Meanwhile, with the total active lines in the sector bouncing back to 152.8 million after it had crashed from around that figure in October last year to 147 million through the end of second quarters, industry analysts say the industry is on its way to recovery. In addition, the latest official data from the industry regulator indicates that teledensity has also reached an all-time high of 109 per cent in the country, suggesting the nation is consistently on the path of growth. Telephone density, or teledensity, is the number of telephone connections for every 100 individuals living within an area. In Nigeria, mobile subscribers conCONTINUED ON PAGE 26

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WHAT'S NEW

EXCHANGE RATE

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N456 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N545 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N495

l Foreign Reserves – $23.939bn as at 25/10/2016

Finance Editor

Senior Correspondent

EXCHANGE RATE (Parallel Market October 21)

(Interbank as at October 21)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N316 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .N374 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N335

Source: CBN

Stolen vehicles: Presidency, others receive N.2bn insurance claims

Two vessels arrive with palm oil, soya beans

p.26

BUSINESS |NEWS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Stolen vehicles: Presidency, others receive N.2bn insurance claims CONFIDENCE Delayed/non-payment of claims to policyholder has largely battered the image of Nigeria’s underwriting industry

Sunday Ojeme

olicy holders, including Presidential Monitoring Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) have been listed among those who benefitted from over N100 million claims paid out in respect of their missing vehicles.

Telcos lose N113bn revenue monthly CO NTINUED FRO M PAG E 25

trol over 99 per cent of the total subscriptions in the country with code division multiple access (CDMA) and fixed networks sharing less than two per cent of the market. As an alternative, industry experts proposed mobidensity or mobile cellular subscribers per hundred inhabitants. Teledensity is calculated based on the 140 million population as documented by the 2006 national Census report in the country, NCC said in its latest report. The latest data of 152.8 million represents the aggregate active subscriber base shared by telecoms players in the networks of the Global System for Communications (GSM) including MTN, Globacom, Airtel and Etisalat and ntel, code division multiple access (CDMA) and fixed networks in the country. This newspaper gathered that as at October 2015, telecoms companies achieved their highest active subscriber base of 152.12 million in the country. However, following the sanction of N1.04 trillion imposed on MTN for failure to deactivate unregistered subscriber identity modules (SIMs) on its network and subsequent regulatory directive to MTN to deactivate over five million unregistered subscribers, among other factors, the monthly subscriber base has crashed. As at last April, the subscriptions had crashed to 147.56 million, representing a loss of about 4.56 million lines on various mobile networks. However, the report released by the telecoms industry regulator has shown that telcos have recovered the lost 4.56 million lines. The re-engaged subscribers, thus, represent over 100 per cent of the total lost line since last October.

According to the payment details obtained by this newspaper, individuals, apart from corporate bodies and government institutions, who purchased comprehensive cover for their vehicles, also benefitted from the claims, which payments spread across 17 insurance companies. A breakdown of the claims profile revealed that Mutual Benefits paid out the highest claims of over N23 million to five policyholders including INEC (N5.26 million); National Judicial Council (N6.15 million); TG Multiservices Automobile (N3.70 million); Fidelity Bank/Aquila Leasing Limited (N3.56 million) and an individual, Mr. Edokpayi Emmanuel, who got N4.65 million. Mutual Benefits was closely followed by Regency, which disbursed over N20 million to Deeper Life High School; Ogun State government (N4.73 million); Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (N4.73 million) and Direct On Plc (N5.76 million). Custodian and Allied closely trailed Mutual Benefits

with payment of over N18 million spread among Nigerian Agip Oil Company (N10.64 million); Heritage Homes Orphanage (N4.78 million) and St. Peter’s Cherubim and Seraphim Band (N4.090 million). In the same vein, AIICO also doled out over N18 million to four policyholders including INEC (N4.87 million); Sealing Engineering Services Limited (N4.29 million); FBN Plc/FDHL Training (N5.74 million) and Adeniyi Adewale (N3.60 million). Cornerstone Insurance Plc paid out N13 million to Presidential Monitoring Committee on NDDC (N6.93 million) and Glaxosmithkline Nigeria Plc (N6.37 million) while Great Nigeria Insurance also paid over N13 million to three organisations including YOB Nigeria Company (N4.22million); D.S Adegbenro (N5.70 million) and Ogundare Mutiyat Tope (N3.86 million). Also included are Ensure, which paid over N8 million to two firms, Tempo Petroleum Limited (N3.51million) and Kaduna State House of As-

sembly (N5.13 million). Equity Assurance also met its obligation to Siemens Limited with claims payment of N9.23 million, while Industrial and General Insurance Plc advanced claims payment of over N12 million to three of its clients including Mr. Ughuwhagbe Tony (4.10 million); Mourntade Deme (N4.56 million) and National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (N3.81 million). International Energy Insurance paid over N4 million to Mrs. Okonkwo Uchenna, while KBL, Niger and NSIA paid over N27 million to six policyholders including Diamond Bank Plc and some individuals. It was also learnt that Staco paid out over N11 million to its policyholders, Standard Alliance (N10.63 million), Sterling Assurance (N5.60 million) and UnityKapital (N7.47 million). Meeting their obligations to policyholders is a testimony to the fact the industry is fast adapting to the reforms put in place by the regulator, National Insurance Commis-

sion (NAICOM), especially as regards prompt payment of claims. This newspaper recalls the directive to the underwriters by the Commissioner of Insurance, Mohammed Kari, as soon as he came onboard on prompt payment of claims. The commissioner had issued a circular to all the operators to clear all outstanding claims, stressing that the reasons for implementing such deadline and sanctions were effective trade practices and fair treatment of policy holders and intending consumers. Expressing dissatisfaction over large number of unpaid claims by insurance firms, including those with robust capital bases, he said for Nigeria’s insurance industry to be relevant, the prescribed standard of practice set by the commission should be implemented. He said NAICOM was determined to check bad practices in the industry through effective claims management and ensure adherence to global standards.

L-R: Chairman, The Initiates Plc, Joseph Ogbonna Anosike; Chief Executive Officer, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Oscar N. Onyema and Managing Director/ CEO, The Initiates Plc, Ossai Reuben Mustapha, at the listing of The Initiates Plc at the Exchange in Lagos.

Two vessels arrive with palm oil, soya beans IMPROVEMENT Palm oil production in Nigeria reached 970,000 tons in the first nine months of 2016 Bayo Akomolafe

wo vessels, Lady Dahua and African Joseph, have berthed with palm oil and milled soya beans respectively at the Lagos Port Complex (LPC). The two ships were moored at the terminal A and B concessioned to Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited (ABTL) to discharge the cargoes. Finding by New Telegraph revealed that Lady Dahua ar-

rived the port with 4,000 metric tons of crude palm oil valued at N901 million ($2.94 million ), while African Joseph ferried 5,000 metric tons of soya beans valued at N1.5 billion($4.89 million) to the port. Investigation also revealed that a vessel laden with palm oil berthed at the port monthly since August 2016, as it was no longer easy for shippers to import crude palm oil into the country due to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s exchange rate of N313 per $1, which the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) calculates import duty on cargoes imported into the country. Last August, Ladi Sina berthed at the port with 5,000 tons of the palm oil, while Golden Oak ferried 12,000 tons

of the same product to the port terminal. It was also revealed that the country needs 130,000 metric tons of soya beans to support the dwindling local production, as the price of the commodity moves up to $979 per ton. It would be recalled that palm oil production in Nigeria had reached 970,000 tons valued at N218.5 billion ($714.2 billion) in the last nine months. It was learnt that the country’s production might reach one million metric tons by December 2016. Its production was 930,000 metric tons in 2015. Currently, the price of the commodity has reached $736.25 per metric ton since last August in the global mar-

ket. The country needs additional 1.7 million tons of the commodity to meet its local demand. Palm oil production began to decline in 1976, when the demand was more than supply. Between 1950s and 1960s, USDA data noted that Nigeria was the largest producer of crude oil palm in the world with a market share of 43 per cent. It supplied 645,000metric tons of palm oil, across the global market annually but the reverse has been the case in the last seven years. Last June, Indonesia reduced its export tax for crude palm oil between 0 and 22.5 per cent, depending on the international palm oil price to encourage exporters.

FRIDAY, october 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

OPPORTUNITIES Various gaps created by the ban on importation of some items are yearning to be filled Sunday Ojeme

ollowing the lull in the economy and the attendant increase in unemployment, the Federal Government has called on young entrepreneurs to seize the opportunities inherent in the current economic recession by investing in unexplored areas of the economy. The Federal Government specifically enjoined them to capitalise on the items banned from importation by producing alternatives to such. Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, made this call in Abuja. He also lauded the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) over the forthcoming commissioning of firms that will produce pencil and toothpick locally. He said: “The uniqueness of the NDE pencil derives from the fact that it is made from waste paper and not wood. Each of the two enterprises will generate over 100 jobs on commencement. As a way of reviving the small-scale industries, the NDE is encouraging young local entrepreneurs to commence the local production of items currently on the Nigerian Custom Service import prohibition list. By so doing, such budding enterprises are guaranteed a ready market, which will ensure their survival.” Ngige, who switched on the Smart Far mer (REMIS) platfor m in Abuja, explained that about 3,000 new jobs would be generated when the NDE Agricultural Park in Sabuwa, Katsina State begins operation

labour

Recession: FG tasks young entrepreneurs on creativity within the next one month. He said: “I have directed the NDE to commence operations at the NDE Agricultural park located in Sabuwa, Katsina state in the next one month. We are confident that over 3,000 new jobs will be generated in the first instance within the agricultural value chain when the park comes on stream.” Ngige reassured that the Directorate had concluded plans to commission two new small-scale businesses that will produce pencils and toothpicks locally. He also observed that the combination of productive activities in the agricultural sector and ICT would surely make Nigeria’s journey towards repositioning agriculture as one of the cornerstones of the economy. Also speaking, Acting Director General of NDE, Kunle Obayan, said one of the factors that worked

Political economist and Nigerian trade unionist, Issa Aremu, has been elected Vice President, IndustriALL Global Union. Aremu according to a statement, was unanimously elected VP of the 50 million members IndustriALL Global Union at the 2nd World Congress of the union, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Until his new position, Aremu was a member of the Executive Council of the movement as well as the Chairman of the sub-Saharan Africa region. The global union has been campaigning against precarious work and sustainable industrial policies on the Afri-

L-R: Olusegun Toriola of PAL Pensions; Tosin Salami; Executive Director, Finance and Operations, Godwin Onoro; Head, Benefits Administrations, Pensions Services, Ophelia Alex-Iwuanyanwu, and Fiyinfoluwa Adedoyin, during the sustainability week services in Lagos.

against previous attempt at diversifying into agriculture was the failure to get young people on board. His said: “One of the fac-

Speaking further on the strike, the union’s Secretary, Chinedu Eze, said that the other aspects of the order, which included payment of capital and overhead costs to court heads, had not been complied with. He said the state government still owed the judiciary workers some months’ salaries and the 2015 CONJUSS arrears. Eze said the union was concerned that funds accruable to the courts were not given to heads of the courts to manage. “The state government has not paid the judiciary workers since August and yet they have paid the state assembly for September. This is not fair. “If they say that there is

tors that militated against previous attempts at putting agriculture in the driving seat of our national economy had been the in-

ability of policy implementers to get young Nigerians sufficiently committedly involved in agriculture as a viable business.”

Aremu is VP of IndustriALL Global Union can continent, the highpoint of which is the annual observance of Africa Industrialisation Day every November 20 as declared by United Nations Assembly. IndustriALL Global Union has six regions from which the VPs were elected. The regions are sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia-Pacific. The new VP, who is also a member of the National Executive Council (NEC) of Ni-

JUSUN tackles governor over court order udiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Abia chapter, has vowed to continue the ongoing strike unless the state government complied with a 2014 court order. Chairman of union, Emmanuel Onyemereibeya, said in Umuahia that the state government had not attended the meetings scheduled to discuss resolution of the strike. Onyemereibeya said that it could be interpreted to mean, “they have no interest in resolving the matter.” He insisted that the strike would continue as directed by the national body of judiciary workers until the state government complied with the provisions of the order.

no money in the state, then all the workers should feel it, not that some workers will be paid and others will not be paid; it is not right,” he said. The secretary said the body would not stop the strike unless the state government complied with the provisions of the agreement. Abia chapter of JUSUN had gone on strike on October 10 to pursue the implementation of a court order granting the judiciary financial autonomy in Abia. Governor Okezie Ikpeazu began partial compliance with the order in 2015 with the payment of the Consolidated Judicial Salary Structure (CONJUSS) with a N40, 000 minimum wage.

geria Labour Congress (NLC), brings to IndustriaLL over two decades of experience in organising, negotiation and collective bargaining, workers’ representation and policy advocacy. Aremu who is a Second Class Upper graduate of

Economics from University of Port Harcourt, according to the statement, started his trade union carrier as an organiser in textile union and NLC in late 80s. He holds a Master degree in Labour and Development studies from the prestigious International In-

How to get Nigeria out of recession, by UCSAN boss

he President and Chairman of Council, Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), Dr. Nat Ofo, has said that the fastest way to move out of the prevailing recession is to sincerely fight corruption in the system. Ofo, who disclosed this in Lagos, said that the right punishment must be meted out to those found guilty of corruption irrespective of whoever is involved. He said: “We are in economic recession because things are still not being done in the right way. The real problem is corruption. Some people pile up money not to boost our economy but to boost the economies of other countries or other lands.” The ICSAN boss said the government should fight corruption by apportioning the right punishment to serve as deterrent to people who are either into corrupt acts or intend to perpetrate corruption. He said: “Government has

not done anything to show that we are in a bad situation. As long as people think they can commit crime and go away with it, they will still continue to commit crimes. If the judiciary is the problem, the government should deal with it. When leadership sets the right tone, everybody will comply. “No amount of money poured into the economy will solve our problem until we begin to do the right thing and punish those found guilty of doing wrong things.” On the 50th anniversary of the association, he said the celebration would be rounded off with the Institute hosting a grand ball where personalities would be conferred with awards and honorary membership. He said the institute had carefully selected a group of professionals, who will present papers on the anniversary theme, ‘Corporate Governance as a Springboard for SocioEconomic Renaissance.’

28 In line with Federal Government’s diversification programme, the Bank of Industry (BoI) and Nigeria Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) recently entered into a pact on agribusiness lending for local farmers. TAIWO HASSAN reports that this might be a turning point for farmers

FG’s policy thrust Having realised the effects of over dependent on one monocommodity - crude oil as Nigeria’s major source of revenue, the Federal Government realised that there was need to reposition the country’s economy and the only way forward is to develop other key sectors of the economy, especially the agric sector. Indeed, the move was to quell the multiplier effects of sudden drop in crude oil prices at the international markets, as the slump impaired on government’s earnings from the commodity. For government, the plunge in crude oil price was an “eye opener” in the sense that it gave them leverage to fast-track developments of the country’s non-oil sector. Immediately he was elected, President Muhammadu Buhari wasted no time in telling Nigerians of his administration’s quest to diversify the country’s economy away from oil and placed utmost priority on agriculture, solid minerals and manufacturing as key sectors that would reposition the country’s ailing economy after the oil price slump. Since then, President Buhariled administration has been investing the country’s scarce resources in promoting backward integration programme. However, gover nment launched a new Agric Promotion Policy - APP (2016-2020), which was meant to build on the successes of the former policy - Agriculture Transformation Agenda (ATA) by closing key gaps in the industry. Precisely, Nigeria is facing two key gaps in agriculture today: inability to meet domestic food requirements and an inability to export at quality level levels required for market success. Speaking at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja recently during the launch of APP, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh said, the present administration has thoroughly examining the former agric policy (ATA) of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. He said it was discov-

agric

FRIDAY, october 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Farmers at work

BoI/NIRSAL MoU: Game changer for local farmers ered that the policy faced a lot of challenges and did not deliver on all the targets in the agric value chains, prompting the government to come out with new policy for the industry, adding that strategically the primary focus will be on closing the demand- supply gaps. BoI/NIRSAL MoU However, government discovered that for it to achieve the desired results in its diversification agenda programme, especially in agriculture, there will be need to enhance the performance of local farmers with funding to boost their farm productivity and the country’s quest to also achieve food sufficiency. Specifically, government rued the country’s $22 billion food import substitution, which has taken toll on the country’s foreign exchange and peoples passion for foreign imported food at the detriment of local produce. Recently, the Presidency directed the BoI and NIRSAL to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that was aimed at fine-tuning the refinancing of key agricultural projects in the country, which need urgent credit facility to be facilitated. The Presidency’s directive was in line with the diversification agenda to place agriculture as the mainstay of the country’s revenue earnings and also to stimulate growth and development in the sector, and get the country out of the present recession. Speaking at the MoU signing between the BoI and NIRSAL in Lagos recently, the Acting Director-General, BoI, Waheed Olagunju, said the pact became necessary after the Presidency summoned the two agencies to a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, directing them to work out modalities that will be targeted at redirecting the financing of agricultural

Agriculture lies at the heart of the nation’s economy. It contributes 24 per cent to GDP and is the source of income for 75 per cent of the population

projects in the country in order to stimulate growth and development in the agric sector. Olagunju explained that the MoU signing is also designed to boost import substitution, job creation, stimulate inclusive growth and realise the key objectives of the Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP) of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. He said the historic collaboration between the two agencies will, for the first time, make possible the extension of BoI’s credit facilities to primary producers generally and smallholder farmers in particular whether they are in the crop, livestock or fishery sub-sectors. Indeed, Olagunju stressed that BoI is committed to expanding its lending to the country’s agric sector, despite the perception that making agric sector is a ‘high risk’ sector, making most financial institutions operating in the country shy away from lending to operators in the sector. The BoI acting MD blamed past administrations in the country for neglecting agriculture, especially following the discovery of crude oil in Nigeria. “We all know that at independence and up till 1970 or so, a lot was done with agriculture, mineral resources. In the Western region, the Cocoa House was built from agric money. We had the first Television station in Africa before France and Canada had their own TVs, all from the proceeds of Cocoa. Liberty Stadium was built in Ibadan, University of Ife was constructed. And in the North, Alhmadu Bello Stadium was built. Alhmadu Bello University and so many other things.” Besides, he said: “Infrastructure was put in place in all the three key regions. But in the 70s, due to the Iranian revolution, oil prices went up and we dumped agriculture. And as at that time, we had inclusive growth, our

GDP was growing at almost double digits. We didn’t have many problems and there was massive employment in the country. “At a point, we didn’t have enough qualified Nigerians to turn the economy around. We had to employ Ghanaians to work in Nigerian Breweries, Unilever, Cadbury, Dunlop Nigeria. In the Educational sector too, we had Ghanaians as teachers. In our healthcare system, we had Ghanaians as doctors, nurses and out-patients. In order words, the entire West Africa and parts of Central Africa depend on Nigeria’s economy for their living. “But today, we are talking of unemployment, we are talking of recession. That’s the price we are paying for loosing track and focus on agric sector development.” Significance of the pact In his remarks at the event, Managing Director, NIRSAL, Aliyu AbdulHameed, said that the MoU was a culmination of several months of intense engagement between NIRSAL and BOI with focus on defining a collaborative framework to increase financing to the agric sector by leveraging the strengths of bothe organisations. He said: “As you all may know, agriculture lies at the heart of the nation’s economy. It contributes 24 per cent to GDP and is the source of income for 75 per cent of the population and is the mainstay of the rural economy. His words: “This makes agric critical to building a stronger economy, reducing poverty and ensuring inclusive growth. Conclusion Key agric stakeholders have commended the BoI/NIRSAL MoU initiative, saying it will give a sense of belonging to local farmers for them to increase their productivity levels since the credit facility is already in place.

businesS \ agric

FRIDAY, october 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

‘Nigeria spends $1.3bn yearly on dairy products’ imports’ ALARMING Nigeria imports over 70 per cent of its dairy products

Stories Taiwo Hassan

igeria spends an estimated $1.3 billion annually on the importation of dairy products the Federal Government has revealed. Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said this during a meeting between the Nigerian delegation from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and Arla Foods in Copehangen, Denmark. Arla Foods is one of the world’s largest dairy companies. Ogbeh, who was represented at the facility tour by Senior Technical Adviser to the Minister, Dr. Andrew Kwasari and other key Senior officials in FMARD, said the trend cannot be sustained because of the country’s economic challenges notably scarcity of foreign exchange. He explained that currently the government’s target is to double the country’s milk production over the next three to four years in order to meet up with domestic consumption and export. Ogbe noted that Nigeria is currently going through low local milk production but importing more than 70 per cent of its dairy products. The agric minister stressed that an average cow in Nigeria is said to produce 1 kg of milk a day, thus showing there is a long

The Registrar-General/ CEO, Corporate Affairs Commission, Bello Mahmud, with customers cutting a cake during the CAC Customer Service Week... recently.

way to go before reaching selfsufficiency. He added that government has identified that what is required, amongst other things, is a more formal ranching system to improve processes, yield and quality, to extract higher value. “This visit has been an eye opener for me. Arla is an organised cooperative that has done very well and work in a sustainable manner. Arla is run by the farmers themselves and to protect the interest of their farmer colleagues and ensure better returns on their milk, they set a higher standard for their milk quality than expected by the government,” the minister said. He added: “We hope for a partnership with Arla and knowledge sharing that will help us empower Nigerian farmers who face multiple challenges with logistics, infrastructure, organisation, quality and productivity. We could definitely see Arla

as a partner to help build a sustainable dairy industry in Nigeria from the very beginning based on its globally proven concept of ‘Dairy enterprise of the farmers,’ for the farmers by the farmers.” In a bid to find a sustainable roadmap for this multi-billion dollar market, the Prime Minister of Denmark, Lars Loekke Rasmussen and President Muhammadu Buhari, held talks with Arla Foods in Denmark few weeks back. The visit is the company’s second milestone in its declared commitment to invest in local production in Nigeria and help create a more sustainable local dairy industry, following the presentation of its signed letter of intent (LOI) to Ogbeh in Abuja recently. Arla’s LOI was presented last February at the same meeting where Denmark’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kristian Jensen, signed a letter of intent

China maintains wheat flour price for fourth year

hina will maintain its minimum support price for wheat unchanged in 2017 at major wheat producing areas to safeguard farmers’ income, according to a statement reby the National Development and Reform Commission. According to Platt, the Chinese government’s minimum support price (for third-grade) wheat produced in 2017 will be set at Yuan 2,360/mt, or $348.61/mt, rolled over from 2016 and unchanged since 2014. Chinese domestic wheat has been procured and stored by state grain companies under the government’s minimum support price programme since 2006. The minimum support price is set after considering production costs, supply and demand, as well as domestic and international market price trend and overall industry development, sources said. This year’s announcement, according to sources, came later than the previous few years’, typically announced by mid-October, leading to speculation’s on possible changes to government policy, given recent changes in crop subsidies, such as with corn. Moreover, domestic wheat pric-

ing has been heard at an average of Yuan 900/mt, or $132.95/mt, more expensive than imported wheat, for the past year, taxing on domestic flour millers, since private millers are unable to import wheat themselves. The Chinese government imposed an import quota system, allowing only 10 per cent of the allocated import quota to private buyers, with the rest allocated to state buyers such as Sino Grain and Cofco. The wheat import quota for 2017 has been set at around 9.64 million mt, unchanged from that for 2016. But the world’s largest wheat producer typically imports only about three million mt/year. Nevertheless, given that wheat is a staple food crop, with farmers’ livelihood and food security at stake, market sources expect any changes in price support for wheat to happen only gradually. Meanwhile, planting for winter wheat is ongoing in China, with some sources expecting about 2 per cent3 per cent reduction in acreage, as farmers are encouraged to diversify crop-planting, in line with the country’s agricultural reforms objectives, sources added.

with the Minister of Agriculture to cooperate on the development of the local agriculture sector in Nigeria. The Nigerian delegation had representatives of the key departments responsible for dairy development in the country comprising of Director, Veterinary Services and Pest Control, in FMARD, Dr. Gideon Mshelbwala; Director, Animal Production and Husbandry, Dr. Mrs. Egejuru Eze and Member of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Agriculture, Hon. Saleh Hassan. While welcoming the delegation during a tour of one of Arla’s dairy farms, Senior Vice President and Head of Arla Foods for sub-Saharan Africa, Steen Hadsbjerg, stated that Nigeria is key to Arla’s ability to sell its farm owners’ milk in West Africa, in the future. Hadsbjerg said: “ We un-

derstand that developing the Nigerian local dairy industry to create a sustainable value chain that contributes to food security, local jobs and prosperity are important issues for the government. The Nigerian government welcomes companies and initiative that will help this development.” “The purpose of this visit is for Arla to understand the challenges in developing a sustainable dairy sector in Nigeria and how Arla can most effectively contribute to the solution. It is also for Arla to share our knowledge and experience about how our farmer owners have organised and developed their value chain. The result will benefit Arla’s opportunities whilst ensuring the good development of the dairy market in Nigeria for the benefit of all parties,” Hadsbjerg stated.

Lagos, stakeholders to tackle food security challenges

agos State government and other key stakeholders in agric value chain - BATN foundation, Dangote Sugar and Dizengoff, among others, have restated their commitment to tackling food security challenges confronting smallholder farmers across rural communities in the country. They made these commitments at the just concluded World Food Day celebration at the Ministry of Agric, in Oko Oba, Agege, in Lagos. The stakeholders agreed to work as a unit in resolving one of the most pressing challenges, which is the impact of climate change on agriculture, particularly food security. The celebration’s theme: ‘Climate is Changing: Food and Agriculture Must Too’, was meant to sensitise farmers and other key stakeholders in the sector about the collaborative efforts required to reduce the effects of climate change on food security, while also deploying best practices that will enable the quick attainment of sustainable development goals. In his opening remarks, Secretary to Lagos State Government, Tunji Bello, who represented the governor of the state, tasked BATNF and other stakeholders to evolve new methods and strategies to mitigate the harmful effects of climate change, in view of the increasing popula-

tion growth in sub-Saharan Africa. “As part of the global community faced with the challenge of climate change, we must participate actively in the efforts to mitigate its effects through research and enlightenment of farmers on the need to adapt to the new reality. In Lagos State, we have been at the vanguard of the campaign for positive actions on environmental sustainability with a view to boosting food production,” he added. Also speaking, Executive Director, BATN foundation, Mrs. Oluwaseyi Ashade, commended government for providing enabling environment for the private sector to support its agenda in the state. She said: “We commend the Lagos State government for the innovative measures adopted by the current administration to whittle down the effects of the changing climate on food security in the state. Understanding the significant role that agriculture plays in the socio-economic development of any nation, BATN foundation has developed various strategic agricultural interventions to support the government’s vision on food security,” she said, adding that the foundation collaborated with Lagos State government by establishing a three-year fishery enterprise development project in Epe in 2006.”

30 BLUEPRINT

Environment Watch

FRIDAY, october 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

The 57-page document seeks to address pollution, environmental hazards and disaster

Stories Dayo Ayeyemi

he Federal Government, through the Ministry of Environment, with the support of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has reviewed the 17-year-old National Policy on Environment (NPE) with the aim of coming up with a new one. Stakeholders that converged on Abuja for a two-days validation workshop, said the essence of the policy review was to capture emerging environmental issues, concerns and to provide a single policy, which other sub-sectors will tap into to develop their strategies in the management of the nation’s environment. The new policy aims at providing framework to guide the country’s efforts to deal with the ever-growing environmental challenges including sustainable management of natural resources, environmental sound technology, climate change and disaster management, land degradation and desertification as well as waste management. Other environmental challenges that the new policy seeks to address are pollution, environmental hazards and disaster, urban decay, integrated coaster management, weak environmental governance, inadequate environmental education and awareness. Also in-

Scene of degraded environment due to oil spill in NigerDelta area

New environment policy seeks protection of natural resources cluded are dichotomy between environment and growth and environment and poverty alleviation, limited private sector participation in environmental management and conservation of shared natural resources. The goal of the 57-page NPE document divided into nine sections is to ensure environmental protection and conservation of natural resources for sustainable development. Justifying the review, Minister of State, Environment,

UN to nations : Invest 20% of transport budgets in walking, cycling

nited Nations Environment programme (UNEP) has called on countries to invest at least 20 per cent of their transport budgets in walking and cycling infrastructure to save lives, reverse pollution and reduce carbon emissions, which are rising at over 10 per cent a year. The call was made to countries after a new UNEP report pointed out that lack of investment in safe walking and cycling infrastructure was contributing to the deaths of millions of people and overlooking a great opportunity to contribute to the fight against climate change. Head, UN Environment, Erik Solheim, pointed out that people were risking their lives every time they leave their homes, noting that putting more vehicles on the road increase poisonous air pollution and green house gas. “But it isn’t just about accidents. Designing transport systems around cars puts more vehicles on the road, increasing both greenhouse gas emissions and deadly air

pollution. We must put people, not cars, first in transport systems,” he said. Solheim said that unless countries act to make roads safe, estimated 13 million more people would have died on roads in 10 years., adding “that is more than the entire population of Belgium. The human impact is horrific, but the impact on all of our survival must not be ignored.” The report surveyed the progress towards safer walking and cycling infrastructure in 20 low- to middle-income countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America, where compared with high-income countries, twice as many more people die in road traffic accidents. Of the most dangerous countries to walk and cycle from the sample, according to the report, four African countries topped the table. In Malawi, a total of 66 per cent of all road fatalities were pedestrians and cyclists; in Kenya 61 per cent; South Africa 53 per cent; Zambia 49 per cent; and in Nepal 49 per cent,” it said.

Ibrahim Usman Jibril, explained that recent evidences have pointed to the fact that human interaction with environment has been creating a number of challenges including land degradation, flooding, drought, desertification, coastal erosion and loss of bio-diversity leading to the present global challenge of climate change. According to the minister, development would not be

meaningful if these issues increased the vulnerability to environmental impacts. “If a nation’s environmental foundations are depleted, its economy may decline, its social fabric may deteriorate and its political structure may even be affected,” he said. Jibril listed the remediation of environmental pollution such as the Ogoniland cleanup; revitalisation of Lake Chad water resources, controlling of soil erosion in the south-

eastern parts of the country, afforestation and development of renewable energy including recent Jatropha initiative as some of the services undertaken to enable Nigeria to follow the path of sustainable development. The minister of state suggested that challenges of environmental management for sustainable development would require partnership from all stakeholders, comprising individuals, non-gov-

Agency decries waste dumping, waterways’ pollution

he Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) has condemned illegal dumping, defecation and pollution of waterways by individual and companies in the state. Managing Director, LASWA, Mrs Abisola Kamson, decried the dangers posed by these unwholesome activities to water transportation in the state during the commissioning of two water hyacinth and debris removal machines by Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, at the Ebute Ero Jetty. She stated that arrangement had been concluded by her agency with the Ministry of Environment to increase water monitoring activities with the view to ensuring that those who disrespect waterways through dumping of waste, pollution, defecation and other illegal activities are made to face the full wrath of the law. Hyacinth, an aquatic weed, has been a major source of

concern with attendant challenges to the waterways sector. Kamson, an engineer, said the commissioning was a dream come true, as the machines would go a long way in eradicating the menace of water hyacinth on marine ecosystems of the state particularly the Ikorodu, Ajah, Badagry, Lagos Island, Oworonshoki, Mile 2 and Epe axis. Apart from negatively affecting the socio-economic activities of fishermen and inhabitants of the riverine communities, she recalled that water hyacinth, which is a seasonal threat, had brought about damages to propulsion system of boats thus affecting water transportation. Giving technical insight as to the workings of the machine, Kamson said it acts like an underwater lawn mower and cuts the vegetation, as well as collects and store weeds and debris, while it is fitted with a pick up conveyor

at the forward end, which can be lowered up to six feet deep into the water for effective cleaning of the waterways. She said: “This symbolic gesture by the Lagos State Government is jump-starting the clean-up of our waterways and preparing ground for other revolutionary activities of LASWA’s development plan to transform the Lagos Waterways to world class standards.” She pledged that the machines would not be underutilised, assuring that they would be deployed immediately for clean-up of the waterways. Ambode, who was represented by the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, at the occasion, said the machines were purchased by his administration to frontally address the challenges posed by water hyacinth, adding that same was in line with the strategic implementation of Lagos master plan for the waterways.

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tial candidate, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, to call his supporters to orCONTINUED ON PAGE 5

NEW TELEGRAPH

Money Line

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2015

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Okonjo Iweala, a mismatch economy, says Enwegbara for Nigerian

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Front row: L-R: European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker; Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu; former French President, Nicolas Sarkozy; Mali's President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita; French President, Francois Hollande; Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel; Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas and Italy's Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, at a solidarity march against terrorism in Paris...yesterday. PHOTO: ReuTeRs

TRAvEl Advisory Your guide to local and international flights 4

Feb 14: APC blows hot

lDSS' story on hacking senseless, says Lai Mohammed Temitope Ogunbanke

he All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday faulted the re-

port of the Department of State Services (DSS) that it planned to inflate its membership data as well as hack into the Independent

National Electoral Commission (INEC) database through the creation of party membership forms and cards to match INEC's

voters register across the country. Addressing a press conference yesterday in Lagos, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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No. 33

42-43

Bodo spill: N16 billion Group faults Shell’s compensati on

Communities in the NigerDelta have been drastically affected by activities of oil companies

p.22

Food price drops in index December

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Insurance

Claims: Policyholder’s Leadway conflict with deepens

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12, 2015

Naira walks tight rope knocks CBN as ICAN

Business

Customs miss 2014 revenue target by N223bn

The Nigeria Customs (NCS) revenue Service has fallen billion or by N223 19 one year. per cent in the last

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Kalu to pDp, apc: elections not Do-or-Die

} 32

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

EXHORTATION

Islam UNDERSTAND YOUR FAITH

Hairdressing for women

QUESTION

What is the ruling on straightening the hair with chemical substances for women?

ANSWER

Praise be to Allah Firstly: Keratin is a substance of natural origin that is found in high amounts in the hair, but they produce it chemically and, according to their claim, it can be used to treat brittle and curly hair. Yuko involves restructuring curly hair; during this process the hair is exposed to high heat, up to 180 degrees! along with chemical substances. But both treatments, according to their advertisements, straighten and smooth the hair. Secondly: It does not seem to us that these two treatments prevent water from reaching the roots of the hair, or apply an impermeable layer to the hair. Based on that, wudoo’ and ghusl will be valid for the one who uses either treatment on her hair. If there is a period during which the obligatory ghusl may be required but she is not allowed to get her hair wet, then the woman should refuse this treatment, unless that is at the time of her menses. This refusal would not be because of wudoo’ but because of ghusl – because in ghusl it is stipulated that the hair must be wetted with water which should be made to reach the roots of the hair, unlike wudoo’. The presence of an impermeable layer on the hair does not mean that wudoo’ is invalid, because the requirement of wiping the head in wudoo’ is not strict, and what is required is to wipe the head only, not to wash it. Hence it is permissible to wipe over the head cover or turban, and to wipe over the hijab for women. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stuck his hair together during Hajj (a process called talbeed - whereby the pilgrim uses some sticky substance to stick his or her hair together in order to keep it orderly and protect against lice), which creates a layer over the hair. This ruling does not appy to other parts of the body that are washed during wudoo’.

“Are those who know equal to those who do not know? In fact, no one will take heed except the people of understanding” (Quran 39:9) 26 Muharram 1438

Hand-band racket: ‘How NAHCON swindled 67,167 pilgrims of N1.6bn’ l We’ll honour probe panel’s invitation-NAHCON ANXIETY Apprehension grows as legislators advance probe of 2016 Hajj Adeola Yusuf

ore facts have emerged on the alleged N1.6 billion hand-band racket that rocked Nigeria’s 2016 Hajj. The House of Representatives had earlier accused the National HaJj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) of collecting the lump sum from pilgrims for identification ewrist bands. Alhaji Danburam Abubakar Nuhu, an All Progressive Congress (APC) lawmaker from Kano who shed light on the issue, argued that NAHCON had introduced hand-band for the 2016 Hajj as a chip to facilitate identification and location of any missing pilgrim. “The commission also engaged a company to carry out the contract,” he said. After collecting the sum of N25,000 for the hand band from each of the 67,167 Nigerian pilgrims that took part in the Hajj, Nuhu sai, none of them was given the hand-band. “Based on the number of pilgrims that participated in this year’s Hajj, the lawmaker said the sum of N1.629 billion

Adeola Yusuf

he Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit (MSSN Lagos) has asked the Federal government not to treat the increasing rate of kidnapping in the country as a cold case. The Amir (President) of the MSSN in Lagos, Saheed Ashafa, said this in a press release to condemn the abduction of Mallam Muhammed Awwal Maidoki and his family members. Maidoki, who has been released, was ealier kidnapped together with his wife Ummukhulsum; younger sister, Hafsatu Maidoki: and his younger brother’s wife, Aisha. Maidoki is a former national president of MSSN and currently the Chairman of the Sokoto State Zakah Commission. Ashafa lamented that secu-

L-R: A Director of Jaiz Bank, Bello Sani; Deputy Managing Director, Mahe Abubakar; Managing Director, Hassan Usman; and the Chairman of the bank, Alhaji Umar Abdulmutallab, during the ExtraOrdinary General Meeting of the bank in Abuja … yesterday

was supposed to have been generated by NAHCON from the sales of the hand-bands. NAHCON Chair man Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad, who also confirmed knowledge of the probe, maintaining that he was willing to honour invitation at the probe panel to clear the commission of wrong doing. The lawmakers, he said, should be allowed to do their job. “We heard of the development and that it has been referred to a committee. We

would honour any invitation if invited,” Muhammad said. The move by the House of Representatives to probe this racket has however set anxiety across the rank and file at the commission. Checks by New Telegraph showed that since Tuesday when the issue was tabled before the House, several meetings have been held between some associates of NAHCON officials and some lawmakers while “phone calls have been made by some Emirs to mem-

bers of the probe panel on the issue.” Details of the last meeting held on Wednesday is still sketchy, but a source at NAHCON said, “it is not unconnected with the probe off the e-wrist contract.” The decision to probe the contracts was also followed instruction given to its committee on Nigeria-Saudi Arabia Inter-Parliamentary Relations to investigate the matter and report back within two weeks.

Fight kidnapping like terrorism, MSSN tasks FG rity agencies have abandoned their duties in the country and were more interested in looting the citizens by the roadside. He said, “This is the effect of bad policing. It is unfortunate that those saddled with the responsibility of protecting us are now more interested in looting us. The rate of kidnapping in this country shows that a major reform is needed in the police force. “A situation where vehicles get freed when stopped for a search after settling the police shows how porous our security level is; and how humans can be easily moved when abducted in the country. “A proactive move is needed to end the current rate of kidnapping. Kidnapping must be

seriously fought by the current government like terrorism. This is because it is a poisonous gift that may graduate to terrorism act. “Kidnapping is as dangerous as Ebola and other deadly diseases as it leaves disturbing experiences that are capable of causing psychological disorder in some victims.” The Muslim students’ leader said it was disturbing that clerics were rewarded with kidnapping despite their sacrifices for the country’s growth. Ashafa, who urged government at all levels to protect citizens under their jurisdiction, complained that youths unemployment contributed to the dastardly act. He said, “It is disturbing that some youths could see

kidnapping as something worthwhile. This is embarrassing and depressing. Maybe if there are enough jobs, some of the youths wouldn’t have engaged in criminal acts; but unemployment should not be a valid justification for anyone to be engaged in kidnapping. “More painful is the fact that kidnappers are now going after those who spent productive part of their lives to build the society. They impacted positively in the society both physically, mentally and financially but are reaping undeserving and condemnable fruit of kidnapping.” He called on security agencies to ensure the arrest of perpetrators behind the abduction of Mallam Maidoki and his family members.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Greed

Crime

My wife’s madness forced me into crime, says father of five

Corruption allegations Police accused of collecting N192,000 bribe from UK-based Nigerian

Horror ‘Why I beheaded lady, demanded N15m from my boss’

35 36

Passion for football made me steal N15m gold, says CEO Juliana Francis

r. Joseph Ogar Agbeh is a trained chef. Although he enjoys cooking, he fell in love with football after working with a football academy. Part of the academy’s attraction, was in connecting trainees to football clubs overseas. Agbeh later quit the academy to establish his own. He described himself as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and founder of Jokas Football Academy, based in Calabar, Cross Rivers. Just like the former academy where he worked, his academy promised to train and take young hopeful footballers overseas in order to fix them in foreign clubs. The trainees however, have to pay certain fees for registration, says Agbeh. He browsed the Internet and soon got connected to clubs willing and ready to accept young Nigerian footballers. The glitch in the supposed perfect set up was that Agbeh needed a whooping sum of money to actualise the overseas dream. After ruminating for days, he hit upon a plan. He planned to use his ability as a cook to get access into a rich home. But the idea wasn’t as simple as he thought it. It would be later discovered that Agbeh had a criminal motive for yearning to work in a rich peoples' homes. He went to an employment agency at the Ajah, Lekki area of Lagos and registered as applicant, seeking for the post of a chef and steward. He soon got an employment with a rich family. Three days

JULIANA FRANCIS CRIME Editor

juliana.francis@newtelegraphonline.com

Agbeh and Musa

into his job, he stole his mistress’ jewelry, valued at N15 million and disappeared. Incidentally, the day Agbeh carted away his employers’ N15m gold, was also the day, his boss’ driver, disappeared with the man’s N6m Hyundai Sonata car. Police believe Agbeh and the driver orchestrated the criminal plan together. Agbeh further described himself as the former chef of late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. According to him, he worked for late Ojukwu and Bianca as chef in 1998, but left because, “Ojukwu was too strict and harsh. He used to slash salaries as disciplinary measures. I was discouraged.” Police said that the CEO stole the gold moments after his master developed a fever, collapsed and lost conscious-

I know that when I get to a rich man’s home, I’ll get money. I would steal

ness. Police alleged that Agbeh poisoned the man’s food in order to get him out of the way, so that he and the driver could carry out their criminal intentions. After he was employed as a cook in the rich man’s home, at Ajah, Agbeh was told his salary would be N50,000. Asked why he settled for N50, 000, salary, especially since he was trying to raise millions of naira for air tickets and other stuff for trainees, Agbeh replied “I know that when I get to a rich man’s home, I’ll get money. I would steal.” The police said that before Agbeh went to the employment agency to register, he had already made up his mind to be employed in a rich home and to steal from that home. Police are working on the theory that Agbeh, under the

guise of being a cook, had gained entry into many homes and carted away valuables. The police said: “He normally applies as a steward and cook with employment agencies. The documents he tendered at the agencies are usually fake ones. The forms he filled out are full of fake details. It took us over two months to track him after he ran away with the gold. We tried to follow the details he gave about himself to some employment agencies and discovered his home addresses were fake ones. When we finally tracked him down to Ogba, Ikeja, we recovered a bag from him. The bag contained another employment form, which he collected from another agency. He had already filled it and gave another set CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

CRIME

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ahmed and Christopher

My wife’s madness forced me into crime, says father of five l Suspect: Why we target Toyota Camry cars Juliana Francis

father of five has told detectives attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Area J Police Command, Lagos State, that his wife’s madness forced him into crime. The suspect, Mmawuike Christopher, 52, a commercial bus driver, was arrested with his partner in crime, Kazeem Ahmed 38. The two men became friends after they met at SARS, Ikeja, where they were held for car theft. When they met, their spirits clicked. Ahmed was arrested for the second time barely weeks after he was released from Kirikiri Prison. Ahmed was arrested the first time and remanded in prison for being in possession of a stolen car. His wife and younger brother are presently still in prison. Christopher said that he hadwitnessed and experienced many sufferings in life, but his wife’s suffering, appeared to be the mother of all. Christopher and his wife have five children, but suddenly the woman became mentally ill. Nobody could fathom the reason for her madness. Christopher said he couldn’t stand to see his wife’s condition without breaking into tears. He started taking her from one hospital to the next. He also moved her to different churches and mosques. Every move cost more money; every hospital, church and mosque kept collecting treat-

ment and prayer fees without the woman getting better. Aside from paying for treatment, Christopher also had to pay for her feeding and boarding. While battling to make life comfortable for his mentally sick wife, Christopher also had to ensure that he pays school fees for two of his kids who were in the university and for the other three in secondary school. As the bills piled up, Christopher said that he didn’t know what else to do, than to take to crime. He started buying and selling stolen vehicles. The profit margin was amazing. Although he had once been arrested, charged to court and remanded for buying stolen car, he didn’t change his criminal ways after being released from Kirikiri Prison. Today, he had once again, been arrested for buying another stolen car. He said: “I’m doing this because of my wife. My wife is not okay. I keep taking her to hospitals, but she’s not getting better and I just keep collecting money from me.” The police said: “The gang specialised in removing cars from where they are parked. They target Toyota Camry cars, Tiny Light and Drop Light (Envelop). Ahmed had earlier been arrested by SARS Epe and transferred to SARS, Ikeja, for removing and stealing a car from where it was parked. “Whenever he steals such vehicles, he would hand them over to Christopher. He is the receiver.

Toyota doesn’t use sensor and sells fast in the black market

He takes the cars to Port Harcourt to sell. Ahmed sells Toyota Camry car (Tiny Light), to Christopher for N200, 000, but the cost is N1.1 million. Toyota Camry car Drop Light (Envelop) is N1.2 million. but he sells it for N250, 000.” Ahmed, a technician, married to two wives, said that he had once given one of the Toyota Camry cars (Tiny Light), which he stole from where it was parked to his second wife. He told her it was his gift to her. He told her that he bought it for N500, 000. The lady bought the story, hook, line and sinker. It when police arrested her that it dawned on her that her husband was a thief. Before his present arrest by Area J Police Command detectives for removing a car parked at Awoyaya area of Ajah, on October 11, Ahmed confessed to have been just released. He was released on September 5. He said that he went back to his old ways because he needed to raise N400, 000 to give to the lawyer that would assist in getting his wife and brother out of prison. Recounting his exploits, Ahmed said: “I once removed two cars from Ijebu-Ode road, Epe. They were parked along the Road. I used to remove parked cars about 5am, after monitoring them for two weeks. I removed a car from Awoyaya area on October 11. I moved it to my area at Ikorodu.” He was said to have parked the car at a mechanic workshop, waiting for Christopher to come and pick it, before they were both arrested.

Ahmed was arrested after the owner of the vehicle’s friend, saw and recognised the car it in a mechanic workshop. The man alerted his friend. Ahmed was caught. Determined to catch Christopher, police instructed Ahmed to tell him that he had been arrested by LASTMA officials, along with the car. He was also told to tell Christopher that the LASTMA officials were demanding N10, 000 bribe before they would release him. Police said: “Christopher left the exclusive hotel he was lodging, and armed with N10,000, went to look for Ahmed. Ahmed was moved to Elemoro Police Station, from there he was told to call Christopher again and tell him that the LASTMA officials had released him. He told Christopher to meet him at Oshodi, in order to collect the car. Christopher refused, insisting there were too many policemen at Oshodi. They agreed to meet at Church Street, in Oshodi.” Before Christopher got to Church Street, policemen have placed themselves in strategic positions. Some posed as residents, others as commuters. Less than an hour later, Christopher arrived on a charted motorbike. Needless to say; he walked into the waiting arms of policemen. Police recovered a master key, specially made for Ahmed by a welder. They also recovered strings of Toyota Camry car keys. While the master key is expected to open any car door, the bunch of keys is used to attempt to start different kinds of Toyota cars. Ahmed recounted: “My friend Femi, who is still in prison, initiated me into this crime. I didn’t know for long that Femi was stealing cars. He used to bring cars to my workshop, for me to open the doors and start them. Whenever I assisted him, he gives me N1,500. One day, he was arrested and later released. I asked him why he was arrested, he told me.” Speaking further, Ahmed said: “Yes, I went to a welder in Ikorodu to make the master key. I didn’t tell him the purpose of the master key. As for the bunch of keys, I paid N2000 for each of them.” Asked why he targeted Toyota Camry cars, Ahmed said: “Toyota doesn’t use sensor and sells fast in the black market.” Ahmed, who said he was worried about his wife and brother, added: “They are in prison because of me. I stole a Toyota Camry car, Tiny Light and gave it to my junior wife. I stole the car, repainted and changed it 's number plate. I told her I bought it for N500,000. Police later arrested her. My brother was arrested because he was with me.” Christopher said that after he met Ahmed at SARS Ikeja, they became friends. He was released in June and decided to pay Ahmed visits in prison. Christopher said: “I was charged to court and remanded, but later released. I went to Kirikiri Prison to see him. He is my friend. When he was released, he came to look for me. He narrated his troubles to me. I swear to God, Ahmed knows how to steal! After he narrated his troubles, I told him that if he could get me a car, I would get him money.” He added: “Get this right; I agreed to buy it from him knowing it was a stolen car. He didn’t use a gun to snatch it. This isn’t robbery! It’s the will of God that I’m in this situation today.”

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Mojeed Alabi

United Kingdom -based Nigerian, Mr. Yinusa Owolabi, has accused the Nigeria Police, specifically, the International Police (INTERPOL), Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon, Lagos, and its Headquarters in Abuja of demanding and collecting N192, 000 bribe from him before his international passport and UK Residence Per mit could be released. But even after parting with the money, INTERPOL still refused to return his international passport and UK Residence Per mit. The department kept asking him to come today and tomorrow. Owolabi has become a regular face at airport. He was always booking flights to Abuja, hopeful of collecting his passport. His hope is yet to be realized. Every time the department tells him to come over to collect his passport, he would book flight to UK, thinking he would receive his passport, but always, he would be dribbled. When the Commissioner of Police, in charge of INTERPOL, Mr. Olushola Subair, was alerted of the case by New Tele graph, he said he was aware of it. Subair said that his department wanted to ensure that the case was reported in the UK. According to Owolabi, when he went to INTERPOL on Tuesday with evidences to show that the case was reported in UK and already being investigated, the CP, right in the presence of Olowodola, the complainant, allegedly asked him to go and bring his UK tax payment receipts before his international passport and UK Residence Permit would be released to him. The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Don Awunah, was also contacted over the case by New Telegraph, but he didn't get back to the correspondent. Tired of being dribbled at INTERPOL office, Abuja, over collection of his documents, Owolabi went to Human Rights Monitoring Agenda (HURMA), a non-governmental organisation. HURMA accused the police of extortion and harassment. In a petition to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, and signed by one of its legal officers, Mr. Lekan Alabi, HURMA alleged the police of framing Owolabi in a matter that had already been reported at the Birmingham Police Station, UK, and with reference number, 205W158583E16. Giving background into the matter, HURMA explained that a Nigerian-based businessman, Mr. Olowodola, visited Birmingham in August, 2016, to purchase generators valued at £42,000 from Eagle Generators Limited, a fir m owned by a man identified simply as Nasir. Olowodola consulted Owolabi’s company, Oshramon Ventures Limited, to pro-

CRIME

Police accused of collecting N192,000 bribe from UK-based Nigerian

Idris

Owolabi

vide a 40ft container to cargo the generators. The petition states: “On August 15, Owolabi accepted to cargo the generator at an agreed price and sent an empty 40ft container to the premises of Eagle Generator Limited in Bir mingham for onward delivery to the seaport. But the Eagle Generator Limited failed to load the generator into the container between the hours of 11:30am and 1:30pm as agreed by the parties. This necessitated the driver of the truck to leave the empty container behind, so that it could be loaded at the seller’s convenient time. The truck would return the following morning to carry it to the port. “However, when the driver returned to the Eagle Generators Limited the following day, he discovered the container was missing. He informed his boss, Owolabi. While Nasir reported the matter at Birmingham Police Station, Owolabi did same at Stratford Police Station, close to his office in UK. He also took Olowodola to the Strat-

Having refused to pay the £42,000, INTERPOL allegedly extorted the sum of N192, 000 from him

ford Police Station, to report, but the officer in charge of the matter said that same had earlier been reported in Birmingham.” While the UK Police was still on with its investigation, Owolabi visited Nigeria to attend his father’s burial in September. He called on Olowodola to discuss the state of the matter as a concerned businessman. But on arriving at Olowodola’s office at Tejuosho, Yaba, Lagos, on September 27, men from INTERPOL, Alagbon Annex, arrested and detained Owolabi for three days on the phantom allegation of stealing. While in the police custody, Owolabi was told to pay the sum of £42,000, the value of the generators; his international passport and UK Residence Permit were seized from him. Having refused to pay the £42,000, INTERPOL allegedly extorted the sum of N192, 000 from him before he was released on bail on September 30. HURMA stated that even

after extorting Owolabi, his passport and Residence permit were still not released to him. The petition states: “On October 5, when Owolabi went back to Alagbon to demand for his documents, he was again placed on arrest on the strength of another petition written by the same Olowodola. He was moved to Abuja Office of INTERPOL. In Abuja, he was also released on bail, having produced a reliable surety but has since been refused his documents.” HURMA, by the petition has sought to know the rationale behind INTERPOL’s refusal to release Owolabi’s documents, and why INTERPOL has not sent the case to the appropriate jurisdiction where the crime was committed. HURMA describes the seizure of Owolabi’s documents as an abuse of power and a blatant violation of the relevant provisions of the Constitution. It demanded that Owolabi be allowed to return to UK, where he has left his family and business for weeks.

CRIME

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

‘Why I beheaded lady, demanded N15m from my boss’ Igbeaku Orji Umuahia

20-year-old man, Emmanuel Effiong, has told detectives attached to the Abia State Police Command that he beheaded a lady in order to save himself from calamity. Effiong has been accused of being a kidnapper and murderer. He was arrested after his employer; Ikechukwu Udogu filed a complaint with the police, when he started receiving threatening calls from unknown phone number. Effiong was said to have sent several threat messages to his boss, demanding N15 million or he would ambush and kill him. Udogu didn’t know that the person threatening him was his former security guard. Scared out of his wits, Udogu dashed to the nearest police station. It was during the covert investigation, that Effiong was arrested. During interrogations and further investigations, detectives discovered that Effiong had once killed and beheaded a lady. Although police accused him of killing the lady, Effiong insisted that

the lady was already dead before he dragged her corpse to a corner and decapitated it. According to him, the incident happened on September 9, 2016. He further confessed that the genesis of his troubles started after a mad woman gave him a frightening prophecy. His words: “A mad woman, whom I gave money to, told me that evil spirits were following me. She said that the evil spirits would destroy me at any moment. No, I didn’t know the mad woman. I have never seen her before that day. She further told me that in order to free myself from the evil spirits, attacks, which would happen soon, I must bring a human head.” He explained that while he was thinking of his next line of action, he sighted a dead body at the Aba Motor Park and decided to take it. Effiong said: “When it was dark, I went with a knife to cut off the head of the corpse. I threw the head into Aba River as exchange for my own head. The man I threatened through text messages to kill was my boss. I demanded N15m from him. The money was accumulation of my salaries for the months I worked for him, which he didn’t pay me.

2-year-old girl defiled by guardian Igbeaku Orji Umuahia

he Abia State Police Command has arrested an old man for allegedly defiling a two-year-old girl placed under his care by her mother, his neighbour. The suspect, Emeka Asibirionwu, who said he didn’t know his age, denied ever touching the little girl. The police said: “He defiled a two-year-old girl, kept in his care by his co-tenant, at Oriendu autonomous community in Umuahia.” The Abia State Commissioner

Asibirionwu

of Police, Mr. Leye Oyebade, said that Asibirionwu, was arrested on September 28, 2016, through the robust synergy of the Abia State Police Command with other sister agency. Oyebade said that the suspect was arrested and handed over to the operatives of the State Criminal and Intelligence Department, Umuahia by officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Umuahia. The number one policeman in Abia State further said: “The suspect was arrested after the mother of the victim raised the alarm on sighting her daughter crying, while blood gushed out of the little girl’s private part. The victim has been taken to hospital, where she is receiving treatment.” Asibirionwu, who looks to be over 60 years, said: “Just because I don’t have a wife or child, doesn’t mean I touched that girl. I was in the farm when the girl’s mother came, accusing me of defiling her daughter. I was surprised at the accusation. “The mother said that she heard the girl crying at about 10pm the previous day. I asked her why she didn’t come out to check when she heard her daughter crying as she claimed. Moreover, the girl was not kept in my care. The woman didn’t leave the girl with me. She used to keep the girl with her sister anytime she goes out. When she returns, she would go to pick her. Whenever she accused me of defiling her daughter, I asked her how and when I did it,

Effiong

I worked as a security guard for him. After four years of working for him, he terminated my appointment without paying me.” When police reminded that in his earlier statement, he stated that his boss paid him N200, 000, he became silent. The Abia State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Leye Oyebade, said: “The suspect was arrested after we received a complaint that an

unknown mobile phone number was calling and threatening to eliminate one Ikechukwu Udogu, if he fails to pay N15m. Operatives attached to Central Police Station, Aba, swung into action and arrested Emmanuel Effiong, living at No 56 Nweke Street, Aba. He was arrested with the phone used in calling and demanding for the money.” The police recovered three knives and the phone from him.

Passion for football made me steal N15m gold, says CEO CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33

of fake names and addresses. He even signed the guarantor part himself.” The police further said: “He claimed to have a football academy called Jokas Academy. He said he got N1m and used it to start sponsorship of Jokas Academy. He said he was looking for money to take footballers out of the country. On September 4, he stole jewelry from his master’s house and went to Obalende, to sell them to one Amidu Musa, for N1m. Although he goes to employment agencies to apply for jobs, his main purpose is to gain access into rich peoples’ homes and steal. He focused on getting employment with families living in Ajah and VGC. After stealing, he would destroy all the SIM cards of his phones, so that nobody would be able to reach him.” Musa denied knowing that the gold was stolen. The police argued that the gold was worth over N15m and as a dealer, Musa ought to know. But Musa bought the jewelry for just N1m and sold same to one Alhaji Yamu, a Benin Republic national, for N1.5m. While explaining that this was the first jewelry business he would be doing with Agbeh, Musa said that he and Agbeh knew each other years ago, when Agbeh was living in Ije Police Barracks, Obalende, with his elder brother. “On September 4, Agbeh’s boss fell unconscious at home and was rushed to the hospital. When his boss was taken to hospital, Agbeh ransacked his master’s bedroom and wardrobe and found his mistress’s jewelry. He carted them away. The mistress was

overseas while this was happening,” said the police source. Narrating the genesis of his troubles, Agbeh said: “In life, we all have challenges. My challenge is Jokas Football Academy. We market footballers. The academy, just like me, is based in Calabar. I came to Lagos three months ago, to process documents to Holland. Along the line, I needed money to process documents, which was why I applied for the job.” The suspect further explained: “I needed 15, 000 euros, to take about 20 players to Holland for a trial run. A club is already expecting us. An invitation had been sent to me to come down to Holland, to inspect their facility. Yes, my salary was N50,000, but I just needed money for advert and TV jingles to create awareness. I started the academy in 2011. I charged each footballer 900 euros. They are, however, yet to pay. I’m still on my own. If the contract had gone through, it would have been my first deal.” Agbeh, who claimed to have secured the chef job in Ojukwu’s home, through the help of Ojukwu’s friend, one Mr. Innocent Morris, confessed he ransacked his boss’s room before he found the jewelry. This drama unfolded in the home while kids and housemaid were in another wing of the house, unaware that Agbeh had a sinister motive when he left his kitchen duties and went upstairs, ostensibly to sweep his “Oga’s room,” a duty he had never performed until that fateful day. While admitting stealing the jewelry after his boss was rushed to hospital, Agbeh denied poisoning the man.

BUSINESS | MONEY LINE

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

’Nigeria has commitments for $500m of planned Eurobonds’ Adeosun: proposed World Bank loan’ll fund 2017 budget issue. The country slipped into recession for the first time in 25 years in the second quarter, largely due to low global oil prices. Crude oil sales account for about twothirds of government revenues. The government has laid out plans to spend a record N6.866 trillion to help pull the country out of recession in a draft 2017 budget sent to the National Assembly for approval. The budget for this year is N6.06 trillion, but the government has struggled to fund this, and analysts were sceptical that it would manage to meet the targets for overseas borrowing that it has set for the next few years. Adeosun said the country was “further

PLEDGE Country makes progress on African Development Bank (AfDB) $1billion

Tony Chukwunyem

igeria already has $500 million of commitments for the $1 billion Eurobond it plans to issue before the end of the year, Finance Minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has said. She disclosed this in a video recording to a conference in Lagos yesterday. The minister said that any decision to increase the size of the offer would depend on pricing. Besides, she revealed that the World Bank loan, which the country is seeking, would now be used to fund the 2017 budget. The minister said Nigeria was interested in tapping funds at concessionary rates to develop infrastructure and that most of the funding it was seeking would carry concessionary terms. She, however, said that her focus was on the $1 billion eurobond. Nigeria wants to sell a $1 billion in Eurobonds by the end of the year although, as of yesterday, no bank had been appointed to arrange the

along” with the (AfDB) for a $1 billion budget support loan than the World Bank due to scheduling issues. “We have pushed World Bank funding into next year’s budget,” she said. President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the National Assembly to approve $30 billion of foreign borrowing to fund planned infrastructure projects until 2018, according to a letter read out to lawmakers last Tuesday. The proposed borrowing includes the sale of Eurobonds worth $4.5 billion and budget support of $3.5 billion, according to the letter. Also, the Finance Ministry clarified yesterday that the $30 billion borrowing was going to be phased over a three-year

period to cover proposed projects between 2016 and2018. The funding is being sought from multilateral agencies including the World Bank, AfDB, Islamic Development Bank, Japan International Co-operation Agency and China Eximbank, the Ministry said in a statement. Adeosun said expected taxes collection as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is currently at 5 per cent to hit 7 per cent within three-years and to reach 10 per cent within 5 years. The Debt Management Office (DMO) has said the country can borrow up to $22 billion in 2017 from both local and foreign sources without breaching the debt threshold it has set for itself.

IMF approves modifications to SDR calculation

he Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved technical modifications to the methods for collecting the exchange rates used in the daily valuation of the Special Drawing Rights (SDRs). In a statement, the IMF explained that since the procedures for capturing the market exchange rates used in the daily valuation of the SDR were

last modified in 2000, more robust technologies and methodologies had been developed to capture exchange rates. “The newly approved methods for collecting exchange rates will reflect these improvements and will be effective November 1, 2016,” the Fund stated. According to the statement: “The value of the SDR in terms of the U.S. dollar is determined daily by summing the values in U.S.

dollars, based on market exchange rates, of a basket of major currencies: The Chinese renminbi, euro, Japanese yen, pound sterling and the U.S. dollar. The exchange rates used for the daily valuation of the SDR are normally provided to the IMF by the Bank of England, with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the European Central Bank serving as the backup providers.”

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

N19,142,526.05m

Mar, 2015

N18,579,219.49m 17.9 14 10.77 US$49.59 US$23,939,115,824

Mar, 2015 September, 2016 26/07/2016 Mar 2015 27/10/2016 25/10/2016

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) Call 30 90 180

FGN Bonds

TTM

1.07 3.24 3.87 5.82 7.95 9.81 14.31 18.29

Price 104.65 114.59 111.96 120.58 109.60 100.54 83.82 97.56

NIBOR

Rate (%) 4.4583 9.1071 11.0102 12.3790

Bid Yield 10.38 10.55 11.60 11.44 12.27 12.40 12.44 12.49

Change (%) -2.50 ▼ -0.74 ▼ -0.65 ▼ -0.68 ▼

Change (%) -0.02 ▼ -0.01 ▼ 0.00 ↔ 0.00 ↔ -0.07 ▼ -0.08 ▼ -0.03 ▼ 0.02 ▲

Price 104.80 114.89 112.26 120.88 109.90 100.84 84.12 97.86

Tenor (Months) 1 2 3 6 9 12

Treasury Bills Maturity Date Discount Bid Yield Change (%) Discount Offer Yield Change (%) 7.67 7.82 -0.51 ▼ 30-Jun-16 7.92 8.08 -0.51 ▼ 6-Oct-16 8.59 8.34 8.71 -0.31 ▼ 8.99 -0.31 ▼ 16-Mar-17 9.36 10.28 -0.07 ▼ 9.11 9.98 -0.07 ▼

Offer Yield 10.24 10.45 11.51 11.38 12.22 12.34 12.39 12.44

NITTY

Rate (%) 6.9949 7.2368 8.0819 9.2061 9.5872 10.5042

Change (%) -0.02 ▼ -0.01 ▼ 0.00 ↔ 0.00 ↔ -0.07 ▼ -0.08 ▼ -0.03 ▼ 0.02 ▲ Change (%) 1.12 ▲ -0.27 ▼ -0.17 ▼ -0.11 ▼ 0.03 ▲ 0.42 ▲

Money Market Open-Buy-Back (OBB) Overnight (O/N)

Rate (%) 3.83 4.33

Change (%) -1.75 ▼ -2.08 ▼

IFSB launches survey on execution of standards

he Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) yesterday launched its annual survey on the implementation of IFSB Standards. In a statement, the IFSB said the survey was directed to its member Regulatory and Supervisory Authorities (RSAs) to assess the progress made in the implementation of the IFSB’s published standards over the past one-year period. Secretary-General of the IFSB, Mr. Jaseem Ahmed, commented: “The annual exercise of the IFSB to assess the implementation of its standards has proven useful in assessing the progress made by the member supervisory authorities over time and in providing feedback on the major constrains faced by them in implementing the IFSB standards”. “The standards implementation survey”, he added “also helps to align the facilitating the implementation of standards (FIS) programme of the IFSB to the priority areas identified by the member authorities by using various initiatives such as workshops, Technical Assistance, e-learning modules and external speakers programmes.” The IFSB has, so far, conducted four Surveys in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015 among its member RSAs in the banking, capital market and Takaful sectors. They were asked to provide inputs on their implementation status, timeframe for implementation, challenges to the implementation, and options for providing support such as workshops and Technical Assistance. A total of 39 RSAs from 27 countries responded to the 2015 Implementation

Survey, representing various regions including Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The survey showed that overall 18 RSAs have implemented at least one IFSB standard. For the IFSB standards on banking sector, nine RSAs have already implemented more than 50 per cent (6 out of 11) standards. Similarly, all the IFSB standards on Islamic capital market and Takaful sector have been implemented by four and three jurisdictions, respectively. The 2015 Survey respondents were asked to indicate on a standard-by-standard basis their desirability for FIS workshops or direct Technical Assistance. Results showed that IFSB10, Guiding Principles on Shari’ah Governance Systems, was rated as the topmost priority for obtaining support. Consequently, a group of standards applicable to Islamic banking sector made up the next four standards i.e. IFSB-12 (Guiding Principles on Liquidity Risk Management), IFSB-16 (Revised Supervisory Review Standard), IFSB-15 (Revised Capital Adequacy Standard) and IFSB-1 (Risk Management Standard), respectively. The 2015 analysis also suggested that the IFSB standards implementation rates have some correlation with the market share of the Islamic finance sectors, especially for Islamic banking and Takaful. It was also observed that there has been a greater take up of the newly introduced standards. The results of the Implementation Survey 2016 are planned to be presented to the IFSB Technical Committee and Council in early 2017.

Infosys Finacle retail banking report out

nfosys Finacle has released into the market its annual “Innovation in Retail Banking” report according to a statement issued by the firm yesterday. The firm said: “With digital transformation a top priority for banks, this report will serve as an essential handbook on the impact of disruptive technologies like mobility, advanced analytics/big data, open API’s, blockchain and the Internet of things on the evolving banking business models. The report also explores the role of fin-tech start-ups and how banks are collaborating with them in the new

ecosystem.” According to the firm, for the past eight years, the “Innovation in retail banking” research has been tracking innovation trends and practices being adopted by leading banks globally. Over 155 respondents from more than 56 countries contributed to this year’s study on the emergence of new banking business models. A few out of all the notable case studies listed in the report include: Wells Fargo, US: Cross-functional innovation group with a focus on R&D and innovation strategies.

BUSINESS |FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

27-Oct-16

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

Bonds Price

FGN Bonds Issuer

Rating/Agency

Description 15.10 27-APR-2017 9.85 27-JUL-2017 9.35 31-AUG-2017 10.70 30-MAY-2018 ^16.00 29-JUN-2019 7.00 23-OCT-2019 ^15.54 13-FEB-2020 14.50 15-JUL-2021 ^16.39 27-JAN-2022 ^14.20 14-MAR-2024 ^12.50 22-JAN-2026 15.00 28-NOV-2028 12.49 22-MAY-2029 8.50 20-NOV-2029 ^10.00 23-JUL-2030 ^12.1493 18-JUL-2034 ^12.40 18-MAR-2036

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (₦’bn)

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

15.10 9.85 9.35 10.70 16.00 7.00 15.54 14.50 16.39 14.20 12.50 15.00 12.49 8.50 10.00 12.15 12.4000

480.13 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 606.43 225.59 605.31 719.99 468.02 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 1075.92 352.00

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

6,555.16

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

5,891.33

Rating/Agency

Description

Issuer

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

27-Apr-17 27-Jul-17 31-Aug-17 30-May-18 29-Jun-19 23-Oct-19 13-Feb-20 15-Jul-21 27-Jan-22 14-Mar-24 22-Jan-26 28-Nov-28 22-May-29 20-Nov-29 23-Jul-30 18-Jul-34 18-Mar-36

0.50 0.75 0.84 1.59 2.67 2.99 3.30 4.71 5.25 7.38 9.24 12.09 12.57 13.06 13.74 17.72 19.39

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

19.55 20.26 20.53 18.73 14.65 14.85 15.02 14.92 14.88 15.01 15.45 15.34 15.32 15.30 15.27 15.12 15.47

19.21 20.02 20.32 18.61 14.58 14.78 14.91 14.83 14.80 14.94 15.38 15.28 15.26 15.22 15.20 15.06 15.41

97.97 93.02 91.68 89.32 102.85 81.58 101.24 98.56 105.31 96.39 85.69 98.13 84.40 62.02 70.00 81.79 81.24

98.12 93.17 91.83 89.47 103.00 81.73 101.54 98.86 105.61 96.69 85.99 98.43 84.70 62.32 70.30 82.09 81.54

6510.155565

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

03-Apr-12

17.25

Outstanding Value (₦’bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

# Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Modelled Price

0.60

03-Apr-17

0.26

2.94

19.84

99.31

19-Apr-17 30-Jun-17 31-Dec-17 30-Sep-18 04-Oct-18 09-Dec-18 12-Dec-18 14-Feb-19 02-Oct-19 22-Nov-19 12-Dec-19 27-Nov-20 31-Dec-20 31-Dec-20 06-Jan-21 09-Dec-21 16-Feb-22 27-Feb-22 30-Mar-22 31-Mar-22 27-May-22

0.48 0.43 1.18 1.22 1.23 1.19 1.19 1.37 1.79 3.07 1.75 4.08 4.18 2.41 2.43 2.99 3.20 3.23 3.34 6.46 3.31

1.00 5.71 2.39 1.00 1.00 3.82 3.56 3.82 2.02 2.01 1.00 1.30 3.76 2.53 1.00 1.52 4.01 1.00 2.52 1.79 3.04

20.30 24.54 22.69 21.15 21.11 24.09 23.81 23.38 20.00 16.88 19.12 16.26 18.72 18.17 16.55 16.38 18.92 15.92 17.47 16.68 17.99

95.49 95.76 91.35 92.78 92.77 90.90 90.63 91.37 93.66 94.44 93.85 91.94 89.47 93.36 97.07 98.04 94.59 101.29 100.01 101.06 97.70

Agency Bonds 17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017

FMBN

Nil

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

0.60

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

0.60

Sub-National Bonds A+/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto A-/Agusto A/Agusto; A+/GCR A-/Agusto; A-/GCR A/Agusto‡ ; A-/GCR† A-/Agusto A-/Agusto; A-/GCR BBB+/Agusto; A-/GCR Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR BBB-/Agusto; BBB+/GCR† Aa-/Agusto; AA-/GCR Bbb+/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro A/Agusto‡ A-/GCR A-/Agusto A-/Agusto Bbb-/Agusto Bbb+/Agusto Bbb+/Agusto A-/GCR

LAGOS *BAYELSA EDO *DELTA *NIGER *EKITI *NIGER *ONDO *GOMBE LAGOS *OSUN LAGOS KOGI *EKITI *NASARAWA *BAUCHI *OYO *BENUE *PLATEAU KOGI *CROSS RIVER

19-Apr-10 30-Jun-10 31-Dec-10 30-Sep-11 04-Oct-11 09-Dec-11 12-Dec-13 14-Feb-12 02-Oct-12 22-Nov-12 12-Dec-12 27-Nov-13 31-Dec-13 31-Dec-13 06-Jan-14 09-Dec-14 17-Feb-15 27-Feb-15 30-Mar-15 01-Apr-15 27-May-15

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017 13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017 14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017 14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018 14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018 14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018 14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018 15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019 15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019 14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019 13.50 LAGOS 27-NOV-2020 15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020 14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021 15.50 BAUCHI 9-DEC-2021 16.50 OYO 16-FEB-2022 16.50 BENUE 27-FEB-2022 17.50 PLATEAU 30-MAR-2022 17.00 KOGI II 31-MAR-2022 17.00 CROSS RIVER 27-MAY-2022

10.00 13.75 14.00 14.00 14.00 14.50 14.00 15.50 15.50 14.50 14.75 13.50 15.00 14.50 15.00 15.50 16.50 16.50 17.50 17.00 17.00

57.00 11.33 25.00 19.37 3.49 9.45 7.01 18.70 11.14 80.00 19.40 87.50 5.00 3.74 3.76 14.37 4.17 4.30 27.10 3.00 7.34

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

422.14 397.28

Corporate Bonds Nil Nil Nil A/GCR

0.00/16.00 LCRM 08-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 19-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017 13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017 15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018

***LCRM

Bbb+/Agusto†; BBB+/GCR† BBB-/GCR

UBA *LA CASERA

Nil

*C & I LEASING *DANA#{r}

A-/DataPro†; CCC/GCR AAA/DataPro†; B/GCR

*TOWER

A+/Agusto; A/GCR

# #

*TOWER UBA

BBB-/DataPro†; BB/GCR Nil Bbb/Agusto; A-/GCR AA-/GCR

*CHELLARAMS *DANA#{r}

Bbb/Agusto; A-/GCR A-/GCR

*TRANSCORP HOTELS PLC FCMB

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR AA-/GCR BBB/GCR

NAHCO LAFARGE AFRICA PLC *FCMB

A/GCR BBB/GCR A/GCR

UBA

*TRANSCORP HOTELS PLC LAFARGE AFRICA PLC

FIDELITY STANBIC IBTC STANBIC IBTC *NMRC

A/GCR AAA/GCR

09-Dec-11 20-Apr-12 06-Jul-12 30-Sep-10

0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50 13.00

112.22 116.70 66.49 20.00

08-Dec-16 19-Apr-17 06-Jul-17 30-Sep-17

0.11 0.48 0.69 0.93

1.00 3.55 5.25 1.88

18.85 22.85 25.35 22.64

99.55 97.23 94.56 92.29

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

18-Oct-13 30-Nov-12

15.75 18.00

1.20 0.36

18-Oct-18 30-Nov-17

1.22 0.61

4.42 1.88

24.55 21.73

91.38 98.77

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018 MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Apr-11

16.00

2.70

09-Apr-18

0.95

3.15

23.98

93.64

09-Sep-11 09-Sep-11

18.00 16.00

1.45 0.40

09-Sep-18 09-Sep-18

1.11 1.11

6.35 1.00

26.89 21.54

92.07 94.84

14.00 UBA II 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

30-Sep-18

1.92

1.17

18.64

92.73

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019 16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019 15.50 TRANSCORP 4-DEC-2020

17-Feb-12 01-Apr-14 04-Dec-15 15-Jun-16

18.00 16.00 15.50 14.25

0.23 3.75 9.76 26.39

17-Feb-19 01-Apr-19 04-Dec-20 15-Jun-19

1.31 1.43 2.55 2.63

6.11 3.28 3.55 1.00

25.91 22.63 18.80 16.17

91.83 92.46 93.74 95.94

26-Oct-15 06-Nov-15

16.00 15.00

10.00 23.19

26-Oct-22 06-Nov-20

3.71 4.03

2.77 4.47

17.76 19.44

95.58 87.98

14.25 LAFARGE 15-JUN-2019 16.00 TRANSCORP 26-OCT-2022 15.00 FCMB 6-NOV-2020 15.75 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020 14.25 FCMB I 20-NOV-2021 16.45 UBA I 30-DEC-2021 16.48 FIDELITY 13-MAY-2022 182D T.bills+1.20 STANBIC IA 30-SEP-2024

14-Nov-13 15-Jun-16 20-Nov-14

15.75 14.75 14.25

2.05 33.61 26.00

14-Nov-20 15-Jun-21 20-Nov-21

4.05 4.63 5.06

1.00 1.00 2.51

15.97 15.92 17.41

99.34 96.21 89.62

30-Dec-14 13-May-15 30-Sep-14

16.45 16.48 16.29

30.50 30.00 0.10

30-Dec-21 13-May-22 30-Sep-24

5.17 5.54 7.92

1.00 1.00 1.00

15.90 15.90 16.14

101.84 102.07 100.61

13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024 14.90 NMRC 29-JUL-2030

30-Sep-14 29-Jul-15

13.25 14.90

15.44 7.82

30-Sep-24 29-Jul-30

7.92 9.15

1.00 1.00

16.14 16.41

87.29 93.37

10-Oct-20

2.27

3.37

19.53

91.77

14.75 LAFARGE 15-JUN-2021

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

575.36

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

553.00

Sukuk BBB-/Agusto

*OSUN

10-Oct-13

14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020

14.75

8.63

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

8.63 7.92

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

IFC

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

11-Feb-18

1.29

1.00

18.05

91.25

Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P

*AfDB

11.25 AFDB 1-FEB-2021

10-Jul-14

11.25

12.95

01-Feb-21

2.52

1.00

14.08

94.27

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Rating/Agency

24.95 23.16 Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value ($’mm)

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

6.85

6.60

99.64

100.55

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

4.81

4.28

100.50

101.36

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

6.96

6.79

96.92

97.79

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

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

FGN

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,485.33

Corporate Eurobonds B+/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

5.50

4.47

101.24

101.98

B/Fitch; B/S&P

FIDELITY BANK PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

18.20

17.77

85.50

86.00

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

6.12

99.78

B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P

ZENITH BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

7.46

6.77

97.31

98.83

B/Fitch; B/S&P

DIAMOND BANK PLC

8.75 May 21, 2019

21-May-14

8.75

200.00

21-May-19

22.12

20.78

74.88

77.00

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

FIRST BANK PLC ACCESS BANK PLC II FIRST BANK LTD

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

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

8.25 9.25 8.00

300.00 400.00 450.00

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

14.00 11.36 14.77

13.42 11.00 14.77

83.20 92.21 77.02

84.67 93.46 77.02

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

12.23

11.76

84.88

86.63

Maturity Date

DTM

# Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Discount Rate (%)

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

Rating/Agency

3,150.00 2,823.46 Description

Issuer

Outstanding Value (₦’bn)

Issue Date

Yield @ Issue (%)

FSDH CP I 28-NOV-16

30-Aug-16

16.64

0.81

28-Nov-16

1.00

19.07

18.75

FSDH CP II 26-MAY-17

30-Aug-16

21.89

14.17

26-May-17

211

2.49

22.27

19.73

Commercial Papers FSDH MERCHANT BANK LIMITED FSDH MERCHANT BANK LIMITED

A-/Agusto A-/Agusto

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

14.98

**TREASURY BILLS^ DTM 7 21 35 42 49 63 70 84

FIXINGS Maturity 3-Nov-16 17-Nov-16 1-Dec-16 8-Dec-16 15-Dec-16 29-Dec-16 5-Jan-17 19-Jan-17

Bid Discount (%) 17.79 14.87 17.09 17.23 15.24 17.27 18.06 15.49

Offer Discount (%) 17.54 14.62 16.84 16.98 14.99 17.02 17.81 15.24

Bid Yield (%) 17.85 15.00 17.38 17.58 15.56 17.80 18.71 16.06

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 9.6667 17.8740 19.5390 20.8243

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards)

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

8.83

Tenor

Closing Rate ($/N)

O/N

9.50

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M 3M

305.00 315.87 317.37 319.69 324.01 326.61

REPO Tenor Call 1M

Rate (%) 10.83 11.50