Friday, september 9, 2016

N300bn in TSA stalls FG's capital projects Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

A

bout N300 billion of the N400 billion allocation so far released by the Federal Gov-

ernment for capital projects in the 2016 Budget is idling away at the Central Bank of Nigeria's (CBN) vault due to procurement

hurdles, New Telegraph has learnt.

A serving minister, who confirmed this to New Telegraph, explained

that while N400 billion has been released out of N1.8 trillion capital expenditure of the N6.2 trillion budget, only two

ministries – Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Power, Works & Housing – have been able to access their portion of the

FAAN pays concessionaires N35.9m monthly to clean Lagos airport }7

allocation.

All the federal ministries have received at least 40 per cent of their capital allocation, which they cannot presently access.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

Sanctity Of Truth

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

Vol. 3 No. 933

Friday, September 9, 2016

Avengers: 20 soldiers killed in Niger Delta }43

I lived with kidnappers, robbers for 30 years }34 –Octogenarian

Buratai

Tukur

Police arraign Audu’s son for robbery }40

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

Audu

Nine-monthold baby found crawling on road }9

N150

The baby

Edo guber: INEC succumbs, postpones poll to Sept 28

PDP: Poll shift, a coup Oshiomhole kicks, says two weeks too long }4 New Telegraph's exclusive report yesterday

Sallah: traders hawk rams on the streets

}6

Minister: Nigeria’s airports in pitiable state

…justifies concessioning of Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt airports Wole Shadare

said dilapidated facilities at most of the country’s aerodromes have nega-

M

inister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika,

tively affected the low passenger traffic currently recorded by the Federal

Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

Sirika, in an interac-

SavE uS from ToTal CollaPSE, aIrlINES bEg fg }6

tion with the media late Monday night on the state of aviation, said Nigeria loses millions of dollars, adding that with the way

things are, super jumbo airplanes and many more airlines cannot operate to the country without facilities to handle such aircraft.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Sanctity Of Truth

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

S'East states owe retired teachers 70 months }41 pension –NuP

/newtelegraph /newtelegraph

Vol. 3 No. 932

Thursday, September 8, 2016

fg woos foreign investors with three years tax holiday }7

ondo records lassa fever outbreak }40

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

hausa-fulani clash leaves nine dead in lagos }8

N150

INEC bows to Police, DSS okorocha

fayemi

mimiko

owoseni

… to shift Edo governorship poll

lOshiomhole: Don’t postpone PDP’s final burial lPDP: APC afraid of electoral defeat }2 CouNCIl of STaTES aPProvES buharI ECoNomIC PolICIES ...CoNfIrmS IDrIS aPPoINTmENT aS IgP }4

NEw INEC CommISSIoNErS

Mohammed Haruna (North-Central) AVM Ahmed Tijani Mu'Azu rtd (North-East) Abubakar Nahuca (North-West) Prof. Okechukwu Ibanu (South-East) May Agbamuche Mbu (South-South) Dr. Adekunle Ogunmola (South-West) NEw NPC CommISSIoNErS

Dr. Eyitayo Oyetunji (Oyo) Barr. Patricia Iyaya (Benue) Engr. Benedict Ukpong (Akwa Ibom) Dr. Halu Bala (Kebbi) Gloria Isofo (Bayelsa)

L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari; National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd.); former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and former President Goodluck Jonathan, after the Council of States meeting in Abuja…yesterday.

military invades Ijaw communities, searches for Tompolo lEx-militant’s father dies two months after amputation lTroops arrest militant leaders – Army }3 ThyroID ProblEmS lINkED To CarDIaC arrEST DEaThS

}6

Some rams for sallah on display in a Lagos market…yesterday.

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

N27bn premiums: EFCC quizzes Jonathan's ex-chief of staff lEx-DG BPE, perm sec granted administrative bail New screening method could detect cancer early

}10

}5

2

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

3

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

(This announcement appears as a matter of record only)

ALLOTMENT ANNOUNCEMENT

Sterling Bank Plc

RC 2392

Announces the result of the Special Placing of N4,779,000,000 18.86% Fixed Rate Subordinated Notes (Series 1) 2016/2023 at N1,000 per Unit with respect to the Series I Placing Memorandum

Under the N39,000,000,000 Debt Issuance Programme One (1) application for 4,779,000 units of Notes valued at N4,779,000,000.00 was received at the conclusion of the Special Placing.

The one (1) application for 4,779,000 units of Notes at the xed price of 18.86% per annum was duly processed.

The Basis of Allotment is set out below: One (1) application in the range of 1,000,000 – 5,000,000 units totaling 4,779,000 units was allotted 4,779,000 units (100% of units applied for).

The above stated Basis of Allotment of 4,779,000 units of Notes of N1,000 each and this Announcement, have been approved by the Securities & Exchange Commission.

The Registrars - PACE Registrars Limited (of 8th Floor, Knight Frank Building, 24, Campbell Street, Lagos) will despatch certicate in respect of alloted Notes via registered post not later than Friday, 16th September 2016, subject to, and following regulatory clearance.

LEAD ISSUING HOUSE/BOOKRUNNER

JOINT ISSUING HOUSES/BOOKRUNNERS:

(This announcement appears as a matter of record only)

ALLOTMENT ANNOUNCEMENT

Sterling Investment Management SPV Plc RC 1293417

Sterling Investment Management SPV Plc Announces the result of the Offer for Subscription by way of a Book Build of N7,965,000,000 16.50% Unsecured Bonds (Series 1) due 2023 at N1,000 per Unit with respect to the Series I Pricing Supplement

Under the N65,000,000,000 Debt Issuance Programme A total of twenty three (23) bids for 7,965,000 units of Bonds valued at N7,965,000,000.00 were received at the conclusion of the Book Building exercise.

No application was rejected.

All twenty three (23) applications for 7,965,000 units of Bonds at the market clearing price of 16.50% per annum were duly processed.

The Basis of Allotment is set out below: Eleven (11) applications in the range of 10,000 – 100,000 units totaling 705,000 units were allotted 705,000 units (100% of units applied for); Seven (7) applications in the range of 100,001 – 500,000 units totaling 2,560,000 units were allotted 2,560,000 units (100% of units applied for); and Five (5) applications in the range of 500,001 – 1,000,000 units totaling 4,700,000 units were allotted 4,700,000 units (100% of units applied for).

The above stated Basis of Allotment of 7,965,000 units of Bonds of N1,000 each and this Announcement, have been approved by the Securities & Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

The allotment of the Bonds would be effected by way of e-allotment. Consequently, the Registrars - PACE Registrars Limited (of 8th Floor, Knight Frank Building, 24, Campbell Street, Lagos) will credit the respective Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) accounts of successful allottees with the allotted Bonds no later than Friday, 16th September 2016, subject to, and following regulatory clearance.

LEAD ISSUING HOUSE/BOOKRUNNER

JOINT ISSUING HOUSES/BOOKRUNNERS:

4

NEWS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Edo guber: INEC succumbs, postpones poll to Sept 28 Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

D

rama and highlevel political intrigues yesterday trailed the resolve of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to go on with the conduct of the September 10 governorship election in Edo State.

Despite its initial re-

sistance and posture, the electoral umpire, last night, made a surprise Uturn when it postponed the election till Wednesday, September 28.

INEC had earlier, yesterday, insisted on going ahead with the poll.

New Telegraph had exclusively reported yesterday that the commission would announce the postponement of the election

yesterday.

We also reported that the electoral body would shift the election for between two and three weeks.

A source in INEC had told New Telegraph that a meeting of the electoral body with the heads of security agencies would hold yesterday to take the decision.

INEC’s National Commissioner (Voter Edu-

Postponement of Edo guber poll, a coup –PDP Onyekachi Eze ABUJa

T

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the postponement of this Saturday's governorship election in Edo State by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is a coup against the people of the state.

The party also described the shift as illegal, unconstitutional and breach of the people's trust in the commission.

In a statement last night by its National Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, PDP noted that the reversal of its earlier decision by the commission to hold the election as scheduled was a less than ingenious attempt to buy time

for the All Progressives Congress (APC), which it said, was clearly heading for a major electoral catastrophe.

"It is shameful and indeed a major constitutional breach for the security agencies to act in concert with the APC to truncate an election that had been planned for months.

"Nigerians were not deceived by the obvious concoctions of the security agencies whose performances during elections have been less than average since the advent of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

"Indeed they have become instruments in the hands of the ruling party to harass, intimidate and punish opponents," PDP alleged.

The party noted that

since APC assumed power, virtually all elections conducted by INEC have either been inconclusive or truncated.

It charged INEC to rise to the occasion to restore the confidence of Nigerians in its operations.

"With the way INEC is performing, how are we sure that it would be able to handle the 2019 national elections? Our democracy is under a serious threat from the APC and its Gestapo security agencies,” the party said.

PDP called on all stakeholders – the media, civil society organisations, political parties and all Nigerians and the international community to rise to defend the nation's hard earned democracy from the assault being unleashed on it by the APC government.

cation and Publicity), Prince Solomon Soyebi, announced that the governorship election in Edo State will now be held on Wednesday, September 28.

Hordes of accredited international and national observers, including security operatives, last night, besieged the commission's headquarters on the busy Benin-Aduwawa-AuchiAnuja road in Benin, the state capital, for the announcement of the poll shift.

Soyebi said the commission suspended the conduct of the poll on grounds of last-minute reminder of terror alert by the Nigeria Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) high commands in Abuja.

Soyebi said: "At about 6p.m. today (Thursday), the commission received official communication from the police and DSS drawing its attention to the need to postpone the Edo governorship election. Such a postponement, the communication indicates, is necessary in view of threats of terrorists’ activities in Edo and other stats of the federation during the election and over the Sallah period.

"The deployment of security personnel countrywide to secure lives and property would overstretch their capacity to,

at the same time, provide adequate security for the elections.

"Consequently, the commission notes the request of the security agencies and, considering the security implications of proceeding with the election, the safety of eligible voters, electoral officials, including ad hoc staff, and other stakeholders, has decided to reschedule the Edo Governorship election to Wednesday, 28th September 2016."

The INEC "enjoins all eligible voters in Edo State, politicians and other stakeholders to be peaceful and law abiding."

Addressing journalists earlier before the sudden Uturn, Soyebi had expressed the determination of the commission to go ahead with the election.

Soyebi disclosed that the commission had reached not less than 97 per cent level of preparation for the conduct of the election.

Except the actual conduct of the election, he explained that the commission had scrupulously implemented all the items listed in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Edo governorship election which it issued in March this year.

“After carefully weighing all the consequences

and parameters of postponing the Edo governorship election as advised yesterday by spokespersons of the Police and Department of State Services (DSS), INEC has decided to go ahead with the conduct of the election as scheduled for Saturday, 10th September 2016,” the INEC Commissioner stated.

Soyebi stressed that the Commission would not be “teleguided” and that it would not do anything that would mortgage Nigeria's democracy.

He further emphasized that the Commission robustly considered the implications of demobilising and arrived at the fact that it was more expensive to do so.

The Police and DSS had, on Wednesday, called on INEC to postpone the Saturday election in Edo State, owing to security concerns.

The two security agencies said their call was predicated on available intelligence indicating plans by extremist elements, to attack vulnerable communities, as well as crowded places during the Sallah celebration.

Incidentally, the security agencies said Edo State was among the vulnerable targets.

In a statement jointly CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

NEWS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

5

N27bn premiums: EFCC quizzes Jonathan's ex-chief of staff Emmanuel Onani and Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

T

he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has quizzed a former Chief of Staff (CoS) to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Brig-Gen. Jones Arogbofa (rtd).

Also interrogated alongside Arogbofa was former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Benjamin Dikki, as well as ex-Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Ambassador Godknows Igali.

A Managing Director of a foremost insurance company was also quizzed.

New Telegraph gathered from highly placed sources at the commission's headquarters, that the suspects were detained on Friday, September 2, in connection with allegations of N27 billion insurance premiums purportedly paid to retirees of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

The source, who spoke in confidence, disclosed that the four men have since been released on administrative bail, pend-

ing conclusion of investigations.

A source in the EFCC confirmed Arogbofa’s interrogation and others.

“We believe they all have questions to answer in respect of the phantom N27 billion premium paid to staff of the defunct PHCN. Some of them benefitted from the money. So we are investigating their involvement in the deal.

This came as the source further informed New Telegraph that Arogbofa is facing a separate case of alleged purchase and ownership of a N150 million mansion in Abuja.

It was gathered that disbursements and payments were allegedly effected, even where they were not provided for.

Rather, memoranda were said to have been secretly raised and given effect.

The EFCC suspected that the alleged fraudulent contract was awarded to insurance firms alleged to be fronts.

A source stated that some people in the immediate past administration benefitted from the alleged fraud.

Several calls put to the telephone line of BrigGen. Arogbofa yesterday were unanswered.

There are strong indications that the interroga-

tion of the quartet may not be unconnected with a petition by a Director of BPE, Kashim Ibrahim, who was allegedly shortchanged in the course of payment of his terminal benefits.

Three other retired directors had allegedly suffered the same fate.

Kashim had caused a petition to be sent to the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), where he alleged fraud in the said matter.

In a petition dated November 2, 2015, the petitioner had said, among others: "Your Excellency, the former DG, Miss Bolanle Onagoruwa, was removed partly because she refused to accept the appointment of a prominent PDP lawyer to wind up PHCN for an amount exceeding N1.5 billion.

When the proposal was sent to her, I was one of the directors she confided in. As lawyers, we reckoned that it was unthinkable, more so as all the assets of PHCN had been transferred through a presidential order to the DISCOs and GENCOs, while all the liabilities were to be handled by Nigerian Electricity Liability Management Company (NEMLCO).

Immediately after her

removal, the current DG established a committee that awarded the assignment to the preferred law firm. I publicly expressed my disagreement. The DG sent for me and solicited for my support as it was from our bosses. I maintained my position, as a result of which the matter was never tabled at, or brought to the management committee for deliberation and approval

before going to the NCP. “The DG invited me to his office one day. He informed me of a memo that would be sent to the management committee for its consideration and approval. He suggested that we should pass it, since I was the one that usually chaired such meetings. It was to approve for transmission to the chairman of NCP the payment of N27,188,232,208:20 as pre-

mium to an insurance firm for group life and group personal accident insurance for PHCN staff.

“I told him it cannot pass for even a law 101 student knows the cliché “No premium, No cover.” And in any case at that time, PHCN had no staff. However, I learnt later that the same paper came to BPE with all the necessary approvals and I believe the money was paid."

Power generation hits 3,810 megawatts

T

he Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has transmitted about 3,810 megawatts of electricity generated on September 8 by the generation companies to the 11 distribution companies.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Nigerian Electricity System Operator (SO) announced this on its website yesterday.

According to its operational report for September 8, the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) indicates that the power sector hit a peak generation of 3,810.5 megawatts and lowest peak generation of 2,834.40 megawatts.

NESI said the power sector recorded highest system frequency of 51.55Hz; low-

est system frequency of 48.78 Hz, highest voltage recorded was 372KV, while lowest voltage recorded on the same day was 300KV. It will be recalled that the TCN, on August 31, sent 2,766 megawatts to the distribution companies.

The lowest energy generation on the day under review was 2,520 megawatts while highest generation was 3,502 megawatts.

The nation’s electricity generation has been stable in the last two months, while generation has increased above 3,000 megawatts.

The downturn in power supply was exacerbated in May by the several attacks on oil and gas installations in the Niger Delta.

This made the genera-

tion plunge to a new low of 1,400 megawatts on May 17, according to the TCN. The nation’s power grid recorded 21 collapses in the first half of the year; 16 total and five partial collapses.

The latest system partial collapse was recorded on July 10, according to data from the National Control Centre.

More than half of the nation’s power plants are currently facing gas shortage, with unutilised electricity generation capacity due to gas constraints put at 3,988.3MW as at August.

The country generates the bulk of its electricity from gas-fired power plants, while output from hydropower plants makes up about 30 per cent of the total generation.

6

NEWS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Buhari launches national re-orientation campaign ...says Nigerians must change from old ways

Anule Emmanuel Abuja

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari has launched a new national re-orientation campaign programme geared towards instilling a culture of discipline among Nigerians.

The president, who flagged off the programme yesterday at the presidential villa, Abuja, said for the country to make any further progress, citizens would have to imbibe the culture of discipline, honesty, patriotism and respect for one another.

He said the eroding of value systems in Nigeria was responsible for where the country presently finds itself, an economy in recession with Nigerians facing hardship.

The newly launched reorientation campaign initiated by the Ministry of Information and Culture is tagged "Change Begins With Me".

Buhari explained that

his administration will not fold its arms and watch things to be done in the old wrong ways that have crippled the economy.

"Every one of us must have a change from our old ways of doing things, we cannot fold our arms and allow things to continue the old way.

"There is no doubt that our value system has been badly eroded over the years. The long-cherished and time honoured, timetested virtues of honesty, integrity, hard work, punctuality, good neighbourliness, abhorrence of corruption and patriotism, have given way in the main to dishonesty, indolence, unbridled corruption and widespread impunity," Buhari said.

According to him, the launch of the national reorientation campaign was

part of the determination of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government to seek to carry all Nigerians along on the journey to a better and greater society that citizens can be proud of.

His words: "The resultant effect of this derailment in our value system is being felt in the social, political and economic sphere. It is the reason that some youths will take to cultism and brigandage instead of studying hard or engaging in decent living.

"It is the reason that some elements will break pipelines and other oil facilities, thus robbing the nation of much-needed resources; it is the reason that money belonging to our commonwealth will be brazenly stolen by the same public officials to whom they were entrusted.

-0.36%

0.92

The real quarterly GDP growth rate of Nigeria for Q1 2016.

Source: National Bureau of Statistics

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of Benin Republic in 2006.

Source: Itu.int

"It is the reason motorists drive through red traffic lights, it is the reason that many will engage in thuggery and vote-stealing during elections; it is part of what has driven our economy into deep problem, out of which we are now working hard to extricate ourselves."

Buhari also said that with the launch of the campaign, Nigerians should begin to see change not merely in terms of economic, social progress, but in terms of personal behaviour on how they “conduct ourselves, engage our neighbours, friends and generally how they relate with the larger society in a positive and definitive way and manner that promotes the country's common good and common destiny.”

"Change at home, change in the work place, change at traffic junction, change at traffic lights," he added.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, who presented the core messages of the national re-orientation

President Muhammadu Buahri and the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, during the launch of National Re-Orientation Campaign, “Change Begins with Me” in Abuja… yesterday

Sallah: Traders hawk rams on the streets

A

s Muslims prepare to celebrate Eid elKabir on September 12, ram sellers in Jos have been moving with their animals on the streets of the Plateau capital in search of buyers.

Correspondents of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who went round some parts of the city, found youths dragging hordes of rams through various streets, where they haggled over the prices with those that showed interest.

At Beach road in central Jos, the hawkers were seen with five rams, while some dragged eight rams or more, through the crowds and heavy traffic.

The situation was the same in Bukuru, where youths were seen moving round with the rams

around communities populated by Muslims.

Some of the ram sellers told NAN that they were forced to look for buyers on the streets because customers were not visiting the usual selling points.

One of the sellers at Tudun-Wada, Akilu Ambali, said: “Usually, buyers come to us, but this year, they are not showing up. Since they are not coming to us, we decided to go round so as to ease people the stress of transport fare.”

Ambali said that the ram market was particularly poor this season, adding that “many people say they do not have money; many of those willing to buy want to do so on credit.

“Those with instant payment will get good bargains, but those that collect on credit will normally pay

higher.”

Another seller, Audu Anchau, said that the ram market was very poor his year.

He added that: “I am on the streets because people that should come to my shed are not doing so. In the past, politicians and other rich people usually come to my shed and will buy as many as 100 or more at the same time, but that is not the case this year.

“There were times that the state government ordered several hundreds of rams, or even asked some people to collect while government pays later, but we have not seen that this year.”

Anchau said he was willing to sell on credit, “provided I know how I can get my money after the festivity.

“As you can see, my rams are big; I have been able to sell some by going around, but the market this year is just bad.”

On the prices of the rams, he said that the smaller ones could go for N15,000, while some could be sold for as a high as N140,000.

He said he would keep moving through Jos streets with the rams “even on Sallah day.”

Malam Alti Ragije, a prospective buyer, told NAN that he was opting to buy from the hawkers because their prices were usually better.

He said: “When they get tired of roaming the streets, it is very easy to convince them to sell the rams because they would not want to go home without selling.”

campaign in a multimedia, said it would be carried in major indigenous languages to ensure that the right messages regarding the campaign is effectively disseminated to the people at the grassroots.

Mohammed said the messages would be largely youth-driven by leveraging heavily on the social media.

"Permit me to quickly say that ‘Change begins with me' is a Pan Nigeria Campaign that has no coloration whatsoever – whether it is political, religious or ethnic. It is a campaign for all Nigerians; with the sole objective of achieving a paradigm shift in the way we do things.

"The campaign's princi-

ple is simple: Each one of us must be the change we want to see in our society!" he said.

He stressed that the campaign would cut across all sectors of national life.

"We will expect all the states of the federation to partner with us, especially through the provision of air time on their radio and television stations. This way, we can reach every Nigerian," he said.

In his remarks, the Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Garba Abari, said the agency would use its spread to take national orientation campaign to the states as well as local government areas of the country.

Edo guber: INEC succumbs, postpones poll to Sept 28 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

signed by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Don Awunah, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), as well as Mr. Garba Abdullahi of the DSS, the agencies acknowledged the statutory responsibility of the INEC in conducting elections in the country.

They, however, noted that national security would not be compromised on the altar of elections.

It was their considered view that the shifting of the much-anticipated poll will enable them deal decisively with the imminent threat.

"The Nigeria Police and DSS wish to inform the general public that credible intelligence availed the agencies indicate plans by insurgent/extremist elements to attack vulnerable communities and soft targets with high population during the forthcoming Sallah celebrations between 12th and 13th September, 2016.

"Edo State is amongst the states being earmarked for these planned attacks by the extremist elements….

Meanwhile, Governor Adams Oshiomhole has kicked against the postponement of the governorship election for two weeks.

Oshiomhole said the election could be postponed for one week because of the planned coronation of the Oba of Benin that has been fixed for September 26.

Speaking on a television programme, Oshiomhole said the Oba's coronation is a big event which every Edo man celebrates and has a role to play.

He said: "We have a big event in Edo on September 26 which is the Oba's coronation. Before that day, there are other events that must be done. It will not be

proper to hold election during that period.

"Why not postpone the election for one week?"

On whether the All Progressives Congress (APC) was afraid of defeat, Oshiomhole said the APC defeated the PDP in 16 local governments in the last election held in the state.

He said his party was ready for the election and that Edo is not a war zone.

The governor said: "We will win the election. The PDP has no credibility in this state."

However, the Edo State chapter of the PDP last night stated that the security advice given by INEC for postponing the governorship election was orchestrated in connivance with the Oshiomhole-led APC in the face of imminent defeat in the election.

The party in statement signed by State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Chris Nehikhare, stated that: “For us, the move by INEC to put off the election is shocking and unacceptable.

“We are taken aback by the rash security advice a day after the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, was present at the final campaign rally of the APC in Benin City, which was concluded without any security hitch.”

The party further said that it was on record that INEC recently conducted a hitch free senatorial byelection in Borno State, a state which had remained a hotbed of terrorism and insurgency, yet the security agencies saw no reason to advise against the conduct of the election.

The party described the INEC’s action as “lamentable, inexcusable and shameful”.

NEWS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

7

FAAN pays concessionaires N35.9m monthly to clean Lagos airport

Wole Shadare

D

espite the N35.9 million it pays monthly to clean the Lagos airport, the airport toilets and other areas still stink.

Document made available to New Telegraph shows that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) pays N35, 993,244.16 to 40 concessionaires monthly for the cleaning of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos alone.

Investigation also shows that the 40 cleaning companies are placed in different locations within the airport.

But, despite the regular payment to the companies, the entire airport facilities are still in a mess.

For instance, the toilet facilities at the international wing of the airport have collapsed completely with pervasive odour oozing out from the terminal, especially the departure lounge.

Most of the passengers at the departure lounge were seen complaining of the offensive odour while others covered their nostrils with handkerchiefs.

Emmanpop Ventures is the major concessionaire of FAAN, as the company alone draws N24,133,224

monthly from the coffers of the agency for cleaning the tarmac.

Also, for collecting refuse at the airport, Guesstimate Enterprises gets N5.4 million from the agency; Patovilki Industrial Planner Ltd gets N1,580,000 monthly from FAAN for cleaning of the toilets at the terminal and cleaning of the terminal floor; Southern Technical System Limited draws N970,000 from FAAN; Bismak Investment Nigeria Limited gets N400,000 for cleaning the car parks and outside the MMIA terminal.

Others are Primrose Enterprises Limited, which is responsible for the cleaning of the arrival lobby (extension), N600,000; Pesticorp Associate, gets N570,000 for fumigation of the local airport; Duraclean Services Nigeria Limited receives

N150,000 for cleaning of the basement at the international wing; Lenora Ventures for cleaning of a part of the Access Road, N150,000; Rash Tech Services, N130,000 for cleaning of DTI car park; Pace Nigeria Enterprises with N130,000 and Rinol Enterprises, which gets N120,000 for cleaning MMIA cleaning.

Others on the N100,000 monthly are Cleanway Ltd (fire station), Cue-Clean Limited, D & D Whyte Enterprises (Zone ABC roads); Mercedvin Enterprises (Personnel Yard and Access Road); Oma-

£215m 2.11%

Enterprises, N60,000; SetFone Nigeria Limited, N65,000; Tat Nigeria Limited, N50,000; U.S. Umar Nigeria Limited, N40,000; Wood Debby Enterprises, N40,000 and Y & K Services Limited with another N40,000.

However, investigations revealed that most of the companies that received concessions for the airport cleaning belong to some top people in government, past ministers of aviation, past managing directors of FAAN, past directors in FAAN and several others who were given the concession as a

PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

N300bn in TSA stalls FG's capital projects CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

This, the source added, largely accounted for the near grounding of economic activities being witnessed across the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Federal Government.

The capital allocations to the entire ministries as provided in 2016 budget are as follows: Health (N28.650 billion); Works, Power and Housing (N422.964 billion); Agriculture (N46.173 billion); Environment (N35.433 billion); Communications & Technology (N5.992 billion); National Planning and Budget (N404.865 million); and Federal Capital Territory (N29,297 billion).

Others ministries are Foreign Affairs (N7.076 billion); Information and Culture (N6.071 billion); Justice (N878.736 million); Labour and Employment (N5.542 billion); Water Resources (N46.081 billion); Youths and Sports (N4.660 billion); and Education (N35.433 billion); Also included are Defence (N130.864 billion); Finance (N667.842 million);, Petroleum Resources (N6.304 billion); Niger Delta (N19.440 billion); Science and Technology (N27.006 billion); Solid

Minerals (N7.332 billion); Special Duties and SGF (N65.604 million); Transport (N188.674 billion); Trade and Investment (N5.886 billion), and Women Affairs (N2.293 billion).

Narrating the frustration faced in accessing the funds, a key official in the Muhammadu Buhari administration, who spoke in confidence to New Telegraph, said: "Of the N400 billion so far released, just two ministries – the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Works, Power & Housing – have been able to access what has been released to them so far for capital projects.

The other ministries have not been able to access the 40 per cent allocation for capital projects. Hence, over N300 billion meant for MDAs for capital projects is idling away in the Treasury Single Account (TSA) of the ministries with the CBN because of strenuous procurement procedures.

"The two ministries that were able to access their released allocation applied the funds on projects approved in 2014 by the immediate past administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

"The two projects approved by the Federal Ex-

form of compensation.

A passenger to New York, Michael Dare, who passed through the airport, recently, had complained about the poor toilet facilities.

He said: “It is unfortunate that we are in a country where nothing seems to work. I had to run away from using the toilet facility. In fact, all the facilities have broken down totally.

The entire departure hall stinks and even a particular white man who wanted to ease himself could not do so. He shook his head for our country,” Dare said.

L-R : Former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu; Archbishop of Abuja Archdiocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan and France Ambassador to Nigeria, Denys Gauer, during a function in Abuja…on Tuesday.

The total amount spent by Premier League clubs on transfer in the summer of 2003.

Source: Bbc.com

The real quarterly GDP growth rate of Nigeria for Q4 2015.

Source: National Bureau of Statistics

kos Nigeria Enterprises (headquarters); Pacciro Nigeria Limited; Roatsland Services Limited, Yetofunk International Company (Transit Camp); and Zion Jetters Enterprises (Transit Camp).

Also, Chavan Limited gets N50,000 for (fumigation of fire station), Al-Atiq Nigeria Limited, N50,000; Bett-Geb & Company, N40,000; Denis Bromfield Limited, N90,000; Flopat Nigeria Limited, N75,000; Forom Nigeria Limited, N80,000; Ham-Talamas & Sons, N80,000; Ken Rogger Limited, N60,000; Mutega

ecutive Council (FEC) last week, for the construction of library at University of Lagos and Post-graduate hall at the University of Ibadan are not new projects," he said.

Although Buhari gave assent to the budget in June, but due to the procurement process as specified by the Public Procurement Act, it will take a minimum of four months to complete contract award.

The first step in the contract award is advertisement, which takes six weeks. This is followed by opening of financial and technical bids that will last for one month, after which successful bidders will be shortlisted. Then the BPP will have to raise a No Objection Certificate. If the contract value is more than N300 million, it will need FEC approval.

This process takes between four and six months.

However, some top officers of the BPP have also been fingered as deliberately frustrating ministers and permanent secretaries by overtly complicating the process.

"You know most of them deal with the major contractors, they can frustrate procurement process

for ministries, compelling either the ministers or permanent secretaries to personally reach out to BPP. "The issue is that most head of MDAs are appointees of the Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) administration. They are frustrating the process," said the source.

New Telegraph gathered that some of these encumbrances are responsible for the seeming non-performance of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government.

Lamenting the situation, a senior government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: "APC made promises which are yet to be fulfilled and 2019 is at the corner and procurement hindrance is there and you also know that President Muhammadu Buhari is a stickler for law and procedures.

"N300 billion is idling away at CBN because of procurement process.

With the current situation, we have to spend our way out of recession; to spend funds in critical areas that can create jobs.

"How can you say capital vote had been released and yet they can't be accessed? The budget

was assented to in June.

Money has been released to the TSA accounts of the MDAs, but most ministries are idling away because there is no access to the money. This is why the president is seeking for economic stabilisation policy which the media term emergency powers to reflate the economy."

When our correspondent contacted the Director of Press at Budget and National Planning, Mr. Adedeji Ajibade, on the development over the weekend, he requested for more time to get across to the minister, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma.

"I am sorry, I'll not be able to respond until on Monday when I will see the minister and request of him to respond to your question," Ajibade told our correspondent on phone.

When contacted for the second time on phone yesterday, Ajibade told New Telegraph that: "Your question is beyond me.

I will have to speak with the minister and get back to you."

New Telegraph had reported exclusively penultimate Monday that Buhari would introduce a bill seeking emergency

powers from the National Assembly to reflate the ailing economy, in order to manifestly deliver the change and quality services promised to Nigerians during the 2015 electioneering.

The bill, which will be sent to the National Assembly by the president upon resumption from its annual recess, is seeking unfettered powers to set aside some extant laws and simultaneously be empowered to come up with an economic recovery initiative within the next one year.

Also, the bill seeks powers to abridge the procurement process with a view to guaranteeing stimulus spending on critical sectors of the economy; make orders to favour local contractors/suppliers in contract awards; abridge the process of sale or lease of government assets to generate revenue; and allow virement of budgetary allocations to projects that are urgent, without recourse to the National Assembly.

The bill also seeks to amend laws such as UBEC Act, so that states that cannot access their cash trapped in the commission’s accounts as a result of their inability to meet the counterpart funding can do so.

8

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

METRO Fake doctor dupes cancer patient of N4m ...CRIME, CITY WATCH, COURTS

Taiwo Jimoh and Endurance Evulukwu

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38-year-old fake doctor, Charles Nze, has been arrested for allegedly duping a cancer patient of N4 million.

Nze, who was paraded at the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja, claimed to be a dentist from the Calcutta State University, India.

The suspect admitted collecting the money from the victim’s family but said it was meant for drugs and equipment to treat the patient.

He said: “The cancer patient is a family friend. I decided to assist them and bring the patient from another hospital. I was treating her as an outpatient.

“When I commenced treatment on the patient, she was getting better. But suddenly the family discovered that I was a dentist and said I overcharged them. Then, they requested that I refund N2 million out of the money they gave me for the treatment.

“It was when I could not return the N2 million that I was arrested by military policemen at Obalende Barracks. The military police

The fake doctor

later handed me over to the police.

“Three weeks after I started treating the patient, she started getting better. Before I started treating her, she was weighing 33 kilogrammes and could not walk, but now she can walk and weighs 47kg.”

One of the victim’s family

members, who did not want his name in print, told New Telegraph on the side line of the parade that Nze lied to them that he was a medical doctor, but they later got to know that he was a fake doctor.

He said: “When we first met he said he was an oncologist at 9 Brigade, Maryland and studied

in India and London. My sister had been sick for some years. He promised to come and see her.

“When he came, after diagnosing her, he told us that she had gastric cancer. He charged us N270,000. He said he was going to get drugs.”

But Nze, according to the family member, returned with

ABIODUN BELLO abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com 08023938212

pain killers.

He added: “After 30 minutes, my sister, who was crying that she could not walk, started walking. That was what impressed us that he was actually a genuine doctor.

“He said to continue with the treatment, we needed to act fast because she might die anytime. That was how he billed us another $10,000.”

According to him, Nze later told the family members that because he had compassion for the patient, he was going to loan them N1 million, while they should look for the remaining.

He added: “I sold my property and also took loans from my friends to raise the money because my parents could not afford such amount of money.

“After a while, he came back and asked for more money.

Then, my wife told me that my sister was not getting better but I did not listen to her. I sold my wife’s car and gave him the money.

“Again, he came to demand additional money. It was then I told him to leave the patient alone. I said if she was going to die, she should die because we have exhausted our money.”

The man said he later went to the barracks where Nze claimed he was working and made enquiries about him.

He said: “It was there I discovered he was not a doctor.

The military police arrested him and handed him over to the police.”

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, urged the public to beware of the kind of people they relate with.

Owoseni advised the people to go to registered medical centres for medical attention.

City Briefs

Woman steals sister’s 22-month-old baby Suspected robbers arraigned for nine policemen’s killing Abdallah said the owner of the

Uchenna Inya ABAKALIKI

P

olice said they had lunched a manhunt for Chinonso Aja of Amaedim Ngwongwo Ishiagu in Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State for allegedly stealing her younger sister’s one year and 10 months’ old child, Chidalu Aja. Briefing journalists in Abakaliki, the state Commissioner of Police, Peace Abdallah, said Chidalu was recovered at Power Line, Aba, Abia State where she was abandoned by the woman following the manhunt.

She also said that two children, Onwe Blessing (8) and Onwe Ifeoma (4), were stolen at 135, Ezzamgbo in Ohaukwu Local Government Area.

According to her, in the course of investigation, Ifeoma was traced to World Peace Motherless Home at Nkpor Uno, Anambra State.

home was still at large while two of the workers, Ezinna Chinenye and Nwasuike Success, were arrested.

The commissioner noted that at Ezza Akpugo, two years and five months’ old Kingsley Nwafor was stolen from his mother, Ndidiamaka Nwafor.

She said: “Through the effort of this command, the child was recovered at Umuawulu, Awka South, Anambra State where the child was sold by the same Chizoba Nicholas to Okpalaugo Chinwendu who is suspected to be a top civil servant in a ministry at Anambra State.

“On a formal application to the ministry for adoption of a child by Okpala Benedith of Umuawulu, Awka South, Okpalaugo Chinwendu, who is the HOD took the opportunity, received N750,000 and handed over Kingsley Nwafor to her.”

Emmanuel Masha Port Harcourt

T

hree persons accused of participating in the killing of nine policemen in Rivers State have been arraigned before a Magistrates’ Court in Port Harcourt.

The accused, Odum Atokaritou (35), Napughi Duba (29) and Godgift Gwenbe (29), allegedly participated in a series of bank robberies leading to the killing of at least 10 persons, among them nine policemen.

They allegedly killed ASP Bamidele Mohammed, attached to Sterling Bank, Port Harcourt; Inspector Austine Moore, attached to Elekahia Police Station in the state capital; Corporal Prince Tigbara, also

of Elekahia Police Station and Inspector Jonah Oletu.

The accused, including others at large, faced an 18-countcharge of conspiracy, murder and armed robbery.

Atokaritou, Duba and Gwenbe, as well as others at large, attacked and robbed a bullion van conveying $400,000, being property of Sterling Bank PLC, Port Harcourt.

The charges against them also included the killing of Inspector Peter Olavoghokere, Corporal Paul Nnaa, Inspector Dennis Akpan attached to OluObasanjo Police Station, Port Harcourt, Sergeant Ekwere Epoulo, Corporal Okougor Nyambi, also attached to OluObasanjo Police Station and the Sterling Bank Regional Manager Mr. Femi Oloukun.

The charges also included the abduction of the Director of Pre-Pay Hotel, Eagle Island, Nkechi Chika. She was detained for two days but was released after N10 million ransom was paid.

They also allegedly participated in the robbery at Diamond Bank, Trans-Amadi in the state capital, where N350 million was stolen and Fidelity Bank, GRA Branch where they carted away N24 million.

The magistrate, M. F. Poromon, referred the case to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.

Poromon adjourned the case till November 28, for legal advice and ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody.

METRO

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Divorce court

Ram goes for N400,000 as traders lament low patronage

‘My wife too worldly, wears jeans trousers’ Malcolm Enefe

A

former banker, Mr. Ebenezer Olotuyemi, yesterday told an Agege Customary Court, Lagos, that his wife, Osi, was not a godly woman.

According to him, his wife has been engaging in worldly activities like wearing of jeans trousers.

Olotuyemi also told the court that his wife did not love and respect him.

He prayed the court to dissolve their 16-year-old marriage which is blessed with two children, 10 and 15 years.

The former banker, who is the defendant, said that there was no love any longer in the marriage.

He said: “She is a worldly woman, who doesn’t go to church, and but loves to go out all dressed in jeans trousers.”

However, Osi, who filed for the divorce, complained that she was tired of the marriage.

She said: “He is too judgmental and he gets too aggressive at every little thing. He is a stubborn and troublesome man.”

Osi also said her husband had not been taking responsibility of the children as he left them in her father’s house, for over two months now.

“He has threatened my father’s life,” she added.

The court, having seen that both parties consented to the termination of the marriage, adjourned the case till October 11.

The court also told Olotuyemi to write an undertaking that prior to the date of the adjournment, he must not be found around his father-in-law’s house and around the kids, else he would be imprisoned for three months without any option of fine.

‘My husband strips me, beats me to pulp’

A

trader, Margaret Agwu (45), on Wednesday told an Igando Customary Court, Lagos, that her husband, Onu, sometimes strips her and beats her to pulp.

Margret, who said this while testifying in a divorce proceedings against Onu, told the court that her husband had turned her into a punching bag She said: “He once punched me in my stomach and I lost my first pregnancy after a fight. I have lived every minute of my life in fear but I cannot go back to my parents because of the bride price.”

Margaret urged the court to annul her 33-year-old marriage, citing husband’s duplicity.

She said: “When I was 12 years’ old, my husband came to my village to ask for my hand in marriage with a promise to my parents that he would send me to school.

“He also lied to my parents that he was a businessman that he owned a provision store and that he lived in a flat.

“My parents told him that they could not release me for marriage because I was too young and besides I was still schooling.

“Onu told my parents that he would send me to school after the marriage. My parents agreed and he paid the bride price.”

But on getting to the city, Margaret said she discovered that her husband was not what he made her and her parents believe he was.

She said: “When I got to his house, I discovered that he was staying in one-room apartment, selling popcorn by the roadside.

“He also refused to fulfill his promise of sending me to school.”

9

Some of the rams on display

Camillus Nnaji

A

s Muslims all over the world prepare to celebrate the Eidel Kabir next week, a crosssection of ram sellers at the popular Kara Market in Ogun State, have cried out over low patronage.

But the cost of ram may be keeping buyers at bay. For instance, a sizeable ram goes for about N400,000 at the market.

We foiled militants’ attempt to kidnap Indian –Police Taiwo Jimoh and Emeka Maduabuchi

L

agos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, yesterday revealed how his men foiled militants’ attempt to kidnap of an Indian at Epe. Speaking with journalists at Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja, Owoseni said the militants had already abducted the Indian and were trying to bundle him into their waiting boat, when policemen on patrol duty sighted them.

The commissioner said the Indian was working on a construction site at Epe area, when the kidnappers came from the river and attempted to force him into their boat.

He said: “Our men were able to rescue the Indian national after a fierce gun battle with the kidnappers. Our men stopped the kidnappers from taking the foreigner into the creek. The suspects, however, escaped in their boat.”

Owoseni raised the alarm, over militants’ attacks on different communities in the state.

The police chief urged residents to be alert and to report any strange movement in communities to the police promptly.

He said: “Some militants, on Wednesday, attacked Monkey village, behind Iba Housing Estate. Some of our policemen engaged them in a gun duel. Unfortunately, we lost one of our men to their bullets. We have deployed more men, including the military, in the area to beef up security in the entire waterway.”

Yesterday, some of them were offloading hundreds of rams from trucks which conveyed the animals from the North.

The Eid-el Kabir offers Muslims the opportunity to sacrifice rams.

Thousands of rams were on display for sale at the market located on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

One of the traders, who identified himself as Mohammed Abubakar, said he brought about 100 rams to the market in anticipation of good sales, but was disappointed as customers were not even coming to check his rams.

He said that last year was far better in terms of patronage.

He said: “Last year, by this time, I had sold half of my rams! Even though we still have the weekend to make sales, it is, however, clear that this year, customers are not coming.”

Abubakar noted that the prices of rams shot up this year.

He said: “We sell from N70,000 to N400,000, depending on the customer’s choice. Despite the cost of rearing the rams, we also have to calculate transportation costs. This led to sharp increase in prices.

“Last year, if you had N30, 000, you would buy a ram, but we cannot help the situation now.”

Another trader, who gave his name as Idris, said last year, he sold his rams off, a week before the Eid-el Kabir, but this year, he had not sold a quarter of his supply.

He said: “We knew it was going to be like this because of the economic hardship. People are not even visiting our ram market. There is low patronage.

The situation in the country has put us in a real trouble. We want to sell and remain in business, but where are the customers? If we even lower the prices of rams, we will make no profits.”

However, despite the complaints of low patronage, more trucks continued to drive into the market with rams.

Abdulrahman, another dealer, said he was not discouraged in supplying more rams to the market. He believed that those that would buy would definitely come.

He said: “It is a thing of celebration.

As at today, there had been no sales. But I believe by the weekend, customers will flood here. Muslims cannot run away from this celebration. It is a celebration that demands rams should be killed. I’m optimistic buyers will come.”

Nine-month-old baby found crawling on road

The baby

Taiwo Jimoh and Merit Mbah

P

olice in Lagos have rescued a ninemonth-old baby boy who crawled into the road at Aro Shodiya Street, GRA, Ikeja.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, said the baby was sighted by policemen patrolling the

area on Tuesday.

He said: “if not for the quick-witted policemen who noticed and rescued the boy, it would have been only a matter of time before he was crushed to death by speeding vehicles.

Owoseni said that many vehicles had sped past the crawling baby, without noticing him.

The commissioner

added that if the policemen had not also noticed and rescued the baby, ritual killers would have found the baby and probably snuffed out his life.

He said: “The toddler was crawling on the road, when a police patrol team rescued him from being hit by vehicles. Nobody has come forward to claim the child. The baby is in our custody. We are taking good care of him.

We want his parents to come forward to identify and claim him.

“We are appealing to parents to take care of their children. Some parents don’t care about their child or children, because of the prevailing economic situation in the country. If not for the quick intervention of the police patrol team, some suspected ritual killers would pick and used him for something diabolical.”

Ambode leads all-male march against sexual violence Muritala Ayinla

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agos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday led an all-male march against sexual violence with a call on security agencies to come with evidences against at least 11 eminent personalities who were perpetrators of domestic violence to use as

scapegoats.

Ambode, who had earlier received those that participated in the march before leading them in the walk against the social vice at the Lagos House, Ikeja, vowed to make the state uncomfortable for perpetrators of domestic violence.

The participants brandished placards such as: “LAS GIDI Men say no to abuse, vio-

lence against women,” “Women are not objects, respect and treat them right,” “Stop rape and abuse,” among others on another procession within the State House.

But Ambode said using highly-placed individuals perpetrating the act as scapegoats would act as deterrence to others.

He said: “It is time we take the bull by the horn in tack-

ling this menace of sexual and gender-based violence in our society. Research and countless reports have indicated clearly that women are significantly more prone to being victims of these crimes. There is also an evident trend of suppressing the voice of these victims due to the fact that these acts are perpetrated largely by men.

10

NEWS | national

friday, september 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

New screening method could Mechanisms in place to end economic recession –Osinbajo detect cancer early Appolonia Adeyemi and Eleazar Nwanti

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n an effort to check the high incidence of cancers, researchers have developed a simple blood test that can detect cancer before any symptoms are noticeable.

According to the findings in a study published in the ‘Journal of Biomedical Optics’, the breakthrough can save thousands of lives worldwide.

The scientists, who unveiled the test at the British Science Festival in Swansea, Wales in the United Kingdom (UK), compared the new test to a smoke detector, because it does not actually find cancer but changes to red blood cells that occur when cancer is present.

Cancer is a class of diseases characterised by out-of-control cell growth.

There are over 100 different types of cancer, and each is classified by the type of cell that is initially affected.

However, discovering cancer early is a key factor in successful treatment.

Thirty per cent of cancers are preventable and another 30 per cent can be treated if detected early.

According to the researchers behind the breakthrough blood test, if a cancerous tumour is caught in a single part of the body, there is a much better chance that it can be removed surgically.

Similarly, if the cancer has spread to other organs, the chance the patient will die is much higher.

However, considering that the simple blood test costs just £35, it could be used to monitor people with a high risk of getting the disease.

Reacting to the development, Professor Gareth Jenkins, who led the study, said: “The test can be likened to a ‘cancer smoke detector’ because a smoke detector does not detect the presence of fire in our homes but its byproduct – smoke.

“This test detects cancer, by detecting the ‘smoke’ – mutated blood cells.

“The old adage of no smoke without fire also

applies to ‘no cancer without mutation’, as mutation is the main driving force for cancer development.”

The researchers, from Swansea University Medical School, said the test could detect cancer before there were any noticeable symptoms.

“This could have huge potential, as early diagnosis is a key factor in survival rates,” according to a statement issued about the research.

The test takes a few hours with standard laboratory equipment.

The researchers worked on developing the test over the past four years, studying 300 healthy people, patients with signs of precancer and patients with the oesophageal form of the disease.

The test detects mutations in proteins on the surface of red blood cells.

In healthy people, the number of mutations of this type averages about five per million, but in cancer patients, there can be 50 to 100 mutants per million.

Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

V

ice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday said that the Federal Government has put in place all necessary mechanisms to end the economic recession rocking the country.

The vice president, who made this known while answering questions from newsmen after the 8th convocation ceremony of the Reedeemer University, Ede, however promised that in no distance time, the economic recession would vanish.

Osinbajo, who attributed vandalism and errors of some past leaders to be the reasons Nigerians are experiencing economic hardship, maintained that, "there is no way Ni-

9.5%

The percentage by which Portfolio investment of capital importation of Nigeria declined from Q1 2016 to Q2 2016.

Source: National Bureau of Statistics

L-R: Special Adviser on Commerce, Mr. Adeyemi Olabinjo; member, Lagos House of Assembly, Hon. Adedamola Kasunmu; Attorney General & Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode and member, Lagos House of Assembly, Hon. Gbolahan Yishawu, during the All Men Walk Against Sexual and Gender Based Violence in Lagos… yesterday

National Health Council approves new policy Ebere Ameh

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he national Council on Health, the highest policy making body on matters relating to health in Nigeria, has approved the new National Health Policy (NHP).

The council, which comprises the Commissioners for Health of the 36 states, the Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretariat FCT, has the Honourable Minister of Health as its Chairman.

At yesterday’s emergency meeting, which preceded the 59th National Council on Health, the Honourable Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Ad-

ewole, presented the policy document, which was deliberated upon and later, approved by the high powered gathering.

In his keynote address, the Minister noted that through deep introspection and deliberation on both the successes and challenges in the health sector, he became convinced that “there is a need for a new national policy on health to reflect new realities and trends, including the unfinished agenda of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emerging health issues, especially epidemics.

geria could have avoided the recession since it had in February this year also lost 60 per cent of its revenues to the activities of saboteurs".

He however charged Nigerians to be self reliant to be able to become a product of change to their immediate environment.

"Also youths, especially young graduates, should be diligent and take advantage of various international trading platforms to improve their status".

Earlier in his speech at the convocation ground, Gen. T.Y Danjuma (rtd) argued that education

should be given priority by all and sundry to be able to be better agents of change in any given society.

He described the type of education being given at Reedeemer University, Ede as all round one saying, it develops physical, mental and social capability of every individual.

Danjuma, who was announced as the new chancellor of the university, however promised to do his best to improve the standard of the institution the more and commended its management for the great work done to make it a citadel of learning.

BBOG replies IGP, says nobody can threaten us n what appears like a direct confrontation with the authorities of the Nigeria Police, the leadership of BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) has reacted to comments by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who cautioned them on their incessant protests on the nation's capital, Abuja, saying that nobody can threaten them.

Speaking to journalists yesterday at the end of the group's sit out, former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, said there was no retreat, no surrender for the BBOG on its demands from the Federal Government.

She advised the Police Chief to cue from the past administration, which according to her, use all kinds of tactics similar to what the current administration is using to silence the group but failed in all attempts.

"He should ask for the files that recorded our advocacy between 2014 and 2015 May when the previous administration used all kinds of tactics similar to this one to try to violate our constitutional liberty.

Not only did the constitution uphold our rights, the courts also upheld our rights and so, he should just read these files and he would be able to find what he needs in order to educate himself properly about democracy and citizens' rights to peaceful assembly.

“As you know, this movement has been a very peaceful movement. As you know, we operate on core values that nobody violates. We have never been associated with unruly behaviour. This is two years, four months of our advocacy and so, we are not going to be changing anything. There is no retreat, no surrender. #AreOurGirlsBack? That is our hashtag now, in addition to #BringBackOurGirls."

crashes, as well as building a robust data base on traffic matters in Nigeria, the Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, has revealed that 2016 has so far recorded fewer accidents than the previous years.

Oyeyemi, who was speaking on FRSC activities with particular focus on Sallah Special Patrol and commencement of the enforcement of Speed Limiting Device, said that figures of crashes and road in-

Head Media Relations and Strategy of the Corps, Bisi Kazeem, the Corps Marshal, while deploying 20,000 personnel, 697 patrol vehicles, 283 motorbikes, 76 ambulances and 22 tow trucks for SALLAH patrols, opined that analysis showed that from January to August 2015, a total of 5,953 crashes were recorded involving 39,119 people in which 3,233 of them died and 17,189 others were rescued alive.

Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

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Zaria clashes: EU charges other commissions to publish findings FRSC: 2016 had fewer crashes of transparency, the Heads Ebere Ameh of Mission noted that the than previous years report contains a number n line with the Federal cidents are unacceptable he delegation of Eu- of important recommen- IRoad Safety Corps’ and must brought down (FRSC) mandate of significantly.

T ropean Union to Ni- dations. geria and all EU Heads “We believe it is essen- reducing road traffic According to the of Missions in Nigeria have charged other ongoing investigations into the violence that occurred in Zaria in December 2015 to also publish their findings and recommendations.

This was contained in a statement yesterday from the EU Delegation to Nigeria welcoming the publication of the report of the Kaduna State Government's Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the violence.

While insisting that it was a very positive sign

tial that all those responsible for the violence or violation of fundamental human rights in Zaria, from both sides, be equally investigated and prosecuted according to the law.

“The EU underscores the universality of human rights, which must apply equally to all people. This includes the right to freedom of worship and the right to protest within the rules of law. We also underscore the importance of religious tolerance in a multicultural environment."

11

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ogun LG poll Kashamu, Adebutu test might

Politics

13

Felix Nwaneri reports on the twist and turns in the Edo State governorship election earlier scheduled to hold this Saturday, September 10, but has been postponed to Wednesday, September 28

Y

esterday’s postponement of Edo State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after insisting earlier that it would go ahead with the poll against the advice of security agencies has added another twist to the bug of inconclusive elections that have rocked the commission since the inception of its new management under the leadership of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.

The Nigeria Police and Department of State Services (DSS) had on Wednesday, advised the electoral umpire to postpone the poll scheduled for Saturday, September 10 on the ground of what they described as credible intelligence at their disposal, which suggests that insurgents are planning to attack vulnerable communities and soft targets, with high population during the forthcoming Sallah celebrations between September 12 and 13.

But INEC, earlier yesterday, insisted that it will go on with the election as scheduled in all the 192 wards and 18 local government areas of the state. The commission’s chairman, Yakubu, said the decision was reached after due consultations with the various security agencies, which assured of adequate and formidable security before, during and after the poll.

Yakubu, who spoke through INEC’s National Commissioner on Voter Education and Publicity, Prince Solomon Soyebi, said: “After intensive and wide consultations with the various security agencies who have assure us of their readiness to provide us with adequate security before, during and after election, we are left with no choice than to go on with the Saturday's governorship election

FELIX NWANERI

GROUP PoLITICAL EDITOR nwanerif@newtelegraphonline.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

L-R: INEC National Commissioner, Soyebi; Chairman, Prof. Yakubu and National Commissioner (Electoral Operations), Hajia Amina Zakari at a recent forum.

INEC: From inconclusive polls to postponement in the state.”

But in a twist, the commission later agreed to shift the election by two weeks. The decision to postpone the election was reached at a security meeting held in Benin, the Edo State capital.

Yesterday’s development swells incidences of inconclusive polls under Yakubu’s headship of INEC, which most stakeholders have persistently described as a worrisome development which must be curbed to avoid eroding the gains so far recorded in the country’s electoral process.

Kogi experience Though inconclusive poll is not new in the Nigeria’s electoral process, it has become more pronounced under the present INEC management. It started with the November 2015 Kogi State governorship election, where the electoral body had to declare the poll inconclusive following the death of All Progressives Congress (APC) initial candidate in, Abubakar Audu, at a time he was coasting to victory.

The electoral umpire’s action almost triggered a constitutional crisis as the 1999 Constitution (as amended) did not envisage such situation. But the impasse was resolved when INEC directed the APC to nominate another candidate as Audu’s substitution for the supplementary poll in the 91 polling units, where elections were cancelled.

Audu was at the time leading his closest rival and then incum-

Yesterday’s development swells incidences of inconclusive polls under Yakubu’s headship of INEC

bent governor, Idris Wada, by 41, 000 votes, whereas the total number of registered voters in the 91 polling units was 49,953, a figure, the commission explained was higher than the margin between the top contenders.

But the window to substitute Audu, rather than serve as a relief to the APC, sparked off another round of crisis as the deputy governorship candidate, Hon. James Faleke, wrote to INEC that he should be declared winner on the ground that the supplementary poll was needless. His argument was that the number of eligible voters in the affected areas stood at 25, 000 and so will not make any impact in the overall result.

The PDP, on its part, urged the electoral body to declare its candidate –Wada, winner of the election as the votes garnered by Audu were not transferable. According to the party, Audu’s votes died with him.

When INEC insisted on going ahead with the supplementary poll, the APC was left with no other option than nominated the first runner up in its governorship primaries, Yahaya Bello as Audu’s substitute and he was declared winner at the conclusion of the election.

As expected, the outcome of the election is currently being contested at the election petition tribunal

by Faleke and Wada.

Bayelsa debacle The December 5, 2015 Bayelsa poll had voting in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the

state shifted to the next day as armed thugs disrupted distribution of election materials in the council on election day.

The rescheduled poll, however, suffered several hitches and had to be cancelled, thereby re-enacting the Kogi inconclusive scenario.

Widespread violence, which prevented conduct of the election in the local government on December 5, persisted the next day despite deployment of more security personnel.

Declaring the poll inclusive, INEC said Southern Ijaw’s120,827 registered voters would be the decider being the largest of the eight local government areas of the state.

Governor Seriake Dickson of the PDP was then leading in six of the seven local government areas of the state declared by INEC. He polled 105,748 votes, while his closest rival, a former governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva of the APC won in only one and had 72, 594 votes.

The impasse was resolved after Dickson won the January 9 rescheduled poll. But like the Kogi experience, the loser – Sylva is also at the tribunal challenging the outcome of the election.

Rivers still hanging Like in Kogi and Bayelsa states, the March 19 national and state Assembly rerun elections in Rivers State, also ended on inconclusive note as INEC had to suspended CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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POLITICS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

From inconclusive polls to postponement C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 1

elections in all constituencies in the state midway into the exercise.

The commission said it ordered the suspension, pending the receipt of a comprehensive report from its field officials and monitors. It had earlier cancelled election in eight local councils in the state because of violence.

Stating reasons for the decision, INEC’s Director in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, OluwoleOsaze-Uzzi, said: “Rather unfortunately, some of these elections witnessed the disruption of the process, including the barricading of some of the INEC local government offices and Registration Area Centres (RACs) used for the distribution of electoral materials which led to the late commencement of the exercise in some places and consequently, its smooth take off.

“Of more serious concern was the level of threats, violence and intimidation of election officials and voters by well-armed thugs and miscreants allegedly acting on behalf of some politicians, which marred the elections in some areas.”

While the commission later released results of some of the federal and state constituencies, it is yet to conduct fresh reruns in any of the three senatorial districts of the states.

Same story in FCT council poll The story was the same in the recent FCT council election on April 9. The electoral commission declared four out of the six chairmanship positions inconclusive.

The four Area Councils were Abaji, Gwagwalada, Abuja Municipal and Kuje.The other Area Councils where elections were conducted are Bwari and Kwali.

The poll was later rescheduled for Wednesday April 14 in 39 polling units in 20 registration areas of the capital city. Results from the affected polling units were cancelled for reasons ranging from violence, over voting and non-use of card readers for accreditation of voters.

The exercise has been concluded and winners declared.

Yet in Osun The Ife Central State Constituency ofOsun State rerun, which held also held April 9, was declared inconclusive before it was resolved the next day – Sunday April 10.

The Returning Officer, Dr. Francis Oladimeji, who made the announcement after the collation of results from the 11 wards in the state constituency, said the result could not be declared because of the violence which led to the disruption of collation at two polling units.

Consequently, a fresh election was ordered in the two affected polling units - Agbedegbede and Moore Ojaja, both in Ward 3 of the constituency to resolve the stalemate.

Imo North not left out The gale of inconclusive elections continued when INEC equally declared the Imo North Senatorial rerun conducted on July 23, inconclusive.

Also declared inconclusive were the results of Oru East and Isiala

Godwin Obaseki, Edo APC guber candidate

Ibrahim Idris, IGP

Mbano state constituencies following reported cases of shootings, which characterised the exercise in some communities in the two affected areas.

The commission’s Returning Officer, Prof. Arinze Agbogu, while declaring the poll inconclusive, announced that Ben Uwajumogu, APC candidate, polled 48,921, while PDP’s Athan Achonu scored 40,142 votes to emerge second in the already declared result.

Agbogu explained that the exercise was cancelled in 15 polling units with a total of 13,000 registered voters. According to him, the difference between the candidate with the highest score and the second stood at 8,777 votes.

The standoff was resolved a week later after election took place in the polling units where voting were cancelled with APC candidate emerging the winner.

The responsibility to uphold our democracy belongs to all of us, so let us not assume that it is only the electoral commission

INEC’s defence Despite the worry over the spate of inconclusive elections, Chairman of INEC, Yakubu, is of the view that the inconclusive polls conducted under his tenure is a reflection of the competitiveness of the elections.

Speaking with journalists recently in Lagos, Yakubu said: “There is no tradition of inconclusive elections in INEC. What is an inconclusive election? It is an election in which a winner did not emerged from the first ballot.

Therefore, what do you do? You conduct supplementary elections to conclude the elections. Is it strange? It is not. Is it happening for the first time? No it is not happening for the first time. In fact, take a head count, perhaps maybe few people can tell you when Nigeria recorded its first inconclusive election in recent democracy. You will recall that the first inconclusive election was in 1979, the election that brought Alhaji Shehu Shagari as president. Have you forgotten the mathematics of 19?

What is two-third of 19? Is it twelve and two-third or thirteen? Eventually that election was decided not by the then Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO). The court eventually determined the mathematics of two-third of 19.”

He also allayed fears over the development, saying: “In 2011, two

Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Edo PDP guber candidate

governorship elections were inconclusive – my own state Bauchi because of post-election violence and Imo and they were concluded after two weeks. Have we also forgotten Imo 2015? Taraba governorship was also inconclusive in 2015, but concluded thereafter. How about Anambra in 2013? I can also recall Chris Ngige and the late Dora Akunyili in the Senatorial election of 2011. It was inconclusive but concluded later. So, there have been inconclusive elections but at the time they occurred, they occurred in the context of the general elections, so we hardly noticed that the elections were inconclusive.

“I also wish to say that something happened in 2015 but was not taken into cognizance of. Number one, we have strong political parties that have evolved but were not decreed by the government of the day. While you have two strong political parties fielding strong candidates, you are unlikely to have landslide in an election. Check the results of the last presidential election, the person declared winner won by the closest margin since 1999 – 2.5 million votes. So, we have strong parties fielding strong candidates. In Kogi, it was a contest between an incumbent governor and a former governor. In Bayelsa, it was a contest between an incumbent governor and a former governor.

“Secondly, the elections are getting better. Are we where we all hope for? Not yet, but we are itching closer. Are the votes counting because this has also been the kind prayers by Nigerians that God takes us to the place where the votes we actually cast at the polling units will determine who wins or who loses in an election.

The votes are increasingly counting. In one of the states, which had its governorship election long time ago, four years earlier; the margin of victory between the candidate declared winner and the runner up was over 400,000 votes. When we conducted the supplementary election to conclude the governorship election in January this year, that margin shrank with a little about 40,000. So, it is 10 per cent of the previous margin. This is how competitive our elections have become. And look at the pattern worldwide, the percentage of

turnout in Nigeria is actually like the percentage of turnout globally.

So, we are taking a giant step in the consolidation of our democracy. But in doing that, we are not going to, as I keep saying, press the panic button.

“We will never conclude elections outside the provisions of the constitution, the Electoral Act and our guidelines. If we are going to be criticized for that one, we will take the criticisms but sacrifice has to be made for our democratic systems to work and we are committed to making the sacrifice.

As I said earlier, nobody executes the permission of conducting or concluding any election. In all the inconclusive elections, the major cause is violence. And the level of violence determines the speed with which we are able to mobilise to go back and conclude the elections. It is not right for the commission not to conclude elections but it is only important to protect the sanctity of the ballot.

“We will never declare a winner just for the sake of concluding elections. We will continue to ensure that we protect the sanctity of the votes. The responsibility to uphold our democracy belongs to all of us, so let us not assume that it is only the electoral commission. It is our collective responsibility as a people and as a nation. Party responsibilities are outside the powers of the commission. The commission cannot secure the environment for free and fair elections. So, we also need the integrity of all, including the political actors to make sure we play by the rules and not do or die politics. For as long as that is the case, elections will be disrupted.

And once elections are disrupted, we apply the laws. When we apply the laws, it may lead to some instance, inconclusiveness because we need to make sure that Nigerians get value for our democracy.”

No doubt, INEC is on the side of the law on the various actions it has taken so far, there is no disputing the fact that the task ahead is a no mean one, which explains why it head – Prof. Yakubu, a respected academic has to rise to the occasion and deliver free and fair elections, as the people of Edo State patiently waits for the new date – Wednesday, November 28 – to elect their new governor.

Politics

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Kunle Olayeni reports on the lingering battle for the soul of the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between Senator Buruji Kashamu and Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, which may likely affect the party’s chances in the forthcoming local government election in the state

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Ogun LG poll: Kashamu, Adebutu test might

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ess than a month to the conduct of local government election in Ogun State, there is no sign of any let-up in the battle for the soul of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), one of the major political parties in the impending electoral contest.

Ordinarily, the October 8 council poll would not have mattered to the party considering the fact that opposition parties rarely win in local government elections. But for the purpose of legitimacy ahead of the 2019 general elections, everything about the coming local government election is important for the godfathers and chieftains of PDP in the state.

The party members appear to be unfazed by the Herculean task of dethroning the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as they are up in arms against one another and may not sheathe their swords until the battle is probably won or lost.

At the fore of the feud are Senator Buruji Kashamu and Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu. The two are members of the National Assembly, although representing Ogun State at different legislative chambers. Both are qualified to be called moneybags due to the war chest at their beck and call. But they are torn apart by ambitions.

Kashamu, representing Ogun East Senatorial District, wants to consolidate his hold on the party in the build-up to 2019. On the other hand, Adebutu, representing Remo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, has his eyes on the next governorship in the state and needs a viable platform to actualise it.

Consequently, the battle for control of PDP structures continues to be fiercer, leaving the opposition party beleaguered and its members practically disillusioned. The situation is further compounded by litigation at various courts and conflicting judicial verdicts on the authentic state executive of the party.

The Chief Adebayo Dayo-led faction of the state chapter is loyal to Kashamu while Adebutu is in support of the Hon. Sikirulai Ogundele faction. On the fringe is another group, led by Chief Wale Egunleti, widely believed to be sympathetic to the cause of former House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole. Party sources said Bankole too is inter-

Kashamu

ested in the governorship.

The tussle reached a crescendo in May when the three groups held parallel congresses and thus produced separate state executives. There has not been a lasting solution to the schism as the PDP national leadership is also grappling with factionalisation. As the gulf widens, the rival groups in Ogun PDP continued to pitch tent with either Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee of PDP or Senator Ali Modu Sheriff faction of the party.

As a result, deciding which faction to accord recognition for the purpose of the local government elections became a serious issue for the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC).

Two separate lists of chairmanship and councillorship candidates from the Dayo and Ogundele factions were submitted to the electoral body.

There are 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas in the state.

Seventeen political parties have indicated interest to present chairmanship and councillorship candidates in the election.

The commission, which initially said it would await the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the matter, went on to screen the two lists. “We have so many court judgments with us; they are not contradictory,” Mutiu Agboke, the Commissioner III in OGSIEC said while justifying the reason to screen the two lists.

“They are judgments on different issues and we are not the Court of Appeal to decide on which judgment is superior to the other.

“The INEC has not responded to our letter; no clear-cut direction and that is the reason. But we don’t want to be caught in the web

Adebutu

It may be a miracle for such a divided house to sing victory songs after the crucial election

and that is why we are screening the two factions,” Agboke, who chaired the commission’s screening committee, had said.

But INEC later replied OGSIEC via a letter dated August 9, 2016, saying it recognises only the Dayoled executive as the authentic. It appeared INEC’s position had finally nailed the coffin of the leadership tussle until few days back when OGSIEC publicly made its stand known.

The commission said it would recognise the list of candidates submitted by the Ogundele-led faction. Agboke, who disclosed this in Abeokuta, said the decision was informed by an order of an Abeokuta High Court delivered

by Justice Mobolaji Ojo on May 26, 2016.

He explained that the court specifically addressed the issue of giving recognition to Ogundele’s faction as against the conflicting judgments of Federal High Courts of Abuja, Lagos and PortHarcourt on the party’s leadership crisis.

Agboke pointed out that the commission had reviewed all records before it to arrive at the decision to adopt the list, adding that Justice Ojo’s order had not been set aside by any appellate court and it would subsist until it is properly set aside.

“We need to take a position one way or the other with a view to making progress in this regard.

So, we are going to recognise the list of candidates that has been put forward by Sikiru Ogundele led faction of PDP and we are going to release the list of eligible candidates to the faction,” he said.

The decision of OGSIEC jolted members of the Kashamu-backed faction, who accused the electoral body of bias. They vowed to challenge the commission’s “illegality and injustice” in court.

Rising from an emergency stakeholders meeting held recently in Ijebu-Igbo, Dayo said his group will fight its exclusion from the local government elections. To demonstrate their seriousness, the factional chairman said he had filed criminal contempt proceedings on behalf of the state executive committee at the court.

The faction dragged the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, to court seeking stoppage of the allocations due to the local governments in the state. The plaintiffs also joined the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Olumide Ayeni, and OGSIEC as defendants in the suit filed before a Federal High Court, Abuja.

Dayo said the party was familiar with what he described as “OGSIEC’s antics,” adding that it was not the first time the commission “will be involved in this kind of illegality and injustice.”

He said: “It happened in 2012 and we dealt with them. OGSIEC's action is a clear travesty of justice that won't stand the test of time.

However, it does not mean we are helpless or hopeless. We are going to fight this open travesty of justice and grave illegality until justice is done. They have murdered sleep and shall sleep no more.

“Already, we have filed criminal contempt proceedings against all those concerned. I believe that very soon, the contemnors will find themselves where they rightly belong.

“Also, a case has been filed against OGSIEC, the AttorneyGeneral of Ogun State and the Commissioner for Justice and the Ministry/ Minister of Finance wherein the authentic Ogun State PDP Exco is asking the court to declare the Local Government CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion Buhari: Bringing back Biafra Emissary EMEKA OBASI emobas2003@yahoo.com 0809-445-7557 (sms only)

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ou cannot get anything from President Muhammadu Buhari if all on offer is Biafra. Blame not the retired General, he saw war and lost a couple of friends in battle. Those who chant Biafra all the time must understand this.

Biafra was not a bed of roses either.

Some of us ,like Mr. President, do not want a repeat of hunger having gone through denial as the crisis lasted. While Lt. Buhari was in the bush dodging bullets and Ogbunigwe, we were clearing the bush looking for snakes and rats to eat.

The Civil War ended over 40 years ago.

Today the feelings are back again. There is hunger all over our land of milk and honey. Those in higher institutions know what it means to do 0-1-0 or 1-0-0. It means skip breakfast, grab lunch, forego dinner or breakfast , no lunch ,zero dinner. Students apply this economic theory to survive the harsh times.

That theory has become a luxury now.

Many Nigerian homes cannot even apply the mathematical strategy of survival as hunger ravages their homes. There is no meal at all. Breakfast is dead, lunch has gone to jail. Dinner? Dead and buried.

Pretty soon, we all shall get to experience what happened in Biafra. I understand Kwashiorkor is a Ghanaian word which found its way to the English dictionary.

Many Nigerians cannot imagine it. It is the height of malnutrition. I saw it in Biafra.

When you see a child suffering that disease, you will run away. It took the soldier in War

Commander, General Alexander Madiebo ,to stand firm when for the very first time, he saw humans reduced to skeleton in today’s Cross River/ Akwa Ibom axis.

We are going back to that frightening past and the Federal Government has confirmed it. Recently, minister of state for Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, stated that Nigeria ranks third globally and first in Africa in the index of countries with the highest number of malnourished children.

Wait for it. The children are dying because their parents are unable to take up responsibility. And this creates a bigger problem.

More parents are going to kill themselves following their inability to provide for their families.

Psychologists are worried and have warned of impending suicide cases. Of course, more deaths have been recorded. There was the Mile Two Canal incident when one man dived into the deep blaming the dwindling economy for his suicide attempt. Before the news petered out, one Chief Ekanem Edet of Mbiabong Itam , Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state took his life. That was followed by Yusuf Olubu who killed himself in Aboru, Lagos.

There were less suicide cases in Biafra.

The people were determined to bear the pains. Only brave soldiers took the risk of dying for the sake of country. In Japan, a Samurai[warrior] would either die through belly cutting [hara kiri] or kamikaze in the case of Air Force fighter pilots.

Here in our country people are committing suicide out of hunger. Men who cannot provide for their wives and children choose the suicide option. If things do not get done soonest, a National Emergency could be declared on suicide.

I understand hunger. In Biafra, I ate rat.

It was so bad that by the time there were no more rodents in the bush, we descended on the ones at home. There was just no meat anywhere for the children. And I must confess that because of that alternative, I suffered

Breakfast is dead, lunch has gone to jail. Dinner?

Dead and buried

no malnutrition.

It amuses me when I see big rats in Lagos jumping from one gutter to a restaurant or to even peoples living room. In Biafra, those ones were big enough to be tagged goat meat.

And because of that war experience, I have refused to eat anything called bush meat ever since. I had enough as a boy.

One of my cousins ate lizard. He said it tasted like chicken. I remember watching him fry one. The aroma was fine but I could not stand it. He cut off the head before spicing the delicacy. Snakes were common and I ate quite a lot of pepper soup prepared there from.

Now it sounds odd. Oh, yeah. We are gradually going back to Biafra in Nigeria. Food will be difficult to afford in the coming days unless we get ourselves out of this mess. Then there were refugees. Do we not have them with us today. Tell me , there is no difference between IDP Camps and Feeding Centers. In both cases, food is provided free by government and charity organizations.

The time of Biafra was unusual. The guns boomed as much as bombs were dropped. The guns are back, the bombs are dropping again.

We did not prepare for this situation. Nigerians were promised change for good. The Biafrans knew the consequences of war and were ready for the worst. It is not what you can tell compatriots now.

I still have my Biafran Pound and Shillings just to show those who did not see war. That currency cannot buy anything. The Naira, I am afraid, is going. Five years ago, if you had billions of Zimbabwean dollars, you would be a poor man in our country. Everything is going up, things are not looking up.

President Buhari must not let us go back to the days of Kwashiorkor . I know he hates to remember that terrible moment when Col. Utuk drank garri with his urine. Mr. President does not want us to go back to those years that Col. Godwin Alabi Isama had to settle for the flesh of a fellow human because there was no beef.

The Federal Government must fight recession the way it faced Biafra.

Chibok Girls: Our military on course Chukwudi Enekwechi

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nder President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian military has been widely acknowledged as having exhibited a high sense of professionalism in the fight against insurgency in the North East. Prior to his assumption of power there were several reported cases of troops abandoning their tasks and withdrawing from the war front due to their being ill-equipped or for lack of motivation. Of course this was an aberration and went a long way to undermine the war against Boko Haram.

Now we know that the military has been reorganized and they have substantially degraded the ability of Boko Haram to attack communities and occupy territories.

On the Chibok girls, it is a well known fact that the President Buhari administration is focused on rescuing them safely. He has provided necessary incentives to enable the military accomplish the task and these efforts are still on-going. Furthermore, the Nigerian military is making efforts to rescue not only the Chibok girls, but all Boko Haram hostages, Nigerians and non-

Nigerians alike.

Suffice it to say that the military’s determined efforts have led to the successful rescue of over 20,000 hostages including men, women and children who have been in Boko Haram’s captivity.

It is therefore unbelievable that despite these concerted efforts, some groups and individuals continue to base the success of the military in the insurgency fight on the non-release of the Chibok girls. Already the point has been made that the military is not relenting on successfully rescuing the unfortunate Chibok girls.

The Buhari administration has also shown empathy and concern for the plight of the abducted girls. On several occasions, the President has met with the parents of the girls as well as other stakeholders with a view to fashioning out ways and means to safely rescue the girls.

A critical evaluation of the fight against Boko Haram will clearly show that all territories previously occupied by insurgents have been liberated by the Nigerian military. If this is not a successful milestone, then we need to invent another word for the word “success”.

It is pertinent to point out that it won’t be easy to restore complete order to a region that was ravaged for over five years by dare-devil Boko Haram terrorists, yet our military continues to record significant progress in the war.

We must realize that the military is making great sacrifice for the security of the country and all they require is cooperation of all, including the Bring Back Our Girls Group (BBOG).

Have we stopped for a moment to ponder about the sacrifices the armed forces personnel make in fighting for our freedom from the insurgents? It is understood that some had died in the course of the war, and many others are separated from their families and loved ones for many months and even years.

For the avoidance of doubt, it needs to be stated that it is practically impossible for the military to release sensitive information relating to their operations to the public. It is only common sense that information regarding the Chibok girls or indeed other military operations ought to be managed in the national interest and in a manner that does not compromise national security.

Therefore, as the military continues to stabilize the North East region for an enduring peace, it is important that we eschew mischief and politics in our quest to rescue the Chibok girls. It will be foolhardy for the military to allow some irresponsible groups or individuals to undermine national security under the guise of campaigning for the release of Chibok girls.

It is indeed commendable that under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari and the diligent supervision of his

service chiefs all monies meant for the war against insurgency are being utilized with sincerity and honesty of purpose.

We must admit that the Nigerian military has exhibited a high level of competence and ability in the war against insurgency but that does not entail meeting with Bring Back Our Girls Campaigners. First they are not answerable to BBOG and their mode of operations does not leave room for such interaction.

That the military has gained significant mileage in the war against Boko Haram is no longer in doubt as even the United States has attested to the fact, hence the human and material support they are offering the Nigerian military to ensure a successful outcome in the war.

Is it not surprising that some people are criticizing the military for declaring three Nigerians wanted on matters related to the whereabouts of the Chibok girls, without even knowing the amount of credible intelligence at their disposal. Obviously such unwarranted intrusion into the activities of the military will do more harm than good.

As an institution it is meant to operate within prescribed norms and code of conduct and any deviation usually attracts commensurate reprimand and punishment.

•Enekwechi, a Public Affairs Analyst, writes from Abuja and can be reached via kwechis19@yahoo. com

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

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Economic recession and sports

igeria is in recession. The confirmation came recently after the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in a report released last week stated that the Consumer Price Index increased from 16.5 per cent in June to 17.1 per cent in July this year. A total of 79.9 million Nigerians are said to be jobless just as inflation hits an all-time high. Again, the finance minister, Kemi Adeosun, also confirmed the development and noted that the federal government was working hard to address the situation.

This situation was crucial in the administration of sports as the funds meant for various competitions are always delayed or never released. Sports like Taekwondo, table tennis and boxing were affected during the qualifiers for the Olympic Games. We recall that the athletes suffered neglect as government did not respond when they needed to participate in the qualifiers for the Olympic Games.

Nigeria was not represented in the taekwondo event not only because of the crisis in the federation; we believe the ministry of sports should have saved the situation. This is so sad for a sport that earned Nigeria a medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

For the Olympic Games proper, the recession also affected Team Nigeria as funds for the games was released at the eve

of the 31st Olympiad that took place between August 5 and 21 in Rio, Brazil.

This denied the athletes the opportunity to embark on a training tour which government through the minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung promised them. The training tour would have helped the preparation.

We also confirmed that the money meant to transport the competition kits to athletes in Rio was not paid on time due to the late release of funds. At the games, the ath-

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medal but four years later, the story is almost the same. It was the U-23 football team that saved the situation with a hard-won bronze medal in Rio. Going forward, we want the ministry to look into sports funding beyond government.

The private sector should be fully involved so that nobody will rely on government funds for preparation and participation in qualifying events of

Again, there should be a Trust Fund for sports

letes were paid what they called ‘equipment allowance’ and three days to the end of the games, the kits arrived. It was a shame that Team Nigeria competed in Rio with their personal kits.

Let us clearly state that the delay in the release of Rio 2016 funds is not a good excuse for the poor performance of Nigeria at the games. Government has never released money on time for any event and may never do so due to the bureaucratic bottlenecks involved in getting almost anything done in the civil service in the country.

The ministry of sports should have been pro-active to source funds for the athletes to continue with their preparation for the games. At the 2012 event in London, Nigeria did not win any

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major meets.

Government could sponsor the competition proper while the private sector prepares the

athletes for the competition.

It is so sad that there is no sports policy in the country to guide ministers in their decisions especially as most of them do not have good background on sports. There could be a template for multinational companies to sponsor one or two Grade A athletes or a federation for a particular competition.

Again, there should be a Trust Fund for sports. The last we can recall about this was for sports and education and the ministry of sports does not have access to the money. There should be a deliberate plan to take care of the needs of the athletes in terms of facilities, welfare, exposure and much more.

Great Britain spent about four million pounds which is

the equivalent of N1.6bn on each medal won at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. They won 27 gold, 23 silver and 38 bronze medals at the games. Here is a country that won just one gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games to place 36th while Nigeria won two gold medals to finish 32nd on the table. And 20 years after, Great Britain finished second on the table with 27 gold while Nigeria was 78th with only one bronze.

We believe the Britons have worked so hard to get this far.

To launch their kits for the games, it was a big party in London. They were a shining example on and off the competition venues in Rio. Nigeria can imbibe the British model of using a Trust Fund to boost sports development in the next 10 year.

This is one way we believe the current economic recession will not further hinder the progress of the various talented athletes we have all over the country. The country is blessed with natural talents that have the potential to rule the world in their sports disciplines but getting our acts together to nurture them to stardom has been a big problem.

Countries like Jamaica, Bahamas and now Great Britain have shown Nigeria that with hard work, fortune can change for good for the country in sports.

16

POLITICS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Afe Babalola's clarion call on Ekiti devt Tunde Olofintila

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lder Statesman and a major proponent for the creation of Ekiti State, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), has called on well-meaning Ekiti sons and daughters wherever they may be, to harness their God-given talents, their contacts and connections in high places for the development of Ekiti State, which apart from Gombe State, receives the least allocation from the monthly Federal Government allocation to states.

Babalola, who chaired the maiden Colloquium on the Development of Ekiti, organised by Ekitipanupo, the Indigenous Think-Tank and Intellectual Round-Table Advocating Selfless Governance of Ekiti People, in Lagos yesterday (Thursday, September 8, 2016) said he looks forward to an Ekiti State which will benefit from its educated elite, first rate academics, robust industrialists and military big wigs as well as seasoned administrators as a result of which the state is fondly christened “The Fountain of Knowledge”.

Babalola, who was represented the Head of Corporate Affairs, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Mr. Tunde Olofintila, said: “It is a wellknown fact that many of us Ekitis are stars, indeed some are mega stars, in our various vocations and callings. We have contacts and connections in high places.

My plea here today is that we should harness such contacts and connections for the development of Ekiti land.”

He added: “Let each of us here bring his/her friend, husband, wife and wellwishers to invest in Ekiti and let’s see if the story will not be different by this time next year. I look forward to seeing an Ekiti State that will be the clear leader among the comity of states in Nigeria. It is possible. It is attainable. It is achievable and the time to start that race is now”.

The ABUAD Founder however counselled that future editions of the wellthought out Colloquium should take place in Ekiti to enable many Ekiti indigenes who have not been home in a long time to have a better feel and appreciation of what has been and what needs to be done to move our state forward.

He stressed that since the Colloquium was not meant for the elites per se, hosting it in Ekiti would naturally have enabled many more indigenes of Ekitiland, ranging from traditional rulers, civil servants, artisans and indeed the generality of Ekitis to be more readily available and present at a Colloquium discussing them and their wellbeing as well as their future, pointing out that in these days of harsh economic reality, many people who otherwise could not afford to come to Lagos would have found it easy and cheap to be present if the Colloquium was held in Ekitiland.

Besides, hosting the Colloquium in Ekiti would have enabled the crème-dela-crème of Ekiti people to see the level of development and probable areas of need in the state.

He recalled and commended the roles played by some frontline Ekiti Obas like the Alaye of Efon-Alaaye, HRM, Oba Aladejare Agunsoye, the Ewi of AdoEkiti, HRM, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe and several other stakeholders like himself who had the privilege of drafting the memo for the creation of the State which he personally presented and defended before Mbanefo Panel in Akure as a result of which it came into being on October 1, 1996.

The frontline legal icon lamented that despite the collective efforts of Ekiti leaders to see Ekiti state created, regretfully, Ekiti has not really achieved the aim and

Babalola

We have contacts and connections...

My plea is that we should harness such contacts and connections for the development of Ekiti land

aspirations as the state is far from being developed in all spheres of life.

His words: “Twenty years after its creation, Ekiti State remains a land-locked state. There are no motor-able roads, no industries and no infrastructures while the airport designated for the state was

politically asphyxiated, the fact that the sum of N680 million had already been budgeted for its take-off notwithstanding. To put in point-blank, there is poverty in the land because with the present constitution, the state and local government laws, there is very little coming to the states and there isn’t much the state governors and local government chairmen could do without money.

“It is on record that apart from Gombe State, Ekiti State receives the least allocation from the monthly Federal Government allocation to states. It will interest you that Ekiti land was contributing 44 per cent of the total revenue of the old Western Region through the instrumentality of agricultural produce. But all that would appear to have disappeared, no thanks to the advent of oil which drew people away from their otherwise lucrative pastime of farming which used to fetch them handsome income in the days of yore”.

Veering into education where he has been a major player, Babalola noted that for a long time, the Ekitis have been acknowledged for their legendary repute for learning, the resolute determina-

tion of its people to learn and their uncompromising commitment to invest in education as a result of which the state has become a prolific producer of doctorate degrees and professorships and has equally continued to produce exceptionally distinguished people, intellectuals and professionals like Prof.

Niyi Osundare, the sole National Merit Award recipient for the centennial year of 2014 and Prof. Michael Omolewa, a former Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to UNESCO, among many others.

It is however lamentable that the passage of time has vitiated the validity of many of the perceptions of Ekiti.

For example, it is being noted that the younger generation are less resolute in the pursuit of academic excellence as there are many failures in the school examinations. Many of the youths are now slothful with some desiring to earn payments for work not done. It is said that there are now the Ekitis who are vicious and contemptuous, envying others without making an effort to excel.

He decried the situation in the country where newly elected political office holders abhour the need to build on the foundation laid by their predecessors because they find it difficult to distinguish between politics and governance.

This, in many cases has led people taking over the reins of government from their predecessors to always abandon the projects of their predecessors and start their own, particularly when such predecessors are not from the same party with the new helmsman and in almost all of such cases to the disadvantages of the generality of the people.

He advised the Ekitis not to allow politics to destroy the state to avoid the bastardization, desecration and destruction of the age-long value, mores and ethos of respect for elders which the Ekitis are known for. That, in his view, would address the present trend whereby people abuse their elders with impunity.

To him, ‘that has not been the practice in the past and the untoward practice has to stop and the time to start is now.

We, as a people, must show good examples for others to follow”.

Babalola was however encouraged that with the Colloquium, a new trend has begun. He therefore encouraged his kinsmen to wake up to their responsibilities as a people to get the Ekiti State of the people’s dream, expectation and aspiration.

•Olofintila wrote from Lagos

Kashamu, Adebutu and PDP’s bumpy ride C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 3

election null and void if it is held without the authentic and validly nominated candidates by the only recognised Engr. Adebayo Dayo-led state exco.

“The authentic and recognised state exco who are the plaintiffs in the suit are also asking the court to stop the allocations due to the local government that will be constituted without the participation of the validly nominated candidates of the PDP.” Kashamu justified the decision to sue the defendants.

The senator noted that INEC had recognised the Dayo-led executive and duly notified OGSIEC about it. He won-

dered why the state electoral body refused to follow due process but expressed confidence that the judiciary will resolve the matter.

He appealed to PDP candidates and members not to despair about the “setback” and assured that the party would wax stronger despite current challenges to win 2019 general elections.

While reacting, Ogundele said the PDP would prepare for the council poll despite the rift among some of its notable leaders. He said party members must unite and forge a common front to oust the ruling APC. “Our victory at OGSIEC is that of no victor, no vanquished. That’s how I can describe it. We are just one

PDP family and we must just bury the hatchet. We just need to come back together,” he added.

Ogundele denied that the crisis rocking the party was all about the rift between Kashamu and Adebutu. “The governorship thing is not coming up in the next three years. So, it can’t be because somebody wants to be governor that’s why we decided to bring up a faction,” he argued in an interview.

The factional chairman insisted that his party was ready for the local government elections, saying “Considering the insensitivity of the current APC-led administration in the state to the plight of the people, looking at the high level of penny-

wise, pound foolish policies that have been put in place and considering the policy somersault that has characterised the administration that they are running, let me tell you in clear terms it is very easy for PDP.” As campaigns and mobilisation intensify among the various political parties, not a few observers reckon that the PDP, as the main opposition in the state, is on a bumpy ride.

With Kashamu threatening contempt charges against rival party leaders and Adebutu making frantic moves to become the new czar, it may be a miracle for such a “divided house” to sing victory songs after the crucial election.

17

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Arts

NICO calls for promotion of non-material culture

CULTURE

18

Catharsis: Narrative of deep emotions from GFAN Tony Okuyeme

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here a lot of things going on in the country; a lot of things going on in people’s hearts, a lot of things people want answers to. It is said that there are some years that ask questions, and there some years that give answers. I think we are in the years where there are a lot of questions and we need answers; the things that are happening around us and we want quick answers to them. So, artists are engaged in lot of things which they are asking questions that they want answers to,” notes president of the Guild of Professional Fine Artists of Nigeria (GFAN), Olusegun Adejumo, at the opening last Saturday of the ongoing 2016 annual group exhibition by members of the guild, at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The show titled ‘Catharsis’ which ends tomorrow features works by over 20 professional artists who are members of the guild.

The purpose of the exhibition, Adejumo further stated, is to bring new insights into the creative studio activities of the members of the GFA, “their experiments, works and how these works might affect the existential disposition of the audience – art collectors and enthusiasts.

The works on display vary from socio-political to philosophical, esoteric and poetic, but in all, they “speak from the heart of the artists with passion, thus Catharsis”.

“Catharsis is a narrative of deep emotions with each artist using his/her own language and expression using the preferred material(s) and medium.

“It is about artist engaging their deep emotions and letting it go for people to have an idea of the experiences they have and they engage their subject matter.”

The works on display, indeed, show the artists’ depic-

TONY OKUYEME Arts Editor tony.okuyeme@newtelegraphonline.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Argungu Ripples, Oil on Canvas, by Mufutau Apooyin

tion and exploration of various issues through diverse media, such as ‘Twilight Market’ (Oil on Textured Canvas) by Alex Nwokolo, ‘Serenity’ (Oil on Canvas)

by Bimbo Adenuga, ‘Bad Money’ and ‘Black Out’ (both Acrylic on Canvas) by Diseye Tantula, ‘Evening Blues’ (Enamel Spray Paint, Acrylic on Wood Baord)

by Duke Asidere, and ‘Sweet Memories’ and ‘Argungu Ripples’ (both Oil on Canvas) by Mufutau Apooyin as well as ‘Ibadan’ (Oil on Textured Canvas) by Lekan Onabanjo. There are also works such as ‘Rhythm on Strings’ (Acrylic on Canvas) by Nobert Okpu; ‘Custodian’ and ‘Emergence’ (both Welded Metal) by Fidelis Eze Odogwu, and others.

Participating members of the guild include Abraham Uyovbisere, Alex Nwokolo, Bimboi Adenuga, Diseye Tantua, Duke Asidere, Ebenezer Akinola, Edosa Oguigo, Emenike Ogwo, Fidelis Eze Odogwu, Francis Uduh, George Edozie, Gerry Nnubia, Joshua Nmesirionye, Kehinde Sanwo, Lekan Onabanjo. Others are Norbert Okpu, Mufutua Apooyin, Olusegun Adejumo, Osagie Aimufia, Sam Ebohon, Tayo Quaye, Tola Wewe, Toni Okujeni and Reuben Ugbine.

In an interview at the opening of the exhibition, Asidere, explains the idea behind his two works, ‘Evening Blues’, and ‘Visitations’. He said: “Evening Blues is a painting I did thinking about how we go to bed. A lot of people have

Custodian, Welded Metal, by Fidelis Eze Odogwu

The works on display vary from sociopolitical to philosophical, esoteric and poetic, but in all, they “speak from the heart of the artists with passion...

Reflection IV, Oil on Canvas by Abraham Uyovbisere

issues with sleeping; they usually use a lot of things to make them sleep. But I believe that if you use lights (I have always light lights, a lot of people go to clubs to just go and shake their bodies, I go to club to look at the lights also). The Evening Blues, I have had for eight years; it has always been in my bed room. It is something that I look on and look on before I go to bed. So, for me, it’s a sleep activator; it is something that sedates me when I look at it. I have not had issues with sleep but I think we are in society where we worry a lot, and greed has pushed us beyond our limits – we do beyond our limits - so we find it very difficult to sleep when we should naturally sleep. I am showing this work just to inspire the minds of people.

According to him, ‘Visitation’, is about “how we manage colours and manage emotions. When I paint, I am more bothered about how my picture ends, how does it end? What are the things I want

Adejumo

to achieve when I paint? So, in that work, I was able to, by the use of contrast, break the pattern of blue. I think it is an enjoyable piece. If you look at the work, the figure is almost hanging, but it is seated figure, and I enjoy it. I am showing two works that I have a lot of faith in. I could have shown any other work in my studio; I could have shown work that is bigger than this. So, it is not size; it is usually content, and it is how much soul that you have in your work that is the issue here.”

Also, on display are two metal sculptures - ‘The Emergence’ and ‘The Custodian’, by Odogwu Fidelis Eze. As the title suggests, ‘The Custodian’, he explained, has cultural underpinning. “I am an African, and individual units of that Africa, if you narrow it down to Nigeria, and also narrow it to where I am based, Lagos, we all have symbols. And once you see ‘Eyo’, it is a symbol of Lagos State. So, that is the culture that it portrays.”

On the ‘The Allegiance’, he explained: “You can push it to anywhere, whether political, social, or even the family setting, I believe that we are growing. People think that we should be in a place, but we are developing; we are emerging, doing what we are supposed to do, even if the economy is so tight now. I believe that we are trying to restructure things; so things are coming up the way it should be.

“It is a good show, well put together.”

18

ART

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Boost for contemporary art as ART X Lagos debuts

A

Participants in the 2016 edition of Childrens Creative Station Workshop (CCSW) organised by the National Troupe of Nigeria (NTN) in command performance of the Dented

NICO calls for promotion of non-material culture

T

he need for Nigerians to promote the country’s non-material culture, particularly language, which could be seen as the most viable aspect of a people’s non-material culture has again been emphasized.

The coordinator, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Minna, Niger State office, Mrs. Funke Ndukwe, who stated this at the closing ceremony of the 4th edition of Nigerian Indigenous Language Programme (NILP), at the office premises at UK Bello Arts Theatre, Minna, urged the participants to make use of the languages they were taught in every place they find themselves.

She also appreciated the participants, especially those from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), advising them to always speak the languages they learnt in the programme with their colleagues and use the local dialects to educate motorists and road users, as it will foster understanding among them.

In her goodwill message, the Sector Commander, FRSC, Minna, represented by the Head of Operations, DCC Nma Magana, appre-

ciated NICO’s effort in preserving and encouraging the use of Nigerian languages in the country, further encouraging the use of tribal names by people for easy identification.

The FRSC Sector Commander urged the participants and Nigerians at large to shun the patronage of Western materials and embrace the use of indigenous materials, as it will improve the economic viability of the nation.

Also speaking, the Assistant Marketing Manager, NTA Minna, Mrs. Maryam Abdulsalam, who was also a participant at the NILP, showered praises on the management of NICO for giving people the opportunity to learn Nigerian indigenous languages, promising to air the programme on NTA Minna for NICO free.

Mrs. Abdulsalam urged the Institute to collaborate with relevant media organizations for them to adequately publicize the programme to encourage more participants to attend the subsequent programmes.

Also, Mrs. Eunice Akaayor, who emerged the overall best participant and also an officer of Federal Road

Safety Corps (FRSC), called for private sponsorship of the programme and urged NICO Minna not to depend on government fund to organize it, saying that the programme should be taken to the doorsteps of other organisations.

The HOD, Orientation and Cultural Affairs, NICO Minna, Mallam Sidi Galadima, who was represented by Mallam Yakubu Akoshi, in his vote of thanks, expressed appreciation to the Executive Secretary, Dr. Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma, for organising the programme with utmost support to the resource persons and the participants.

He advised the participants to keep speaking the languages they had learnt during the four weeks exercise and not to relent in encouraging other people to participate in the subsequent editions, also using the medium to announce the sales of forms for the NICO Training School programmes at Lagos and Abuja offices, respectively.

The programme featured recitation, drama, and presentation of certificates and gifts to the participants

by Mrs. Ndukwe.

new art fair designed to widen Nigeria’s connection to the contemporary art scene across Africa and internationally is set to debut in Lagos.

The fair, tagged ART X Lagos, has been created to consolidate the role of the visual arts as an important component of the creative industry and contribute to the increased visibility of contemporary artists from Africa, creating a vibrant art market and positioning Lagos as an emergent cultural capital on the continent, TP-Collective announced.

“In so doing the aim is to provide the best insight into what the visual art sector in Africa has to offer to a wider local and international audience, and encourage African and international patrons to visit Lagos.”

The first edition of the three-day art fair will open on Friday November 4, 2016, at The Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, and end on Sunday.

‘ART X Lagos’ will feature a selected group of invited art galleries from Nigeria, across Africa and the Diaspora, showcasing the most innovative contemporary art by over 45 established and emerging artists. Exhibitors at ART X Lagos will include galleries such as Art House – The Space (Nigeria), Bloom Art (Nigeria), SMO Contemporary (Nigeria), Goodman Gallery (South Africa) and Stevenson Gallery (South Africa), amongst others. Included in the overall programme will be interactive projects and presentations that entertain a broader audience, including live areas for performance artists, illustrators and graffiti artists.

Founder of ART X Lagos and director of TP-Collective, Tokini Peterside, states that she is encouraged by the interest and support they have received so far from all quarters, noting, that “this affirms our decision to go ahead with

Glo drama series: Tension as AY incurs Prof Johnbull ’s wrath A

s the popular television drama series, ‘Professor Johnbull’, sponsored by Globacom, enters episode 8 this week, the issue of indecent dressing across all the ages and sexes takes centre stage.

Entitled “Happening Guys”, the episode showcases top comedian, Ayo Makun, widely known as AY, who brings his comic streak into the sitcom without whittling down the message that the episode seeks to pass.

The episode gives a description of the social term “happening guys” just as it establishes what constitutes indecent dressing. As usual, the drama teaches some didactic lessons through the all-knowing disciplinarian, Professor Johnbull played

by Kanayo O. Kanayo. Viewers will find out what the lessons are and what will be AY’s role in the episode as well as how he engages the Professor.

Globacom, in a statement in Lagos described Episode 8 as highly interesting and “one that will change the conversation on the rivalry between ‘old school’ and ‘modern swags’”.

The network encourages viewers to keep it a date with Professor Johnbull in this week’s episode which aired last Tuesday, while the repeat broadcast will be on the same channels at the same time today.

Cast of Prof Johnbull

such an ambitious project.

As Nigeria and its neighbouring countries seek to diversify and expand their economies, our investment in the creative industry via Art X Lagos, offers a vital platform for growth and increased visibility, to artists and galleries. Our aim with Art X Lagos is to encourage greater patronage of artists across the board in Africa, and to inspire young people and the future generations of artists. We are very happy to be working with the acclaimed international curator, Bisi Silva, who is working closely with the galleries as well as developing a dynamic programme of exhibitions, commissions and talks.”

Artistic Director of ART X Lagos, Bisi Silva, said she is excited to be part of this ‘pioneering initiative’.

Her words: “I believe this art fair can become one of the key ways in which we begin to develop and internationalise the art sector in Africa as well as add value to the incredible work that is being created across the continent. In this way an art ecosystem can be developed that contributes to the visibility and sustainability of artistic practice as well as allows for collaboration and partnerships across the continent and further afield.

During Art X Lagos visitors will be presented with a dynamic programme of curated projects, live events, as well as a vibrant talks programme.

“Our goal is for Art X Lagos to deliver an exceptional, uniquely designed experience spread across all three floors of the Civic Centre.”

ART X Lagos welcomes a diverse audience of art lovers, cultural practitioners, art collectors and connoisseurs, as well as students and young adults as we set out to position the West African region, and specifically Lagos, as an important destination on the global cultural calendar.

19

FRIday, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Sex and Marriage Counselor

Feminique

20

The flabby truth about weak erection

Diary of a dating mom My boys warm up for secondary school

20

Sangoleye, the Mom-in-Chief!

As the CEO OF Baby Grubz Nigeria, a children's food and nutrition solution company, Seun Sangoleye assumed the title of the Mom-in-Chief. With a TV show, Naija Baby Food TV to show Nigerian moms how to go green and natural with their children’s food, she was recently recognised and appointed a Mandela Washington Fellow by the US Department of State. In a chat with EBERE AMEH, she discloses why she was selected and how the experience will help her do more for Nigerian moms and babies

S

eun Sangoleye is one of those entrepreneurs that believe with hard work and determination the sky will be the limit but just a stepping stone. After leaving her regular job and finding her passion in a novel natural baby food production business, she was determined to make it work despite the challenges she had to face. Now, her consistency and resilience is paying off, not only because of the huge patronage she enjoys, but the international fellowship she now enjoys. She was selected by the US Department of State to participate in the 2016 six week training for the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship.

“The selection process was purely based on merit and how the business you do helps to change societal issues,” Seun said of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, adding that she was asked questions relating to leadership and volunteering and was able to demonstrate leadership based on her online network where she mentors Nigerian mothers.

“My products, services and professional advice are in constant demand by the community and this led me to open a facebook group to engage mothers who need reliable feeding and nutrition information in real time. As at the time of applying the group had 21,000 members, by the time I went for interview it had grown to 35,000. Currently we have 66,000 mothers with whom we interact daily on this platform (Natural Delicious Food for my baby by BGN).

I invite Paediatricians regularly to address pressing issues; especially malnutrition in children 0-5years.

I volunteer quarterly at Bethesda

EBERE AMEH ebere.ameh@newtelegraphonline.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Child Support Agency, Culbeat Foundation as a nutrition educator.

I also teach mothers at community health centres and churches on costeffective and highly nutritious meals for children,” Seun explained.

Talking about how her work is addressing serious issues like malnutrition and how she is working to find a long term solution to these problems, the young CEO said that most Nigerian mothers lack basic information on child nutrition.

“According to the Nigeria Demographic & Health Survey in 2013, 37% of children under 5 are stunted, 18% are wasted and 29% are underweight. These statistics on malnutrition are alarming and most Nigerian mothers lack basic information on child nutrition even though we are blessed with abundant tropical food crops. I have written 2 books on this subject to help show mothers how to practically feed their children using grains, fruits and vegetables in our environment.

“The influx of imported children's meals made from ingredients that are not locally available also hinders the transitioning of children from infant to regular family meals because they find the new tastes, textures and flavours different from what they have been fed for about 24 months. Mothers who do not know better, result to force feeding their children, leading to choking and this has claimed several children's lives.

Mothers still go to the extent of using non-prescribed drug combinations to force the children to eat.

“To help curb these societal issues, I have developed infant meals made from locally sourced iron-rich ingredients to help children identify with our local foods from the start of solid meals, through an online channel where we communicate daily with over 66,000 mothers and regularly invite medical personnel to teach safe and cost effective nutrition for children. However, a lot still needs to be done to reach a wider audience, especially women at the grassroots who do not have online access, to help them understand the dangers of these issues.”

Describing her experience, she said it was nothing short of awesome.

We need to begin to bring about the change that we want to see and not wait for the government

“The six weeks program went by really fast but the experience and lessons were very profound. I was at the Clark Atlanta University School of Business Administration for my academic work. We had powerful courses and lessons on Leadership, Management, Entrepreneurial Strategies, Supply Chain, Innovations and Entrepreneurship, Green Entrepreneurship amongst others.

I was able to complete all my coursework to earn certificates in Six Sigma Yellow Belt, Global business summit amongst others.

“We also had volunteering opportunities at Horizons Atlanta Children’s school, MedShare International, Atlanta Community Food bank. We went on experiential learning visits to major corporations’ headquarters to learn of their success stories, CSR and how these companies have been able to sustain their growth for decades these include CocaCola, CNN, IBM, UPS. We also learned first-hand how the city is being run through visits to the the Mayor’s office, Atlanta chamber of commerce, Atlanta business league and Invest Atlanta.”

Despite the wonderful experience in the United States, Seun said her biggest take home from the fellowship was not with the Americans but from other African countries.

“I was placed in the university

Sangoleye

along with fellows from other African countries which include: Kenya, Uganda, Cape Verde, Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, Djibouti, Chad, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Cameroun, Burundi, Tanzania, DR Congo, Ethiopia and Liberia. I realized my ignorance about other African countries and I learned that our biggest collaborations should be with other African countries if we really want to strengthen the economy of the continent and this fellowship opportunity has given me brothers and sisters across borders.”

On the impact on her business, community and life the Computer Scientist turned entrepreneur said: “My experiences at the city of Atlanta and how it is being run helped me to picture Mandela’s words that ‘Leadership is not holding positions of formal authority’ and that we can all effect positive changes in our space and we can help rouse our community to do the same through our influence. We need to begin to bring about the change that we want to see and not wait for the government.

“On my business I learned from my classes with Prof Kimbro and Prof Whitlow that character of the business owner as well as its values are far more critical than any strategy for growth. Creating a culture of trust and integrity is essential to success of my company. I must also seek to fill a need in my community through my work and develop a relationship with everyone in our value chain especially women. But “On my Life, I have more faith and confidence in myself and my abilities now. President Barack Obama said that we should first think of what we want to do, not what we want to be and these words resonate with me deeply. I have learned from the Americans how to use gadgets and technology readily available to do more and reduce stress which will greatly help my work-life balance especially as a mother and a wife.”

Talking about her TV show, Seun said that her first recording of the show was before was sponsored.

“The first recording of the show was before my trip to the USA and it was sponsored by Bio Nutrients Organic Systems. All our recordings are on youtube and our facebook platform to enable mothers watch and save episodes in their mobile devices. We would like to reach out to rural women who do not have access to internet.”

Admonishing working mothers to go natural for the sake of their children, Seun who is the Convener of the Annual Baby Grubz Seminar noted that Baby Grubs meals are 100% natural; carefully handmade to perfection, using the best quality organic produce, nutritionally sound and with diverse variety to meet the needs of the children.

20 FEMINIQUE

FRIday, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

The flabby truth about weak erection E rectile dysfunction (ED) is the inability to get or keep an erection firm enough to have sexual intercourse. It is also referred to as weak erection or impotence.

Who suffers from erection failure? Almost all men at some point in our lives. We’ve been brainwashed to think that the erect penis is a reliable and strong part of us, until the first time something goes wrong. But the truth is that an erection is one of the weakest links in men. It is susceptible to all kinds of things: a woman saying the wrong things at the wrong moment, our belief that we should be able to have sex at anytime (even when we don’t want to!), our chauvinistic belief that the man gives during sex and the woman receives (even when we want something different).and so on, and so forth.

But, having said that, some men are more likely to have erection problems than others. Are you a worrier? Do small things trouble you? Do you brood on relationships, worry over what people have said and done to you? Do you easily get depressed? Are you a perfectionist?

Or are you a happy-go-lucky kind of a guy, who doesn’t take anything too seriously and makes the best of everything? Well, the flabby truth is that the worriers and perfectionists

Sex and Marriage Counselor

drtaiwofadeyi@gmail.com

08033148899

Dr. Taiwo Fadeyi are the ones most likely to experience erectile failure.

What is Erectile Dysfunction?

Male sexual arousal may seem simple, but it depends on a precise, complex sequence of events inside the body. The brain activates nerves in the penis to relax muscles in the spongy tissues that run the length of the penis. When these muscles relax, blood can flow in from arteries to fill open spaces in the spongy tissue.

Increased blood pressure expands the penis. Membranes around the spongy tissue sustain the erection. Anything interrupting this sequence can cause the inability to have or keep an erection long enough for sexual intercourse.

Erectile dysfunction symptoms might include persistent: Trouble getting an erection Trouble keeping an erection Reduced sexual desire Statistics

As cited by Merck in the Merck Manual for Health Care Professionals, at least 10 to 20 million men in the United States alone suffer from erectile dysfunction. Experts believe that the number may actually be higher because men aren’t comfortable speaking to their doctors about their sexual problems. What many men don’t realize is that most men at some point in their life will experience some form of erectile dysfunction.

Some of the most reliable ED stats have emerged from a large data collection effort called the Massachusetts Male Aging Study.

According to that data, rates of ED among men tend to correlate with their age bracket, says Tobias Köhler, M.D., chief of the Division of Male Infertility at Southern Illinois University. “Roughly 40 percent of men in their 40s suffer from ED, 50 percent in their 50s, etc.,” he says.

The truth is that an erection is one of the weakest links in men

There are a lot of explanations for these high ED rates, some of which are psychological. “A lot of men may have an off night, and then that sticks in their head and hurts their performance for a few weeks or months,” Dr. Köhler explains.

He says anxiety stokes hormones like the fight-or-flight chemical adrenaline, which is a serious boner killer. (In evolutionary terms, it would be tough to run away from a predator with an erection.)

Getting and staying hard is like trying to fall asleep. The more you think about it, the less likely it is to happen. But those psychogenic factors aren’t to blame for escalating ED rates, Dr. Köhler says. After all, a man’s brain isn’t any different today than it was 100 years ago.

So what explains the apparent rise in ED problems amongst us today? Here are the leading candidates: Junk food, sedentary lifestyle, stress, self-medication, Good Life (smoking, alcohol, drug abuse, excessive partying) etc.

Finally, is your ED curable? A series of standard questions have been developed by an international association on erectile dysfunction.

Request for your FREE copy with your name, phone no, email or whatsapp no.

Ego: Diary of a happening mom Ebere Ameh

H

ow time flies! It was just like yesterday when my children came back for their long vacation. Spending just about a week at home, we travelled together for a short vacation in the US, and now its school resumption again? Only, this time they are going in for not just a new session, but some to a new school and a new level.

The boys are both going to secondary school and they don’t cease to tell whoever cares to listen that they are big boys.

It was in the course of one of those brags that I realized how close their resumption is.

"I wonder who will help these lazy girls do the dishes from Saturday when we are gone to secondary school. We'll come back as big boys who would rather do better things than do dishes," I overheard Ron say to Grace while he was doing the dishes with Tobi. I have a standing rule that they help in the house work on weekends so they learn to care for themselves.

Though they do it rotationally, I'm more concerned with the boys. I want them to learn to do basic things, including cooking and not carry themselves as kings.

Danny doesn’t agree with me on that though.

"You will not only do the dishes when you come back on holiday, you'd have both graduated to cooking. Better watch Blessing when she cooks because that will be your next assignment," I chirped, adding that I want them to be able to cook for their wives when they parturiate.

"I can cook mum, Ron said with an excited smile on his face. Let Tobi and I make you breakfast tomorrow,” he submitted.

"You'll be surprised mum, we

My boys warm up for secondary school can cook better than Aunty Blessing," Tobi said in agreement causing Grace and I to chuckle.

But come to think of it, my boys are going to secondary school in a matter of days. They both got admissions to top secondary schools in Nigeria, including the Kings College. It took a while convincing them to agree on their current school, a British international secondary school. In addition to the millions we are going to spend on their school school fees and the shopping, I'll have to learn to cope with their absence while in boarding school.

“I’ll sure miss you guys when you leave for boarding school.

Your pranks and jokes have no part two,’ I teased, leaving them to continue with their work.

Talking about shopping for their resumption, I know how

hectic it can be. Shopping for them while in primary school was taking a toll on my life, how much more now that it is a secondary school. But just as I was thinking it over, and planning on inviting my sister, Nene to help out, Danny stepped in and overruled all my suggestions.

"All your suggestions overruled.” he teased. “We are not bothering nobody to help out with our kids shopping. I've gotten it all figured out and we are buying every dam thing needed for their resumption online," he said with an air of finality. Without listening to whatever contrary idea I was coming up with, he added, "all you'd do is take delivery of the items while the domestic staff help them pack. Though you think you are well and strong, I think you need to be careful till you recover fully."

With a mischievous smile he gave

me a peck and whispered, "Reserve your energy for better engagements in the bedroom. Don’t waste it under the hot sun in the name of shopping when we can afford a better deal.”

Involving the children in the online shopping was fun but I thought we were teaching them to be lazy and wasteful, or am I being too old school?

I voiced my concern to Danny who assured me that on the contrary, we are teaching them to move with the time, albeit, responsibly.

"We just have to make them understand that it’s not everything one sees online that one buys. They'll face squarely the responsibilities for their careless purchase if they happen to indulge in such,” he cautioned.

I think he was right. We explained to them the implications of impulsive purchase and the fact that technology is there to make life easier, not to ruin us the next time we shopped.

21

friday, september 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Grande confirms Miller’s Relationship on Instagram

Entertainment KSA’s musical costume on display in American museum ahead of 70th birthday

lanreodukoya@gmail.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

oba Dosumu

You chose to study in England but in which institution, and what would you say led to your choice of the course in Television Production?

I didn’t just go to England to study; I went to England having gotten into a profession here in Nigeria. I went to England to study more about that profession and worked there also, that profession relates to Television Production. I was a BBC-attached student and there was no university in England where you could study or read television directly as such. They started one that year ending at a college of the University of London. Television started in England in 1944 or 1945 and they started at a location called Alexandra Palace. So until 1963 when I went to England there was nowhere to study Television. I was already employed here (Nigeria) as a producer on Radio where I worked for a few years, it was called Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) or Radio Nigeria. I worked for six years having left school in 1955 then, I left for England.

Our collaboration with Uhuru was not bought –Bionic and Apex

COORDINATOR

Bill Cosby laughs at courthouse as date for sex assault trial is set

How I became producer, director of Village Headmaster

Taylor Swift’s First Photo after Tom Hiddleston breakup emerges

LANRE ODUKOYA

24

A’rese, Butler for a ‘Night at The Kazbah’

Oba Sanya Dosumu, the Olowu of Owu, the king of one of the prominent towns in Ogun State. But long before ascending the throne of his forebearers, he was the pioneer producer and director of The Village Headmaster in 1967. He went on with this until he retired from the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in 1972. In this interview with FLORA ONWUDIWE, the monarch recalls how he worked with inexperienced camera men, obsolete equipment, inadequate funding, among other issues, despite coming from England to kick-off TV drama production in NTA.

Apart from studying there, what was the experience of working in England like?

I was partly a student and working.

What they call Day Release, you work three days and study three days and work two nights. In other words, two of the days that you studied, you had come back from school to work. I didn’t pay the school fees; the company did.

Upon your return to the country, how did you become involved with The Village Headmaster?

Because I was a producer in Television, I was recruited from England to come and work for Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

What really struck you about the series when the script was handed over to you?

What struck my mind was that ‘this is a good subject for a series or serial’. It was a ready-made material for me to work on. A lot of people talk to CO N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 2

22

entertainment

friday, september 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

‘Village Headmaster came from hardwork’

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

me as if the only thing I ever did for television was Village Headmaster.

Well, I can understand, it’s easily the most successful television series and it went on for over 20 years. I got the idea written on a small sheet of paper of four short paragraphs. Each paragraph was just four lines and the short essay was written by the late Ambassador Segun Olusola, one of the ace television producers this country has ever had. In fact, one of the pioneer broadcasters in this country, you know he started with the Western Nigerian Television Service (WNTS) and Radio for many years before he moved to television.

What were you really looking at in those who ended up as pioneer characters?

Well it’s just like casting any drama. You have a play on stage, radio or television and you have to cast people.

You read your script to know the characters very well, a good reader will read a play and you are almost seeing the character walking about. That’s the training, that is the culture, and that is what comes to you when you know about drama. So when I got the idea, it struck me as an idea that could last years if well-handled by somebody who knows all about it. If you have a play and give it to somebody who knows about plays, if he reads it then he knows the character, he can actually see them walking about in his imagination and that’s what happened. It was not even a play, it was just on a quarter sheet of paper describing four major characters, there is the headmaster, an old, strange character in one of these ‘rush rush’ training school for teachers. He masters the art of playing the organ so in the village where he is employed as the headmaster, he teaches, plays the organ in the village church. He is the chief adviser to the Oba of the town on any subject whatsoever.

To the villagers, he is enlightened, really highly in quote and as an educated person in that village he was also a settler of quarrels. If anybody has a misunderstanding with another, the Kabiyesi invites him to the palace or they go to his house to listen to his advice. He’s the wise man in the village, a sociable character and seen as the man who knows about everything, an all-round kind of personality.

The headmaster is a Yoruba man but his wife, Clara an Itsekiri woman who was born into the sound of sewing machine as far as the village belles are concerned. She is the one they go to for their fashion and designs, but we were looking two very interesting characters and what struck me about her was that she will take no nonsense; that is the headmaster’s wife.

And in another paragraph there is another character called Bassey Okon, he has seen war in the Second World War which started in 1940 and ended in 1945 as a soldier recruited from Nigeria in the East. That suggests that he is not from Abeokuta, he served in Burma and he came back when they discharged the soldiers from Nigeria after 1945 and they told all kinds of weird stories about the war. Some of them saw themselves walking on their heads as it were.

For me, I had an uncle who had been in the army and he said all kinds of things, almost impossible situations that they described, we took it as true because we have not been to the war.

So I saw in Bassey Okon that kind of character.

Bassey Okon has a 16-year old daughter, Fathia, whose mother died before the man arrived from the war front but he remarried, had a daughter and named her Fathia Okon. And because she has had little education, the headmaster employed her to teach in the school and when she’s not in the school, she is in charge of the shop for her father, those were the four characters of the Village headmaster that I saw.

What were the challenges you had in bringing together the cast?

The problem was not the question of bringing them together; the problem was that here was a man recruited from England, he has had the experience of working with BBC and directing plays in England, and recruited to come to Nigeria, of course, to start a drama section for the Nigerian Television Authority and help change the face of programming from being 85 percent of foreign programmes to a purely Nigerian programmes.

First and foremost, there were no resident permanent actors in Nigeria at that time, there had been people who have been doing plays for radio and television, and there were also no writers. Here was a man who, in fact they called crazy, crazy enough to say he wanted to do a long lasting series of television drama. Where were the actors, writers, and about the money to do it, nothing was available. So when you talk about pioneering, it was like being put in a helicopter and thrown to the middle of the jungle of Mozambique.

Members of

cast retained their roles even when it metamorphosed into the New Village Headmaster before it was eventually rested. Was that part of the training?

Well, what you have spoken about is known as typecasting. In my profession, that is having these characters and knowing people and you are just calling them to come and act exactly like that man, the professional you have will make that easy for you.

There was no Nigerian drama on television apart from people like Wole Soyinka who just had single plays on television. Those who worked at Western Nigerian Television at that time, Segun Olusola, Julie Coker, Ted Mukoro, a few other people like that but not with the kind of involvement that I came to have with television.

So I was employed and given instruction about what they wanted me to do which was to start drama on television.

But in my hand was a quarter size sheet of paper which I have vividly described, of four characters. That was the crazy idea that got into my head as a result of reading that synopsis and with the vision of starting a drama series on television that can last for years. I wasn’t frightened, I was really happy with the idea. I spoke to a few people in the media and they said ‘you are crazy, where are your writers?

Where are you going to get the actors that will act and permanently act for you on this programme for three months, six months, one year?’

There were no actors, actress in Nigeria. Segun Olusola and I had acted on stage before, Christopher Kolade was head of the Television Programming, he was not just an actor but was also a musician.

The likes of Elsie Olusola, Ibidun Alison, Julie

Oba Dosumu

Coker, there were so many of them.

But what they meant was there were no professional actors, people who had no other job than acting. And that was because they have seen American and Britain TV serials and have seen great actors and they were wondering ‘where were such people in Nigeria’ but something has got to start from somewhere and not everybody can start from the very top. So I persuaded myself that we would get actors, actresses in Nigeria but many said I was crazy based on who was going to write the series on a regular basis.

Well, there might not have been TV professional writers but there were people that were writing plays, I know them and I had written some plays myself. We will start from somewhere and gain experience. That was my conclusion; so I took the script and studied it. Then I sought advice from many people including Segun Olusola whom I gave the credit for being the creator of Village Headmaster, but for Kolade, Ted Mukoro and Olusola, we had all worked together and they were my friends.

It was not just a big miracle but it called for hard work and determination and we resolved that it had to be done. I think that was unique because it was not one play for a few days but it was going to go on for every week as I dreamt in my heart and for me, I imagined it would last for years, and it did; I thank God for that.

In looking at the difficulty of that era and the picture you just painted, who were your writers eventually?

I can mention some of their names but I want to tell you about them generally. Well, I told each of them, I want you to come and join me in writing plays for television on a weekly basis and people responded thus: ‘I am a writer for Daily Times; I am a writer for whatever newspaper so I don’t think I can be engaged for this on a regular, weekly writing for television in addition to my job.’

And to that I would always say, Why not? Many asked me if I was suggesting that they would not sleep in the night and I would say: ‘Yes, of course that is what I am suggesting’. It was like a joke but I soon found some people who were crazy enough like me and who decided to toe the crazy part; and the rest, as they say, is history.

entertainment

friday, september 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

23

A’rese, Butler for a ‘Night at The Kazbah’

Andrew and Daniel

Our collaboration with Uhuru was not bought –Bionic and Apex

F

ast-rising music duo, Bionic and Apex are set to announce their arrival on the music industry with a new song entitled, ‘Nothing to Something.’

It is the first body of work by the Edo State-born artistes whose real names are Omokhudu Andrew (Bionic) and Omokhudu Daniel (Apex). The talented duo is signed by Resolute Entertainment, owned by their elder brother, Ken Omokhudu. Some of the tracks in the EP include ‘Nothing to Something’, ‘Mayan’, ‘Touch Your Toe’, ‘Call Me’, ‘Eledumare’, ‘New Money’, ‘Get Down’, featur-

ing Uhuru, ‘Inject You’, ‘Ojoro’ and ‘Back Then’, featuring Choco Jay. Getting a high-profile artiste like South Africa’s Uhuru is not a big deal for the acts. Apex puts this way, “Music to us is an art form, and all great artists understand that the best art work depends on the ability of the artists to express their art as closely to how they envisioned it as possible. The song ‘Get Down’ was something we thought of and realised that to create the sound and effect we wanted, we needed ‘Uhuru’, not particularly because we wanted to feature someone big

KSA’s musical costume on display in American museum, ahead of 70th birthday M usical Instrument Museum, Phoenix had just dedicated a corner to legendary juju musician, King Sunny Ade’s musical instrument and costume. K.S.A. was recently proclaimed a Honorary Citizen Goodwill Ambassador of the City of Houston. The master guitarist would be 70 on September 22.

The veteran musician is among the selected artists whose musical instruments and costumes are put on display at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, America.

The museum, famous for displaying at least 16,000 instruments of great artistes and countries from across the globe, has dedicated a special corner to the iconic singer and percussionist where his guitar and famous costume are currently being exhibited. Other famous artistes whose instruments are displayed at the museum include The Beatles, Taylor Swift.

but because ‘Uhuru’ has the style and could produce the results we needed and we achieved that.”

The inseparable Bionic and Apex started writing music as early as their mid-teens and consistently honed their song writing skills to professional standards.

“I think, what makes us unique is that our music is basically the embodiment of everything we live for. Our ideals, likes, dislikes, basically tell our story. Our music lets us connect to people, helps them see life as we do. We don’t believe in doing music on impulse. Music to us is art,” says Bionic.

T

he Voice Nigeria reality TV winner, A’rese and South African singer songwriter and guitarist, Jonathan Butler, supported by soulful house trio, Mi CASA will headline this year’s ‘A Night At The Kazbah’ concert.

This one night-only concert, from the curators of contemporary African and Nigerian music, holds on the 22nd of October 2016 at The Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.

Presented by Smooth 98.1FM, ‘A Night at the Kazbah’, the organisers stated, is more than just music: “It’s a cultural exploration designed to bring good Nigerian, African and World music to the forefront of our consciousness and promote indigenous artistry.”

Last year, ‘A Night At The Kazbah’ “was a huge success as it reshaped live music on the Lagos scene with a pioneering blend of Afro soul and Afro jazz where it featured Ruby Gyang, Bez, Kunle Ayo and Brymo.”

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entertainment

friday, september 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Taylor Swift’s first photo after Tom Hiddleston breakup emerges T

he single life seems to be treating Taylor Swift well!

On the same day that news of her split from Tom Hiddleston broke, the singer was photographed out and about in New York City — with a huge smile on her face.

Taylor Swift, 26, didn’t seem to have a care in the world as she hit the streets of New York City on Sept. 6 — even as people around the world were gossiping about her breakup from Tom Hiddleston.

Wearing a workout outfit of leggings, a black tank top and sneakers, the 26-year-old strutted around the Big Apple with a smile on her face and her curly, blonde locks blowing in the wind. Get it, girl!

The pictures were taken right around the same time news went public that Taylor and the actor had split after a three month, whirlwind romance. Really, the breakup didn’t come as much of a surprise, because after being inseparable at the beginning of the summer, Taylor and Tom really seemed to have cooled off in recent weeks.

The singer’s latest relationship reportedly ended because Tom wanted to be very public, while she was hoping to keep things more private. Clearly, that’s not how things were during their first month of dating, though: They were photographed out and about more than Taylor ever was with Calvin Harris, 32, and they were together for more than a year.

Interestingly, just as Taylor is single again, her ex has started hanging out with gorgeous model Eiza Gonzalez.

However, he was also spending time with Ellie Goulding at an event in London on Sept. 6, and she’s the one who set him up with Taylor in the first place — maybe she’ll work her magic and get them back together again?

Hiddleston

Cosby

B

Swift

T

here’s no denying it now! Ariana Grande and Mac Miller are Instagram officials. The singer confirmed her new relationship with Mac in a super sweet Instagram post on Sept. 6.

Ariana, 23, posted an adorable Instagram photo of herself hugging Mac, 24, on the floor. The rapper’s head is buried in Ariana’s chest, while she has her arms and legs wrapped around her man. They have their hands all over each other. The “Into You” singer has such big smile on her face. Ariana captioned the photo, “Baabyyy.” So cute!

Ariana looked adorable in a casual outfit that included black sweats, a big shirt and long socks. Mac rocked a striped shirt and black pants. These two are getting in some quality cuddle session during their downtime. And many love it.

The two have been seen out together a number of times over the past few weeks, at the VMAs, dinner date, Snapchat and more — but this is the first time Ariana has confirmed the relationship herself. These two seem really happy together.

HollywoodLife.com learned that Ariana thinks Mac is the “sexiest guy” she’s ever dated. Sorry, Big Sean, 28. She loves Mac’s confidence and loves that he’s not afraid of showing the world. Ariana and Mac have been friends for years and have collaborated together, but it only recently turned into something more. Ariana broke things off with Ricky Alvarez in Aug. 2016 after dating for one year.

Just a few weeks after her split, she was spotted holding hands with Mac at a West Virginia airport. Since then, the couple has not been shy about flaunting their feelings for each other.

They’re in love and they don’t care who knows it!

ill Cosby’s trip to a Pennsylvania courthouse on September 6 was apparently a laughing matter. The disgraced comedian was caught in a fit of giggles while strolling into the courtroom to get the date set for his sex assault trial.

This is not a good look for Bill Cosby. The 79-year-old comedian strolled into the Montgomery County Courthouse with his aides and legal team to set the court date for his sexual assault trial, and he couldn’t stop laughing. It wasn’t clear what he thought was so funny, but there really shouldn’t be anything to laugh about right now.

Bill Cosby laughs in courthouse as date for sex assault trial is set Bill, who has claimed that he has gone blind, clutched one of his aide’s arms as he made his way into the building to face his fate. The helper was laughing and smiling too; Bill must have cracked a joke. It’s really in poor taste to be photographed looking joyous, considering why he’s at the courthouse. He’s facing a serious criminal trial, now set for June 5, for the felony sexual assault of Andrea Constand.

Though Bill was accused of sexually assaulting over 50 women, the trial only involves Andrea now. The former Temple University employee has accused Bill of drugging her and raping her back in 2004. Bill has ve-

Grande confirms Miller’s Relationship on Instagram

Grande

hemently denied the charge, as he has with all accusations, but now he’ll have to defend that in court.

“We’re apparently supposed to feel sorry for him because he’s going through his own ‘personal hell’,” according to a source who spoke to Page Six. Bill is reportedly suffering from the degenerative eye disease keratoconus, which causes the eye’s cornea to bulge. His lawyer, Monique Pressley, confirmed that he’s suffered from vision loss in January 2016, calling her client a “blind man.” We’re sure that his victims probably aren’t feeling too badly about this.

25

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Labour ILO: Nigeria’s economic crisis critical obstacle to devt

Business WHAT'S NEWS NASME to CBN: Trace diverted N220bn SMEs fund p.26

Economic downturn takes toll on mega construction projects p.26

Agric N65bn fertilizer debt threatens FG’s agric project

27 28

Rates Dashboard INFLATION RATE July 2016.................................17.3% June 2016...............................16.5% May 2016............................15.6%

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

EXCHANGE RATE (Parallel Market September 2)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N420 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N540 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N466

l Foreign Reserves – $25.280bn as at 5/9/2016

EXCHANGE RATE (Interbank as at Septemnber 2)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N314.77 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N401 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N341

Source: CBN

L-R: Recruitment Manager, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC), Jolomi Fawehinmi; Dean, Students Affairs, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Prof.

Momodu Shehu; Regional Sales Director (North), NBC, Alhaji Funmi Alli; Director, Guidance and Counseling, ABU, Zaria, Dr. Salman Adisa and NBC Kaduna Plant HR Business Partner, Abiodun Adeboye, during an NBC Career Expo at the Ahmadu Bello University Campus.

Nigeria, others to produce N1.43trn maize before Dec SHORTFALL Nigeria depends on the United States that produces 42 per cent to meet her deficit

The Business Desk Ayodele Aminu

Deputy Editor (Business)

Bayo Akomolafe

Asst. Editor (Maritime)

Sunday Ojeme

Asst. Editor (Insurance)

Tony Chukwunyem

Asst. Editor (Money Market)

Dayo Ayeyemi Property Editor

Adeola Yusuf Energy Editor

Wole Shadare Aviation Editor

Chris Ugwu

Capital Market Editor

Abdulwahab Isa Finance Editor

Taiwo Hassan

Industry, Agric & Brands Editor

Kunle Azeez

Senior Correspondent

Chuks Onuanyin Energy

Nnamdi Amadi Reporter

Johnson Adebayo

Asst Production Editor

Bayo Akomolafe

T

hree countries - Nigeria, Zambia and South African - are to produce 22.9 million metric tons of maize valued at N1.43 trillion ($4.21 billion) before the end of 2016.

Nigeria, which had been battling with production deficits in the last 10 years, has increased its production by 200,000 tons from the seven million tons produced in 2015.

The current price of maize at the global market is $184 per metric tons.

It was learnt that Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia will produce 7.2 million, 12.9 million and 2.8 million tons of maize respectively from the total global production of 785 million tons in 2016.

Nigeria produces 70 per cent of maize in West Africa, making it the leading maize producers in the subregion.

Data by Index Mundi, which con-

tains details of each country’s trade statistics, revealed that Nigeria had imported 1.05 million metric tons of maize in the last 10 years due to short supply.

The country’s production declined from 9,250,000 metric tons in 2011 to seven million metric tons in 2015, leading to a shortage of 2,250,000 metric tons.

However, in 2011, Nigeria produced 9.25 million tons; 2012 - 7.63 million tons; 2013 - 7.7 million tons; 7.5 million tons in 2014 and seven million tons in 2015.

It was learnt that 60 per cent of its maize production is consumed by the industrial sector for the production of beer, flour, corn flakes, malt drink, animal feeds, syrup and dextrose.

The country’s demand for maize starch was estimated at 800,000 tons, while the supply was just 350,000 tons per annum.

Also, maize production in South Africa is to increase by 68 per cent in the 2016. The country is the 10th largest corn producing country in the world.

Meanwhile, Zambia has taken advantage of a projected maize deficit in the southern African region by expanding production to cater for regional exports. The country’s production is estimated at 2.8 met-

12.9m tons Being the total tons of maize that South Africa is expected to produce this year

ric tons.

Already, the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) has urged government to come up with a strategy to take advantage of the high demand of maize in the region, which had increased informal trade, especially in the eastern part of Zambia.

They added that Zambia should come up with a marketing strategy that would ensure sustained and expanded production to meet national demand and export in the region.

Africa as a whole uses 95per cent, compared to other world regions that use most of its maize as animal feed.

The International Grains Council (IGC) has said in its monthly report that South Africa’s maize production would improve to 12.9 million tons, up by 68 per cent from the 2015 estimate of 7.7 million tons.

Also, the council said that production increases were expected in the US, Brazil, Argentina, Ukraine, Russia, India and South Africa.

While United States is projected to produce 384.9 million metric tons from the figure, China will produce 218 million tons, Brazil, 80 million tons, European Union 63.8 million tons, India 23 million tons and Ethiopia 6.3 million tons.

26

BUSINESS |NEWS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

NASME to CBN: Trace diverted N220bn SMEs fund RISING Nigeria now has 37 million small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operators

Taiwo Hassan

T

he Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) has called on Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to trace and recover the N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Fund (MSMEF) meant for the SMEs. Executive Secretary, NASME, Eke Ubiji, made this call in an interview with New Telegraph in Lagos.

He alleged that some state governments and commercial banks had diverted the fund.

Specifically, he said that the fund was no longer trickling down to genuine SMEs operators after 40 per cent of the fund had already been accessed.

He noted that some state governors who are entitled to N2 billion each from the fund allegedly diverted it to other areas of interest in their states.

Consequently, many of the SMEs operators are yet to access the fund in many states as a result of the diversion, he added.

The commercial banks were to source the fund from the apex bank at two per cent and lend it to genuine SMEs operators at nine per cent interest rate, but Ubiji alleged that lenders were giving it out to non-SMEs operators at between 28 per cent and 30 per

PUSHY Eko Atlantic City is expected to provide accommodation for about 450,000 residents

Dayo Ayeyemi

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romoters of on-going mega construction projects, touted to redefine Nigeria’s landscape in 2016, are facing difficult times, New Telegraph has learnt.

Their major challenge may not be unconnected with the current nation’s economic downturn, which has limited foreign investment and reduced confidence in real estate sector.

Some of these projects include the $6 billion Eko Atlantic City, $180.6 billion Abuja Centenary City, $1 billion Abuja World Trade centre, $

cent interest rate per annum.

Consequently, he said that the funds were not given to genuine SMEs operators in the country, adding that mass diversion had trailed the disbursement in spite of the apex bank’s threat to punish defaulters.

According to him, the concept of the CBN’s N220 billion MSMEF was good and laudable for the country’s SMEs sector under the current CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, but contractions have marred the fund’s objective because many genuine SMEs operators are being deprived of accessing the fund on a daily basis by commercial banks.

He said that currently, Nigeria has about 37 million SMEs operating in the country, adding that it was

alarming that paucity of funds and harsh operating environment were killing the growth and development of the sector.

His words: “In most industrialised nations of the world, SMEs are engine rooms of their economic growth and if that is true as it is said, why is it not same in our own clime here?

“Most of the SMEs operating in the country do everything on their own. For instance, how many of them can really access fund in the banks at the moment? I mean the fund they need to do their businesses comfortably in the country.

“The last information I got about CBN’s N220 billion MSMEF was that only 40 per cent of the money was expended so far for SMEs.

“You know the commercial banks are also involved in the disbursement. I think CBN should keep its eyes and nose on what the problem is with the fund disbursement.

“Apart from the commercial banks’ involvement in the fund, you also know that the state governments are also part of it. You know that each state government is entitled to N2 billion from the fund, which will be giving to SMEs operating within the state.”

Ubiji acknowledged that some members had been able to access the fund, but the number was insignificant compared to the 37 million SMEs in Nigeria.

He noted: “Out of this number, how many SMEs benefited from those captured in the data formally?

Even those that have not been captured in the network are not added.

“This is the outcome of the survey conducted by SMEDAN and NBS, that Nigeria has 37 million SMEs operating in the sector.”

Corroborating the association’s stance, a source at the apex bank, which spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the fact remained that the diversion of the fund could not be ruled out at this moment, as many of the SMEs operators claim they cannot access the fund at nine per cent interest rate.

He said: “Now, we realise that many states that had accessed the fund did not drill it down to people at the bottom of the plugs. Women, youths, peasant farmers didn’t have access to it.”

L-R: Chairman, Lapai Local Government, Alhaji Usman Mohammed; Director, MTN Foundation, Alhaji Muhammadu Danlami; Emir of Lapai, Alhaji Umar Bago and Niger State Governor, Dr. Abubakar Sani Bello, at the inauguration of the new-look Maternal Ward of the General Hospital, Lapai, Niger State.

Economic downturn takes toll on mega construction projects 700 million Lekki Free Trade Zone, $333 million Abuja Millennium Tower and many others.

According to findings, while other promoters of these projects are strategising to see that their projects see the light of the day, others have put their projects on hold due to the country’s economic situation.

On their part, investors and developers of Eko Atlantic City Project on Victoria Island, Lagos, South Energyx Nigeria Limited (SENL), are working hard with partners to ensure that the project is completed on schedule despite the recession.

Vice Chairman of South Energyx Nigeria Limited, Mr. Ronald Chagoury, who described Eko Atlantic City as a unique and ambitious project being developed as part of efforts at solving the country’s housing problem, said the first

residential building should be ready before the end of this year.

He said: “At the moment, we are working hard with our partners to ensure that the project is completed on schedule. In fact, the first residential building should be ready before the end of the year and the second by mid-2017, with the first office block set to be ready by October, 2016.”

A source from the Promoter of World Trade Centre, Abuja, told this newspaper that the completion of the project was delayed due to the economic downturn.

However, the source was optimistic that despite the challenge, the firm is committed to the project.

“The economy hasn’t been friendly with businesses across various sectors, despite that, we remain committed to delivering our project. Work

is still on-going,” the source said.

Already, Abuja Centenary City project has been put on hold because of the controversy surrounding its conception.

Projected to come under radar in 2016 since the Buhariled government approved its continuance, the economic downturn has further limited its construction.

According to statistics, Nigeria’s housing shortage is estimated at 17 million, of which five million exist in Lagos alone. When completed, the new Eko Atlantic City is expected to reduce this by providing homes to about 450,000 residents, with additional office space for another 300,000 people, according to the developers.

Data released by Residential Auctions Company (RAC) stated that there are already over 1,000 units of apartments

of various room sizes ranging from one-bedroom to fourbedroom apartments already under construction at Eko Atlantic City.

Chagoury expressed the belief that ambitious projects such as the Eko Atlantic City will not only help alleviate Nigeria’s housing problems, but also help put Lagos on the global map as one of the emerging smartest cities in the world, thereby boosting its business and tourism potentials and revenue.

He called for concerted efforts by stakeholders, including local and international investors in solving the country’s housing problems.

“South Energyx has taken it upon itself to reduce Lagos’ accommodation deficits with the Eko Atlantic City. However, to totally overcome the problem, all hands must be on deck,” he said.

FRIDAY, september 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

WELL-BEING More and better jobs are urgently needed to maintain social cohesion and achieve broad-based well-being

27

labour

ILO: Nigeria’s economic crisis critical obstacle to devt

Sunday Ojeme

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he International Labour Organisation (ILO) has described the current economic crisis in Nigeria as critical obstacle to sustainable development and national stability.

Mr. Dennis Zulu, the Director, ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierral-Leone and Liason Office for ECOWAS, said this at the 59th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) in Lagos.

He said there was need to do more to stimulate inclusive growth, reconciling economic growth with social inclusion and environmental protection.

Zulu said organising the AGM with the theme: “Promoting Sustainable Enterprise in Nigeria,” was indeed critical at this time in the nation’s economic development, particularly in view of the current state of the economy, which is faced with dwindling oil revenue, devaluation of the naira and a slowing gross domestic product growth rate.

He added that it had become imperative to go back to the drawing board to redefine Nigeria’s investment climate.

Zulu noted: “More and better jobs are urgently needed to maintain social cohesion, achieve broad-based well-being and reduce poverty. And these need to be jobs of the future— productive and of good quality while preserving the natural environment on which future

L – R: Finance Director, Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Yimika Adeboye; Chief Executive Officer, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Oscar N. Onyema; Managing Director, Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Roy Naamanl; Chief Counsel/Company Secretary, Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Fola Akande, and Head, Domestic Primary Markets, NSE, Tony Ibeziako, during a courtesy visit to Cadbury Nigeria Plc in Lagos.

development depends.

“Promoting sustainable enterprises is about strengthening the institutions and governance systems, which nurtures enterprises.”

Zulu recalled that the current World Bank ranking of Nigeria in Ease of Doing Business was a slight improvement compared with the 2015 ranking.

He said: “As we know, Nigeria is currently ranked 169 out of 189 countries by the World Bank, according to the bank’s 2016 Ease of Doing Business report. This is a slight improvement on Nigeria’s ranking of 170 in 2015 and 175 in 2014.

“In this regard, I wish to commend the effort of government at implementing policies and

Nigerian CEOs for Geneva on investment drive

A

number of Nigerian chief executive officers are gearing up for the 5th edition of the AFRICA CEO forum slated for the first quarter of next year.

The forum, which is the largest international gathering dedicated to African private sector, is where operators meet international bankers and investors with growing interest in investing in Africa.

A statement made available to New Telegraph said more than 1000 participants from over 63 countries would gather at the forum.

The statement said: “CEOs of the largest African and international companies, bankers and investors most active in Africa as well as decision-makers from the fastest growing African economies will meet at the two-day event to gain strategic insights and share their objectives around development and investment with

the business and financial community.

“With the global economic slowdown posing a challenge to the growth of African economies, the upcoming edition reflects the will of participants, African companies and countries, to revitalise investment flows toward the African continent in order to drive the implementation of their infrastructure and development projects.”

Commenting on the event, Founder and President of the forum, Amir Ben Yahmed, said: “The AFRICA CEO FORUM 2017 will benefit from the presence of CEOs heading up the largest international companies that are leaders in sectors which are key for the African continent such as health, new technologies, agribusiness and commodity trading as well the participation of more than one hundred fund managers and family offices with a growing interest in investing in Africa.”

measures to create the right and enabling environment for business and investors in Nigeria to thrive particularly with the launch of the Presidential Enabling Environment Council (PEEC) and Inter-Ministerial Council, to oversee the efforts of government to remove various bottlenecks that stifle

businesses and economic activities.”

He also recalled that in most countries, including Nigeria, private enterprise created most jobs, adding that besides directly contributing to inclusive growth, job creation and poverty reduction, enterprises also had a major responsibility

to address climate change and environmental sustainability as their operations affect the environment.

“It is in enterprises and the world of work that the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development come together inseparably,” he added.

NULGE protests unpaid salaries T housands of workers in the 16 local government Areas of Kwara State, last Tuesday, embarked on mass protest over unpaid salary arrears.

The protest, according to a statement, took place at the headquarters of the 16 local governments and in llorin, the state capital.

In Ilorin, the protesters,

led by leaders of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), took to the streets from the local council office and moved to other streets condemning the non-payment of their salaries.

Some of them, including nursing mothers, carried placards with various inscriptions and chanted solidarity songs.

The state’s Secretary of NULGE, Mr Afolabi Abayomi, said that the protest was justifiable. He said the protest, taking place in all the 16 local councils, was a result of unpaid salaries for seven months.

Abayomi said the unpaid salaries had been creating untold hardships to the workers and their relatives.

LASG, Bond FM parley on pest control exhibition

T

he Lagos State government through its ministries of The Environment and Agriculture and Cooperatives, has given its support to the management of Bond FM in collaboration with TCB & Associates in their bid to organise the maiden pest control product exhibition in the state.

This fair stemmed from the rapid spread of diseases by rodents and other pests in some parts of the country.

The fair taking place later this month is intended to bring all pest control stakeholders under one roof for seven days to exhibit the latest mechanical, electrical and chemical devices for bet-

ter awareness of pest control products, processes and applications.

In a statement made available to New Telegraph, the organisers noted that pest and their attendant ailments had become the greatest global scourge today, stressing that pests constituted the most wholesome threat to human existence.

The statement said: “Their attacks result to immense hazards on human health, food/agro products, offices, household valuables and the environment generally.

“Indeed, what scourge the world in recent times are pests and their attendant ailments such as lassa fever,

ebola, malaria, bird flu and now zika. Tomato, a staple indigenous plant for instance became more expensive than the imported apples due to the increasing nuisance of pests among numerous other cases.

“The need therefore to evolve sustainable integrated pest management system in Nigeria with the aim of minimizing pests induced diseases as well as reducing the menace of pests on agro produce for food, pharmaceuticals, industrial raw materials to the barest minimum has informed Bond 92.9FM Lagos in collaboration with TCB & Associates, Lagos, to packaging the maiden 2016 Pest Control Fair.”

28

agric

FRIDAY, september 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

The on-going N65 billion fertilizer debt in Nigeria’s agric sector is not only bringing uncertainty in the drive to achieve the Federal Government’s diversification agenda, is also fuelling fertilizer scarcity and hike in the product price across the country. TAIWO HASSAN reports

N

igeria is experiencing the worst economic turmoil since its existence as a nation due to the fall in the prices of crude in the international market, which had reduced government’s revenue and subsequently threw the economy into recession.

Following the oil price rout, President Muhammadu Buhari led administration had decided that Nigeria needed to go back to the drawing board and aggressively intensify its backward integration programme, which was identified as the only alternative solution to revive the economy.

The president explained that his administration would prioritise agriculture and give it the necessary wherewithal to kickstart the revival of the country’s economy back to its former position under the previous’ administration of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

Since the clarion call, the nation’s agric sector has been witnessing a positive change in the quest to stimulate the country’s growth through agriculture, solid minerals and manufacturing.

But, since the clarion call by the present administration that Nigerians must go back to farming, the alleged N65 billion fertilizer debt in the industry has been an issue of concern to stakeholders. This, according to reports, has caused fertilizer scarcity and hike in the product across the country.

The N65 billion fertilizer debts, was the alleged outstanding debt owed to fertiliser suppliers under former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s administration.

Given priority that the current administration is giving agriculture, availability of fertilizer is key and crucial for improving food productivity and security for the Nigerian populace.

Presidency’s stance In a statement issued last Monday by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the president, the Federal Government stated that the inability of the previous administration to settle outstanding N65 billion debt owed to fertiliser suppliers was the cause of perennial fertilizer scarcity and hike in the product price in the country.

Shehu said it was wrong for the Goodluck Jonathan administration to purchase fertilisers

Fertilizer production

N65bn fertilizer debt threatens FG’s agric project worth N65 billion since 2014 and left the bill unpaid.

He said that the Federal Government had to pay off the debt so that the suppliers could begin to supply fertilisers again.

The E-wallet fertiliser policy of the Jonathan administration was widely hailed as a success, as it allowed millions of farmers to have access to fertiliser.

But the Buhari government suspended the programme, saying it was unsustainable, given the scale of un-cleared debt.

Government, however, reversed the decision last week and agreed to revive the policy amid an economic tumult.

The statement by Mr. Shehu attributed the current food crisis in the country to some of the unpopular policies of the past administrations.

According to him, the current pain is due to the mismanagement of the past, adding that what Nigeria is currently experiencing was inevitable.

He said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration was being honest with the people instead of piling up debts and concealing the truth by pretending all was rosy.

Shehu said: “This government believes that Nigerians deserve to know the truth. People stole unbelievable amounts of money.

The kind of money some of these ex-officials hold is itself a threat to the security of the state.

“Since it is not money earned, they feel no pain deploying just anyhow to thwart genuine and well-intentioned government efforts.

“Sadly, even that which was not stolen was wasted. Government coffers were left empty, with huge debts unpaid and unrecorded (this government is working to quantify the amount owed).

“Even the current high food prices can be traced to past deceit.

For example, the previous government purchased fertilisers in 2014,

worth N65 billion and left the bill unpaid.

“In 2015 the suppliers could not supply fertilisers which resulted in a low harvest, shortages and high food prices.

“This government had to pay off the debt so that the suppliers could begin to supply fertilisers again.”

The previous government purchased fertilisers in 2014, worth N65 billion and left the bill unpaid

Farmers lament The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has also decried the hike in the price of fertilisers by suppliers and other middlemen in the distribution chain.

The apex farmers’ body claimed the subsidy paid by government does not reflect on the price it is being sold to the final buyer, noting that the price is being hiked by individuals while farmers are at the receiving end.

AFAN National President, Arc. Kabir Ibrahim, said it was high time the Federal Government took actions against suppliers who have inflated the price of the commodity, hence farmers encountered difficulties accessing and purchasing it.

He also called for proper monitoring of government policies and activities to avoid bottlenecks and sharp practices at all levels.

Ibrahim, while speaking during the AFAN National Executive Committee meeting held in Abuja, identified the major role the organisation played to revive the nation’s economy through the agricultural sector.

On some of the interventions embarked upon by the organisation, he said, ranged from the National Policy for Nigeria workshop held last February, the National Agricultural show in April, with the launch of Agricultural Promotion Policy, amongst others.

FMARD’s position Speaking on the fertilizer debt, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Chief Audu Ogbeh, lamented the high prices of fertilizer in the country, saying it is affecting food produc-

tion, food items in the markets and resulting to astronomical hyper inflation.

He said his ministry inherited a debt of N87 billion from the previous administration as allegedly claimed by the agro-dealers of fertilizer distribution, stressing that the debt surpassed the entire total budget of N34 billion of the ministry and caused inadequacy in the country’s fertilizer distribution channels.

He said the situation with the fertilizer industry was disturbing and a call for concern for this present administration.

His words: “My particular concern is on the situation with fertilizer. That the prices have gone so high that urea is selling now in some areas for N20,000, which is a concern we too have raised here, because, after the disruption of the distribution channel early in the year, we have never been able to recapture that flow. And the manufacturers who claim to have capacity to meet our demands don’t seem to be meeting the demands.”

“One major company says their bagging machinery is faulty, which is what has made it difficult for them to have fertiliser for distribution.

“Some people have suspected that they are exporting instead of selling in the local market. The other had a period of shutdown when they were doing their turn-around maintenance; all that has resulted in exploitation by the distributors.”

Ogbeh lamented that “at N20,000 per bag of urea, that definitely is not good for agriculture,” as “the effect of that on production will definitely be felt.”

Conclusion To achieve the desired results in the country’s agric sector, the Federal Government must once and for all relax on this issue of N65 billion fertilizer debt and settle down to work in other to boost agric sector’s investors, farmers and stakeholders.

businesS \ agric

FRIDAY, september 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

29

FG: Rural farmers strategic to Nigeria’s food security RESOLUTION Nigerian farmers are ready to feed the nation and Africa Taiwo Hassan

M

inister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has commended rural farmers and affirmed that they feed the teeming population in Nigeria and play a prominent role in the social security of the country.

Ogbeh made this commendation at Otukpo, Benue State, during the distribution of stems of improved varieties of cassava to farmers.

He noted at the event held within the palace of the Ochi Idoma, that these rural farmers forestall food insecurity and food crisis, and therefore deserved the government’s support.

The programme is implemented by the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) Nigeria, a World Bank-funded programme, working under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD).

The minister said it is time to build the next generation of farmers who will take over the farms and food production.

He lamented the failure of the agricultural universities to produce graduates that embark on farming.

Acting National Coordinator of WAAPP Nigeria, Mr. James Apochi, said the cassava stem distribution is one of the three projects WAAPP is implementing in Benue State in collaboration with the University of Agriculture, Makurdi (UAM).

T

he projects, according to him, include fish fingerlings multiplication, cassava stem multiplication and adopted village extension programmes in about 12 villages in the state.

The cassava project, Apochi noted, is to stimulate domestic production of cassava, provide employment for the

Rural farmer

youth, boost rural economy and reduce hunger and poverty.

Professor John Adisa Ayodele, representing the Vice Chancellor of UAM, disclosed that the university is poised to put the vast agricultural land belonging to the university to use to boost production.

According to Ayodele, the

university has land large enough to participate in the expansion of the programme.

He therefore pleaded for the extension of the WAAPP programme to the second stage after the expiration of the current phase.

The minister told the UAM representative that the universities of agriculture should

Locust, Quelea birds invade Nigeria Caleb Onwe Abuja

T

he Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), has raised the alarm over the alleged imminent invasion of locust and grasshoppers from Niger Republic.

The minister, Chief Audu Ogheh, raised this alarm in

Abuja during an emergency meeting he held with some of the Commissioners of Agriculture from the northern and southern states, said that there is a high risk of losing the celebrated increase in farm yields in some parts of the country that has started raising the hope of food security in the country.

Ogheh said that President Muhammadu Buhari had given

his ministry a marching order to collaborate with the states to ensure that this impending threat to the administration’s effort to diversify into agriculture is arrested in time.

These states are Abia, Kebbi, Jigawa, Yobe, Bauchi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano,Taraba, Adamawa, Borno, Katsina.

He also said that the Federal government will, if possible, col-

Dangote Group debunks alleged GMO rice importation

D

henceforth concentrate on their core areas of mandate.

He noted, “60 per cent of your work should be on practicals, 20 per cent on theory and 20 per cent on research.”

Abor, who represented the beneficiaries, said, by this intervention, the government and WAAPP Nigeria have restored the farmers’ hope.

part of the Rice Outgrower Scheme.

“FARO 44 rice seeds distributed to farmers during the Outgrower Scheme was sourced from Africa Rice and certified by the National Agricultural Seeds Council.

It stated: “Intent of this broadcasts is to bring into disrepute the hard earned reputation of Dangote and actualisation of its vision of making Nigeria self-sufficient in rice production.

angote group has refuted widely circulated rumour that the company was allegedly partnering with the Federal Government to import and flood the market with poisonous Genetic Modified Organisms (GMOs) rice.

The group, in statement made available to newsmen, last Tuesday and signed by its Social Media Manager, Adedamola Adeniyi, tagged as malicious the broadcast alleging the so called partner-

ship, stating that the claim was absolutely false. He said Dangote “is not involved in the production or sales of GMOs and its research in Nigeria or anywhere.”

The statement noted: “What people should know, however, is the ground breaking progress Dangote Rice has made since 2014 when it stopped importation of rice and began local cultivation.”

Clearing itself of any such deal, the company highlighted

T

Ogbeh to Nigerians: Stop using grinding machines

he Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has warned Nigerians to stop using grinding machine to grind vegetables.

Ogbeh gave the warning at the launch and National Dissemination of Food and Nutrition Policy in Abuja. He said that the machine was not good for such purpose.

According to him, the machines, which are being used to grind tomatoes, pepper and other vegetables, contain some

elements which were harmful to the body.

“The elements in those machines are produced in ordinary steel not stainless steel.

As a result of that, a great deal of granule gets into our food.

“These granules are very poisonous to the liver and kidneys; no wonder cases of liver and kidney diseases in the country are on the increase,’’ he said.

Ogbeh also advised Nigeri-

some facts for reference purposes.

It recalled that in “2014, Dangote signed $1billion agreement with Federal Government on integrated rice production in Kebbi, Niger, Jigawa and Kwara.

“2016, it started a multibillion naira Rice Outgrower Scheme over 8,000 hectares in Hadejia, Jigawa State.

“2016, it created over 10,000 jobs (direct and indirect) to farmers who are an integral

laborate with the Niger Republic government to get an aircraft that can be deployed in fumigating the border states that will be the worst hit if the invasion is not prevented.

The minister said his ministry was set to work out the strategy with states to address the menace headlong.

About 24 states that were in attendance in the emergency meeting all expressed concern over the situation that is threatening agriculture in the country.

The commissioners from the southern states expressed fear that maize worm that sometime ago attacked farms in some part of the southern states, has not abated and deserves attention from government.

Some of the states such as Zamfara, Jigawa that have common boundary with Niger Republic inundated the Minister that many of their local governments are already invaded by locust/grasshoppers and the Quelea birds and needs an urgent attention.

ans not to use cellophane bags (nylon) to package foods and water.

Using `moi-moi’ as an example, he said that the food becomes poisonous when prepared and packaged in nylon bags.

According to him, cellophane bags contain a large dosage of dioxins that are harmful to health.

He advised lovers of moi-moi to use the traditional wrapping

leaves rather than cellophane, adding that leaves do not contain such poisonous substance.

In addition, the minister said beans and grains preserved with polythene bags could also be harmful, being stored at a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius.

He also said that the consumption of sachet water (pure water) exposed to over 28 degree Celsius temperature was dangerous for drinking.

Ogbeh urged Nigerians to eat balanced diet.

“Our diets are heavily carbohydrate and too much of it is not good for human nutrition.

“We should include vegetables and fruits in our diets to increase our nutrients,’’ Ogbeh said.

In his remarks, Dr Benjamin Loevinsohn, a Nutrition Specialist with World Bank, urged stakeholders to champion the National Policy on Food and Nutrition (NPFN).

30

Environment Watch

FRIDAY, september 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

EYESORE: Indiscriminate dumping of refuse in Ikotun canal

FG begins technical audit of water projects AMAZING Some of the on-going projects have been abandoned for 15 years Stories Dayo Ayeyemi

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he Federal Government has commenced technical audit of all on-going water projects in the country in a bid to realise the set target in the water sector.

The audit was to understand the viability of the projects and determine the most appropriate options for their completion.

Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Suleiman Adamu, disclosed these at the public presentation of the Water Sector Road Map in Abuja.

Themed: “Immediate and Long Term Strategies for Water Sector (2016 – 2030),” the minister stated that the roadmap had got the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari since last June.

Adamu said that his ministry was fully committed to aligning all future water proj-

ects in Nigeria in line with the master plan for sustainability.

The minister stated that the auditing of the on-going projects lent credence to the ministry’s commitment to delivering on its mandate.

He, however, complained that some of the on-going projects had been abandoned for up to 15 years.

Of the 116 projects initi-

ated, 38 are for irrigation and drainages, 37 for dams, while water supply has 41.

Adamu expressed worry why nobody could even raise a query as to why those projects were abandoned for that long.

He stated that the ministry would not work on new projects but focus on completing the ongoing ones.

Adamu said the projects

had been given priority based on some criteria such as their stage of completion, cost of completion, time of completion and envisaged impact of projects on citizens as well as the economy amongst others.

When fully implemented, he said water sector roadmap is poised to be a catalyst in generating employment, increase generation of elec-

tricity as well as food supplies.

“In recognition of our nation’s agricultural potential to not only boost our ability to feed ourselves, but also provide the largest opportunity to create jobs for our teeming young population, we have, in the last six months taken concrete steps to resuscitate the River Basin Development Authorities,” the minister said.

Soaring population raises climate concerns

H

uman numbers are predicted to grow by 33 per cent in the next 33 years, latest calculations by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), a private not-for-profit organisation based in the United States, has said.

The report described these figures as “worrying news” for a world already struggling to deal with the impacts of climate change.

These numbers, scientists said, would increase the challenge of climate change and the potential loss of “natural capital” in the form of natural biodi-

versity in forests, wetlands and other ecosystems that underwrite or deliver for free a whole range of natural services, from pollination to water management.

According to the latest calculations, by 2050, there could be 9.9 billion people alive on the planet, and the global total is expected to hit 10 billion by 2053.

The study stated that by 2050, the population of Africa will reach 2.5 billion, which was roughly the population of the entire globe at the close of the Second World War in 1945.

In the light of these pro-

jections, scientists have warned of growing numbers of climate refugees, and have been trying to calculate ways in which harvests could increase to keep pace with human numbers, over decades in which prolonged drought and a greater frequency of heatwaves are expected to hit yields.

Researchers have argued repeatedly that food can be delivered without the destruction of the remaining forests in ways that would intensify climate change.

The report added that number of people on the two American continents

will rise by just 233 million to 1.2bilion, and Asia will gain 900 million to reach 5.3billionn, but Europe’s population will fall from 740 million to 728 million.

President of the PRB, Jeffrey Jordan, said: “Despite declines in fertility rates around the world, we expect population gains to remain strong enough to take us toward a global population of 10billion.

“Significant regional differences remain, for example, very low birth rates in Europe will mean population declines there, while Africa’s population is expected to double,” he said.

G20 commits to join Paris Agreement

Partnership to reducing water losses gathers steam

C

T

onsensus has been reached by group of 20 major economies (G20) in Hangzhou, China, on how to pursue an “innovative, invigorated, interconnected and inclusive world economy”.

To that end, the communique that concluded the meeting on has reaffirmed the G20 Leaders’ determination to take into account the two major international and interlinked universal treaties clinched in 2015, namely the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement.

The G20 reiterated their commitment to both sustain-

able development and fighting climate change. In order to do so, they committed to join the Paris Agreement as soon as possible and recognised the need for means of implementation for other countries, including financial resources, and the importance to assist them, namely through the Green Climate Fund.

Under under this sustainable future umbrella, the G20 Leaders also included their hopes regarding outcomes to emerge from the next meetings of the Montreal Protocol and the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

he World Bank and the International Water Association (IWA) have declared their intentions to establish a global partnership to help countries, especially the poorest, to improve water management.

This was disclosed during the World Water Week last week in Stockholm, Sweden .

The agreement essentially focuses on water that is pumped but then lost or unaccounted for, called nonrevenue water (NRW).

According to researchers, in developing countries,

roughly 45 million cubic meters of water are lost daily with an economic value of over $3 billion per year.

They pointed out that saving half of those losses would provide enough water to serve at least 90 million people.

They added that high levels of NRW reflect huge volumes of water being lost through leaks, not being invoiced to customers, or both.

Reducing NRW can significantly improve the performance of public water utilities in developing countries.

The two inter national

organisations have thus set out to collaborate on a joint programme that aims to capture good practices in the use of performance based contracts (PBCs) to reduce NRW, raise awareness on the issue of NRW, simplify and streamline the preparation of such contracts, and support their implementation in developing countries in the next few years.

Furthermore, the partnership will build the market of suppliers at the local level. The Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF) has co-developed the initiative.

31

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

AutoBeat

Kia goes frontwheel K

ia Motors has revealed details of its advanced new eight-speed automatic transmission (8AT), engineered for use in front-wheel drive vehicles.

Kia’s new front-wheel drive eight-speed automatic transmission has been developed in-house by the Korean manufacturer, engineered to offer a high level of mechanical efficiency and smooth gearshifts. Crucially, the new transmission occupies the same space as a conventional six-

2017 Kia Sportage SUV LX 4dr front wheel drive

speed automatic transmission, and weighs 3.5 kg less.

Kia’s engineers already have experience of developing eightspeed transmissions for rearwheel drive vehicles, mounting the transmission longitudinally and sending power to the rear axle. However, incorporating

the same number of gears into a front-wheel drive car is incredibly challenging, due to packaging constraints and the need to mount the transmission transversely, competing with the engine, suspension and auxiliary components for space under the bonnet.

Under development since 2012, the development programme for the breakthrough transmission led Kia to patent 143 new technologies to ensure a high level of performance and efficiency in a compact structure. This new transmission enables smooth acceleration from standstill, as

Luxury bus owners decry escalating costs, bad roads Paul Ogbuokiri

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iting the rising costs of running their vehicles and keeping them in road-worthy conditions, luxury bus owners have announced “a slight” fare increase of N1,000 across various routes in the country they operate with effect from Monday.

The umbrella body of the luxury bus owners, Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria (ALBON), said they resorted to fare review as a painful survival measure, even as they appealed to the Federal Government to intervene with incentives and palliatives in order to save the industry from “imminent collapse”.

The association in a statement by its president, Chief Dan Okemuo, said the combined effects of dilapidated roads, rising costs of maintaining the vehicles and unaffordable prices of new buses, on transportation, would drive the business to the brink unless the government of President Muhammad Buhari comes to its members’ rescue, saying the prevailing economic situation in the country has already forced not less than 30 per cent of the members to liquidate to stop operation.

By the new fare regime announced by ALBON, passengers on Lagos-Abuja route will now

Road users now spend hours on this failed strech of the Onitsha-Enugu highway in Anambra 2

pay N7,000 (up from N6, 000), while those on Lagos-Kano that paid N6,500, previously, now pay N7,500. Lagos to Port Harcourt that was hitherto N5,200, is now N6,200.

It particularly cited the pump price of diesel which is now N200 as against the previous price of N145 per litre; a drum of lube oil that was N95, 000, now costs N147, 000; and the price of petrol which is now N140 was N87 per litre.

“Equally, the price of a single tyre (for our big bus) is now N144, 000 as against the previous price of N85, 000. As you are already aware, this sharp increase in prices is due to the current economic recession, which in turn has affected prices levels in the country”.

Okemuo who himself owns a

fleet of buses, said it is “a fact that some major federal roads are in terribly poor conditions”, lamenting that the situation which has not improved over the last two years, had imposed a heavy maintenance burden on the transporters due to increased wear and tear on their vehicles. hile conceding that major repair work had been carried out on a few sections of some of the roads, like the Ore-Benin expressway, the association pointed out that numerous others remain in frightening condition. Among them are Omotosho to Ijebu-Ode within Ondo and Ogun states on Shagamu-Benin expressway; and Ubiaja-Uromi leading to Abuja; Oyibo road, connecting Aba-Port-Harcourt road; as well as Ikot Ekpene-Itu

-Udukpani road, connecting Uyo and Calabar.

Other roads in deplorable state, according to Okemuo, are Ikwuano-IkotEkpene, connecting Abia and Akwa Ibom States; EnuguOnitsha expressway; Benin section of Asaba-Benin highway; Ilorin-MokwaMinna-Abuja; and Enugu-Port-Harcourt.

“Since those roads are critical link between one state and another”, the statement added, “there is an urgent need for the Federal Government to carry out major repair work on them in order to reduce the huge maintenance burden our members are challenged as a result of the deteriorating state of the highways”.

Compounding the bad situation for the transporters are the effects of the current foreign exchange crisis coupled with the increase in import duties on commercial buses from 10 per cent to 35 per cent.

“Today, the cost of Fully – Built Luxury Bus (big) is N160million as against the previous price of N65million two years ago. Similarly, the cost of Hiace bus is now N16.5million as against the former price of N8million…” he said.

well as greater fuel efficiency, improved NVH characteristics, and more decisive acceleration at high speeds than an automatic transmission with fewer gears.

To improve the eight-speed automatic transmission’s fuel economy, Kia engineers significantly reduced the size of the oil pump (the main source of power loss in an automatic transmission) and simplified the structure of the valve body. Boasting the smallest oil pump of any production transmission in its class, the 8AT is able to use hydraulic oil more efficiently, distributing it evenly throughout the unit at all times.

Kia’s development teams also incorporated a direct control valve body to allow solenoid control of the clutch directly, rather than via several control valves.

This enabled Kia to reduce the number of control valves from 20 to 12, resulting in quicker gear shifts, a more direct mechanical link to the engine and improved packaging.

Incorporating an additional clutch and gear over Kia’s existing 6AT, the ratio between the top gear and the lowest gear in the new transmission has been increased by 34 per cent over the 6AT, resulting in greater fuel economy and improved NVH in higher gears and faster acceleration and climbing performance in low gears.

Kia’s new front-wheel drive eight-speed automatic transmission is making its global debut in the 2017 Kia Cadenza, and is featured as standard on Cadenza models powered by the 3.3-litre V6 GDI engine.

Going forward, Kia’s new eight-speed automatic transmission will be applied to a number of mid-sized and larger frontwheel drive models, and will serve as a stepping stone to the development of future advanced Kia transmissions.

32

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

EXHORTATION

Islam UNDERSTAND YOUR FAITH

Fasting on the day of Arafah QUESTION

What is the significance of fasting on Arafat day?

ANSWER

The ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah is the day of ‘Arafah, since it is on this day that the pilgrims gather at the mountain plain of ‘Arafah, praying and supplicating to their Lord. It is mustahabb (highly recommended) for those who are not pilgrims to fast on this day, since the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was asked about fasting on the day of ‘Arafah, so he said, It expiates the sins (Minor) of the past year and the coming year. [Muslim (no. 1162) Imaam at-Tirmidhee (d.275H, rahimahullaah) said: “The People of Knowledge consider it recommended to fast on the day of ‘Arafah, except for those at ‘Arafah.”

[Muslim (no. 1348)] Allaah frees slaves from the fire on Arafat more than any other day Likewise, the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: There is no day on which Allaah frees people from the Fire more so than on the day of ‘Arafah. He comes close to those (people standing on ‘Arafah), and then He revels before His Angels saying, ‘What are these people seeking.’

Forgiveness of the Sins even if they are like the foam on the Sea As for you staying till the evening in ‘Arafah, then Allaah descends to the sky of the Duniya and He boasts about you to the Angels, and says: ‘My slaves have come to Me, looking rough, from every deep valley hoping for My mercy, so if your sins were equivalent to the amount of sand or the drops of rain or like the foam on the sea, I will forgive them. So go forth My slaves! Having forgiveness and for what or who you have interceded for.’

It is the day on which the religion was perfected and Allaah’s Favor was completed In Al-Saheehayn, it was reported from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (radiallaahu ‘anhu) that a Jewish man said to him, “O Ameer alMu`mineen, there is an aayah in your Book which you recite; if it had come to us Jews, we would have taken that day as an ‘Eid (festival).”

CONTINUE Next WEEK

“On the Day when every person will be confronted with all the good he has done, and all the evil he has done, he will wish that there were a great distance between him and his evil.” (Quran 3: 30) 8 Dhul Hijjah, 1437 AH

L-R: High Commissioner of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Retired Lt.-Gen. Agha Umeh Farooq; former Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Mr Adamu Daura; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, during the celebration of the Defence Day of Pakistan, in Abuja …on Tuesday.

PHOTO: NAN

85, 000 Nigerian pilgrims begin Mecca, Muna migration as Hajj rites begin tomorrow COMFORT Lagos secures Tent B +, 300 fans for pilgrims Adeola Yusuf and Muritala Ayinla

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ver 85, 000 Nigerian pilgrims have begun preparation for migration from Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, to Muna, the tent city, as Hajj rites begin tomorrow, Saturday.

New Telegraph gathered that

pilgrims will, starting from midnight today, move to Muna, where they will pass a night in preparation for Arafat on Sunday.

“Saudi Arabia authority has shut down Mecca border in preparation for the Hajj rite and as we speak all pilgrims from Nigeria have moved from Medina to Mecca.

“We have been told that by Friday’s evening we will be moving to Muna for the Hajj rites proper.

We have been briefed on security, especially on Monday when we will all move from Muzdalifah to Jamrah for the stoning rites and we believe that Allah will make it

easy for us,” a pilgrim from Lagos state, Ismail Adele told New Telegraph.

Lagos State government has, in the same vein, said that it had secured Tent B Plus and 300 specially designed fans for the use of pilgrims.

Speaking at a lecture in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to unveil arrangements for the movement of pilgrims to Muna, Muzdalifah and Arafah for the Hajj rites., the state’s Amirul-l-Hajj and Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr Abdulateef AbdulHakeem, who disclosed this, said that theTent B plus has desert air conditioners with additional three hun-

Controversy trails planned shutdown of OAU hostels’ mosques lMosques turning to brothels, fundamentalists’ haven–DSA lWe are law-abiding, says Muslim group

Mojeed Alabi

T

he crisis rocking the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, chapter of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) has taken another dimension as the management of the university planned to shut two mosques within the Obafemi Awolowo Hall and the Fajuyi Hall on the campus.

The decision according to the Dean of Students’ Affairs Division of the institution, Dr. Grace Akinola, was based on the allegations of grave violations of rules and regulations governing both the administrative and academic activities on the campus.

The allegations, according to Akinola, include the unresolved conflicts between what she referred to as the mainstream of

the MSSN and another it regarded as a splinter group, keeping of female Muslims including fully veiled ones in mosques located in male hostels; locking up of these girls in the mosques, and by engaging in series of activities against the rules of the institution.

A statement issued by the office of the DSA and signed by Akinola had read in part; “It should be noted that the Federal Government, of Nigeria of which Obafemi Awolowo University is an integral part, has not legalized prostitution in Universities. It is pertinent to note also that no female should be camped in a male facility under the guise of religion, as this is tantamount to running a brothel which will breed prostitution; and this is illegal. It is only fit, proper and responsible that any grossly abused univer-

sity facility be closed down.

“Consequently, acting within its powers to prevent any breakdown of law and order and to ensure freedom of movement of persons within the respective halls of residence, especially at this time of dire security concern in the country, the DSA has therefore acted this 2nd day of September, 2016 to seal off and close down henceforth, the two ‘mosques’ in Awolowo and Fajuyi Halls until such a time that orderliness and the rule of the University would be respected within its walls.”

But in its response, the group in a statement issued and signed by its Secretary General, Gholahan Yuusuf, refuted all the allegations, saying it has not flouted any rule by the institution and that all its activities are legal and within both Islamic and the university’s laws.

dred fans for comfortability of the pilgrims when they are in the state of Ihram.

The Commissioner,who attributed the feat to the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s commitment to ensure that pilgrims are given better treatment,commended the governor for his consistent supports for the pilgrims.

According to him,”We have made adequate arrangement for the provision of beds space within the tent.Securing Tent B plus for pilgrims from Lagos State didn’t come as a magic but as a result of doggedness of Governor Ambode in ensuring that our people perform Hajj rites with ease.

The Commissioner, therefore urged Nigerians to maximize opportunities of the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah (the 12th Islamic calendar month) to seek God’s favour, adding that the month carries a special status during the blessed month of Pilgrimage.

He also called on Nigerians most especially those performing this year’s hajj to take advantage of the period to pray for themselves, relatives and the country at large.

“Just like the last ten nights of Ramadan are the best ten nights out of the year, these first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah are the best days of the year and the most beloved to Allah as they combine acts of worship in a way unlike any other time.

Amirul Hajj who is also the Lagos Commissioner for Home Affairs implored the pilgrims to pray for peaceful coexistence and religious tolerance saying that Nigeria is in dire need of prayers so that God will touch the minds of political leaders to govern the country with the fear of God.

33

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Robbery

Crime

Our guns are to fight militants, vandals, not robbery

34

Greed Controversy as police parade 17 handbag snatchers

Arms handling Accidental discharge: 78 policemen trained in handling rifles

35 36

The suspects

If your generator goes off at night, don’t come out – Suspect Endurance Evulukwu

A

suspected ar med robber has warned Nigerians never to dare step out of their apartments if their generators happen to go off at night.

The suspect, Isaac Ogbonna, 22, said it is a bad move for anyone to go out at night to check the reason for his or her generator suddenly going off.

According to him, that was always the perfect opportunity

JULIANA FRANCIS CRIME Editor

juliana.francis@newtelegraphonline.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

for armed robbers to grab a victim, get into his home and rob the family.

He stressed that most generators that go off at night, were most often switched off by armed robbers waiting outside.

He said the gimmick was one of the best ways of getting entry into homes in order to rob.

He further said: “During our operations, we always look out for houses where generators are running. We usually scale the fence of the buildings in order to gain entry. Once we are inside, we switch off the generators. The idea is to get the owner of the house to open the door and step outside. Once the person steps out, we attack and swing into action.”

Ogbonna and his four friends were held for robbery by operatives attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikorodu Police Station and later transferred to SARS, Ikeja, Lagos State Police Command.

Aside from Ogbonna, others are Shola Dede 22, Hakeem Lawal, Sadiq Lawal and Hakeem Ayotunde.

They were arrested on Au-

Once the person steps out, we attack and swing into action

gust 25, 2016. Three stolen laptops and a Toyota Corolla car were recovered from them Like most suspected criminals, the suspects blamed tough economic situation in Nigeria for their crime.

Ogbonna, an indigene of Ebonyi State, said he came to Lagos in late June this year.

He used to hawk different wares in Enugu State, as a source of livelihood before he relocated to Lagos.

When he came to Lagos, he resided at Ogolonto, Ikorodu, Lagos State, where he ran into an old friend called Shola Dede.

Dede would later take him to Ayotunde, who initiated him into robbery.

Recalling how he embraced the world of crime, Ogbonna said he took to armed robbery because of his love for his aunt.

He said that it all started after he received an alarming phone call, telling him that his aunt was between life and death.

He said he was in Enugu State back then, when he got the call. He rushed down to Lagos, determined to do every-

thing within his power to save the woman’s life.

He said: "My aunt told me that her health condition was deteriorating, that she needed help. I boarded a bus to Lagos with just N10, 000 I had. I used part of the money to carry out series of medical tests ordered by her doctor. It was discovered she had malaria parasite and typhoid fever. She also needed blood transfusion. She had seriously lost weight.

“I met my friend, Shola Dede, who tried to find a means for us to help my aunt. I couldn’t allow my aunt to die. She is too good to me.”

Ogbonna further narrated how he carried out his first robbery operation.

His words: “I was introduced to Ayotunde by Dede. It was Ayotunde that first told me about the robbery business. I asked him if he had a gun, he said no. After we agreed to rob people, we further agreed never to hurt our victims. We went to the market and purchased N2000 knives. We use the knives CONTINUED ON PAGE 35

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CRIME

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Our guns are to fight militants, vandals, not robbery … Say boxers arrested with pump action rifles Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

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he Ogun State Police Command has arrested two men for being in possession of two Pump Action rifles, one cut-to-size pistol, two live cartridges and assorted charms.

The suspects, Wasiu Olanrewaju and Ahmed Hamsat, are both 26 years old. They were arrested by men of the Ogun State Police Command.

They were accused of pipeline vandalism and armed robbery.

The men however denied the allegations.

The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ahmed Iliyasu, who presented the suspects to journalists at the command headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta, further alleged that the suspects were involved in car snatching and hijacking of trucks around Ogun, Lagos and Ibadan axis.

Iliyasu said that the two suspects were arrested at Oke-Efon area of Abeokuta. Iliyasu added that the suspects’ partners in crime were still at large.

He further said that the two men were caught with two pump action guns, one cut-to-size pistol, two live cartridges and assorted charms. According to him, the police would continue to wage war against criminals to ensure drastic reduction of crime in the state.

Iliyasu said: "On August 8, 2016, at about 7:30pm, at Oke-Efon area of Abeokuta, two suspected vandals and armed robbery gang, were arrested and some weapons recovered from them. Investigation revealed that they were involved in various crimes like car snatching, armed robbery and hijacking trucks around Ogun, Lagos and Ibadan axis."

The suspects, however, refuted the narratives of the police. Olanrewaju and Hamsat said they were not involved in banditry. The suspects said they were security guards, hired by one SOJ to safeguard pipelines along Ajebo area, off the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Olanrewaju said: "We were boxers before. We even have boxing certificates. We used to train at the Adamasingba Stadium in Ibadan.

When we had nothing to do again, we decided to look for gainful employment. We were hired by SOJ to guard pipelines. He promised to pay us N50, 000 as monthly salary to guard the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) facility.”

bags of rice.

Olanrewaju, however, lamented that SOJ has refused to pay their salary and even defaulted in their contract agreement.

He said: "We were hired by SOJ. He was the one that got the pipeline protection contract. We were coming to Abeokuta to see him. We wanted him to pay our salary arrears because we are hungry. We decided to take the weapons along with us because we were worried of leaving them behind. We didn’t want anyone to steal them. We have a house built for us at the NNPC pipeline area at Ajebo.”

According to him, they had both worked for SOJ for seven months, but he had only paid once. He said: “SOJ owed us six month salary arrears. Part of the agreement was that he would pay us N5, 000 as food allowance. But in the past three weeks, he hadn’t paid us the food allowance. He promised to pay us N50, 000 as our monthly salary, but ended up paying us N40, 000 for the first salary.

Further explaining why they were in possession of Pump Action Rifles, Olarenwaju said: "We didn't want to hide our guns at the safe house.”

He said they were not using guns before in their job as guards until some pipeline vandals, who were later discovered to be Niger Delta militants, attacked their base and killed one of their colleagues. It was after the death of their colleague, they decided guns should be an essential part of apparatus

Olarenwaju and Hamsat

needed for pipeline protection.

Recalling the day suspected militants attacked their base, Olanrewaju said: "We got home and found out that the militants have vandalised our safe house. They shattered glasses and other things. But they didn’t discover where we kept these guns. We decided to go and meet our boss to inform him about the development and discuss about our salary. We were on our way when the police arrested us.”

Olanrewaju, who insisted that they had never taken part in any robbery, said that the police impounded their Toyota Hilux van, which they normally used in pipeline monitoring.

Asked whether their guns had licence, Olanrewaju said: "We don't know whether the guns were licensed. We were hired to guard

oil pipelines. We were given orientation on how to handle guns.

But we’ve never used those guns!

It wasn't long our employer gave them to us. The guns are basically for protection, not robbery.

We’ve never shot at anybody before. When the police searched our vehicle, they found the guns.

Only the two of us were in the vehicle and they got the vehicle impounded."

Corroborating Olarenwaju’s story, Hamsat said that they had never engaged in any criminal activity.

Hamsat added: "We were hired to protect the oil pipelines. Vandals killed one of our colleagues when we started this job. The vandals invaded our base and chased us into the bush."

The number one policeman said that efforts were on to arrest SOJ.

I lived with kidnappers, robbers for 30 years –Octogenarian Muhammad Kabir Kano

A

87-year-old man, Muhammad Tukur, has told journalists in Kano that kidnappers, robbers and rustlers operating in the famous Falgore Forest, had lived near his house for more than 30 years.

Tukur, however, said he had never participated in kidnapping or rustling as alleged by the police.

The octogenarian said that he was arrested because he refused to take to his heels when police invaded the den of the criminals to arrest them.

He said: “For many years, all those criminals in Falgore Forest were operating close to my house. I have been warning them that there will be a day when they would meet their waterloo.

“My house is not far from the security check-points and that is what bothers me the most. When military personnel finally invaded the forest,

Tukur

they all ran away leaving me behind.

That day, I was not arrested.

“I refused to report to the police

since the criminals are close to the security operatives, but nobody believed my story. They said that I am one of the criminals.”

Tukur said he came with the police willingly because he had agreed to submit himself since he had nothing to hide.

According to him, he can tell the police those who actually engaged in kidnapping and rustling.

Meanwhile, the state Police Commissioner, Rabiu Yusuf, said his men had arrested 22 suspected kidnappers and rustlers, who had been terrorising villages in Tudunwada and Doguwa local government areas of the state.

Yusuf said four fabricated AK47 rifles and 56 rounds of live ammunition, as well as 96 cows and 33 sheep were recovered from the criminals.

The commissioner disclosed that a man, who introduced his son into kidnapping and rustling, was on the run.

He, however, promised that the police would soon arrest the man.

CRIME

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

35

Controversy as police parade 17 handbag snatchers Tobi Ayinde

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ontroversy brews as some suspects, who were part of 17 men initially arrested by policemen attached to the Lagos State Police Command for handbag snatching, have denied the allegation.

Aside from denying the allegation of being thieves, some of them claimed they were only presented to the media because they allegedly couldn’t cough up N3000 bail.

It’s now their words against those of the detectives that arrested them.

It appears only the law court can settle the matter.

One of the suspects fanning the ember of controversy is Fatai Suleiman. According to him, it was his first day in Lagos State.

He came to tell his elder brother that his wife had just put to bed when policemen grabbed and labeled him a thief.

Suleiman, who said he repairs wrist watches, further explained: “I have never been to Lagos until the day I was arrested. I came to inform my elder brother that my wife has just given birth. I stopped to eat somewhere. I was coming out from where I went to eat, when policemen grabbed and bundled me into their van with some people. They brought us to their station.”

The police said the suspects specialised in snatching people’s handbags, while on motorbikes. They also allegedly used to target people coming out from banking halls.

The Lagos State Commissioner

•We’re innocent, cried suspects

The suspects

of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, said: “We have been receiving series of complaints from victims. They said their property got snatched while

they were coming out from banks by criminals on motorbikes.

“Police officers have been working round the clock to ensure that

they get these criminals who carry out these immoral acts. God has crowned the efforts of police officers.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

'If your generator goes off at night, don’t come out' CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33

to threaten victims.”

Dede, a former boat operator, confirmed the narratives of Ogbonna. Dede, however, confessed that he met Ayotunde, the leader of the group in July, 2016, when he was in desperate need of money to cater for his family.

He said Ayotunde was the person that usually sells the items collected from victims during robbery operations. After selling the items, Ayotunde would call and give cash to each gang member.

He said he joined the gang because he wanted to ensure he got an apartment for his family.

He said he was tired of him and his family squatting with people.

Dede added: “I feel very depressed about everything. I was in a desperate situation to support my family, especially my mother. My intention was just to rent an apartment for my family because we were squatting with people. I never knew that my second robbery operation would be my last operation.

I was arrested.”

Remembering how the gang was smashed, Ogbonna said it happened on August 22.

Ogbonna recounted: "We got to our victim's residence at about 12 midnight. We scaled the fence in order to get into the compound.

When we got into the compound, we switched off the generator.

Lagos CP, Owoseni

The owner came outside; we ambushed him. We asked him to lead us into his apartment. When we got into the apartment, we asked him for money. He told us he had none.

He suggested we should take his car, but we refused. He insisted; he said we could make a lot of money from the sales of the car. We finally agreed. We took the car and three laptops. We handed all the stolen items to Ayotunde. He promised to call us after he sold them.”

Another suspect, Lawal, was labeled as an accomplice in the

crime by the police. He said his only offence was in buying stolen items from the suspects. He however said he never knew they were stolen ones.

He said: “It was Sadiq Lawal, one of their members that Ayotunde sent to sell the items to me.

Sadiq said Ayotunde's brothers sent the laptops from overseas.

The laptops were one old Toshiba and two HP laptops. There was also one functional camera. We negotiated and I bought the laptops for N43, 000. I checked the laptops and found that the HP laptops were bad. I contacted Ayotunde, so that I could get my money back. It was after the call that police came with him to arrest me.”

Ayotunde, alleged leader of the gang, said he is from Abia State.

He was a construction worker, but abandoned the profession when his salary could no longer sustain him and his family.

He was in his community at Ogolonto Ikorodu one day and looking around him, he saw many friends and families suffering. He felt he needed to do something.

He said: “I left the construction company because they refused to pay full salary. This always happens and I got frustrated. I was a good Christian and had plans I wanted to execute. I got fed up and left the construction company in February. I left and started working in a car wash company.

They paid me N1000 every day. The

N1000 I received daily from the carwash business wasn’t enough.”

Ayotunde continued: "I looked around my street and saw good people, who love their families and wished to make their lives better.

So early this March, I got the idea of robbing people. I wanted to sustain myself and I saw my friends in need.

I couldn't watch just like that. So we started robbing. I bought kitchen knives which we always discarded after each operation. On our last operation, we entered an apartment and robbed as usual. I received the goods and sent Lawal to sell the laptops to Lawal Hakeem. I was about to sell the car when police caught me.”

Sadiq said he was sad and wished the government could pardon the gang for its crimes.

He added: “My parents came yesterday to the police station to see me. I could see the worry on their faces. I don’t know when or if I would leave here. I have heard stories of people never leaving at all. Government should pardon us!

It was condition of living in Nigeria that brought us to this level.”

Dede said he had repented and is now a changed person, after being in police custody. He also wished the government would forgive and pardon them.

Ogbonna wished he had never joined robbery as this has shattered his dreams of making it in life. He is worried that his aunt's health condition would worsen as no one was with her.

Police said the stolen goods have been recovered.

36

CRIME

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Accidental discharge: 78 policemen trained in handling rifles Taiwo Jimoh, Endurance Evulukwu and Emeka Maduabuchi

D

etermined to check cases of accidental discharges of firearms by policemen, the Lagos State Police Command has given a practical training to 78 police corporal on rifle handling.

Part of the training, witnessed the policemen being blindfolded and told to dismantle and assemble their rifles.

According to the Commander Ikeja Training School, a Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fimihan Adeoye, the blindfolding symbolised ‘being in a distress situation.’

He said: Policemen were expected to be sure and firm in handling weapons, no matter the tense situation. The training was for five days.

The corporals, who were also trained on other ethics and principle of the Nigeria Police Force, were charged to teach their colleagues all they had learnt.

The trainees demonstrated what they have learnt in dismantling and reassembling of rifles. Some were blindfolded and instructed to dismantle and assemble their rifles.

Thunderous clapping, greeted their efforts.

Adeoye said: “The training is in partnership with the Lagos State Police Command and in line with directives of the Inspector-General-of-Police (IGP) on training and training of senior and junior officers. I’m quite sure now that every participant at the training can service his or her weapons. They can also assemble and dismantle them. I have confidence that if the participants go out, they would not misuse their firearms. It is part of the training we gave them. They are also our ambassadors. They’ll represent us at their various stations.”

Adeoye urged the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai

Police officers during the demonstration

Owoseni, to extend the training to other policemen, so that there they too would begin to avoid accidental discharge and misuse of firearms.

He noted that those, who participated in the training, have better knowledge about firearms.

Responding, Owoseni said: “The policemen were not trained on firearms alone, but also educated on the importance of human rights and respect to members of the public. The idea behind the training is to bring global practices into the Nigeria Police Force and to also emphasise the training and retraining of our policemen.”

Owoseni continued: “The command had started orientation programme for the officers of the command. What informed this is because of cases of misconducts

being daily reported about the police. The demonstration by the policemen was to show that they have mastery of the weapons they are carrying. Those blindfolded are policemen working in darkness during operation.”

Owoseni warned the participants to always remember that whenever they carried arms, they should be careful in their interactions with members of the public.

He added: “It’s unprofessional to oppress members of the public.”

The participants were also

Controversy as police parade 17 handbag snatchers CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35

Blind folded officers during the training

urged to let what they have learnt in the training, impact their individually life in the discharge of their duties. The training should also reflect positively in their lives.

According to Owoseni, the trainees were the first batch. He noted that other policemen were going to benefit from the training, stressing that it would be a continuous one. He said that each batch of trainees would be given N200 stipend every day for snacks.

The trainees were presented with certificates of participation.

We have arrested a total of 17 criminals, who specialised in robbing people of their properties. Some of these criminals were arrested at Egbeda, Lekki, Ajah and Festac areas. Some of the items recovered from them are female handbags, different A.T.M cards, different identity cards and razor blades.”

One of those arrested, Monday Joseph, 25, who said he had no source of livelihood, said: “I know nothing about this crime. True, I used to snatch handbags, but on the particular day that police arrested me, I didn’t snatch any handbag. I used to snatch handbags with three other friends. I started snatching handbags about two months ago. I have made nothing less than N53, 000 since I started snatching handbags. One Orobo introduced me to this business. He ran away after I was arrested. We also used to steal from cars that are parked. We force open their

windows and steal from inside.”

Yusuf Lukman, 20, said: “My friend, Akeem, got me into this trouble. On that fateful day, I was sick, sleeping in my area when Akeem came to give me A.T.M cards. I asked him where he got the cards, he ignored me and left.

I was arrested at Jakande, Lekki area, alongside Akeem. But because Akeem had N3, 500 to bail himself, the policeman, who arrested us, freed him and took me to their station. I didn’t have money to give him.”

Nurudeen Abiodun, 23, an electrician, said: “I was at a sports betting shop, watching a football match when policemen came there. They said they were looking for people, who used to snatch bags. The policemen didn’t allow us to say anything; some people who had money on them bribed the policemen. They arrested those of us that didn’t have money to bail ourselves. They took us to their station.”

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

More banks suspend int’l deals on ATM cards SCARCITY

move by lenders late last year was yet to abate.

It would be recalled that following the decline in the foreign reserves occasioned by the oil price slump, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had in April 2015, cut the amount individuals could spend abroad with their naira cards to $50,000 from a limit of $150,000 per annum.

CBN measures yet to boost forex liquidity

Tony Chukwunyem

T

he scarcity of foreign exchange in the system appears to be worsening, as more banks continue to announce the suspension of international transactions on naira debit cards.

In an email sighted by New Telegraph, one of the banks informed its customers that they would no longer be able to carry out international transactions with their VISA naira debit cards with effect from today, 9th September 2016.

The lender, however, said such cards were still available for domestic transactions on all channels.

Industry watchers said that the fact that banks were still announcing the suspension of international transactions on naira debit cards was an indication that the scarcity of forex in the system, which first sparked this

It subsequently advised lenders’ banks to limit usage of cards abroad by their customers based on their individual reserves and capacity to secure dollars, especially for those without foreign affiliates.

The development led to several banks announcing the suspension of these transactions. However, since then the apex bank

has introduced a number of measures aimed at boosting forex liquidity in the system. Last June, it liberalised the interbank forex market, which resulted in the devaluation of the naira from N197/$ to about N289 to the greenback. Despite these measures, forex scarcity continues to be a key issue in the system.

Presidency approves borrowing from World Bank, China

N

igeria will take on debt from institutions including the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), Japan International Cooperation Agency and Export-Import Bank of China, the Presidency commented on Twitter yesterday.

This will include “low-cost, long-term” loans with interest rates of 1.25 per cent and maturities of 20 years, according to the tweets.

Details of a Eurobond will be announced “in due course.” The government is now waiting for lawmakers to approve the plans, the Presidency

said.

President Muhammadu Buhari announced a record N6.1 trillion spending plan this year to try and stimulate the economy, which contracted in the first two quarters as oil revenue plunged. He said he expected the government to raise about $5 billion from the Eurobond market and multilateral and bilateral lenders.

The Debt Management Office (DMO) last month asked banks to place bids by September 19 if they wished to manage a $1 billion Eurobond sale. Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun

told bond investors in London in June that Nigeria was close to securing around $3 billion of funding from the World Bank and African Development Bank.

Nigeria, which vies with South Africa as the continent’s biggest economy, has issued dollar bonds twice, the last time in 2013. Yields on its $500 million of securities due in July 2023 fell 11 basis points to 6.24 per cent by 1:01 p.m. in Lagos, their lowest level since June 2015 and down more than 300 basis points since hitting a record 9.4 per cent on January 18.

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

N19,142,526.05m N18,579,219.49m 17.13 14 10.77 US$47.36 US$25,204,581,514

Mar, 2015 Mar, 2015 July, 2016 07/07/2016 Mar 2015 8/9/2016 7/9/2016

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

Price 104.65 114.59 111.96 120.58 109.60 100.54 83.82 97.56

1.07 3.24 3.87 5.82 7.95 9.81 14.31 18.29

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)

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

NITTY

Rate (%) 6.9949 7.2368 8.0819 9.2061 9.5872 10.5042

1 2 3 6 9 12

Treasury Bills

Offer Yield 10.24 10.45 11.51 11.38 12.22 12.34 12.39 12.44

Change (%) 1.12 ▲ -0.27 ▼ -0.17 ▼ -0.11 ▼ 0.03 ▲ 0.42 ▲

Money Market

Maturity Date Discount Bid Yield Change (%) Discount Offer Yield Change (%) Rate (%) 30-Jun-16 7.92 7.67 7.82 -0.51 ▼ Open-Buy-Back (OBB) 3.83 8.08 -0.51 ▼ 6-Oct-16 8.59 8.34 8.71 -0.31 ▼ Overnight (O/N) 4.33 8.99 -0.31 ▼ 16-Mar-17 9.36 10.28 -0.07 ▼ 9.11 9.98 -0.07 ▼

Spot($/N)

Bid 199.14

FX

Offer 199.24

Change (%) 0.57 ▲

NIFEX

Spot($/N)

Bid 199.0000

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

196.00

197.00

0.00 ↔

Offer 199.1000

Change (%) -1.75 ▼ -2.08 ▼

Change (%) 0.00 ↔

BUSINESS | MONEY LINE

37

Analysts: August inflation may rise to 17.71% Tony Chukwunyem

W

ith reactions still trailing the National Bureau of Statistics’ (NBS) release of July inflation figure and other data a fortnight ago, analysts at First Security Discount House (FSDH) have predicted that August inflation is likely to rise to 17.71 per cent.

According to the NBS, inflation increased by 0.6 percentage points from 16.5 per cent in June to 17.1 per cent in July. The Bureau attributed the increase to high energy prices.

However, in a note obtained by New Telegraph, experts at the FSDH, said inflation will rise in August due to the weak naira.

The analysts said: “We expect the August 2016 inflation rate (year-onyear) to increase further to 17.71 per cent from 17.13 per cent recorded in the month of July 2016. We expect the increase to come

from the increase in the prices of food items and other non-food items as a result of the continued pressure on the value of the naira.”

Besides, the analysts said: “Our analysis indicates that the value of the naira appreciated at the inter-bank market by 1.56 per cent while it depreciated at the parallel market by 10.24 per cent in August 2016. The naira gained N4.92 to close at $/ N316.24 at the inter-bank market while it lost N43 to close at $420 at the parallel market. The depreciation recorded in the exchange rate particularly in the parallel market between the two months and higher prices in the international market would put further pressure on domestic prices.”

The NBS is expected to release the inflation rate for the month of August 2016 on September 15, 2016 based on the data calendar on its website.

Ghana $750m Eurobond oversubscribed

A

gainst the background of the announcement

by Nigeria that it will issue Eurobonds this year, Ghana has raised $750 million selling Eurobonds at a yield of 9.25 per cent in an auction that was more than five times oversubscribed, according to Bloomberg.

The West African country had abandoned its Eurobond plan a month ago due to the price demanded by investors.

The country received orders exceeding $4 billion for the bond that will be repaid in three equal installments between September 2020 and the same month in 2022, the Ministry of Finance said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. The proceeds will be used to refinance existing debt and fund capital investments, the ministry said earlier in the day.

The oversubscription indicates a “high appetite for Ghana’s credit,” the ministry said. “The transaction is a vindication of the decision taken in August not to issue immediately.”

The sale comes after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) earlier this month sought assurances that the West African nation won’t use funding from the Bank of Ghana ahead of December elections, before releasing a fourth tranche of $115 million under an extended cred-

it facility deal. Ghana agreed to a near-$1 billion programme with the Washington-based lender in April last year to help rein in the budget deficit and arrest declines in the cedi.

“Lots of investors are looking for high yields in emerging markets,” Lutz Roehmeyer, a money manager at Landesbank Berlin Investment, which oversees about $12 billion of assets, said by phone from the German capital.

“They’ll even save some interest costs. The yields now are lower than what they would have got two months ago.”

About $400 million of the bond proceeds will be used to refinance securities maturing in 2017, with the rest being used for capital projects, Finance Minister Seth Terkper said in an interview in Accra, the capital, on Wednesday. Yields on the 2017 notes plunged 86 basis points to 5.39 percent at 6:24 p.m. in Accra. The cedi strengthened 0.3 percent to 3.9450 per dollar.

The “government is not under pressure to overspend and neither are we considering any spending that will not allow the country to meet the fiscal deficits set for the year,” Terkper said in a separate statement on Thursday. President John Dramani Mahama has assured the IMF “of his willingness and commitment to ensure the success of the programme,” Terkper said.

38

BUSINESS |FINANCIAL MARKET NEWS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Firms face huge challenges, says Flour Mills VOLATILITY Removal of currency peg hasn’t alleviated dollar shortage

Stories: Chris Ugwu

F

lour Mills of Nigeria Plc, the country’s biggest miller by market value, said manufacturers in Africa’s most populous country are finding profits under pressure from a fall in crude prices, a weak naira and rising input costs.

“Taken together, these factors have contributed to a perfect storm,” Chairman John Coumantaros told investors at a meeting in Lagos yesterday.

Flour Mills was able to “offset the impact” of the challenges “through commensurate increases in the selling prices of its products,” Coumantaros said.

According to Bloomberg News, a fall in oil prices from 2014 that cut government revenue prompted the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to peg the naira at 197-199 to the dollar for 15 months in a bid to conserve reserves and cap price increases. The move, which caused a scarcity of dollars, crippled imports and increased costs for industries. It also led to the exit of foreign investors who are yet to return, almost three months after authorities

L-R: Chairman, Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN), Mr. John Coumantaros; Company Secretary, Mr. Joseph Umalu and Group Managing Director, Mr. Paul Gbededo, at the company’s 56th Annual General Meeting in Lagos…yesterday.

PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

allowed the naira to trade freely.

The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 2.1 per cent in the three months through June from a year earlier, while inflation accelerated to 17.1 per cent in July, the highest rate since October 2005.

Expectations that dollars would become available to manufacturers after the CBN abandoned its peg have been dashed, Paul Gbededo, the company’s managing director, said in separate interview. “The aspiration is that once you devalue, the people will bring in their

Conoil reports 176% growth in FY PAT

C

onoil Plc has recorded 176.5 per cent increase in profit after tax for the financial year ended December 31, 2015.

The company’s 2015 financial results obtained from The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) website showed an increase in profit after tax from N834 million in 2014 to N2.3 billion in 2015, representing an increase of 176.5 per cent.

Its profit before tax increased from N1.5 billion to N3.4 billion accounting for a growth of 125 per cent.

The company’s earnings per share also rose by 177 per cent to 333 kobo in 2015 from 120 kobo in 2014.

Following the impressive performance, the oil marketing firm has proposed a 200 per cent increase in dividend payout to its teeming shareholders.

The dividend of N2.08 billion is expected to be ratified by the shareholders of the company at its annual general meeting (AGM).

If approved, shareholders will get N3.00 on every 50 kobo ordinary share, compared to N1 paid last year.

The management of Conoil in a statement released yesterday attributed the strong performance to efficient management of resources, effective cost control policy, as well as reaping from its huge invest-

ment in the expansion and upgrade of its facilities.

“For us, the downstream sector remains fundamentally attractive and viable today and the future”, the statement said.

“With our clarity of direction and focus, our company’s long-term success is assured.

We will sustain this improved performance and vigorously pursue our aspiration to remain the nation’s leading petroleum products marketer and one of the most profitable quoted companies,” the company added.

It will be recalled that at the company’s AGM last year, Chairman, Conoil, Dr. Mike Adenuga, promised shareholders that notwithstanding the tough challenges in the country, and indeed in the downstream petroleum sector, the company would explore to the fullest, new opportunities that abound in the industry to its advantage.

Adenuga also gave assurance to investors of the company’s commitment to cost-cutting measures in its operations, vast improvement in the quality of its products and services with a strong bottomline as its focus.

“These measures”, the statement added, “have positively contributed to our successful outing to reward our loyal shareholders.”

dollars; that we are not seeing yet,” he said. “Nigeria is badly hit with foreign-exchange earnings, thereby not being able to fulfill its import bill.”

Nigerian companies will need to increase prices to re-

main profitable, according to Gbededo. “For those who are import-dependent, you have to see an increase in price, tracking the foreign exchange issues,” he said.

Flour Mills is issuing N40

billion ($123 million) of shares through a staged process instead of a one-off initially planned as the country’s “economic headwinds,” limit the ability of investors to buy securities, Coumantaros said.

Stock market advances on sustained bargain hunting

T

he local bourse yesterday trudged along, driven by sustained bargain hunting activities, which lifted the NSE ASI and market capitalisation by 0.18 per cent.

Following the resumed confidence the previous day, stocks of blue chip companies have sustained moderate buy as price volatility wanes.

Specifically, the All-Share Index gained 51.47 basis points or 0.18 per cent to close at 27.574 index points as against 27.522.62 recorded the previous day while, the market capitalisation of equities appreciated

by N17 billion or 0.18 per cent to close at N9.471 trillion from

N9.454 trillion.

Meanwhile, a turnover of 242.7 million shares worth N3.067 billion was recorded in the day’s trading.

Banking services subsector of the financial services sector was the most active (measured by turnover volume) with 163.6 million shares exchanged by investors in 1.209 deals.

Volume in the sub-sector was largely driven by activities in the shares of UBA Plc and Skye Bank Plc. Premium sub-sector boosted by activities in the shares of Dangote Cement Plc and Zenith Bank Plc followed with a turnover of 30.3 million shares in 520 deals.

The number of gainers at the close of trading session was 23, while decliners closed at 11.

Con Oil Plc led the gainers’ table with 4.96 per cent to close at N21.59 per share, while Vitafoam Plc followed with a gain of 4.91 per cent to close at N2.99 per share. Tranex Plc added 4.90 per cent to close at N1.07 per share.

On the other hand, Julius Berger Plc led the price losers’ table, dropping 9.73 per cent to close at N39.44 per share. Caverton Plc trailed with 9.02 per cent to close at N1.21 per share, while Wema Bank Plc followed with a loss of 4.17 per cent to close at 69 kobo per share.

CCNN seeks special FX for to manufacturers Abdulwahab Isa ABUJA

C

hairman, Cement Company of Northern Nigeria (CCNN), Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu, has endorsed government’s proposal seeking to give 60 per cent foreign exchange allocation to the manufacturing sector, describing forex scarcity as major threat to manufacturing sector.

Addressing the company’s shareholders in Abuja at 37th Annual General Meeting ( AGM), Rabiu lamented that, the subsisting harsh business environment had taken negative toll on all aspects of company business and hinged it on a number of issues, which included, scarcity of forex to import raw materials, dearth of power supply and poor infrastructure.

“Going forward, with the way things are the government is trying to encourage the manufacturing sector to get special forex allocation. The Central Bank, the Manufacturing Association of Nigeria ( MAN) and federal government are meeting to see what could be done to prorate forex allocation by allocating 60 per cent to the manufacturing sector. It’s a welcome development. Our second line has not come up because we don’t have the needed forex to complete it”, he said.

On the performance of the Sokoto-based cement firm in 2015, he said: “The year 2015 was filled with tough economic challenges for the country and manufacturers in general, and the cement industry in particular. The board of CCNN is working hard and would continue to strive for better performance and enhanced shareholders

value despite the massive challenges, which ranged from shortage of energy, shortage of foreign exchange for spare parts, and low sales volumes from the second half of 2015.

LPO, which is the main energy used by the company has not been supplied by the Kaduna refinery since August 2014 , hence it has to rely on other sources, mostly importers as supply from other refineries was also epileptic. The company had at intermittent periods during the last quarter of 2015, shut down the plant due to scarcity and cost of energy”, he said.

The harsh operating economic environment affected the profit of the firm in all ramifications.

In 2015, the company’s turnover tumbled to N13.037 billion, as against N15.119 billion recorded in 2014.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

39

40

NEWS | national

friday, september 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Police charge late Audu’s Kalu commiserates with Ibru dynasty son for criminal conspiracy E •Audu's counsel: It’s politically motivated Muhammad Bashir and Zacchaeus Ozovehe

T

he police in Kogi State yesterday arraigned Mohammed Audu, son of the former governor of the state and governorship candidate of the All Progressives congress (APC) in last year’s governorship election in the state, late Prince Abubakar Audu, for robbery and attempted culpable homicide at a Lokoja Magistrates’ Court.

Mohammed was arrested on Wednesday night when he honoured police invitation at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad at the Police Headquarters in Lokoja.

The prosecution charged the accused with criminal conspiracy, causing grievous hurt, mischief, armed robbery and attempted culpable homicide, contrary to sections 97(1), 248, 327, 298 and 229 of the Penal Code.

The prosecuting police officer, Gabriel Otowu, told the court that Mohammed allegedly committed the offences against his uncle, Prince Yahaya Audu, on August 30, in their family house at Ogbonicha, Ofu Local Government Area of the state.

New Telegraph reliably gathered that there had been no love lost between the two since the 25th anniversary celebration of the state, where Yahaya, on behalf of the family, received a posthumous award from the state government.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) by the police, Yahaya, uncle to Mohammed, had alleged that prior to his attack on August 30, Mohammed threatened to deal with him, adding that it was by sheer miracle that he escaped when some hoodlums stormed his home at Ogbonicha, firing

gunshots sporadically at him.

The Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in charge of the case, Mr. Otowu Gabriel, had told the court at the session that Mohammed and others still at large, were behind the act, even as investigation into the matter was ongoing.

In his submission, lead counsel to the accused, Mr. Okechukwu Ajunwa, urged the court to grant his client bail based on Section 36 (5) of the Constitution as amended as well as Sections 141 provisions of section 341 (2 and 3) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

He said having gone through the charge, there was nothing linking his client with the offences, even as he added that investigation into the matter was ongoing.

While stressing that if his client was granted bail, he would not jeopardise ongoing investigation into the case. He also said the accused was not arrested, but voluntarily honoured the invitation of the antirobbery squad, when he was invited to their office in Lokoja, the state capital.

He further said his client had no reason to escape justice as a prominent citizen of the state and considering the fact that based on the provision of Sub-section (3) of Section 341 of the Criminal Procedure Code, an accused can be granted bail, where there is ongoing inquiry into a case.

In his response, the IPO did not object to the bail application, leaving the matter at the discretion of the court.

The presiding judge, Chief Magistrate Alhassan Husain, while granting bail to the accused said: “Though, I find on the face of the originating process (FIR) a barrage of allegations, it appears that both counsel are on the same

page.

“Accordingly, the accused person herein is admitted to bail in the sum of N100, 000 with a surety in like sum,” he said. He urged him to always make himself available during court sessions and subsequently fixed September 29 for the continuation of the hearing of the matter.

However, Ajunwa, while addressing journalists, said the case was politically orchestrated to smear the good image of his client.

Tunde Oyesina Abuja

T

he Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday ordered a senator from Ogun State, Buruji Kashamu, to go ahead and execute the two previous judgements he got from the court stopping the Federal Government from forcibly extraditing him to the United States to face trial.

was committed to the wellbeing of the people in all his endeavours.

In a statement signed by his Special Adviser, Prince Kunle Oyewumi, Kalu said: “I was disturbed when I received the news of the demise of Olorogun Micheal Ibru.

“He was a source of inspiration not only to his peers but also the younger generation who looked up to him in their business pursuits.

“Despite his accomplishments in life, he never looked down on anyone, re-

22,000

The total area (in sq. km) of water of Uzbekistan.

Source: Worldfactsandfigures.com

gardless of age, social and economic differences.

“Olorogun Ibru’s memories will linger forever in the minds of Nigerians as he was well-known for his humanitarian gestures.

“We will sorely miss him”.

The former governor tasked the Ibru family to uphold the exemplary qualities of their late patriarch, adding that the late business icon would be remembered for creating job opportunities and wealth for the people.

While commiserating with the Urhobo nation, Kalu urged Delta State government to immortalize the late elder statesman by naming a landmark project in his name.

L-R: Deputy Corps Marshal, Motor Vehicle Administration, FRSC, Charles Theophilus; Corps Marshal , Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi; Assistant Corps Marshal, Personnel, Godwin Ogagaogeneh and Head, Media Relations And Strategy, Bisi Kazeem, during a press conference on Eid-El-Kabir celebration patrol operations in Abuja…yesterday

Yobe needs N20bn to rehabilitate CBN director alarmed over imminent population explosion IDPs –Geidam Anule Emmanuel Abuja

G

overnor Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State has said that at least, N20 billion was needed to rehabilitate Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) through reconstruction of their destroyed homes before they could return to them.

The Yobe State governor stated this yesterday after he met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja.

Court to Kashamu: Execute judgements stopping your extradition The senator had approached the court for an order to prohibit the police and the Department of State Service (DSS) from arresting and transporting him to the United States to answer charges on drug-related offences.

The judge, who ruled on the submission of the police and one Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, held that if Buruji was sure of himself, and is a fact that police and the DSS

minent industrialist and former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, has lamented the passing of the Chairman of Ibru Organization, Olorogun Michael Ibru. He described his demise as a big loss to the international business community.

According to Kalu, Olorugun Ibru contributed immensely to the social, economic and political development of Nigeria, adding that the late entrepreneur impacted lives positively through his vast business empire.

Kalu, who acknowledged the humility, generosity and selflessness of the late philanthropist, noted that Olorogun Ibru

were taking steps to arrest and extradite him to the United States, he should execute the two earlier judgements obtained against the Federal Government.

Abang in the ruling, said it was not necessary for the Federal High Court to issue a fresh order against the defendants in the matter since the same court had delivered two judgments in his favour on the subject matter.

Geidam, who expressed happiness that the state was now peaceful, said that the two local government areas previously occupied by the Boko Haram insurgents had since been taken back with the people liberated.

Geidam revealed that many of the IDPs who were before now quartered in different camps had returned home for normal living.

Speaking to State House Correspondents after a meeting, the governor said he was in the villa to brief the President on security developments in the state.

Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

T

he Director, Monetary Policy Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Moses Tule, has warned that Nigeria is under the risk of imminent population explosion that has the potential to damage the country’s gasping economy.

He said with the current population of the country, estimated by the United Nations at 185 million, but projected to be the third most populous country in

the world by 2025, "between now and then, a time bomb is ticking."

Speaking yesterday at the 40th annual conference of Nigerian Statistical Association in Abuja, Tule said Nigeria's growing population was a liability and not an asset, noting that, majority of the citizens are not producing services and goods needed to cater for a large population.

According to the CBN director, while Nigeria's population is growing at 3.5 per cent per annum, the economy is currently growing at a negative rate of -2 per cent.

CSO drags Amnesty Int’l to ICC over rights violation reports Tunde Oyesina Abuja

A

Civil Society Organisation, Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET), has dragged Amnesty International (AI) before the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its report, which accused Nigeria of human rights violation.

In a petition submitted to the office of the prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), Madame Fatou Bensouda, the organisation through its coun-

sel, Mr. Wolfgang Bendler, a German and Edward Omaga, a Nigerian lawyer, submitted that AI in promoting and protecting human rights, has been derailed into an incendiary and partisan goal.

The petition reads in part; "Against the background of its 2015/2016 Annual Report in which it raises questions on the appalling human rights situation across the globe and scores Nigeria low as an abuser of human rights, it is pertinent to state that the ombudsman mission of Amnesty

International in promoting and protecting human rights has been derailed into an incendiary and partisan goal.

"For now, lopsided views, shortsighted and hasty conclusions, some not backed by facts are Amnesty International’s hallmark instead of bold objectivity in the pursuit of its vision.

"No doubt, international law and human norms demand that Nigeria as a state and Nigerians as a people eschew every form of man’s inhumanity to man."

News|SOUTH-WEST

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

41

N500bn bond’ll fast track devt in Lagos, says Ambode

Muritala Ayinla

L

agos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode has cleared the air over N500bn Bond Programme approved by the

State House of Assembly, explaining that the bond would no doubt, accelerate infrastructural development in the state.

According to him, the funds would be channelled towards completion of the Ajah, Abule Egba, Pen Cin-

PUBLIC NOTICE

WOMEN DEVELOPMENT AND HEALTH FOUNDATION

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. Fayemi Kehinde Asanat 2 Jimoh Olanrewaju Kazeem 3. Wellington Elizabeth

Executive Director

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. Promotion of reproductive and health and positive health behavour in the society To create awareness on sexual transmitted diseases.

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: Barr. Ademola Adenaike 08023865797, 08033407197

PUBLIC NOTICE

INCORPORATED TRUSTEES OF FAVOURED LADIES CLUB OF NIGERIA REDEEMED ROAD, ELIKPOKWU-ODU, RUKPOKWU PORT HARCOURT

NOTICE is hereby given that the above named organization has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration as an Incorporated Trustee under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2004.

The Trustees are: 1. Chukwuma Favour 2. O p u r u m J o y 3. Opara Esther 4. Modestus Rose AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. To promote gender equality among ladies.

2. To instill and promote virtuousness among women.

3. To make women models both at home and in society.

4. To care for widows and take care of their needs.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, plot 420 Tigris

PUBLIC NOTICE

MEDIA WOMEN FORUM

The general public is hereby notified that the above named has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the companies and Allied matters Act. 2004.

The Trustees are: 1. Pastor (Mrs) Janet Osho 2. Mrs Janet Mba Afolabi 3. Queen Mba AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. To champion the cause of women in media 2. To asses the role and challenge of women in media.

3. To provide a platform for women in media to develop their professional career 4. To empower women and children to assume responsible position in the society.

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: BARRISTER ALAYO AKANBI

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICECOLLEGE OF MEDICINE UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS ASSOCIATION CLASS OF 1992 Notice is hereby given to the general public that the above named organisation has applied for registration at the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

The Trustees are: 1. Dr. Sylvia Cole 2. Dr. Adebimpe Adebajo 3. Dr. Goke Ale AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. To advance the education and training of the students of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos by assisting in the provision of educational facilities.

2. To promote the training and education of the students of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos by providing adequate infrastructure for training.

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the RegistrarGeneral, Corporate Affairs Commission, plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: MANAGEMENT

ema Flyovers as well as the construction of more laybys, bus parks, more public schools, among many other infrastructural projects.

Briefing journalists on a series of misconceptions and misinterpretations of the government’s decision over the Bond, the governor explained that the Bond which was a pool fund would span over a period of time and not just for the current Appropria-

tion year.

The governor said since 2007, Lagos State had had two Bond Issuance Programmes and the recently approved one by the Assembly was the third which would run for a period between three and five years.

For the current Appropriation Year, Ambode said that the state would only draw N60billion from the pool of N500billion, adding

CONFIRMATION/change OF NAME

Oigocho

I, formerly known and addressed as Moses Okoh Idakwo, now wish to be known and addressed as Oigocho Idakwo. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. The general public please take note.

Edwin

I, formerly known as Christiana Okwundu Udezo now wish to be known and addressed as Christiana Okwundu Edwin. All former documents remain valid.

General public, please take note.

Lukman

I, formerly known and addressed as Luqman Adewale Jahfar, now wish to be known and addressed as Lukman Jafar Danyiwo. All documents bearing my former name remain valid. The general public please take note.

Edenojie-Akanni

I, formerly known and addressed as Akanni Hafsat Atinuke, now wish to be known and addressed as Edenojie-Akanni Hafsat Atinuke.

All documents bearing my former name remain valid. The general public please take note.

Ofonmbuk

I, formerly Known as Janet Aaron Utin, now wish to be known and addressed as Ofonmbuk Aaron Utin. All former documents remain valid. The general public please take note.

Muhhammad

I, formally known and addressed as Abu Sani now wish to be called as Asiya Muhhammad. All former documents remain valid. All authorizes concerned and general public should take note.

Timothy

I, formally known and addressed as Sunday Makana Senchi now wish to be called as Timothy Makana Senchi. All former documents remain valid. All authorizes concerned and general public should take note.

Opuperebo

I, formerly known and addressed as Bolo America Adamagu now wish to be known and addressed as Opuperebo America. All former documents remain valid. Fidelity bank Plc and the general public should please take note.

Emeka-Kalu

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Silverline Opurum now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Silver Aku Emeka-Kalu. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should please take note.

Jecinta

This is to notify the general public that the names Igwe Okpoto Chinelo Jecinta and Igwe Chinelo refer to one and the same person. Henceforth I wish to be known and addressed as Igwe Okpoto Chinelo Jecinta. Also my date of birth was wrongly written as July 18, 1982 instead of August 18, 1982 which is my correct date of birth. All former documents remain valid. First bank Plc, UBA Plc and the general public should please take note.

Onwe

I, formerly known and addressed as Ugwu Florence Ifeoma now wish to be known and addressed as Onwe Florence Nkechi. All former documents remain valid. Fidelity bank Plc, Diamond bank Plc and the general public should take note.

Kingsley

I, formerly known and addressed as Okeh Nelson Sunday, now wish to be known and addressed as Nwonu Chinedu Kingsley. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

Kalu

I, formerly known and addressed as Queen Esther Akuma, now wish to be known and addressed as Queen Esther Onyebuchi Kalu.

All documents bearing my former name remain valid. The general public please take note.

Jonathan

I, formally known as Inatimi Moses Ogun now wish to be known and addressed as Ogun Jonathan. All former documents remain valid. UBA, GTB and the general public should take note.

Isiaka

I, formerly known as Muritala Mulikat Bukola , now wish to be known and addressed as Lamidi Mulikat Oluwabukola Isiaka. All former documents remain valid.

Fidelity Bank and general public take note.

Imo

I, formerly known and addressed as Mr. Richard Okeoma Michael Enomanna, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Richard Okeoma Michael Imo. All document bearing my former names remain valid. Eko bank and the general please note.

Umar

I, formally known and addressed as Abdulkadir Muhammad now wish to be called as Sufiyanu A. Umar.

All former documents remain valid all authorizes concerned and general public should take note.

Ebimene

I, formerly known and addressed as Clement Atiye now wish to be known and addressed as Ebimene Clement. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

Favour

I, formerly known and addressed as Anitor Livinus now wish to be known and addressed as Anitor Livinus Favour. All former documents remain valid. Ecobank Plc, First bank Plc and the general public should please take note.

Ossai

I, formerly known and addressed as Kevin Chukwuemeka Ambrose now wish to be known and addressed as Ossai Kelvin Emeka.

All former documents remain valid.

The general public should please take note.

Olabiyi

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Obasoro Adeola Rebecca now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Olabiyi Adeola Rebecca. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

Johnson

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwosu Onyinyechi Rosemary now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Johnson Onyinyechi Rosemary. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

that the state would draw from the fund for subsequent years as approved by the House.

Ambode said: “Before you can actually even appropriate it in your budget, you need that programme and that programme was what was approved by the House. But in the appropriation of 2016, what is in the Appropriation law for 2016 is just N60billion. So, it’s from this Programme that we are pulling out this N60billion.

“So, for next year’s budget, if the House approves

for instance N80billion as bond, we don’t need to go back to the House again after they have approved that budget, you draw from that issuance programme and take another amount which is approved for 2017 budget.

“If they approve any amount for 2018 budget, you take from that pool of N500billion, which can take the next five to ten years. So, it’s just a lump sum which you now draw down based on the authorization of the House. That is the technical explanation.

Babalola tasks Ekiti indigenes on devt

E

lder Statesman and mastermind of the creation of Ekiti State, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, has called on the state’s indegenes to look inward with a view to harnessing their resources and contacts for the growth and development of the State.

Babalola, who chaired the maiden Colloquium on the Development of Ekiti, organized by Ekitipanupo, the Indigenous Think-Tank and Intellectual Round-Table Advocating Selfless Governance of Ekiti People, in Lagos, yesterday said it was time the state benefited from its elite, industrialists as well as seasoned administrators as a result of which the state was fondly christened “The Fountain of Knowledge” especially when it received least allocation from the federation account.

Babalola, was represented by the Head of Corporate Affairs, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Mr. Tunde Olofintila.

He said: “It is a wellknown fact that many of us Ekitis are stars, indeed some are mega stars, in our various vocations and callings. We have contacts and connections in high places.

My plea here today is that we should harness such contacts and connections for the development of Ekitiland.

“Let each of us here bring his/her friends, husband, wife and wellwishers to invest in Ekiti and let’s see if the story will not be different by this time next year. I look forward to seeing an Ekiti State that will be the clear leader among the comity of states in Nigeria. It is possible. It is attainable. It is achievable and the time to start that race is now.

Babalola however tasked the organisers to consider Ekiti as venue for subsequent editions of the Colloquium, stressing that since the Colloquium was not for the elite alone, hosting it in Ekiti would enable others to take active participation.

Ambode approves land as German firm launches $75m investment Muritala Ayinla

L

agos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday approved land for the establishment of a training centre in Lagos where architects, civil engineers and craftsmen will be trained on modern trends and technologies in the construction sector.

New Telegraph gathered that the German firm was currently establishing a $75miilion building/construction tools manufacturing factory in Lagos.

Governor Ambode, who gave the approval when he received a delegation from the Knauf Group, the Ger man firm, said the approval for the land became

imperative in view of the need to encourage investors to continue to invest in Lagos.

He described the donation as a demonstration of his commitment to attract foreign investors into the State.

The Knauf Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of modern insulation materials, dry lining systems, plasters and accessories, thermal insulation composite systems, paints, floor screed, floor systems, and construction equipment and tools.

The delegation was led by a member of the firm’s Management Committee, Isabel Knauf and Consular General of German Embassy in Lagos, Mr. Ingo Herbert.

42

News|south-EAST

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Tanker drivers, NSCDC faceoff: Commuters stranded in Imo as filling stations close shop Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

F

ollowing alleged shooting of a tanker driver a fortnight ago by some operatives of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) at Okigwe in Imo state, filling stations in the state yesterday shut down in protest of the said action.

Residents of Owerri, the Imo State capital were taken unaware by the unannounced closure by filling station operators in the state, leading to sudden hike in transportation fares across the

state.

Speaking to New Telegraph on phone, a petrol dealer, Mr. Chidiebere Ezeji, said that the problem started two weeks ago when an NSCDC operative allegedly shot and severely injured a tanker driver for no justifiable reason.

He said: “The tanker driver is bedridden at FMC Umuahia, and the tanker drivers’ union had demanded that the NSCDC should foot the bill for the treatment of the driver and also present the trigger-happy operative that shot their member.

Govt should provide jobs for sickle cell patients – Group Pamela Eboh AWKA

M

embers of the Association of Persons Living with Sickle Cell Disorder (APLSCD) have bemoaned the level of rejection they face in the society, which they said, include lack of provision of jobs or appointment by various states of the federation.

Addressing journalists in Awka on the plight of those living with the disorder, the National Coordinator of APLSCD, Aisha Edward, said that the association observed with dismay that whenever they filled their conditions in documents, they were not offered employment hence it had resulted in many of them lying about their status in their medical reports.

Abia communities, Hausa, Fulani sign peace accord Igbeaku Orji UMUAHIA

A

s part of measures to forestall violent clashes between herdsmen and their host communities, the two groups have signed a peace accord to ensure that peace reign in the state.

The accord was signed in a town hall meeting organised by the state committee on herdsmen and farmers conflict resolution yesterday at

the Police Officer’s mess Umuahia.

Addressing the inaugural meeting of the committee with leaders of Hausa/Fulani community, traditional rulers, town unions, women and youth groups, the chairman of the committee and Abia State Commissioner of Police, Adeleye Oyebade, said the meeting became necessary because “the unity of this country is paramount and not negotiable.”

Representative of the Corps Marshal, Federal Roads Safety Commission (Frsc), Mr Chidi Nwachukwu (left) with the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State, Mr Emmanuel Ojukwu, during Frsc’s Sensitization Campaign on vehicle speed limit devices at the Holy Ghost Motor Park in Enugu … yesterday PHOTO: NAN

We’ve been marked to die, IPOB cries out Charles Onyekwere ENUGU

T

he Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) worldwide, under the leadership of Nnamdi Kanu, has cried out to the entire world that the Department of State Service (DSS) has marked out 38 pro-Biafra agitators for extermination.

According to a statement signed by IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, the DSS, Abuja has compiled a list of Biafrans they will arrest and kill over the Biafra struggle.

The statement reads: “The DSS Abuja has listed the names of IPOB members and Biafrans who they want to suffo-

cate and kill when they lay their hands on them.

The federal government and DSS are trailing unarmed members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) including the wife of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra Mrs. Uchechi Okwu Kanu, who is in London nursing a new born baby, to be killed while the Fulani terrorist group who disguised as cattle rearers were not touched or harmed.”

The names of those compiled by DSS, the statement alleges, include: “Sunday Onyekachi, Ogechukwu Obiorah, Ann Okafor, Amaechi Sunday Kanu (Sheffield, UK), Dickson Ekene, Ndidi Ojukwu, Emma Powerful, Emma Nmezu, Uchechi Kanu

19.63

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of Jamaica in 2001.

Source: Itu.int

Nnamdi Kanu’s wife (London, UK), Sidney Okoli (Mollorca, Spaiin), Andy Obeche, Ifriam Ezeiwu, Chukwuemeka Mfon, Ikenna Sunday Egono. The list also include Chijioke Ekwueme, Godwin Osinachi Udoka Amarachi (Dortmund, Germany), Uche Martin Doludo, Nduka Enuma, Ambrose Ero, Clifford Mbamere, Andy Obina Okafor, Stephen Oko (Uk), Onyeka Joseph, Eric, Dike Benson and Uche Emmanuel Uche.”

Others are, “Udoka Okechukwu David, Martins (Austria), Michael Chidi Okafor, Daniel Ifeanyi (USA), Roland Abumere, Kenneth Uche Opara, Emenike Anyanwu, Obinwanne Markson Chukwujekwu, Chukwu I Ojiugo, Ezinwanne

$450,000

The total pay from endorsements of Philip Rivers (Football) for 2016.

Source: Forbes.com

Mba, and Jeff Amechi.”

The group called on local and international human rights groups to come to its rescue.

“We are calling on international community, human rights organisations, Amnesty International, America, Russia, France, Germany, China, Japan, Israel and other countries of the world who loves freedom, human right watch, Christian community and all the lovers of freedom and the United Nations (UN) to come for our rescue because the Nigeria government and security agents have perfected arrangements to kidnap and kill unarmed civilians who committed no crime against the government of Nigeria and humanity,” the group stated.

$37.5m

The total amount of salary/winnings of Philip Rivers (Football) for 2016.

Source: Forbes.com

ENSUBEB denies involvement in recruitment racketeering Drama as Ebonyi LG chair can’t recite Anthem

T

he Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB) has denied media reports that its officials collected bribe from some applicants before offering them jobs in the ongoing recruitment of teachers exercise in the state. It called on those peddling such allegation to come up with evidence to justify their claims.

Reacting to the development, ENSUBEB Executive Chairman, Chief Ikeje Asogwa, in a statement, described the allegation as untrue and mischievous, saying that “the board has uncovered the antics of faceless fraudsters who claimed to be staff and agents of ENSUBEB to defraud innocent citizens under the guise of short-

listing them for employment.”

Asogwa, who frowned at the allegations, noted that they came at the time Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s administration had initiated far-reaching reforms in the board, aimed at improving the standard of education in the primary schools of the state.

The ENSUBEB chairman said that contrary to the said media reports, no applicant has been offered employment as the recruitment exercise was on-going.

He disclosed that the board being mindful of such mischievous allegations had announced in the media that “applicants should not pay money throughout the course of this recruitment exercise.”

Asogwa stated that

when the bribery allegations came up, the board investigated them to ascertain their veracity, and later discovered that the faceless fraudsters were using a particular bank account to receive money from unsuspecting victims.

He said that his office has officially reported the case to the Divisional Police Officer, Independence layout, Enugu, via a letter dated September 5, 2016 for necessary action.

The ENSUBEB chairman, while reaffirming the commitment of the present administration in the state to the core values of discipline, merit, transparency and accountability, urged the public to discountenance the said publications as no evidence of bribery scam by officials of the board has been recorded.

Uchenna Inya ABAKALIKI

T

here was a mild drama yesterday at the Ebonyi State House of Assembly during the screening of chairmanship nominees by members of the House for their reappointment by Governor Dave Umahi, when a Caretaker Committee Chairman, Chief Henry Eze failed to recite the national anthem and national pledge seven times.

Eze had appeared before the House for the screening when he was asked to recite the national pledge which he could not do properly. He was also asked to recite the national anthem which he also failed.

Eze, who was the Care-

taker Committee Chairman of Ishielu local government, was also asked by the Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Ogbonna Nwifuru, who presided over the sitting, to repeat the national pledge and anthem which he also failed, prompting Nwifuru to present a copy of the written anthem and pledge to enable him recite it properly.

But there was another mild drama when he could not recite the national anthem and national pledge with the written copy. Annoyed, the Speaker asked him to go back and study the National Anthem and National Pledge, describing it as embarrassment.

“How can a council chairman not recite National Anthem and

National Pledge? This House is surprised that as a council chairman, you cannot recite the anthem and pledge when you should be the one to teach your subordinates the anthem. So, go back and study them,” he told Eze. Despite his inability to recite the National Anthem and National Pledge, Eze was screened and confirmed by the House.

Meanwhile, the House screened and confirmed eleven chairmanship nominees in the state. Their screening and confirmation followed the expiration of their tenure in office and their reappointment by Governor Dave Umahi.

Twelve out of the 13 Caretaker Committee Chairmen were reappointed.

News|SOUTh-SOUTH

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

43

Kidnapped Catholic priest regains freedom Ola James Warri

R

ev. Fr. Paul Irikefe, the Catholic priest abducted by gunmen along the Benin By-Pass last Monday, has been released by his captors.

New Telegraph investigation revealed that the priest regained his freedom on Wednesday night, although it could not be ascertained whether ransom was paid.

Irikefe, a lecturer with Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Major Seminary in Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State, was kidnapped at Benin By-Pass in the Edo State capital while on his way to attend the funeral of his colleague.

Security sources said

the priest was left off the hook as undercover agents were closing in on the kidnappers.

Another source in Warri Diocese in the state also confirmed the priest’s release, but was not sure whether the church paid the N30 million ransom demanded by his abductors.

It was, however, gathered that the traumatised priest has been reunited with the Bishop of Warri Diocese, Bishop John Okeoghene Afareha.

Acting Administrator, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Catholic Diocese of Warri, Rev. Fr. Benedict Ukutegbe, confirmed his colleague’s release.

He said the priest was released in Benin, the Edo State capital.

Court denies detained publisher bail

B

ayelsa State High Court sitting in Yenagoa, the state capital, yesterday denied bail to a local publisher, Jones Abiri, who was whisked away by the Department of State Services (DSS) for alleged terrorism.

Giving the ruling yesterday on the bail application filed by counsel to the suspect, Jeremiah Wariyai, the presiding judge, Justice Iniye Aganaba, ruled that although the suspect has the right to bail, the case of Jones Abiri bordered on mutiny and militancy.

Justice Aganaba further explained that terrorism related matters were capital offences, which deserved no bail until the suspect had been charged to court.

He urged the DSS to charge the suspect to

court as soon as possible.

Reacting to the ruling yesterday, Chairman of the Bayelsa Federated Newspapers Publishers Association (BAFENPA) of which the suspect is a member, Mr. Ayebaitari Easterday, said although the group regretted his continued detention, they were happy that they now know where he was, adding that he believed that someday, he would be charged to court.

It will be recalled that Jones Abiri, the publisher of Weekly Source newspaper, was whisked away on July 21, 2016 for allegedly heading one of the militant groups known as Joint Revolutionary Council of the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force that have been bombing oil pipelines in the region.

5,000 graduates undergo FG’s training programme Tony Anichebe Uyo

N

o fewer than 5,000 graduates are currently undergoing internship programmes in various trades in Akwa Ibom State. The programme was being sponsored by the Federal Government.

Meanwhile, beneficiaries of the programme have been urged to take it seriously in order to weather the storm occasioned by the prevailing unemployment situation in the country.

The beneficiaries were part of thousands of youths engaged under the Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) of the Federal Government’s Ministry of Finance and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to curb unemployment in the country.

Addressing 50 benefi-

ciaries from Akwa Ibom State at the conclusion of the three-day assessment tour of the exercise, which ended yesterday in Uyo, Project Director, Mr. Dennis Chukwu, said “the scheme has demonstrated high prospect for job creation and social projection.”

Chukwu, who was represented by Dr. Essien Akparawa, recalled that the programme has successfully reduced the unemployment problem by creating jobs for over 40,000 graduates since its inception in 2012.

He told participants, who were trained in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), community health, agriculture, construction, education and financial empowerment that “additional skill will further boost their entrepreneurial spirits to be self-reliant.

His Royal Majesty ,King/ Amayanabo of Twon Brass, Alfred Diette Spiff (right), with Coordinator of the Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty programme, Brigadier General Paul Boroh (rtd), during King Spiff’s visit to the Amnesty Office in Abuja

Avengers: 20 soldiers killed in N’Delta lSays ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’ a corruption pipe-hole

Dominic Adewole ASABA

T

he Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) yesterday condoled with the families of slain soldiers and President Muhammadu Buhari over the death of about 20 soldiers since the Operation Crocodile Smile of the military started in the Niger Delta.

The group, which described the ongoing military operation in the region as a corruption pipe hole designed by top military hierarchy to further milk Nigeria’s treasury, said so far, four soldiers were killed in the creeks of Bayelsa and another 16 were murdered during the first four days of the military exercise declared in Delta State, along the River Ethiope. .

While the militant group attributed the death to negligence, administrative greed and corrupt practices within the rank

OLA JAMES WARRI

G

unmen numbering more than 40 yesterday invaded Igun community in Ethiope East Council Area of Delta State, shooting sporadically into the air as residents of the community scampered into safety.

and file of the military, which they said was “perfected by the ascendance of the APC political class and conflict merchants, the group urged the presidency to investigate the circumstances leading to their murder.

The group equally expressed worry at the unending military invasion of the creeks, especially towns and villages in Gbaramatu Kingdom, which was inflicting untold hardships and psychological trauma on the locals.

The spokesperson of the group, Brig Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, in a signed statement, tagged, “The great white sharks of the Atlantic,” yesterday, said the top hierarchy of the Nigerian military were only deceiving the Federal Government and collecting money to sustain insecurity in the Niger Delta.

“The High Command of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) and the entire membership on behalf of

the good people of the Niger Delta offer our condolences to the families and Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari, Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, over the murdered of soldiers in the ongoing military operation cum exercise codes named ‘Operation Crocodile Smiles’.

“We have earlier advised against timing, strategy and objectives of the show of military might and the deployment of military hardware to the Niger Delta suddenly when there is certainly cessation of hostilities for peace talks to commence.

“But the top hierarchy of the Nigerian military was only after his pecuniary monetary gains.

“The advice is that all lives matter. Why are you in a hurry to train over 2,000 military personnel for just 4 to 14 days on amphibious military exercise to occupy the Niger Delta region when the Ni-

ger Elders and stakeholders are awaiting your response for peace talks?

“Have you forgotten the exploits of our great fathers during the infamous Nigerian Civil War in amphibious warfare without any military training? Is it because they were volunteers as such the success was credited to Late Lt. Col. Benjamin Adekunle and Lt. Col Olusegun Obasanjo instead of them? Mr. President as a veteran of that fateful war, you know that after all failures, the amphibious warfare and successes was under the command of Lt. Gen. Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro of blessed memories, the pride and face of the 3rd Marine Commandos (3MCDOS) constituted of able-bodied Ijaw warriors voluntarily. They were not given any formal military training prior to that great contribution to the unity of Nigeria, but they succeeded because there were amphibious by nature.”

It was gathered that the incident occurred about 4.30pm even as it took the resilience of youths from the community to repel the gunmen.

Igun is among 10 Urhobo communities where some indigenes of the state were laying claim

to in a suit filed before a Benin High Court.

Giving details of the incident, the Otota of the community, Pa Mark Egbri said: “We were in our community when the gunmen, numbering more than 40 stormed the main town and started shooting

sporadically into the air in a bid to scare us.

“Though we didn’t record any casualty while the gunmen held sway, it took the resilience of youths from the community to challenge the gunmen until they retreated from the community.”

Gunmen attack Delta community

US envoy to FG: Improve living condition in N’Delta

Chris Ejim Yenagoa

T

he Deputy Head of Mission, United States Embassy in Nigeria, Ambassador David Young, has called on the Federal Government to improve the living condition of the people in the

Niger Delta.

He also identified dialogue and practical efforts in the development of the Niger Delta as veritable means of resolving security issues in the region.

Young spoke yesterday during a courtesy call on Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, at the Government House,

Yenagoa.

The envoy, who was visiting Bayelsa for the first time, implored the Federal Government to put in place, measures that would improve the living condition of the people.

While calling on all stakeholders to embrace dialogue as part

of the process of resolving the crisis in the region, Young said successive gover nments in the country have been making efforts to achieve the best possible means to deploy the wealth generated from the Niger Delta to impact on the lives of the people.

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NEWS | north

friday, september 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Lalong vows to expose killers of Bokkos traditional ruler Anule Emmanuel Abuja

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overnor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong has said that those behind the killing of the traditional ruler of Bokkos, Chief Lazarus Agae, will soon be arrested and paraded before the public as security agencies were working hard to apprehend them.

Lalong stated this yesterday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja where he had

come to brief President Muhammadu Buhari on the level of progress made so far on the incident and other security issues in the state.

Speaking to State House Correspondents after the meeting, Lalong said he was hopeful with the success being made that the killers would soon be arrested.

The governor said: "I am hopeful that very soon we will unveil those behind the killing of the traditional rulers. I have not slept on it and those

are the things I have come to brief the President.

We are very vigilant and pursuing those who are behind this, because after a year of peace, someone will come and start executing this kind of things.”

Agae, 76 years old and first class monarch, who was also known as Saf

N145

The average price of Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) of Delta State in July 2016.

Source: National Bureau of Statistics

Ron-Kulere was killed on July 18 by gunmen after visiting his farm in Sha district of the state.

Also killed along with the monarch who had been on the thrown for 42 years, were his orderly, Inspector Sunday Wuyah, his wife and his son Shagari.

In another development, the state has concluded plans to export rice as from next year.

According to the governor, he was also at the villa to brief President Buhari on the progress

being made in developing agriculture in the state.

While he said the state would soon commence exporting of rice as from next year, said "the President is always excited when you are talking about agriculture, and the president developed a special interest in Plateau and other states that are already diversifying from oil to agriculture.

Lalong added: "In my state, we have put in efforts into agriculture.

So, every time I come to

give him update on what we are doing and also seeking for intervention to improve on our solid minerals.

"The Chinese are already there for food processing plant. Plateau and Kebbi now competing for rice production and by next year, we will start exporting rice from Plateau.

Like I said, the President is always excited when you give him progress on Agriculture. So, the President was excited and had encouraged us to continue to do more."

Why Gombe may not implement Adamawa: Court grants bail to National Health Act, by lawmaker Chief of Staff’s son

Ortom denies embezzling N2bn pensioners’ funds

GOMBE

MAKURDI

Willie Danjuma

T

he implementation of the National Health Act signed into law two years ago, by former President Goodluck Jonathan, may not be feasible in Gombe State, following the non-availability of the document in the Gombe State House of Assembly for deliberation.

The document, signed into law on 31st October 2014, by President Jonathan was to be deliberated upon by the state House of Assembly before it is been domesticated, Till date, the document was yet to reach the Gombe State legislature, according to the State House of Assembly Chairman on Appropriation,

Hon. Solomon Jesima.

Jesima, who is also the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Health, insisted that the House must go through it and study it in consultation with the people of the state before adopting it as a state law.

The non-implementation of the law in the state had caused a lot of setback in the health sector following the rising indices of high mortality rate of women and children, poor health facilities as well as lack of access to the existing health facilities in the state.

This issue came to light yesterday during a sensitization meeting with stakeholders on the National Health Act, organised by the Save the Children International, Gombe State Field Office.

Ibrahim Abdul Yola

T

he upper Area Court I sitting in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, has granted bail to Suleiman Abba Jimeta, son to Chief of Staff to Governor Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla, who was arraigned with four others for alleged car theft and house burglary.

The court granted bail following an application filed by Abba's counsel denying any involvement in the crime.

Another accused person in the suit was also granted bail while the remaining three were remanded in the prison based on their voluntary admission to have

committed the alleged offence.

Jimeta explained that he was implicated by one of the accused persons, whose intention according to him was a calculated attempt to blackmail his father, who happen to be a seasoned politician in the state for political reason.

Jimeta, who spoke through his lawyer, Mr. Abubakar Babayola in Yola on Thursday, insisted that even the police investigation has not found him wanting of the allegation, as nothing incriminating him.

To this regard, he said the statement by one of the accused persons should be rejected as a mere fabrication to nail him.

A crosssection of Idps at the launch of "Save Space for Women and Girls" and Sensitisation for 100 Women and Girls in Dalori Idps' Camp, Maiduguri… yesterday.

A

n Abuja Chief Magistrate's Court has ordered the freezing of the bank accounts of a former Benue State Finance Commissioner, Mr. Omadachi Oklobia and 12 others in connection with their indictment by the Elizabeth Kpojime Commission of Inquiry probing N107 billion scam.

The accused persons were said to have been

enue State Governor, Samuel Ortom yesterday denied embezzling over N2 billion said to be part of the N28 billion bailout funds from the Federal Government to the state to clear the backlog of pension and salary arrears owed civil servants and pensioners in the state.

The governor, who was reacting to an online publication which linked him to the alleged fraud, described the report as falsehood and malicious.

According to the publication, the governor diverted N2,387,456,789.39 and shared it with some top officials of

T

arrested and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The court gave the order while ruling on an exparte motion brought before it by lawyers of police detectives handling the investigation into the matter.

At least 13 of the 52 persons indicted for looting N107 billion from the coffers of the Benue State Government under Governor Gabriel Suswam’s administration have been affected by the court order.

Others affected by the court order include former Special Adviser, Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Solomon Wombo; former Permanent Secretary at the Bureau, Mr. Asen Sambe; former Accountant General of the state, Mr. Isaiah Ipevnor as well as former Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, Mr. Richard Gbande.

However, New Telegraph could reliably confirm that the court order

had already been served on all the affected banks.

The state government had forwarded the white paper on the report to the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the police for further necessary action.

The police, believed to be acting on behalf of the anti-graft agencies and the state government, last week arrested 13 people in connection with the allegation.

his government including the ailing Secretary to the Benue State Government, Mr. Tagema Takema;, the Commissioner for Finance, David Olufu; and the Accountant General of the state, Asen Kwaghar, whom it said were invited by the two anti-graft agencies for questioning on their roles in the alleged embezzlement of the bail-out funds.

But, in his reaction to the allegations, the governor recalled that on assumption of office he inherited a deficit treasury and debts of over N100 billion from his predecessor, even as he added that his administration also met unpaid wages and pensions, which amounted to N69 billion.

Kaduna Disco loses N108m to vandals in six weeks KANO

Court freezes accounts of Benue's ex-finance chief, others MAKURDI

B

Muhammad Kabir

PHOTO: NAN

Cephas Iorhemen

Cephas Iorhemen

he Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) Plc said that it has lost equipment worth N108 million to the activities of vandals within six weeks.

This was even as the company added that this was coupled with the loss of N2 billion to fake members of staff of the company.

Although, the company has recently employed 2,000 workers to cope with the trend of vandalism and stealing of the firm’s resources by people who pretend to be members of staff, the management was anguished by the loss of millions of naira in a spate of weeks.

This was disclosed by the Public Relations Officer for the company, Mohammed Kandi, in a statement he issued and made available to newsmen in Kano, where he explained that the company lost transformer oil, aluminum conduc-

tors, up-riser cables and other valuable materials valued at over N108,831,550 to activities of vandals in its franchise area from August to date.

The statement read in part: "The spate of vandalism, energy theft and meter bypass which had recently risen extremely in KEDCO’s areas of operation was becoming unbearable. The appalling development had caused the company huge losses and setbacks within a period of six weeks. Indeed, we are therefore calling on the customers, who bear the brunt to watch over the installations in their areas."

The statement quoted the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of KEDCO, Mr. David Omoloye, an engineer, as saying “the quantity of materials vandalised between August and now include 46.5 drums of transformer oil; 2,130 aluminum conductors (150mm2); 4,500 aluminum conductors (100mm2), 535 and 15 (150mm2&70mm2).”

45

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Did you know?

That the Manchester derby between Man United and Manchester City on Saturday is most expensive football game ever worth £680m in transfer fees. Man United will parade players’ worth £350m while City will file

out with £330m worth of stars.

Sport

Sport News Ndanusa applauds Ambode over Lagos Governor’s Cup

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Iheanacho, Iwobi make Europe Top 50 youngsters Ugochi Akwueze

S

uper Eagles and Manchester City striker, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Arsenal youngster, Alex Iwobi, have been named among the top 50 players under the age of 20 in Europe.

Iheanacho is number 11 on the list and was ranked higher than Manchester United teenage sensation Marcus Rashford while Iwobi was rated 17.

“The Nigerian has already shown he has an eye for goal but his all-round game is very impressive too, ’’ George Bellshaw of Metro wrote.

“Often trusted ahead of the experienced Wilfried Bony, City rate Iheanacho very highly and Pep Guardiola will have no reservations about trusting him next season. ’’ Arsenal midfielder Iwobi is rated the 17th best youngster in Europe, and the newspaper highlighted the fact that he was considered ahead of England international Walcott in the second half of last season by manager Arsene Wenger.

“Iwobi made an excellent impact for The Gunners last season and forced himself in front of Theo Walcott in the pecking order.

“After pledging his international future to Nigeria, he could prove to be the one that got away for England in years to come.’’

Nigerian-born Chelsea striker Dominic Solanke was ranked 27th while England U-20 international Tammy Abraham is in 48th place.

The Sport Team Adekunle Salami Group Sport Editor

Emmanuel Tobi Assistant Sport Editor

Ajibade Olusesan Sport Correspondent

Charles Ogundiya Sport Correspondent

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Russia 2018 W /C

up:

Mikel, Ighalo raise the alarm Ighalo (left)

Ajibade Olusesan

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uper Eagles player captain Mikel Obi has warned that all hands must be on deck for Nigeria to pick a ticket to the 2018 World Cup, the same view his teammates Odion Ighalo and Willaim Troost -Ekong hold.

Mikel said that Nigerians should have learnt from the mistakes that cost the country tickets to the African Cup of Nations on two consecutive times and everyone including his national teammates must rise up to the occasion this time and make sure the country’s flag is hoisted in

Russia in 2018.

He told New Telegraph that the Eagles must hit the ground running right from their first game against Zambia next month and expressed optimism the team would do well in Lusaka on October 3.

“We don’t have to dwell on the past, we have to learn from our mistakes and make it count so that we can be at the World Cup. All our matches are important not only the coming one against Zambia. Everybody must play his part to make sure that this team is in Russia.

“We have a young team, these lads are committed, they are passionate about football and their country, I hope we can get the results

that favour us,” he said.

Ighalo said that Nigeria now had a strong and young side that could challenge any team in Africa but must not underrate anyone “We have a young and mobile team, we are all working hard together and we are up to the task.

I know my colleagues are aware the game in Zambia is going to be so tough but with the new coach and what he has been able to instil in the group within few days we have worked together, hopefully we can go there and win or at least get a point,” Ighalo said.

Gent of Belgium player Troost-Ekong agreed with

the Watford striker when he said that the match was going to be difficult. He said that the Zambians, being former African champions too would be a hard nut to crack for the Eagles.

“I am confident, we have a good team, we are getting better and I hope we can get the result over there.

It is not going to be easy, I will be deceiving myself if I say it won’t be difficult but we are good enough to go there and get a good result,” he said.

“We are going to learn from what happened in our last game against Tanzania and correct some of the mistakes we made as we face Zambia in October.”

Dalung: Why we failed with Keshi burial plans Dominic Adewole ASABA

T

he Minister of Sports and Youths’ Development, Solomon Dalung, yesterday explained why the Federal Government failed to accord the late Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi, a befitting burial.

The minister also explained why his boss, President Muhammadu Buhari, refused to release funds for Rio Olympic contingents.

According to the minister, Nigeria is

broke and cannot pretend to be financially buoyant when Keshi died and Rio Olympics came up.

Speaking in Asaba on Thursday when he visited Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, the minister who said the Federal Government had kept faith with his promise to uplift grass-root sports, would continue to give priority attention youths’ development.

He said it was not intentional that the Federal Government abandoned a rare gem like Keshi or disregarded an international event, intended to strengthen

bi-lateral and diplomatic relationships with other countries.

He said, “One (Federal Government) cannot just wake up and approve funds for what (Rio) was not prepared for. The era of fire brigade approach is gone. It takes four to six years to prepare for active participation in international games.

“For Keshi, we could not participate well because of paucity of funds. But we approached Delta State government and asked them to play the role of a big brother for us, which the state did.”

Enyeama among Top 20 players in Ligue 1

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SPORT NEWS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Enyeama among Top 20 players in Ligue 1

Rohr eyes Nigerian -born Hungarian defender

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uper Eagles manager Gernot Rohr is set to visit Turkey for a talk with Nigerian-born former Hungry youth international Kenneth Otigba who recently joined Kasimpasa on loan from Dutch side Heerenveen.

Owngoalnigeria.

Otigba com learnt that top on Gernot priority is was Otigba when he reached Turkey. Nigerian He isn’t the only Nigerian on the books of the Turkish side, as Emem Eduok also joined the team this summer from Tunisian side Esperance.

Otigba, 24, has long made known his desire to switch allegiance to Nigeria, throwing away a golden chance to represent Hungary at the last European Championship while he await his first call up to the senior Nigeria team.

The coach while in Turkey will watch the quartet of Chelsea loanee Kenneth Omeruo who plays for Alanyaspor while Osmanlispor duo of Aminu Umar and Raheem Lawal will also be watched by the German.

Ifeanyi Onyaka

F

ormer Nigeria skipper Vincent Enyeama has been named among the Top 20 players in the Premier League, French Ligue 1, Bundesliga and La Liga according to top European football website, EA Sports.

Enyeama has been brilliant since he took over the goalkeeping duties at Lille and was rated among the Top 20 players in Ligue 1.

Ndanusa applauds Ambode over Lagos Governor’s Cup Ajibade Olusesan Enyeama

Iheanacho wins CNN Relegation: Abia Warriors goal of the week award target three home wins gious news network, Ikenna Amadi

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igerian teen sensation Kelechi Iheanacho has won the CNN Goal of the week award for his wonder strike that helped Nigeria beat Tanzania 1-0 in a dead rubber AFCON 2017 qualifiers tie.

The organisers took into consideration, all the goals scored during the recently concluded international break and, the 19- year-old well hit effort from the edge of the Tanzanian box was selected as the winner.

He was announced as the winner on the twitter handle of the presti-

ahead of every other goal scored during the break which lasted for two weeks.

Iheanacho’s goal went viral on the internet with most people praising the technique behind the volley which separated Nigeria from Tanzania and, helped new manager Gernot Rohr start his tenure on a winning note.

On Saturday when Manchester City take on Manchester United in the Manchester derby, Iheanacho could be in for a start following the suspension of star forward Sergio Kun Aguero.

Enyeama was ranked 11th overall with a score of 83 and eight other players were all awarded the same rating.

For his technical attributes, the netminder was awarded 78 points in diving, 80 in handling, 77 in kicking, 90 in reflexes, 50 for his speed while he got a rating of 78 for position.

Elsewhere, Bayern Munich’s Austria international David Alaba, who has Nigerian parentage, made the top 20 Bundesliga players with an overall score of 87.

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oach Abdullahi Biffo has said he expects Abia Warriors to stay up in the Nigeria premier league by winning their remaining three home games.

Abia Warriors are very much in the drop zone in 17th position with 38 points from 32 matches.

However, they will be home against Nasarawa, Shooting Stars and Enyimba with a trip to Rivers United their only away game as the season comes to an end early next month.

And Biffo said survival hopes are hinged on the Umuahia club winning those matches after they were held to a 1-1 draw by title chasers FC Ifeanyi Ubah on Wednesday.

“We still have three home matches and if we could win all three matches, we will beat the drop,” said former Niger Tornadoes coach.

“We have put behind the disappointing draw at home in the game against FC Ifeanyi Ubah. We have moved into closed training camp for our match on Saturday.

“My mandate is to ensure the team is not relegated and that is exactly what I am working on.”

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overnor Akinwunmi Ambode has been applauded over his support for the Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis Championship, the 16th edition which holds from 8 to 22 October, 2016.

President of Nigeria Tennis Federation, Sani Ndanusa, said the federation must show appreciation to Ambode, who not only embraced the International Tennis Federation- approved Futures when assumed office last year’s May, but see to it

Ndanusa

that the annual competition is expanded in the second year he came to power.

The Governor’s Cup has been a tennis tournament organised to celebrate the sitting governor in Lagos State since the administration of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu.

This year’s competition, the second since Ambode assumed office, will have its total prize money increased to 100,000 dollars as against 80,000 in the previous editions.

“This competition started with Asiwaju Tinubu, who we all know as a great leader.

Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola succeeded in improving on this tournament and we are so happy that Governor Ambode, with his love for sports, ensures that the Governor’s Cup Lagos Tennis becomes a bigger tournament that will attract more players to the city of Lagos, “said Ndanusa, former Minister of Sports.

“The Confederation of African Tennis and the ITF were so much moved with the enthusiasm Governor Ambode showed in taking the competition to the next level. I want to say on behalf the NFF of thank you our dear Governor for your support,” he said.

NFF commends Cowbell Football Academy T Iheanacho

he Nigerian Football Federation has commended the efforts of Promasidor Nigeria Limited for its sponsorship of the Cowbell Football Academy.

The CFA is an initiative aimed

at developing sports in the country by creating an enabling platform for children and youths to express themselves through sports, academics and extra-curricular activities thereby adding to the nation’s hu-

Oyo hosts Alafin boxing tourney in October T

he ancient city of Oyo will shake to its foundation next month as the maiden “Alafin of Oyo United Boxing Championship” holds from October 7th to 15th, 2016 at the Oyo Township Stadium. The boxing tournament is being put together by the Universal Boxing Council, UBC Super Middleweight Championship, Mojeed Okedara.

According to Okedara, the decision of his company, Mojifrican Global Events Management, to accept promotion of the forthcoming Alaafin of

Oyo boxing championship was to give a befitting 78th birthday celebration to the foremost Royal Father, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi who has dedicated his life to the promotion of boxing in the country.

The United States of America based boxer stated that the nine day tournament will not only help promote the sports and give opportunity to Nigerian boxers to fight for honours but will help in upholding the tradition, culture and unity of Nigeria.

“We are organizing the champion-

ship in celebration of a Royal Father who has dedicated all his life in promoting boxing and he has even promised to enter the ring that day and face a yet to be named opponent whom he intends to beat, to enable him cut a memorable birthday cake,” Okedara said.

Boxers from different states including Oyo, Edo, Delta, Osun, Kwara, Ogun, Lagos, Ekiti and Ondo state will be aiming to win some of the belts and trophies lined up for the championship.

man capital development.

The commendation was made at the grand finale of the 2016 Summer Camp which took place at the main bowl of the national stadium, Surulere, Lagos recently.

Seyi Akinwunmi, First Vice President of the NFF explained that the CFA initiative is contributing immensely to the development of football in Nigeria.

According to him, “apart from catching the young school children and schooling them on football, the NFF has also realized they are being taught discipline, interpersonal and communication skills which help them excel in any endeavor.”

The Rector, Godwin Dudu-Orumen, expressed gratitude to Promasidor for sponsoring the initiative which has ensured the realisation of the academy’s objective of improving and developing sports in the country.

Sport

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

WORLD \ NEWS

47

10 countries implement ECOWAS common tariff

E joebooster391@yahoo.com

07039241156 (sms only)

JOE BOOSTER

Is NFF’s bragging right back?

P

ermit me to formally apologise and welcome back all my numerous readers who were forced on sabbatical and in the process, denied their weekly sports gospel. No thanks to the just concluded Rio 2016 Olympic Games, which took over the pages.

Within the intervening period, so many issues that almost brought our entire sports sector to its knees occurred. We shall endeavour to offer our position on most of the issues with time in our usual bold and incisive manner.

Today, however, we shall examine the arrival and assumption of duty by the new Super Eagles helmsman, German-born Gernot Rohr, who had already announced his arrival in the nation’s soccer scene in grant style.

This is due to the systematic demolition of the Taifa Stars of Tanzania by the national team at Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. The fans who thronged the venue of the match in droves were thrilled beyond measure by the superlative individual performances of the players.

It was rather unfortunate to observe that the encounter was nothing but mere formality since serious contenders like Egypt, the group leader had already emerged as the ticket holders. We had lamented and wept bitterly in the past over the inglorious accomplishments of the current band of wolves that occupy the football house and thus, superintend our Football.

It is rather unfortunate that the once dreaded Nigeria team has eventually become an easily hunted prey even on its own ground, as they struggle for cheap points in most competitive games. All the respect we used to enjoy has evaporated due to the nonchalant attitude of a visionless board.

To say the least, Nigerians and the fans of the game deserve better than the end of the carrot they are being fed with at the moment. It is regrettable to not that the Nigerian team - the Super Eagles disappoint the most when the stakes are high. But when there’s nothing to contend for, the team will fail to flutter. This explains the back to back ouster from the African Cup of Nations, the country suffered under the Amaju Pinnick led board’s supervision. Nigeria has crumbled in practically all competitions and has become a laughing stock on the continent.

In last weekend’s match against Tanzania, the Super Eagles won narrowly under the new technical adviser. It will, therefore, be rife to state that instead of jubilation over the pyrrhic victory, the board should collectively learn to bury their heads in shame. And rather than resume the bragging rights that has no foundation in logic, over the so-called

accomplishment at Uyo, which earned the nation nothing but mere classification point on the log, the board should begin an introspective sober reflection.

That was the same route they took by dubbing and over-hyping Sunday Oliseh as the Pep Guardiola of Africa, which ended in a disastrous outing for the Delta-born gaffer.

I was amazed when the Head of the Technical Department of the Federation in an interview shortly after the match, canvassed total retention of all the players used in prosecuting the game for their subsequent matches.

In other words, he has tacitly cleared the performance of all the players who were fielded on that day despite poor performances put up by some of the players during the encounter. This position not only sounded pedestrian but completely shows how hollow and incompetent the administrators of our football are.

They forgot the fact that at any given point in time, the current form of players is the determining factor in team selection and that there is no room for a permanent jersey for any player that is worth his salt. They have collectively done it in the past by insisting on screening and approving the players Pinnick that will feature for the nation. One wonders the nature of contract the German was able to enter with the federation.

Contracts should not only be calibrated in monetary terms but little details like independence to select players should be key.

I believe that Rohr is a man of honour and understands the basic ethics of coaching, even though he got the job in questionable circumstances that are still shrouded in secrecy, as the federation is scared of her shadows.

The world over, federations come clean when it comes to the issue of transparency and accountability in dealing with the appointment of coaches. Same cannot hold sway in this clime for reasons best known to them. Thus, the coach must be bold enough to resist any form of subtle imposition by these men because the era of imposition is over, which they subject our local coaches and also cow at the slightest provocation. This must be resisted at all cost.

The jubilant federation should be reminded that it is not yet uhuru for the nation’s football, as a lot of things need to be done in order to successfully turn things around for the better. The bragging over the outing in Uyo under a second-tier coach they engaged should not be blown out of proportion.

The truth is that this board has failed the nation woefully and should be honourable enough to resign their positions rather than boast and brag over nothing. Not just yet!

COWAS Director of Trade, Mr Gbenga Obideyi has said that 10 member states have so far implemented the Common External Tariff (CET), which came into effect in Jan. 2015.

Obideyi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja yesterday that eight countries within the West African Monetary Union (UEMOA), including Nigeria and Ghana had implemented the CET. Others he said include Benin, Burkina

Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. He said that member states were expected to implement the common tariff within five years, adding that the remaining five countries would begin implementation of the CET soon.

“The CET came into force in January 2016; coming into force means all our member states are expected to implement it.

However, in the CET like every other policy, there must be some transition

period; if you consider the fact that we have a five-year transition all of the countries are still within the five years. The UEMOA countries already had a CET so when ECOWAS CET came on board, it was very easy for them because they were already practicing it and they took off immediately. For some time now, we had nine countries, of which eight countries of UEMOA, Nigeria now Ghana, recently implemented the CET and we have five counties left.

Children in Turkey start back as school next week

Turkey-PKK conflict: Thousands of teachers suspended

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ore than 11,000 teachers in Turkey have been suspended for alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a week before children go back to school.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim had said he thought as many as 14,000 teachers were associated with terror activities.

Turkey, alongside Western countries, regards the PKK as terrorists. Tens of thousands of school workers and private teachers

were purged separately after a failed coup in July.

Tens of thousands of people have died in a decadeslong insurgency by the PKK, who want more selfrule for Kurdish people.

Turkey's education ministry said 11,285 teachers had been suspended and were on paid leave pending an investigation.

The state-run Anadolu news agency said they were suspected of activities "in support of the separatist terrorist organisation and its affiliates". It

also said the number was meant to grow to 14,000 after an investigation carried out alongside local governors' offices.

It is not clear what part of the country the suspended teachers are mainly from, but Turkey's Kurdish population is concentrated in the south-east, near the borders with Syria, Iraq and Iran. There are 850,000 teachers in Turkey, meaning the suspensions only affect less than 2 percent of teachers.

North Korea bans sarcastic comments about Kim Jong Un's regime

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orth Korea has banned its citizens from making sarcastic remarks about the regime of Dictator Kim Jong Un. A warning against indirect criticism of the state in their everyday conversations has been issued, according to Asian media. A series of mass meetings were held by officials across the isolated communist country. “One state security official personally organised a meeting to alert local resi-

dents to potential ‘hostile actions’ by internal rebellious elements,” a source in Jagang Province told Radio Free Asia’s Korean Service. “The main point of the lecture was ‘Keep your mouths shut. People were reportedly warned that sarcastic expressions, including “this is all America’s fault”, would constitute intolerable criticism of the regime.

Expressions of public discontent have apparently grown louder in the secretive state this year,

with graffiti mocking Kim Jong Un appearing in areas near China. Less than two weeks ago, two senior North Korean officials were executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August on the orders of Kim Jong-un.

South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper has reported that Ri Yong Jin, a senior official in the education ministry, was arrested for dozing off during a meeting with Kim and charged with corruption before being killed.

Sanctity of Truth

On Marble

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Pains of womanhood

hen you take a look at your daughter(s), what do you feel? Love, pride, plenty of affection, yes.

All normal. As each day breaks and she grows from that little thing the nurses handed you after a long hard labour, to a petite girl, small adult (like my friend would say) and a young woman, do you feel apprehensive? What’s there to be apprehensive about? Plenty. Maybe it’s only me who is anxious. But each time I look at my daughter’s innocent eyes and she smiles those smiles full of love and trust, my heart can’t help but thud at the status of women in this society.

Here is a little girl, all adorable and lovely, but going into a world that is harsh on women. You see the number of men who strip you with their eyes daily and fear for your girl, you think of all the indignities she might have to endure because she’s a female and you wonder what our claim to sophistication is all about.

Unlike our sons, our daughters are coming into a society where they have to scream to be heard and run like hell to catch up with anything. They would have to work extra hard to attain anything or be recognised. Such is the sad society that refuses to accommodate women the way they should.

Right from the start, it’s a girl who should stay in the kitchen with mummy while ‘Junior’ learns about how the remote control works with the TV and VCR. She’s the one to help mummy set the table while daddy and son busy themselves doing nothing anyone can see. Oh well, they argue about computer games and football game fixtures and Obafemi Martins, etc.

While your little girl is graduating from washing her panties to dresses, Junior’s CV only reads “holding the hose to wash daddy’s car.” And when it’s time to choose a career, the girl’s should finish the dishes and the boys’ their law school. Who said women can’t be doctors and the men nurses?

Tell me, who decreed that it is men who should be managing directors and the women their personal assistants?

In the work place, the story gets worse. The personnel manager feels sorry for the young woman sitting in front of him because she read mechanical engineering “I mean, she could have just read chemistry and go to teach so she could have time for her family” Tufia.

As if men don’t have families along with their careers. It’s all right for men to be geologists, but how many oil companies want a woman on the rig. “Why? She will ask for maternity leave and time to take her kids for immunisation.”

Pray, educate me on how more men would come into being if we stop going on maternity leave. When an unmarried young woman is discussing salary with her would-be employers and she’s talking in six-figures, official car and residence, the recruiting panel feels scandalised.

Adam’s Apple

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only men who should be seen behind the wheels of Pajero and Peugeot 406,

ehn? No way, my daughter is going to drive a big car.

And when she comes home in tears because the big boss says unless she ‘plays ball,’ she’d remain on the same salary scale for all time, what do you tell her?”It’s always like that. I went through that too. You ‘ll get used to it.

Too bad but that’s the society we live in. True, there are more female doctors and pharmacists etc, but ask yourself at what expense?

Because a woman’s place is at home (no matter her qualification), even if she has a career, there are steps too bold for her to take. Her husband can apply for a UNICEF job and go abroad for two years while everybody (except me) would think she’s gone crazy to do the same.

Who ‘ll take care of the kids? What if her husband impregnates the maid or marries a second wife while she’s gone?

Rubbish, arrant nonsense and crude selfishness, all that. If the world won’t tumble if he goes on one-year fellowship abroad, it shouldn’t if she does the same.

It’s all right to be a man and be single at 40, but if an unmarried woman of 35 gets angry because a careless driver crashed into her car, ‘she’s making so much noise because she’s frustrated.’ She can’t even protest an arbitrary rent hike without her landlord sneering, ‘better go and marry’ as if her world must come to a standstill because she’d single.

When a couple marries and after a year, there is no baby to show the in-laws, it’s because the woman is barren. Thank God, we now know there are barren men too. Men who do unproductive performance.

I don’t know about you but I say all these are worth getting mad about. We celebrate the International Women’s Day and I think we should take stock and make our anger felt like Lisa Jones said in Bulletproof Diva: “Who else, after all, has a stake in our visibility, our power and representation but ourselves and those children we are raising?”

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