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Vol. 2 No. 468

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Alleged N2.45bn fraud: DPP withdraws charges against Sylva }8

New Telegraph, The SUN get new MDs

he Board of Directors of Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited has approved the appointment of Mrs. Funke Egbemode as the new Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief for

the newspapers. Until her appointment, she was the General Editor of The Sun, a sister company. Egbemode succeeds Mr. Eric Osagie, who is returning to The Sun

Publishing Limited as Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief. Osagie had been on secondment to New Telegraph since September. The board of directors yesterday approved the

appointment of Osagie to succeed Mr. Femi Adesina whose appointment as Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari was announced on Sunday CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Egbemode

Osagie

Appointment: ‘APC is holding Buhari hostage'

lPresident in dilemma as North insists on producing SGF, NSA, CoS }2

Road leading to the Ekiti State House of Assembly blocked by members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a bid to prevent lawmakers from impeaching Governor Ayodele Fayose, in Ado-Ekiti…yesterday.

Tension in Ekiti over fresh moves to impeach Fayose

lPDP urges Buhari to call APC lawmakers to order }2

Quick Read

Editorial

Ahoy Nigerian Navy! }19

EFCC grills Nyako, grants him bail }8

News

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Appointment: ‘APC is holding Buhari hostage' Donald Ojogo Abuja

hree days after his inauguration, President Muhammadu Buhari has not been able to make key appointments due to a crisis of confidence that has pitted him against power blocs in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). This has made the National Coordinator of the Concerned Northern Professional Forum (CNPF), Dr. Mohammed Junaid, to accuse a section of the APC leadership of trying to arm-twist Buhari to make some appointments against his wish. He accused the APC of trying to use zoning to hold Buhari captive, saying resorting to allotting positions on zonal basis is inimical to good governance. The president, which on Sunday named Managing Director, Sun Newspapers, Mr. Femi Adesina and head of media of his campaign organisation, Mallam Garba Shehu, as spokesmen, is yet to unveil names of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chief of Staff, among others. But New Telegraph learnt that intense pressure, as well as insistence on certain government positions from intra-party and regional power blocs, might have stalled further announcements of sensitive appointments by Buhari. “There is more to what you think, the president is not keeping the party guessing, rather, a brewing cold war has to be stemmed from getting out of hand”, an insider said yesterday. It was gathered that some powerful Northern power brokers had impressed it on the president to restrict his search for the headship of certain sensitive positions to the region. The source, a member of the APC Board of Trustees (BoT) caucus, listed some of such positions to that of the SGF, Chief of Staff, National Security Adviser (NSA) and the headship of the Federal Ministry of Finance. He said some young, but powerful confidants of the president had drawn up a list of such positions with the support of certain influential power brokers from the North. “We fear if the president can say no to such persons under the present circumstances,” he added. He said a delegation of some influential Northerners had handed over what

he called an ‘A’ list to the president. “When you say the president as a person is keeping the party guessing, I laugh. In fairness to him, it is not true because we know as a matter of fact that some powerful leaders of the party from the North have insisted on certain key appointments. “Looking at their arguments for such, you will also agree that they might be right to say yes, we need to have these this time around because in whatev-

er we do, once precedence has been set, it becomes difficult to fault when successive actions in similar light come to the fore. “For instance, when today they insist on having the NSA, CBN governor, SGF, COS and even the Minister of Finance, you don’t have to blame them because right from the days of Obasanjo till Jonathan, we have come to realise that these appointments had at one time or the other, resided in a section of the country before.

“In fact, there was a time former President Jonathan had his NSA, CoS and Finance Minister all from the South-South. So the issue is not just the president keeping the party leadership guessing, but what is at hand is how we will stem a brewing cold war within us to get out of hand into open confrontation. “The truth remains that to say no, or simply ignore the demands presented by this group of our colleagues from the North

will only be insensitive, that is why we are trying to explore more diplomatic means of concession to one another,” he said. It could not be immediately confirmed if the move by the Forum of Northern States’ Secretaries to Governments to endorse one of their own, the Secretary to Borno State Government, Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda, for the position of SGF was in line with the push as disclosed by the party top shot. The forum, in a letter

to Buhari and signed by the Coordinator of the Forum and former SSG of Niger State, Hon. Saidu Ndako Idris Kpaki, said the recommendation was part of their contribution to support the new administration to succeed in its quest to improve the lives of Nigerians. The position of the forum had raised curiosity; especially following reports that a founding leader of the APC, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, was being CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

L-R: Senate President David Mark; Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, at a retreat for the Peoples Democartic Party (PDP) National Assembly members-elect in Port Harcourt…yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Tension in Ekiti over fresh moves to impeach Fayose Adesina Wahab and Onyekachi Eze

here was tension in Ekiti State yesterday as 19 All Progressives Congress (APC) members of the state House of Assembly made fresh moves to oust the Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose. The police mounted checkpoints along major roads leading to Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, from neighbouring states, especially Osun, where the APC lawmakers are reportedly hiding. Also, the security around the House of Assembly complex was beefed up, just as civil servants working at the state secretariat, close to the assembly complex, had a hectic time accessing their offices. To prevent being caught unawares, members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) massed around the state secretariat and NTA, while barricades were mounted to prevent easy human and vehicular movements to the assembly.

Governor Fayose, who addressed journalists on the development, said he could not understand the renewed hostilities after all he had done to pacify the lawmakers. He said all the entitlements of the APC lawmakers had been paid contrary to the claim by the factional Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin that they were yet to get alerts from their banks. Fayose showed copies of the Skye Bank cheques dated May 26 issued to the lawmakers to corroborate his claim. One of the cheques, which was drawn in the name of Boluwade Bolie Kehinde, was received on behalf of the lawmaker and had the sum of N2,149, 052.37 written on it. He said it would amount to illegality for Omirin to continue with any impeachment proceeding against him in view of the ruling delivered by Justice E.S. Chukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja which ordered that status quo as at April 23 be maintained pending the determination of the

motion on notice. “They have been dropping the name of President Muhammadu Buhari as giving them the backing to impeach me. How can an Assembly, whose tenure will wind up on Thursday, be planning this? I wonder why the issue of the past should be allowed to come to play now. “As at the date the court gave the order, I mean April 23, Hon. Adewale Omirin was not the speaker. It will be wrong for the court order not to be respected. This is illegality and I want to raise this for the public to know. “Omirin has gone to court to challenge his impeachment and later withdrew such, which means he accepted he had been impeached and a cost of N100, 000 was awarded against him. “So, he is not the speaker. I am calling on well meaning Nigerians, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mohammed Mahmoud and President Buhari to intervene in this matter. “How can somebody be living in another state

and planning to invade his own state? This is something else and I view this as a major crime anyone can commit against his people,” he said. Fayose urged Ekiti people to be prepared by keeping eyes on the lawmakers and prevent them from carrying out their alleged nefarious act, saying vigilance is the key word. It was learnt that the planned journey of the 19 APC members to the state to commence impeachment moves suffered a setback. Findings by our correspondent in Ado-Ekiti revealed that the insistence of police authorities that since the matter of who is the authentic speaker of the Assembly is still in court, then the status quo ante be maintained, was one of the reasons the lawmakers had to shelve their planned trip. It was gathered that the APC legislators, who have been staying in Osogbo since weekend, contacted the police authorities to provide cover for them to come to Ado-Ekiti. However, security

chiefs, who also supported the peace meeting between the lawmakers and Fayose held last week in Akure, Ondo State, relied on the position of the law on the matter. Meanwhile, the PDP has called on Buhari to call the APC lawmakers to order, warning that their actions can trigger mayhem in the state. PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, said members of the party in Ekiti State would be fully mobilised to resist the ouster bid. "We wish to state in very clear terms that we would not condone any more moves by the rejected APC lawmakers to subvert the will of the people of Ekiti state as expressed in the mandate freely given to Governor Fayose. “These outgoing APC lawmakers whose mandates have already been withdrawn by the people should watch their steps and not in any way take our civility and Fayose’s deportment for peace, unity and harmony for granted," the party said in a statement.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015

SPECIALonREPORT The 8th Senate’s Fresh Generation Godswill Akpabio

Aliyu Wamakko

Jonah David Jang

Stella Adaeze Oduah

Samuel Egwu

Rabiu Kwankwaso

Theodore Orji

Mao Ohuabunwa

Uche Lilian Ekwunife

Buruji Kashamu

Jeremiah Useni

Abubakar Kyari

Ben Murray Bruce

Peter Nwaoboshi

Biodun Olujimi

Dino Melaye

Monsurat Sunmonu

Bayero Usman Nafada

Bala ibn Na’Allah

Isiaka A. Adeleke

Abubakar Danladi

Adeola Olamilekan

Binta Masi Garba

Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim

Mustapha Bukar

Duro Samuel Faseyi

Fatimat O. Raji-Rasaki

Shehu Sani

Mustapha Bukar

Philip Aruwa I Gyunka

Buhari Abdulfatai

Suleiman O. Hunkuyi

Osinakachukwu Ideozu

Danjuma La’ah

Bassey Albert Akpan

Olanrewaju Tejuoso

Mohammed A. Ohiare

Nelson Asuquo Effiong

Achonu A. Nneji

Sabo Mohammed

David Umaru

Umaru Ibrahim Kurfi

Barau I Jibrin

Nnaemeka Anyanwu

Clifford A. Ordia

John Enoh Owan

Mathew A. Urhoghide

Utazi Godfrey Chukwuka

Rilwan Adesoji Akanbi

Gbolahan Dada

Abdul-Aziz M. Nyako

Francis A. Alimikhena

Olaka Johnson Nwogu

Ogba Joseph Obinna

Tijjani Yahaya Kaura

Donald Alasoadura

Rose Okoji Oko

Yele Omogunwa

Ogola Foster

Gershom H. Bassey

Suleiman M. Nazif

Malam Ali Wakili

Abdullahi A. Gumel

Marafa Bashir Abba

Yahaya Abdullahi

Abdulrahman Abubakar

Salihu Hussain Egye

Mohammed Garba

Ighoyota Amori

Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi

Ahmadu Abubakar

Mohammed Hasan

Isah Hamma Misau

Ibrahim Abdullahi

Muhammad Ubali Shitu

On June 4, 2015, the eighth Senate of the National Assembly will be inaugurated. Of the 109 Senators who will be taking their seats, 75, representing 68 per cent will be fresh in the upper chamber. Who are these fresh Senators? What are their backgrounds and antecedents? What quality of debate and contributions are we likely to see from them? These and more will be the kernel of a special report by New Telegraph on that day. The report presents a unique opportunity for family, friends and associates of these fresh Senators to felicitate with them. For enquiries and participation: Call Biodun: 0802-301-5582, Taiwo: 0803-304-2915, Onwuka: 0803-733-9843, David: 0810-759-1663

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

News

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015

Nigeria suffers in OPEC, US tussle lFaces tough time in getting buyers for oil Adeola Yusuf

igeria has continued to suffer in the escalating duel between the United States and the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil production. According to a report by Dow Jones news agency, Nigeria has lost business in its main market

in the US and struggled to gain footholds elsewhere, raising a question for the oil cartel over whether its decision to fight for market share may have hurt some vulnerable members. OPEC had, last year, abandoned its traditional role of propping up prices through production cuts, figuring that surging American production would depress prices, no matter what it did and

opting to fight for market share instead. In the midst of this trouble, Deutsche Bank has said that Nigeria needs oil prices at $87.90 to balance its budget, a level most oil analysts don't see happening soon. Stubbornly low prices prompted Nigeria to raise the issue of an emergency OPEC meeting earlier this year, though it didn't materialise. Few other countries' oil

industries have also been hit as hard as Nigeria, highlighting a challenge for the petroleum cartel ahead of its meeting on Friday. "Once a highly desired, easy-to-refine product, Nigeria's oil is now hard to sell. In 2014, it fetched more than $2 a barrel more than the global benchmark, Brent crude, according to OPEC data. "This year, that premium has plunged to 74

cents, on average—the lowest in a decade," the report said yesterday. Nigerian cargoes that normally sell a month ahead of delivery have languished without buyers. In early May, at least 80 million barrels of Nigerian and Angolan crude were still seeking buyers, according to Barclays. "Nigeria is in immense pain," said Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects, adding that Nigeria has been the worst affected by these changes. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources declined to comment. Its plight highlights divisions within OPEC as the group's ministers begin arriving in Vienna this week. Venezuela, Algeria and Angola have also struggled while wealthier OPEC members such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait

ramp up production and lock down buyers in Asia. Nigeria's situation also raises a red flag about the strength of a recent oil-price recovery. After crashing from $114 a barrel to $45 from July to January, the Brent price has gone up more than 30 per cent since, closing at about $65 on Friday. "A disconnect between the price of oil-futures' contracts and the price paid in daily physical transactions was a precursor to the collapse last year, though analysts disagree about whether Nigeria is symbolic of the larger market," Dow Jones reported. "The Nigerian barrel is really now the swing barrel," said Eugene Lindell, an oil market analyst at JBC Energy. " That's on our radar and when we see West African barrels underperforming, then we're worried about the global crude market."

Buhari in dilemma as North insists on producing SGF, NSA, CoS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun (right), decorating the newly-elected President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, during a visit to the governor in Abeokuta...yesterday.

How we dealt with N8bn currency theft, by CBN

lImplicated staff sacked in 2014 Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has stated that it has summarily dismissed some staff of the bank connected with the N8 billion currency note theft in Ibadan branch while others are placed on indefinite suspension. The apex bank made the disclosure yesterday in a statement by Director of Corporate Communications, Ibrahim Mu’azu. He added that a nationwide audit of all 37 branches of the bank also revealed currency note theft was an isolated incident restricted to the Ibadan branch. The statement said the fraud was detected within two months of assumption of office by CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele. The apex bank pledged to collaborate with the

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in ensuring that affected staff as well as their accomplices in some commercial banks are brought to justice. Six top officials of Nigeria’s Central Bank and 16 other workers of commercial banks in the country were arrested by the EFCC, for a mega scam involving the sum of N8 billion. The six CBN staff are: Patience Okoro Eye (Abuja), Afolabi Olufemi (Lagos), Kolawole Babalola (Ibadan), Olaniran Muniru Adeola (Ibadan), Fatai Yusuf, Adekunle (Head, Security, Ibadan) and Ilori Adekunle Sunday (Akure). The suspects were picked up by operatives of the anti-graft agency for stealing and putting into circulation defaced and mutilated Nigerian currency notes to the tune of N8 billion meant for destruction.

All the suspects have already been taken into EFCC custody preparatory to their arraignment at the Federal High Court, Ibadan today. The trial will run till June 4 in a bid to speed up the prosecution of the suspects by the court. According to the statement, “during a routine internal audit of the Bank’s Cash Destruction activities in September 2014, the CBN Briquetting Panel comprising senior staff of the bank from different branches noticed some anomalies at the Ibadan Branch, and immediately reported this to the bank’s management. “On further investigation ordered by the governor, it was discovered that a systematic scheme, which has been on for several years, was being run in which mutilated higher denomination notes originally meant for destruction were swapped with lower

denomination currencies. This practice known as interleafing, basically labels a box with a higher value than its true content. “As soon as the bank’s internal investigations concluded beyond reasonable doubt that some wrongdoing had occurred, the affected members of staff who are middle-level officers were, depending on gravity of offence, either summarily dismissed or immediately placed on indefinite suspension on October 21, 2014, and all handed over to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution. “The CBN has also conducted a nationwide audit of all 37 branches of the bank and found that this was an isolated scheme at Ibadan Branch. The bank will continue to collaborate with the EFCC to ensure that affected CBN staff as well as their accomplices in some commercial banks, are brought to justice.”

considered for the job. For the positions of the NSA and CoS, erstwhile Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Abdurrahman Dambazau and Col Hammed Ali, all retired, are the prime candidates likely to get the jobs. But New Telegraph gathered that on the cards for the positions of Finance Minister is Dr Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, who was Chief Economic Adviser to the late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua. But Junaid, who clarified that he was not speaking for the North, said the APC should be blamed for any crisis and delay over appointments by the president. He alleged that with the zoning of offices, the APC was already holding Buhari hostage. He said: “First and foremost, I have never claimed to be speaking for the North; my attitude has always been what is good for the nation. Having said that, I think the APC is creating a problem for President Buhari by this zoning mantra. “Basically, I think it is because the party allowed crooks and counterproductive elements from the PDP to join its fold and these persons have now brought in this idea of zoning, which I think is very inimical to good governance. “For instance, the position of the SGF is a very sensitive office and it is

the engine room of the government; the head of government must be allowed to pick whoever he feels is best suitable for the job. When former President Obasanjo picked Chief Ufot Ekaette, it was believed that he picked out of merit and not zoning, so the APC should not try to impose any useless zoning on the president. “The same goes for other offices such as the CBN governor, NSA and all that, including the now annoying jostle for the position of the Senate president. “Nigerians should be wary of those who want to plant seeds of discord that will cause confusion in the early life of this administration because from the way things are going, if care is not taken, leadership of the Senate might be in the hands of the same ethnic group that has grabbed the vice-presidency; that same ethnic group wants to be speaker of the House of Representatives. But I can bet you, it will not be allowed to happen in this country because we know ourselves." But reacting to the allegation that the APC was holding the president hostage, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said such a statement should be ignored. “Please ignore such statements; it is too early to give prominence to statements that will not help this administration,” he said.

News

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Buhari, Jonathan, Obasanjo, others made AfDB presidency possible, says Adesina Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

ewly elected President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, yesterday attributed his victory to the key roles played by President Muhammadu Buhari and his predecessor, Dr Goodluck Jonathan. He also acknowledged former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Heads of State, General Yakubu Gowon and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, as well as former VicePresidents Namadi Sambo and Atiku Abubakar for mobilising support for his victory. Adesina, the immediate past Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, was elected the AfDB president at a meeting of the continental bank in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. He told Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, during a visit to him in Abeokuta that many Nigerian leaders rallied round his bid for AfDB presidency "in an unparalleled show of

commitment" irrespective of their political leanings. The former minister expressed satisfaction that critical stakeholders in the country reached out and lobbied world leaders to ensure that he won the election to become AfDB president, a position that had eluded Nigeria for 51 years. He also observed that the recent general elections in the country had improved the rating of Nigeria before the international community. Adesina said: "Let me say that I am grateful to so

many of our leaders. We are a great country; I think we need to continue to be a united country. Our leaders rallied round us in an unparalleled show of commitment as a country. I feel tremendously humbled by that. "I want to appreciate the support of the president, Muhammadu Buhari and the former president, Goodluck Jonathan, for their support during the AfDB elections. Former presidents, Olusegun Obasanjo, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Yakubu Gowon put a lot of their

support behind me. "I commend the former Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for her role because she led our team to the elections; it was an election we had to convince 74 ministers of finance from across the world. "The election went into six rounds of voting and Nigeria led every single round of that vote and Dr. Okonjo-Iweala was marvellous in the way she shepherded the team throughout the process.

And at a critical time that thing looked like it was going to be a bit difficult, that was when you know the quality of the person leading our team. "She negotiated and I must say in the last moment when it looked like things were tough, I had to make a call back home, and in fact it was my Governor (Ibikunle Amosun) that actually helped me to put that call through for President Buhari to make one final call to a few leaders and he was amazing, he made those calls. So, you can see this was truly a

Nigerian collective effort." He, however, promised to use his tenure as AfDB president to eradicate poverty in Africa through infrastructural development, job creation, regional integration, agriculture development and revival of rural economies. Earlier, Amosun had lauded the election of Adesina and thanked Buhari, Jonathan and the international community for their roles in Adesina's emergence. He said the AfDB feat was not a personal success to Adesina, but to Nigeria.

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST LAGOS

ABUJA

PORT HARCOURT

KANO

ENUGU

IBADAN

CALABAR

MAIDUGURI

ONITSHA

31oC 24oC Storm

31oC 24oC Partially Cloudy

21oC 18oC Storm

40oC 26oC Partially Cloudy

30o C 23oC Thunder Storms

29oC 23oC Storm

27oC 23oC Storm

42oC 28oC Partially Cloudy

30o C 23oC Thunder Storms

L-R: Member, House of Representatives, Hon. Babangida Mahuta; House of Representatives speakership aspirant and member-elect from Gombe State, Hon. Yakubu Dogara; Hon. Abubakar Ahmad and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, during the lawmakers’ visit to Atiku in Abuja…at the weekend. PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

New Telegraph, The SUN get new MDs CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

evening. Osagie was the Deputy Managing Director/Deputy Editor-in-Chief before his secondment to New Telegraph as Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief. Also, a new Deputy Managing Director/ Deputy Editor-in-Chief has been appointed for The Sun. He is Mr. Steve Nwosu, who, until now, was the Executive Director, Corporate Services. All the appointments take immediate effect. Egbemode, a 1988 graduate of English Studies from Obafemi Awolowo University, joined The Sun in 2007 as Editor-at-Large and was appointed Editor, Sunday Sun in March 2008. After a five-year tenure, she was promoted General Editor, a position she held until yesterday. Before coming to The Sun, Egbemode had

worked in various capacities in the newsrooms of The Punch, THISDAY, The Post Express and Independent Newspapers, where she was the pioneer Saturday Editor. Outside the newsroom, she also served in the public sector as Assistant Chief Press Secretary at the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) and Special Adviser (Media) to former Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Patricia Etteh. She is the author of INTIMATE AFFAIRS and CONVERSATIONS WITH MY COUNTRY. She is the Social and Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and currently a member of the Board of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN). Osagie, whose journalism career spans over 25

Nwosu

years, joined The Sun in 2002 as pioneer Editor of Abuja Bureau and was later promoted Editor, Northern Operations. In 2008, he was appointed Special Adviser, Public Affairs and Strategy to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State. He returned to The Sun the following year as Managing Editor. In 2010, Osagie became Executive Director, Special Services, in charge of the editorial and business interests of the newspaper in the nation's capital

and the northern region. In December 2013, he was made Executive Director, Publications, and placed in charge of editorial, commercial and sales departments of the company. A prose stylist, public affairs analyst and one of Nigeria's most engaging interviewers, Osagie rose through the ranks as staff writer, chief correspondent, deputy features editor of the awardwinning defunct Weekend Concord, and was later appointed features editor of National Concord in 1998. He had earlier had a brief stint with THISDAY newspapers and the National Interest, where he served as one of the pioneer editors. He is expected to deploy his wealth of professional experience and wide contacts in the political and corporate worlds, in taking the fore-

most newspaper establishment to the next level. Nwosu, a 1991 graduate of Mass Communication from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and an alumnus of Lagos Business School, started his journalism practice with The Guardian in 1992 as a reporter. He left The Guardian to join THISDAY in 1997. At THISDAY, he rose rapidly from correspondent to hold other positions such as Features Editor, Political Editor, Deputy Editor/Editor, THISDAY Style. He eventually became Editor of THISDAY on Saturday and later member of the newspaper Editorial Board. He joined The Sun at its inception as Editor of the Saturday Sun. He moved on to become the Editor of Daily Sun and later General Editor, Magazines.

NEW TELEGRAPH tuesday, june 2, 2015

Dogara steps up campaign, writes new Reps Philip Nyam

Abuja

ne of the leading contenders for position of speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, (APC, Bauchi) has formally written to the new members-elect intimating them of his ambition. This is just as Dogara has picked Hon. Lasun Yussuf (APC, Osun) to run alongside him as deputy speaker candidate. In a letter titled, "a chance to consolidate", the chairman House Services Committee said "As we brace up for the daunting task and challenges ahead of us. I wish to remind us all that our ability to perform depends largely on the kind of leadership we give to ourselves as lawmakers. "There is no doubt that the 7th Assembly under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal CFR, has left an indelible mark in the annals of political history of Nigeria as one parliament that stood with the Nigerian people and helped bring about the change the country so desired" According to Dogara, "the House has charted a course for itself, of being independent and devoid of any external interferences but this was only achieved after members defied the powers.

Aso Rock deserted as Buhari operates from Defence House Anule Emmanuel

so Rock presidential villa, Nigeria's seat of power was yesterday, the first official day of the newly sworn in President, Muhammadu Buhari turned into a ghost town. Buhari, since his inauguration, has been operating from the De-

fence house located in Maitama district of Abuja, where he occupied as President-elect. Both the President and his Vice, Professor Yemi Osinbajo and all the newly appointed aides of the President did not visit the villa on Monday. The absence of the President and the Vice President also affected the influx of visitors into

Abuja

o ease queues at fuel stations, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has commenced 24 hours sale of fuel, as the Association seeks for Police protection for members. President of IPMAN, Chief Chinedu Okoronkwo, stated this to journalists in Abuja. According to him, members had been given directives to sell products for 24 hours daily to reduce the long stretch of

queues at different filling station across the country. Expressing concerns about the queue at filling stations, Okoronkwo stated that the measure was to ease the scarcity and make the product available for motorists He said, "We are not part of the strike that gave birth to the scarcity but when the system is burnt, all other parts of the body would be affected. "Major marketers, transporters owners and drivers, in one way or the other had issues to resolve. "If this thing persist, we will all suffer. We may

not even be able to pay our workers, but we are happy that the whole issue has been resolved. "We have directed our members to service the nation 24 hours. "We are only appealing to the police to provide adequate security for our members as they started to dispense to motorists, to protect them from hoodlums or armed robbers". The IPMAN Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Magandi, in a separate interview, said queue persisted in most of the filling station because most of depots were not having product.

Saraki’s group raises alarm over smear campaign Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

he bitter struggle for the leadership of the senate worsened yesterday with allegations by a group that opponents of Senator Bukola Saraki were set to unleash a fresh campaign of calumny against the federal

the villa. Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, had explained at the weekend that Buhari will move into his official residence at the villa only when renovation work has been completed by Construction giant Julius Berger. Buhari's absence from the villa is as a result of

his inability to pack into the official apartment. "Berger has since commenced renovation work on the apartments of both the President and the Vice and are expected to complete the assignment within two weeks" a presidency source told our correspondent. Meanwhile, few staff on both sides who resumed at work yesterday, idled away.

L-R: Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Jonathan Ango; Commanding Officer, Nns Wey, Navy Town, Ojo, Lagos, Commodore Celestine Odiase and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Usman Jibrin, at the inauguration of a project in Lagos …yesterday

IPMAN commences 24-hour sales of fuel Johnchuks Onuanyim

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national

lawmaker few days to the election to determine who leads the eighth national assembly. The group under the aegis of The Quintessential Professionals in a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Mr. James Bassey and distributed to newsmen, insisted that the masterminds of the plot against Saraki

are those who opposed his ambition of becoming the next Senate president. According to Bassey ,those behind the plot intended to start a media campaign where it would be alleged that Saraki was distributing dollars to senators-elect in order to buy their votes during the forthcoming inauguration of the eighth assembly.

Onitsha tragedy: Buhari, Atiku, condoles with Anambra Anule Emmanuel

resident Muhammadu Buhari has expressed condolences to the governor and people of Anambra State, over the unfortunate death of 60 persons at the weekend when a petrol tanker crashed into a busy bus station in Onitsha. The President, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, described the incident as a sad and unfortunate loss. He said the incidence was made even more unfortunate by the number of families who are currently mourning the loss of their loved ones. "My deepest sympathies are with you at this most trying time," President Buhari said. Also yesterday, former Vice President and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar, expressed deep shock and sadness at the horrific fuel-laden tanker tragedy at Upper Iweka, Onitsha, Anam-

bra State that led to the loss of scores of lives and destruction to properties on Sunday. In a press statement released in Abuja on yesterday by his media office, Atiku prayed for the repose of the souls of the scores of deceased persons, while soliciting God's protection for Nigerians nationwide. "May God accept the souls of the departed into blissful eternity and grant the relatives and families of the deceased bearable fortitude to accept the loss. "I commiserate with the government and good people of Anambra State in whose abode this huge loss had taken place," Atiku said. At least 81 persons were on Sunday burnt to death when a tanker fully loaded with Premium Motor Spirit(PMS)otherwise known as petrol lost control on the Upper Iweka axis of the EnuguOnitsha dual carriage way and crashed into the Asaba Motor Park at Upper Iweka area and burst into flames.

Nigeria’s active phone lines hit 145.4m Kunle Azeez

he total number of active telephone lines in Nigeria’s telecoms market has increased to 145.4 million as at the end of April, according to the latest industry data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). The latest industry status report, released yesterday evening, also showed that teledensity, which denotes telephony penetration in the country, has reached 103.91 per cent during the same period. The figure represents the total active mobile subscriptions on all mobile networks in the country, including the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and fixed wired/ wireless operators in the country. According to the statistics, Nigeria telecoms market achieved 139.1 million active telephone subscriptions by the end of December, 2014 with a teledensity of 99.39 per cent. The growth in mobile subscription in the Africa’s largest telecoms market has further increased to 140.8 million in January this year, 142.5 million in February and 143.9 million and 145.4 million active mobile subscriptions, according to the NCC report. According to the NCC official report, teledensity jumped from 99.39 per cent in December last year to 100.56 per cent in January this year. By February, March and end of April, the figure increased to 101.85 per cent; 102.81 per cent and 103.91 per cent respectively. In terms of market share by technologies, analysis of the data showed that, of the 145.4 million mobile, GSM operators, including MTN, Globacom, Airtel and Etisalat hold 143 million, the CDMA, a market segment led by Visafone, controls 2.2 million lines while fixed line operators recorded 184,790 active lines. The NCC data also provided the latest total connected telephone lines in the country, aside the active lines. According to the data, the number of connected telephone lines in the country is now put at 196.9 million at the end of April, of which 145.4 million are active lines. The total industryconnected telephone lines rose from 192.1 million in January this year but fell by close to 1.5 million to 190.5 million in February and by end of first quarter ending March, the figure rose again to 194.5 million.

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tuesday, june 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

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Cleric wants Buhari to return WAI

he Metropolitan Archbishop of Lagos, Most Reverend Alfred Martins, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sanitise the moral fabrics of Nigeria by reintroducing War Against Indiscipline (WAI), which was the hallmark of his defunct military administration between 1983-1985. Martins made the call in Lagos, during a press conference marking his 56th Birthday. He said: “One of the hallmarks of the military administration under the then General Muhammadu Buhari was his strong aversion for indiscipline leading to the declaration of a ‘War Against Indiscipline.’ This no doubt helped to bring sanity into the polity.” The Catholic Chief Shepherd regretted that WAI was unfortunately discarded, after the administration was overthrown by the subsequent regime led by General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. “The result is that, 21 years after, indiscipline has regrettably entrenched itself into the nation’s fabric. “As part of the mea-

sures to be taken by this government to sanitise the moral fabrics of our nation, I want to recommend, with all sense of responsibility, the reintroduction of the defunct ‘War Against Indiscipline’ in collaboration with the states. “I believe that if the programme is well implemented, taking into cognisance the fundamental human rights of every individual in a democracy, our collective desire to rid our country of corruption and ineptitude would be speedily achieved,” Martins said. Martins had earlier explained that a day such as his birthday was always an opportunity to reflect on his life, his vocations as a priest and of course the state of Nigeria. Speaking on the theme ‘A New Don, A New Beginning,’ the Archbishop said that God had outlined his promises to make Nigeria a great nation. With a relevant scriptural reference from the book of Genesis 12:2-3, Martins said that, like the Israelites of old, Nigerians had in the past years wandered in the wilderness.

Buhari, former NSA in closed-door meeting Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

resident Muhammadu Buhari and the National Security Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Dasuki Sambo, (rtd) yesterday met behind closed doors at the Defence House in Abuja. The outcome of the meeting was not made public as neither Buhari nor Sambo spoke on the meeting. It was reported that the Service Chiefs were going to be sacked this week for the new government to restrategize on Boko Haram insurgency. Sambo was the first to canvass officially the postponement of the last election from February 14 at the Chatham House, London. The purported meeting of the President with the Service Chiefs could not hold and no reason was given to that. Meanwhile, Shehu has stated that the President, would today travel to Niger and would be in Chad on Thursday. Buhari, however, yesterday gave reasons why he has not moved into the

official residence of the President in Aso Villa. Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant, Media, Mallam Garba Shehu, he stated that renovation was still ongoing at the residence. Shehu, reacting to questions on why the President has not moved into the Villa, said: "They claim some renovation was going on. The place is being cleaned up for his occupation. "The contractors are working probably at their own pace. If I need to know or if you need to know this, probably we have to talk to someone. I am not saying he's comfortable where he is at his rented house but he is operating from there at the moment. When the villa is ready, he will move". Also reacting to the appointments of cabinet members by President Buhari, Shehu said, "I have no idea but it is not something anybody will rush because you know that the National Assembly have to approve it. When will you have National Assembly in place? That is the question. Unless you are Governor Fayose, you cannot take your ministerial list to the outgoing parliament."

L-R: Managing Director, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Saleh Dunoma; Managing Director/CEO, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Mr. Ibrahim Abdulsalam; Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Muhtar Usman; Technical Officer, Aviation Security Section (ASS), Mr. Steve Neu and Aviation Security Audit Team Leader, IRAO Universal Security Audit Programme, Mr. Karan Zadoyan, during ICAO meeting with NCAA Security Audit, in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO:TONYEGUAYE

EFCC to consolidate charges against Sylva

s a prelude to the consolidation of all the charges against former Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,yesterday withdrew the six-count charge of fraud before Justice E. S Chukwu of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja. The withdrawal, according to the Commission, is to allow it consolidate the charges against the former governor,

pending before two Federal High Courts in Abuja. In the charge which was withdrawn yesterday, Sylva was being prosecuted by the EFCC for allegedly converting N2bn (Two Billion Naira) worth of properties and resources belonging to Bayelsa State between 2009 and 2010, during his tenure as governor of the State. The former governor also has similar charges, a 42 count charge, pending against him before Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the

Federal High Court, Abuja. In the charge, the former governor along with Francis Okokwo, Gbenga Balogun, and Samuel Ogbuku, allegedly conspired and used three companies – Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited, and HaloweenBlue Construction and Logistics Limited to move about N19.2 billion from Bayelsa State coffers between 2009 and 2012, under false pretence of using the withdrawn money to augment salaries of the state government workers.

At yesterday’s sitting, O. J Nnadi, SAN, representing the Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Mr. Muhammed Diri, prayed the court to withdraw the charges against the accused. Nnadi, however, did not clearly state the conditions upon which the application for withdrawal was being sought. But counsel to EFCC, J.A Ojogbane, told the court that, there had been preliminary arguments in respect of a similar case before Justice Mohammed which, according to him, necessitated the application to withdraw the case at hand. In his response, Sylva’s counsel, O.1.Oloundare, SAN, prayed the court to dismiss the charge, since the prosecution had sought to withdraw it.

EFCC grills Nyako, grants him bail Integrated power plants built outside Emmanuel Onani

he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday in Abuja, quizzed a former Governor of Adamawa State, Vice Admiral Murtala Nyako (rtd), for many hours, before releasing him on administrative bail. Nyako, who submitted himself to the Commission, having been declared wanted, was asked to report on a later date to be determined by the anti-graft agency's operatives. A source at the EFCC's headquarters, told New Telegraph on condition of anonymity that the operatives took cognisance of the former governor's age and health condition, in their decision to let him go. It will be recalled that prior to Nyako's impeachment, the EFCC had frozen the Adamawa State government account, os-

tensibly to stop further looting of the treasury by government officials. Some senior government officials, including the former Secretary to the government and Commissioner for Finance, were interrogated at the commission's headquarters in Abuja. The commission noted that it acted based on a petition alleging stealing of funds by some officials of government. It alleged that the Joint State/ Local Governments accounts, was one of the major sources of the alleged looting. In the course of investigations, operatives of the commission were said to have discovered that a certain government official, witdrew about N2 billion in very questionable and dubious transactions. Nyako's appearance was confirmed by the Commission last night.

regulatory framework — NERC

he Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has said that 10 National Integrated Power Projects constructed by the Federal Government were built outside stipulated regulatory framework. According to the agency, most investments made in the power sector in the past were done outside its regulatory control, a development that may have warranted the huge sum invested in the industry without commensurate improvement in electricity supply. The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, stated that one of those projects that was outside the commission’s control was the construction of Nigeria’s ten NIPP plants. Amadi spoke yesterday during a call-in

a radio programme on Raypower monitored in Abuja. The NIPP was conceived in 2004 as a major fast-track initiative to add significant new generation capacity to Nigeria’s electricity supply industry. The generation projects were accompanied by supporting transmission, distribution and gas transport infrastructure projects. While responding to a question on the statement by President Muhammadu Buhari that the about $20bn investments in the power sector had not brought commensurate electricity supply to country, the NERC boss stated that although he could not state the actual figures invested in the sector, most of the invested sum were done outside the commission’s control.

NEW TELEGRAPH tuesday, june 2, 2015

FIDA urges Buhari to prioritise women issues Ladi Patrick ABUJA

he president, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Bar. Hauwa Shakarau has tasked President Muhammadu Buhari to give priority to women empowerment and gender equality in the appointment of his cabinet for effective change in the country. Shakarau, who gave the task during an interview with New Telegraph in Abuja said, “We want the new administration to pay attention to women empowerment and gender equality. The past administration has already set the stage and we expect that this new administration would do more for the women of this country. According to her, “whether we like it or not, the immediate past government has done better than any government in terms of mainstreaming gender in governance and in decision making, so we want to see this government bring in change in all ramification in Nigeria and for us, change for the better means more women getting involve in decision making position and consultation on issues that affect them.

ABUJA

he nation’s expenditure on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measured in real terms has increased by 3.86% year-on-year (yoy) in Q1 of 2015, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data on Nigerian Gross Domestic Product Report (expenditure approach) obtained yesterday has indicated. On a nominal basis, the expenditure on GDP grew by 4.22 % yoy from N 20,381.9 billion in first quarter of 2014 to N21, 242.5 billion in Q1 2015 quarter. According to the report, final consumption expenditure of households continues to account for the largest share of expenditure on GDP; accounting for 64.34% of real GDP in Q1, 2015, up by 1.78 percentage points from the corresponding quarter in 2014. Final consumption expenditure of households

NCC allotted DD spectrum to Ovia for N3bn, documents reveal

Kunle Azeez

resh facts emerged yesterday over the controversy trailing the secret assignment of digital dividend spectrum (DDS) licences to the duo of the Chairman of Visafone, Mr. Jim Ovia and the Chairman of Globacom Limited, Dr.Mike Adenuga Jnr., without following due process. New Telegraph inves-

tigations revealed that, on the directive of the ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) assigned the spectrum to the two businessmen without recourse to the provision of the Nigerian Communications Act 2001, where auction process should be followed. While Ovia was issued 900MHz spectrum, Adenuga was assigned the 700Mhz, both technically

referred to as digital spectrum bands. According to findings, the assignment of the spectrum to Jim Ovia was for a-10-years period as a national licence, contrary to NCC’s official source, who claimed the Commission gave the spectrum to the billionaire businessmen ‘for trails for two years and not for actual assignment or allocation.” The NCC source denied that the Commission assigned the spectrum to

Ovia’s Internet Service Provider (ISP), Cyberspace Networks Limited and Adenuga’s Globacom, stressing that the digital dividend spectrum is not yet available for commercial licensing. The source said since the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) could no longer meet analogue to digital switchover deadline this year again, there was no way the NCC could have gotten any digital dividend spectrum to

license. Digital Dividend spectrum is the spectrum band expected to be freed up for telecoms uses after the country has achieved digital broadcasting switchover. Though, the NBC had, few weeks, extended the country’s plan to carry out digital broadcasting for the next 16 months, this newspaper learnt that the approval of the spectrum for the two companies by the ex-President Jonathan had been done in anticipation that the NBC’s digital broadcasting would be achieved this month (June). “Until the digital broadcasting switch-over is done, there is nothing such as digital dividend spectrum for Nigeria."

Online publishers hail appointments of Adesina, Shehu, Aruna

N L-R: Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Michael Ikpoki; Corporate Services Executive, Mr. Akinwale Goodluck; Sales and Distribution Executive, Mr. Tsola Barrow and Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Olubayo Adekanmbi, at the opening ceremony of 21 Days of Y’ello Care entitled: ‘Investing in Education for All’ in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

GDP expenditure hits N21.5bn Q1 2015 — NBS Abdulwahab Isa

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grew by 8.73% yoy (nominally), up by 3.26 percentage points from the corresponding quarter in 2014. In real terms, final consumption expenditure of households grew by 6.83 yoy, up 7.22 percentage points from the corresponding quarter in 2014, yet lower from 10.61% recorded in the last quarter of 2014. During the Q1 of the year, general government final expenditure grew by 42.81% yoy in real terms, higher than -7.53% in Q1, 2014, but lower than 16.56% recorded in Q4 2014. In real terms, the share to expenditure on GDP declined from 8.54% in Q4, 2014 to 8.34% in Q1 2015. The share recorded in Q1 2015 was however higher than the share recorded in Q1 2014 which was at 6.0%. In real terms, the expenditure on the Gross Fixed Capital Formation (Investment) component of GDP grew at a slower rate, both relative to the preceding quarter and to the corresponding quarter of 2014.

PDP govs, lawmakers strategise on viable opposition Emmanuel Masha Port Harcourt

ewly-elected members of the National Assembly and governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) converged yesterday in Port Harcourt, to strategise on how to provide viable opposition to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and ultimately return the party to power in 2019. The event, which was chaired by Senate President David Mark, with a theme: “The role of the opposition in facilitating development and good governance,” was aimed at preparing lawmakers and party leaders on what is expected of them in the coming National Assembly. Mark said that the first test the party must pass in order to be taken seriously will be the ability of its legislators to stand and speak with one voice in the elections of the principal officers of the National Assembly. Mark told his colleagues to be prepared to work for the overall interest of their

party rather than pursuing their individual interests. "We must take our destinies in our hands. We must be ready to provide credible, vibrant, determined and focused opposition to the party in power in a manner that would guarantee development and good governance,” he said. Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who delivered the keynote address, noted that the PDP had overcome its defeat in the last elections. He said: “Indeed, being in opposition is not a life sentence for any party. It is an opportunity for soul-searching, self-construction, and providing healthy, robust, vigilant, and responsible opposition, which is critical to democratic growth and good governance. “As the American statesman, Benjamin Disraeli, once put it, “no government can long be secure without a formidable opposition”. And this, the PDP members in the 8th National Assembly is poised to do. “I recommend that we in the opposition should set up shadow commit-

tees relative to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to sustain a methodical monitoring of the APC performance and report to the whole world on real-time basis.” He urged the APC government to make exchange rate N1 to $1 and bring back Chibok girls, fight corruption, provide two million jobs each year, and provide uninterrupted power supply. Also speaking, Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson, stated that for the PDP to bounce back to reckoning, its members must build synergy. Dickson pointed out that the APC was more interested in power grab and not a party with quality social agenda. Former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, urged the lawmakers to be champions of probity. Ribadu’s words: “My first charge of you, therefore, is to urge you to be champions of probity in the workings of the National Assembly in itself, as well as in the ExecutiveLegislature relation.

igerian online publishers have hailed the appointments of Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu as the Special Adviser on Media and Senior Special Assistant on Media to President Muhammadu Buhari. The publishers, under the aegis of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), also applauded the appointment of Habib Aruna as the Chief Press Secretary to the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode. GOCOP, in a statement issued on Monday by its President, Malachy Agbo, said all the appointments were merited. Agbo described Adesina, Shehu and Aruna as thoroughbred journalists and administrators who will bring their wide range of experience to bear on the assignments at hand. He said the choice of the appointees was a reflection of the deep thought that went into the selection process. GOCOP, however, challenged the appointees not to lose focus when they assume office. Agbo said they should not fall into the temptation of abandoning the ethics of the profession once in office. "With you in office, we look forward to a freer and robust press, a media that is not in shackles and a good working relationship with all stakeholders," he said.

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Metro TRAUMA

A teenage nurse relives pains she went through in the hands of four armed robbers who took turn to rape her

How I lost my virginity to armed robbers –Nurse

Taiwo Jimoh

n 18-year-old nurse has disclosed the trauma of losing her virginity to armed

robbers. The nurse, Bola (surname withheld), blamed the private hospital authority for her ordeal, insisting that the robbers would not have been able to gain access into the hospital if there were security measures on ground. Aside from the teenager, other nurses who were on night duty on the fateful day were also brutally raped and injured by the hoodlums. The hospital is located at Egan in Ikotun Igando Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State. According to her, she lost her virginity after four robbers who stormed the hospital, took turn to rape her. The robbers were said to have carted away valuables belonging to patients on admission at the hospital. It was learnt that this year alone, robbers have attacked the hospital three times. “The owner of the hospital did not provide security for his staff. I tell you, by this laxity, I and other staff have been subjected to mental torture. The incident was reported at Igando Police Station, while the medical director of the hospital was arrested and later released on bail,” the traumatised lady said. It was gathered that the robbers stormed the hospital around 3am and gained entrance into the premises by scaling the fence of the hospital. The robbers overpowered the lone security guard immediately they gained access into the hospital premises. The

The seized contraband

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com

File picture of suspected armed robbers

guard was tied and locked in a room before the bandits embarked on their operation. The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Adegbola Dominic, who confirmed the incident, said he could not be held liable for the rape of the nurses. Dominic said that he was contacted by one of the staff on duty that robbers invaded the hospital and broke into his office.

He said: “When the robbers could not find money, they broke into the patients’ wards and carted away their phones, money and other valuables. “I was also informed that one of my staff was raped. When I asked the victim about the incident she denied it. I was surprised when the victim’s parents came to the hospital with police and got me arrested over the nurse’s claim that she was raped.

“When I got to the police station, I told them I could not be held liable for the victim being raped. I was not the person who sent the robbers to rape her. She was just a victim of circumstance.” The MD said that it was not the first time robbers would be attacking the hospital, adding that the rape was a new twist to the robberies. He said: “The last time the robbers came; they robbed

patients and left before they came again. I’m tired of these incessant attacks. “My hospital is not the only hospital in Egan. I don’t know the robbers’ motive because hospital is a public place where they can’t steal much money if actually they were looking for money. “I have made arrangement with some elders in the community to prevent further attack of my hospital.”

‘Don’t tell my wife, mum I’m a thief ’ John Edu

28-year-old man held for allegedly snatching tricycles from riders has begged policemen to ensure that his wife and mother do not know that he has been arrested. The suspect, Emmanuel Godwin, said the news of his arrest might plunge his mum and wife to their death. The father of two also confessed that he was stealing tricycles because he wanted to get rich quickly and solve most of his financial problems. He said: “Till date, my wife is not aware that I have been arrested. I do not want her to know

because she is hypertensive. My mother too is hypertensive. I also do not want her to know. “I was earlier arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Zone II, Onikan, over the same offence. What made me to go into tricycle snatching was because I lost two of my tricycles to task force officials from Alausa, Ikeja. I was a barber before I joined a gang that used to snatch tricycles. If I’m released, I will not steal tricycles again.” After his arrest by SARS Zone II, he was arraigned in court but later found his way out. He went to his old crime and now arrested again by SARS, Ikeja, Lagos.

A police source said: “The suspect used to pose as an innocent passenger to steal tricycles. He would hire a tricycle and tell the rider where he was going. The place would always be somewhere convenient for him. Once the rider gets to the venue, Godwin would push him off and ride off with the tricycle. “He usually picks venues where nobody would hear a rider’s call for help. He also looks for tricycles that are parked along the street or in front of a compound. He also targets tricycle parks near restaurants. Once he sees any, he would go there to eat. After that, he would steal a tricycle.”

Preliminary investigation by SARS showed that Godwin was first arrested by SARS operatives, Zone II on January 1, 2015 for stealing a tricycle. He was arrested last week after he stole another tricycle and the owner decided to lodge a complaint with SARS. In an operation led by the Officer in charge of SARS, Abba Kyari, Godwin was trailed to Ijora, where he had sold a stolen tricycle. He was arrested after he was asked to come and collect money from a buyer who needed tricycle urgently and had cash to pay. Godwin was not aware that the supposed buyer was a member of SARS operatives.

METRO 11

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015

Herbalist, 60, defiles daughters, nieces Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

60-year-old herbalist, Tajudeen Awoniyi, is now in the police cell in Ibadan, Oyo State for allegedly defiling his two daughters and two nieces. Awoniyi was arrested at Akinyele area of Ibadan for reportedly defiling his two teenage daughters, Barakat and Sefiat. The Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Katsina, said Awoniyi was arrested after sleeping with his nieces, who passed a night in his apartment. It was alleged that Awoniyi gave black soap to the teenage girls around 1am which they used to bathe on the day the crime was committed. He thereafter slept with them separately. Katsina added that the mother, Jelilat Olayiwola, 35, who had travelled to Lagos on the day the crime was committed, called the police after she discovered that her daughters were behaving abnormally. One of the daughters, Barakat, 15, who confirmed that her father actually committed the offence, also said the man had developed the habit of sleeping with her and her sister after getting drunk. She said they could not raise the alarm because he threatened to punish them severely, adding that their mother left the house when they were very young.

Oyo CP, Katsina

“We came home with Noimot, 14, and Kehinde, 15, on the evening of the incident but when it was too late, they decided to sleep in our house because their mother travelled. “My father later gave them black soap and he called them into his shrine one at a time and slept with them. Each time he was drunk, he would rape me and my sister in the house. He had done it to me three times. I cried but I could not tell anyone for fear of my

father,” Barakat said. Confirming the crime, Sefiat, 14, also said that her father started sleeping with her last year. Noimot, who said that she and her sister were virgins until the incest committed, alleged that Awoniyi used ‘juju’ before he could sleep with them. She said: “Baba woke us around 1am on that day and said we should use black soap to bathe. We did and after that, he put something

The shrine with masquerade and fake currencies

Ibadan

olice in Oyo State yesterday paraded a suspected fraudster, Ismaila Adesina, who was arrested at a shrine

Three die as thugs clash in Lagos Taiwo Jimoh

in his mouth and slept with us separately.” According to the police, doctor’s report indicated that the girls have been infected with a sexually transmitted disease. Defending himself, however, Awonoiyi said he gave the girls the soap but did not sleep with them and his daughters. He said he was being framed up by his brother because of a family disagreement.

Fraudster arrested in shrine with fake currencies

Sola Adeyemo

City Briefs

with fake currencies and charms. The 43-year-old Adesina was paraded at his Isase area hideout at Ojoku in Ona-Ara Local Government Are of the state.

The suspect told journalists that he was a herbalist and that he inherited the art from his late father. Adesina, however, confessed that he was not utilising the inheritance for

spiritual activities but fraud in connivance with his colleagues, now at large. He said: “I have been into this fraudulent act in the last five years. My wife left me and two children because I was poor. We do make N150,000 to N200,000 per business. Most of our clients are from Abuja and Akpan in Kogi State.” Chief Moses Taiwo, the Baale of Ojoku community, told journalists that it was a sad development in the history of the community. He commended the police for tracking the culprit. The baale said that the suspects bought the land in the community on the pretence that they were theatre practitioners. He urged the police to prosecute the culprit and pull down the entire hideout. The state Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Katsina, said the era of kidnapping and other criminal activities was over in the state. He said: “I have launched some operations aimed at dominating, suffocating and forcing out criminals from the state.” Two Toyota Camry cars and a Nissan Almera belonging to the suspects were recovered from the hideout.

hree persons were killed at Ojora area of Ijora in Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State yesterday when some hoodlums went on the rampage. It was gathered that the crisis between groups of street urchins in the area started on Sunday and continued yesterday. A resident said that the fight started during a night party. The clash started around 3am, as the party was in full swing. A resident of Orisumbare, identified as Saheed Jimoh, was hacked to death. Some hoodlums from Orisumbare, after learning of Jimoh’s death, went to Ojora yesterday and killed another resident, identified as Hammed Atobatele. The hoodlums vandalised vehicles and chased people with dangerous weapons. Many of the residents were forced to stay indoors. In the ensuing violence, policemen attached to the OP MESA were alerted. They raced to the scene and shot sporadically into the air to disperse the thugs. As the hoodlums were pursued to Orisumbare, a resident, whose is not yet known, was caught up in the commotion and tried to escape into a swamp. It was learnt that he got drowned. A witness, who gave his name simply as Samuel, said the body of the victim from Orisumbare had been taken away by his parents for burial. The Secretary of the Apapa Iganmu Community Development Committee, Kehinde Omonisi, who tried to mediate among the hoodlums, was hit with a charm during the rampage, and his ears started bleeding. Omonisi said that the communities had decided, at a meeting held yesterday, to hand over any hoodlum found to the police.

FCTA arrests 3,000 sex workers Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

he Federal Capital Territory Special Task Team set up by former FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, said it had arrested 3,000 commercial sex workers who have been plying their trade in the nation’s capital. FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr John Chukwu (an engineer) disclosed this in Abuja yesterday after a meeting with the chairman of the team who is also the FCT Police Commissioner, Mr Wilson Inalegwu, in his office. Chukwu, who is supervising the FCT Administration (FCTA) pending the appointment of a substantive minister by President Muhammadu Buhari, also disclosed that the team had impounded 4,790 commercial motorcycles otherwise called Okada and 883 Keke NAPEP (tricycles) in the last 90 days. The permanent secretary added that a total of 645 unpainted commercial vehicles as well as 84 illegal commercial buses operating in the FCT were also impounded. He said: “Three thousand commercial sex workers have been arrested by the Task Team and handed over to the Abuja Environment Protection Board for prosecution and subsequent rehabilitation.”

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TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

SOUTH-WEST

Ondo Assembly elects Speaker, Deputy Babatope Okeowo Akure

he Ondo State House of Assembly yesterday reelected Princess Jumoke Akindele, a two term member of the Assembly as the Speaker just as another re-elected member, Hon. Fatai Olotu, was elected as the Deputy Speaker. The election of Akindele as the Speaker confirmed the exclusive story of the New

Telegraph which stated that the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the state government have settled for her choice in the new Assembly. However, Olotu, who hails from Akoko Northeast constituency with the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Lasisi Oluboyo, was elected as the Deputy Speaker. New members who are in majority had pushed for one of them to be made the Deputy

Speaker. The new members included Otunba Olumide Araoyinbo, Akoko Northwest, Toluwase Kuti Oluwasegunota Akoko southeast and Olusola Oluyede Ose local government. Speaking after her inauguration, Akindele, said honesty would be the watchword of the Assembly as every of their action would benefit the state. She said the electorate would not be disappointed as they would be the bridge between the

executive and the people of the state. Meanwhile, the Ondo State Executive Council yesterday forwarded a bill seeking to regulate the activities of its free school shuttle bus scheme to the state’s newly constituted Assembly for consideration. The State commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, in a chat with newsmen in Akure, the state capital said the state Execu-

tive sponsored the bill to ensure the sustainability of the programme which kicked off in the state three years ago. He said the scheme has been adjudged to be one of the best initiatives of the government to ensure the populace enjoy dividends of democracy. The Commissioner noted that the initiative came into being in order to improve the transportation system of school children to and from

school and ensure that the to incessant risks faced daily by children who have to ride on motorcycles is reduced. The bill tagged ‘Ondo State Free School Bus Shuttle Scheme’ has been forwarded to the newly inaugurated House of Assembly for consideration following the decision of the executive council to legitimize the scheme which has been running in all the 18 local governments of the State.

Methodist Church plans specialist hospital in Ogun Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

he Prelate, Methodist Church, Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr. Chukwuemeka Uche, yesterday said the church has concluded arrangements to build a specialist hospital in Ogun State. He revealed this during a courtesy visit to the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. Uche stated that as part of the social responsibility of the Methodist Church, it would invest in the construction of a

specialist hospital as well as in agriculture. He said, “Your Excellency, I want to inform you that the Methodist Church Nigeria wants to establish a specialist hospital in Ogun State and we will need your support in getting land for it. “We are also going to invest in agriculture. Definitely these projects will provide employment for our graduates who are roaming the streets.” The cleric noted that armed robbery, kidnapping and insurgency, among others, were rampant in the country because of youth unemployment.

Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Kastina (left) and his men at a ritualist den in Isese, Badaku village, Ibadan …yesterday

Amosun promises to conduct elections into LCDAs Why govt failed to appoint Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

gun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, yesterday said his administration would conduct elections into all the proposed Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state. Amosun, who stated this during an interview with reporters in Abeokuta, said a bill for the creation of the LCDAs would be sent to the eighth session of the State House of Assembly, which was due for inau-

guration next Monday. Also yesterday, the governor re-appointed Mr. Taiwo Adeoluwa, as the Secretary to the State Government. Adeoluwa took his oath of office and allegiance in the presence of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga, Head of Service, Mrs. Modupe Adekunle, and Permanent Secretaries at the Council Chambers of the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. The tenure of the 20 local government areas in the state and the threeyear tenure of the current council chairmen

is expected to expire by July. The governor, who had before his re-election promised to create LCDAs, however, observed that the proposal was stalled because of the tenure expiration of present House of Assembly members. Amosun said, “We are creating Local Council Development Areas. We are waiting for the new State House of Assembly to be inaugurated because this outgoing Assembly would not complete it, if they open discussion on it. “By July, all local

government chairmen will be completing their three years tenure in office and we are going to conduct local government elections and create LCDAs. That is what we want to do.” The governor also expressed support for the move by President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure fiscal accountability in the nation’s local government system. He, however, expressed doubt about the ability of many local government areas in the country to be self-sufficient even after attaining full autonomy.

Aregbesola tasks UNIOSUN management on peace Kayode Olanrewaju

sun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has tasked the management and staff of the Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Osogbo, to work in harmony and ensure peaceful coexistence in the institution. He said this had become necessary in order to preserve the vision of the founding fathers of the

institution, which aimed at moulding and shaping the lives and minds of younger ones, who are the future of the state and country. The governor made the call while receiving the report of the five-man Committee raised by the state government to look into and investigate the immediate and remote causes of the crisis rocking the stateowned university.

The university’s Governing Council, led by its ProChancellor and Chairman of Council, Professor Gabriel Olawoyin (SAN) had, few months ago, suspended three principal officers of the institution including the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Bashir Okesina; the Registrar, Dr. Julius Faniran and the Bursar, Alhaji Fatai Lasisi. According to the coun-

cil, the trio was suspended over alleged professional and administrative misconducts, staggering loyalty to the council, fraud, nepotism, neglect of university infrastructure, hastiness in starting distance learning programme, misuse of official car, incitement of ASUU against the council, borehole issue, inflation of contracts and other issues relating to or tagged as abuse of power.

new rector for LASPOTECH Kayode Olanrewaju

leadership vacuum has continued to trail the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Ikorodu, Lagos, following the inability of the Lagos State Government to name a new substantive Rector for the institution. A new rector was supposed to have resumed yesterday, Monday, June 1, as the 10th Rector of the polytechnic, upon the end of the tenure of the ninth rector of the polytechnic, Dr. Abdulazeez Abioye Lawal, whose tenure expired on May 31. However, investigations by the New Telegraph revealed that the criticisms which have trailed the conduct of the interview for the appointment of a new rector for the institution may have been responsible for the government’s inability to announce a successor for Lawal, who was said to have handed over to his Deputy in charge of Administration at a brief ceremony last Thursday. It was also gathered that the government was tinkering with the idea on whether to conduct a fresh interview or go ahead to announce one

of the candidates. Meanwhile, the various workers’ unions in the polytechnic including the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) had criticised the conduct of the interview, warning that the government should not appoint external candidate as the next rector of the polytechnic. The unions, which insisted that they would oppose such action vehemently, said such would resort to disharmony and disaffection in the system. Also, a petition, titled: “Flagrant Abuse of due Process and Gang Ups in Lagos State Polytechnic to Suppress Quality Leadership in Order to Cover up Dirty Deals,” addressed to the former governor, Babatunde Fashola, whose administration constituted the selection and interview panel, accused the former rector and the ex-Special Adviser on Education to the Governor, Otunba Fatai Olukoga, of allegedly manipulating the interview results to favour of one of their cronies.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015

National Conference

Insurgency

I’ll be disappointed if Buhari jettisons confab report – Yakasai

Buhari should offer amnesty to Boko Haram sect – Azubuko

Anti-graft war

Agenda

President must set example on corruption – Olafeso

Buhari must stop fuel subsidy – Obioha

Politics Olisa Metuh, National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), sees the presidential system of government as expensive. In this interview with ONYEKACHI EZE, Metuh advises people in government to make sacrifices to reduce cost of governance

The PDP government was in power for 16 years and now that your party is in opposition, what do you think Nigerians expect from the new government. In the last 16 years, we have witnessed a lot of developments. We have witnessed a lot of improvement in infrastructure in the country. The PDP has revolutionised the communication system in the country. Our telecommunication services is one of the best in the world. If you look at areas of road constructions, we have done massive works in the road network. Nigerians now see road as a basic that every government should do. But the greatest achievement of PDP is not necessarily infrastructure development, even a military dictatorship can offer infrastructure development. The greatest legacy of the PDP is one, the sustenance of democracy; two, stability in the body polity and most importantly, the respect for democratic principles and the practice of democracy. We have seen the development of other electoral systems and the development of the application

AYODELE OJO

DEPUTY Editor, POLITICS ayodele.ojo@newtelegraphonline.com

Metuh: Government must make sacrifices

they do that the benefit will not go to APC; it goes to Nigeria as a nation. Those are wonderful policies. How would you want the new APC government improve on the electoral process? By guaranteeing free, fair and credible elections, by not going back to the way APC governments conduct local government elections in states under their control, in the way they try to control everything. We expect that the reform started by President Jonathan will be sustained by the APC. We will want a situation where the votes will count in every aspect. Another area that we think that APC will look at is the question of underage voting. We want this government to work on that so that our electoral laws will be obeyed and respected.

Metuh

of democracy, we have now introduced free, fair and credible elections; which is the hallmark of every democracy, the right of the citizenry to vote and be voted for. The fact that the votes count, we had free, fair and credible elections. Most importantly, the freedom of information, the respect for fundamental human rights, the application of rule of law. These are things that only PDP has offered in the history of our nation and these are what we are leaving behind for the people. How would you like the new government to improve on some of the programmes that were initiated by the Goodluck Jonathan administration?

We want an era of low profile in terms of reducing public expenses

Well, government is a continuum. It is something that Nigerians expect that the good programme that we started, this government will continue with it. But most importantly, as an ordinary Nigerian, I expect the benefit from the All Progressives Congress (APC) government, their manifesto, their programmes, the promises they made to Nigerians during the electioneering. I expect that the N5,000 will be paid to 25 million unemployed Nigerians; I expect that they will give us 24 hours power supply; I expect that they will end insurgency in two months. All these things that they promised us, I expect that they will do them because once

Last year, the Jonathan-led administration organised a National Conference and the report has already been submitted and sent to the National Assembly. What do you want the new administration to do with the report? I think it is entirely up to members of the newly-elected members of the National Assembly. There is an erroneous impression by the people when it comes to this sort of thing. It is left for the National Assembly. Yes, it is an executive bill, the National Assembly will work on it. This is a presidential system; that’s how it works. The executive will look at it, if it is in line with their own programme they will present it to the National Assembly but the success of it still depends on the National Assembly. The most important thing is that Nigerians will not have a programme for the new administration. I believe that they are ready for governance. I want to believe that. I want to believe that they have a programme so that whether they succeed or not is entirely their own making. Nigerians are presently experiencing acute fuel scarcity, the refineries are not working. What do you CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Politics

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

I’ll be disappointed if Buhari jettisons confab report – Yakasai Chairman of the Northern Elders’ Council (NEC), Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, was once a Political Adviser to ex-President Shehu Shagari. He was also a delegate at the 2014 National Conference. In this chat, the elder statesman sets agenda for the new government, saying President Muhammadu Buhari needs to pay attention to the recommendations of the confab. He spoke with ONWUKA NZESHI

measure that would lead to the termination of this Boko Haram menace in our country. How would you want Buhari to approach the problem of unemployment in Nigeria? It is a very important issue but I’m sure his election was sponsored by a political party. I’m sure the party must have done some homework. They must have had the unemployment figures at hand and they must have some ideas on how to reverse the trend. We are hoping to see the result of their efforts at stamping out unemployment in no distant future. What is your advice to the new administration on what they should do with the report of the 2014 National Conference? They should take up the report; if you remember, the outgone government had set up a committee on the report. It made recommendations by way of a white paper. I will recommend that Buhari should put that White Paper together with the Report. Go through both documents; see what is in them that is acceptable to him and send them to the National Assembly by way of a bill so that it will be enacted into law. Where it requires constitutional amendment, the process should be started for the Constitution to be amended to reflect the recommendations of the conference.

What is your view on the presidential election and the emergence of General Muhammadu Buhari as President? Well, it is the decision of the Nigerian people that the candidate who contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari won the election and President Goodluck Jonathan accepted the result. So, the matter is settled. What are your expectations of the new government headed by Buhari? My expectation is that they would fulfil their promise. They promised security for all Nigerians; promised to deal with Boko Haram insurgency; proactively fight and eliminate corruption from the society; resolve the challenge of epileptic power and create employment for the teeming population of unemployed Nigerians. There are other promises they promised to tackle. So, it is my expectation that Buhari and his party would fulfil these promises. I pray he succeeds in this effort. How would you want Buhari to tackle the issue of corruption? Well, there are a lot of pending cases which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had taken to court; I think it would be easier for him to start from that angle. Then, any corruption-related matter that is already with the EFCC should be expeditiously handled in the court. He needs to relate with the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the National Judicial Council (NJC) to plead with them to quickly handled corruption cases so that these delays that we are having; some cases lasting up to seven or eight years in court, would be brought to an end.

Yakasai

Once a corruption case is started, it should be carried to its logical conclusion so that some examples can be given. People continue to be corrupt because they have not seen anything happen to people who were previously charged to court on corruption-related matters. So the system has rather been giving people encouragement to go and engage in corrupt practices. Such people know that there will be no expeditious handling of their matter in the courts. The delay in pronouncing judgement on corruption cases, particularly those concerning high profile individuals is really frustrating the fight against corruption. So, the judiciary has to be up and doing and for that to happen, it is necessary for the president to ensure that corruption cases are fast-tracked. Some Nigerians have recommended the setting up of special courts or anticorruption tribunals to handle these corruption cases so as to dispose of them expeditiously. Do you buy this idea? I have no quarrel with that as long as it is not a military court or tribunal. If it is a judicial court to be headed by a qualified judge of a high court; lawyers will be allowed to defend their clients and

it will be run in accordance with the rule of law, it is a good idea.

If he (Buhari) makes the mistake of running a sectional administration, it will not augur well for him and the country

How would you want the new administration to tackle the challenge of insecurity? I have no experience in security matters. Buhari is more experienced than myself in such matters; so I have no advice to offer him on the issue. I don’t have any experience in that field. It is wrong for somebody who has no experience to advise another person who has had experience on the issue on how to go about it. Some northern leaders have asked Buhari to grant amnesty to Boko Haram as a way of resolving the challenge of insecurity, do you share their view? Well, you know we had an experience like this before. There was dialogue and amnesty came about as a result of that dialogue between Niger-Delta militants and the Federal Government. I will support dialogue so that the government and the Boko Haram people will put forward their cases and in the process, differences will be eliminated to reach a common ground. Dialogue was used to resolve the insurgency in Northern Ireland where Britain and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) held talks. So, I support any

Would you be disappointed if Buhari and his party decide to jettison the confab report? Exactly. The quality of the members of that conference and the quality of the recommendations that they made, some of which had never been made by anybody in Nigeria, is such that jettisoning it would be a disservice to this country. For instance, the conference recommended that five per cent of the national revenue be dedicated to the solid mineral resources sector. The essence is to ensure that there will be more sources of revenue for Nigeria. If that could be done, within a short period of time, we will no longer depend solely on petroleum resources but would have diversified our economy. There were so many other important recommendations made by that conference and I will really be disappointed if such a document is just thrown into the dustbin. What other advice do you have for the new President? He should try very hard to ensure that he becomes the President of all Nigerians. He should avoid a situation whereby his policies, actions and pronouncements would portray him as the President of one section of Nigeria. If he makes the mistake of running a sectional administration, it will not augur well for him and the country.

Politics 15

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015

Former Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Mr. Udah Azubuko, was instrumental in drafting the blueprint which the Federal Government adopted to grant amnesty to Niger Delta militants. In this chat with JULIANA FRANCIS, Azubuko tasks the Muhammadu Buhariled administration to offer amnesty to the Boko Haram insurgents. Excerpts:

What do you think the Buhari-led administration can do to better secure Nigeria? For me, the insurgency is paramount. The Buhari-led administration should ensure that the insurgency is brought to a halt. It should be brought to an end like the Niger Delta militancy. The government can even go outside the box to ensure that Boko Haram is brought to an end, provided the measures ensure legitimacy. I’ve heard people calling for amnesty. I feel that now the Boko Haram militants may want to show their faces and are ready to take up the amnesty. It’s very important. Once this new administration addresses this problem, then it can tackle other security problems. The first thing any government needs to sort and solve is security. When there’s peace, there should be progress, development and security. If there are investors and development, we wouldn’t be having problems like power supply, corruption and fuel crisis. You drafted the blueprint on amnesty for the Niger Delta militants, and now you’re calling for the same measure for Boko Haram. But the insurgents have killed thousands of people. How do you reconcile that? I look at the whole thing from a very spiritual and divine way. There’s no sin that a human being would commit what God wouldn’t forgive, provided the person repents and was remorseful. The Niger Delta militants also committed a lot of havoc. They killed so many and kidnapped so many. They committed a lots of robberies. They attacked banks, oil installations and hijacked ships. The Niger Delta militants almost brought this nation to its kneel. At a point, the country was producing about 2.5 million or more barrels of oil, but at the height of the Niger Delta insurgency, the country produced below 600 barrels per day. Then as the AIG Zone 5, I started writing on the issue and drafted a blueprint. The blueprint was presented to President Umaru Yar’Adua and he accepted it. I wrote the blueprint through my Inspector General of Police. When it was implemented, every-

Buhari should offer amnesty to Boko Haram sect – Azubuko working together. But I believe that each of the security agencies should be strengthened more by the incoming administration. We’re witnessing a large influx of foreign investors. They are building factories everywhere and manufacturing things. You find a lot of Chinese and Korean investors everywhere. The real issue is to ensure there is good governance. The corruption bedevilling the country should be curbed. If corruption is curtailed, the money the country is making can then be used for the good of the majority of the people and not for a few people that are cornering the commonwealth of Nigeria.

Azubuko

body saw the numbers of arms and ammunition that were recovered. A colossal amount of money was committed to the programme. Yar’Adua advised one of the Niger Delta militant leaders to make an application, if they were really ready for amnesty. The man did on behalf of the other leaders of the militants. It was then the president knew they were very serious. This is what should be done now. Niger Delta was fighting for a legitimate cause. But nobody knows what Boko Haram is fighting for. The Boko Haram people were asking for many things, including Sharia. But if they are now ready for amnesty, then these things have to be discussed because that was how the Niger Delta situation happened. By the time the militants accepted, people went round and there were town hall meetings all over Niger Delta. An agreement was reached. The militants said that if what they were agitating for were met, they would surrender their arms. True, some of the things Boko Haram is agitating for may not be realisable, but at least some other things may be done. There is a lot of unemployment and once these Boko Haram members are rehabilitated and brought back into the mainstream of society and there’s good governance, what would they take up arms for? That’s how I’m looking at it. Talking about arms; what do you

Some of the things Boko Haram is agitating for may not be realisable, but at least some other things may be done

suggest Buhari administration do to check arms across the borders? Most arms whether in circulation or used by militants are not only brought in through the borders. There is a lot of proliferation of arms even internally. We have Defence Company. This is international phenomenal; I mean the proliferation of arms. The terrorists or insurgents have links. Take the Boko Haram members for instance; they have links with al-Qaida and Al Shabab. The new administration cannot handle the proliferation of arms, if it does not use diplomatic means to bring the world body one way or another to make laws or conventions. There are already a lot of conventions, but they need to be implemented and ensured that arms do not go into wrong hands. This is what is happening all over the world. The new government, while taking necessary precautionary measures to control the inflow of arms into the country, should team up with international bodies. This is only when it can be possible to control proliferation of arms. Nigeria can’t do it in an isolated way. How can all the security agencies synergise and work with the new administration for better security that will attract investors to the country? Investors are already coming into the country. In fact, the security agencies in the country are doing their best. They are

Do you think there’s a way the Nigerian government can fight corruption, which it hadn’t tried before? The problem is that the agencies fighting corruption are still politically-controlled. They can see and know people liable, but may be ordered to overlook such people by those at the political helm of affairs. Something has to be done in such a way that the anti-graft agencies can be independent. It should be done in such a way that if the law enforcement finds anybody liable, including the president of the country, the person should be arrested. I however know that it will take time for us to get to that stage. It can be done. Countries are even now sending their first ladies to prison. That’s what I’m saying. But our agencies here have not reached the stage where they can stand firm and do their jobs without interference and hindrances. The law enforcement agents may get fired without notice by those that have the power to do that. If, for example, the Inspector General of Police cannot be fired anyhow, then it would help. Again, the problem is that those at the helm of affairs like the police, military, navy and other agencies, should be above board. If they are not above board, how can they control corruption? The new administration should look for people who are above board and anybody found doing something funny should be flushed out. What do you think was the outgone administration’s greatest security achievement? The administration succeeded in dismantling the Boko Haram militants, although people are still focusing on the yet to be rescued Chibok girls. The Boko Haram militants are now carrying out guerrilla warfare. They fight, hit somewhere and run away. Boko Haram was the greatest challenge security wise. The others like kidnappings and armed robberies were contained. The military had however tried despite the fact that the Chibok girls are yet to be rescued. I know however that they would soon rescue the Chibok girls. I know that the military will not relent in making sure they rescue the Chibok girls. It’s a task that has to be done.

16 Politics Dr. Eddy Olafeso was a Commissioner for Information in Ondo State. In this interview with BABATOPE OKEOWO, he says President Muhammadu Buhari must live by example, remove subsidy from the petroleum products and reduce the cost of governance in order to move the country forward. Excerpts:

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

President must set example on corruption – Olafeso Ibadan expressway, Shagamu/ Ore second River Niger Bridge, Benue Bridge and all the projects that are life-impacting on the citizens must be completed. We must not play politics with it otherwise we lose money and resources.

What should be the priority of the new administration? In my own view, personal example of leadership can change a lot of things in this system. The president’s personal example must drive those following him and he must make institutions stronger so that he can pursue people that are not doing what exactly he asked them to do. I think so far, so good his body language and utterances are beginning to convince those of us on the other side that this man might be able to set personal example. How should he tackle the issue of corruption? It starts with his own personal example. He should make sure all institutions are strengthened and ensuring nobody is allowed the latitude of indulgent. They should not allow anybody to have the political strength to continue to manipulate the system. The leadership by example will come to play, strengthening the institution to go after those who feel that public service is about amassing wealth to themselves and becoming kings while those who put you there are your servants. What should happen to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anticorruption agencies? These are the institutions I was talking about. They have to be strengthened, may be the personalities involved, those at the top may be asked to leave and you get new turks in; young and vibrant people who know that this country must start again. Also, the police must be made to do its jobs too. Our police must be renewed. There are lots of ills in the police system. The security system must be improved upon because they have roles to play in combating corruption. This issue of corruption permeates our entire world from the home to the street to the market and to government institutions. When you enhance security, people would not assume it is business as usual. What about electoral reform? If there is any legacy the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) left behind, it is the improvement in the electoral system. This is the reason why the opposition party could take over government in Nigeria. There are few places where the opposition party can take over government in Africa.

Olafeso

They must do more; they must ensure one man, one vote. They must find a way to kill the monstrosity call money influence in politics. What destroys Nigeria is when criminals, hoodlums, people of shady characters assume offices because they come into politics through dubious means. What should be the size of government? I have said it countless times, the size of government is too large. If you look at our budget year in year out, you see the quantum of fund that should have gone into capital budget and development being just recurrent expenditure. This money is lavished on civil servants and the National Assembly, the combination of the two is less than one per cent of the population yet the country spend its earnings on one per cent of the population, allowing 99 per cent to be wallowing in abject poverty. The money that should have gone into developmental projects has been spent in paying salaries and rewarding politicians. We have too many ministers in the system. What is the job of a minister of state? I have friends that have been ministers and ministers of state, what do they do in their office? Most times they don’t do anything, yet they drive Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), they have retinue of aides and followers and they continue to acquire bad names in their local governments. They really do not have anything to do in their offices. Why do you keep them there if they are not going to be supportive of the system? Why is

this idea that everybody must be made a minister in a country like this? I don’t think you have more secretaries in Britain than ministers in Nigeria where you have established economy, strong institutions that can guide what we are trying to do. The less of ministers, commissioners and political hangers-on and freeing resources to build an enabling environment where you can have sustainable development should be the priority of the new government.

What destroys Nigeria is when criminals, hoodlums, people of shady character assume offices

How should the president handles the infrastructural development? He should jump-start it, whatever it takes, whatever economic arrangement and equation they have to put in place, all these roads must be tarred, our airports must be upgraded because that is the only way you can engender economic development where people move freely within zones. Our rail system must be improved upon; President Goodluck Jonathan did the best he could do within the years to keep it running even at the worst mediocre level. I go to Europe and America, if we say we have railway system here, we are deluding ourselves. Akure, the Ondo State capital, is not too far from Abuja if we have an express train that people will get up here around six o’clock and be able to transact their business in Abuja and return to Akure in the evening by express rail road. But long years of abandonment and locus years of the military have denied us the opportunity. All the contracts we have given out must be honoured; Lagos/

On the economy, what should the new government do about it? When you look at the exchange rate, rate of unemployment and infrastructural decay, there is no other definition for the Nigeria’s economy than the fact it has gone to the dogs. I refuse to believe any statistics from anywhere that says unemployment is six and half per cent. How about underemployment? How about people in their 50s and 60s that can actually contribute to the nation, where are they? What about teeming graduates that we have been producing all these years? We have to do something as quickly as possible, reengineer our agric system, and diversify the economy in such a way that we are not dependent on oil. We should begin to pay attention to solid mineral wherever they are and continue to get off ground all those things that lead to documentation here and there, remove the needless bureaucracy. We have gold in the South-West, coal in South-East and other minerals in other parts of the country; we sit on top of enormous wealth and yet we live daily on abject poverty. If I were Mr. President, my focus will be on those and I will create an enabling environment for investors to come in and attract them. We should develop our tourism potentials. What should the new government do about the petroleum sector? The downstream and upstream sectors are names we gave to our petroleum sector to confuse ordinary man on the street. The ordinary man on the street knows that we have five refineries in this country and that we have in quantum crude oil reserves. And that if these five plus one privately owned is allowed to operate at maximum level, if the turnaround maintenance is done, you can supply petroleum to the West Coast and other parts of Africa needing this resource. To me, we should focus on what we can consume, cancel this subsidy thing that is becoming big headache for this country and conduit where some people wake up in the morning extremely poor person and somebody just sign something on your paper and you become a multibillionaire. The state must begin to acquire the oil wells and should be on lease and we must discourage a situation where the owners of oil wells in Nigeria are richer than the ordinary person out there. The law must be looked into in order to protect the environment. The law must be strengthened that the man who lives where this resource is taken is protected.

Politics 17

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015

Buhari must stop fuel subsidy – Obioha There have been complaints of faulty electoral process in Nigeria. As a stakeholder, what would you advise the new government to do on the issue of electoral reforms? The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that goes by the nomenclature ‘independent’ must be truly independent. When an independent electoral body attaches its string to the executive, it ceases to be independent. So, there should be an ombudsman committee of at least 12 people, which would be supervising the activities of the electoral body because of the peculiarities of the situation in Nigeria. The reform has to go into that because the truth of the matter is that whether we want to admit it or not, there were complaints over the conduct of the last elections in many parts of the country. We still have a long way to go to assert a true free and fair election; the independence of the electoral body and also ensure the sanctity of one-man-one-vote that count. We need to seriously look into that because the electoral body is a very key sector in the entire process of democracy. How would you want the President, Muhammadu Buhari, to address the issue of corruption? No matter what anybody says, the issue of corruption must be tackled head-on. If the government of Buhari for any reason failed on the issue of corruption, it would be one of the fastest erosion of goodwill, hope, trust and confidence Nigerians have reposed in his leadership. So, it is an issue that must be tackled strictly because it would be morally insensible for people to acquire wealth fraudulently and keep it, especially when there is so much poverty in Nigeria today. A lot of people have not come to the reality that Nigeria as a nation is broke. It is no longer any rumour that about 18 out of the 36 states in the federation are unable to pay salaries. When a state government is unable to pay salaries, it means other vital socioservices for a smooth running of a society is also suffering. And the worst about most of this thing is the rampant corruption that is in the system. It is clear that there is massive corruption in the oil sector in the name of subsidy. I had earlier recommended the scraping of the subsidy. While I was travelling to Abuja a few days ago, I saw people queuing to buy fuel at N145 per litre. We cannot continue to encourage areas that have proven to be serious leakages in the finance profile of the country. Subsidy has become a massive corruption tool and my recommendation is that it should be scraped. I expected the Federal Government since May 30 to stop appropriating any kobo in the name of subsidy. I believe Nigerians should adjust to the reality of the new prices of fuel so that the unimaginable money allocated for oil subsidy can be diverted into social sectors that impact on the critical mass of this country. What is your take on cost of governance? The cost of governance in Ni-

Chief Ralph Obioha is the Chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Caretaker Committee and chieftain of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) in the aborted Third Republic. In this interview with TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE, he urges the new government to revisit the privatisation of the power sector and stop appropriating money for oil subsidy geria is the highest compared to anywhere in the world and it is becoming obvious that it is not sustainable. If we cannot pay salary, I don’t see how anybody could encourage a local government chairman having about six Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) because running the six SUVs will require about six drivers, fuelling and maintaining them. This is just the tip of the iceberg of unnecessary cost of running government in the country. Some public office holder have about eight to 12 aides and assistants who are just doing nothing. I believe that Nigerians should look into what makes us wealthy many years ago, which is the agricultural sector; groundnut pyramid in Kano, palm oil produce from the East and export of cocoa from the West. Those were cash crops that actually sustained government in the past to meet the social needs of the citizens before the discovery of oil in the country. The cost of governance in Nigeria presently is too much. It must be articulated, overhauled and quickly addressed so that we can bring it to manageable length. If we go on the path we are going now, the situation may not be sustainable and coming out of it may become a very hard exercise for the critical mass of this country. How about the challenges in the power sector considering that past governments failed to provide stable electricity in Nigeria? The first thing witnessed by Nigerians after the so-called privatisation of the distribution of the power sector was accomplished in the country is that power delivery has become more epileptic. Second, the cost of power became more prohibitive and third it became obvious that even most of the people that were given the concession, didn’t meet the requirements. The patrimony of the entire nation accumulated over the years has been allotted to people who actually are undeserving of having it on the basis of political favouritism. I believe the privatisation of the power sector should be revisited and transparent process should be put in place to ensure that those who get it whether Nigerians or foreigners provide qualitative services to the people. The incoming administration should also ensure that proper taxes are paid to the government. The principle of giving the concession of privatising the power sector is good but its implementation needs to be look into and transparently respected for the purpose of running it efficiently and delivering services to people at the cheapest possible prices. How do you think the Buhari administration can tackle infrastructural problems? To be honest with you, the issue of infrastructure is always a

Obioha

It is clear that there is massive corruption in the oil sector in the name of subsidy

recurrent thing. It does not make any sense to Nigerians to put up a big expenditure on building roads in the first instance and allowing it to deteriorate. Before we discovered oil in Nigeria, the few roads we had then were maintained by a department of Ministry of Works called Public Work Department (PWD). I think that idea should be reintroduced once again to prevent building a road and leaving it to deteriorate because there is a life span for any road constructed. There should also be an effective mechanism for constant maintenance of those roads. It would be cheaper than to rehabilitate and it would ensure that the roads are always in good condition. The new Minister of Works must be made to understand that air travelling except on overseas trips is totally prohibited. He must travel on the roads so that he will know what the condition of the roads he is supervising is like. Also on the issue of infrastructures, everybody has accepted that infrastructure in South-East was totally neglected and I will advise the new government to ensure that there is allocation specially created to tackle infrastructural problem in the South-East because they are also part of Nigeria. What would you expect the new administration to do with the National Conference report? The conference caused Nigeria a lot of money and to say that another conference should be put together is not a great advice. What I will advise is let the conference report be revisited. The one that are not contentious of political

philosophy and manifesto can now be put before a kind of committee to look at it again. I am for the conference to be look into. What is your advice on the security challenges? It seems that our army and air force are now up to the challenge that was thrown up by the Boko Haram menace. I think the army has woken up to their responsibilities. I am also very sad that the past government saw the need to go out of Nigeria to South Africa to recruit mercenaries to fight an insurgency that is localised. It is really a blemish on the Nigeria’s reputation and it is regrettable that such a policy was contemplated in the first instance. Nigerian Army must draw a lot of lessons from what happened and never allow a repeat of what was created in Nigeria by the activities of Boko Haram. What should the President do on the issue of rule of law? Rule of law is the pillar on which a society exists. Whatever the President is doing must be guided by the rule of law. I anticipated that our judiciary, which is actually the custodian of the rule of law, is sick and that sickness must be cure. As a nation, we must make concerted effort to reform where there are lapses. I believe there are major lapses in our judiciary that has made it a sick institution, which requires to be cured. You cannot throw the baby with the bath water; you must try and get the baby out before you throw out the bath water.

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion Buhari’s government and Ajaokuta Steel Michael Jegede

ith what a completed Ajaokuta Steel Company (ASCO) holds for the growth of Nigeria’s economy, it is sad and disheartening to see that successive governments in the country have absolutely failed to do the needful to ensure the steel firm comes fully on board after about forty years of awarding the contract. Most pathetic is to hear that the project which has consumed over $5 billion and required just about $650 million to be completed, reached about 98 per cent technical completion before work was stopped on it in 1992. Prior to the election of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as President in 2011, he had asserted during his campaign then that “One thing that is dear to Nigerians is the Ajaokuta Steel Complex and until we revive that complex, we cannot talk about Vision 20:2020. This is because for you to play big globally, you must industrialize and for you to industrialize you must produce steel. The Ajaokuta complex must be revived.” Despite this proclamation by Jonathan, not much was done by his government towards the revitalization of the abandoned national treasure. All through Jonathan’s years as President, it was zero allocation for Ajaokuta Steel in the annual budget. The outgoing Senator, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District in the seventh Senate, Nurudeen AbatemiUsman, for instance, had noted that the outgoing President did not demonstrate enough zeal towards steel development in Nigeria, while flaying the zero allocation for capital projects in the budget

for Ajaokuta Steel Company in 2014. Abatemi-Usman, a champion of steel development known for his frontline crusade for the completion of Ajaokuta Steel, had asked: “Where is the place of Ajaokuta Steel in our bid for industrial revolution? Do we seem to understand the importance of steel and the significant role it can play in enhancing our economy? If you ask me, I will say Mr. President (Jonathan) is just paying lip service to the issue of Ajaokuta Steel and steel development in general. When he (Jonathan) came to Lokoja, Kogi State during the electioneering period in 2011, the thrust of his campaign promises for which our people voted for him was his pledge to revive the Ajaokuta Steel Complex. Over three years down the line, we’ve not seen much from him in that regard.” However, the questions on the lips of many observers now are: will the Muhammadu Buhari government make significant difference in the actualization of the Ajaokuta Steel dream? Is it going to be another four years of lip-service to the issue of steel development in the country? Will Buhari on his own part strive to fulfill his pledge on Ajaokuta steel, the largest integrated steel complex in the Sub-Saharan Africa? Just like Jonathan in 2011, Buhari was reported to have vowed to resuscitate ASCO if elected president of Nigeria during his electioneering campaign in the build up to the 2015 presidential election. The ex-General explained in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital that the revival of the company which has remained moribund for years will generate employment for the country’s teeming youth population and create wealth for

Kogi State and the nation as a whole. He gave assurance that the fortunes of the steel complex will change for the better the moment he assumed office. Since his victorious outing in the presidential poll, several calls and appeals have gone to Buhari not to renege on his promise to make Ajaokuta steel work. Many have noted that it will do the country a world of good for Buhari’s government to use steel as the basis and launch pad for the outright diversification of the country’s economy. The monolithic status of our economy where we seem to depend solely on oil as our only major source of revenue is, in the thinking of keen observers, not an ideal situation when we have other numerous natural resources at our disposal left untapped. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the umbrella body for all Nigerian workers emphasized the need for the administration of Buhari to focus on the revival of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex located in Kogi State at this year’s May Day celebration. President of the Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, in his address maintained that the revitalization of the steel complex would spur industrialization and pave way for job creation. According to him, “This edifice (Ajaokuta Steel Complex) was conceived to be the cornerstone of our administration. Unfortunately, our political class has refused to accept the simple truth that no country can truly industrialize without any iron and steel industry. The fate of Aladja, Oshogbo, Jos and Katsina steel rolling mills post privatization is too grim to recall here.” In the same vein, Chinedu Nwozor, the deputy President, Nigeria Union of Mine

Workers (NUMW), equally implored the President – elect to resuscitate the Ajaokuta Steel. The NUMW President stressed that solid steel base remains the true pillar for industrial revolution, describing ASCO as the economic hope of Nigeria. The Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) also joined their voice to the call on the President - elect to keep to his words on Ajaokuta Steel in the interest of our dear country, Nigeria. President of NMGS, Prof. Olugbenga Okunlola, at a press conference in Abuja recently, said Buhari should leave no stone unturned to see to the full operation of Ajakouta Steel and Itakpe National Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO) when he kick-starts his government. According to Okunlola, ASCO and NIOMCO have the potentials to serve as the backbone for economic diversification and industrialization of the country. He said: “The potential of solid minerals sector is overwhelming and diverse; the diversity enables it to have the capacity to absorb any economic shock locally and globally. A nation that has more than 36 mineral types in about 8000 locations and still counting has no reason to complain about the poor state of the economy.” Mr. Dan Kunle, a business development consultant with special interest in energy and steel had once lamented in an interview that “We have all the natural resources to build a robust and competitive iron and steel industry which will consequently stimulate the other industries in Nigeria for our economic growth, but appropriate leadership has eluded us since 1966. • Jegede, media aide to Senator Nurudeen AbatemiUsman writes from Abuja (07065574368)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Press and democracy THE Press can be defined as the news media and agencies collectively, especially newspapers and magazines. In the same vein, freedom of the Press or the Press freedom is the freedom the press workers/personnel have to communicate and express their views through the media including print and electronic. While such freedom mostly implies the absence of interference from an overreaching state, its preservation may be sought through constitutional or other legal protections. With respect to government information, any government may distinguish the materials that are meant for the public from the ones to be protected based on classification of the information as sensitive, secret, and being otherwise protected from disclosure due to its relevance to protecting the national interest. Many governments are also subject to sunshine laws or freedom of information legislation that are used to define

the ambit of national interest. The United Nations’ 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference as well as impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers”. This philosophy is usually accompanied by legislation ensuring various degrees of freedom such as freedom of scientific research known as ‘scientific freedom’, publishing, press and printing. The concept of freedom of speech is often covered by the same laws as freedom of the press thereby giving equal treatment to both spoken and published expressions. Undoubtedly, the impact of the press on the nation’s democracy cannot be overemphasized. It is noteworthy that, the current socio-political, ethnic and religious intolerance in Nigeria can best be addressed by giving the press a free role. • Fred Nwaozor, Owerri

Nigeria, not yet ripe for speed limiters THIS is a follow – up to the letter which I dropped for the Corps Marshal/Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Commission urging the Corps to consider some salient issues before enforcing the use of speed limiters in Nigeria to avoid a case of putting the Cart before the horse. Without doubt, speed is the single biggest factor contributing to road accidents and fatalities. Over 50 per cent of fatal accidents are caused by excessive and inappropriate speed. Speed limiter is a modern technology which is in use in several countries. For example in the United States of America and Canada, Speed limiters (also known as Governor) are set between 177km/h – 188km/h for Cars, 181km/h – 241km/h for V8 models and 100km/h-120km/h for Trucks and Articulated vehicles. Speed limiters boosts safety when the traffic flow is very light but accident rate increases when the traffic is heavy or where the road is bad. How many roads are light without traffic buildup and how many roads are good to the level of justifying the use of speed

limiters in Nigeria as in the other Countries using the device? How good is our security system on the roads? How effective also is our traffic monitoring system on the highways and local roads in Nigeria? What happens when a Driver encounters a situation where he or she needs to speed up to maneuver around a dangerous situation. See below a research report: • Hit by a car at 60km/h, nine out of 10 pedestrians will be killed. • Hit by a car at 50km/h, five out of 10 pedestrians will be killed. • Hit by a car at 30km/h, one out of 10 pedestrians will be killed. A critical look at the above research report reveals that with the speed limit of cars set at 100km/h the rate of accidents and fatalities will not reduce significantly because majority of the accidents recorded in Nigeria occurred when the vehicles travelled below 100km/h because of the bad roads, alcohol and drug addiction, distraction, fatigue, stress, road rage or aggression, inadequate Driver education, dangerous overtaking and sev-

eral other factors. Hence the high rate of accidents on the bad roads as well as the intra – city roads. The rate of violation of traffic rules and regulations and accidents is very high on intra – city roads which makes the presence of FRSC Officers on all grades roads much more important now. This step will create more job opportunities as many more people will be employed into FRSC and the resultant effects will surely be in favour of the Federal, State and Local Governments and Nigerians as a whole. The challenges 1. Are the speed limiting devices available and in adequate quantities in every part of Nigeria? 2. Do we have enough Technicians to install the devices nationwide, even in the rural areas? 3. Do we have adequate maintenance Technicians? 4. Is the price of the device reasonably affordable? I believe the current price of N45, 000.00 is on the high side. • Jide Owatunmise , Lagos.

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Ahoy Nigerian Navy!

he first day of the sixth month of the year means a lot to the Nigerian Navy. On June 1, 1956, what is today acronymed NN came on board. So in the armed forces, the Navy stands comfortably in the middle, flanked by the Army and the Air force. Twenty four hours ago, the seas roared and seamen cheered as the Nigerian Navy clocked 59. Historically, it could be argued that the colonial masters carried out sea operations along the Nigerian coast in the late nineteenth century. However, it was not until the amalgamation of the Norther n and Souther n protectorates in 1914, that the Marine department sprang up. And that branch of the imperial government saw action during the First World War against Ger man occupied Cameroun. It was from the Marine department, that the first batch of officers who for med the Nigerian Navy came. In fact, the first head of the navy, Captain William Skutil, was seconded from that branch although he was in the Royal Navy before service in the Marine department. His successor, Commodore A.R. Kennedy, was also a Briton. At that time, it was the Nigerian Naval Force. The name did not change when Kennedy assumed office in 1958 but the following year, it became the Royal Nigerian Navy. That name stood until 1963 as the country became a Republic. That was

when the new nomenclature Nigerian Navy was adopted. The first Nigerian to head the Navy, Captain Jose ph Edet Akinwale Wey was also seconded from the Marine Department, like his British predecessors. He joined as a Sub- lieutenant after working in the Marine as a technician. Wey was known more as a very good footballer who received national team invitation playing for the Marine team of Lagos. A hard tackling left full back, he was as humorous as his tackles. The defender, was Chief of Naval Staff, from 1964 to January 1973. And it is to his credit that he served under his junior, Lt.Col. Yakubu Gowon, in the uncertain days following the assassination of Gen. Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi, in the counter coup of July 29, 1966. Among the officers remaining in Nigeria, he was the most senior as Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe left for the United Kingdom. The history of the Nigerian Navy cannot be told without giving so much space to Rear Admiral Nelson Bossman Soroh. He is regarded as the first professional to head the service, what the soldiers would refer to as combatant. That is not the only plus attached to that name. Soroh remains the first West African Naval Cadet officer, the equivalent of Nigeria Ar my’s Col. Wellington Umoh Bassey, popularly called West Africa One. The Ijaw man was the first Nigerian to command a warship,

having taking over control of HMNS KADUNA, from Lt. Commander Watting, in December, 1960. The tall credentials are not over yet. Soroh stands out as the first black African to control a warship from Europe to Africa, following the arrival in Lagos, of HMNS OGOJA, on September 27, 1963, three days before Nigeria ear ned the status of a Republic. He was the first to command the Flagship NN NIGERIA, later NNS OBUMA. Soroh was sacked by the Murtala Mohammed regime on July 29, 1975. His successor, Michael Ayinde Adelanwa, is well known for his strides in development, especially the emergence of Navy Town, Lagos. Credit must be given to the Navy for its role during the Civil War. It is to the pride of the Navy that officers on both sides gave a brave account of themselves. Adelanwa’s successor as CNS, Akin Aduwo, commanded the flagship that moved Col. Benjamin Adekunle and some of his Third Marine Commandos to Bonny and Port-Harcourt. One of the young officers on that warship, Suleiman Seidu, would later turn out to be the shortest serving CNS. It is also to the credit of the Nigerian spirit, that another young officer who began the war on the Biafran side, Alison Amechi Madueke, also rose to lead the Nigerian navy. And it is on record that the Biafran CNS, Captain Willy Anuku also fought the war on the ground commanding soldiers,

after the fall of Oguta. Anuku was, of course, trained by the Nigerian Navy. The Navy has taken part in several peace operations and even skir mishes. The huge role it played in Liberia and Sierra Leone helped in bringing sanity to those countries. But today, the service cannot be said to be in the best of shapes. Budg etary allocations, most times are focused on the Army. It would not be a surprise if the Navy is not receiving the best, in ter ms of financing. From three commands in the 1980s to six today, the Nigerian Navy should be competing with the best, at least, among the so called Third world nations. The new commands added to Naval headquarters, Lagos, the Western Naval Command, Apapa, Eastern Naval Command, Calabar, are Central Command, Brass Island, Naval Training Command [NAVTRAC] and the Logistics Command Oghara. With insurgency tasking our military ingenuity, we believe that more needs to be done for the Navy. It is a shame that some ratings cannot swim and some ships have to be towed to the harbour, during military ceremonies. As we salute the Nigerian Navy at 59, we demand a better equipped and motivated service, highly professionalised. We do not want the story of the navy to be told to the Marines or the sea Navy. Onward together, with other ar ms of the Ar med Forces, we can bravely shout Ahoy seamen!

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Politics

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Metuh: Government must make sacrifices CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

think the new administration should do to ensure that we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t experience such scarcity in future? The fuel shortage is a temporary one and is being handled. On the issue of what the government should do, we are in opposition. We will wait for this government to start its programme then we will offer our suggestions. Security is still a problem in the country, how do you think the incoming govern-

ment could improve on what PDP has done? I do not think it is correct to say that security is a big problem in this country. You will agree with me that armed robbery has come down from what it was pre1999. Yes, we have seen incidence of insurgency and kidnapping within this period but at the same time our party has been able to tone it down. Insurgency has been battled down head on by the PDP and we have curtailed the scourge,

and the kidnapping has been greatly reduced. By and large people travel even at night more than they were doing pre-1999. The question of armed robbers on the road or coming to your house is not as common

as it was; it is no long prevalent. We will give that to some of the innovations that we have done in the banking sector, the fact that there is less cash transactions. This has brought down the issue of armed robbery, that is an achievement. The cost of governance in the country is considered to be too high, what advice will you give to the government to reduce cost of governance? More sacrifice by our

elected people. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve directed our governors to curb on the excesses of governance, they will be prepared to make sacrifices for the benefit of the people and for the growth and development in their various states. We believe that the presidential system is very expensive, we believe that governance, presently is very expensive but only the executives at various levels can make sacrifices for the cost of governance to come down. We want

an era of low profile in terms of reducing public expenses. Then we want them to concentrate on the issue of development so that we can be reconnected with the people; let the Nigerian people see that we are working with them and we are serving them. If not it will be difficult for us as a party. Most importantly, we believe that this government that is coming in is not really ready for governance. We believe that they were primed for opposition, they did not know that they will win the election. It will take them about 18 months before they will settle down for governance from the way they were trying to renege on some of the promises they make, flipflopping, somersaulting on some of the promises they made during the campaign. We believe that it will be difficult for them to make impact in the next four years. And that will result actually in people yearning for PDP government again. Now the achievement of our governors, the way that they tackle development will decide whether people will yearn more for the PDP or whether they will want APC to continue. But by and large, what is important is the progress of Nigeria as a nation. The party that is in office should be able to offer Nigerians basic democratic dividends and basic infrastructure development and improved standard of living. How will you describe the economic achievement of the party since 1999 viza-viz the empowerment of the poor? I will not start mouthing the normal talk of the biggest economy in Africa. But what I can tell you is that, it is unarguable that the purchasing power of the ordinary Nigerian has improved under the PDP. People have taken it for granted the fact that there is access to cash, in the next few years the difference will be clear. Some of our policies have greatly increased private enterprise, those at the private sector are smiling, the fact that we have companies doing better now, have given rise to access to fund by the ordinary citizens. These are being taken for granted but in the next one or two years, Nigerians will remember how private economy had been under PDP.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY JUNE 2, 2015

Arts

CULTURE

From stage to screen, how Behold My Redeemer gave birth to Shijuwomi Production of Shijuwomi, a post-colonial cinematic adaptation of Rasheed Gbadamosi’s play, Behold My Redeemer, began on Sunday, April 5, 2015. The film is produced by Bayo Awala and directed by Niji Akanni. In this interview, Gbadamosi and Awala give insight into the making of Behold My Redeemer and Shijuwomi, writes TONY OKUYEME.

s works on the production of Shijuwomi, reach advanced stages, one thing is sure, Gbadamosi is looking forward to its premiere with high expectation. Picking his words with care and cadences, the celebrated playwright recalls how the need for a large cast play, partly inspired his writing the play, noting that he is happy with what he has seen so far on Shijuwomi. Picking his words with care and cadence, the celebrated playwright recalls how the need for a large cast play, partly inspired his writing the play, noting that he is happy with what he has seen so far on Shijuwomi. Behold My Redeemer was my second play. I had written ‘Trees Grow in the Desert’, a full length play before then, and it gave me some inspiration to try and write a second one. I felt maybe I should try and write a second one; then I picked up my pen, and the pen just flowed,” he enthused, adding that his first play, ‘Trees Grow in Desert’ had been performed, somewhat, and he had expectation about the second one. He said that he felt he should change the location, the theme, and that he should also experiment with a larger cast. “’Trees Grow in the Desert’ was more of a family story; and, I felt I should rather expand the scope of the second play and have a large cast. The expansiveness owes a lot to Prof. Ola Rotimi. “And by the time it was performed, it had become a rather large play; the probability that large cast would be the

TONY OKUYEME Arts Editor tony.okuyeme@newtelegraphonline.com

Ayo Lijadu and Judith Audu on set of Shijuwomi

strength of a piece of drama. And I just left it like that.” For him, the inspiration in part could be about existence. “And of course, one’s experience will be unbundling with it in terms of having been resident abroad and has the exposure to that kind of complications of having lived in two cultures as it were. And the moment one started, it just took on its own steam, and then of course, there was the experimentation embedded in it, arising from the treatment meted to mentally afflicted individuals in the society. “I owe that bit of it to Dr. Adeoye Lambo, whose belief in the treatment of mental health, I more or less, copied from his own belief. As it is said by the psychiatrist in the play, experimentation with the mentally deranged, and he is seen in the play saying that ‘once upon a time, mental dysfunctional bits came from some kind of treatment, whereas he hasn’t had the opportunity and the pleasure of modern education, he felt he could do it differently.

And by way of experimentation, thought he could take things around, and he would use the fundamental theme of having the mentally ill in a new kind of format, setting or background totally. There are quite a number of themes in the play; then the old type asylum would give way to modern form. And based on what these two have preached by experimentation with mental disability, and when you have a piece of drama, you will need to put in other bits and pieces. On how he feels about the adaption of Behold My Redeemer into a movie titled Shijuwomi, he said, “It is a feeling of elation; a feeling of satisfaction that this work touched on the original play to make it into a film. First it is written for the stage; that was the original intention. When Ola Rotimi read it, he felt that we could experiment a bit more with the play, and make it superb production suffused with songs and dances, and the infusion of authentic setting. “When I saw his production,

i was rather weepy; I nearly cried, because he brought out elements that I hadn’t thought could be created and slammed into the rare piece of the theatre. And then, of course, he composed quite a number of songs, and infused human relationships that I hadn’t thought of. But this was Ola Rotimi the dramatist. “And now, Mr. Bayo Awala, a film maker again turning things around and saying that he will like to make a film of it. He has now proceeded to make a film of it to take it out into the open; from the restrictive confine of a play on stage to one in which you can now make it a real thing with scenery and what have you. Ola Rotimi was going to try it, but he passed on before he could realize the thing. “We are yet to see what the result will be, but I am elated.” Also speaking during the chat, Bayo Awala, the producer of the film, Shijuwomi, explains his encounter with the script and production. “I have been with Behold My

Redeemer since it was written. I was the first director on stage; and I love the play so much that I couldn’t detach myself from it. It captures Nigeria of the 60s and that is really the beauty of the story. The Nigeria of the 60s, particularly, the period leading to independence and immediately after independence, I am sure the author did not probably pigeonhole this story. I see that in those days many people were jostling to send their children abroad as a replacement for the rot where they live. This is the era that this girl in the play was born and the father extensively was sending her abroad so she could come back and become somebody, but it was actually because he wanted to remarry after his wife died and he was looking for excuse for him to be able to do so,” he said. He explains that the adaptation wasn’t really easy. “We were moving from one medium of communication to another – stage to film. And it’s a very wide gulf between two media.

Arts

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

In Abuja, Mosaic Theatre stages Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again Ebere Ameh

he capital city of Abuja is the next destination for the campaign for the reinstatement of theatre shows in Nigeria. Mosaic Theatre Production in partnership with Cruise Entertainment are in Abuja to reignite the passion for stage plays with a theatrical masterpiece – Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again, written by one of Nigeria’s finest dramatists, Ola Rotimi. The play which will be directed by Agozie Ugwu will be staged at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Abuja, in August, 2015. Talking about the production, Ugwu, who is also the CEO of Mosaic Theatre Productions, said that the production is ably supported by Sheraton Hotels and Towers where the play would hold. “Sheraton’s support for the reintroduction of theatre in Abuja is highly commendable. The play in its entirety contains no politically stimulated scenes or language. It is a rib cracking comedy that will get the city laughing for quite some time.” The fact that theatre attendance in Nigeria is dwindling is no longer contestable. Despite attempts by theatre devotees who understand and believe in the efficacy of theatre as a veritable tool for the simulation of progress and

the best form of entertainment to come up with gripping, world class productions, the poor turn-out of the audience has remained a big issue. As a matter of fact, many cities in Nigeria have not even witnessed stage play productions in many years. The crusade to revive the dwindling theatre orientation in Nigeria is now on in Lagos more than any other city in Nigeria. This crusade has resulted in an awareness of theatre production and the number of theatre goers in Lagos is increasing gradually. Every Sunday in Lagos, a theatre production holds, thanks to Terra Kulture and other partner theatre organisations. It is an attempt to take the crusade to Abuja that the Mosaic Theatre Productions and Cruise Entertainment, in collaboration with Sheraton decided to set Abuja on fire with the rib-cracking play, Our Husband Has Gone Mad. Having produced, directed and staged many plays across the country, Ugwu, who right from time, has a burning desire to practice theatre and also explore the efficacy of the art as a veritable tool for the creation of awareness and stimulation of change in the society, is set to replicate his successful theatrical escapades while rekindling the fire of theatre in Abuja. “Where are the theatre goers in

A secene in Mosaic Theatre production of Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again

Nigeria?” the organizers of the production queries. “What has happened to the Nigerian stage plays? In the days of the iconic Hubert Ogunde, theatre was a viable art form. From city to city, Nigerians came out en masse to watch theatre productions. The trend appears to have changed

in the past decades and we are set to reverse it for good.” The production, which is also supported by Maxcare Pharmacy and Stores, has star-studded cast that includes Ramsey Noah, Patrick Diabuah, TY James and other professional and popular stage actors.

Winners emerge at School Singout competition on cancer awareness

Some of the participants on stage

Appolonia Adeyemi

orried about the poor awareness on childhood cancer, advocates recently organized an Inter-school singing competition which highlighted the impact of the ailment and strategies to achieve early detection

which will reduce high death rate from the disease. The annual Inter-school Singing Competition with the theme “Singout Childhood Cancer” and organised by Children Living with Cancer Foundation CLWCF held at the Pinefield School, Christ Avenue, Lekki Phase 1 Lagos at the weekend.

At the end of the competition which brought together six schools for the stage performance, St Gregory Boys’ High School, Obalende in Lagos emerged winner of the CLWCF Cup, after clinching the first position in competition. Other schools that participated in the competition which involved the performance of songs and childhood cancer awareness programme are, Pinefield School Lekki, Laureate College Mafoluku, Methodist Girls College Yaba, St. Gregory Boys’ High School Obalende, Avicenna School Ikeja and Atlantic Hall School Epe. Apart from the St Gregory Boys’ High School which won the cup, the Laureate School came second, while Atlantic Hall School was placed in the third position. Other categories of awards that were also won and presented to schools that participated include a certificate of participation to the entire participants in the event. According to a statement issued by the CLWCF in Lagos, “Pinefield School won the best choreography award; Methodist Girls School won the best costume award, while Avicenna School won the Best Composure Award.” Similarly, the Masha Music Academy also performed with a violin orchestral and also a single solo saxophone player. The event ended with the presentation of the cups, gifts and awards to the various winners. Dr. Nneka Nwobbi, Founder of CLWCF Childhood Cancer Awareness Talk was given by Miss Pat

Okoro , a clinical Oncologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idiaraba, the statement added. During the first round of the competition, pupils from participating schools individually sang the general song (Hero by Mariah Carey) and later proceeded to the second round during which they all sang any one song of their choice. After well-executed performances by the schools, the results were presented by the judges of the event. The panel of judges consisted of Mr. Ayo Bankole, Jnr, Mr.Dapo Omideyi, Kenny St. Best, an artist and Mrs Ify Nwajiagu. To further make the event glamorous, Kenny St Best also gave an inspiring speech as well as performed one of her songs which entertained and thrilled the audience. Dr. Nwobbi expressed her gratitude and enjoined that all hands should be on deck to tackle the increasing menace of childhood cancer in the country. Explaining why the CLWCF targeted children in the awareness programme, the founder of CLWCF said getting adults to buy into childhood cancer issue with a view to achieving early cancer detection in kids and raising funds to assist the treatment of afflicted children, has proved to be an uphill task, hence the focus on children. The idea according to her is to raise the needed awareness among kids who in turn, ultimately educate their parents and guardians on the issue.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, june 2, 2015

Termination

Celebration

Row as UNIOSUN Council chair recommends VC’s sack

UNIMAID students celebrate culture

Education CRITICISM

Stakeholders are expressing worry over former President Goodluck Jonathan’s action to convert four colleges of education to universities of education at the twilight of his administration

Mojeed Alabi

ith the announcement two weeks ago by the former President, Goodluck Jonathan, four federal colleges of education, Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo; Federal College of Education, Zaria; Federal College of Education, Kano; and Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri, Imo State will no longer feature on the brochure of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) as colleges of education. The colleges of education are now full-fledged universities of education for the provision of teacher education and award of Bachelor of Education (B. Ed and BA.ED) degrees and postgraduate certificates in education. With the new conversion, Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, is now Adeyemi University of Education, Ondo); Federal College of Education, Zaria will now become Federal University of Education, Zaria; while the Federal College of Education, Kano is now Federal University of Education, Kano; and Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri is now Alvan Ikoku University of Education, Owerri. The news was broken by the Minister of Information, Patricia Akwashiki and her Education Ministry counterpart, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held on Wednesday, May

kayode olanrewaju Editor, education

kayode olanrewaju@ newtelegraphonline.com

FCE, Kano gate

Criticisms trail conversion of colleges to varsities l ASUU: Decision lacks deep thought, legal backing

20, 2015. However, the announcement came five years after the then Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyat Rafa’I announced the conversion of the four colleges of education to universities of education in 2010 after the Federal Executive Council meeting, but which did not see the light of the day. Similarly, the Federal Government in 2006 during the tenure of Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili as Education Minister announced the elevation of two federal polytechnics, the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) and Kaduna Polytechnic (KADPOLY) to City Universities for the award of Bachelor of Technology (B.TECH), which also was killed before the idea was conceived. The upgrading of the two federal polytechnics and four colleges of education in 2006 and 2010 respectively to degree awarding institutions by the Federal Government till date did not go beyond their pronouncement as they did not receive the necessary approv-

I wonder how you just transmute an institution without looking at its laws

als to begin full activities with their new status. But key stakeholders in the education sector have continued to express misgiving over the new development, most especially as it was coming at the twilight of Jonathan’s administration. Their worry is stemmed from the belief that the latest move would end up on the shelves like the previous ones. While breaking the news, Shekarau explained that the colleges of education were part of the 21 federal colleges of education that had been awarding degree programmes in the last three decades under the close supervision of the different universities with which they are affiliated. He said the FEC considered the need for further quality in teaching profession; hence the conversion of the colleges to universities since more graduates would be needed in the teaching profession. He said: “We are heading to having more graduates in the teaching profession and hence the need for these universities to produce

graduates in education. If we need quality education, we need quality teachers.” Conscious of the bottleneck and bureaucracy that caused the failure of the earlier conversion, Shekarau explained that the Ministry of Justice would prepare amendment to the laws establishing the colleges, even as he added that it would be followed by some administrative changes. The minister, who noted that the FEC had also approved the establishment of the Federal University of Health Sciences in Otukpo, Benue State, said until the approval, the institution was a College of Medical Health Sciences under the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi. According to him, with its upgrading, the college has been granted autonomy as part of the Federal Government’s deliberate and continued efforts at ensuring the production of quality graduates into the various fields of Medicine and Sciences. CONTINUED ON PAGE 27

24 Education

TUESDAY, june 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Female students lead ICT innovation contest Clem Khena-Ogbena

he winners of this year’s edition of the National Information Communication Technology (ICT), organised by the Federal Ministry of Communications Technology, are still savouring their outstanding performance in the competition. It was tagged “My ICT Innovation.”

The winners, who are all girls, smiled home with various cash prizes and awards during the award presentation ceremony, which took place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. The winners are Fatima Aliyu Gebi, a pupil of International Community School, Abuja; Praise Sani Adeniyi of International School, University of Lagos; and Omotayo Ogunnaike of Lagoon Secondary School,

Lagos, who emerged first, second and third respectively. With her innovation: “Internally Displaced People (IDP) ReUnification Website,” Gebi, who led the pack, received N500,000 star prize; while Adeniyi, who came second with her innovation: “APCON Health Plus Application,” got N300,000; and Ogunnaike, whose innovation is on” “Sister to Sister,” smiled home with N250 cash prize.

While presenting the prizes, the former Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobolaji Johnson, said the main objective of the competition is to encourage girl-child to develop interest and career in ICT. She said: “If you do not overcome the fear, you will never venture into science or ICT; it is really important. Part of the negative culture is that people

do not want women to be in the ICT or engineering profession. I think that overcoming such culture and fear that women should not take career in ICT or science should stop. With this we should not expect any meaningful impact on the nation’s economy and this competition was instituted to encourage girls so that they would be able to develop and come out with innovations.

Lagos to host 7th school support exhibition Mojeed Alabi

L-R: Former Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan; former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Dr. Steve Oru and the Rector of Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe-Oghara, Dr. Clara Sogbaike during the maiden convocation ceremony of the polytechnic.

Kayode Olanrewaju

Professor of African & Oral Literature at the University of Ibadan (UI), Ademola Dasylva, has said that the attempt by the National Universities Commission (NUC) to make all universities run the same programmes, is at variance with global university best practice. According to him, such approach by the agency supervising university education in the country is capable of destroying the originality, creativeness and strength of the institutions, thereby causing a mutilation of the peculiarities and uniqueness of the vision that foregrounds the establishment of each universities and their relevance to their immediate locale. Therefore, the don noted that there was need for immediate overhaul and a critical review of the different programmes currently being run by the universities with a view to improving the quality of their content as well as ensure their relevance to national development. Worried by the development, Dasylva hinted that the university system is overcentralised, by concentrating much powers in the hands of the Vice-Chancellors, with the dire consequences of slowing down actions and ego-massaging. Dasylva, who insisted that despite the fact that the nation’s university education under the watch of the NUC has made some remarkable progress, however argued that no doubt there are apparent critical areas that needed urgent attention for the system to move forward. Piqued by the level of decay of the education sector, he advocated what he described as a genuine commitment on the part of the Buhari-led government and all other stakeholders that would guarantee a faithful implementation of

Don seeks review of varsity programmes for relevance

Dasylva

the National Policy on Education, especially the 6-3-3-4 as originally conceived and designed. “The policy, to the best of my knowledge, is okay, the root of the current problem with our education industry is traceable to corruption, poor management by the superintending ministries, and lack of political will on the part of the government,” the don noted. Dasylva, while saying that the new government should meet the 26 per cent of the national budgetary allocation to education as stipulated by UNESCO to ensure adequate funding of the sector at all the levels, added that technical education should be adequately promoted, funded and equipped at the secondary and tertiary level in order to make it

more attractive to Nigerians. He said this would go a long way in accelerating the development of technical skills required for national development. To move university education forward, the don urged the Buhari-led government to dissolve all the university Governing Councils without further delay, saying most of them were cast in the image of the outgone government, as they have not only been compromised, but have also become a burden to the university tradition. “The Federal Government needs to constitute fresh governing councils for the universities which will share the vision of a true and positive change of the new government, and whose members should be appointed purely on merit,” he stressed. Meanwhile, the lecturer urged the new administration to critically study the report and recommendations of the NEEDS Assessment carried out on the universities with a view to implementing them to the better. He, however, advised the government to conduct proper investigation especially on how heads of public universities spent the huge sums of money allocated to their institutions in the past four years. Dasylva, the Coordinator of Ibadan Cultural Studies Group (ICSG), urged Buhari’s administration to support private universities through allocations from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and other government research grants like their public university counterparts.

he seventh edition of the Total School Support Seminar/Exhibition, TOSSE, expected to feature more than 20 seminars focused on the provision of sound and quality education in the country and beyond will hold in Lagos between next Thursday, June 11 and Friday 12. The seminar, with the theme: Inspiring the Future, which is being organized by a school branding company, Edumark, will hold at the Ten Degrees Event Centre, Oregun, Lagos, showcasing hundreds of exhibitors and makers of education facilities from Europe, Turkey and Nigeria. According to the organizer of the event, seasoned educationists including the President of the Association of Private Educators of Nigeria, APEN, Dr Femi Ogunsanya; Deputy Head, Greensprings School, Ms Dolapo Fatoki and the Chief Executive Officer of Global International College, Ms Bolaji Osime, among others, will present papers on relevant topics germaine to the sector. Addressing a media briefing ahead of the event, Edumark Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Yinka Ogunde, said the exhibition will offer parents, teachers, school owners and other stakeholders within the nation’s education sector the opportunity to learn the news ways of running schools, while industries will also make relevant school items available at cheaper rates. She said they would benefit a lot from the programme to improve their supervisory roles, while adding that the programme will be open to both public and private school administrators. She stated; “There must be continuous improvement of our teachers and all those who have the task of managing our educational system. This must cut across both public and private sector. This is what TOSSE represents – an education show for educators to learn, to see and network. Our message to the education community is “Never stop learning.”

Education 25

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, june 2, 2015

Children’s Day: Lagos pupils rise for Chibok girls

l Muslim students’ society tasks children of good conduct Mojeed Alabi

Gasper

Ex-rector advocates scrapping of HND Kayode Olanrewaju

o remove the age-long discrimination and dichotomy between polytechnic and university products, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education (LASTVEB) and former Rector of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Mr. Anthony Olawumi Gasper, has advocated the scrapping of the Higher National Diploma (HND) from the polytechnic system. Gasper, an engineer, who frowned at the disparity against polytechnic products, made the call during a chat with New Telegraph in his Old Secretariat, Lagos office. This is as he said such move would permanently remove the career stagnation, disparity and refocus technical education sub-sector in the country for optimal performance. While setting agenda for the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in the education sector, Gasper explained that polytechnics should be upgraded to offer and award National Diploma (ND) and B. Tech. “HND is no longer relevant and to end the dichotomy in the system between HND holders and university graduates, the Higher National Diploma certificate should be scrapped,” he noted. The former rector, who expressed disenchantment over the slow pace of technical and vocational education development in the country, sought a deliberate effort and political will on the part of the government to invest massively in the sub-sector. Towards improved funding to Technical and Vocational Education (TVE), he said the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Act should be amended to incorporate technical colleges in the disbursement of its grants. This, Gasper noted would go a long way to drive entrepreneurship and stimulate employment generation, with a view to tackling the rising cases of graduate unemployment in the country. He, however, suggested proper disbursement of TETFund allocations and judicious spending of education budget in order to minimize wastage in the system. Apart from provision of TETFund allocations to technical colleges, he called for a deliberate emphasis on improving TVE by fostering strong partnership between the colleges and industry, saying such collaboration would enhance quality training of the students. On the candidates’ mass failure in the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), Gasper insisted that government should invigorate and strengthen the Inspectorate Division in the education ministries as this would improve the teaching and learning process in the school system.

s Nigerian children joined their peers across the globe last Wednesday to celebrate this year’s Children’s Day, pupils in Lagos State schools have urged the Federal Government and all other concerned authorities including the military to rescue the abducted Chibok schoolgirls and return them safely to their parents. They made the call during the 2015 Children’s Day celebration, where they applauded Governor Babatunde Fashola for investing massively in children education in the state. Speaking on behalf of her colleagues, a pupil of Agidingbi Senior High School, Diugwu Chinaza, said they were using the occasion to draw awareness to the plight of children around the world that have succumbed to violence in the forms of abuse, exploitation and discrimination, among other vices. She said: “I wish to say that the new government can demonstrate its affection and concern for us if only our colleagues from Government Col-

lege, Chibok, Borno State that are still missing are brought back home to the comfort and safety of their parents alive.” Fashola, while taking the salute during the pupils match past, thanked them for their support throughout his eight-year term, saying though they might not have voted for him, their campaigns for him through various means and by urging their parents to support him had paid off. The governor, who advised the pupils to stay away from all form of vices that can destroy their future and progress, noted that it was important for Nigerian children to desist from drug abuse, bad friends and crimes, among other vices. He said: “I urge you to stay away from all vices that can destroy your future. I want you to shun drug abuse, ignore bad friends who might introduce you to cultism; stay away from violence and bad gangs but rather you can join social and voluntary clubs such as Boys Brigade, Girls Guide and Sheriff Guard, among others that have been created for you to mould your future.”

He enjoined the children not to forget all the things they have learnt together such as the road safety rules and signs, traffic rules, the climate change rule to protect their environment, hand washing techniques which helped the state to combat the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease during its outbreak, adding that the children should sustain these habit in order to make Lagos State a better place for all. The Governor urged the children to stand by the incoming governor of the state so that he can be able to give good governance to the state as well as provide qualitative education to them. In a related development, the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Lagos State Area Unit, has challenged them on the need to embrace academic excellence, moral rectitude as well as build ideal personalities for themselves. The society, while congratulating the children, said: “The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit hereby felicitates with Nigerian children on the occasion of this year’s Children’s Day celebration.”

L-R: Government Relations Manager, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, Mr. Steve Okwosa; Public Affairs Officer, National Petroleum Investment Management Services, Mrs. Tolu Derin-Adefuwa; and Head of Operations, Innercity Mission for Children, Mr. Kaycee Kanu during the handover of the NNPC-Shell E-Learning Centre donated to the mission’s primary school in Ikeja by the oil firms.

Olashore School launches iPad for teachers, pupils Kayode Olanrewaju

he management of Olashore International School, a private school located at Iloko-Ijesa, Osun State has launched a new technology-driven curriculum into the school system. This is as it also launched a “One iPad per Teacher and Student” programme. The move is part of efforts to position the school in the next level and in compliance with the 21st Century pedagogy, where there is a significant paradigm shift in learning from teachercentred to student-centred. This was disclosed in

Lagos during an executive briefing session, which had as a theme: “Blending Technology and Education for World Class learning.” While unveiling the iPad initiative, which he described as the first in any school in the country, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the school, Prince Bimbo Olashore, said: “Nigeria can no longer wait and be playing catch up with technology or keep waiting for technology transfer. We have to leap frog to catch up and get our young Nigerians prepared for the new technology driven world. We are pleased to be making substantial investment

in this direction.” On the challenges inherent in the system, he noted: “The challenge is how to produce children that would think out of the box and make them clearly different. Communication is the key. If a child has all the A’s in the world and cannot communicate, it is a waste of time. The result is the only benchmark to show how well the school is doing on the students. The world has gone far beyond, and how the kids can compete favourably with the world especially in an information technology age, apart from class work is necessary. Hence, the iPad project was introduced to use technology

Mr. Derek

in education. We went round the world to see how this could be achieved and with this we believe strongly that the system will change.” The Principal of the school, Mr. Derek Smith, who pointed out specifically that the school focused more on learning, hinted that a lot could now be done with technology because people can now interact in various ways.

26 Education

Aregbesola

Kayode Olanrewaju

he seemingly crisis rocking the Osun State University (UNIOSUN) over the suspension of three principal officers of the university, is set to take another dimension. The university’s Governing Council, led by a foremost Professor of Law, Gabriel Olawoyin (SAN), had in its recommendation to the state governor and Visitor to the university, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, suggested the sack of three principal officers including its embattled Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Bashir Okesina. The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Olawoyin had few months ago suspended the Okesina; the university’s Registrar, Dr. Julius Faniran and the Bursar, Mr. Fatai Lasisi over alleged professional cum administrative misconducts, staggering loyalty to the council, defrauding the university, nepotism, neglect of university infrastructure, hastiness in starting distance learning programme, misuse of official car, incitement of ASUU against the council, borehole issue, inflation of contracts and other issues relating to or tagged as abuse of power. Following the suspension and allegations leveled against the vicechancellor, the governor was said to have raised a panel to investigate the allegations with a view to making appropriate recommendations. While this was going on, the Council chair also reportedly set up a parallel investigation panel with the aim of sanctioning the officers. The action, which has since pitched the university management against the Olawoyin-led Council, has continued to attract the attention of major stakeholders in the state’s education project who are calling for a lasting solution to the crisis. But in a new twist, while still awaiting the white paper on the report to be released by the governor, the Council in its separate report had allegedly recommended to the Visitor that the vice-chancellor’s appointment be terminated, with the registrar and the bursar sacked by the Governing Council. However, angered by this action, the university’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), in a statement after its Extended Executive Council meeting released a statement entitled: “UNIOSUN Governing Council’s Decision to Terminate the Appointment of Osun State University’s Principal Officers,”

TUESDAY, june 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Okesina

Olawoyin

Row as UNIOSUN Council chair recommends VC’s sack condemned in strong terms the action of the Council. It said in the statement signed by its Chairperson, Dr. Abiona Oluseye and other officers of the union, “ASUUUNIOSUN wishes to state categorically and condemn in strong terms the termination of appointments of the university’s bursar and registrar as well as the recommendation for termination of appointment of the vice-chancellor.” The union further added in the statement: “We view the sack of these principal officers as prejudicial and done in bad faith on the strength of the fact that it violates the principle of equity and fairness. It is instructive to state that a visitation panel was constituted by the governor of the State of Osun and the report submitted. ASUU-UNIOSUN is of the opinion that it would have been better for the Council to wait for the white paper on the report to be released by the governor before assuming the position of a judge in their own case.” Against this backdrop, ASUU, therefore, called for the immediate reversal of the Council’s decision in order to return normalcy to the institution. The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) in its statement issued last Friday at its congress and signed by the Chairman, Comrade Lekan Adiat and General Secretary, Comrade A. Adesigbin, a copy of which was made available to New Telegraph, frowned at what it described as purported recommendation to the Visitor, the termination of the vice-chancellor’s appointment. While describing it as shocking and unprecedented in the annals of university education in the country, and given the fact that all contentious issues had been referred by Governor Aregbesola to a special Visitation Panel, chaired by Prof. Adebiyi Daramola. According to the association, since the white paper by the Daramola-led panel is at finishing stage of completion and submission to the Visitor, the Council’s action is fraught with underpinning considerations. The congress, while insisting that

the council should have exercised some measure of patience for the Visitor to release the white paper on the visitation panel report, urged the Visitor and proprietor of the university to release the white paper, saying such would go a long way in serving as antidote in resolving the crises and contradictions in the system. However, Professor Olawoyin neither responded to text messages sent to his lines, nor to the several calls put across to his phones. In his statement, entitled: “Grounds for the Dissenting Opinion on UNIOSUN Council’s Position with Respect to the Determination of the Appointment of the Vice-Chancellor, Registrar and Bursar at the Council Meeting of 26th May, 2015,” Professor W. A. Gbolagade, said the decision of the Council was at variance with the norm governing a university. Gbolagade, who noted that the decision to terminate the vice-chancellor’s appointment was taken by the majority of the Council members at its meeting, said he was the only delegate at the meeting who objected the position. He said: “I wish to state categorically and with all sense of assertion that I was the only delegate at the Council meeting who registered my non-acceptance of the Council’s decision as stated above. I note as part of reasons to the Council members that I am of the opinion that the decision is not appropriate at the moment given the fact that a Visitation Panel on the crises in the University to which the Council is also a party was already set up by the Visitor and the said panel had submitted its report to the Visitor which shall be implemented by the Visitor.” He recalled that he reminded the Council that a panel was set up by the Visitor to look into all the issues causing crises in the university, one of which is the abrupt suspension of the principal officers among other issues. Consequently, the don hinted that taking such further step by the Council to recommend the vice-chancellor for removal, and termination of the appointments of the registrar and bursar is a premature action which would frustrate the good efforts of the visita-

tion panel as graciously conducted by capable hands in the academia with good years of experience in crises management and who had submitted a detailed report to the Visitor. “It is worthy of mention to state that the visitation panel’s Chairman, Professor Daramola Adebiyi noted while submitting the panel’s report that the crises “rocking the institution had nothing to do with religion as being speculated” and solely “administrative lapses” hence, the Council’s decision is too abrupt and unjustifiable in my opinion,” he further argued. According to him, the reasons canvassed by the Council at the meeting for its decisions include, that honoraria were collected by the principal officers from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the university which were approved by the Governing Council; and that certain supervision fee were collected by the officers for the supervision of constructions in the university. But, Gbolagade insisted that the pioneer Governing Council, led by former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Professor Peter Okebukola, had approved the payment of honoraria to principal officers and other deserving officers from the university IGR to encourage good initiative towards the development of the university, as well as improve staff incentives as a rewarding model for good services and innovation in the university. He, however, pointed out that these precedents have been the working standards in the university and was never at any time earlier prohibited or banned by the Professor G.A Olawoyin’s led Governing Council, thereby making the decision of the Council to punish the said principal officers by termination of their appointments on those grounds as retroactive, primitive and abrupt. “The Nigerian law is clear on the position that “a crime or breach of procedures/policies/standard must be such that has been written as a crime, procedures, policies, standard before it would become a ground for punishment otherwise the system will breed double standards,” Gbolagade stressed.

Education

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, june 2, 2015

Criticisms trail conversion of colleges to varsities C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 3

“So far, a total of five universities had been approved at the FEC meeting today,” the minister added. To reaffirm the government’s commitment to the upgrade of the institutions, the Federal Government had approved the release of N500 million as take-off grants to each of the four colleges. The Federal Government’s action, rather than eliciting commendation among some key stakeholders, especially the university lecturers under their umbrella union; the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has continued to generate ripples, pitching them against the outgone President, who they believed had only taken the decision for political reason. They claim that apart from the illegality of his action, the decision would only compound the identified challenges facing the education sector rather than addressing them. Speaking exclusively to New Telegraph, ASUU National President, Dr. Issa Fagge Nasir described as illegal all the 17 universities and other higher institutions established by the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, saying they lack the necessary legal backing and so may be living on borrowed time. He described the conversion of the four colleges of education as an assault on the Acts establishing them, adding that universities are not only established via executive fiats but through thorough consultations with stakeholders and deep understudy of the pros and cons of such decisions. The ASUU president said: “Our quarrel with the government is that universities are not just established by executive fiats like the Jonathan’s administration has done. So, the Federal Government is only compounding the problems already bedeviling the education sector and I wonder if the incoming administration will allow this to stand. “Strictly speaking, the Federal Government is not respecting its own laws and I wonder how you just transmute an institution without looking at its laws. What happens to its staff, facilities and infrastructure?” Nassir, however, queried the amount released for their take-off grants, saying the money is grossly inadequate for staff training, not to talk of infrastructural upgrading.

upils of Ugwueke Secondary School, Ugwueke, Abia State have been advised to see education as their future, as its acquisition sufficiently equip them for global competition. The advice was given by the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, during his visit to Ugwueke; the development that set the sleepy community agog. The former governor was said to have been accompanied by one of the respected sons of the town and the Managing Director of Cowry Assets Management Company, Mr. Johnson Chukwu. Obi, who was said to have also encouraged the pupils to take interest in extra-curricular

Shekarau

Okojie

He said academic institutions such as universities are the bedrock of national development and so should not be run without defined mandate and vision, and that using them to achieve political gains will only further compound the nation’s education crises. Therefore, he suggested that the incoming administration should critically assess the decision with a view to making impartial judgement that will benefit the people and return the country to its past education glory. Similarly, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Ekiti State University (EKSU), AdoEkiti, Prof. Akinjide Osuntokun, described the new universities as mushroom institutions, insisting that they are not adding any value to the education sector and that their new status must be reviewed by the Buhari-led administration, if the education system is to remove its toga of a failed sector. Osuntokun, in a telephone interview told New Telegraph that universities’ establishment is not what you stand up from a meal to announce, but that in which any serious government should first critically look at the 1959 Ashby Commission’s report on education in Nigeria in order to understand the reasons for university establishment. The former University of Lagos

don and renowned Professor of History, who insisted that the existing universities are yet to be fully maximized, wondered why new ones had to be created without meaningful direction. For instance, Osuntokun added that the University of California in the United States of America has more than one million student enrollment, saying: “Apart from faulting the timing of the establishment of the institutions, most of these new universities are mushroom universities. All of them take lecturers from the same pool while the existing ones are allowed to deteriorate.” He further added: “If you go to the University of Ibadan (UI) you would see facilities that were installed in 1948 still in place. While in Germany, where I served the country as an ambassador, universities’ facilities are changed every five years. Why are our rich men flying out when they are sick even when we have a whole lot of teaching hospitals? The new government needs a new direction far away from the present inanities.” He said all public institutions that have now been abandoned for the poor due to poor management should be reclaimed and private education taken to the background instead of the front burner it has been placed. Part of the solutions, according to the don, will be for the new admin-

istration to convoke an all-inclusive summit on education where genuine stakeholders will be able to tell the new government the stark truth and reality about how to move the sector forward while the report of the summit should be implemented to the letter. Describing the development as ridiculous, the former Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Lagos, Prof. Alloy Ejiogu said a situation in which universities are springing up everywhere in the country without corresponding funding base should be checked. Ejiogu, who said he was already preparing his recommendations to salvage the higher education subsector from its total collapse, assured stakeholders that the recommendations are contained in one of his papers - Beyond Quantity, Talk and Chalk - which he presented recently at a lecture organised by the Obasanjo Presidential Library. He said 80 per cent of lecturers in the new generation universities are retired and “tired” lecturers of the old generation universities, who he said are not in tune with the new trends in the global education systems. His words: “Why do we need all these new universities when the existing ones can be developed to their full capacity? In Ghana, only 11 universities are full-fledged universities, while about 46 others are university colleges affiliated to them to be mentored. They do not issue their independent certificates until they undergo several years of mentorship.” He noted that the N500 million given to the new universities of education could not even set up a befitting Physics laboratory, saying a single machine costs as much as N180 million. The National Coordinator of Education Rights Campaign, ERC, a nongovernment organisation, Comrade Taiwo Hassan Soweto, said the conversion would have been a welcome development if the government were to be sincere with the funding of the education sector. He queried the rationale behind the release of the N2 billion when the commitment made to the existing universities in terms of funding was yet to be fulfilled. The stakeholders, therefore, advised the Buhari-led administration to accord priority to the education sector by ensuring it is given a fresh start to reclaim its lost glories.

Obi enriches school with N2m, counsels pupils activities such as sports, counseled them to shun all acts of indiscipline and other tendencies capable of affecting their self-development. After a session with the students, who shared with him their problems, dreams and aspirations, he was conducted round the school by the Principal, Mrs. Celine Imo and prominent members of the community. Meanwhile, the former governor donated N2 million to the school towards the repair of its facilities and the hall which was destroyed by fire. He assured the principal that he would, through his friend, Chuk-

wu make more donations to the school projects that are key to proper training of the students.

Obi, who praised Chukwu for his abiding love and faith in the community which the former

governor said he has demonstrated through his several acts of philanthropy, described him as one of

Obi (middle); Chukwu (1st left), during the presentation of a cheque to the Senior Prefect of the school, Ray Onye (3rd right) with members of the community and teachers

the best Nigerians whose love for their communities is uppermost in their minds. He, therefore, encouraged him to remain close to his people, even as he called on well-meaning and wealthy Nigerians to contribute to nation building by supporting worthy causes in education, health and other areas of human development. The principal, in her remarks described Obi’s visit as a source of encouragement to the pupils and members of the community, thanking him for his donation to the school and development of the pupils.

28 Education | Campus Ali Toyin Abdul UNILORIN

“H

ow could law undergraduates champion the course of social justice in the society?” This, among other salient questions, was part of the knotty issues some legal experts and scholars, who converged on the Art Lecture Theatre, University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) last week sought to provide answers. It was at a public lecture series organised by the Legal Aid Clinic of the Faculty of Law of the university. With the theme: “Clinical Legal Education - A Tool for Social Justice and Community Development,” the lecture was delivered by Prof. Ernest Ojukwu, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former Deputy Director-General of the Nigerian Law School. While advocating social justice in the society, the guest lecturer urged the University Legal Aid Clinic to pursue social justice issues prevailing in the community and work on them. “There are many prevalent issues which demand urgent attention if social justice is to be enthroned,” he said, stressing that these include shelter, health, animal protection, victimization, conflict, human rights abuse, marginalisation, poverty, gender discrimination and environmental degradation. Ojukwu, however, charged the students to discuss among themselves some issues of social justice relevant to the university community and its environs, even as he applauded the Faculty for its set-out goals, which he noted fully captured the essence of law

TUESDAY, june 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

At lecture, legal expert makes case for social justice as an instrument of social change. According to him, the faculty’s mission and vision statement is evidence that the students are well aware of the goal of studying law. While recalling how as a student he went through legal education at the university level and the Nigerian Law School without any institutionalized stated goals or objectives, he said: “No lecturer ever asked me why I chose to read law throughout my university education, neither did the faculty have any document stating its goal for legal education, or mission statement. And

for legal education to have a real essence, it must therefore set a goal.” In his remarks, the chairman of the Kwara State branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Mobolaji Ojibara stressed the importance and reward for students in participating in extra-curricular activities while in school, particularly the Legal Aid Clinic. He, therefore, called on all Law undergraduates to see the Legal Aid Clinic as a platform with which to develop academically, as well as acquire experience.

The high point of the event was the presentation of award of excellence to the guest lecturer (Ojukwu) in recognition of his contributions to the development of clinical legal education in the country. The Head of the Legal Aid Clinic, Charles Adekunle, a 500-Level Law undergraduate lauded the guest lecturer and other dignitaries for their commitment and support to the faculty, clinic and his two-year administration. The lecture, held at the Art Lecture theatre, was well attended by lecturers and students.

LASU students campaign against rape Moses Adeyemi LASU

or two day penultimate week, students of the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, led by the 2014 Most Beautiful Girl on Campus, Idowu Oluwatomisin, organised a massive campaign against rape and indecent dressing. The campaign, which began with public talks on indecent dressing and rape, took place at the Federal Government College, Ijanikin, and Agidingbi Grammar School, Ikeja respectively. The campaign featured a sensitization walk which began at the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Ikeja to Alausa, Office of the outgoing Deputy Governor, Princess Orelope Adefulire. The event, which was tagged: “Say no to Rape and Campaign Against Indecency,” according to Oluwatomisin, was aimed at engaging the girls in their adolescence on ways to avoid being sexually abused. She noted that the programme was sponsored by some corporate organisations including SOFY and Downtown Promotions. Meanwhile, she advised the pupils to avoid peer pressure and influence that could negatively affect them, while urging them to make use of their friendship to achieve the best for their future in terms of academic excellence. Various gift items such branded shirts, SOFY sanitary pads and notebooks, among others were presented to the pupils during the campaign.

Cross-section of participants of UNIMAID students displaying their traditional foods

UNIMAID students celebrate culture Isola Taiwo UNIMAID

etermined to foster love and oneness in the society, in the face of the usual sounds of gunshots and bomb blasts from the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents, threatening their education, the students of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), Borno State, last week rolled out the drums to celebrate the nation’s rich culture and diversity. The annual event, which is tagged: “Nativity Night,” according to the students, is aimed at preaching peace, love and harmony among the students irrespective of social, ethnic and religious affiliations. It was organised by the university’s chapter of the Redeemed Christian Fellowship (RCF). The celebration, which turned out to be the largest cultural event on the campus, featured participants from various ethnic groupings of the country including Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Kanuri, Ibibio, Idoma, Urhobo and Efik, among others. The students, who dressed in their native attires symbolizing their respective cultural heritage

such as wearing of beads, hats, caps with feathers, walking sticks and different styles of clothes, thronged the university’s Ecumenical Centre, venue of the programme in their large number. The Yoruba cultural representatives dressed in their traditional attires of Aso Oke with ‘Abeti Aja’ caps to match, while the Igbo students sparkled it in their native Ankara robes, beads and various types and sizes of walking sticks. The Arewa students were adorned in their Babanriga and native caps, while students from Ijaw dazzled their audience with their hats, even as the Kanuri, Tiv, Igala, Fulani and Ibibio were not left out in the frenzy. Each group carried its cultural symbols such as beads, calabashes, baskets and tubers of yam with elegance especially during their stage performance. The event commenced with cultural exhibition, where foods of various delicacies, clothes and many various elements of different ethnic groups were displayed. The food exhibition witnessed the display of sweet delicacies prepared by the ethnic groups represented at the event and participants were freely allowed to eat the delicacies from

another ethnic group. Michael Iwuagwu from Imo State, who tasted Amala and Ewedu soup for the first time during the food exhibition, noted that the delicacies was special and extremely delicious; and he is happy to be identified with Yoruba foods. A play, which reflected the need for unity, peace and love among the various ethnic nationalities in the country, was performed by the Multi Mirror Drama Team. While speaking on the theme of the event, “Unified Praise in Christ,” the RCF President, Ogunbameru Ayomipe Joseph, noted that the purpose of the event is to foster unity irrespective of the cultural background of the students. He said: “We, as a people have decided to come together to celebrate God under one umbrella of love and unity. It is the zeal of God and the pursuit of unity that has kept us going with this event every year. And today is one of the happiest days of my life because I see Nigerian students putting aside ethnic prejudices and relating with one another like children of the same family. Despite the scorching sun, students still came out in their large numbers to celebrate the nation and its cultural affinity. It is really encouraging.

Education | Campus 29

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, june 2, 2015

Abia varsity medical graduates tasked on ethics Uchechukwu Amanze and Favour Nnadi ABSU

o fewer than 50 graduates of Medicine and Surgery of the Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu have been inducted into the medical profession by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). The graduates, who

APCON boss rues low students, staff membership Shadrack Yusuf RUN

he Ilorin Zonal Head, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Mr. Rahman Rahim, has decried the low membership of staff and students in the advertising profession, saying it only denies them the numerous benefits accruable to them. He disclosed this last week at the Redeemer’s University, when he visited the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Debo Adeyewa during his “familiarisation visit to the Department of Mass Communication. Rahim, who was received by the Vice-Chancellor at the Meeting Room of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, lamented that despite that the department has been accredited by APCON, it only appears as if as it is being accommodated by quacks that are building quacks in the future of the industry without the students and their lecturers are members of the Council. He, however, highlighted some of the criteria on how to become a member of APCON, benefits of membership and the qualities a student must possess in order to be relevant in the advertising industry. To acquire membership status of the Council, he said: “By virtue of the fact that you are an undergraduate student in Mass Communication, you can become a student member by picking your student membership form for N3,500. After the short listing, you will be sent a letter of confirmation and your application will be processed. Thereafter, you will pay another N3,500, which covers the registration fee of N1,500 and your practice fee of N2,000. The practice fee is paid every year.”

thronged the university main auditorium, venue of the ceremony and dressed in their blue academic gown, were admonished to uphold the tenet of the profession by conducting themselves with utmost dignity. While declaring open the ceremony, which attracted officials of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, principal officers of the university, led by the Vice-Chancellor, parents and friends of the inductees and other members of the university community, the Vice- Chancel-

lor, Prof. Chibuzo Ogbuagu congratulated the inductees for successful completion of their academic programme. Ogbuagu, who was represented by the Deputy Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Ifeanyi Elekwa, lauded the faculty members of the Faculty of Basic Health Sciences for adequately trained and nurtured the young doctors. He advised the fresh doctors to shun any form of sharp practices that could tarnish the image of the university, stressing that the Medical and

Dental Council of Nigeria would not hesitate as it would be forced to withdraw the license of anyone found wanting of compromising the standard of the profession. The Provost of Abia State University College of Medicine, Prof. Christian Aluka, in his remarks lauded the Vice- Chancellor and his management team for being a great pillar of support to the medical school. Aluka, while congratulating the inductees on what he described as their “great achievements,” he

advised them as members of the noble medical profession to abstain from those conduct that could bring disrepute to the profession. His words: “Our profession enjoins a high social status, regard and esteem. Society in return expects more from you in your character and morals. Your induction today marks the beginning of your career in the medical practice. I advise you to practice this profession with the fear of God and He will give you the wisdom to succeed. I want you

to put the welfare of your patients first, and while you render skillful and competent service, your needs will be taken care of by God.” The provost, however, urged them to keep abreast of new development in medical practice, even as he spoke of the need for the fresh doctors to “make personal efforts by continually update themselves with current knowledge in the profession and to specialise in any area of medicine in order to be efficient and effective practitioners.”

30 Education

TUESDAY, june 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Fuel crisis: Varsity students recount ordeal Odeyemi Olawale UNILORIN

tudents of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Kwara State are now recounting their ordeals as fuel crisis, which grip the nation by its jugular in the last one month, following the strike by the independent oil marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), takes its toll on them. They, however, blamed the Federal Government for its failure to resolve the impasse and restore normalcy to the country. According to the students, the university campus, which for instance, is usually a beehive of academic and social activities for the past few weeks, has recorded low turnout of students at lectures and workshops. Lamenting their plight, the students wondered that as they are preparing for their semester examination, most of the lecture rooms are either empty or with low students turn out owing mainly to the astronomical hike in transportation fare and inability of the campus shuttles to operate due to lack of fuel. A visit by Campus Telegraph to some of the lecture rooms and lecture theatres, walkways, stadium and other students’ relaxation spots on campus, indicated that all was not well with the university as virtually every social activity on campus had been grounded to a halt. Most of the students, who recalled how they trekked several kilometers to and from campus, described the fuel crisis as unreasonable and uncalled for, even as

they traced it to government’s failure to address the needs of the people and the development of the country. A commercial driver, who identified his name simply as Sanni, and who spoke with Campus Telegraph at the university bus terminus, described the fuel crisis as “man inhumanity to man,” blaming most of the petroleum dealers in Ilorin metropolis for hoarding the product even before the scarcity became a national problem. While counting his losses, he lamented: “I spent more than N5,000 to buy a 30-litre fuel this morning. The queue was that long that I had to pay my way to get fuel at all cost despite the high pump price.” Another driver at the university motor park, who did not want his name in print, lamented that most petroleum stations refused to sell their product, while those who sold the product, sold at exorbitant prices, between N140 and N250. The students, who wondered while the crisis should be allowed by the government to degenerate to such level of absurdity with no obvious or deliberate efforts at resolving it, recalled how the students were stranded on the roads, waiting endlessly as no vehicle was seen plying the roads, thereby forcing the universityowned transit buses to work extra hours conveying students to and from campus. Meanwhile, Sanni Sekinat, a 100-Level Biochemistry student expressed fear that the situation might remain unresolved till June, saying: “The suffering is becoming unbearable for students, especially those of us living off campus and who have to attend early morning lectures.”

Crowd at a filling station in Ilorin

Covenant varsity leads PRESSID award Mojeed Alabi

or the third consecutive time, First Class graduates of the Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, have won more slots than their counterparts from other universities across the country in the annual Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme for Innovation and Development (PRESSID). According to the National Universities Commission (NUC), the agency saddled with the responsibility of conducting tests for applicants, the university produced 11 of the 102 successful candidates for the 2015/2016 edition of the programme. The Commission in a statement signed by its Executive Secretary and Chairman of the Scholarship’s Implementation Committee, Prof. Julius Okojie, the 11 candidates produced by the faith-based university, owned by the Living Faith Worldwide Church (aka Winners’ Chapel) represents

10.76 per cent of the overall winners of the awards, with six male and five female students. While breaking the news to the faculty and staff of the university, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Charles Ayo, said this has again validated the excellent academic programmes of the institution. He added that the success has proved that the university is hinging closer to the realization of its vision to be listed among the 10 leading universities in the world by the year 2022. It would be recalled that the university led the packs in the maiden edition of the scheme in the 2013/2014 academic session, and also produced 10 per cent of the successful candidates in the 2014/2015 edition. The scholarship scheme was instituted by the Federal Government to assist First Class graduates to pursue their postgraduate programmes.

EDUPEACE

with Mahfouz A. Adedimeji (08066372516, sms only)  Dr Adedimeji is a Senior Lecturer and Director, Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, Unilorin

Buhari: Bring us hope and restore our integrity

ike several millions of well-meaning Nigerians, home and abroad, I want to congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari on his assumption of office as Nigeria’s democratically-elected President. It was a long and tortuous journey for him and Nigerians since the ambition was announced more than a decade ago. Now he is in the saddle, a triumph to Nigerians who had been subjected to the abuse and misrule of the former overlords. No doubt, the victory of Buhari offers abundant lessons in courage, determination, tenacity and optimism, not to talk of his own personal qualities that endeared him to millions of men and women, old and young. To say that those who managed President Buhari ran an effective campaign was to say the obvious. There were many trendy slogans that electrified Nigerians. For instance, when the general elections were scheduled for February, everyone was in FEBUHARI mood (i.e. Love Buhari, with the pun on February) and when the Government in power became jittery about the prospect of defeat and postponed the elections for six months till March, Nigerians decided to MARCH 4 BUHARI. When I encountered the acronym B-U-H-A-R-I as captioned above in one of the handbills at a campaign event, a clip of which was aired on Al-Jazeera last Friday (May 29, 2015), I was amused. It struck me that Nigerians can be fantastically creative. It is certain that many Nigerians had become hopeless and disillusioned, risking their lives and actually dying in droves in the Sahara desert or across the Mediterranean Sea while seeking the proverbial Golden Fleece. For others, being a Nigerian is a burden too much to bear because of the perception of zero integrity that an average Nigerian had been associated with. One major area where hope is needed back and integrity requires restoration is education. I was alarmed when I learnt that some Nigerians now dispatch their children to South Africa and Europe even for basic education. The perception of these people is that our education is hopeless and that since without education there is nothing, they should labour to give their children a solid one. It is already common for our graduates to seek postgraduate degrees abroad in order to cap their first degrees. The reason often cited is that there are no good facilities for such studies in Nigeria. There are several thousands of Nigerians studying across our shores from Ghana to Malaysia, not talking of countries in Europe and America.

Many of the structures in which pupils learn are worse than prison yards in saner climes

For Buhari to bring us hope and restore our integrity in education there are four things that the President should do that would revolutionalise our education at the basic level. First, let there be an infrastructural overhaul of all the public schools in the country. Many of the structures in which pupils learn are worse than prison yards in saner climes. The environment in which learning takes place has positive or negative impacts on the quantum of learning assimilated. Second, let the Buhari administration change the mentality of our people that teaching is for the dregs of the society. There is nothing stopping teachers from competing socially with other professionals like engineers, doctors, lawyers, and the rest. What to do here is to increase teachers’ salary. Research has shown that there is a direct correlation between salary and motivation to work. If salary remains poor, the attitude to teaching will be negative at worst or ambivalent at best. Third, Government should give automatic employment as teachers to all those who graduate with a Second Class Upper Division degree from our universities. These graduates should be well remunerated, like their graduate assistant counterparts in the university system. Of course, other categories of graduates will be recruited on merit. Fourth, Government should make learning attractive and celebrate knowledge by promoting reading at the national level. Let literary and debating societies thrive. Let press and book clubs be re-introduced and supported. The government and other stakeholders should reward excellence. A situation in which a girl who is half-dressed is given a car for being the “most beautiful”, and the most brilliant person is given a laptop should stop. In other words, students should be made to appreciate that education pays, not just singing like birds, dancing like lunatics and engaging in the perversion and permissiveness that characterise the contemporary entertainment industry.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015

Energy

Power firms resort to load shedding for 4m customers

Property

Aviation

New Lagos model plans open investment prospects

Nigerian airports’ Wi-Fi: Celebrating what’s the norm elsewhere

Business What's news

FG tinkers with multiple flag carrier option The Federal Government is currently exploring the option of having multiple flag carrier airlines instead of a single national carrier.

p.32

Nigeria, others’ mobile broadband below 20% –Report Mobile broadband penetration in Africa’s fastest-growing telecoms market, Nigeria and in other countries in the continent, is still below 20 per cent mark, a new report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has revealed.

L-R: Managing Director, Toyota (Nigeria) Limited, Mr Kunle Ade-Ojo; Head, Parts Department, Mr. Ravinder Sharma and Managing Director, Elizade (Nigera) Limited, Mr. Demola Ade-Ojo, during Toyota award ceremony in Lagos. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Chevron, Total court cases: N1trn local funds threatened DELAY

p.32

The Business Desk

Losses mount over oil blocks’ sale, investments delay

Ayodele Aminu

Deputy Editor (Business)

Bayo Akomolafe

Asst. Editor (Maritime)

Sunday Ojeme

Asst. Editor (Insurance)

Tony Chukwunyem

Asst. Editor (Money Market)

Dele Alao

Industry & Agric Editor

Dayo Ayeyemi Property Editor

Adeola Yusuf Energy Editor

Wole Shadare Aviation Editor

Chris Ugwu

Capital Market Editor

Abdulwahab Isa

Adeola Yusuf

ver N1 trillion local content investments in Nigeria have remained in limbo, two years after they were conceived, New Telegraph has learnt. These investments were delayed over court cases, which began in 2013 on major oil assets’ transactions by two major international oil companies (IOCs) - Chevron and Total. The Federal Government

Finance Editor

Kunle Azeez

Senior Correspondent

Chuks Onuanyin Energy

Nnamdi Amadi Reporter

Johnson Adebayo

Asst Production Editor

had earlier made known its aspiration to get a boost for the N1 trillion local content investments in the country, but data available to this newspaper revealed that losses have continued to mount over the oil blocks’ sale and investments delay. While the case involving Brittania-U Nigeria Limited and Chevron/SEPLAT Petroleum and others over Chevron’s sale of Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) 52, 53 and 55 is before the Supreme Court, Total/Samsung’s are before a Judge in a case between them and Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics (LADOL). Investments of about $1 billion had been planned over the Chevron oil blocks’ sale, while Total/Samsung and Ladol are locking horns over a $3.8 billion Egina oil platform project. Although, stakeholders

refused to comment on the issue “to avoid contempt,” but a source at the Nigerian Content development and Monitoring board (NCDMB) told New Telegraph that the delay had serious implications on the Nigerian Content investments’ aspiration. “These court cases, no doubt, have effects on local contents investments,” he said, adding: “We only hope that the court adjudicate on the matters and dispense justice fast so that the investments that are on hold as a result of the cases can be

$4.8bn Total value of investments in Chevron oil blocks’ sale and the Total/Samsung/Ladol deals

made.” The Supreme Court had, on Tuesday, February 24, 2015, admonished parties in the case before it involving Brittania-U Nigeria Limited and Chevron/ SEPLAT Petroleum and others, over Chevron’s sale of Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) 52, 53 and 55 - to realise that the apex court is now fully in charge of the appeal. The presiding justice on the panel, who sat on the appeal, Justice Fabiyi, reminded counsel that it was their duties, being very senior members of the bar, to advise their clients on the need to respect the authority of the court now that the appeal is ripe for hearing and not do anything that may overreach the case. CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

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

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

EXCHANGE RATE (BDC as at May 29)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N221 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N340 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N245

l Foreign Reserves – $29.616bn as at 27/05/2015

Source: CBN

EXCHANGE RATE (Interbank as at May 29)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N199 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N303 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N220

Business | News

CAPITAL FLIGHT

This option could help the country reduce the over N200bn capital flight Wole Shadare

he Federal Government is currently exploring the option of having multiple flag carrier airlines instead of a single national carrier. This option, if eventually implemented, could help the country reduce the over N200 bilion lost to foreign airlines that operate to Nigeria due to lack of strong national airline for the country. Former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, at his valedictory speech last week, noted that in developing this concept, specific measures needed to be identified for Nigerian airlines to achieve the flag carrier status. To him, such measures will be based on several parameters, which could include corporate governance, fleet size, information system, safety records and operational coverage. He said: “The flag carrier option could help to eliminate the possibility of rivalry between government, which would have

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

FG tinkers with multiple flag carrier option

Lists yardstick for choice of national airline a significant role in setting up national carrier and other domestic operators.” In fact, government may have begun the processing when it designated Medview Airlines on 11 routes, including the lucrative Lagos-London route, penultimate week. In a bid to address the lopsidedness in the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and other countries, the Federal Government had designated Nigeria’s flag carrier airline, Medview, on the lucrative Lagos-London route. This development would lead

to Nigeria fully reciprocating the pact, which stipulates that countries can designate same number of carriers to each other’s territory. While Britain designated Virgin Atlantic Airways and British Airways to Nigeria with 21 frequencies, only Arik Air operates to London with a daily flight to London Heathrow Airport. Aside the London route, other designated routes are those in Europe and Africa. In total, Medview was given 10 new foreign routes. The approval was contained in a letter addressed to the airline’s

management dated April 23 by the Ministry of Aviation. The letter, which was signed on behalf of the Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, by the Deputy Director, Air Transport Management in the ministry, M.S. Noibi, listed the new designated routes as: London in United Kingdom, Lisbon in Portugal, Douala in Cameroun and Kinshasa in Democratic Republic of Congo. Others are: Abidjan in Cote D’Ivoire, Bamako in Mali, Monrovia in Liberia, Conakry in Guinea and Freetown in Sierra Leone. The letter, however, gave the

airline deadline within which to commence operations to the affected routes or lose the right. “You are advised to comply with all the rules and regulations of the aeronautical authorities of Nigeria and the respective countries.” Chidoka further disclosed that the Ministry of Aviation had established a committee to assess the national carrier initiative, stressing that the committee also suggested criteria for airlines to meet in order to be granted flag carrier status. These include evidence of IOSA accreditation, establishment of a clear and transparent governance structure. Others are agreeing to restructure the ownership through the sale of shares on a 60/40 basis, the restructuring of the management to accommodate professionals, evidence of technical capacity, meeting optimum fleet size and equivalent type, route asset and development plan, employee size and financial health disclosure.

N1trn local funds threatened CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

Meanwhile, the lingering disagreement between Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics (LADOL) and Samsung/Total over a $3.8 billion Egina oil platform project has taken a fresh twist, as the plaintiff-LADOL, accused Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), of breaching an earlier ruling by Justice Chukwu Jeku Aneke, of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, that parties maintain status quo pending the determination of the suite. Counsel to LADOL, Professor Fidelis Odita, had told the court that despite the court order of January 24, 2014, Samsung, had on February 27th and 28th 2014, made presentations to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), of its plans to replace LADOL with another company as its third party local content partner for the project. The contract awarded to Samsung Heavy Industry and LADOL by Total for the integration of a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) platform otherwise known as Egina project to be cited at LADOL base in Lagos, assumed litigation following alleged schemes by Samsung to exclude the indigenous firm from the juicy job. Nigerian company, Brittania- U Nigeria Limited, had instituted the case in December 2013 over the divestment of Chevron interest in Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) 52, 53 and 55.

L-R: Council Member, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Mr. Abayomi Bammeke; President, Mr. Chidi Ajaegbu and second Deputy Vice President, Alhaji Ismaila Zakari, during the launching of the Institute’s new study packs, in Lagos. PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

OBSTACLES Challenges impeding the deployment of broadband infrastructures in African countries have to be tackled

Kunle Azeez

obile broadband penetration in Africa’s fastest-growing telecoms market, Nigeria and in other countries in the continent, is still below 20 per cent mark, a new report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has revealed. The report entitled: ‘ICT facts and figures’ for 2015, which was obtained by New Telegraph, shows that despite increasing access to cheaper smartphones, Africa’s mo-

Nigeria, others’ mobile broadband below 20% -Report bile broadband penetration remains low. The study stated that the continent is the only region where mobile broadband access is less than 20 per cent. The latest report examines the global development of Information and Communication Technology over the past 15 years from year 2000 to 2015. According to the report, Africa’s mobile broadband subscriptions currently stand at 17.4 per cent. The report notes that mobile-broadband penetration levels are highest in Europe and the Americas at around 78 active subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. A report by the Pew Research Center released earlier this year had revealed

that smartphones (those that can access the Internet and applications) are less widely used in Africa. Significant minorities own these devices in several nations, including 34 per cent of South Africans, the report stated. According to Global System for Mobile Communications Operators Association (GSMA) predictions, smartphones will constitute 20 per cent of the African market by 2017. Commenting on the report, the Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, Mr. Brahima Sanou, explained that globally 3.2 billion people are using the Internet, of which two billion are from developing countries, including Nigeria.

“ICTs will play an even more significant role in the post 2015 development agenda and in achieving future sustainable development goals as the world moves faster and faster towards a digital society,” he stated. The ITU’s report, however, does not reveal the reasons for low mobile broadband access in Africa. Last year, the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) said that in some African countries, for example, citizens, who live on less than $2 a day have to fork out 35 per cent of their monthly incomes if they want mobile broadband. Nigeria, in particular, has a peculiar situation, where access to mobile broadband is still high.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015

Energy Deregulation’s the way to go NIPCO’s 37m litres of fuel arrive p.34

The incessant scarcity of premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, recently shut down the Nigerian economy, culminating in the loss of over $11 billion (1.3 per cent) of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). ENERGY EDITOR, Adeola Yusuf reports that the new government of President Muhammadu Buhari may overcome this challenge if it gets the timing for deregulation right

he oil sector in Nigeria is distinct from that of other oil producing countries and this peculiarity pumps-up at every slight examination of the country’s oil revenue and expenditure. Nigeria spends the larger chunk of what it makes from production of crude oil on subsidy on the importation of refined product. A data obtained by New Telegraph showed that the Federal Government has so far paid N6.354 trillion as subsidy for petroleum products since 2010, when former President Goodluck Jonathan assumed leadership of Nigeria. Wasteful spending The breakdown of the expenditure showed that as part of measures to check the recurring scarcity of fuel across the country, the Federal Government, penultimate week, said that it paid N156 billion to oil marketers, bringing the total expense to over N500 billion in five months, including over N300 billion in two instalments in December last year and N31 billion in interest differentials recently. In 2010, a total of N673 billion was paid on subsidy, rising significantly to N1.3 trillion in 2011, before being revised upward to N2.19 trillion by the Ministry of Finance, after arrears were paid in 2012 for products’ consumption in 2011. In 2012, the sum of N888 billion was allocated to subsidise petroleum products’ import in the budget, but in December, a supplementary budget of N161.6 billion for payment of arrears of fuel subsidy was submitted by the president and later approved by the National Assembly. By the following year, 2013, government earmarked N971 billion for petroleum subsidy.

Port Harcourt refinery. Inset: Buhari

For 2014, the Federal Government again budgeted N971.1 billion for payments of subsidy, keeping it at the same level with that of 2013. Though, despite insinuations and reports that there was no provision for fuel subsidy in the 2015 budget, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Ahmed Makarfi, cleared the air, saying that a total of N100 billion was provided for as subsidy for PMS, while N43 billion was approved for Dual Purpose Kerosene for the 2015 fiscal period. Need for deregulation As humongous as the spending on subsidy looks, the scheme is not benefitting the poor who it was meant for. While the marketers laugh all the way to their banks after collecting the full benefit on the over 40 million litres of products consumed by the country on daily basis, they have left a lopsided distribution network, where not all Nigerians are able to get the products at the regulated price. In fact, a recent study showed that it is only in Lagos and a few urban centres that the products are sold at regulated prices. The larger chunk of the populace buys the product at exorbitant prices despite the subsidy. Just last week, former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu called for the total removal of fuel subsidy in the country. The publisher of The Sun and New Telegraph newspapers and Chairman of Slok Group, who had earlier made the call in a statement, also reiterated the call when he appeared as a guest on Cable Net-

Nigeria’s level of fuel consumption has risen to 40 million litres per day, while the country’s refining capacity remains at 445,000 barrels per day

work News (CNN)’s Quest Means Business anchored by Richard Quest. Kalu, who was responding to a question of what he considered as a priority for the Muhammadu Buhari administration, pointed out that the new government should take a bold step and totally remove subsidy on petroleum products to free up the sector for active private sector participation. “As a businessman and Chairman Slok Holdings, which is a major shipping line in sub-Saharan Africa, what I will like to see the new president do immediately is to remove the subsidy on petroleum products and I think he should act quickly on it. He should remove subsidy totally on petroleum products so that people can built refineries. People should be able to do business in the oil sector in Nigeria,” he said. Self-sufficiency in refining Nigeria has always been entangled in chaos of fuel importation due to the inability to expand the country’s refining capacity to meet the geometric increase in demand and consumption as a result of the nation’s expanding population. A data of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) shows that the country’s level of fuel consumption had risen to 40 million litres per day, while the country’s refining capacity remains at 445,000 barrels per day. This situation was worsened by the inefficiency of the four refineries in the country to meet up with 40 per cent of the refining capacity. With this huge gap between demand and supply, the importa-

tion of PMS became inevitable for the country to meet up with the demand. Successive governments in Nigeria, Africa’s biggest crude exporter, which have, due to dependence on importation, contended with scarcity of PMS, are aware that the way out of the wasteful spending on subsidy is to completely deregulate the downstream sector. Like the immediate past president, their efforts at blocking this loophole of corruption have failed, partly based on the wrong timing. Nigerians who would have embraced the policy were shocked on January 1, 2013, when the immediate past government announced the deregulation. Many people who had, based on tradition, travelled to their hometown to celebrate Christmas and New Year, were trapped in the web of the protests against the policy. Opposition Chairman of a pro-democracy group, the Movement for Nigeria’s Total Transformation (MNTT), Chief Areoye Oyebola, in a recent statement, described the removal of subsidy by the former President Goodluck Jonathan and the timing of the policy implementation in early 2013 as oppressive, callous and insensitive. He lamented that Nigeria is the only country that pays the least minimum wage among the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) member-countries. According to him, while Nigeria charges two to 10 times higher price than other CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

Business | Energy

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

NIPCO’s 37m litres of fuel arrive REASSURANCE The company aides fuel bridging with 1,500 trucks’ loading Stories by Adeola Yusuf

he Nigeria’s reserves of premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, in depots and loading gantries in Apapa was, at the weekend, augmented with fresh 28 million metric tons (37million litres) imports. Checks by New Telegraph revealed that the product, which was imported by NIPCO Plc, was a part of resolution by fuel marketers to resume importation of fuel after the meeting organised by the Senate to end acute shortage of petrol in the country last week. An import manifest seen by this newspaper showed that the cargo, which contained the consignment (fuel) arrived the country via MT Admiral L at Apapa jetty last week. Oil marketers had earlier halted importation of fuel over ($1 billion) N200 billion debts, which government owed them on subsidy, foreign exchange differentials and interest. Although the pledge by marketers made through the Depot and Petroleum Prod-

Deregulation’s the way to go CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33

OPEC member-countries for a litre of PMS, other countries also pay minimum wages that are four to12 times higher than the N18,000 minimum wage being paid by Nigeria. Fuel prices in oil producing countries Oyebola, an author and publisher, also gave details of price of PMS per litre in OPEC member-countries as at March 2014. The prices in their naira equivalent are: Venezuela – N8.21kobo, Libya – N24.62kobo, Saudi Arabia – N31.8kobo, Kuwait – N34.54kobo, Qatar – N34.54kobo, United Arab Emirate – N54.40kobo, Iran – N57.44kobo and Nigeria – N87.00kobo. Conclusion The removal of subsidy, which is to guarantee open market and allow healthy competition, will stop the incessant scarcity of the product and its corresponding agony. It will also end the wasteful spending on subsidy, which should have been used to develop infrastructure. The time for the current administration to implement the policy is now.

ucts Marketers Association (DAPPMA) that they would begin importation of the product was received with some level of scepticism, checks by this newspaper in depots across Apapa showed that products’ importation had begun. The 28 million metric tons fuel cargo had started to discharge last Friday - augmenting what the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) brought in to save the situation. Manager, Corporate Affairs of Nipco, Lawal Taofeek, confirmed in a telephone chat with New Telegraph that the company has begun importation.

NIPCO, according to Lawal, “took this bold step of importing at this period in the nation’s history based on its avowed belief in the resilience of the economy and we will remain an ally in ensuring availability of fuel across the nation.” Meanwhile, checks on the NIPCO’s terminal showed that the over 1,500 trucks had already lifted the product from the depot. “This is because this depot, like a few others, has been working round the clock to dispense products to marketers after they must have concluded clearances from all the relevant government

agencies,” Lawal said. He added that the new consignment would aid the flow of products to marketer’s outlets across the nooks and crannies of the country. “The cargo is one of the consignment the company ordered as part of its role in ensuring continuous availability of petrol, not only in its hundreds of branded outlets in Nigeria, but also in other marketing outlets taking products from the depot,” he explained. Lawal said that truck-out of products had continued ceaselessly in a bid to ensure that the type of agonies the populace faced last week does not

repeat itself again. He said: “We would not relent in this onerous responsibility in line with our mission of meeting the needs of all stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.” Already, barely a week after the commencement of loading at the terminal, about 1,500 trucks laden with PMS have left the terminal for filling stations across Nigeria to ease the agony of scarcity,” Lawal said. He said that with the arrival of the cargo and subsequent ones in the pipeline, the gloom on the faces of motorist will soon change and all stakeholders will be better for it.

Power installation

he power distribution companies in Nigeria have begun massive load shedding to the over four million customers in their networks following the deteriorating state of power supply at the weekend. Power generation nationwide had, penultimate week, plummeted from about 4,800mw to 1,327mw due to many factors including a system collapse at the 600-megawatt Shiroro Hydro-electric Power Plant in Niger State. Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, Godknows Igali, who confirmed the drop in power generation across the country, said that this was responsible for the massive load shedding by DisCos nationwide. Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), which suffered supply fall from about 450mw to 15mw, due to the crisis, stated that it was supplying electricity to only sensitive installations within the Central Business District of Abuja. AEDC informed its customers in the Federal Capi-

Power firms resort to load shedding for 4m customers tal Territory, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger states that the cause of the huge drop in power supply in the region was the drop in allocation to it from the national grid. The drop, it said, was “from about 450mw daily to less than 200mw in recent times. In fact, our allocation for Friday, May 22, 2015, was 145mw, while both Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24, 2015, was 115.6mw. And the situation has been worsened by the system collapse at Shiroro this evening, which brought our supply down to 15mw.” Meanwhile, The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has stated that the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) had declared another force majeure as a result of insurgency in its area of operation. Head, Public Communications, BPE, Alex Okoh, who

disclosed this in a statement, added that the existence of the clause, which the investors invoked, was normal in contracts. He, however, added that the notification of a force majeure does not necessarily mean acceptance. Okoh said: “The second notice of declaration of force majeure is that of Yola Electricity Distribution Company. YEDC had on six occasions (November 10, 2013, August 27, 2014, October 15, 2014, April 9, 2015, April 30, 2015 and May 13, 2015) given notice of force majeure. “Consequently, the matter was tabled before the Technical Committee, Power sub-committee, at one of its meetings. The TC Power sub-committee recognised the reality of theforce majeure, which is in line with Clause 7 in the Share Purchase Agreement and made recommendations to the TC.

Clause 7 states that in a war situation, where the core investor cannot operate, it can invoke force majeure on issues beyond its control.” He said that the committee held meetings and appointed a consultant – Messrs SEWA West Africa Limited – that toured areas of operations of the DisCos and submitted a report to the committee on its findings. The committee, he said, reviewed SEWA’s report and recommendations were made to the vice-president for subsequent approval of the president. The force majeure clause is a standard clause in most contracts and it includes events such as natural disasters, wars and other occurrences not within the power or control of the executing party, which makes the implementation of the contract impossible.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015

Governor’s power on land revocation should be amended – Expert p.36 One of the attempts to guide the growth of Lagos as a mega city in the next 30 years is the preparation of Model City Plans. DAYO AYEYEMI and MURTALA AYINLA, write that vista of opportunities open as government signed for the implementation of three new model plans

Property&Environment New Lagos model plans open investment prospects

ore investment opportunities have just been opened for both local and foreign investors as the Lagos State government signed up for the implementation and public use of additional three Model City Plans (MCP) to guide orderly development of Lagos as a mega city for the next 30 years. The new blueprints are the revised Ikoyi/Victoria Island, Agege/Ifako Ijaiye and Apapa Model City Plans. The plans were signed shortly before the swearing-in of this new administration in the state. Investment proposals The plans call for investment opportunities in areas such as the expansion of major facilities in the city, provision of multimodal transport system, housing, hotels, tourism, multi-level parking, commercial offices, malls, energy development, communication system, wind firms, solar farm and floating jetties. They also forecast the number of new houses that will be required in each district during the planned period. The proponents of the model plans seek the participation of all stakeholders to make them work. The preparation of these MCPs was hinged on the determination of government to ensure a better, safe and economically viable human settlement in the metropolis. For Ikoyi/Victoria Island being the major highbrow areas, the plan proposes vertical development between 20 to 30 multi-storey buildings in some quarters as against the sprawling growth associated with the neighborhoods. Official signage of the MCPs Signing and presenting the three plans for public use, the outgoing Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development in Lagos State, Mr. Toyin Ayinde, said that the vision of the MCPs is to create a functional modern city, conducive and well integrated with other parts of the state. The idea, Ayinde said, is to create a modern city, which promotes integrated, well-connected and sustainable community that is conducive for habitation and busi-

Scene of traffic jam in Lagos

ness as well as attractive to recreation, tourism and commerce. He said that the new blueprints had already been approved by the State Executive Council, adding that Lekki, Ikeja and Badagry Model City Plans had earlier been signed for implementation. The commissioner assured members of the public that the three plans will soon be presented in book form for easy access by people. Justifying the essence of physical planning for orderly development, Ayinde said: “When you plan, you create order; when you are orderly, you are organised; when you are disorganised, you will agonise. Therefore, the importance of the MCP is to ensure that planning is properly done in this state.” Physical planning, according to Ayine, was dead in the state before now, noting that the coming of democracy prompted the resuscitation of the effort to plan for the city’s future growth. Local content Attesting to the capacity of indigenous professionals to handle projects of such magnitude, Ayinde told his audience that he was happy that all the model plans were carried out by indigenous planners instead of contracting them to foreigners. He said that the local town planners have displayed professionalism in the way they carried out the jobs and the final products. With the level of professionalism exhibited, he noted that they could compete internationally. “I have absolute confidence in indigenous town planners and other professionals. They relate with the plans because they live

here and can relate the plans with everyday life,” he said. He assured that the MCPs would soon be gazetted.

The importance of the MCP is to ensure that planning is properly done in this state

Ikoyi/Victoria Island MCP Ikoyi-Victoria Island Model City Plan (2013-2033) projects that its human population will reach 663,226 by 2020, while 1,405,955 people will live there by 2030. Key new proposals in the plan include intra-city cable car, mono rail and shuttle bus routes; ferry service Jetty site along Ozumba Mbadiwe, telecommunication district as Saka Tinubu and environs and creation of hospitality corridor. Others are multimodal transport system, housing, hotels, tourism, multi-level parking and commercial offices. The plan designated some neighbourhoods as residential while others are commercial. This, it is believed, will address the situation whereby 70 per cent of buildings on Victoria Island will be commercial, while 30 per cent are residential. In Ikoyi, 40 per cent is commercial, while 60 per cent is residential. Also, a height restriction is placed on buildings in certain areas. For example, areas such as Banana Island, Bourdillon, Gerrard, Alexandria and Ikoyi Crescent are designated as high-density areas. Oyinkan Abayomi, Osborne and other zones are designated as low density. Also, Saka Tinubu area is designated as “telecoms district” being an emerging telecoms area. Apapa MCP The model city plan provides an effective framework for resi-

dential, industrial, commercial and institutional development in addition to facilitating inter-modal transport system, social cohesion, steady economic growth and live-able aesthetic environment. When the MCP is implemented, it is expected to bring investment opportunities in commerce and tourism with a unique and pragmatic plan to effect efficient security systems. Agege MCP Specifically, Agege/Ifako-Ijaiye MCP has three major transformation agenda, namely transportation plan, activities centre and infrastructure provision. Under the plan, there is a proposed outer ring road and pedestrian bridges to be constructed at strategic locations namely Kola area in Agbado/Oke Odo, Abule Egba, Ile-Epo, with similar ones located at Iyana Ipaja, Dopemu and Cement areas. The plan’s features are: High residential density, medium and upper medium residential density. Others are commercial areas, industrial areas, area for institutions, mixed used areas, open space/ recreational areas, gorge/canal and rail, cemetery and special projects known as Airport Projects. Road construction activities would include the proposed and the existing arterial roads, expansion and upgrading of the existing ones where necessary. The utility lines include the setbacks for horticultural and farming use, rail line, electricity transmission lines and petroleum pipelines. Another important feature of the model city plan is the involvement of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

Business | Property & Environment

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s power on land revocation should be amended â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Expert you will sell the house to repay the loan due to high interest rate.

A fellow of Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) and Vice Chairman of Association of Estate Agency of Nigeria, Mr. Kunle Adedeji, in this interview with DAYO AYEYEMI, spoke on the controversial Land Use Act, Lagosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Land Use Charge and the need to involve professionals in property management

What do you think we can do in this regard? Government should control mortgage loan and let it be pegged at single digit interest rate while the period of approval should not be more than three months. How about the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Corporation (NMRC)? There should be sincerity of purpose.

President Muhamadu Buhari has been sworn in. What should be his priority? He should look into the industrial area. The major thing that government should do is to provide roads and infrastructural facilities in every aspect of life. This will enhance both human and economic development. Also, he should look at the issues of security and electricity, focus more on hinterland to decongest the city centre and establish satellite towns. His government should build houses that will be affordable to the masses. There is also the need for government to either introduce subsidy into building materials to reduce the tariff on the importation and locally made building materials so that the cost of building materials can come down.

so that government will not be able to use it against perceived political opponents. Also, the aspect of the land law that gives the governor so much power to revoke land should be amended to pave the way for more development. People that are calling for the abolition of the LUA should also not forget that land speculators and grabbers are there to also perpetuate their evil and illegal acts.

What is your take on the Land Use Act in terms of access to land in the country? One of the things working against the implementation of the Land Use Act today is political influence. It is a situation where government in power persecutes the opponent on land issue. So, I am of the opinion that some sections of the Act should be amended

All over the world, mortgage facility is a source of housing finance. What is your assessment of mortgage institutions in Nigeria? There is no sincerity in this country. Those people that government gave this money to are becoming billionaires at the expense of the common man. In Nigeria, if you take a loan to build a house, I can assure you that

Principal Partner, Jetobless Properties and a member of the Association of Estate Agents in Nigeria (AEAN), Mr. Jegede Toluwa, in this interview with DAYO AYEYEMI, spoke on challenges of accommodation seekers and why Lagos State government must enforce its Tenancy Law What is your perspective on real estate development in Nigeria? There are lots of challenges in real estate, but we are trying our best as practitioners to solve them. Investors are afraid to invest in the real estate sector due to insecurity occasioned by Boko Haram insurgency and the fear of the general elections that just ended peacefully. I believe that is changing now. Why is it that despite the Lagos State Tenancy Law, rent is still very high? The law stipulates that estate agents should collect one year rent for new tenants while sitting tenants should pay on six months basis when renewing their rents. Most of the estate agents are not complying with this

This issue of valuation and fixing of Land Use Charge have caused a face-off between Lagos state government and NIESV. What is the situation now? We have slept so much on our rights; there are certain things that are supposed to be done by NIESV members, which we are not doing and this is not to say we are not proactive. All these things, we have written to government our position. We have been liaising with the state government to allow the involvement of estate surveyors and valuers in all of these. One of our major responsibilities is to determine the actual value of a building.

Adedeji

Government should control mortgage loan and peg it at single digit

Most government buildings deteriorate faster than private property, what do you think is responsible? There is no proper management. You see, the acronym in our profession is that the money used in building a house will not be up to its maintenance cost. If you give all these government properties to appropriate people to manage, they will know what to do at a point in time. They will not even wait till that time before taking necessary action. Property is like human being, if you maintain your body every day, eat the right food at the right time, drink water when necessary, you will know that you will not age faster than expected. Government should give all these properties to professionals to manage.

Lagos must enforce Tenancy Law, says Jegede directive. This has posed a lot of challenges to our clients. Right now, what we are praying for is that government should look into the issue. We know that in whatever we do, we need to take cognisance of our conscience since government is not everything. There is no need for tenants to pay excess charges for what they are not enjoying. Are you blaming government for not enforcing the Tenancy Law? Government is not enforcing the law. There is proliferation of estate agents in the industry and government needs to enforce its law. The most annoying issue is the legal fee (agreement fee) being collected by most estate agents. Even some of the lawyers involved in this act are not helping matters. In most cases, they demand two-year agreement and commission fees from accommodation seekers. Do you have taskforce in your association that will ensure that all estate agents comply with the law? We need the assistant of both government and our association to ensure that the right things are being done in the industry, especially as regards the

implementation and enforcement of the law. What are you doing on the issue of high rental values in Lagos? We do advice most of the landlords on the need for affordable rental values. However, I want you to know that there are competitions due to the operation of the market forces of supply and demand. There is short supply of accommodation in the industry and more people are pursuing few properties available. For this reason, there have been a lot of tenantlandlord issues pending in the court, which are yet to be resolved owing to inability of tenants to pay Jegede their expired rent. In this regard, renewal of rent is always the problem. What is the synergy between your association and Lagos State government? There is cordial relationship between us. The state government has brought all estate agents

practicing in the state together under one umbrella for regulation. We want government to conclude the process. Do you have any advice for government? Government must assist the masses with the construction of low cost houses that are really low priced.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015

No master plan for Aviation Ministry, says Chidoka p.38 Airport Wi-Fi is becoming more and more common, to the point that an Internet-less airport would at least raise some eyebrows. Aviation Editor, WOLE SHADARE writes that the recently deployed Wi-Fi at Lagos airport is already causing furore Thirst for Wi-Fi As airlines consolidate and airports compete for traffic and air service, every little amenity helps to lure flyers. Additions such as free Wi-Fi are a great perk to keep consumers happy while they wait for their flights. Chief Executive Officer of International Air Transport Association (IATA), the clearing house for global airlines, Tony Tyler, feels it’s high-time that airports got around to giving passengers free, easy to access, Wi-Fi at all terminals around the world. Aside airports, some airlines do provide free Wi-Fi; as passengers crowd the terminal area around some airline lounges, so that they can use the lounge WiFi intended for lounge customers. Last week Monday, the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos in connection with Glo Communications deployed one of the first systems to beam Wi-Fi around the terminal. The immediate past Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, at the launch of Glo/FAAN Airport Wifi Project at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, said Nigerian airports had over the years not been able to offer comfort and satisfaction to travellers because of its inability to offer quality services to users. Chidoka said he hoped that the launch of the Wi-Fi facility would help boost comfort of users and travellers in all the aerodromes. He explained that Ethiopia and Kenya airports have smaller terminals when compared with the MMIA, but emphasised that with the Internet and other facilities they offer, they are way ahead of Nigeria. The former minister said that with the launch of the Wi-Fi, Nigerians could be proud of the entire aviation industry. He said: “The launch of this facility marks a milestone in our efforts to improve standards in the sector. What you are seeing today is the result of the many weeks of hard work as several obstacles were encountered along the line. Human beings with the right attitudes and facilities can make the sector grow. “I hope we would make our airports more customer-friend-

Aviation Nigerian airports’ Wi-Fi: Celebrating what’s the norm elsewhere

Travellers surfing the Internet on their laptops inside the terminal building of an airport

ly. Aviation is a 24-hour business and we have responsibilities to bring aircraft that are up down before we can rest. Somebody in FAAN should ensure that the 100mbphs facilities they promised to offer is what they are offering daily. The number of people that log on and quality of the service must constantly be monitored by FAAN. This is a task for the Managing Director of FAAN.” Also speaking at the event, the Co-ordinating Business Development Solutions, Globacom, Mr. Ike Orakwutu stated that in the first phase, the Lagos airport; local and international, Abuja; local and international and Port Harcourt; local and international wings would be connected with the facilities. Second Phased Orakwutu said that additional 12 airports would be connected in the next 10 weeks while the other airports would be linked with the facilities within the next 46 months. He noted that millions of Nigerian and international travellers who use the nation’s airports deserved a superfast and reliable Internet connectivity to stay in touch with loved ones and transit their businesses even while in transit. Orakwutu said that about 100mbphs would be offered to the nation’s airports daily at the minimum rate of N500 to users.

He added: “The technical delivery of this service by Globacom is made possible by our trans-atlantic submarine cable that extends from West Africa all the way to Europe and the rest of the world, coupled with our robust nationwide optic fibre cable. “This is why it is possible for us to provide crystal-quality voice and Internet connectivity. Globacom shall continue to expand its capacity in order to provide the nation with worldclass service offerings.

The shift to free Wi-Fi has led to questions of who pays for airport Wi-Fi

Rip off? Travellers have however, decried the new arrangement by Globacom and FAAN to charge passengers or users of the terminal additional fees before they are connected to the Internet. To them, it should come as additional incentive to make up for lack of good facilities at not only the Lagos airport, but also other airports across the country. Passengers insist that inability to offer a free, consistent connection could become a competitive disadvantage. “The experience where a customer feels forced to pay at a location is not a happy experience,” said, Samuel Adekunle, a frequent traveller. Other jurisdiction In the United States, the rest of the country is finally catching up, with more than 90 per cent of the biggest 150 US airports offer-

ing a free or “freemium” Internet connection last year, according to research by wireless software company Devicescape. A communications expert based in the US, who pleaded anonymity, told New Telegraph that airports aren’t offering WiFi because it’s suddenly cheap – is it expensive and often a headache to deploy. Last year, three of the biggest holdouts–the New York-area airports John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark–offered free WiFi almost half of the time. The shift to free Wi-Fi has led to questions of who pays for airport Wi-Fi. Not a few agree that airport taxes, security charges among others, charged travellers should cover the extra cost of Internet usage at airport terminals. “Free Wi-Fi in airports is typically a loose term as it is usually only available for 15 to 30 minutes before payment is required, which can be extremely frustrating,” said Gavin Wheeldon, CEO of cloud-based, social Wi-Fi platform Purple Wifi”. The model needs to evolve to incorporate a free option that allows a certain level of speed sufficient for email, browsing and social media, he said, adding, “Then those that wish to use the Wi-Fi for more heavy lifting, such as streaming video or handling large files, are likely to be happy to pay for a premium service.”

Business | Aviation

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

No master plan for Aviation Ministry, says Chidoka WAY FORWARD Indebtedness of airlines to the agencies has impacted their finances Stories by Wole Shadare

ormer Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka has lamented that the Ministry of Aviation has no master plan. He also said that frequent postings and transfers have rendered the ministry’s planning and research function ineffective. The ex-minister made the disclosures in a paper he presented to unveil the scorecard of his administration last week. He noted that the ministry has moved from its policy and supervisory role to an imple-

lN30bn unfunded FAAN pension liabilities menting agency under the guise of airport remodeling, adding that, “supervision and coordination of aviation agencies is weak, leading to poor outcome”. Chidoka reiterated that there was the need to refocus on aerotropolis project by injecting greater transparency. He however, advised that government should conclude ongoing procurement of consultants for master plan and divest the ministry of all projects and return same to the implementing agencies. The Minister drew the attention of the public to poor recruitments that tend to tilt towards the engagement of support staff rather than technical staff. For the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN),

the agency has 5, 308 workers. While technical staff is just 1,153 (21.72 per cent), nontechnical staff figure is put at 4, 154, representing 78.26 per cent. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has 1, 263 staff strength with 202 (16 per cent) technical staff, while 1,061 (84 per cent) non-technical staff. For the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), there are 2, 488 staff strength with 1, 378 technical (55.54 per cent) and 1,110 (44per cent) non-technical. Besides, he noted that FAAN has over N30bilion in pension liabilities, which are unfunded, stressing that indebtedness of the airlines to the agency has impacted its finances and limited its abil-

ity to be self-sustaining. His words, “There are staffing inefficiencies in Nigerian airports when compared with other airports of similar size around the world. There is no evidence of systematic personnel evaluation. There is absence of long-term staff planning at FAAN due to the absence of long-term business plan. “FAAN should be corporatised into airport management companies in clusters of airports with a view to privatising the companies”. The minister warned about collapse of the sector in no distant future due to aging workforce with little competitive drive of over 80 per cent of staff that are non-technical. For the sustainability of the three major agencies, he counselled that indebtedness of each airline to the ministry needs to be ascertained and the funds recovered.

The agencies are owed over N10billion in unremitted funds and taxes by the airlines. The situation has led to frequent grounding of the carriers. Chidoka said most of the debts are historical spanning over 20 years. He said, “Indebtedness of airlines to the agencies has impacted their finances and limited their ability to be self sustaining. NAMA needs to be provided with financial autonomy to cover its costs through its own revenue generation. “NAMA should be liberalised in order to free it from civil service constraints and budgetary difficult. The agency should have access to private capital markets in order to finance infrastructure investments, while removing the NAMA Decree’s restrictions on NAMA’s ability to borrow and invest without the approval of the Minister and Federal Government.”

Nigeria’s aviation woes: Expert faults Chidoka A

South African Airways aircraft on an airport tarmac

Ghana grants traffic right to SAA lPlans Accra-Washington flight from August

outh African Airways (SAA) has strengthened its position in West Africa, with the upcoming introduction of a second West African country linking air travel to North America. The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Nico Bezuidenhout, said this in a statement. This feat according him, was achieved following months of SAA efforts and preparations and the successful negotiations between the governments of Ghana and South Africa. Consequently, he said SAA could now fly their customers between Ghana and the United States of America from August 2015 onwards. He said: “This is a major development and achievement for the airline as part of our long-term turnaround strategy where we have set growth on the African continent as

one of our key objectives. “With a strong presence in West Africa, in the form of non-stop services between Accra and Washington D.C. and through our airline partnerships, our customers will soon have access to further destinations in West Africa”. The airline chief stated that the granting of traffic rights by the Ghana government enables SAA to transport customers between Accra and Washington, adding that current supply is limited, forcing the majority of customers in Ghana to travel via Europe to reach North America. The SAA’s introduction of non-stop services from Ghana will considerably reduce travel times,” said Kendy Phohleli, SAA Executive Africa Hub Projects. Customers will also be able to experience 4-Star Skytrax rated airline service to North America, serving the West African

community, a service, which offers world-class quality, product, and service standards, which has enabled SAA to be awarded a 4-Star rating by Skytrax for 13 consecutive years. The airline chief further stated that not only has SAA added Ghana as a second entry point in West Africa, the airline, has - true to its promise of improving inter-connectivity on the continent - entered into a bi-lateral codeshare agreement with Africa World Airlines. This airline partnership will offer SAA customers from Washington and Johannesburg seamless connectivity via Accra to other destinations in Ghana such as Kumasi, Takoradi, and Tamale as well as to Lagos, Nigeria. Africa World Airlines is the fastest growing airline in Ghana, which operates domestic and regional flights in West Africa and is based at Kotoka International Airport in Accra.

viation analyst, Olumide Ohunayo has carpeted the immediate past Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, for what he termed “his belated advice on how to move the nation’s aviation forward.” Specifically, he said: “How come the ex-minister did not apply such advice to move the sector forward more than a year when he was in the saddle.” Chidoka, had last week Monday, at a stakeholders’ meeting where he gave his scorecard as a minister, criticised the manner the multi-billion naira airports remodelling was handled. He added that the work executed at most of the aerodromes was not commensurate with the over N700 billion reportedly spent by government. But punctured Chidoka’s line of arguments. He said: “During the session, he carefully tabled assignments that he could have addressed while in office unhindered for the incoming administration to tackle. On his appointment, the outgoing President said he was bringing him in as a striker to score dying minute goals and also defend the perceived lead in a game that had not ended. The Chief himself told us that he is not in a hurry and has enough time to achieve and surpass the expectations and aspirations of the Jonathan’s administration.” Ohunayo disclosed that the unions rose and wrote against some of the appointments Chidoka made, “but he got away with some, such as the recent and obviously very flawed recruitment exercise in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).”

He said it was amazing that Chidoka asked the incoming government to implement the 2006 Paul Dike Committee Report, which he described as a solution to the mirage of problems in the sector. Directing his question to Chidoka, he said: “So our dear Chief, why did you allow the report to gather more dust while you were in office? “He also asked the incoming government to go after the remodeling and transforming contractors who collected money and did not do their jobs and those that provided sub-standard material. These contractors had numerous meetings with the minister during his eight month reign and at no point did he raise this issue”. “Rather, in tandem with the agencies they either sponsored his trips, chieftaincy ceremonies or other engagements tabled before them. He never asked for refunds, neither did he criticise job quality. He kept promising to source funds for the completion of the projects.” He alleged that the ex-minister also canvassed the setting up of an airport management company to manage FAAN, which was a good idea, but regretted that he did not work towards that throughout his tenure. His words: “He preferred to impose his cronies and aides on the agency. The master plan that was handed to him by Stella Oduah was jettisoned for an Aviation Commit programme that was equally jettisoned by those to implement it. Suddenly, he is asking for a master plan for the industry and a transparent aerotropolis project.”

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESday, JUNE 2, 2015

Photo | News

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

L-R: Facilitators, Okoro Akunna; Chris Okeke; Chief Executive Officer, The Access Media, Mary Ikoku; Abia State Governorship candidate, All Progressives grand Alliance (APGA), Alex Otti and member, representing Onitsha North 1 constituency, Hon. Chugbo Enwezor, during a retreat for members of Abia State House of Assembly elected under the platform of APGA, held in Lagos. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

L-R: Wife of the author, Mrs. Remi Olanipekun; author of The Fashola Years, Lukman Olanipekun; Chairman of the occasion, Justice George Oguntade; former deputy governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Sarah Adebisi-Sosan; Prof. Abiola Irele and Mrs. Azeezat Tijani, at the book presentation in Lagos.

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Uriel Palti (right), with Kenya’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Tom Amolo, at the 67th Independence Day Anniversary celebration of the State of Israel in Abuja.

L-R: Executive Director, UNFPA, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin; Assistant Editor-in-Chief/UNFPA Focal Nan Officer, Muhammad Tola; Country Representative in Nigeria, Mrs. Ratidzai Ndlovu and Executive Director, Editorial Matters, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Malam Lawal Ado, during Osotimehin’s visit to NAN in Abuja.

L-R: Senior Pastor, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Hope Hall, Pastor Supo Oluwasakin; winner, God’s Children Great Talent (GCGT) Season 4, Great Egere; winner, GCGT Season 5, Olurunsuyi Praise Oluwakemi and winner, GCGT Season 4, Samuel Ekeh, at the grand finale of the RCCG Apapa family GCGT Season 5 in Lagos.

L-R: Lead Designer, Mai Atafo Inspired, Mr. Mai Atafo; National Retail Artiste, House of Tara, Rhema Akabuogu; Kunbi Oyelese of April by Kunbi and ace photographer, Kelechi Amadi Obi, at the Enugu auditions of the ‘Fayrouz L’Original 2’ competition.

L-R: Secretary-General, Segun Adewale Campaign Organisation, Mr. Adekunle Adeyemo; a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Segun Adewale and PDP General Secretary, Alimosho LGA, Mr. Ojo Akindele, at the celebration of Democracy Day in Lagos. PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

Commander of Onitsha Military Cantonment, Col. Mohammed Bello (right), presenting a trophy to the captain of Barca FC, Barracks, Master Chigozie Onyekachi, after the final of the Commander’s Cup male football competition in Onitsha.

Business | Money Line

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015

Naira appreciates at interbank market VOLATILE The exchange rate at the parallel market has been volatile

he naira appreciated marginally yesterday at the interbank market, gaining 5 kobo to the dollar according to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The apex bank, in a statement said that the local currency closed at N196.95 from the N197 recorded last Thursday (May 28th). Since late February this year, the naira had always closed at N197 to the greenback at the interbank market according to CBN statements. However, while the local currency has remained stable at the interbank market during this period, it has been volatile at the Bureaux De Change (BDC) and parallel segments of the market where it currently exchanges at N217 to the dollar. In a chat with the New Telegraph, a Lagos-based BDC dealer disclosed that they bought dollars from the CBN at N197 to the

dollar yesterday. He said, “We bought dollars at N197 yesterday so, I’m surprised that the CBN said the rate was N196.95. There is no fundamental reason why the exchange rate should be falling or rising at this time other than the fact that there is low patronage. The rates started at N214 when trad-

ing began but gradually climbed to N217.” Following the Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC’s) recent decision to harmonise the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), analysts had predicted that the move would increase liquidity in the system and thus heighten demand pressure on the

naira. For instance, according to analysts at Financial Derivatives Company (FDC), “The immediate effect of the harmonisation of the CRR increases system liquidity, which ultimately heightens the demand pressure on the currency.” The analysts had further stated, “The MPC

Afrexim to sell Eurobonds, borrow in Renminbi

he African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim) has said it plans to raise more than $1 billion in bonds and loans and is considering borrowing in renminbi as trade with China rises. According to Bloomberg, President of the Cairo-based lender, JeanLouis Ekra, disclosed that a Eurobond of $400 million to $600 million may be sold as soon as this month, adding that the company will seek $400 million to $500 million in loans from 35 banks later this year. Bloomberg quoted him, as saying, “We want to help the regional econo-

mies grow by supporting the private sector,” he said on May 28. “We plan to raise funds in the Chinese currency because of increasing trade between Africa and China.” Afrexim is considering borrowing in Chinese renminbi to take advantage of rising trade in Africa with China, which is the top trading partner of Africa’s five-largest economies, including South Africa, Nigeria and Angola. The lender, started in 1993, is raising debt as borrowing costs on existing bonds drop to record lows and companies across sub-Saharan Africa issue Eurobonds to benefit from a global hunt

for yield. Rates on Afrexim’s $700 million of notes due July 2019 dropped 115 basis points, or 1.15 percentage points, this year to an alltime low of 4 percent last week. Companies in the world’s least-developed continent issued $2.8 billion of dollar-denominated debt in 2015, the best start to a year since 2011, as investors take their search for returns further afield amid dwindling gains elsewhere. Interest in African debt is being driven partly by falling yields in other emerging markets, in turn spurred by record-low developednation interest rates.

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

N14,737,618.7m N16,509,472.5m 8.7 0.0000 13 10.899 7.96 17.01 US$109.9 US$29,616,826,032

Description

TTM

4.00% 23-Apr-2015 13.05% 16-Aug-2016 15.10% 27-Apr-2017 16.00% 29-Jun-2019 16.39% 27-Jan-2022 10.00% 23-Jul-2030

1.21 2.53 3.22 5.39 7.98 16.47

Tenor (Days) Call 7 30 60 90 180 365

Rate (%) 11.9167 12.3333 12.6667 12.9167 13.2167 13.5000 13.7500

NIBOR

Dec, 2013 Dec, 2013 Dec, 2013 2/5/2014 1/20/2014 11/6/2013 Dec, 2013 Dec, 2013 1/20/2014 27/5/2015 Source:CBN

FGN Bonds Bid Price 90.20 99.25 104.10 109.35 114.15 76.60

Offer Yield 13.01 13.40 13.47 13.49 13.44 13.59

Price 90.35 99.40 104.40 109.65 114.45 76.90

Tenor (Months) 1 2 3 6 9 12

Rate (%) 12.1827 12.2737 12.3744 12.8521 12.8535 13.8443

Treasury Bills Maturity Date 08-May-14 07-Aug-14 22-Jan-15

Bid 12.10 12.10 12.05

Bid Spot ($/N) 163.28 THE FIXINGS –NIBOR,NITTY and NIFEX of February 6,2014

NITTY

Yield 12.86 13.33 13.35 13.42 13.38 13.53

Money Market Offer 11.85 11.85 11.80 Offer 163.38

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

Rate (%) 11.33 11.63

NIFEX Spot ($/N)

Bid 163.4000

Offer 163.5000 Source: FMDQ

made a tacit move towards the easing of interest rates and an accommodative posture, by allowing for the harmonisation of the cash reserves ratios to 31 percent, from 75 percent and 20 percent on the public and private sectors respectively. System-wide deposits are in a 60:40 ratio between the

public and private sector. “Based on this, the har monisation will lead to a net inflow of approximately 28 percent of total deposits. This is an equivalent of eight times the average monthly Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocation.”

Nigeria’s trade with China rises to $13bn

he Nigeria-China Business Council on Monday said that trade between both countries has increased from $2.7billion (N531.9billion) in 2009 to $13billion (N2.56trillion) currently. The volume of trade within the six year period represents an increase of $10.3billion (N2.03trillion) or 381 per cent. The National Coordinator/Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Mr. Matthew Onwekwe, stated this during a chat with journalists in Abuja. He said when the council was set up in 2009 under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the level of trade between both countries was $2.7billion in favour of China and about $700million in favour of Nigeria. He said worried by the need to balance the trade imbalance between both countries, the council have in recent times implemented a number of initiatives to encourage investments into both countries He said, “Before the council was established, we had our mandate and

which is to promote the trade relationship between Nigeria and China, attract investors into various sectors of the economy. “When we started this council, the trade relationship between Nigeria and China was about $2.7billion in favour of China and about $700million in favour of Nigeria. “Then we sat down and said we cannot continue to run an economy like this because the relationship is one sided and we must balance the trade between Nigeria do China. “Today’s the trade relations between Nigeria and China is over $13billion in favour of China; and for Nigeria it is almost closed to $10bn and that is as a result of the effort made by this council” He said some of the products that contributed to Nigeria’s exports to China are Cocoa, cashew, cotton wool among others. He said the council is currently diversifying its efforts at increasing investment into Nigeria, noting that some Chinese investors have begun the manufacturing of prepaid meters in the country.

African leaders shun WEF

nly two Heads of State (South Africa and Egypt) will attend this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa taking place in Cape Town. In 2013, nine African heads of State went to the forum when Cape Town last hosted it, and there were more than a dozen in attendance at last year’s event in Abuja, Nigeria. WEF officials attributed the development to the African Union (AU) summit, which opens in Johannesburg next week. They pointed out that most African presidents and prime ministers were reluctant to travel to South Africa twice in so short a space of time. Also, they emphasised

that this year’s forum, the 25th, was the largest to date in the region, bringing together more than 1,250 business, government and civil society leaders. They include President Jacob Zuma, who will be joined by no fewer than 18 Cabinet ministers, as well as African finance ministers and central bank governors. Though at least one business delegate expressed mild disappointment at the calibre of the guest list, which appears to have less African representation than usual, officials said there were more international participants, with 83 global firms represented, reflecting investor interest in Africa.

Business | Financial Market News

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

1-Jun-15

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

Bonds FGN Bonds

Price

Rating/Agency

Issuer

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

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

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

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

581.39 476.80 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 193.73 600.00 573.14 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 299.50

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,746.32

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,424.76

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

1.21 1.91 2.15 2.25 3.00 4.08 4.39 4.70 6.66 8.78 13.49 13.97 14.47 15.14 19.13

13.77 13.75 13.76 13.76 13.82 13.88 13.87 13.85 13.73 13.68 17.09 17.64 18.29 15.54 13.93

13.63 13.66 13.67 13.68 13.75 13.79 13.77 13.77 13.66 13.62 17.03 17.57 18.18 15.47 13.88

99.17 102.17 92.89 91.67 92.55 106.39 77.92 105.64 111.33 102.54 89.10 73.53 50.73 68.00 88.15

99.32 102.32 93.04 91.82 92.70 106.69 78.22 105.94 111.63 102.84 89.40 73.83 51.03 68.30 88.45

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

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

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

# Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Modelled Price

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

17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

2.40 112.22 116.70 66.49

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

0.96 1.52 1.88 2.10

2.27 2.19 2.67 2.85

16.31 15.94 16.42 16.60

100.86 100.06 102.01 98.30

Agency Bonds FMBN ***LCRM

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

297.82

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

299.12

Sub-National Bonds A/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.25

4.44

14.94

99.31

A-/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

2.16

30-Sep-15

0.33

3.23

14.67

99.41

BBB+/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

4.86

30-Jun-16

0.60

4.46

17.99

97.82

‡ /Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

5.73

30-Jun-16

0.60

3.48

17.01

99.14

A+/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

1.88

1.00

14.75

92.40

‡ /Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

25.73

30-Jun-17

1.15

1.00

14.99

98.74

‡ /Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

2.58

1.79

15.58

96.71

‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

30.81

30-Sep-18

1.96

1.80

15.55

97.49

Bb-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

1.98

1.00

14.75

98.72

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

14.50

13.73

09-Dec-18

1.95

1.00

14.75

99.60

Bb-/Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

10.20

12-Dec-18

1.96

4.78

18.53

93.18

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR

*ONDO

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

27.00

14-Feb-19

2.15

1.00

14.76

101.21

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

*GOMBE LAGOS

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

BBB-/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019

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

15.50 14.50 14.75

15.09 80.00 25.70

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

2.58 4.48 2.55

1.00 1.00 1.00

14.79 14.87 14.79

101.34 98.81 99.92 99.80

BBB-/Agusto

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020

10-Oct-13

14.75

10.78

10-Oct-20

3.09

1.00

14.83

Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

13.50 LAGOS 27-NOV-2020

27-Nov-13

13.50

87.50

27-Nov-20

5.49

1.00

14.78

95.28

A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro

KOGI

15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020

31-Dec-13

15.00

5.00

31-Dec-20

5.58

1.00

14.77

100.80

‡ /Agusto A-/GCR

*EKITI *NASARAWA

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

31-Dec-13

14.50

4.55

31-Dec-20

3.24

1.44

15.28

98.13

06-Jan-14

15.00

4.56

06-Jan-21

3.27

1.00

14.84

100.34

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

452.88 440.92

Corporate Bonds BBB+/Agusto BBB-/Agusto

*UPDC

10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015

17-Aug-10

10.00

2.50

17-Aug-15

0.21

1.00

12.06

99.54

*FLOURMILLS

12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015

09-Dec-10

12.00

18.75

09-Dec-15

0.27

1.00

11.76

100.06 99.91

BB/GCR

*CHELLARAMS

14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016

06-Jan-11

14.00

0.42

06-Jan-16

0.35

2.63

14.34

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016

29-Sep-11

13.00

15.00

29-Sep-16

1.33

1.00

14.87

97.77

A-/Agusto

FSDH

14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

25-Oct-16

1.40

1.34

15.16

98.85

A/GCR

UBA

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017

30-Sep-10

13.00

20.00

30-Sep-17

2.33

1.00

14.77

96.56

BBB-/GCR

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.56

30-Nov-17

1.56

1.88

15.63

103.89

Nil

*C & I LEASING *DANA#{r}

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

09-Apr-11

16.00

5.40

09-Apr-18

1.61

1.00

14.75

101.64

A-/DataPro†; B+/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

18.00

2.54

09-Sep-18

1.77

1.00

14.75

104.67

1.77

1.00

14.75

101.76

AAA/DataPro†; A/GCR

*TOWER

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.70

09-Sep-18

A+/Agusto; A/GCR

UBA

14.00 UBA II 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

30-Sep-18

3.33

3.00

16.85

92.90

BBB+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.10

18-Oct-18

1.88

2.29

16.04

99.49

BBB-/DataPro†; BB/GCR

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

17-Feb-12

18.00

0.36

17-Feb-19

1.96

6.11

19.86

97.21

Nil

*DANA#{r}

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

2.58

2.16

15.95

100.03

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

5.46

2.76

16.55

95.43

BBB/GCR

FCMB

14.25 FCMB I 20-NOV-2021

20-Nov-14

14.25

26.00

20-Nov-21

6.47

1.80

15.50

95.00

A/GCR

UBA

16.45 UBA I 30-DEC-2021

30-Dec-14

16.45

30.50

30-Dec-21

6.58

1.82

15.51

103.75

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

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

30-Sep-14

11.93

0.10

30-Sep-24

9.33

1.00

14.92

85.11

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

13.25

15.44

30-Sep-24

9.33

1.00

14.92

91.66

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

187.44

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

182.54

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

IFC

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

11-Feb-18

2.70

1.00

14.80

90.03

Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P

AfDB

11.25 AFDB 1-FEB-2021

10-Jul-14

11.25

12.95

01-Feb-21

4.75

1.00

14.85

85.13

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

24.95 21.83

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value ($mm)

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

5.80

5.60

104.51

105.51

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

4.65

4.33

101.35

102.30

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

6.00

5.84

102.39

103.40

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

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

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,541.22

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

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

6.30

4.14

101.10

103.13

B+/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

6.99

100.50

B/Fitch; B/S&P

FIDELITY BANK PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

10.69

9.35

90.59

93.78

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

7.29

6.84

96.14

97.47

B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P

ZENITH BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

7.22

96.75

B/Fitch; B/S&P

DIAMOND BANK PLC

8.75 May 21, 2019

21-May-14

8.75

200.00

21-May-19

10.13

9.76

95.57

96.75

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

FIRST BANK PLC ACCESS BANK PLC II FIRST BANK LTD

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

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

8.25 9.25 8.00

300.00 400.00 450.00

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

8.75 10.47 9.07

8.75 10.09 9.07

97.21 94.67 94.23

97.21 96.33 94.23

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

10.19

9.50

92.67

95.67

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

3,650.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

3,514.48

**Treasury Bills^ DTM 10 24 31 38 45 52 59 66

FIXINGS Maturity 11-Jun-15 25-Jun-15 2-Jul-15 9-Jul-15 16-Jul-15 23-Jul-15 30-Jul-15 6-Aug-15

Bid Discount (%) 9.00 11.05 12.50 12.00 12.32 9.90 12.15 11.54

Offer Discount (%) 8.75 10.80 12.25 11.75 12.07 9.65 11.90 11.29

Bid Yield (%) 9.02 11.13 12.63 12.15 12.51 10.04 12.39 11.79

Money Market Tenor

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 9.2917 15.0394 16.0627 17.1318

Rate (%)

OBB

8.58

O/N

9.08

Tenor Call 1M

REPO

Rate (%) 9.00 10.00

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M 3M

197.66 201.81 202.13 202.87 204.24 205.60

197.76 201.93 202.28 203.37 205.31 207.21

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDINGTUESDAY, VALUE NEW TELEGRAPH

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

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

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

JUNE 2, 2015

2.15 2.25 3.00 4.08 4.39 4.70 6.66 8.78 13.49 13.97 14.47 15.14 19.13

13.76 13.76 13.82 13.88 13.87 13.85 13.73 13.68 17.09 17.64 18.29 15.54 13.93

13.67 13.68 13.75 13.79 13.77 13.77 13.66 13.62 17.03 17.57 18.18 15.47 13.88

92.89 91.67 92.55 106.39 77.92 105.64 111.33 102.54 89.10 73.53 50.73 68.00 88.15

93.04 91.82 92.70 106.69 78.22 105.94 111.63 102.84 89.40 73.83 51.03 68.30 88.45

Business | Financial Market News

4,746.32

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

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

4,424.76

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

# Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Modelled Price

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

17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

2.40 112.22 116.70 66.49

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

0.96 1.52 1.88 2.10

2.27 2.19 2.67 2.85

16.31 15.94 16.42 16.60

100.86 100.06 102.01 98.30

Stock market begins June on negative path

Rating/Agency

Description

Issuer

LOW CONFIDENCE

Agency Bonds

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

FMBN

***LCRM

Market closes downwards with a Sub-National Bonds loss of N90bn KADUNA A/Agusto TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

fidence. The twin market indiThe twin market per- cators, the All-Share Index formance measures, the dropped by 265.72 basis 31-Aug-10 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015 NSE ASI 12.50 and market points or 0.78 per cent from 30-Sep-10 A-/Agusto *EBONYI 13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015 30-Jun-11 BBB+/Agusto *BENUE 14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 capitalisation, dropped by 34,310.37 last Friday to close 30-Jun-09 ‡ /Agusto *IMO 15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 0.78 per cent on the back at 34,044.65, while the mar19-Apr-10 10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017 A+/Agusto; ‡ /GCR LAGOS by Chris Ugwu 30-Jun-10 13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017 ket capitalisation appreci‡Stories /Agusto *BAYELSA of blue chip companies. 14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017 ‡ /Agusto EDO The market had last ated by N90 billion 30-Dec-10 or 0.78 30-Sep-11 14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018 ‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR *DELTA 04-Oct-11 rading activiFriday also14.00 closed the per cent from N11.658 trilNIGER IIon 4-OCT-2018 Bb-/Agusto; A-/GCR NIGER 09-Dec-11 ‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR† EKITI 09-DEC-2018 trend, as mar- lion to N11.568 trillion. ties on the *EKITI floor downward 14.50 12-Dec-13 Bb-/Agusto *NIGER 14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018 ket speculators sustained of the Nigerian Further analysis14-Feb-12 of the ‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR *ONDO 15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019 02-Oct-12 BBB+/Agusto; A-/GCR *GOMBE 15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 profit taking. stock market day’s trading showed that Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR LAGOS 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019 22-Nov-12 12-Dec-12 BBB-/Agusto; BBB+/GCR 14.75 OSUN yesterday opened*OSUN the At the close of12-DEC-2019 trad- Vono Products Nigeria 10-Oct-13 BBB-/Agusto *OSUN 14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020 last month of theLAGOS sec- ing, 21 stocks recorded Plc topped the day’s gain27-Nov-13 Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR 13.50 LAGOS 27-NOV-2020 31-Dec-13 ond quarter of theKOGI year price appreciation, while ers’ table with 4.73 per A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro 15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020 31-Dec-13 ‡ /Agusto *EKITI 14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 (June) on trajectory fol- 32 others constituted the cent to close at N1.77 per 06-Jan-14 A-/GCR *NASARAWA 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021 lowing low investor conlosers table. share, while Honeywell TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

297.82 Flour Mills Plc followed 299.12 with 4.57 per cent to close at N3.89 per share. Port12.50 8.50 land Paint Plc gained 4.40 13.00 2.16 14.00 to close at4.86 per cent N3.80 5.73 kobo 15.50 per share. 57.00 10.00 On13.75 the flip side,25.73 Total 14.00 25.00 Nigeria Plc led the los14.00 30.81 14.00 9.00 ers’ chart with a drop of 14.50 13.73 7.47 per cent to close at 14.00 10.20 161 kobo while 15.50 per share, 27.00 15.50 15.09 Livestock Feeds Plc shed 14.50 80.00 14.75 cent to close 25.70 five per at 14.75 10.78 N2.2813.50 per share. 87.50 On15.00 the activity 5.00 chart, 14.50 4.55 the Banking sub-sector 15.00 4.56 dominated in volume 452.88

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

terms with 225.3 million tivities on the shares of shares worth N2.6 billion Mansard Insurance Plc in 1,601 deals. The sub sec- trailed with 25 million 31-Aug-15 0.25 14.94 tor was enhanced by the 4.44 units, worth N42.599.31 million 30-Sep-15 0.33 3.23 14.67 99.41 30-Jun-16 17.99 97.82 activities in the0.60 shares of 4.46 in 139 deals. 30-Jun-16 0.60 3.48 17.01 99.14 Zenith Bank Plc1.88 and Dia- 1.00 In all, investors ex19-Apr-17 14.75 92.40 30-Jun-17 1.00 changed 14.99 98.74340.7 mond Bank Plc.1.15 a total of 31-Dec-17 2.58 1.79 96.71 Insurance sub-sector million15.58 shares valued at 30-Sep-18 1.96 1.80 15.55 97.49 04-Oct-18 1.98 the ac- 1.00 N5.5 billion 14.75 in 4,184 98.72 sector boosted by deals.

Corporate Bonds

*UPDC he development of a com*FLOURMILLS mon platform for crossBB/GCR *CHELLARAMS border listingNAHCO and tradA+/Agusto; A-/GCR A-/Agusto ing in West Africa FSDH will boost A/GCR UBA liquidity in the sub-region, the BBB-/GCR *C & I LEASING Nil *DANA (NSE) Nigerian Stock Exchange A-/DataPro†; B+/GCR *TOWER has said. AAA/DataPro†; A/GCR *TOWER A+/Agusto; A/GCR UBA of MarExecutive Director BBB+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR *LA CASERA ket Operations and Technology , BBB-/DataPro†; BB/GCR *CHELLARAMS NSE, Mr. Ade Bajomo, Nil *DANA stated A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO this at SWIFT African Regional BBB/GCR FCMB Conference in Cape UBA Town. A/GCR A/GCR STANBIC IBTC In a statement obtained from A/GCR STANBIC IBTC the NSE’s website, Bajomo deTOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE scribed the initiative as one TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION that would create broader and Supranational Bond deeper liquidity to West Africa. AAA/S&P IFC The West Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P African AfDB Capital TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Council Markets Integration TOTAL MARKET is CAPITALISATION (WACMIC) developing the initiative, which was launched Rating/Agency Issuer in January 2013. It will integrate FGN Eurobonds West African capital markets BB-/Fitch; B+/S&P with member Exchanges inBB-/Fitch; cluding the NSE, Ghana Stock FGN BB-/S&P Exchange and the BRVM (servBB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P ing eight francophone West AfTOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE rican countries) by establishing TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION a harmonised regulatory enviCorporate Eurobonds ronment and a common platB+/Fitch; GTBANK PLC I form B+/S&P for the cross-border issuB+/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC ance and trading of securities. B/Fitch; B/S&P FIDELITY BANK PLC Bajomo said theGTBANK initiative B+/Fitch; B+/S&P PLC B+/Fitch; BANKopPLC wouldBB-/S&P allow capital ZENITH market B/Fitch; B/S&P DIAMOND BANK PLC erators across West Africa to opB-/Fitch; B/S&P FIRST BANK PLC erateB/S&P using a common passport, B-/Fitch; ACCESS BANK PLC II #{r}

#{r}

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK LTD

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

How to boost liquidity in W’African Exchanges, by NSE 10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015

17-Aug-10

10.00

2.50

12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015

09-Dec-10

12.00

18.75

1.95

1.00

14.75

12-Dec-18

1.96

4.78

18.53

93.18

14-Feb-19

2.15

1.00

14.76

101.21

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

2.58 4.48 2.55

1.00 1.00 1.00

14.79 14.87 14.79

101.34 98.81 99.92

10-Oct-20

3.09

1.00

14.83

27-Nov-20

5.49

1.00

14.78

95.28

5.58

1.00

14.77

100.80

94.23

31-Dec-20

3.24 1.44 15.28 98.13 itafoam 3.27 Nigeria1.00 West African Sub100.34 region. 14.84 Plc has promised He explained that deto deliver sustain- spite the inclement operable value to its share- ating environment, the 17-Aug-15 0.21 1.00 company’s 12.06 gross99.54 profit holders. 09-Dec-15 0.27 1.00 11.76 100.06 rose by 5.4 per cent to Addressing the stock06-Jan-16 0.35 2.63 14.34 99.91 brokers the com-1.00 N5.4 billion while97.77 profit 29-Sep-16 during1.33 14.87 25-Oct-16 1.40 pany’s presentation of 1.34 after tax15.16 increased98.85 by 11.8 30-Sep-17 2.33 1.00 14.77 96.56 facts behind the figures per cent to N435 million. 30-Nov-17 1.56 1.88 15.63 103.89 09-Apr-18 14.75 yesterday at the1.61 Nigerian1.00 Meanwhile, the 101.64 compa09-Sep-18 1.77 1.00 14.75 104.67 Stock Exchange (NSE),1.00 ny has 14.75 proposed 101.76 a gross 09-Sep-18 1.77 30-Sep-18 3.33 16.85 92.90 the acting Group Man-3.00 dividend of N246 million 18-Oct-18 99.49 aging Director,1.88 Mr. Tai-2.29 and a 16.04 bonus share of 17-Feb-19 1.96 6.11 19.86 97.21 woAdeniyi, explained every five100.03 shares 01-Apr-19 2.58 2.16 one for15.95 14-Nov-20 5.46 held for16.55 approval95.43 by the that the company would2.76 20-Nov-21 6.47 1.80 15.50 95.00 continue to sustain its1.82 shareholders at the 30-Dec-21 6.58 15.51 103.75 An30-Sep-24 9.33 1.00 nual General 14.92 85.11 culture of ensuring Meeting 30-Sep-24 9.33 1.00 14.92 91.66 shareholder value. (AGM) scheduled for this He ascribed the im- month. pressive performance Adeniyi attributed the of11-Feb-18 the company2.70 to major1.00 strong 14.80 performance to 90.03 factors, ranging from1.00 the following critical 01-Feb-21 4.75 14.85 85.13 sucstrong brand equity to cess factors: professional leader and pacesetter and dedicated staff, proadvantage. cessesBidand procedures, Maturity Date Bid Yield (%) Offer Yield (%) Price Offer Price Besides, the company internal efficiencies, op& Yields innovation and also hinged its critical Prices erational 28-Jan-21 factors5.80 104.51and timely 105.51 exsuccess to a mix5.60 creativity of12-Jul-18 unique indices in-4.33 ecution101.35 of strategic plan. 4.65 102.30 cluding development of Commenting on the 12-Jul-23 6.00 5.84 102.39 103.40 strong human capital company’s competitive and timely execution of advantage, Adeniyi idenstrategic plan. tified what he described Adeniyi noted that as tail winds to include 19-May-16 6.30 largest4.14 strong 101.10 103.13 (ViVitafoam has the brand equity 25-Jul-17 6.99 6.99 100.50 100.50 foam manufacturing and tafoam and Vono), strong 02-May-18 10.69 9.35 90.59 93.78 distribution network, assets base, national 08-Nov-18 7.29 6.84 96.14 97.47 22-Apr-19facilitates 7.22 just in 7.22 spread 96.75 96.75 which of sales channels 21-May-19 95.57 time delivery of10.13 finished9.76 andbest in class96.75 opera07-Aug-20 8.75 8.75 97.21 97.21 products throughout 24-Jun-21 10.47 10.09 tional facilities. 94.67 96.33 06-Jan-21

06-Jan-11

14.00

0.42

13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016

29-Sep-11

13.00

15.00

14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017

30-Sep-10

13.00

20.00

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.56

23-Jul-14

8.00

450.00

23-Jul-21

9.07

94.23

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

10.19

9.50

92.67

8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021

09-Apr-11 5.40 markets aims to boost16.00 liquidity 09-Sep-11 18.00 2.54 and trading volumes16.00 in West 09-Sep-11 0.70 14.00 35.00 Africa,30-Sep-11 a major limitation that 18-Oct-13 15.75 2.10 typically characterises Stock 17-Feb-12 18.00 0.36 Exchanges across the continent. 01-Apr-14 16.00 4.50 15.25 2.05 The 14-Nov-13 initiative is being rolled 20-Nov-14 14.25 26.00 out in three 30-Dec-14stages, with 16.45 stage 30.50 11.93 0.10 one of 30-Sep-14 sponsored access for 30-Sep-14 13.25 15.44 stockbroking in each of the ju- 187.44 risdictions having only recently 182.54 been completed. The second phase is now being rolled out, 11-Feb-13 10.20 12.00 which Bajomo calls the11.25 passport 10-Jul-14 12.95 24.95 stage where qualified brokers 21.83 will get direct market access to the West African jurisdictions Outstanding Value Issue Date Coupon (%) ($mm) they wish to trade in. Stage three is expected to 07-Oct-11 by the first 6.75 quar500.00 be completed ter of 2016, member 12-Jul-13where all 5.13 500.00 Exchanges will be linked to a 12-Jul-13 6.38 500.00 virtual West African Securities 1,500.00 Market. Qualified West African bro- 1,541.22 kers will then be able to access 19-May-11 7.50 500.00 the listed securities and market 25-Jul-12 7.25 350.00 information in the region to al09-May-13 6.88 300.00 low them to execute 6.00 transac08-Nov-13 400.00 22-Apr-14 6.25be able 500.00 tions, while issuers will 8.75 200.00 to raise21-May-14 capital across the region 07-Aug-13 8.25 300.00 too. 24-Jun-14 9.25 400.00

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

99.80

31-Dec-20

14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018 so to speak. MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 “So, an issuer in one of the MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 14.00 UBA II 30-SEP-2018 countries may seek to list in anLA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 other15.75 Exchange where they can MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019 pull more liquidity . And inves16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019 15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020 tors can balance their risk and 14.25 FCMB I 20-NOV-2021 return portfolios on the various 16.45 UBA I 30-DEC-2021 182D T.bills+1.20 STANBIC IA 30-SEP-2024 Exchanges as well,” he said. 13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024 He added that West Africa, despite a number of hiccups over the past 12 months (such as Ebola, falling oil prices and 10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 terrorism), has nevertheless 11.25 AFDB 1-FEB-2021 seen positive growth of around 6 per cent. Furthermore, the region holds close toDescription a quarter of the continent’s population, making it attractive for investment 6.75 JAN 28, 2021 focused on the consumer. “If we can create 5.13 JUL 12,an 2018 integrated market, it will not only be 6.38 JUL 12, 2023 beneficial in terms of improved transparency and shared practices, but we will be lifting up various Exchanges around the 7.50 MAY 19, 2016 region. And by pulling together 7.25 JUL 25, 2017 [WACMIC] we hope that we can 6.88 MAY 09, 2018 share resources,6.00 bring NOV 08,up 2018stan6.25 APR 22, 2019 dards, and harmonise regula8.75 May 21, 2019 tions,” Bajomo said. 8.25 AUG 07, 2020 The integration of the capital 9.25/6M USD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021

99.60

Vitafoam promises shareholders better returns

440.92

BBB+/Agusto BBB-/Agusto

09-Dec-18

95.67

1-Jun-15

3,650.00 3,514.48

The DQL contains data relating to, amongst other things, market and model prices, rates of foreign exchange products, fixed income securities and instruments in the financial market (the “Information”). The Information does not constitute Money Market or investment advice. We attempt to ensure the Information is accurate; however, the Information is provided “AS FIXINGS IS” and on an “AS AVAILABLE” basis and may not be accurate or up Exchange to date. We do &not guarantee Foreign (Spot Forwards) DTM Maturity Bid Discount (%) Offer Discount (%) Bid Yield (%) Tenor Rate (%) NIBORfor the results of any action taken on the basis of the Information. the accuracy, timeliness, completeness, performance or fitness for a particular purpose of any of the Information, neither do we accept liability 10 11-Jun-15 9.00 8.75 9.02

**Treasury Bills^ professional, financial 24 31 38 45 52 59 Rating/Agency 66 73 87 94 101 115 122 136 150 164 185 199 NA 220 227 234 241 248 255 262 269 276 290

25-Jun-15 2-Jul-15 9-Jul-15 16-Jul-15 23-Jul-15 30-Jul-15 Issuer 6-Aug-15 13-Aug-15 27-Aug-15 3-Sep-15 10-Sep-15 24-Sep-15 1-Oct-15 15-Oct-15 29-Oct-15 12-Nov-15 3-Dec-15 17-Dec-15 NA 7-Jan-16 14-Jan-16 21-Jan-16 28-Jan-16 4-Feb-16 11-Feb-16 18-Feb-16 25-Feb-16 3-Mar-16 17-Mar-16

FGN Bonds

297 TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE 311

11.05 12.50 12.00 12.32 9.90 12.15 Description 11.54 11.32 10.50 ^13.05 16-AUG-2016 10.03 ^15.10 27-APR-2017 11.65 12.36 9.85 27-JUL-2017 12.80 9.35 31-AUG-2017 12.92 10.70 30-MAY-2018 13.12 12.95 ^16.00 29-JUN-2019 12.60 7.00 23-OCT-2019 12.96 15.54 13-FEB-2020 13.23 ^16.39 27-JAN-2022 13.52 13.21 ^14.20 14-MAR-2024 13.44 15.00 28-NOV-2028 12.97 12.49 22-MAY-2029 13.33 13.11 8.50 20-NOV-2029 13.23 ^10.00 23-JUL-2030 13.25 ^12.1493 13.12 18-JUL-2034

24-Mar-16

12.96

7-Apr-16

325 TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION 21-Apr-16 339

5-May-16

*for the Amortising bonds, the average life is calculated and not the duration

Rating/Agency Issuer Risk Premium is a combination of credit risk and liquidity risk premiums **Exclusive of non-trading t.bills #

10.80 12.25 11.75 12.07 9.65 11.90 Issue 11.29Date 11.07 10.25 16-Aug-13 9.78 27-Apr-12 11.40 12.11 27-Jul-07 12.55 31-Aug-07 12.67 30-May-08 12.87 12.70 29-Jun-12 12.35 23-Oct-09 12.71 13-Feb-15 12.98 27-Jan-12 13.27 12.96 14-Mar-14 13.19 28-Nov-08 12.72 22-May-09 13.08 12.86 20-Nov-09 12.98 23-Jul-10 13.00 18-Jul-14 12.87 12.71

11.13 12.63 12.15 12.51 10.04 12.39 Coupon 11.79 (%) 11.58 10.76 13.05 10.29 15.10 12.04 12.86 9.85 13.37 9.35 13.57 10.70 13.86 13.74 16.00 13.46 7.00 13.95 15.54 14.38 16.39 14.76 14.43 14.20 14.74 15.00 14.22 12.49 14.69 14.47 8.50 14.65 10.00 14.72 12.1493 14.65

Bonds

14.48

13.00

12.75

14.62

12.91

12.66

14.58

12.88

12.63

14.63

Description

Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Outstanding Value (N'bn) 581.39

Rate (%) 9.2917 15.0394 16.0627 17.1318

8.58

O/N

9.08

REPO

Maturity Date

NITTY

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

OBB

16-Aug-16

Rate (%) 27-Apr-17 12.7331 13.3003 27-Jul-17 13.6282 31-Aug-17 13.6403 30-May-18 14.4177 14.5408 29-Jun-19

233.90 23-Oct-19 193.73 13-Feb-20 NIFEX 600.00 27-Jan-22 Current Price ($/N)14-Mar-24 573.14 BID($/N) 198.9750 75.00 28-Nov-28 OFFER ($/N) 199.0750 150.00 22-May-29 200.00 20-Nov-29 591.57 23-Jul-30 299.50 18-Jul-34

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

Bid Yield (%) 10.00

Rate (%) 9.00

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

13.00 14.00

Tenor

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

1.21 13.77 13.63 1.91 13.75 13.66 NOTE: 2.15 13.76 13.67 :Benchmarks 2.25 13.76 13.68 * :Amortising Bond 3.00Bond 13.82 13.75 µ :Convertible AMCON: Asset of Nigeria 4.08 Management Corporation 13.88 13.79 FGN: Federal Government of Nigeria 4.39 13.87 13.77 FMBN: Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria 4.70 Finance Corporation 13.85 13.77 IFC: International 6.66 13.73 Management 13.66 LCRM: Local Contractors Receivables NAHCO: Nigerian 8.78 Aviation Handling 13.68 Company 13.62 O/N: Overnight 13.49 17.09 17.03 UPDC: UAC Property Development Company 13.97 17.64 Company17.57 WAPCO:West Africa Portland Cement 14.47 18.29 18.18 15.14 15.54 15.47 19.13 13.93 13.88

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

197.66 197.76 201.81 201.93 Price 202.28 202.13 202.87 203.37 204.24 205.31 Bid Price Offer 205.60 207.21Price 206.28 213.47 220.29 226.27

99.17 99.32 102.17 102.32 92.89 93.04 NA :Not Applicable 91.67 91.82 ^ : Market Prices 92.55 92.70 # : Floating Rate Bond ***: Deferred coupon bonds 106.39 106.69 77.92 78.22 ‡ : Bond rating under review 105.94 †: Bond 105.64 rating expired 111.63 N/A :Not111.33 Available {r} :Issuer in receivership 102.84 102.54 89.10 89.40 NGC: Nigeria-German Company 73.53Bank for Africa 73.83 UBA: United 50.73 51.03 68.00 68.30 88.15 88.45

4,746.32 4,424.76

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

# Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Modelled Price

Agency Bonds FMBN ***LCRM Modified Duration Buckets

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

Porfolio Market Value(Bn)

Volume(Bn)

03-Apr-12 17.25 2.40 09-Dec-11FMDQ FGN 0.00/16.00 BOND INDEX 112.22 20-Apr-12 0.00/16.50 116.70 06-Jul-12 0.00/16.50 66.49 Weighting by Weighting by Mkt

Outstanding Vol

Bucket Weighting

Value

297.82

1,437.42

1,409.48

40.58

42.79

3<5

1,255.68

1,173.14

33.77

37.38

666.28

891.07

25.65

3,359.38

3,473.69

100.00

Sub-National Bonds

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

Market

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

Mod_Duration

0.96 1.52 1.88 2.10

Implied Yield

2.27 2.19 2.67 2.85 Implied

Portfolio Price

16.31 15.94 16.42 16.60

INDEX

100.86 100.06 102.01 98.30 YTD Return (%)

0.41

18.37

13.81

105.5930

1,183.06

6.7888

0.34

39.53

13.70

110.7866

1,105.44

9.1715

19.83

0.26

42.10

14.87

78.4534

1,102.67

9.4987

100.00

1.00

100.00

14.21

100.3852

1,134.34

7.5021

299.12

A/Agusto

KADUNA

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.25

A-/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

2.16

30-Sep-15

0.33

3.23

14.67

99.41

BBB+/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

4.86

30-Jun-16

0.60

4.46

17.99

97.82

‡ /Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

5.73

30-Jun-16

0.60

3.48

17.01

99.14

A+/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

1.88

1.00

14.75

92.40

‡ /Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

25.73

30-Jun-17

1.15

1.00

14.99

98.74

‡ /Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

2.58

1.79

15.58

96.71

‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

30.81

30-Sep-18

1.96

1.80

15.55

97.49

Bb-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

1.98

1.00

14.75

98.72

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

4.44

14.94

99.31

Daily Summary as of 01/06/2015

Printed 01/06/2015 14:58:33.033

Business | Capital Market

Daily Summary (Bonds)

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Daily Summary as of 01/06/2015 Printed 01/06/2015 14:58:33.033

No Debt Trading Activity

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at June 1, 2015 Daily Summary (Equities)

Daily Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

AGRICULTURE Crop Production FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC Crop Production Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Symbol FTNCOCOA OKOMUOIL PRESCO

No. of Deals 2 28 28 58

Current Price 0.50 28.81 34.00

Quantity Traded 98,000 350,157 788,915 1,237,072

Value Traded 49,000.00 10,048,067.30 26,615,155.86 36,712,223.16

Symbol LIVESTOCK

No. of Deals 23 23

Current Price 2.28

Quantity Traded 676,089 676,089

Value Traded 1,571,727.42 1,571,727.42

1,913,161

38,283,950.58

Quantity Traded 700 8,232,017 222,658 8,455,375

Value Traded 640.64 24,774,880.05 9,214,951.08 33,990,471.77

8,455,375

33,990,471.77

AGRICULTURE Totals CONGLOMERATES Daily Summary as of 01/06/2015 Diversified Industries Printed 01/06/2015 14:58:33.033 JOHN HOLT PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals

81 Symbol JOHNHOLT TRANSCORP UACN

No. of Deals 4 192 36 232

Daily Summary (Equities)

CONGLOMERATES Totals

232

Activity Summary on Board EQTY CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Building Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. Building Structure/Completion/Other Totals

Current Price 0.94 2.98 41.50

Value Traded 560,455.00 560,455.00

Current Price 10.10

Quantity Traded 46,850 46,850

Value Traded 491,050.50 491,050.50

Current Price 10.00

Quantity Traded 200 200

Value Traded 2,040.00 2,040.00

491,295

1,478,107.96

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

Symbol JBERGER

No. of Deals 11 11

Current Price 50.00

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

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 7 7

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

Symbol UPDCREIT

No. of Deals 1 1

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © CONSUMER GOODS Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals

28 Symbol CHAMPION GOLDBREW GUINNESS INTBREW Daily NBSummary PREMBREW

No. of Deals 20 3 71 12 (Equities) 241 1

Current Price 6.65 0.93 164.00 20.01 147.00 3.26

Quantity Traded 169,481 12,096 3,651,198 2,805,874 3,497,588 766 Page

Current Price

Quantity Traded 10,137,003

Value Traded 1,180,615,866.35

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

Symbol 7UP

No. of Deals 23 23

Current Price 178.00

Quantity Traded 17,119 17,119

Value Traded 3,064,556.50 3,064,556.50

Food Products DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NATIONAL SALT CO. NIG. PLC UNION DICON SALT PLC. U T C NIG. PLC. Food Products Totals

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR NASCON UNIONDICON UTC

No. of Deals 42 33 81 22 46 1 1 226

Current Price 4.00 6.50 34.51 3.89 7.93 11.84 0.50

Quantity Traded 589,685 2,130,890 830,526 298,162 1,345,774 100 25,000 5,220,137

Value Traded 2,370,403.13 13,857,106.45 29,140,730.61 1,155,190.00 10,688,477.82 1,125.00 12,500.00 57,225,533.01

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

Symbol CADBURY NESTLE

No. of Deals 16 50 66

Current Price 39.00 850.01

Quantity Traded 113,923 75,619 189,542

Value Traded 4,440,922.10 64,185,944.70 68,626,866.80

Symbol VITAFOAM VONO

No. of Deals 35 7 42

Current Price 5.20 1.77

Quantity Traded 641,214 99,019 740,233

Value Traded 3,442,634.90 174,523.25 3,617,158.15

Daily Summary as of 01/06/2015 Household Durables Printed 01/06/2015 14:58:33.033 VITAFOAM NIG PLC. VONO PRODUCTS PLC. Household Durables Totals Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Daily Summary (Equities)

Page

Symbol PZ UNILEVER

No. of Deals 39 77 116

CONSUMER GOODS Totals FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. DIAMOND BANK PLC Daily Summary as of 01/06/2015 ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED Printed 01/06/2015 14:58:33.033 FIDELITY BANK PLC GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC UNION BANK NIG.PLC.

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking UNITY BANK PLC WEMA BANK PLC. ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Banking Totals Carriers, Published byInsurance The Nigerian Stock Brokers Exchangeand © Services AIICO INSURANCE PLC. CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE PLC CORNERSTONE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC. INTERNATIONAL ENERGY INSURANCE COMPANY PLC LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC MANSARD INSURANCE PLC N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals Daily Summary as of 01/06/2015 Micro-Finance Banks Printed 01/06/2015 14:58:33.033 NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC Micro-Finance Banks Totals

Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services ASO SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals

Symbol No. of Deals ACCESS 209 DIAMONDBNK 46 ETI 61 FIDELITYBK 67 GUARANTY 331 SKYEBANK 87 STERLNBANK 32 Daily Summary (Equities) UBA 209 UBN 34

Value Traded 16,182,562.98 229,289,943.05 245,472,506.03

21,932,296

1,558,622,486.84

Current Price 6.20 4.45 21.00 1.90 28.97 2.65 2.03 5.35 9.81

Quantity Traded 36,024,331 48,280,655 2,467,370 3,482,602 21,960,662 1,956,485 1,319,706 36,401,943 6,006,143

Value Traded 222,888,803.91 213,997,690.83 52,900,318.00 6,660,847.81 635,990,474.17 5,319,061.51 2,677,179.92 194,411,085.06 59,564,479.49

Value Traded 15,814,505.36 782,865.71 1,277,579,219.22 2,688,586,530.99

Quantity Traded 10,000 10,000

Value Traded 5,000.00 5,000.00

Symbol AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS FBNH FCMB ROYALEX STANBIC UBCAP

No. of Deals 33 35 331 44 1 26 70 540

Current Price 3.02 4.00 9.18 3.02 0.50 30.00 1.49

Value Traded 865.00 865.00

Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC.

Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER

No. of Deals 6 3 13 14

Current Price 1.80 3.58 44.11 1.62

Quantity Traded 93,773 4,734 105,346 284,500

Value Traded 160,351.83 16,142.94 4,642,689.80 469,115.73

Page

Quantity Traded 253,336 198,815 10,471 53,931

Value Traded 5,504,356.96 1,987,845.00 418,910.50 558,595.14

4 Symbol ASHAKACEM BERGER CAP Daily Summary CCNN

No. of Deals 19 20 9 (Equities) 14

No. of Deals 57 2 8 43 172

Current Price 180.00 0.83 3.80 98.00

Quantity Traded 489,458 67,522 164,700 4,499,603 5,737,836

Value Traded 88,114,377.76 54,017.60 627,345.00 440,995,416.90 538,260,864.86

Symbol CUTIX

No. of Deals 5 5

Current Price 1.73

Quantity Traded 75,800 75,800

Value Traded 136,974.00 136,974.00

Symbol

No. of Deals

Current Price

Quantity Traded

Value Traded

Symbol BETAGLAS

No. of Deals 4 4

Current Price 39.97

Quantity Traded 8,699 8,699

Value Traded 352,270.04 352,270.04

5,822,335

538,750,108.90 Value Traded 5,050.00 5,050.00

Daily Summary (Equities)

181 Symbol JAPAULOIL

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 10,100 10,100

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 223 223

Current Price 18.89

Quantity Traded 5,349,907 Page 5,349,907

Symbol CONOIL ETERNA FO MOBIL MRS TOTAL

No. of Deals 14 14 40 20 6 42 136

Current Price 41.00 2.87 168.00 147.00 50.54 161.00

Quantity Traded 53,974 304,000 73,909 151,704 4,870 125,647 714,104

Value Traded 2,160,963.70 856,541.47 12,451,237.42 22,486,950.75 233,857.40 20,134,649.00 58,324,199.74

Current Price 345.00

Quantity Traded 863,980

Value Traded 298,049,011.08

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol No. of Deals SEPLAT 37 Symbol

No. of Deals 37

Symbol RTBRISCOE

Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. Employment Solutions Totals

SERVICES Automobile/Auto Part Retailers R T BRISCOE PLC. Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals

Symbol DANGCEM DNMEYER PORTPAINT WAPCO

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals

Value Traded 100,941,904.19 8 of 13 100,941,904.19

Page

Current Price

Quantity Traded 863,980

Value Traded 298,049,011.08

6,938,091

457,320,165.01

No. of Deals 10 10

Current Price 0.82

Quantity Traded 328,539 328,539

Value Traded 269,192.16 269,192.16

Symbol REDSTAREX TRANSEXPR

No. of Deals 16 8 24

Current Price 5.35 1.23

Quantity Traded 66,475 156,601 223,076

Value Traded 368,652.76 191,731.23 560,383.99

Symbol CILEASING

No. of Deals 19 19

Current Price 0.70

Quantity Traded 1,086,237 1,086,237

Value Traded 757,593.13 757,593.13

Symbol IKEJAHOTEL TRANSCOHOT

No. of Deals 2 1 3

Current Price 3.90 9.63

Quantity Traded 23,000 200 23,200

Value Traded 85,330.00 1,830.00 87,160.00

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 2,000

Value Traded 1,000.00

398

Daily Summary (Equities) Symbol No. of Deals DAARCOMM

Page

Symbol

No. of Deals 1

Current Price

Quantity Traded 2,000

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

Symbol LEARNAFRCA UPL

No. of Deals 1 4 5

Current Price 1.15 6.05

Quantity Traded 1,000 9,431 10,431

Value Traded 1,200.00 56,322.00 57,522.00

Road Transportation ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Road Transportation Totals

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals 5 5

Current Price 0.54

Quantity Traded 110,000 110,000

Value Traded 59,030.00 59,030.00

Symbol AIRSERVICE NAHCO

No. of Deals 12 13 25

Current Price 2.34 6.38

Quantity Traded 49,251 53,598 102,849

Value Traded 113,481.40 325,999.24 439,480.64

Symbol CAVERTON

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 3.60

Quantity Traded 14,000 14,000

Value Traded 49,560.00 49,560.00

Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Summary as of 01/06/2015 Transport-Related Services Totals

Daily Printed 01/06/2015 14:58:33.033

Support and Logistics CAVERTON OFFSHORE SUPPORT GRP PLC Support and Logistics Totals

SERVICES Totals

Daily Summary (Equities)

EQTY Board Totals

Activity Summary on Board ASeM CONSUMER GOODS Food Products MCNICHOLS PLC Food Products Totals

OIL AND GAS Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors CAPITAL OIL PLC Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals

Symbol MCNICHOLS

1,900,332

2,280,921.92

4,182

340,614,103

5,502,133,749.36

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 1.57

Quantity Traded Page 20 20

1 Symbol CAPOIL

No. of Deals 1 1

OIL AND GAS Totals

Value Traded 1,000.00

Current Price 0.50

Value Traded 11 of 13 31.40 31.40

31.40

Quantity Traded 100,000 100,000

Value Traded 50,000.00 50,000.00 50,000.00

100,000

ASeM Board Totals

100,020

50,031.40

Equity Activity Totals

4,184

340,714,123

5,502,183,780.76

Daily Summary (ETP) Exchange Traded Fund

Name LOTUS HALAL EQUITY ETF NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF) Daily Summary as of 01/06/2015 STANBIC IBTC ETF 30 Printed 01/06/2015 14:58:33.033 VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Exchange Traded Fund

Name Exchange Traded Fund Totals

Current Price 21.57 10.00 40.15 10.32

Page

CONSUMER GOODS Totals

5 of 13 Value Traded 2,512,405.21 26,661,928.90 67,050,195.40 6,606,870.11 2,500.00 16,517,611.43 4,649,829.12 124,001,340.17

Quantity Traded 500 500

153,150.00

Current Price 0.50

Current Price 1.82

106,900

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Daily Summary as of 01/06/2015 Building Materials Printed 01/06/2015 14:58:33.033 ASHAKA CEM PLC BERGER PAINTS PLC CAP PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC

Media/Entertainment DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC

No. of Deals 1 1

Value Traded 47,950.00 47,950.00

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Symbol ASOSAVINGS

Symbol MORISON

Quantity Traded 95,900 95,900

TRANSCORP HOTELS PLC Hotels/Lodging Totals

Value Traded 84,768.00 84,768.00

Medical Supplies MORISON INDUSTRIES PLC. Medical Supplies Totals

Current Price 0.50

Daily Summary as of 01/06/2015 Hotels/Lodging Printed 01/06/2015 14:58:33.033 IKEJA HOTEL PLC

Quantity Traded 70,615 70,615

Value Traded 10,150,000.00 10,150,000.00

No. of Deals 2 2

OIL AND GAS Totals

Current Price 1.20

Quantity Traded 20,300,000 20,300,000

Symbol CHAMS

Exploration and Production Totals

No. of Deals 12 12

Current Price 0.50

Processing Systems CHAMS PLC Processing Systems Totals

OIL AND GAS

Symbol NPFMCRFBK

No. of Deals 2 2

Value Traded 104,700.00 104,700.00

4Value Traded of 13 4,851,720.55 5,159,708.47 125.00 10.20 5,000.00 215,413.00 29,208,869.70 405,948.48 2,705,512.96 42,552,308.36

Symbol UNIONDAC

Quantity Traded 10,000 10,000

Exploration and Production SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD

Quantity Traded Page 4,851,753 4,983,284 250 20 10,000 430,826 10,069,800 497,346 4,919,689 25,762,968

2,855,229,947.52

Current Price 11.02

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Current Price 1.00 1.01 0.50 0.53 0.50 0.50 2.90 0.82 0.56

271,777,912

No. of Deals 1 1

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. Daily Summary as of 01/06/2015 MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. Printed 01/06/2015 14:58:33.033 MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals

No. of Deals 31 30 1 1 1 5 8 14 48 139

2,293

Symbol NCR

Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Totals Integrated Oil and Gas Services

Symbol AIICO CONTINSURE CORNERST INTENEGINS LASACO LINKASSURE MANSARD NEM WAPIC

Page Quantity Traded 812,214 6,664,286 7,245,222 2,159,588 5,000 546,906 3,139,270 20,572,486

IT Services NCR (NIGERIA) PLC. IT Services Totals

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

Quantity Traded 5,788,923 816,643 60,856,380 225,361,843

Daily Summary (Equities)

Value Traded 500.00 500.00

Packaging/Containers

Current Price 2.77 0.94 20.91

16,024,438.86

Quantity Traded 1,000 1,000

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Packaging/Containers BETA GLASS CO PLC. Packaging/Containers Totals

No. of Deals 82 16 427 1,601

21,276,406 Current Price 0.50

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Symbol UNITYBNK WEMABANK ZENITHBANK

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals HEALTHCARE Healthcare Providers UNION DIAGNOSTIC & CLINICAL SERVICES PLC Healthcare Providers Totals

Quantity Traded 539,896 5,088,366 5,628,262

821

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

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

Current Price 30.00 45.10

Value Traded 585,273.56 5,873,573.86

No. of Deals 1 1

Electronic and Electrical Products CUTIX PLC. Electronic and Electrical Products Totals

Quantity Traded 487,553 975,906

Symbol COURTVILLE

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials DANGOTE CEMENT PLC DN MEYER PLC. PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. Daily Summary as of 01/06/2015 Building14:58:33.033 Materials Totals Printed 01/06/2015

Activity Summary on Board EQTY CONSUMER GOODS Personal/Household Products P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. Personal/Household Products Totals

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

No. of Deals 348

Current Price 1.20

Value Traded 1,130,458.80 10,765.44 598,623,178.97 56,152,481.70 524,696,606.84 2,374.60

Symbol

No. of Deals 11 47

ICT Totals

Quantity Traded 11,018 11,018

Current Price 0.98

CONSUMER GOODS Daily Summary as of 01/06/2015 Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Printed 01/06/2015 14:58:33.033 CHAMPION BREW. PLC. GOLDEN GUINEA BREW. PLC. GUINNESS NIG PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. PREMIER BREWERIES PLC

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

1 of 13 Value Traded 424,562.46 424,562.46

No. of Deals 9 9

Symbol NEIMETH

HEALTHCARE Totals

Page Quantity Traded 433,227 433,227

Symbol COSTAIN

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals

HEALTHCARE Pharmaceuticals NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC Pharmaceuticals Totals

Symbol LOTUSHAL15 NEWGOLD STANBICETF30 VETGRIF30

No. of Deals 2 2 2 4

Current Price 10.71 2,234.00 107.00 15.70

Page

Daily Summary (ETP) Symbol

Quantity Traded 20 30 5,000 260

No. of Deals 10

Current Price

Value Traded 216.30 68,645.00 532,795.00 4,183.00 12

Quantity Traded 5,310

Value Traded 605,839.30

ETF Board Totals

5,310

605,839.30

ETP Activity Totals

5,310

605,839.30

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015

Features

Giving Mile 12 Market a facelift To make shopping at the popular Mile 12 Market in Lagos stress-free and attractive, the traders have united against filth, write JOHN EDU, GBEMISOLA OYEDEPO and KEMI OLORUNTOLA

Traders and shoppers at the market

he popular Mile 12 Market at Ketu in Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State is one of the major markets in the South-West of the country. The market, which is basically a foodstuff market, houses several sections selling different types of food items, such as yam, pepper, beans, rice, vegetables, etc. Trading activities in the market are estimated to run into billions of naira annually. But it is amazing that the market environment where food is sourced is filthy. This has led the state government to seal the market in the past. But that is changing gradually. That change is being championed by some concerned traders. The traders disclosed they had raised N100 million to be able to give the market a facelift. The decision to raise the money

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun. bello@newtelegraphonline.com

Usman

came after repeated threats from the state government to demolish the market because of flooding and filthiness. The market may not be a beauty to behold today, but it is better in terms of what it used to be. A large portion of the market has been paved, while the traders are still sourcing money to cover other parts. Before now, customers and traders used to go through muddy water to buy and trade. They even paid to get people to wash their legs, especially when it rained. This created a form of business for many women and men. But today, this has drastically reduced. Not ready to give the government reasons to demolish the market, the traders have been doing everything to keep it clean.

But the traders said they desperately needed government’s intervention in certain areas. According to them, one of the most troubling areas is inadequate PSP trucks in the market. The traders said they needed five PSP trucks to be able to pack the dirt in the market every day, but government gave them only two. According to them, there is also the challenge of flooding. The Financial Secretary of the traders’ association, Mr Shehu Usman, said: “The rain does not really affect us as it used to, especially since the cooperation of the traders to build drainages. “We try as much as possible to make the market habitable for all. We have about 30 sections in the market; each has its leader or chairman. The chairman ensures that the needs and complaints of the traders in that section are met. He or she supervises that section.” Usman explained that over N100 million had been spent in parts of the market. He added: “The money was raised from dues paid by the traders in the market, without government’s intervention. Right now, just a small portion of the market is yet to be paved.” A tomato seller, Mrs Maria Popoola, said that she was impressed by the seriousness with which the market leaders were tackling the issue of cleanliness. She said: “Those in charge of the market are doing excellently well. They ensure that the sweepers sweep the market three times a

day. We are not allowed to behave anyhow any more. If you are found to be littering the market, you get arrested and sometimes you are made to pay a fine.” A cleaner, who gave his name simply as Mr Bello, said: “The only issue we have right now is with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) officials. They do not come with enough trucks to clear the refuse in the market. “Each day, we need close to five or six trucks to pack the refuse, but most times, these officials come with two or three refuse trucks. These are never enough for the refuse. This is why the outside of the market appears dirty. “We generate more refuse from the tomatoes’ section of the market because leaves are used to cover the tomatoes to preserve them from the North from where they are transported. “We are doing our best to make the market clean. The government only promised to tile the other side of the market for us, but we have not seen them. The market is under Ikosi/Isheri LCDA, Kosofe Local Government.” A shopper, Mrs Toriola Alao, said the market had really improved in terms of cleanliness compared to about three years ago. She said: “Back then, I did not like coming here to buy anything because of the way everywhere looked. But now, it is better. Although we still wear rain boots, C O N T I N U E D on PA G E 4 6

FEATURES

lthough the Lagos State Government is striving to move the state into a mega city state, several areas of the metropolis are not adding up to the picture. While inaugurating a Solid Waste Material Recovery Facility at Alimosho, Governor Babatunde Fashola said Lagos had shed the toga of being one the dirtiest cities in the world. But the governor may not have in mind the condition of those living on Adenekan Street at Ejigbo area of the Lagos metropolis. Fashola even called on the residents of Lagos to generate more waste so that the government would have more waste to recycle. He said: “The whole world is recycling, the whole world is reusing, the whole world is conserving. So nothing really goes to waste in any significant proportion.” But the residents of Adenekan have called on the state government to rescue them from refuse. The people also expressed pains over their inability to go out or come back home, especially when it rains. The reason. Their road is in a deplorable state. It is not motorable and full of mosquitobreeding stagnant water. A landlady on the street, Mrs Adetoun Ojo, expressed bitterness over the condition of the road. She said: “The Ejigbo Local Council Development Area and state government have abandoned the street for years. “Also, there is no drainage, so water from all the houses and the rainwater form black pools on the street. This usually causes sicknesses such as typhoid, malaria and skin diseases. Offensive odour also comes out of the water. I urge the government to come to our rescue.” However, another resident, who craved anonymity, blamed the poor state of the street on the nonchalant attitude of the residents. She said: “The residents often dump refuse inside the stagnant water at night when no one sees them. This has made the stagnant water to become dirty. In the past, the government brought lorry loads of sand to fill it. But that is not we want. We want the government to build a good road for us. “Furthermore, the stagnant water no longer allows motorists to pass through the street to link other places which has affected sales negatively.” Another house owner, who gave his name as Apostle Ogunleye, said there was no landlord association since the death of Adenekan, whom the street was named after. He said: “The condition of the street is like this because house owners do not hold meetings. I am urging the house owners to resuscitate the landlords’ association. They need to embrace unity which will bring progress to the people living on the street.” A worker at the secretariat, who does not want his name mentioned because he was not authorised to talk to journalists, said: “Ejigbo is still an LCDA under the Oshodi/Isolo Local Government which means the allocation for the local government will be divided into three. The allocation we get in Ejigbo is not enough for all we have to do in the LCDA. “Again, the Lagos State road and drainage construction policy does not permit the local government to construct drainage without using slabs. But the local government does not have money for slabs. “The advice I have for the residents of that area is that they should stand up for their own salvation by making plans to construct drainage that will lead to other major drainages in the area. Then they can call on the executive secretary of the council for assistance. By then he will tell

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Lagos community’s battle with bad road, refuse Residents of Adenekan Street in Ejigbo area of Lagos may be left behind in the move to the mega city, writes KEMI OLORUNTOLA

Adenekan Street.

them what the council can do to help.” When contacted on the phone, the Executive Secretary, Mr Jaiye Alabi, said

his administration would soon ameliorate the suffering of people living on Adenekan Street.

PHOTO: KEMI OLORUNTOLA

He said: “We will get to the street. It is just that the rain has started now but we are coming to the street.”

Uniting to transform Mile 12 Market C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 4 5

the market is not dirty and muddy anymore.” The Chairman of the onions’ section, Alhaji Wadata Musa, said: “The rain affects us as our goods are perishable but we have canopies we use in covering them. “For instance, whenever it rains, wind blows away the canopies we use in covering the goods. But we thank God for the intervention of our boys who are usually around to help adjust the canopies. We no longer experience flooding because we have drainages everywhere in the market now.” Speaking about the turnout of customers during raining seasons, Musa said: “People call on phone to book for what they want because they do not want to enter the rain and most people who usually buy close to 10 sacks of onions, would ask for three because they do not want to store most of it. Rain really affects sales. During rainy season, we usually have low income.” The Secretary of the tomatoes’ section, Mr Abdullai Lawal said: “We are not really affected by the rain in this section of the market because there is nothing the rain can spoil.” A trader at the vegetable section, Ismaila Adamu, said he had been trading in the market for close to six years, adding that he would not say government has supported them in maintaining the market. He pointed to the fact that before the roads were paved and drainages constructed, the sight of the market environment was terrible.

Traders at the onions’ section

Adamu noted that many traders and customers could not stand the stench from the refuse in the market. This, according to him, makes many buyers to stay away from the market. He said: “Most time, I used to fall sick due to the untidy environment. You would find faeces and urine in every corner of the market.” Speaking on the security of the market, Adamu said security was a major issue, adding that they faced security challenges every day. He, however, applauded efforts of the market administrators who, according to him, have been on their toes to ensure adequate management of the market, even when the government they pay taxes to “has not made

any meaningful impact”. But a flour seller, Mrs Basirat Akanni, expressed displeasure over what she described as the mismanagement of the market. Akanni noted that on several occasions, she had had to dispose some of her products damaged by flood. She said: “I trade here because I do not have anywhere else to go. The cost and procedure to get another location for such trade are the problem, which is why I have had to cope with what I have. “I have lost goods to flood and also to armed robbers who used to come to the market. I have complained to those in charge of the market, but I have never received a favourable response.”

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015

News 47

SOUTH-EAST

Petroleum marketers accuse NNPC of extortion

Igbeaku Orji Umuahia

faction of the Independent Petroleum Marketers’ Association of Nigeria, (IPMAN), Aba depot, under the aegis of concerned marketers, have decried what they described as extortion and harassment of its members by officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Aba depot and IPMAN executive before loading

products. The marketers, in a release titled “Why we cannot sell the product at government approved price” accused the leadership of IPMAN at the depot of highhandedness, saying that they were taking advantage of the closeness with the state government. They also accused the IPMAN leadership of connivance with some officials of the NNPC at the depot to deprive majority of the marketers from lifting products which, they

claimed, resulted to scarcity of both petrol and kerosene in the SouthEast zone. The release, read in part: “Marketers are made to pay between N200,000 to N400,000 for allocation of PMS, popularly known as petrol and about N1m for DPK known as Kerosene and marketers who dare to ask questions were harassed and intimidated by thugs stationed at the depot”. “This unwholesome practice is perfected

with the connivance of some officials of NNPC, Aba depot and if this is allowed to continue, it will make it extremely difficult for us to sell PMS at the pump price of N87 per litre”. They, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to beam its searchlight on the activities of officials of the NNPC at the depot. The marketers said the shabby and lopsided manner petroleum products were allocated at the depot has made it difficult

L-R: Controller-General of Prisons, Dr. Ezenwa Ekpendu; Secretary, Prisons Officers’ Wives Association (PROWA) Enugu State, Mrs. Francisca Ehushie and Chairperson, Mrs. Anthonia Uchenwa, during Ekpendu’s working visit to Enugu.…yesterday. PHOTO-NAN

for majority of them to get the products. They added that the trend has made them to source for products from outside the state with its attendant add-

ed costs, thereby making it impossible to sell premium motor spirit (PMS) popularly known as petrol at government approved pump price of N87 per litre.

Umahi dismisses claim of probe against Elechi Uchenna Inya ABAKALIKI

bonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi has denied any plan to probe his immediate principal in office, Governor Martin Elechi, just as he assured the 13 Council Caretaker Committee Chairmen and 64 Development Centre Coordinators appointed by the former governor of security of their jobs. The governor, who stated this yesterday at the International Conference Centre, Abakaliki, during an interaction with the Caretaker Committee Chairmen and Development Centre Coordinators, advised them to feel free with his administration, which will accord them the needed support to succeed in their endeavours. He assured that he will not probe his predecessor, saying, ‘’we have no intension of probing the past administration because I

was part of that administration’’. ‘’We stand for the project of Ebonyi State and I will not witch hunt anybody. We will not retaliate whatever wrong we feel we suffered during our struggle to come into power. ‘’I praise you for your loyalty to the past governor and I’m not saying it to patronize you despite the fact that some of you were excessive in your dispositions, but I bear no grudge because you shouldn’t have abandoned the former governor to support me,’’ he said. Umahi called on the council bosses to work hard to improve their internally-generated revenue to achieve the purpose of the creation of the local government areas and development centres. He said “the moment there is no development, the local government system has failed because the idea of creating a local government was to develop the place, provide adequate security and other amenities.’’

I’ll have zero tolerance for Ebonyi tribunal rejects APC’s Ten injured in attack on prayer to inspect poll materials PDP guber candidate corruption, says Umahi Uchenna Inya

Charles Onyekwere ABAKALIKI

overnor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, yesterday declared that his administration will give zero tolerance to corruption and corrupt practices in the state. The governor stated this while swearing-in the new Secretary to the State Government, Head of Service, Chief of Staff and the acting Chairman of the Traditional Ruling Council at the Akanu Ibiam International Conference Centre, Abakaliki. Umahi stated that the fight against corruption was a fight that involves everybody and not to be left for the government alone, adding that if corruption was rooted out of the state, the revenue of the state would increase tremendously and it meant that the people would be better for it. He pointed out that no nation becomes great with corruption, warning that the government would not take it lightly with the

civil servants who abdicate their responsibilities as the government will beam its searchlight on the ministries, parastatals and agencies to know the areas that are overstaffed and habour idle hands. He said such people would be deployed to the agricultural sector. He decried the dirty state of cities and communities within the state, saying, there were needs for the situation to be addressed as he stressed that the state government would not hesitate to borrow money to clear the refuse dump in some parts of the state.

Igbeaku Orji Umuahia

ollowing the election of the former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Uche Okochukwu, as the Deputy Governor, the House yesterday elected the former Deputy Speaker, Alwell Okere to the position of the Speaker of the 5th House. The elevation came seven days to

ABAKALIKI

he election petition tribunal sitting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, yesterday struck out a motion filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ebonyi Central Zone, Vincent Anyigor, praying the tribunal to grant his request to inspect the electoral materials used in the senatorial election held on March 28. He is challenging the declaration of Obinna Ogba of the Peoples Democratic Party as the winner of the election. The tribunal struck out

the motion for not being properly filed. Counsel to Anyigor, Nnamdi Okorie, had prayed the tribunal to grant an order compelling Obinna Ogba and the PDP, the second and third respondents in the petition to make available the photocopies of the materials used in the election. In his argument, counsel to Ogba, Uche Ogulu told the tribunal that neither him nor his client were employees of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to be in possession of electoral materials, urging it to strike-out the motion.

Igbeaku Orji Umuahia

o fewer than ten persons were, at the weekend injured at Mgboko Umuoria in Obingwa local government area of Abia State, when hoodlums numbering over 200 attacked the kinsmen of a former governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Abia State, Chief Friday Nwosu. Nwosu and Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, who both are of Obingwa extraction ran for the governorship

Abia Assembly elects new speaker the expiration of the 5th House. Okere, representing Ukwa East state constituency, took the oath of office administered by the Clerk of the House, Johnpedro Irokansi, during the plenary of the House in line with Section 92 (1) of the 1999 Constitution and also Section 7

of the Rule Book of the House. Hon Emeka Ejiogu, Umuahia North state constituency moved the motion for the change of leadership of the House by filling the position vacated by the former speaker who resigned on May 28, 2015 to become the deputy governor of

Abia State. The change of leadership also affected other principal officers of the House, including the leader of the House, Hon. Chidiebere Nwoke, who moved to occupy the office of Deputy Speaker while the Deputy Leader, Hon. Princewill Onyegbu, moved to become leader.

ticket primary on the platform of the PDP, in which Ikpeazu emerged as the party’s candidate. It was gathered that the hoodlums, who came in seven buses, stormed the former aspirant’s country home in Mgboko Umuoria and attempted to force an entry into the house, but were resisted by the policemen guarding the premises who fired shots in the air. An eye witness said that when the hoodlums retreated from the gate of the residence, they destroyed Nwosu’s campaign billboards along the road and beat up residents of the community, inquiring about the whereabout of the politician. They were quoted as saying, “There cannot be two governors in Abia state. We are going to deal with him”. The source said that the incident attracted the youths of the community who engaged the thugs in a free for all, leaving behind over 10 persons injured.

News

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

SOUTH-SOUTH

Amaechi slams Wike over comments on corruption

he immediate past governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, yesterday berated Governor Nyesom Wike, for his alleged corruption claims against him (Amaechi) and his wife Judith, saying such claims cannot be substantiated. Amaechi also debunked claims by Wike that the seat of power, the Government House, was vandalised and looted by him. He described the governor’s utterances as another cheap smear campaign and ploy to siphon billions of naira from the

treasury under the guise of renovating a ‘vandalised’ and ‘looted’ Government House. His reaction was contained in a statement released on his behalf by his spokesman, David Iyofor. Amaechi said Wike had gone to ‘ridiculous and absurd lengths’ to show his imaginary claim of vandalisation and looting in Government House in his bid to vote billions of naira for renovation of the place. He said: “I am aware that Wike, in company of his coterie of court jesters, took some video cameramen and photog-

raphers on a tour of the governor’s residence inside Government House. He took them to the Governor’s bedroom, where he made further claims that the place had been looted. “The question to ask is; did Wike know what was in my former bedroom before now, to conclude that the bedroom was looted? Did he speak with or review with the Permanent Secretary of Government House, who is the chief accounting officer before jumping into such hasty and misguided conclusion?” the former governor queried. Meanwhile, members

of the Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday elected Hon. Ikuinyi Owaji Ibani, from Andoni constituency as the new speaker of the House and Hon. Marshal StanleyUwom, from Abua/Odual constituency as the new deputy speaker. The election took place shortly after Governor Wike proscribed the 7th assembly and inaugurated the 8th assembly based on the powers conferred on him by section 105 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. The speaker in the 8th assembly was in the dissolved 7th assembly as the Chief

Whip and was among the lawmakers who left Amaechi’s camp for that of Governor Nyesom Wike. Stanley-Uwom was the Commissioner for Housing, when Amaechi governed, but voluntarily resigned and contested the last election on the platform of the PDP. The duo of Ibani and Stanley-Uwom moved into action after their election, administering oaths of office on the rest 30 members of the legislature, including the only All Progressives Congress (APC) member, Hon. Josiah John Olu, from Eleme constituency.

Ijaw leader canvasses support for Okowa Gabriel Choba and Dominic Adewole

prominent Ijaw leader, Chief Beck Hitler, yesterday called on the people of Delta State to support the new administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. Hitler, in a congratulatory message, also appreciated the people of the state for making it possible for Mr. Kingsley Otuaro, an Ijaw son to assume the office of the Deputy Governor. The marine expert noted that Okowa would need the total support and cooperation of all the people to deliver his promises and agenda for the state.

L-R: Managing Director/CEO, Rainbow Town Development Limited (RTDL), Chima Ucheya; Group Head, Retail Banking, South, First Bank, Rosemary Aisegbu; Head of Finance, FBN Holding, Wale Ariyibi and Business Development Manager, FirstBank, Port Harcourt, Charles Osondo, at the inauguration of the completed first phase of Rainbow World Estate in Port Harcourt.

Okowa resumes work, warns sycophants Dominic Adewole ASABA

elta State governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, yesterday resumed office with a prayer session at the Government House Chapel. Okowa, who was accompanied by his wife, Edith, his Deputy, Kingsley Otuaro and other aides, joined in the devotional session by staff of the Directorate of Government House, Asaba. Speaking during the service, Governor Okowa urged the people of Delta to continually pray for the success of his fivepoint agenda, nicknamed “SMART” for the state. The governor, who said a tightened nut can only be loosened by a good wrench, stressed that prayer is the key to the success of his programmes. He also warned sycophants to beware as his administration will not tolerate acts of sycophancy. He said: “Christians and, indeed, all Delta people have a burden to pray every day for the success of the state. Delta State will go places by the grace of God. I want to assure you all that I will always join this devotional service every morning throughout my tenure,” the governor said. He called for the support and understanding of all for the success of his administration.

Uncertainty trails inauguration of power sub-station Police intensify manhunt for 12 robbery suspects Dominic Adewole ASABA

he botched inauguration of the AsabaIbusa 330/132/33Kv sub-station in Delta State by former President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday triggered off anxiety in the state. In the last six months, the date for the inauguration of the project had been shifted thrice with accusing fingers pointed at the former President, who awarded the contract. Attempt to commission

the project before February 14, the first presidential election date, failed because the election was postponed for security reasons. Also, the new date, which was before March 28 presidential election, failed because the contracting firm handling the project could not meet up with the deadline. Major stakeholders and residents of Ibusa and Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area of the state, especially Ogwashi-Uku in Aniocha South council area, a

town without light in the last 12 years, have now demanded for the true position of the project instead of keeping them in suspense. The sub-station was billed to service Asaba metropolis and its environs, including towns in the neighbouring states. All entreaties by the Site Engineer, Odinaka Amaobi, who hinged the botched latest date (Tuesday, May 26) on the lingering fuel crisis rocking the country, fell on deaf ears as the residents described the excuse as ‘flimsy.’

The potential beneficiaries threatened never to listen to his appeal for “continued show of understanding,” but petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari over the perceived substandard work going on at the project site. The representative of the people, Chief Lawrence Okolobi, who said the state and Federal Governments have not been fair to the people of the kingdom, wondered why the inauguration was shifted thrice until the end of the tenure of the former president.

Emmanuel declares three-day fasting in Akwa A

kwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel, has declared a three-day fasting period for the people to pray for peace and good governance. Emmanuel gave the directive on Sunday during a thanksgiving and re-dedication service in the state.

He said during the sevice: “I will be with you, as I was with Moses (Joshua 1:5). “Let us love one another and let us share God’s goodness with each other irrespective of ethnic group or religion or political affiliation. We must remain worthy of God’s love, for as God releases his love to us,

we must also release same to all of humanity.” Speaking on the purpose of the thanksgiving service, Emmanuel remarked; “The good people of Akwa Ibom entered into a covenant with my humble self and graciously invested in my mortal hands the responsibilities of the office

of the governor of our dear state. “Fully cognisant of the enormous responsibilities of the said office and the high expectations of the good people of our dear state, we are gathered today to surrender the instruments of leadership of this state to the Almighty God.”

Dominic Adewole ASABA

en of the Delta State police command yesterday spread out their dragnet against 12 fleeing robbery suspects that have been terrorising the state. The suspects evaded arrest after their gang members engaged detectives from the command in shootouts at different locations in the state. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Celestina Kalu, in Asaba yesterday listed the fleeing suspects to include the four-man bandits that abandoned their car at Eboh Link Road, Warri, when they were being chased by men of ‘B’ Division of the police before one automatic pump-action gun with seven live cartridges were recovered from them.

Kalu said the command has since been on the trail of the fleeing gang members that operated along Ajaminogha Road in Warri in a Passat Wagon car with registration number KLK 484 AA and a Toyota Carina E with registration number ABH 567 AA, but escaped the hot chase by the police around the popular Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) Junction in Effurun. According to her, the three-man gang that opened fire on the crack team that trailed them to their hideout in an uncompleted building from their Primera car, with registration number CL 970 APP, after robbing one Chuwudi Chekwe, of his Toyota Camry car, with registration number DD 448 APP and N30, 000.00 cash, along Enerhen Motel, by Wind Rose Street, Warri, are also on the manhunt list.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015

News 49

NORTH

Gunmen assassinate Benue PDP youth leader

NYSC sends team to probe corps member’s death

Cephas Iorhemen

Makurdi

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) youth leader in Lessel, Ushongo Local Government area of Benue State, was yesterday assassinat-

ed by gunmen. The assailants, numbering more than four, New Telegraph gathered, stormed the home of the PDP chieftain in the wee hours of the day and started shooting sporadically to scare away residents. Eyewitness account

said the youth leader, whose name was given as Hon. Ternenge Gbuuga, was shot and killed on the spot before the gunmen took to their heels. The Benue State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Austin Ezeani, who confirmed the attack,

said the four gunmen stormed the home of the deceased in early hours of yesterday and shot him at close range. Ezeani said no arrest has been made yet, but added that investigation into the murder has already commenced.

L-R: Jigawa State Governor, Muhammed Badaru Abubakar; Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and other members of the House, after a visit to Governor Abubakar in Dutse …at the weekend

Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

team of officials from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) investigating the controversial death of a corps member serving in Kwara State, Miss Yetunde Shukrah Idowu, arrived in Ilorin, the state capital yesterday. The head of the delegation and NYSC Director of Corps Welfare and Inspectorate, Mr. Michael Ahile, said the service wants to impress it strongly on all security stakeholders the need to unravel the mystery surrounding the death of Yetunde. The team met with the Director of State Service, the police and the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari. The traditional ruler, who was represented by the Mogaji Aare, Alhaji Aremu Zubair, promised to act on the issue, describing it as unfortunate and alien to the cultural heritage of Ilorin. Ahile said at the palace: “The NYSC management received the

news of the death of Miss Yetunde Shukrah Idowu with a heavy heart, particularly the circumstances surrounding her death. So, the Director-General of the NYSC delegated us to come down to Kwara State to discuss with the security agencies and the traditional institution here to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death of this corps member. “The NYSC places importance on the welfare of corps members and when things like this happen, particularly when they bother on death, the NYSC does not take it lying low and that is why we are here in Ilorin to see all the security agencies and the traditional institution that they would use their good offices to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death of this corps member. “As you know very well that corps members are on national assignment and it is the responsibility of all of us to protect them, particularly the security agencies and the traditional institution and the host communities.

Masari identifies causes of insurgency New SSG, CoS appointed in Niger Ibraheem Musa Kaduna

atsina State governor, Aminu Bello Masari, has linked the prevalence of criminal activities and the insurgency in the North-East to poverty and lack of education among the youth. The governor, who spoke yesterday in Funtua at a reception organised in his honour by the Class of 1964 of his alma mata, Government College, Funtua, added that only a functional educational system would provide the youth the opportunity to be responsible, responsive and reliable. In a statement made

available to New Telegraph yesterday, Masari said Katsina State will continue to trail behind its peers if the terrible state of education is not quickly addressed, adding that “no society can develop above the level of its education.” Lamenting the level of the decay in the education sector, Governor Masari said the efforts of rehabilitating the sector is enormous, but that it is “by no means insurmountable provided there is the right attitude from the drivers of state policy and all relevant stakeholders.” The governor also noted that the rot in the education sector was replicated in all the other sub-sectors of the

national economy, citing the lack of health facilities and potable water as proof of the near collapse of the super structure in the country. Masari warned that there would be no automatic ticket for anybody aspiring for any elective office under the administration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, declaring that anybody who wants to contest election must seek the mandate of the people. He said: “From the office of councillor up to that of the governor, there must be primary election in the APC even if the son of Aminu Bello Masari is involved,” adding that imposition of candidates will never be condoned in the party.

Family seeks release of detained Kogi lecturer Musa Pam Jos

he family of detained Kogi State University lecturer, Dr. Nazif Yunus, yesterday appealed to the Federal Government to free their son. The family made the call yesterday in a press release tagged; “In the interest of justice we demand the release of Dr. Nazif Yunus,” issued

in Jos by his first wife, Sa’adatu Yunus, on behalf of the entire family. She said: “It has become imperative for us as wives, children and the entire family members of the detained Dr. Nazif Yunus, to speak and re-echo our injured, bleeding heartfelt position on the detention of our son, husband and father, to seek for justice and freedom for our head of family, as we do that by appealing for his

immediate release.” Sa’adatu said it is almost two years now since their head of family has been “mercilessly taken away unjustifiably from us,” by the State Security Services (SSS), Plateau State Command, on the 29th of October, 2013 and was later transferred to the Department of State Security Service (DSS), Abuja and had since then been made to live in captivity.

Dan Atori MINNA

he Niger State governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, has appointed Alhaji Shehu Umar Danyaya, a retired civil servant, as the Secretary to the State Government (SSG). Others appointed were Hon. Mikhail Al-Amin Bmitosahi, a former member of the House of Representatives, as the Chief of Staff while Dr. Ibraheem Dooba, a teacher and a columnist with

the Daily Trust, as the Chief Press Secretary to the governor. Consequently, Haruna Mamman Vatsa was appointed the Director of Protocol and Yusuf Waili as the Senior Special Assistant, timekeeping and schedule. The new SSG has spent many years in the public sector both in Niger State and Abuja while the new Chief of Staff was the Campaign Director-General for Governor Abubakar Sani Bello; Dr. Ibraheem Dooba, on the other hand, worked as a mem-

ber of the media team during the campaign. Meanwhile, the Taraba State Governor, Darius Dickson Ishaku, has approved the appointments of Alhaji Hassan Mijinyawa and Mr. Sylvanus Giwa, as his Chief Press Secretary and Senior Special Assistant on Media Publicity, respectively. A statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Chief Gebon T. Kataps, which was yesterday made available to journalists, said the appointments take immediate effect.

Buhari urged to unite Nigerians Hassan Jirgi Damaturu

member of the Zonal Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe State, Alhaji Ibrahim Adamu Guragusku, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to unite the country irrespective of religion, ethnic and political differences and affiliation. Speaking with New Telegraph in Potiskum Local Government of Yobe State, Guragusku wished the President well

in his efforts at piloting the affairs of the country, urging him to see his victory as an act of God, who gives power to whosoever he wishes.

He urged him to be magnanimous in victory because he has now become a democratic President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

WORLD | News

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Mauritius designates first woman president

he government of Mauritius yesterday designated Ameenah Gurib-Fakim as the Indian Ocean island nation's new president, making her the first woman to hold the ceremonial position. The appointment of Gurib-Fakim, an internationally renowned scientist and biologist, is subject to parliament approval, due to take place on Thursday. The opposition has said it will support her appointment, making the vote a mere formality. Her inauguration is expected to take place on Friday, officials

said. Gurib-Fakim, 56, will be the first female president of the island, which gained independence from Britain in 1968 and replaced Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state in 1992. Former president Kailash Purryag, who had been put in place by the previous government, stepped down as the island's figurehead on Friday. He had served as president since July 2012, when he was appointed by the island's previous Labour party government of former premier Navin Ramgoolam. Labour's winning campaign was based on a platform of deliver-

ing constitutional reform notably with a divisive proposal to strengthen presidential powers. Ramgoolam himself had hoped to eventually run for the new, strengthened position. Since his election defeat Purryag has been seen as an unwanted figurehead, while Ramgoolam has been embroiled in corruption allegations that have shocked the country. Mauritius is one of the richest and least corrupt countries in Africa, a middle income country of some 1.3 million people with a per capita GDP of just over $9,000 (7,200 euros). Once dependent on sugar exports, the island has

built up a strong outsourcing and financial services sector, and an important tourism industry. Gurib-Fakim is currently director of the Mauritiusheadquartered Centre for Phytotherapy Research (CEPHYR), which carries out research on plants for use in cosmetics, nutrition and therapy. An alumni of the universities of Exeter and Surrey in Britain, she is also the chair of organic chemistry at Mauritius University, and has worked with the World Bank and other international institutions. "I will continue to work in science but in a different way,"

Gurib-Fakim

she told reporters following her nomination by the government.

Egypt seizes 64m smuggled cigarette packs

An estimated three million people in Iraq, such as these residents from Ramadi, have been forced to flee their homes since the start of an offensive by islamic State militants.

UNICEF launches $500 million appeal for Iraq

umanitarian organisations are preparing to launch a fundraising appeal for $500 million (454 million euros) for the crisis created by the Islamic State group in Iraq, UNICEF said yesterday. The announcement came a day ahead of a meeting in Paris of the US led coalition of countries working to defeat the jihadist group in Iraq and Syria. "The humanitarian situation in Iraq is close to disaster! We urgently need

extra resources," Philippe Heffinck, UNICEF's representative in Iraq, said in a statement in French. "500 million is really the bare minimum. We're cutting it down to the bare bone," he added in later comments to AFP. According to the UN children's agency, eight million Iraqis are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, in particular the roughly three million people who have been forced to flee their homes since the start

KFC sues Chinese companies for online rumours about its food

estaurant operator KFC said yesterday it filed a lawsuit against three companies in China whose social media accounts spread false claims about its food, including that its chickens have eight legs. The case filed by China's biggest restaurant operator comes as the government intensifies a campaign to clean up rumors on social media. Internet marketers have been convicted of trying to manipulate online sentiment on behalf of clients by posting false information about competitors or deleting critical posts. In an announcement posted on its Chinese website, KFC said one of the best known fake rumors was that chickens used by the company are genetically modified and have six wings and eight legs.

KFC is demanding 1.5 million yuan ($242,000) and an apology from each of three companies that operated accounts on the popular mobile phone app WeChat. It is also seeking an immediate stop to their infringements. Shanghai Xuhui District People's Court has accepted the case, according to a press officer who would only give her surname, Wu. KFC's China CEO Qu Cuirong said in a statement that it was hard for companies to protect their brands against rumors because of the difficulties in collecting evidence. "But the stepped-up efforts by the government in recent years to purify the online environment, as well as some judicial interpretations, have offered us confidence and weapons," she said.

of the IS offensive in June 2014. "We expect that this will increase by one million more by the end of the year," predicted Heffinck. Access, however, has been hampered by the fighting and a lack of funding is now even threatening such humanitarian assistance as has been possible, UNICEF said. As a result, all those organisations currently operating in Iraq will in Brussels on Thursday launch "a fundraising appeal for nearly $500 million to cover relief operations over the next six months", the agency added. "We hope that all the countries, western and neighbouring, will respond. The situation is too desperate," stressed Heffinck. "If we don't do it now, we are going to have a major disaster that will cost much more to the international community," he added. The US led coalition of some 60 nations was formed last year after IS went on a rampage across Iraq and Syria, seizing key territory and declaring a caliphate. Ministers from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are expected to be among 24 participants attending the anti-IS coalition meeting in Paris. The main focus of the meeting will be the situation in Iraq, where IS seized the city of Ramadi two weeks ago in the biggest blow to the coalition since it began bombarding jihadist positions in August.

gypt said yesterday it seized more than 64 million packs of smuggled cigarettes in May, of which over two million were counterfeit. The customs authorities at Port Said confiscated about 56 million packs before they could enter the country, the interior ministry said. At the same port, 5.9 million packs that were being shipped from the United Arab Emirates to Ukraine were also seized. At the Red Sea port of Ein Sokhna, about 1.1 million counterfeit packs were found before they could enter Egypt. Another one million counterfeit

packs were confiscated by the police at the Suez canal. The World Health Organization says tobacco control is a major challenge in Egypt, with about 25 percent of adults using tobacco products and 50 percent of Egyptians exposed to secondhand smoke in their own homes. There is an increasing uptake of tobacco among young women, and an overall rise in the use of water pipes, it says. The market share of illicit cigarettes in Egypt rose from two percent in 2009 to 19 percent in 2013, the WHO said in a report last year.

Japanese PM, Abe, apologises for heckling opposition lawmaker

apan’s parliamentary session opened yesterday with an unusual apology from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over his heckling. Abe apologized for yelling at an opposition lawmaker during her question last week about defense legislation. “I apologize once again over my remark, and I will humbly deal with the situation from now on,” Abe said at the lower house committee on the peace and security legislation. Abe intervened last week when Democratic Party of Japan member Kiyomi Tsujimoto was taking several minutes to ask if the legislation could increase the risk of casualties for Japanese defense troops. “Come on, just ask a question!” Abe heckled from his seat, temporarily stalling the session as Tsujimoto paused,

stared at him and protested. Tsujimoto later wrote in her blog that Abe’s heckling was not just an insult to her but underscored his lack of understanding about the basic principles of democracy. Abe said her long question was taking away from his time to respond, then reluctantly apologized, but faced further criticism from both opposition and ruling parties. Yesterday, the committee chairman Yasukazu Hamada urged Abe and other Cabinet ministers to “refrain from making unnecessary remarks,” particularly as the public is paying close attention to the discussion. Last Wednesday, the day before his outburst, Abe slammed heckling from opposition lawmakers who alleged his responses were too long and redundant.

Dutch king, queen begin US visit

resident Barack Obama praised the Netherlands as among America's "oldest and most precious allies" as he welcomed the Dutch king and queen to the White House yesterday. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima are on their first US visit since ascending to the throne two years ago. Obama says they spoke about the two nations' cooperation on issues including Ukraine, fighting Is-

lamic State militants in Iraq, and global health concerns such as Ebola. Earlier, the royals placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery and thanked World War II veterans for the liberation of the Netherlands.Their plans include a baseball game yesterday’s night Washington plays Toronto before visiting Grand Rapids, Michigan, today and continuing to Chicago.

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY JUNE 2, 2015

Sport News

International Sport

Adamu returns as CAF snubs Inyama, Green

Marchisio: No fear ahead of Barcelona clash

U-20 World Cup

Korea coach to prepare ‘meticulously’ for Eagles

Interview

Sport Ifeanyi Ibeh

lying Eagles coach, Manu Garba, has expressed disappointment over his side’s loss to Brazil but is confident the reigning African champions will make it to the knockout rounds of the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. The Flying Eagles lost 4-2 to Brazil in the early hours of Monday (Nigerian time) in a dramatic and hugely entertaining game at New Plymouth’s Taranaki Stadium. The Brazilians came from 2-1 down to emerge victorious, and Manu said: “It’s a huge disappointment. We carved out the better chances in the first half and we should have led at the break. The first 45 minutes reflected what we’re capable of. We simply made two mistakes that cost us dearly in the second period. “All in all, we played our part in a really great match and I’d like to congratulate Brazil on their victory; they’re a very good team.” Five-time U-20 World Cup winners, Brazil, went ahead after four minutes through Gabriel Jesus, but seven minutes later, following an outrageous Musa Yahaya through ball, Isaac Success drew the Flying Eagles back on level terms. And on 28 minutes, Tottenham Hotspurs youngster, Yahaya, put Nigeria ahead with an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box.

Adekunle Salami

Did you know? That Alexis Sánchez is the second Chilean to score in an English FA Cup final, the first was George Robledo for Newcastle against Arsenal in 1952

But all went wrong for the Flying Eagles thereafter as the Brazilians pulled back on level terms before the end of the half and scored two additional goals in the second half following two goalkeeping errors from the Joshua Enaholo. First, Boschilia, just before the hour-mark, rammed a low 25-yard shot that swerved wildly before clipping the inside of the post on its way in. Then a calamitous error by Enaholo gifted Brazil the points, with the goalkeeper allowing the ball to squirm through his legs and enabling Judivan to smash the home from a few centimetres out. “It was a very disappointing result but I never expected us to lose so woefully to Brazil,” continued Manu. “Two of the goals were goalkeeping errors and should not happen in such a competition like the World Cup. Even their second goal to draw the game level at 2-2 should not have been allowed by the defenders. “We made a lot of mistakes in this game. But we will win our next two games to be back in contention in this tournament.” Those upcoming games will be against North Korea, on Thursday morning, and

• Coach to change tactics against Korea • Iheanacho may start from the bench

Taiwo Awoniyi of Nigeria and Lucao of Brazil battle for the ball

French Open: Federer, Serena in, Sharapova out

Group Sport Editor

Emmanuel Tobi Assistant Editor, Sport

Ifeanyi Ibeh Sport Correspondent

Ajibade Olusesan Sport Correspondent

Charles Ogundiya Sport Correspondent

Playing at Women’s World Cup very difficult –Sasic

Flying Eagles will bounce back –Manu

CONTINUED ON PAGE 54

The Sport Team

Serena

oger Federer and Serena Williams reached the French Open quarterfinals after completing a win over Gael Monfils and Sloane Stephens respectively on Monday. Federer, 33, won 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-1 to set up a last-eight tie with fellow Swiss and Davis Cup teammate Stan Wawrinka. Federer’s fourth-round match with Frenchman Monfils was suspended for bad light late on Sunday with the tie evenly poised at one set all.

Women’s top seed Williams also beat fellow American Stephens in three sets to win through to the quarterfinals. Just as in each of the previous two rounds, Williams lost the opening set before recovering to win the last-16 encounter 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 and set up a meeting with Italy’s 17th seed Sara Errani for a place in the semifinals. Meanwhile, defending champion Maria Sharapova was sent packing, losing in straight sets to Lucie Safa-

rova of the Czech Republic. Safarova, the 13th seed, won 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 to progress to a first ever quarterfinal at Roland Garros, where she will face Garbine Muguruza after the Spaniard saw off Flavia Pennetta. Also through to the quarterfinals was Andy Murray, who held his nerve to beat France’s Jeremy Chardy and reach his fifth French Open quarterfinal. Murray, 28, has now won all 14 clay court matches he has played in 2015.

Sport

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Adamu returns as CAF snubs Inyama, Green Charles Ogundiya

ormer CAF and FIFA Executive Committee member, Dr. Amos Adamu, has returned to CAF as a member of the organising committee for the Africa Cup of Nations. The former Director General of the National Sports Commission was banned for three years by FIFA’s ethics committee in 2010, with the ban ending two years ago. CAF released the list of the CAF Standing Committees and Legal Bodies for the 2015-2017 cycle following the approval of the CAF Executive Committee at its meeting on Tuesday, May 26, in Zurich, Switzerland. Named also in the AFCON organising committee was the president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick. Former NFF president, Aminu Maigari, was named as a member of the organising committee for the African Nations Championship. Immediate past DG of NSC,

Adamu

Gbenga Elegbeleye, was named in the Disciplinary Board while former NFF chairman, Dominic Oneya, will serve in the organising committee for the interclub competitions as a member. Ahmed Fresh, Sani Lulu, Aisha Falode and Amanze Uchegbulam retained their portfolio in their previous committees. Meanwhile, Nigeria National League Chairman, Emeka Inyama, and a member of the NFF, Chris Green, have been dropped from the CAF executive committees.

Access Bank Donates N10m to UNICEF • As Polo tourney ends in Kaduna Emmanuel Tobi

ccess Bank Plc has reiterated its commitment with a presentation of N10 million donations to UNICEF as the Access Bank UNICEF Charity Shield International Polo Tournament came to a climax over the weekend. The donation was presented at the Fifth Chukker Polo & Country Club in Kaduna on Sunday by the Executive Director, Personal Banking, Access Bank, Victor Etuokwu, to support UNICEF’s campaign against HIV/ AIDS pandemic among Nigerian children.

Etuokwu who led other top officials of Access Bank to the grand finale said, “We have been working in Kaduna, in collaboration with UNICEF to elevate quality of lives. We need to do a lot more in support of these orphans and vulnerable children to enable them look forward to a better tomorrow.” UNICEF Country Representative, Jean Gough who received the donation, thanked Access Bank for the assistance, pointing out that through the donation, UNICEF would be able to provide care and support services to orphans and vulnerable children in focus areas of Kaduna State.

The cheque presentation which was witnessed by the Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Bala Bantex, was the major highlight of the closing ceremony which followed on the heels of the final game of the event in which Access Bank Fifth Chukker defeated Titan Lintex 8-6 in the final game, to win their fourth Charity Shield title. Proceeds and other donations during the international polo event, which is in eighth year of Access Bank Plc sponsorship, is channeled into supporting UNICEF campaign against HIV/AIDS among Nigerian children.

Police confirm arrest of Fashanu • Ex-Wimbledon star denies possession of illegal gun Emmanuel Onani Abuja

he Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, has confirmed the arrest of Mr. John Fashanu, for alleged illegal possession of firearms. Confirming the arrest of the former international footballer to New Telegraph yesterday (Monday) in Abuja, the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, an Acting Commissioner of Police, said Fashasu was arrested by the police, and that investigation into the matter, had commenced. “Yes, we are working on that; he is being inves-

tigated,” Ojukwu said. When asked if Fashanu was actually arrested, the FPRO answered, “Yes, he was arrested, of course.” Meanwhile, the exWimbledon striker and Gladiators host claims his estranged wife informed the authorities about the gun in an act of spite as they contest an unsavory divorce battle. Officers also seized five passports in the raid at Fashanu’s mansion in Abuja, although he insists they belong to young members of the Amakson Soccer Academy, of which he is chief consultant and ambassador. Speaking to the Mirror, he said: “I was not arrest-

ed. I went to the police station voluntarily. I’ll go back tomorrow morning to the police station. I expect to pay a fine. It was an old fashioned firearm. I don’t actually know what model it is, it’s like a stub gun. “The gun should have been licensed. I made a mistake and I hold my hands up to that.”

Fashanu

Musa (right)in action for CSKA Moscow

Musa signs new four-year CSKA deal Emmanuel Tobi

uper Eagles striker, Ahmed Musa, has extended his contract with Russian league champions, CSKA, after signing a new agreement with Red-Blues until the end of the 2018/19season. Musa joined PFC

CSKA in 2012 and has played 124 matches for the team scoring 36 goals. According to the club’s General Director, Roman Babaev, “Negotiations went very smoothly,” he told pfccska.com. “During the talks we were concentrating on technical details, as Mu-

sa’s intention to continue performing in Red-Blues shirt was obvious from the first day. We are delighted that Ahmed prolonged his contract with the club,” Babaev added. Since joining the club, Musa, has won two Russian League titles, one Russian Cup and two Russian Super Cups.

Bassey lauds Udom over Akpabio International Stadium

or his magnanimity and largeness of heart in naming the Akwa Ibom International Stadium after his predecessor in office, Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom State has received the commendation of renowned sports administrator, Paul Bassey. “You can therefore imagine my joy when His Excellency Governor Udom Emmanuel decided to ‘pay him back’ by naming the architectural delight after his predecessor, Godwill

Akpabio.” “Now that Governor Udom Emmanuel has started on a sports foundation, we are set for a sports revolution that will put the name of the state in the sports map of Nigeria, even the world. I urge Governor Udom to initiate sports programmes that will maximise the use of the structures and state of the art equipment in the Godswill Akpabio Stadium” Mr Bassey said. He contended that a state cannot have such a

facility and fail to use it for continental and international engagements. “The newly instituted Normalisation Committee of the Akwa Ibom Football Association must deliver an environment that will bring football back to life in Akwa Ibom, while the state Athletics Association must build on the foundation laid by the AKS/NNPC/ MPN Schools Atheletics Championships to be able to nurture talents to the advantage of Akwa Ibom,” he added.

Emirates becomes FA Cup new sponsor

mirates, a global connector of people and passions, and The English Football Association, have announced that the airline will become the Lead Partner of The FA Cup, to be known as The Emirates FA Cup, from next season until 2018. With over 700 clubs entering the competition since it began in August, The FA Cup continues to touch all parts of the world’s favourite sport, with its distributions being critical to the lifeblood of non-league, amateur and grassroots football in England. Emirates is a longstanding supporter of football with partnerships

across Europe including AC Milan, Real Madrid, Olympiacos FC, Hamburger SV, Benfica, Paris SaintGermain and Arsenal. Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline said: “Football is a truly global sport, a unifying factor in many communities and nations across the world. Never is this more evident than with The FA Cup, which has an unrivalled heritage and draws a global audience of more than 1.1 billion people. That is why we are proud to be the first title sponsor of the tournament and we look forward to a long-term partnership to support and connect fans to their teams both here in the UK

and across the world.” Greg Dyke, Chairman of The FA said: “Emirates’ commitment to our sport is evident and securing such an iconic and forward-thinking lead partner for The FA Cup is great news for us, the fans and for the whole game. The partnership will help take the tournament to new audiences, inspire interest in football from across the globe and allow us to continue our investment into the game at all levels.” Next season’s FA Cup kicks off on August 15, with Extra-Preliminary rounds and culminates in a showpiece final at Wembley on Saturday May 21, 2016.

International Sport

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY JUNE 2, 2015

Marchisio: No fear ahead of Barcelona clash

laudio Marchisio insists Juventus go into the UEFA Champions League final with no fear despite facing an inform Barcelona in Berlin. Both sides have wrapped up domestic doubles heading into this weekend’s showpiece final, with Barcelona’s superstar front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar looking in ominious form as they beat Athletic Bilbao to lift the Copa del Rey on Saturday. A stunning Messi run and finish provided the highlight of a 3-1 Barca win, but Marchisio is confident Ju-

ventus can hold their own. “We’re happy because if we look at the start of the season no one was betting on us to reach the final,” Marchisio said in a news conference on Monday. “We’re enjoying the week but focusing and preparing hard because we’re facing a great team. “We have to be focused, [we are] facing a great team with three great strikers, [they have scored] 120 goals we know their potential, but we work hard, we have motivation and have to think about preparing hard for the match.

“We have expectations and want to show our best potential, while respecting a great squad like Barcelona - but we do not fear them.” Carlos Tevez is likely to be key if Juventus are to lift the title for a third time, and Marchisio has nothing but praise for the Argentine forward. He added: “What can we say about Carlos? Since he came here he has been exceptional. “He had been presented in many wrong ways, many thought he’s a player that creates problems but he was really humble.”

I’m taking a break from coaching – Klopp

urgen Klopp has confirmed he plans to take a break from coaching having left his post with Borussia Dortmund. Klopp’s seven-year spell at Signal Iduna Park came to an end on Sunday as his side suffered a 3-1 defeat in the DFBPokal final to Wolfsburg. The 47-year-old had been linked with a potential move to replace Brendan Rodgers as Liverpool manager, while Germany icon Franz Beckenbauer has earmarked him as the ideal successor to Rafael Benitez at Napoli. But the former Mainz

Marchisio

‘Lazio deserve Champions League football’

Pioli

season is the Coppa Italia final defeat to Juventus. The team is perhaps not quite able to handle two big games in four days yet. “We are only at the beginning. This year we laid the foundations for something important in the future.”

Klopp

Benitez as Carlo Ancelotti’s successor later this week.

Benitez: I can’t wait to get to Madrid

afa Benitez has broken his silence on his imminent move to Real Madrid, revealing he “can’t wait to be there”. The 55-year-old left Napoli this morning and headed to the Spanish capital to finalise his appointment as Carlo Ancelotti’s successor at the Bernabeu. Benitez flew to Madrid via a private jet sent by the club and is set to sign his contract on Monday before

tefano Pioli says Lazio deserve to be back in Europe’s top-tier competition after his team qualified for the Champions League on Sunday. The Biancocelesti pipped Napoli to third place after winning their final day Serie A clash 4-2 in Naples. Sunday’s victory saw Lazio finish third, six points clear of Napoli, who dropped to fifth in the standings. “I always said my team was special, a side with high moral values,” Pioli told Sport Mediaset. “We did everything to make life difficult for ourselves, but we do deserve to be in this position. “The only regret this

boss says he has no plans to walk straight into another role after bringing his Dortmund spell to an end. “I will take a break until further notice,” he said. “After seven intense and emotional years of “Real Love” [Dortmund’s slogan], I consider it sensible to process all these memories until I’m fresh and full of motivation to take on a new task, together with my team.” Early reports had suggested Klopp could also be in the running for the Real Madrid job, but the Santiago Bernabeu side is poised to appoint

being officially presented to the media on Wednesday. “I am ready,” Benitez told AS as he left for Spain. “I can’t wait to be there.” Upon arrival in Madrid Benitez said he was “excited and happy”, before answering in the affirmative when asked whether the “dream starts now.” His stay at Napoli came to a disappointing end on Sunday night after a home

defeat to Lazio ended their hopes of Champions League qualification. Benitez joined the Partenopei in 2013, leading them to the Coppa Italia and a third-placed finish in his first season in charge. The former Liverpool boss spent most of his playing career with Real Madrid’s B team before going on to coach at every level of the club, excluding the first team.

F1 drivers make too much money – Mosley

ormer FIA president Max Mosley believes F1 drivers are being paid too much. Mosley, the former president of Formula One’s governing body, told GQ Magazine that salaries for the sport’s elite drivers are “absurd.” These comments come just days after Mercedes-AMG’s Lewis Hamilton put pen to pa-

per on a three-year contract worth an estimated $160 million. At the same time, Formula One’s less affluent teams such are struggling to stave off bankruptcy. According to ESPN, Mosley explained to GQ that there would be a hard budget cap in place if he were in charge of the racing series.

Hamilton

Monaco confirm Berbatov departure

M Dimitar Berbatov (middle) in action for Monaco

onaco have confirmed that striker Dimitar Berbatov has left the club. The Bulgarian forward moved to Stade Louis II from Fulham in January 2014 and he scored 13 goals in 38 Ligue 1 appearances. Berbatov, though, will not be extending his stay, with

Monaco after releasing a statement on Monday praising the 34-year-old for his “character, his professionalism and his great talent”. Monaco president Vadim Vasilyev added: “He is clearly among the greatest strikers who have played for Monaco. We are proud of what he brought to the club and wish

him the best in the future.” The former Tottenham and Manchester United striker has been linked with a return to the Premier League with newly promoted Bournemouth. Monaco also confirmed that Maarten Stekelenburg would return to Fulham following the end of his loan deal.

Sport

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

FIFA U-20 World Cup

STANDINGS GROUP A

MP W

GA +/-

Pts

USA

New Zealand 1

Ukraine

Myanmar

-1

Argentina

Panama

Ifeanyi Ibeh

Austria

lying Eagles assistant coach, Nduka Ugbade, believes a lack of discipline on the part of the Nigerian players was responsible for Monday morning’s embarrassing 4-2 loss to Brazil in both side’s opening game of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. The Brazilians came from 2-1 down to defeat the reigning African champions and a frustrated Ugbade said: “It was a very bad result. I never expected that it was going to be like that. It’s not a match we should have lost. “We created several chances but could not maximise the opportunities and got punished. I believe a lot of things went wrong in the clash.” He added: “Discipline is key for any endeavour and we didn’t see more of it especially in the second half of the match. “The players appeared to lose concentration in the second half, a performance that suggested they were afraid of their opponents.” Up next for the Flying Eagles are games against North Korea and Hungary. And Ugbade said: “Right now we are condemned to beat Korea and Hungary to amass six points that will see us progress to the next round of the championship.” Hungary defeated North Korea 5-1 on Monday and another loss for the Koreans on Thursday will end their chances of progressing to the knockout rounds.

Ghana

Portugal

Colombia

Qatar

-1

Senegal

-3

Mali

Uruguay

Serbia

-1

Musa Yahaya of Nigeria hitting the ball to score the second goal

Mexico

-2

Korea coach to prepare ‘meticulously’ for F’Eagles

GROUP E Hungary

Brazil

Nigeria

-2

Korea DPR

-4

Germany

Honduras

Uzbekistan

-1

Fiji

-7

F’Eagles lacked discipline, says Ugbade

GROUP

DATES

GROUP C

GROUP D

Ifeanyi Ibeh

oach of the North Korean U-20 side, An Ye-Gun, has stated that his side will be better prepared when they come up against Nigeria’s Flying Eagles on Thursday. The North Koreans were on the receiving end of a 5-1 walloping at the hands of Hungary on Monday, a result that left them bottom of Group E. Their next game comes up against a Flying Eagles that will be desirous of victory after going down 4-2 to Brazil in their World Cup opener. Ye-Gun does not want to leave anything to chance when his side comes up against the reigning African champions. “We did everything wrong [against Hungary],” FIFA.com quoted the North Korean coach as saying. “Now we have to go right back to the draw-

MATCHES

RESULTS/TIME

Group A

Saturday 30 May New Zealand v Ukraine

0-0

Group A

Saturday 30 May USA v Myanmar

2-1

Group B

Saturday 30 May Argentina v Panama

2-2

Group B

Saturday 30 May Ghana v Austria

1-1

Group C

Sunday 31 May

Qatar v Colombia

0-1

Group D Sunday 31 May

Mexico v Mali

0-2

Group C

Sunday 31 May

Portugal v Senegal

3-0

Group D Sunday 31 May

Uruguay v Serbia

1-0

Group E

Monday 01 June

Nigeria v Brazil

2-4

Group F

Monday 01 June

Germany v Fiji

8-1

Group E

Monday 01 June

Korea DPR v Hungary

1-5

Group F

Monday 01 June

Uzbekistan v Honduras 3-4

Group A

Tuesday 02June

Myanmar v Ukraine

Group B

Tuesday 02June

Austria v Panama

Group A

Tuesday 02June

New Zealand v USA

Group B

Tuesday 02June

Argentina v Ghana

Group C

Wed 03 June

Qatar v Portugal

5am

Group D Wed 03 June

Mexico v Uruguay

5am

Group C

Senegal v Colombia

8am

Group D Wed 03 June

Serbia v Mali

8am

Group E

Thurs 04 June

Nigeria v Korea DPR

5am

Group F

Thurs 04 June

Honduras v Fiji

5am

Group E

Thurs 04 June

Hungary v Brazil

8am

Group F

Thurs 04 June

Germany v Uzbekistan

8am

Wed 03 June

GROUP B

ing board and prepare meticulously for the next match [against Nigeria].” The North Korean coach also spoke glowingly about the Hungarians, who proved too strong for his side. “We didn’t know that much about our opponents, but the scoreline speaks volumes for their quality: Hungary are an excellent team,” he added.

GROUP F

‘F’Eagles will bounce back’ CONT INU E D FROM PAGE 51

An Ye-Gun

Enaholo blames wet ball for blunder

lying Eagles goalkeeper, Joshua Enaholo, has incredulously heaped the blame for his horrendous mistake in Monday’s loss to Brazil on the match ball, claiming it was wet. With the scoreline at 2-2 and the game evenly balanced, Enaholo uncharacteristically let in two avoidable goals to hand the South Americans victory. First, Boschilia, on 59 minutes, drilled a low 25-yard shot past the MFM FC goalkeeper, before a ca-

lamitous error by the goalkeeper in the 82nd minute ensured victory for the Brazilians, with Enaholo allowing the ball to squirm through his legs and enabling Judivan to smash home from a few centimetres out. And speaking to FIFA.com, a repentant Enaholo all but blamed himself for Brazil’s fourth goal. “My mind was off,” said Enaholo. “The ball was wet and I just couldn’t get my grip properly.” He added: “I must do better.”

Rampant Germany cruise past Fiji

ermany cruised to the most comfortable of victories in their FIFA U-20 World Cup opener, beating debutants Fiji 8-1 in Christchurch. A rampant first-half performance, with Hany Mukhtar and Niklas Stark getting three and two respectively, saw the 1981 winners storm into an unassailable lead, though the Pacific nation’s fans did have something to cheer about when Iosefo Verevou claimed an unexpected consolation strike. Fiji started out in a fashion that

they no doubt would have been pretty content with, defending stoutly in the opening stages, though possession was all Germany’s. However, with the islanders unable to retain possession, it was little surprise when the deadlock was broken, and those first 18 minutes were not reflective of how the half would continue. Germany went ahead on 18 minutes through Stark before Marc Stendera made it 2-0 from the penalty spot after Mohammed Khan’s handball and the rout progressed from there.

Hungary, three days later. And there are strong indications that Manu might revert to playing a single striker upfront for the game against the Koreans, who lost 5-1 to Hungary in their opening game. Manu started the game against Brazil with two out-and-out strikers – Success and Taiwo Awoniyi – with Yahaya and Kelechi Iheanacho playing behind them, while Ifeanyi Ifeanyi and Ifeanyi Matthew operated from the middle of the park. A source in the Flying Eagles’ camp in New Zealand however informed New Telegraph that Manu plans to sacrifice either Success or Awoniyi for the game against the Koreans in order to fortify the team’s midfield and provide more cover for the defence and goalkeeping position. Enaholo is also likely to start from the bench against the Koreans with one of either Dele Alampasu or Ojo Olorunleke taking the place of the MFM goalkeeper.

Manu

Interview 55

NEW TELEGRAPH TUESDAY JUNE 2, 2015

Germany’s women’s national team top striker, Celia Sasic, in this interview with FIFA.com speaks ahead of her team’s first match in Canada, their title rivals and making a strong start. The Women’s World Cup begins in just a few days’ time. Can you feel any butterflies in your stomach yet? The reality of it hits you quite slowly. We’ve pretty much come straight out of the season with no time to reflect on things and now we’re back at it again. The match against Switzerland was the dress rehearsal for us – the green light, so to speak – and then things get going for real on Sunday. In any event, we’re all extremely excited about it. What expectations do you have going into this tournament? We’re going into it expecting to deliver our best performances, to improve from one game to the next and show our quality out on the pitch. I think there’ll be plenty of possibilities for us if we can do that. Playing at a World Cup is always the greatest thing you can do in football – that’s why we’re all proud to be here and want to enjoy the competition. How satisfied are you with the team’s preparations? What have you learned from the last friendly, for example? Although our preparations were brief, we’ve been working on this project all year. We had plenty of time to work on things at the Algarve Cup in particular. We’ve been making more subtle improvements in our current training – correcting errors, for example. After this long season, we’ve been trying to ensure that we can get ourselves back up to a really high level by the time we start playing in the tournament. We’ve now managed that by beating Switzerland 3-1. Although we struggled in the first half, we clearly showed that we were the better team after half-time. We’ve got to do the same thing from the very start once the World Cup gets underway.

Playing at Women’s World Cup very difficult – Sasic

contenders. Do you believe that this German team has what it takes to lift the Women’s World Cup trophy? Of course we’ve got what it takes, but so do many other sides. That’s why it always comes down to little details, form on the day and nuances in a game at a tournament like this. You can’t afford to rely on the supposed qualities you have in this kind of situation. You’ve got to prove yourself in every match and stay completely alert for 90 or 120 minutes, because those little details can decide a game and before you know it, it’s all over. Which teams do you think are capable of playing for the title? There are so many sides with the ability to compete for the trophy, and I think things will become clearer as the tournament goes on. Nevertheless, I think France will be at the front of the pack, as will the Japanese. Then there are the usual suspects like Sweden, USA. It’ll be a fascinating contest as there will be challenges to face both on and off the pitch. That’s why I’m so excited. You have managed to gather experience at several previous tournaments. What elements of that experience are most likely to be useful for the upcoming Women’s World Cup in Canada? Being in a team that acts as a single unit is extremely important; it ensures that everyone in the side is pursuing the same aim and moving in the same direction. That was part of the key to success in 2013. We weren’t so lucky in the early stages and were practically written off, but in the end we won the title because we pulled together as a unit and knew what we had to do to reach our goal. We turned things around as the tournament went on and ended up lifting the trophy, so that’s a vital element.

How important do you think it will be to make a successful start in the first match against Women’s World Cup debutantes You are well known for your goalscoring Côte d’Ivoire? prowess. Have you got any special targets It’s always important to take three points from the first game, because then you’re not in danger of being put under pressure and having to pick up points somehow later on. It’s always very important to feel that you’ve settled into the tournament and slowly play your way into a rhythm. Our aim is to control our first game extremely well, play convincingly and improve one step at a time throughout the tournament. Norway’s Caroline Hansen [missing the Women’s World Cup through injury – editor’s note] told FIFA.com that while you have to take debutantes Thailand and Côte d’Ivoire seriously, it’s also important to take six points from those two matches. What’s your view on this? They’re two big unknown quantities for us. Right now the members of our squad still don’t know anything about their players or playing style. Naturally the coaching team have been studying both sides very closely and will bring the players up to speed before these games. In any case, the requirement for us is to survive this group, progress to the knockout stages and get points from both of those matches along the way. Germany are always among the title

Sasic in training

Sasic in action

in mind for Canada 2015? I generally never set myself a particular number of goals to score. I play football because I have so much fun doing it and scoring is the most fun part of it. Although I try to find the target in every match, I don’t get desperate about it and set any kind of benchmarks for myself – that only inhibits your play. Everything else plays out by itself and so far it’s always gone well.

It’s always important to take three points from the first game

On Marble

Sanctity of Truth

“Money speaks sense in a language all nations understand.”

World Record

Edmund Hillary (New Zealand) and Tenzing Norgay (Nepal), were the first people to ever reach the summit of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, at 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953.

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

– Aphra Behn

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015

N150

Public arena : the column you write

Outcome of the MPC meeting Boniface Chizea

nitially my inclination, choice and preference was to go mute on the outcome of the Monetary Policy Meeting (MPC) as indicated above until I started receiving calls form some friends in the financial media indicating their eager expectation of my reaction. Of course there is always a perspective to share on such landmark matters even if not utterly profound. I recall that I granted on line media interview in anticipation of the decisions of the MPC where I second guessed the outcome of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting and would wish to commence this discussion by sharing my thoughts in this connection and to particularly highlight the rationale that underpinned the conclusions I reached. My vote during these discussions is that a hold on key policy was to be expected. But I was mindful of the fact that at the meeting preceding this very one that a hold decision was also made. And if you are a member of such meeting you would be concerned about appearing, of lacking in initiative, creativity and depth of thought if the outcome was to be the same even if one is quick to admit that a decision to maintain the key indices was also really a decision. But one was also acutely aware of the pending inauguration of a new government whereby in as much as the Central Bank exercises instrument autonomy it must be mindful of gauging the policy thrust of the incoming administration as the expectation and what is certainly best practice is that for optimal results and in the best interest of the economy that Monetary and fiscal/structural policies should be complementary pulling the economy in the same direction. One was also mindful of some stability which we have gratefully attained in key monetary indices over the period since the previous meeting. The closure of the Retail Dutch Auction System proved a genius and absolutely prescient as it returned badly needed stability to the foreign exchange market ending the hemorrhaging and worrisome depletion of the foreign exchange account balance while in the process checkmating the propensity to perpetrate round tripping for rent seeking purposes. As the MPC noted in its Communique the country actually recorded marginal gains in the positive direction of marginal appreciation in the exchange rates and also even marginal accretion on the reserve account. Also just before the meeting, the Bureau of Statistics released inflation static for the month of April which indicated a marginal increase in the rate of inflation. With this development in mind one thought that the Committee would be wary of reducing the Reserve positions even as it observed there is often a delicate balance in making choices underpinned by also the need

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Finance Minister

Godwin Emefiele, CBN governor

for growth and the creation of badly needed employment opportunities, the maintenance of stability and the reigning of inflationary spiral. Based on such informed critical analysis one therefore voted for a hold decision following the MPC meeting. It was therefore a pleasant surprise to note that the Committee decided to harmonise the rates of reserves between the Private and Public sector components of deposits citing the possibility of moral hazards amongst other considerations. A number of issues have been raised following this particular decision as should normally be expected amongst commentators. It has for instance been argued that increasing Private Sector deposits by a massive 11 per cent while reducing the public sector equivalent by 34 per cent might not achieve the intended goal of relaxation in the prevalent tight monetary policy stance. The logic is that Public Sector deposits have been depleted following the challenge arising from the softness of the oil market which has re-

sulted in massive shortfall on accruals to the Revenue Account resulting in an unprecedented situation whereby about 21 states in the federation are currently reported as not being able to meet the obligations of the payment of monthly salaries to their workers across the Federation. But my considered take on that observation is that compatriots must learn to trust those that the country has charged with discharging critical responsibility by always giving them the benefit of doubt in such matters. If the Committee had noted that it took that decision in furtherance of its intentions to ease the monetary stance we must accept such affirmation because we can go ahead and speculate but the expectation is that the Committee has the full advantage of a panoramic view of the landscape based on the data it is charged to collect and regularly analyse. The other important and critical consideration which though might not have been stated is that the banks are suffering the full effect of the headwinds from the monetary authorities as it recently grappled with the challenge of stemming the slide in the value of the Naira. A perceptive monitoring of the popular press would attest to the fact that the results recently released by banks have not been rosy and upbeat. It will be unfair to cite examples here but anyone who is so inclined could quickly consult the recent editions of some financial publications particular Business World Newspaper where I am listed as a member of the Board of Analysts of the publication and therefore receive my entitlement of complimentary copies of the publication to attest to this observation. What is additionally worrisome is the report by Allan Grey Group; Africa’s largest privately

Therefore, we should celebrate any moves by the regulatory authorities that make the banks even more profitable

owned investment Management Company to the effect that a number of Nigerian banks might go broke next year considering a combination of the full effects of the fall in oil prices, likely spike in the bad debt position, political uncertainly and the Boko Haram insurgency. Well, as far as I am concerned, the Central Bank is fully in charge of the situation as its recent moves would definitely confirm and it is therefore inconceivable that any of the banks will be confronted with any challenges which could not be contained and mitigated. But this is food for thought which should dispel from all concerned stakeholders a complacent mindset in this regard. Therefore, we should celebrate any moves by the regulatory authorities that make the banks even more profitable to retain and grow employment opportunities and make their statutory contributions to the treasury by way of the payment of due taxes. I listened to a friend of mine comment on television to the effect that this country has been grappling with the menace of excess liquidity for a long time and therefore the Central Bank should commission a study to establish the cause of this liquidity to terminate it once and for all. But that is a rather simplistic way of viewing the matter. For as long as you have an economy that is thriving, there will always be the problem of the ebb and flow in the liquidity situation and that is why the Central Bank operates its Open Market Operations intermittently to achieve and maintain stability. I am also quite mindful of the view held by quite important power centers in the country that the excess liquidity in the system is a creation of the Central Bank in the way and manner it converts and disburses accruals to the Federation Account amongst the various tiers of government. But I have always adopted a stand to the effect that what the Central Bank does is best practice and that such proponents should cite jurisdictions where there particular recommended approach is adopted. I hope someone before long will rise to this challenge so that the debate can continue! Also the inflation rate in United Kingdom was at the level of -0.1 per cent in April and the inflation rate in Nigeria as per the latest release is above 8 per cent, it is therefore illogical to expect that interest rates in the country will fall below inflation rate as that would discourage savings and prevent the financial system from achieving badly needed depth. There is no doubt that all concerned appreciate the beneficial effect of low interests for real sector activities but this rate would not be achieved overnight. We must persevere with the right policies, stay the course and hopefully begin to witness a movement in the desired direction of reduction in interest rates across board in Nigeria. • Chizea wrote in from Lagos.

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