Tuesday, october 4, 2016 binder1 by Newtelegraphonline

FAAC fumes over non-remittance of $3.28bn by NNPC subsidiary Adeola Yusuf and Abdulwahab Isa

he Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) has expressed concern

over non-remittance of $3.28 billion, representing 43,645,678 barrels of crude oil lifted by Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation

(NNPC) into the federation account, New Telegraph learnt. The figures were established by a designated FAAC sub-committee saddled with the task of carrying out exhaustive com-

putation of crude oil lifted by the NPDC from 2013 to April 2016. The crude oil was said to have been lifted from divested oil wells. FAAC, an impeccable source hinted New Telegraph, directed the NNPC

at its last session in Abuja to "deposit the money into escrow account pending the conclusion of divestment process." "According to FAAC subcommittee report on crude oil lifting by NPDC, mem-

bers would recall that the sub-committee reported last month that NPDC, a subsidiary of NNPC, lifted substantial amount of equity crude oil whose value had not been credited to CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Sanctity Of Truth

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

Stock market ends Q3 with N432bn loss }4

/newtelegraph /newtelegraph

Vol. 3 No. 958

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

How Ekwueme, Ciroma brokered peace in PDP crisis }7

Tambuwal denies involvement in N1bn amnesty }39 budget padding

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Independence anniversary: Wike pardons nine convicts }42

N150

Gunmen raid police station, kill officers Adeosun

Ekwueme

Tambuwal

Wike

...break into armoury, steal arms, ammunition }4 Buhari’s opponents vowed he would never occupy Aso Rock – Gowon

L-R: President of Niger Republic, Mamadou Isoufou; President Idris Derby of Chad; wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari; President Muhammadu Buhari; former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon; Mallam Ismaila Isa Funtua and former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the public presentation of a Buhari's autobiography in Abuja...yesterday

My father heads kidnap ring –Suspect lNursing mother held over abducted landlords lSuspects admit killing SARS operative

Contraceptives could cause depression –Study }10

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

NEWS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Gunmen raid police station, kill three officers Cephas Iorhemen MAKURDI

unmen have invaded a police station in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State. In the process, the assailants killed three policemen on duty and injured two others. The gunmen, who stormed the community

about 2:30a.m. on Sunday on two motorcycles, also broke into the armoury of the police station and carted away all the arms. Ado Local Government is close to Agatu where suspected Fulani herdsmen invaded recently and killed hordes of peasant farmers as well as women and children The Sunday killing of the policemen has caused panic among residents of

the agrarian Ado community. Most of them told our correspondent that there was heavy shooting during the attack. One of the residents, Mr. Edeh Joseph, said he received a telephone call from one of the elders in Ogbe settlement that there were sporadic shootings in the village as if it was an attack by herdsmen. He said: “The shooting continued for over 10 min-

utes and nobody came out of his house to see where it was happening. “At that point, we all started calling security agencies in the area, including the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to find out what the problem was because it was as if the entire Igumale was under attack.” Joseph disclosed that when the shootings stopped about 15 minutes

L-R: National Leader, All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Mallam Ismaila Isa Funtua and APC National Chairman, Chief John OdigieOyegun, during the presentation of a book, 'Muhammadu Buhari: The Challenges of Leadership In Nigeria’ in Abuja… yesterday. PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

n spite of the 0.31 per cent appreciation recorded by the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index and market capitalisation at the close of last trading week of the third quarter of 2016, shareholders lost N432 billion during the period under review. The NSE All-Share Index and market capitalisation closed at 28,335.40 and N9.733 trillion respectively during the review period. Available statistics to New Telegraph showed that activities on the floor of the NSE continued to skew downward, as the market, which opened at N10.165 trillion in market capitalisation and 29,597.79 in index at the beginning of trading last July, closed the Q3 at N9.733 trillion and 28,335.40 index points, hence translated to a loss of about N432 billion or 4.26 per cent year to date. Low sentiment in the market had worsened following investment apathy, which had made both foreign and local investors remained on the sidelines due to upset in the financial market arising from drop in oil price, instability in forex and poor HY 2016 financial results. Financial analysts be-

pital, the second policeman died. It was learnt that the policemen, whose bodies were riddled with bullets, were later moved from Otukpo to the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, by the police for proper attention where another one also gave up the ghost. When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Moses Yamu, confirmed the attack. According to him, the assailants took away the arms of the policemen. He said: “As I speak with you, two of our men died and two others who sustained serious injuries are receiving treatment in the hospital.” Yamu said dozens of riot policemen had been drafted to the area to forestall a repeat of the incident as well protect the lives of the people. According to him, investigation to unravel the attack has commenced.

I didn’t retrieve 48 houses from EFCC –Sylva

Stock market ends Q3 with N432bn loss Chris Ugwu

later, people came out and discovered that the Igumale Police Station had been attacked and there was blood everywhere. According to him, one of the policemen on duty was shot dead while three others were badly wounded. Another witness, who identified himself simply as Armstrong, said he heard the sound of two motorcycles conveying some persons to the station and suddenly there was heavy shooting at the station. According to him, the attackers fled on their motorcycles through Adiga village, towards Okpoga, headquarters of Okpokwu Local Government Area. Armstrong added that when the gunmen left, the people quickly arranged for the local government’s ambulance, which conveyed the victims to Saint Daniel’s Hospital in Otukpo. But, according to him, before they got to the hos-

lieved some of these factors sent a shock wave to both local and foreign investors and created uncertainty in the investment environment, which led to a retreat on the part of the bargain hunters. The Chairman/CEO of Partnership Investment Plc., Mr. Victor Ogiemwonyi, while explaining why the activities in Nigerian capital market, which had been on downward swing for a considerable period of time, said the market lacks longterm liquidity and this makes it hard to attract investors who don't see growth soon. “Those who have traditionally provided liquidity have gone away one by one. The retail investors were driven away in the crash of 2008 with the casino banking crisis we saw and the severe losses that followed. They have not come back. The banks that provided margin loans have also permanently stayed away and now foreign portfolio investors who want quick profits have also now left for good,” he said. Following the present state of the market, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently expressed its determination to raise the participation of retail investors in the Nigerian Capital market, as that

was one of the critical ways of deepening the market. Director General of SEC, Mounir Gwarzo, stressed that the dominance of the market by foreign investors was one of the reasons why the market is not as deep as it ought to be. He said: “Our intention is to ensure that we raise the level of participation of retail investors in the market, that is the only way we can maintain the strength of the market. Dominance of the market by foreign investors is one of the reasons why our market is the way it is. Although it is the pattern of the market, but this dominance is a major factor because they are the ones that come in and go out. We need to upscale the participation of the retail investors in the market and that is why we are addressing some of their concerns. “Anyone you meet today and tell him to come back, the issue of unclaimed dividends is always a major problem.” In order to achieve this, the DG disclosed that the Commission has embarked on various initiatives like recapitalisation, e-dividend registration, the Direct Cash Settlement as a direct benefit to investors from the edividend registration.

According to him, “We are urging Nigerians to go and register to get their dividends electronically. Once we get through with the e-dividend thing, we will be able to deal with other issues in the market. The entire market has commenced Direct Cash Settlement. The era when shares will be sold and the proceeds will be given to the broker who will then pay the client is over. “What is obtainable now is that once the shares of an individual are sold, the proceed is paid directly into his bank account. With this, once the client has authorized the broker and provided all his details, the proceeds will be paid into the client’s account.” Gwarzo said that every year, the Commission comes up with various initiatives from the Master Plan and have been implementing them. “All the initiatives we came up with last year, we have implemented them. This year, we also came up with certain initiatives and one of them is the need for all arms of government to buy into the Capital Market Master Plan. It is only in Nigeria that we have not been given the kind of attention that the capital market deserves. The capital market is the one that defines the state of the economy,” he added.

Wale Elegbede

ormer governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, has refuted a media report linking him to a purported retrieval of 48 houses allegedly seized in Abuja by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Sylva, in a statement issued yesterday in Yenagoa by his media adviser, Mr. Doifie Buokoribo, described the report as strange, vindictive, speculative and malicious. While threatening legal action against publishers of the report, the former governor said neither he nor the courts had, at any time, confirmed his ownership of such property. The statement reads: “We have read a report in a national newspaper, which was reproduced by a few online publications and in the social media, claiming that Chief Timipre Sylva had ‘retrieved 48 of his property which the EFCC seized during the administration of Goodluck Jonathan.’ We view this report with disgust, given its unconcealed speculation and vindictiveness regarding such a sensitive matter. “For the avoidance of doubt, Sylva does not own 48 buildings in Abuja or

anywhere in the world. So the issue of reclaiming ‘48 houses’ does not arise. He has only three houses in Abuja, which he built before he became the governor of Bayelsa State. This point has been made several times before, and neither EFCC nor those who had used EFCC as a tool of persecution against Sylva during the Goodluck Jonathan administration have contradicted this fact.” The former governor insisted that the anti-graft agency had failed at various courts to establish any link between him and the property. “EFCC had taken their allegations of property ownership against Sylva to several courts without establishing anything against the former governor during the Jonathan era. Beyond the commission’s routine media prosecution, no court of law has found Sylva guilty of any crime. “Indeed, in the course of the trials at the Federal High Court, Abuja, owners of some of the property wrongfully attributed to him joined to claim their houses. The court ruled on the matter of the said 48 property since 2013. Why is it now a subject of media attention?” the statement said.

OUR ERROR The printer's devil crept in during the production of today's editorial on Page 15. Transportion Minister in the headline should have read Transport Minister. The error is regretted –Editor

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

PUBLIC NOTICE

FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT

PUBLIC DISPLAY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN (ESMP) AND RESETTLEMENT ACTION PLAN (RAP) REPORTS FOR THE PROPOSED NIGERIA EROSION AND WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PROJECT (NEWMAP) OF EBIA RIVER EGU-UGWU AGBAJA FLOOD PROJECT, ABAKALIKI AND EBONYI LGAs, EBONYI STATE BY EBONYI STATE PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT NEWMAP

PUBLIC DISPLAY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN (ESMP) AND RESETTLEMENT ACTION PLAN (RAP) REPORTS FOR THE PROPOSED NIGERIA EROSION AND WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PROJECT (NEWMAP) OF IYI-UDELE FLOOD SITE IN ABAKALIKI CAPITY CITY, EBONYI STATE BY EBONYI STATE PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT NEWMAP

In accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act Cap E12 LFN 2004 which makes it mandatory for proponents of all new major development ac vi es to carry out Environmental Impact Assessment of their proposed projects, the Federal Ministry of Environment hereby announces Twenty–One (21) Working Days Public No ce for informa on and comments on the Dra� Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) and Rese lement Ac on Plan (RAP) Reports on the above project submi ed by Ebonyi State Project Management Unit under the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP). The Disclosure Centers Are: · Ebonyi State Ministry of Environment Office, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. · Federal Ministry of Environment Office, Abakaliki field office, Ebonyi State. · Abakaliki LGA Headquarter, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. · Federal Ministry of Environment, Environment House, (Brown Building), Central Business District, Abuja, F.C.T. www.ea-environment.org·

The Disclosure Centers Are: · Ebonyi State Ministry of Environment Office, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. · Federal Ministry of Environment Office, Abakaliki field office, Ebonyi State. · Abakaliki LGA Headquarter, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. · Federal Ministry of Environment, Environment House, (Brown Building), Central Business District, Abuja, F.C.T. www.ea-environment.org· Project Descrip on: The proposed Project will involve civil works and Bio-remedia on of flood site which includes concrete lining and shoreline protec on of Ebia River. It is financed under the Gully Rapid Ac on and Slope Stabiliza on (GRASS) sub-component of the NEWMAP. The project is expected to control the menace of flooding that has wreaked havoc to lives and proper es in Abakaliki/Ebonyi LGAs and its environs. Dura on of Display: Date: 4th October – 1st November, 2016. Time: 8:00am – 4:00pm Daily. ALL COMMENTS RECEIVED SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE HONOURABLE MINISTER, FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT ON OR BEFORE 1ST NOVEMBER, 2016.

Project Descrip on: The proposed Project will involve civil works and Bio-remedia on of flooding site which includes concrete lining and shoreline protec on at Iyi-Udele River. It is financed under the Gully Rapid Ac on and Slope Stabiliza on (GRASS) sub-component of the NEWMAP. The project is expected to control the menace of flooding that has wreaked havoc to lives and proper es in the capital city and its environs. Dura on of Display: Date: 4th October – 1st November, 2016. Time: 8:00am – 4:00pm Daily. ALL COMMENTS RECEIVED SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE HONOURABLE MINISTER, FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT ON OR BEFORE 1ST NOVEMBER, 2016.

SIGNED PERMANENT SECRETARY FOR: HONOURABLE MINISTER

PUBLIC NOTICE

FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT

PUBLIC DISPLAY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN (ESMP) AND RESETTLEMENT ACTION PLAN (RAP) REPORTS FOR THE PROPOSED NIGERIA EROSION AND WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PROJECT (NEWMAP) OF ODUNUKWE-NKALIKI HATCHERY ROAD FLOOD INTERVENTION SITE, ABAKALIKI LGA, EBONYI STATE BY EBONYI STATE PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT NEWMAP

PUBLIC DISPLAY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN (ESMP) AND RESETTLEMENT ACTION PLAN (RAP) REPORTS FOR THE PROPOSED NIGERIA EROSION AND WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PROJECT (NEWMAP) OF OFEREKPE-AKAHUFU-ODOMOWO FLOOD INTERVENTION SITE, IKWO LGA, EBONYI STATE BY EBONYI STATE PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT NEWMAP

The Disclosure Centers Are: · Ebonyi State Ministry of Environment Office, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. · Federal Ministry of Environment Office, Abakaliki field office, Ebonyi State. · Ikwo LGA Headquarter, Ikwo, Ebonyi State. · Federal Ministry of Environment, Environment House, (Brown Building), Central Business District, Abuja, F.C.T. www.ea-environment.org·

Project Descrip on: The proposed Project will involve civil works and Bio-remedia on of flood site which includes concrete lining and shoreline protec on at upper course of Iyi-Okwu river. It is financed under the Gully Rapid Ac on and Slope Stabiliza on (GRASS) sub-component of the NEWMAP. The project is expected to control the menace of flooding that has wreaked havoc to lives and proper es in the capital city and its environs.

Project Descrip on: The proposed Project will involve civil works and Bio-remedia on of flood site which includes concrete lining and shoreline protec on. It is financed under the Gully Rapid Ac on and Slope Stabiliza on (GRASS) sub-component of the NEWMAP. The project is expected to control the menace of flooding that has wreaked havoc to lives and proper es in Ikwo Local Government and its environs.

Dura on of Display: Date: 4th October – 1st November, 2016. Time: 8:00am – 4:00pm Daily.

ALL COMMENTS RECEIVED SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE HONOURABLE MINISTER, FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT ON OR BEFORE 1ST NOVEMBER, 2016.

SIGNED PERMANENT SECRETARY FOR: HONOURABLE MINISTER

NEWS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Buhari’s opponents vowed he would never occupy Aso Rock –Gowon lObasanjo, Tinubu, others eulogise president at book lunch

Anule Emmanuel Abuja

ormer Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, has revealed how President Muhammadu Buhari was told by his opponents that he would never see, enter and occupy the Aso Presidential Villa as the President of Nigeria. Buhari ran for the highest position in the country for four consecutive times before defeating incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 presidential election to occupy the seat. Burahi contested against President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003. In 2007, he lost to late President Umaru Yar’Adua. Gowon spoke yesterday at the public presentation of the president’s authorized biography written by Professor John Paden, an American author with special interest in the economic and political development of Nigeria. The former head of state, who served as chairman of the event, also told the audience that Buhari deserved every commendation and criticism. According to him, the president is a fighter and a man of destiny working to get things right with the economy despite the huge challenges being faced by

the country. Also, Obasanjo yesterday joined other prominent Nigerians, including the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, at the gathering in Abuja where they singled out the qualities of President Muhammadu Buhari for eulogies. Obasanjo, who said the book was a confirmation of the true person of President Buhari whom he knows about, explained that it is a must read for those who are interested in having full knowledge

about Nigeria of yesterday and its leader of today. “Though the book confirms what I know about Buhari, it does not reflect the definitive assessment of the president,” Obasanjo added. Tinubu, who also served as one of the book reviewers at the event, described Buhari as a man who has lived his life on assignments always intersected with vital moments in the nation’s history. According to Tinubu, President Buhari in the present dispensation was still on assignment, show-

ing that there was no other way for Nigeria to go but the way of democracy, no matter how difficult the path may be. “Now, as sitting President, he is on an assignment, against time, to undo the wrongs of nearly two decades of bad governance,” the former Governor of Lagos State said. Reviewing the book titled, “Muhammadu Buhari, the challenges of leadership in Nigeria”, Tinubu said the book captured the life of a man always in the public eye doing things in his differ-

Former Vice President/Chieftain, All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar, with former President Goodluck Ebele Johnathan, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Internationl Airport, Abuja…at the weekend

ent, disciplined and Spartan way. “From this compelling narrative, neatly demarcated into three parts and 24 chapters, the reader is able to glean the quintessential Buhari,” he added. Tinubu also highlighted the aspect of the book, which vividly presented President Buhari as being slow, but steady with leadership. “Buhari as a young military head of state was in a hurry. However, now that he is older and given his experience, he is “slow but steady” in his approach to governance,” he stressed quoting from a few paragraphs. The APC leader stressed that were it not for Buhari's resilience and unwavering commitment, the merger among the opposition parties, which eventually ousted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015, would not have been possible. Ambassador John Campbell, former US Ambassador to Nigeria, while reviewing the book, admitted that America had not shown enough interest in Nigeria. He called on the government of the United States of America to pay more attention in terms of investment and support for Nigeria to come out of its current recession. Professor Ibrahim Gambari, former Nigerian Representatives to the United Nations, in his comment on the book, said the major challenge

FAAC fumes over non-remittance of $3.28bn by NNPC subsidiary CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

the federation account. "As a follow-up, the subcommittee took time to compute crude oil lifting by NPDC from the year 2013 to April 2016 and it was observed that the company lifted 43,645,678 bbls valued at $3.28 billion. NNPC was requested to deposit the money into escrow account pending the conclusion of the divestment process," the FAAC document sighted by New Telegraph stated. Though it was learnt that the NNPC management responded to previous memo from FAAC on same matter, which insider source said has been dragging, with an assurance that it would request NPDC to furnish FAAC with details of its operations, the body had yet to receive response of NNPC subsidiary. A document on equity crude oil lifting stock exclusively sighted by New Telegraph showed that the contentious amount was realised from crude oil lifting OMLs 60, 61, 62 and 63 by NNPC on behalf of

NPDC at brass terminal. New Telegraph had, three months ago, exclusively reported of a seeming disagreement between state-owned oil firm and FAAC over the funds realised from divested oil wells taken over by NPDC. FAAC had demanded the state corporation to provide evidence of payments into the federation account by NPDC from crude oil lifted from divested oil wells on behalf of the federation from inception of divestment in 2013 to April this year. The contentious oil wells are fields divested by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), which were transferred to NPDC, the upstream arm of NNPC. Prior to FAAC’s directive, the organ had raised the alarm that both quantities of crude oil and real monetary value that accrued from inherited oil wells were not transparently handled by NPDC on behalf of the body. As at June this year, NNPC was said to have

lifted 6,396,572 barrels of crude oil valued at N37.96 billion on behalf of NPDC between January and February 2016 from inherited oil wells. FAAC had expressed doubt that despite the drop in the federation’s crude oil volume, NPDC continued to lift substantial quantity of crude with little or no value to the federation account. The NNPC, in its response to FAAC’s observations, noted: “NPDC is a 100 per cent NNPC-owned upstream company that operates under the sole risk commercial arrangement. Under this fiscal regime, NPDC as the flagship upstream company of NNPC is not expected to sweep all its revenues to the federation account." FAAC is the custodian of federation account and meets every month to consider revenue flow to the account and approved for sharing using existing formula to federal, states, and local governments while 13 per cent is paid out to oilproducing states. The divestment of Oil

Mining Leases (OMLs) 60, 61, 62 and 63 was allegedly soaked in controversy that cost Nigeria about $2 billion. Checks revealed that a strategic alliance agreement between the NPDC and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited (AEDCNL) helped parties in the Strategic Alliance Agreement (SAA) to allegedly swindle the government. Four years after the alliance, everything suggests that NPDC and Atlantic Energy owe Nigerians a lot of explanations regarding how OML 60, 61, 62 and 63 including 26, 30, 34, 42,– were handled between 2011 and 2014. Again, the promoters incorporated the Atlantic Brass Development Company Limited on February 5, 2013. As usual, it was hurriedly granted another set of SAA. The SAA covered another set of 4 blocks: OML – 60; OML – 61; OML – 62; OML – 63. Unlike in the previous deals in 2011 and 2012, when it paid a fraction of obligatory funds, the com-

pany simply pocketed all the proceeds, paying no signature bonus or any cash calls at all despite lifting about 8 million barrels of crude oil, valued at $800 million at the time. Instead, various amounts of money were transferred to the accounts and investment companies in UK, Dubai and Switzerland. They also opened mirror accounts of Atlantic Energy Brass in the UK and Switzerland. NPDC, in a letter dated May 6, 2015 however asked Atlantic Energy to pay its outstanding indebtedness OMLs 26, 30, 34, and 42, totalling $573,668,090. An analysis of the reconciliation sheet revealed that the $573,668,090 was just a fraction of the cash calls, as some huge returns that were yet to be subjected to technical and financials by the two parties were not included. But the bad state of finances on OMLs 26, 30, 34, and 42 paled when compared with that on OMLs 60, 61, 62 and 63 where Atlantic Energy owes NPDC a staggering $1,250,644,474.54.

at the moment for the government was the expectation from Nigerians about change and its accompanying promises. Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonaya Onu, who also reviewed the book, said despite losing in the courts for three consecutive times after his petitions to upturn elections were thrown out, Buhari did not give up and continued in the fight. Author of the book, Prof. Paden, in his remark, explained that the biography seeks to answer the question of who is Buhari and how he is moving in addressing Nigeria’s challenges. Paden noted that the biography, which is work in progress, was tailored towards introducing President Buhari to the international community while addressing the challenges of leadership, which include national unity and security, corruption and independence of judiciary, especially during tension. Organisers of the lunching ceremony had discouraged dignitaries from making donations for the book, but advised for bulk purchases. Buhari, in his remark, thanked the author of the book and guests who attended the public presentation. Among dignitaries at the event were the Presidents of Niger, Benin and Equatorial Guinea. Others who attended were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and his wife, Dolapo, former Vice President Namadi Sambo; President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, former Senate President Ken Nnamani, National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and traditional rulers. Most governors, including those of Benue, Kaduna, Zamfara, Delta, Imo, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Niger and Cross River attended the event. Meanwhile, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who was conspicuously absent at the presentation, said he received invitation to the programme late. Atiku, in a statement by his media adviser, Mr. Paul Ibe, explained that he only received invitation to the book launch on Monday (yesterday) afternoon while the programme had kicked off.

$16.7m

The capital importation of the IT Services sector of Nigeria in Q4 2013. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

NEWS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

How Ekwueme, Ciroma brokered peace in PDP crisis lMembers of adhoc reconciliation committee emerge tomorrow

Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

here are indications that the reconciliation moves being initiated by factional leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was forced on them by founding fathers of the party. Also, there are indications that members of a joint committee to work out the terms of reconciliation will be announced tomorrow. The party has been factionalised since May when a National Caretaker Committee, headed by Senator Ahmed Makarfi, was set up at a National Convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. But the National Working Committee (NWC), headed by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, whose tenure was supposed to expire at the National Convention, maintained that its tenure subsists. Sheriff and two former NWC members, as well as some other aggrieved members, during the last PDP congresses in some states, set up a parallel national leadership to challenge the imposition of caretaker committee on the party.

The two factions had maintained their stand despite efforts by party stakeholders, particularly the Board of Trustees (BoT), to resolve the crisis. The BoT, sometime in June, had a closed door meeting with some founding fathers of the party as well as with former President Goodluck Jonathan. Jonathan had reportedly told them to go and reconcile with Sheriff, resulting in the setting up of Professor Jerry Gana-led reconciliation committee. A member of Sheriff faction said the former Borno State governor is against the reconciliation committee because of the role some members of the board played in the crisis. A source, however, disclosed that the intractable crisis was brought to the notice of former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, and former Finance Minister, Mallam Adamu Ciroma by the Secretary of the Caretaker Committee, Senator Ben Obi. The two founding fathers, who reportedly spoke to both Makarfi and Sheriff on phone, told them that history would be harsh to them if they "kill" the party they laboured to found and nurtured over

the years. Meanwhile, the reconciliation process will move a step further this week as the two factions officially announce a 24-member

reconciliation committee to work out the peace process among the warring factions. Each faction is expected to nominate 12 members

each. Though nominees from each faction are not yet made public, it is likely that Secretary of the Caretaker Committee, Ben Obi, will head nominees from the Makarfi faction while Dr.

Cario Ojougboh might lead the other faction. The duo represented their respective factions at a press conference where the proposed peace move was announced two weeks ago.

Lawyer files fresh suit to stop Saraki’s trial Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

he Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has filed a fresh suit before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja seeking to stop his on-going trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over alleged false assets declaration. The suit, which is an enforcement of fundamental human rights, was marked FHC/ABJ/CS/117/2016 and filed by one Timipa Jenkins Okponipere, who claimed to be “suing as attorney to Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki”. In the suit, the applicant is seeking the court’s declaration that “the plan to resume the trial of Senator Abubakar Saraki at the CCT is a breach of his fundamental right to fair hearing as guaranteed by Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amend-

PUBLIC NOTICE

ed).” He is also praying for an order compelling the CCT and AGF to suspend indefinitely any plan to resume the trial at the CCT. Among the grounds relied on by the applicant, include that the trial at CCT was commenced at the wrong time; four years after Saraki allegedly committed the offences. According to him, “Having regard to the aims and objectives of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and its functions in sections 2 and 3 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal (CCBT) Act, Saraki ought to have been prosecuted by the respondents long before he returned to public life again in 2015 as an elected senator. “Indeed, the CCBT Act never contemplated that an incumbent public office holder was already corrupt before he attained public office, otherwise, people like Senator Saraki,

who had a case to answer regarding his activities between 2003 and 2011 would not have been permitted to return to public life. “However, four years later in 2015, Saraki not only returned to public life as a Senator, he went on to become the President of the Senate, Chairman of the National Assembly and Nigeria’s number three citizen. “The failure, refusal and/or negligence of the respondents to prosecute Senator Saraki for the offences he allegedly committed between 2003 and 2011 before he returned again to public life as a senator, vitiated all his past alleged misdeeds such that, as of June 8, 2015 when he was inaugurated as a senator, he was assumed to be a public office holder without blemish in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of the respondents, otherwise they would have long since initiated proceedings

against him. “The subsequent attempt to put Senator Saraki on trial over offences allegedly committed between 2003 and 2011 are not only tainted with political mischief and desperation, they constitute a breach of his fundamental right to fair hearing." Responding to the suit, the AGF, in a notice of preliminary objection, has faulted the suit and urged the court to dismiss it for lacking in merit. The AGF noted that the subject matter of the suit did not fall within the provisions of chapter four of the Constitution, containing the guaranteed fundamental human rights. According to him, "the applicant lacks the locus to institute this suit on behalf of Senator Saraki in the absence of any legal basis which prevents him (Saraki) from deposing to the affidavit accompanying this application himself."

PUBLIC NOTICE

FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT

PUBLIC DISPLAY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN (ESMP) AND RESETTLEMENT ACTION PLAN (RAP) REPORTS FOR THE PROPOSED NIGERIA EROSION AND WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PROJECT (NEWMAP) OF ABAKALIKI OLD WATER WORKS FLOOD INTERVENTION SITE, ABAKALIKI LGA, EBONYI STATE BY EBONYI STATE PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT NEWMAP

PUBLIC DISPLAY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN (ESMP) AND RESETTLEMENT ACTION PLAN (RAP) REPORTS FOR THE PROPOSED NIGERIA EROSION AND WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PROJECT (NEWMAP) OF ASU-UMUNAGA, OHAOZARA LGA, EBONYI STATE BY EBONYI STATE PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT NEWMAP

The Disclosure Centers Are: · Ebonyi State Ministry of Environment Office, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. · Federal Ministry of Environment Office, Abakaliki field office, Ebonyi State. · Abakaliki LGA Headquarter, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. · Federal Ministry of Environment, Environment House, (Brown Building), Central Business District, Abuja, F.C.T. www.ea-environment.org· Project Descrip on: The proposed Project will involve civil works and Bio-remedia on of flood site which includes concrete lining and shoreline protec on. It is financed under the Gully Rapid Ac on and Slope Stabiliza on (GRASS) sub-component of the NEWMAP. The project is expected to control the menace of flooding that has wreaked havoc to lives and proper es in Abakaliki and its environs. Dura on of Display: Date: 4th October – 1st November, 2016. Time: 8:00am – 4:00pm Daily. ALL COMMENTS RECEIVED SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE HONOURABLE MINISTER, FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT ON OR BEFORE 1ST NOVEMBER, 2016. SIGNED PERMANENT SECRETARY FOR: HONOURABLE MINISTER

The Disclosure Centers Are: · Ebonyi State Ministry of Environment Office, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. · Federal Ministry of Environment Office, Abakaliki field office, Ebonyi State. · Ohaozara Local Government Office, Ebonyi State. · Federal Ministry of Environment, Environment House, (Brown Building), Central Business District, Abuja, F.C.T. www.ea-environment.org· Project Descrip on: The proposed Project will involve civil works and Bio-remedia on of flood site which includes concrete lining and shoreline protec on at Asu River that drain Uburu Town. It is financed under the Gully Rapid Ac on and Slope Stabiliza on (GRASS) sub-component of the NEWMAP. The project is expected to control the menace of flooding that has wreaked havoc to lives and proper es in Ohaozara LGA and its environs. Dura on of Display: Date: 4th October – 1st November, 2016. Time: 8:00am – 4:00pm Daily. SIGNED PERMANENT SECRETARY FOR: HONOURABLE MINISTER

tuesday, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

METRO

ABIODUN BELLO

...CRIME, CITY WATCH, COURTS

Landlords: My dad heads kidnap ring –Suspect

Mediation centre handles 25,231 landlords, tenants’ disputes Muritala Ayinla

itizens Mediation Centre (CMC) has in the past nine months handled about 25,231 cases involving landlords and their tenants in Lagos State. The CMC Director, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Odunsanya, told our correspondent that there had been a remarkable increase in the number cases received by the centre, especially those involving landlords and tenants. According to her, most landlords and tenant are yet to understand the Lagos Tenancy Law regarding their rights and duties. She said: “On several occasions, we have had cases of landlords wanting to unlawfully evict their tenants. Some imposed undue fines on them or increased their rent dues arbitrarily but with peaceful mediation by our CMC, such matters were amicably resolved. “Also, through peaceful mediation and counselling, some tenants, who were also ignorant of the law, were educated and made to sign Memorandum of Understanding with their landlords to resolve their conflicts.” Odunsanya added that since no profitable development could be achieved in an atmosphere of chaos and uncertainty, CMC would always be ready to mediate and ensure peaceful resolution of conflicts to maintain peace and also attract business investors to the state. According to its statistics of activities, of all the 28,071 cases handled by CMC from January to September, 111 cases were land disputes while 215 were inheritance cases.

•Suspects admit killing SARS official

The late Esemuze

Juliana Francis

ne of the suspects arrested in connection with the abduction of four landlords at Isheri, a border community between Lagos and Ogun states recently, has told police detectives that his father was the kingpin of their gang. The 28-year-old suspect, Trust Bourdilon, was arrested with ThankGod and four others, among them two ladies. One of the ladies is a nursing mother. The six suspects were arrested within four days.

City Briefs Eight die in auto crash A

t least eight people died in an accident involving a car and a Sport Utility Vehicle on Hadejia-Kano Road in Kaugama Local Government Area of Jigawa State. The state Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr. Adamu Abdullahi, said the accident occurred on Sunday evening. He said: “Our men were returning from Hadejia when the accidents happened and

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com 08023938212

According to Bourdilon, his father, who is still at large, is the brain behind most of the kidnappings in Lagos and Ogun states. Describing the landlords’ abduction as their last operation before operatives of the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris’ Special Intelligence Response Squad (IRT) arrested him, Bourdilon said the gang collected N12 million ransom for the landlords, but his dad gave him just N350,000 as his share. The operatives had been working underground until the eventual breakthrough on September 27. Bourdilon, who was apparently miffed at his father’s sharing formula, added that there was a time the gang kidnapped a victim and collected N3 million ransom and his dad gave him N300,000. A police source said: “The suspects were arrested in parts of Lagos, Ogun, Delta and Ondo states. Bourdilon confessed that his dad is the leader of the gang and used to bring kidnapping operations to them to execute. His dad used to locate targets, which the gang goes after.

they assisted in rescuing survivors and taking those who died on the spot to a nearby hospital.’’ The state Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Angus Ibezim, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), confirmed the Ambode incident. He said: “We received a report about it and we Muritala Ayinla are not happy about it.’’ Ibezim advised moire yesterday razed torists to desist from 11 shops at Odo Eran speeding under what- Shopping Complex at Agege area of Lagos ever circumstances.

“The gang has six AK47 rifles, which they use for operations. The last operation was the abduction of the landlords. ThankGod’s role in the gang is that of an informant. His job is to go out; mix with members of the community, where they had kidnapped people and get information on what is happening and what police are doing about the kidnap. “Bourdilon confessed to be among suspected militants that ambushed policemen and killed a SARS operative, Solomon Esemuze, at Iba. Bourdilon’s father is yet to be arrested.” One of the ladies in police custody is said to be Bourdilon’s lover, while the second lady, who is still nursing a new born baby, is ThankGod’s wife. Bourdilon confessed to police investigators, that he was part of those that ambushed SARS operatives at New Haven Estate in Igbelaju area of Iba, Lagos and killed Sergeant Esemuze. Esemuze was among a team of policemen deployed by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, to Iba area to repel militants’ incessant attacks on members of the community. It was gathered that the kidnapping of landlords was so prevalent, that most house owners bolted, leaving their property and tenants.

Fire guts shopping complex in Lagos

State. The fire, which started from a shop, was blamed on “inappropriately stored chemicals”. The General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Mr. Adesina Tiamiyu, said his agency received a distress call via 767 emergency number about 2:36p.m. regarding the fire outbreak. According to him, the preliminary investigation conducted by the agency’s Emergency Response Team (ERT), revealed that the fire start-

ed from one of the shops within the premises. He said: “Further investigation revealed that chemical items used for manufacturing paint were inappropriately stored as this came in contact with other inflammable items leading to the fire outbreak.” Tiamiyu added that 11 shops were razed down by the inferno, while 10 shops were salvaged due to prompt response of the Lagos Fire Service and officials from Wahum Industries Limited. Two men, who sus-

tained injuries, were treated by the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS). Tiamiyu advised shop owners and companies involved in the use of chemicals and other highly inflammable materials to take extra precautionary measures in the storage and usage of the items to avoid disaster. Emergency responders at the scene included the Lagos Fire Service, LASAMBUS and policemen from Agege Division.

METRO

tuesday, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

‘Hardship, frustration pushed me into drug trafficking’ Juliana Francis

47-year-old man, Odili Onyekwere, has told the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) that his inability to meet his family’s needs forced him into trafficking drugs. Onyekwere was arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos for unlawful exportation of illegal substance that tested positive for cocaine. His arrest was made during the outward screening of passengers on a Kenyan Airways flight to Ivato International Airport, Antananarivo, Madagascar. The suspect excreted 25 wraps of cocaine weighing 270 grammes. The suspect, who hails from Rivers State, blamed his involvement in drug trafficking on economic hardship, according to NDLEA. He said: “I am married and have two children. I sell shoes in Lome, Togo. As a result of the economic downturn, my capital kept depreciating until I lost everything. “This is the first time I am smuggling drugs. It was the frustration of not being able to provide for my wife and two children that made me to smuggle cocaine. They promised to pay me $1,000.” NDLEA Commander at the Lagos airport, Ahmadu Garba, said this was the first seizure of cocaine destined for Madagascar at the airport this year. He said: “This is the first arrest and seizure in the year heading to Madagascar from this airport. The suspect, Odili Onyekwere, successfully excreted 25 wraps of cocaine which he ingested while under close observation. He

Onyekwere

is cooperating with our team of investigators and the case will soon be charged to court.” The NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Muhammad Abdallah, urged youths to shun drug trafficking and related criminal acts and contribute to nation building. Abdallah made the call in Lagos while commenting on Onyekwere’s arrest. He said: “As our country marks political independence, we strategise on the way forward. I call on youths to support the antinarcotics campaign and make giant strides towards nation building.”

Cemetery worker, others held with human skulls, parts Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

olice have arrested a cemetery worker, Oluwatosin Akorede, with two human skulls at Isale Oko area of Sagamu, Ogun State. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed this in a statement yesterday, said policemen on routine patrol nabbed the suspect about 7p.m. on Sunday. Oyeyemi said Akorede was currently undergoing interrogation with a view of unravelling the motive behind his action. He said: “Policemen led by the DPO, SP Moses Aduroja, were on routine patrol of the area. “The suspect, who is said to be working in a cemetery situated on Ayepe Road, Sagamu, is currently undergoing interrogation with the view of unravelling the motive behind his action.”

Akorede holding the skulls

It was learnt that the Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, had ordered the transfer of the suspect to the command headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta for further investigation. In a related development, the police arrested two suspects, Wole Oke (38) and Wasiu Adesina (30), for allegedly being in possession

of human parts. Oke and Adesina were nabbed at Ijemo Idi Aro area of Abeokuta by policemen attached to Oke Itoku Division led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Abeni Farinre. “The two (suspects) took to their heels with a leather bag on sighting policemen and they were hotly chased and got arrested. “On searching the bag with them, it was discovered that it contained human bones. On interrogation, one of the suspects, Wole Oke, confessed that it was the bone of his sister who died four years ago. “He further stated that one herbalist sent him to go and bring it for money ritual purpose,” the PPRO said. Oyeyemi added that the police commissioner had also ordered the transfer of the two suspects to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) for further investigation. He added that Iliyasu had given an order for the immediate arrest of the herbalist mentioned by the suspects.

Save us from land grabbers, Ibeju-Lekki communities beg Ambode Abiodun Bello

esidents of Ibeju-Lekki communities in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State have called on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to save them, their houses, businesses, land and other valuables from suspected armed land grabbers. The people, including family and village heads, made the call at a press conference in Lagos yesterday. They said armed land grabbers, allegedly led by Alhaji Mutairu Owoeye, invaded 10 communities, OkoOlomi, Olowu, Itapampa, Adeba-Onikonko, Oko-Ile, Oko-Jegi, Alabula, Aina, Idi-Ope and Eleki, on April 17 and chased them away from their ancestral land. The Head of Oko-Olomi, Alhaji Tajudeen Eleku, told journalists that the suspected land grabbers invaded his community with scores of thugs wielding dangerous weapons. He said: “On the day of invasion, I was in my house with my son when we heard gunshot sounds. I rushed outside to see what was going on, only to see several people with various weapons such as guns and machetes among others. They said we must vacate the community immediately. They beat me with the side of a machete. My son and I had to flee the community. “Now, we cannot return as the thugs have occupied the communities. My father has a house there and I have my own house too.” Also, the Head of Jaguna family of Alabula community, Alhaji Modiu Jaguna, told journalists that the invasion came as a surprise. “I was in Lagos that day when I was called on the phone that land grabbers have invaded our community and others. Now we do not have a place to live,” Jaguna added. The Head of Itapampa, Pa Tolani Anifowose, called on the governor to help them retrieve their land from the land grabbers. Anifowose said: “The communities were founded over 300 years ago. We have been living in peace in the area until now. We did not sell our land, neither did our fathers.” On his part, Mr. Jimo Akorede, a resident of Itapampa, said the land grabbers had disrupted businesses and disorganised families in the area. “The land grabbers stole our cows and cattle we were rearing. My wife is a Ghanaian, she has returned to Ghana because of the crisis while

One of the victims of the attack

my children have stopped going to school,” Akorede noted. Their lawyers, Mr. Tunde Popoola and Mr Bamidele Ogundele, said the suspected land grabbers, by still occupying the communities, had breached a court injunction restraining them from further incursion into the land. “The instrumentality of Chief Mutairu Owoeye was used to disrespect the clear and unambiguous ruling of the Honourable Justice A. J. Bashua of the Epe High Court in suit number EPD/047/2016 dated 27th day of June 2016 restraining Tolls System Development Company Limited from further embarking on any construction on the affected community’s lands and mandating the company to remove all thugs and hoodlums led by Alhaji Owoeye from the lands,” Ogundele said. In the motion of ex-parte, a certified true copy obtained by New Telegraph, Justice Bashua had ruled that: “An interim injunction is granted restraining the 1st defendant, its agent, and privies led by one land warrior/agent, Alhaji Chief Mutairu Owoeye, from embarking on construction of any structure on the claimant’s land… at Oko-Olomi village pending the hearing and determination of the motion of notice for interlocutory injunction.” On his part, Popoola disclosed that based on a petition from his chambers, the Lagos State Task Force on Land Grabbers stormed the communities on September 29 and arrested Mr. Ganiu Owoeye who is the son of Chief Mutairu Owoeye in connection with the invasion. He said: “Ganiu Owoeye was one of those who invaded the communities. He is also named in the petition. “Many people were seriously injured during the invasion. One of them has been taken to Kwara State because he has developed mental problem as a result of head injuries he suffered during the attack.” Members of the community said Owoeye claimed he acted on a power of attorney he obtained from the firm of Justice George Oguntade (rtd) to invade the communities. But Justice Oguntade denied backing invasion of the communities with armed thugs. “My advice is that you thoroughly investigate the matter and report your finding objectively. The land in issue belongs to a company called ARM. It was granted to the co. by Lagos State. “The suit to determine the true ownership is in court. I do not own an inch of the land. It is therefore untrue that I asked anybody to employ the use of thugs over a dispute in court,” Oguntade said in a text message. But Owoeye refused to pick his calls or respond to text message. But when contacted on the phone, the Chairman, Task Force on Land Grabbers, Mr. Jide Bakare, confirmed Mr. Ganiu Owoeye’s arrest. He said: “We arrested Mr. Ganiu Owoeye and four others in connection with the invasion of communities in Ibeju-Lekki. “Owoeye and four others will be charged to court tomorrow (today). The allegation against them is wrongful and forceful entry into land contrary to Section 4 of the Lagos State Property Protection Law.”

NEWS | national

CONFIRMATION/ change OF NAME

Ajamu

Formerly Olanrewaju Suleiman Fajobi now to be called and addressed as Olanrewaju Suleiman Fajobi Ajamu. All former documents remain valid. First bank, other banks and members of the public take note.

Johnson

Formerly Oluwasanmi Olatunji David now to be called and addressed as Oluwasanmi Olatunji Johnson. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

Oluwasanmi

Formerly Ojo Olubusola Abiola now to be called and addressed as Oluwasanmi Olubusola Abiola. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

Ajayi

Formerly known and addressed as Eniola Christianah Faseku now to be known and addressed as Eniola Christianah Ajayi. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

Felix-Omorodion

Formerly known and addressed as Ezinne Anabel Okwara now to be known and addressed as Ezinne Anabel Felix-Omorodion. Former documents remain valid. General public take note.

Salaam

Formerly Basheer Rukayat Omojibola now to be called and addressed as Salaam Rukayat Omojibola. All former documents remain valid. General public take note

tuesday, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Igbokwe canvasses Police to curb pre-budget dialogue cybercrime scourge Chukwu David Abuja

Emmanuel Onani Abuja

he InspectorGeneral of Police (IGP), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, has indicated the readiness of the Nigeria Police to tackle the rising spate of cybercrime in the country. While acknowledging the fact that ‘law enforcement in Africa is only just beginning to grapple with this menace (cybercrime) in our various jurisdictions,’ Idris assured the nation that the existing hi-tech criminal information system will be adequately equipped to boost the investigating capacities of officers.

$1.64m

The capital importation of the Transport sector of Nigeria in Q2 2014. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

The IGP stated this at the opening of cybercrime training for ‘practitioner investigators’ from Nigeria and other African countries, by the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL). Idris, who was represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigative Department (FCIID), said a dedicated hi-tech and cybercrime unit had been deployed within the INTERPOL national central bureau in the country. "This training is coming at an auspicious time in which criminals in the cyberspace deploy their ICT know-how to unleash

49,000

The total number of security personnel deployed for the 2016 Edo governorship election. Source: New Telegraph newspaper

mayhem and financial injuries on law-abiding citizens in our various jurisdictions. "Currently, efforts are being vigorously pursued to equip the unit with the tools and techniques to boost its capacities in fields such IP crime enquires, identity fraud, online tracking of suspects, electronic crime scene investigation and the forensic examination of computers, computer networks and mobile devices," the police chief stated. Participants will receive training on open source e-mail investigation, deep web investigation, as well as online profiling.

$0.53m

The capital importation of the Transport sector of Nigeria in Q4 2014. Source: National Bureau of Statistics

Idon

Ojobo

I, formerly known and addressed as Ugwoke John Ojoboson now wish to be known and addressed as Ugwoke Silas Ojobo. Also, my correct BVN is 22197180136. All former documents remain valid. First bank Plc and the general public should take note.

Chukwuma

Molokwu

I, formerly known and addressed as Toborobu Kingdom Moloku now wish to be known and addressed as Kingdom Molokwu. All former documents remain valid. FCMB Plc, Ecobank Plc and the general public should please take note.

Francis

I, formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Fekurumoh .S. Glory now wish to be known and addressed as Miss Francis .C. Glory. All former documents remain valid. University of Port-Harcourt, Choba, Bayelsa State Hospitals Management Board and the general public should please take note.

Okoriko

This is to confirm that the bearer of these names Wariabuna Okoriko and Jones Trinah Okoriko refer to one and the same person. Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as Jones Wariabuna Okoriko. All documents bearing the above mentioned names remain valid. The general public should please take note.

Makanjuola

This is to confirm that the bearer of these names Oluwaseun Mayowa Makanjuola in my BVN and Mayowa Makanjuola refer to one and the same person. Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as Oluwaseun Mayowa Makanjuola. All documents bearing the above mentioned names remain valid. The general public should please take note.

for change of name, pls call ay on 08171734015 or harry 08038684347

member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Nnanna Igbokwe, has advocated for pre-budget dialogue between the executive and the legislature as a means of eliminating friction between the two arms while budgeting for the nation. Igbokwe, who is the chairman, Young Parliamentarians' Forum, in an interview with New Telegraph in Abuja, said holding dialogue on budget before its presentation to the National Assembly, would guarantee harmony, expeditious passage and easy implementation of the budget in each fiscal year. He explained that prebudget engagement would provide opportunity for members of the National Assembly and the executive branch to sit together and address all the areas

Bayelsa APC lauds Buhari over federal appointments

I, formerly known and addressed as Simeon Amon now wish to be known and addressed as Simeon Amon Idon. All former documents remain valid. Union bank Plc and the general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Ogbe Chuma Stanley now wish to be known and addressed as Ogbe Cletus Chukwuma. All former documents remain valid. UBA Plc and the general public should please take note.

L-R: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; his wife, Dolapo; Senate President, Bukola Saraki; his wife, Toyin; Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and his wife, Gimbiya during the presentation of a book, entitled 'Muhammadu Buhari: The Challenges of Leadership In Nigeria’ written by Prof. John Paden in Abuja… yesterday. PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

Contraceptives could cause depression –Study Appolonia Adeyemi

new study has revealed that hormonal contraceptives are associated with an increased risk for depression. According to the findings of this study published in ‘JAMA Psychiatry,’ Danish researchers studied more than a million women aged between 15 and 34, tracking their contraceptive and antidepressant use from 2000 to 2013. While depression is a common but serious mood disorder that causes severe symptoms that affect how you feel, think and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working, hormonal contraception refers to birth control methods that act on the endocrine system.

This pill works by preventing the ovary from releasing an egg, thickening the cervical mucus, making it difficult for the sperm to reach the egg and changing the lining of the uterus making implantation difficult. The study linking contraceptives to depression excluded women who before 2,000 had used antidepressants or had another psychiatric diagnosis. The New York Times reported that over all, compared with non-users, users of hormonal contraception had an 80 per cent increased risk of depression. Some types of contraceptives carried even greater risk. Women who used progestin-only pills more than doubled their risk, for example, while those who use the levonorgestrel IUD (brand name Mirena) tripled their risk.

The risk persisted after adjusting for age, age of first intercourse, educational level and other factors. The JAMA Psychiatry study also found that the risk was greater in adolescent girls, but this may be because adolescent girls are especially susceptible to depression. Reacting to the development, Dr. Oejvind Lidegaard, senior author and a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Copenhagen said: “Even though the risk of depression increases substantially with these drugs - an 80 per cent increase is not trivial - most women who use them will not get depressed. “Still, it is important that we tell women that there is this possibility and that there are effective non-hormonal methods of birth control.”

of the document that could generate controversy during budget consideration and/or after approval by the parliament. He said: "Government should adopt pre-budget engagement with the legislature so that by the time the document is presented, it will get accelerated passage because the leadership and the members can buy into the general intent and purpose and policy direction of the budget. "Pre-budgeting engagement is a strategy in public administration, where you will be able to go indoors and settle some areas of the document that can generate controversy. "This is encouraged within the political party. And as a ruling party, there is nothing that stops them from getting even the members of the party to participate in the discussion on how to ensure total implementation of the party's manifesto through the budget.

ayelsa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the appointment of two key federal officials who are indigenes of the state. Buhari had last week, approved the appointment of a retired permanent secretary in the Bayelsa State civil service, Mrs. Gloria Izonfuo as a member of the National Population Commission (NPC). Her name has already been forwarded to the Senate for confirmation. The President also appointed Mr. Simbi Wabote, as the executive secretary of the Nigerian Content Monitoring and Development Board. Wabote's appointment was with immediate effect. In a statement issued yesterday on behalf of the party

by the Publicity Secretary, Fortune Panebi, the state chapter of the APC said the President's gesture was a sign of comfort and a positive development for the state. The statement reads in part; “The appointment of both Izonfuo and Wabote is a welcome development and a very positive sign of what is to come. While we are confident that both appointees are credible and experienced in their chosen career lines, this gesture from the President shows that he has every part of the nation at heart. “Truly, these appointments, coming at a time cynics were already taunting our revered leaders to attract more appointments to the state are a collective manifestation of the cohesion, understanding and unity of purpose in our party."

NAF destroys illegal refineries in Rivers

he Nigerian Air Force (NAF) yesterday said it has destroyed some illegal refineries and barges in the Niger Delta. Its spokesman, Group Capt. Ayodele Famuyiwa, said in a statement in Abuja. “In its concerted efforts to stop illegal bunkering and criminal activities in the Niger Delta, NAF today destroyed illegal oil refineries and barges filled with petroleum products. “The refineries and barges were sighted by NAF Diamond 42 aircraft on Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance mission in Bille commu-

nity of Rivers State. “Thereafter, an Mi24V helicopter gunship was called-in for attack,” Famuyiwa, who is the Director of Public Relations and Information of NAF, said. He described the operation as ‘very successful’ and added that a similar operation was carried out with remarkable success earlier in the same location. “These are clear signals to criminals operating in the South-South region as well as other parts of the country that it is no longer business as usual,” Famuyiwa said.

TUESDAY, octoBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Defection Dariye keeps moving

Politics

Interview Past administrations' profligacy responsible for economic woes – Anyim

13 16

Recession: Reps vote for home-made goods The House of Representatives has passed a resolution to compel the military and paramilitary agencies to source their uniforms locally. PHILIP NYAM reviews the resolution and its implications on the economy

he present economic recession in the country is making individuals and different segments of the society to think outside the box. The Federal Government is not left out and has clearly declared that the way out is diversification of the economy. In the House of Representatives, Speaker Yakubu Dogara, in his welcome address from the annual recess, expressed the commitment of the lower chamber to collaborate with the executive arm to identify possible solutions to the present economic situation. It was in line with this resolve that the House a week ago mandated its committees on Defence and Industries to ensure that uniforms and other apparels of the Nigerian army, Navy, Air Force, Customs, Immigration, Nigeria Police, Civil Defence, Prisons and the Fire Service are procured from local manufacturers. The House also mandated the Bank of Industry (BOI) to assist garment, shoes and other wearing apparels manufacturers with soft loans to enable them procure modern machines. While it would not be a matter of pride for the nation’s military to source materials from home, it will in a way boost its confidence. Consequently, analysts are of the view that the resolution could not have come at a better time than now because the nation needs to mop up and harness all her assets, human and natural endowments to fight recession. The resolutions were consequent upon a motion sponsored

FELIX NWANERI

GROUP PoLITICAL EDITOR nwanerif@newtelegraphonline.com

Dogara

by Hon. Prestige Ossy, representing Aba North/Aba South federal constituency of Abia State on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). The lawmaker had in the motion titled “Need to reduce expenditure by procurement of military and paramilitary uniforms and other clothing apparels from indigenous market,” said it was a known fact that the Nigerian Army and paramilitary services procures their uniforms, which include foot wears, berets, belts, vests, cardigans, head warmers and branded stockings from foreign markets. He said these items are bought from outside are purchased with foreign currencies. He expressed concern that the rate of overdependence on foreign markets for the procurement of almost everything used in Nigeria particularly wearing apparels of the Nigerian military and paramilitary services. He said at this time of economic recession, it was disturbing that the Federal Government was spending N4.3 billion for the purchase of uniforms and ancillary items for the military and paramilitary from abroad. He reasoned that if the amount proposed in the 2016 budget is converted to dollars at the rate of N305 per dollar, it would amount to $14.1 million. According to him, in 2015, the Federal Government spent N1.8 billion to buy these uniforms, which when converted at the then benchmark of N197 per dollar will amount to $1.8 million. His words: “The practice of importing military and paramilitary uniforms is in sharp contrast with what is obtainable in other countries of the world, which produce and manufacture uniforms and sundry wearing apparels for their military and paramilitary personnel.” He noted that for the indigenous

Osy Prestige

The practice of importing military and paramilitary uniforms is in sharp contrast with what is obtainable in other countries

garment manufacturing industry to thrive in Nigeria, direct support in form of grants and loans must be provided by the government through the BoI and other financial institutions at a single digit interest rate. He added that “in order to checkmate the proliferation of the wearing apparels of officers and men of the Nigerian military and paramilitary, strong regulatory measures must be put in place. As such, only licensed manufacturers should produce these uniforms for the military and paramilitary including the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). The lawmaker said he did a feasibility study of Aba, which revealed substantial benefits of sourcing the uniforms of the various organizations locally. According to him, there are 15,000 shoemakers in Aba, who produce at least 80,000 shoes per week. These shoemakers use domestically fabricated machines, with a few making use of imported machines. He said if encouraged and given modern machines, the industry would attract an additional 20,000 hands thereby creating employment for at least 30,000 youths, who can produce 14,000 shoes a day. “That is why I call on the BoI to give them soft loans. Already they have organised themselves into cooperatives and associations such as the Association of Unified Shoe Producers Association, the Abia State Leather Association, Nigeria Shoe Leather Centre. These are umbrella bodies that shoemakers belong to and government can find out what they need. Give them soft loans at single digit rate and they will increase their turnover” The lawmakers also observed that “if you go to Kano, you discover that leather is been wasted. Most of these hides and skin are instead consumed when they can

be put to a better economic use to benefit a whole lot of Nigerians.” In the garments industry, Ossy said that he discovered that Aba has well over 20,000 tailors with six cooperative societies. “If you go to Aba, even though they use local machines, the products are used locally and exported. Early this year, there was a Made-in-Aba Trade Fair in Abuja and the quality was largely acknowledged to be of international standard. They brought samples of military shoes and uniforms and there was no difference with what we import. So, why are we still wasting foreign exchange importing? “We expend a lot of foreign exchange importing when we can do it here. So, inject just 20 per cent of this money here and we will be better off. When we invest this money here, it will have a multiplier effect. The 2016 budget is not yet fully implemented and government could intervene at this point. Our economy is in shambles, we are struggling but these are little areas we can take this economy out of recession.” The lawmaker, however, decried that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) intervention to small scale enterprises was nonexistent in a place like Aba, which is regarded as the power house of entrepreneurship’ in the country. “There is no SME in Aba that has received anything from the CBN, but this is the power house of entrepreneurs in Nigeria,” he said. No doubt, the House resolution is commendable but its Committee on Legislative Compliance must act fast to ensure its compliance. The Federal Government must also cooperate with the parliament to get this implemented. The economic recession is real and the usual talk without action would rather worsen the situation.

POLITICS

National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, reviews President Muhammadu Buhari’s biography written by Prof. John Paden

TUESDAY, octoBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Buhari: The challenges of leadership in Nigeria

his authorised biography of Nigeria’s leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, attempts a broad characterisation of the different stages of his life and professional career. Essentially, the book explores how his professional career, his personal life and prior experiences in government shaped and prepared him for the momentous assignment he now has. From the book’s pages, we see a man who has lived his life on assignments that always intersected with vital moments in the nation’s history. He was a man on assignment, when, in the military, he served bravely in a civil war to keep Nigeria united. He was on national assignment when he became military head of state in a well-intentioned effort to straighten things out, and set Nigeria on a better path. When he ventured into politics and competed for the Presidency, culminating in his 2015 election victory, he was still on assignment, showing that there was no other way for this nation to go but the way of democracy, no matter how difficult the path may be. Now, as sitting President, he is on an assignment, against time, to undo the wrongs of nearly two decades of bad governance. Such is the life of this man, always in the public eye, doing things in his different, disciplined and Spartan way. From this compelling narrative, neatly demarcated into three parts and 24 chapters, the reader is able to glean the quintessential Buhari. The historical bent of this rendering, no doubt, makes for an educative and informative reading. The book is a timely narrative. Buhari’s credential as a transformative leader, who has evolved into a committed democrat, is secured in this narrative. The Nigeria project, which occupies the center stage in the book, has been Buhari’s life. Prof. Paden, the author of the book, was on point when he observed that political leadership was critical in keeping Nigeria moving and developing. The search for that astute political leadership is what produced the Buhari presidency. That same search is what must propel this presidency forward. The forward written by General Theophilus Danjuma captures the very essence of the book. No one is more qualified to evaluate President Buhari, from the past to the present, other than General Danjuma. As a senior officer to Buhari, they both enjoy a professional and personal friendship, unparalleled in our history. His words confirm that Buhari was a man prepared for leadership ahead of a time like this. The formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is an important event that the book addresses. The merger was the result of teamwork, belief in the democratic will of the people and a commitment to

Buhari

national purpose. Many of us invested ourselves, our heart, body, mind and soul in this project for national salvation. Many did not want it to happen and fought to undermine the good we sought to accomplish. Many others straddled the sidelines, neither completely in nor completely out, but waiting to see how the prevailing winds might blow before making their move. Muhammadu Buhari never wavered for one moment on this journey. Proving to be a focused leadership, he acted with single-minded determination that showed no fear or doubt in the rightfulness of the cause we pursued. I know this for an unassailable fact because I was there with him, every step of the way, to fight against, what the realists told us, were un-surmountable odds. Yet, our determination for reform beat their smart calculations. The desire for a better country was more powerful than their incumbent might. So many people made contributions that made the historic merger possible. It would be impossible to give each person the accolades they deserve in a concise work such as this one. However, it is an account that we must begin to chronicle fully, and with care, for it is the story of when reform came to the land. Here, I must say that this book makes a good initial contribution toward this objective. Indeed, the APC is a party born of the quest for democratic good governance. In essence, the party is the embodiment of a democratic promise made between its members as well as a democratic vow made to the public. The APC genesis is truly a historic and an engaging one. I, therefore, crave your indulgence here to give a bit more insight. In forming the ‘new’ party, we had three challenges. The first was learning the right lessons from the aborted attempt at political cooperation in 2011. Fortunately, both the Action Congress of Nigeria

As sitting President, he is on an assignment, against time, to undo the wrongs of nearly two decades of bad governance

(ACN) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) regretted our inability to conclude a pact in 2011. We agreed that there would be no recrimination over what did not happen before. We agreed there would be an intensified effort to forge the united effort that eluded us in 2011. In 2011, both parties wanted cooperation, but became stuck whether that should take the form of an alliance or outright merger. This difference gave rise to another one, regarding how the vice presidential candidate, who would run with the presidential candidate, Buhari, would be selected. Despite numerous good-faiths demonstrated in attempts to resolve these issues, time ran out on finding a solution. In retrospect, we all were perhaps a bit too inflexible and did not realise the extent to which cooperation and flexibility were needed to establish the reform we all wanted. The result: Each party went its own way in 2011. However, the talks of 2011 would foreshadow the discussions, beginning in 2013, which led to the successful merger forming the APC. Talks mainly between the CPC, led by Buhari, and the ACN, led by myself, later joined by the ANPP and the progressive wing of APGA, would go more smoothly and would reach the desired finish-line this time. There would be a merger and there would be a presidential candidate agreeable to all. A winning combination had been joined. It would give the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which had boasted of 60 continuous years in power, more than it could handle. After the successful merger and the birth of APC, it was time to pick a flag bearer. At the Lagos convention, President Buhari emerged as the new party’s choice in a transparently-honest process. His speech to the convention was greeted with ovation, even by those who had opposed him. In that speech, he said to the delight of all who heard, and I quote him: “I can’t give you a pocketful of dollars or naira to purchase your support. Even if I could, I would not do so. The fate of this nation is not up for sale. What I will give you, and this nation, is all of my strength, commitment, sweat and toil in the service of the people. What I can give you is my all”. This set the tone for the campaign to come. But first, there was the sticky issue of selecting a running mate. After careful study and discussion, it was agreed that we should field a religiously-balanced ticket given the sensitivities of the moment. Based on this conclusion, the name of Yemi Osinbajo, renowned Law professor and former Lagos State Attorney-General during my tenure as governor, was proposed as an excellent running mate. Osinbajo was also a pastor in the largest church in the entire country, and this would answer those who wrongfully tried to paint Buhari as intolerant. From these events, you can see

a portrait of President Buhari as a democrat, more adept, than many would think, at the nuances of coalition-building and political partnership. During the campaign, he surprised many by his agility and the broad canvas on which he operated. In tracing the evolution of Buhari, the national leader, the author’s assertion that military rule is based on the power its holders can wield, while civilian rule is based on the legitimacy derived from elections, is a point with which I dare not debate. Buhari’s career embodies this, hence his transition from being a military ruler to being a civilian leader, who subjected himself to the rigors and uncertainty of elections four times. Thrice he patiently went to court, seeking redress from electoral manipulation. The author, quite accurately, remarked on the Buhari victory equation, as flowing from Northern grassroots support and coalitionbuilding with the South-West as well as with other tendencies. Prof. Paden, in the book, succinctly explains the transition from the Buhari in uniform to one in civilian garb. He notes that in terms of style of leadership, Buhari as a young military head of state was in a hurry. However, now that he is older and given his experience, he is “slow but steady” in his approach to governance. The author juxtaposes Buhari’s military career and his political career adeptly, weaving them together in a tapestry that evokes the image of a man, who, from day one, had been destined for leadership. President Buhari made three electoral promises: Security, Corruption and Employment. On security, success has been recorded in decimating Boko Haram. On corruption and the rule of law, Buhari continues to plough new ground. Chapter 19 of the book entitled ‘Corruption and Law’ is a good examination on his fight against corruption. Unemployment has been a stubborn problem, made even more difficult by the oil price-driven recession, but this administration has shown its commitment toward achieving the structural reform that will bring a durable solution to this and other economic challenges. On the whole, the book is an important one. It is a logically-presented account of the emergence of the current political dispensation with President Buhari as its central protagonist. The author tried to achieve many things within a relatively small space. He succeeded in the main. He let the reader get a view into the family roots, life and experience of President Buhari. He also told the story of his professional career as a military general. The story of his political career and the journey to the presidency was told in a straightforward manner. Finally, he attempted a quick evaluation of the President’s first year in office. The author covers a vast amount of territory with an economy of words, yet he manages to give a feel for Buhari, the man. Therein lies the success of the book.

POLITICS

TUESDAY, octoBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Former Plateau State governor, Senator Joshua Dariye, is not new to the political game of defection, but his recent dumping of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised questions over his political ideology, Onyekachi Eze reports

Defection: Dariye keeps moving

oshua Dariye does not appear like a controversial politician but he has been in the news, most of the time for the wrong reasons since 2004, when he was removed as governor of Plateau State following the declaration of emergency rule in the state by then President Olusegun Obasanjo, following a religious crisis that claimed several lives. Dariye was accused of failing to act to end a cycle of violence between the Plateau State's Muslim and Christian communities and consequently the Federal Government disolved all democratic structures in the state, including the state House of Assembly. A retired army general, Chris Ali, was appointed as interim administrator in Dariye’s stead for six months. Obasanjo said in a nationwide radio broadcast that Dariye had been an indecisive governor and that his failure to intervene firmly to stamp out sectarian violence led to the May 2, 2004 massacre in Yelwa town. “If anything some of his utterances, his lackadaisical attitude and seeming uneven-handedness…over the contending issues present him as not just part of the problem, but also as an instigator and a threat to peace. I hereby declare a state of emergency in Plateau State,” Obasanjo said. A twist was added to the matter shortly when Dariye returned to the Ray Field Government House, following his impeachment on November 18, 2004 by eight out of the 24-member state House of Assembly. His deputy, Michael Botmang was sworn in as governor. Dariye however, returned again to the government house on April 27, 2007 following a Supreme Court judgement, which nullified his impeachment. His third missionary journey was however short lived as it was barely a month to the expiration of his second tenure in office on May 29, 2007. While serving as governor, was arrested in London in January 2004 for money laundering. Though he was not immediately charged to court because at that time, he still enjoyed immunity as serving governor, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), upon the expiration of his tenure in 2007, arraigned him in court for money laundering and stealing of $9 million public money.

Dariye

He was able to wriggle out of the charge; a 23-count charge was leveled against him over alleged diversion of about N1.2 billion ecological funds belonging to the state government. He pleaded not guilty to the charge but the matter is still pending in court. The former governor was accused of plot to delay and even stop his trial when he challenged the competence of a court in Abuja to try him since the said offence was said to have been committed in Plateau State. He pursued the matter up to the Supreme Court but lost. The apex court on February 27, 2015, dismissed Dariyes appeal and ordered him to submit himself for trial. Having failed to stop the trial, Dariye, on January 25 this year appeared before the same Justice Adebukola Banjoko of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja where he was arraigned eight years ago. At the resumed hearing of his trial early this year, a police detective, Musa Sunday, gave a graphic description of how Dariye instructed the bank to divert the ecological fund to another account that does not belong to the Plateau State government. Sunday further disclosed that the London Metropolitan police is still on the trail of the former governor for the money laundry offence he allegedly committed in 2004. “The defendant was granted police bail by the UK police and he jumped bail. The investigating police officer in London, Peter Clark, was in Nigeria in the course of our investigation,” he told the court. While the former government is yet to open his defence, he was back in the news recently, following his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling

He is only looking for a soft landing and escape from the antigraft agencies

All Progressives Congress (APC). The former governor, who presently represents Plateau Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has been in three political parties since 2011, when he was first elected as a senator. It was the PDP that gave him the ticket to serve for two terms as governor of Plateau State between 1999 and 2007. But he defected to Labour Party (LP) in 2010 and was elected senator in 2011. He was to return to PDP to seek re-election in 2015. The APC, which he joined on September 22, is the third party he is joining in the last five years. Though he cited the crisis in the PDP as the reason for his defection, there is a political school in the state, which believes that it is part of his grand design to evade justice. Dariye, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Procurement, had in a letter to the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, explained: “After due consultations with my constituency, I write to notify you of my intention to cross over from the PDP to the APC. “My decision is informed by the protracted division at the national level of the PDP that led to the massive movement of my supporters to the APC. Arising from this, I, therefore, write to formerly inform you of my decision to go along with my supporters. I thank you for your understanding.” But justified as Dariye’s reason is, a chieftain of the PDP in Plateau State, Chief Alexander Mwolwus, insisted that it was an attempt to escape prosecution by anti-graft agencies. Mwolwus, a former Special Adviser to former Governor Jonah Jang on Political Affairs, had lost the PDP primaries for the Plateau Central senatorial seat to Dariye,

described the excuse as “flimsy and out of tune with realities.” He added: “He is only looking for a soft landing and escape from the anti-graft agencies, which are investigating and prosecuting him. The public is aware that Dariye, who is our former governor under the platform of PDP, is facing trial for some of his activities while as governor of Plateau from 1999-2007. “But the unfortunate thing is that, this action cannot save him; APC will not, by his decamp, forgive him all the rot, because they claimed to be fighting corruption. I am sad and worried for him (Dariye) especially his political career; I could sense that he is descending politically by that wrong action he took.” The PDP chieftain further described the ex-governor’s action as very shocking and surprising to the people of his constituency and the entire people of Plateau. According to him, Plateau Central Zone, which Dariye represents, had been the most formidable force in the politics of Plateau, “but he has disappointed it.” “Nobody that had ruled Plateau would behave the way Dariye had done; jumping from ACN to LP to PDP and now to APC, which I am sure is not the last. You must have a genuine reason to leave a party; as for us in PDP here on the Plateau we are a family and there is no problem among us”, Mwolwus said. While Mwolwus’ frustration is understandable given the fact that Dariye has dumped the platform through which he rode to political prominence, the poser is: How many politicians can be identified with ideas on which economic or political systems are based. Against this backdrop, analysts insist that the main deciding factor in most of the recent defections is interest, as politics in Nigeria, remains game of interest masquerading as contest of principles. This, analysts, however opined, has only succeeded in relegating integrity and politics of ideas to the background and in its place, encouraged the ascendancy and triumph of selfidentity and money politics. The unguarded manner at which politicians jump in and out of parties has also negated the wisdom behind the provision of section 68(1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended). The section, which is designed to check this malaise provides as follows: “A member of the Senate or of the House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member if (g) being a person whose election to the House was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected; Provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored.”

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion They own it all and still want more My Word CLEM AGUIYI totalpolitics@ymail.com 0803-474-7898 (sms only)

hey already own everything; they own our politics, our economy and our money. Even the CBN is being privatized and controlled by this cartel. The same cartel now wants to control the water we drink and the air we breathe to complete their vicious cycle of privatization. They don’t care about the future but very selfishly only about the dark interest they represent. Unrestrained capitalism is evil and should be challenged. The media knows about this but will never write about it. They (media) write what they want you to know not because they want to serve the truth or solve problems in favour of the people but to serve the government and the interest of the powerful group that empowers government. Throughout history, there have always been powerful people who work secretly behind the scene to advance their own selfish objectives, often to the detriment of the people. As a writer and Political Consultant I have had views of powerful men confided to me privately. Many powerful men in politics, commerce and manufacturing, are afraid of somebody, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak against it. These powerful elements have owned the government. It doesn’t matter whether it is a military or civilian government. Andrew Jackson, America’s 7th president wrote, “I weep for the liberty of my country when I see at this early day of its successful experiment that corruption has been imputed to many members of the House of Representatives, and the rights of the people have been

bartered for promises of office.” In the mid-1900s, President Dwight Eisenhower added this, “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by business men. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.” And shortly before his assassination, President John F. Kennedy added this: “The very word ‘secrecy’ is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings.” The situation is no different today in Nigeria. A few financial elements made rich by the people in power and societies who operate mostly behind the scene, and keep their objectives secret from the public, largely own and control everything from our politics to the economy. When the owners of Nigeria decided to remove former President Goodluck Jonathan, they conspired and arranged all manner of forces against him. It doesn’t matter that their substitute lacked the capacity to deliver on the anticipated change they promised. Maybe, one day Mr. Jonathan will tell his story. The interest that converged to take power in 2015 using APC as an alternative vehicle had their objective well defined. They wanted political power so that they will control the oil and gas wealth of Nigeria and take over what remains of her strategic assets. As soon as APC won the 2015 general election, the first major policy floated by his transition committee was the sale of NNPC and other oil assets. The forces behind this move backed down due to public outcry but never gave up. Even if the public forgot this agenda, the media that is fuelling the ongoing debate on sale of some national assets ought to know that Aliko Dangote and Senator Bukola Saraki didn’t just wake up to their simplistic solution to Nigeria economic tragedy. Some financial elements and their political collaborators carefully guided Nigeria into recession with hope that hunger and harsh economic reality will subdue the peoples resistance exactly the same way they were able to force the removal

Government's disobedience to court orders frightened investors

of fuel subsidy rather than fight the corruption in the system without the people whimping. Forget what the government and the media tells you about the current recession. Our recession is not just caused by the corruption of the last regime because corruption and nepotism are now super with APC, neither was it caused by the fall in oil price. To guide Nigeria into recession those that owned Nigeria deliberately caused wrong substitutions in our political play and opened wars on many fronts at the same time. Whereas they never ended the war against Boko Haram which before now had overstretched the military and national treasury, they opened another war in the Niger Delta, a region that has been peaceful in the past seven years. As if the country is being run by pyromaniacs another war was opened against Biafra agitators in the South East. The government also launched an all-out war against Corruption which of course is needed except that the approach and strategy is creating more problems than it is solving. Government's disobedience to court orders frightened investors and caused capital flights because no foreign investor will stomach executive interference in judicial processes. The lack of strategy in implementing the TSA policy successfully killed banks and eventually killed the Naira. It is the combination of these factors that caused our current recession and they were all self-induced and orchestrated as a prelude to force the sale of our commonwealths. Why will any sane government contemplate the sale of its 49 per cent equity in a thriving concern like the NLNG which has two wholly- owned subsidiaries: Bonny Gas Transport and NLNG Ship Management Limited. The company’s total Revenue from 1999 to 2015 was US$90.3billion while the figure for the last 5 years was US$ 48.54 billion. The Capital Investment from 1999 to 2015 was US$15.6billion while the figure for the last five years was US$ 1.3 billion. Dividend paid to NNPC (FGN) from 2004 to 2015 was US$15.3 billion while the figure for the last five years was US$8.74 billion. Dividend (Net of WHT) paid to other shareholders from 2004 to 2015 was US$16 billion while the figure for the last five years was US$9.43 billion.

Russia: Between economy and diplomacy Odimegwu Onwumere

ussia has been fraught with boisterous diplomatic and economic issues in the recent times. Forecasters say that this country that is officially known as Russian Federation is aiming at restoring its world power grandeur, which went into oblivion after the defunct Soviet Union lowered her Soviet hammer and sickle flag for the last time over the Kremlin, on December 25, 1991, and swapped them with the Russian tricolor. The country has a pursuit for influence and has been telling the West that it cannot be swayed by speechifying of the USA and Europe not to take its stand in the comity of nations – sovereignty. In the light of this, some countries have made Russia an enemy than a friend and this is affecting the country in diverse ways. Russia is facing challenges such that the citizens are finding it hard not to complain. She is entrapped inbetween economic crisis, unemployment, internal hues and cry, amongst

others and a battle of supremacy with the West, because of the 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Enemies and friends of Russia in Turkey which was regarded as an enemy by Russia in 2014 with one per cent of Russians believing it, garnered a figure of 29 percent of Russians who see Turkey as an enemy to Russia by 2015. In The Levada Center Poll, 2016, Russia’s top enemies are USA, Ukraine, Turkey, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, UK, Estonia, Georgia. The countries that are seen as Russia's best friends are Kazakhstan, China, India, Armenia, Cuba, Syria, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan. Freshly, Russia and Belarus are also stepping out for the other after decades of a brotherly harmony. Before their newly perceived disunity, Russian and Belarusian presidents had maintained a bilateral relationship, with President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus and President Vladimir Putin of Russia once holding close political, economic and military knots. In spite of this, Russian-backed

pro-self-government and national army forces in eastern Ukraine, have made Lukashenko to start laying the foundations to make his country’s relationship with Europe a formidable one against his once “brotherly love” with Russia. What European political observers have seen is a Belarusian president that has been sending diplomats from his country to European capitals, and is in convivial ties with embassies from the EU and US – the two entities that have locked their horns with Putin in their diplomatic war. In April 2015, the Belarusian president was precautious to talk about the matter of Russian influence on his country and showed slim love concerning the presence of pro-Russian NGOs in Belarus and supposed that he had strong methods to handle the presence of radical Russian groups active in his country. Ranging from rising economic challenges to rising unemployment and rising prices of goods, in what sounds like a population census in September 2016, over fifty percent Russians among whom are Russian Middle

Class, have said that these are a very big threat to their existence. “The boom years are over,” Chris Weafer, a senior partner at consulting firm Macro Advisory in Moscow, tells Bloomberg. “The old model based on trickle-down oil revenue has come to an end.” The Moscow Times edition of Sep 15, 2016, authoritatively gathered through the Interfax news agency that the economic crisis has skyrocketed to 49 percent, while rising unemployment lies at 35 per cent. Fears are in the air that the citizens may be heading for exile if urgent measures are not taken to curb the rising economic menace in the country. Since the economic crunch hit the once super nation in 2014, many workers' take home has diminished. “The middle class, defined by Russian researchers as people with higher education who earn above the average and don’t do manual labour, has doubled to 40 per cent of the 146 million-person population. • Onwumere (odimegwu@journalist.com) wrote in from Port Harcourt

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

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Calling on Transportion Minister

he history of the Nigerian railway can be traced to the British colonial government when it began the construction of a railway from the then Lagos Colony to Ibadan in March 1896. According to information sourced on Wikipedia, “the Lagos Government Railway started operations in March 1901 and was extended to Minna in 1911, where it met the Baro– Kano Railway that was built by the government of Northern Nigeria between 1907 and 1911. The two lines were amalgamated in 1912 into the Government Department of Railways, the predecessor to the Nigerian Railway Corporation. The railway reached its North-eastern terminus of Nguru in 1930.” The discovery of coal at Udi, gave birth to the Eastern Railway in Port Harcourt between 1913 and 1916. This was later extended to Kaduna in 1927, connecting the Eastern Railway to the Lagos–Kano Railway. The Eastern Railway was extended to its North-eastern terminus of Maiduguri between 1958 and 1964. During this period, mass movement of goods and services was largely done through the railway, which in turn reduced the pressure on our roads and made them durable. Between 1963 and the early 1980s, Nigeria had a vibrant rail system, which conveyed agricultural produce, livestock and

solid mineral resources to the Lagos and Port Harcourt seaports from where they were exported to other countries. But due to years of neglect by subsequent administrations, our railway system was killed by bureaucracy and corruption. Some of the rail tracks were left unattended to as a result of which they were vandalised. Because of the state of the rail tracks, few trains which plied them had to move at snail speed. After years of neglect, there was a glimmer of hope that the comatose Nigerian railway system will soon be back on track when former President Olusegun Obasanjo performed the

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Managing Editor, South n Emeka Madunagu Managing Editor, North & Abuja n Laurence Ani (Leave of Absence) Editor n Ayodele Ojo Editor, Sunday n Juliet Bumah Editor, Saturday n Waheed Bakare Deputy Editor, Group Head, Newsroom n Geoffrey Ekenna

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to go into operation. The project, which is Nigeria’s first high speed rail system, was built by the CCECC and is made up of a 186.5km standard gauge double track from Abuja to Kaduna. It comprises nine stations and the train, according to the Chinese firm, can travel as fast as 150km/hour. The idea was conceived by a previous administration, started by the Goodluck Jonathan government and was completed and

The rail system remains the best option for mass movement

official groundbreaking ceremony of the Abuja light rail system in May 2007. The project was part of the city’s bid to host the Commonwealth Games in 2014. But paucity of funds stalled it for many years. In 2009, the nation also saw the need to commence railway modernisation project, which culminated in the signing of the contract for the construction of the Abuja to Kaduna rail line in 2009. The $1.46billion Abuja-Kaduna train service was completed and inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari on July 27. The Abuja-Kaduna train for passengers and freight is Nigeria’s first-ever standard gauge rail track

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

inaugurated by the current government, an indication that government is a continuum. It is expected that goods that are

brought in from Kaduna to Abuja using this means of transport will be cheaper and affordable compared to using other means of transportation. Besides, standard gauge train service is safe, fast and reliable. Another great advantage of this project is that residents of Kaduna can leave their home on a daily basis to work in Abuja since the journey is less than an hour. It will also serve as an alternative transport link between Abuja and Kaduna. During the last Eid-el-Kabir, findings showed that after so many years, some rams were brought into Lagos on trains and those rams were cheaper compare with

those brought through road transport. Various countries in the world have long realised that the rail system remains the best option for mass movement of people, goods and services. Nigeria cannot afford to be different. In 2011, Saudi Arabia awarded high-speed railway contract worth $7.5 billion to a consortium of 12 Spanish companies and two Saudi firms aim to improve transport connections between two cities, Mecca and Madinah, during the annual hajj pilgrimage. By implication, when completed, a journey, which requires putting 53,000 buses on the roads to cater for about two million pilgrims will be carried out by just 35 highspeed trains. 72,000 pilgrims will be moved every one hour. One could imagine the number of man-hour that will be saved using this effective and reliable means of transportation. As part of his administration’s plan, President Muhammadu Buhari assured that most state capitals and major commercial and production centres would be linked with the railway system as a way of bringing about rapid socio-economic development and improving the quality of life of Nigerians, and promoting social and regional integration. We hope the promise made will be kept so that we can go back to the good old days when train ride was a pleasure and booster of our economy.

POLITICS

TUESDAY, octoBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Past administrations' profligacy responsible for economic woes – Anyim Former National Vice Chairman (South-East) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Abia State governorship candidate of the party in the 2015 general elections, Nyerere Anyim, speaks in this interview with Felix Nwaneri on Nigeria’s 56th independence anniversary, Biafra agitation, among other national issues. Excerpts:

How would you assess Nigeria at 56? Do you think there is any cause to celebrate over five decades of independence? We have to thank God, 56 years is more than half a century and our country by the grace of God despite all challenges still remains one united nation. We give God the glory. So many countries or nations of the world don’t believe we can still be together after the civil war but God in His infinite mercy still keeps us together as a nation. But more than five decades after independence, there are still agitations for self-determination by most parts of the country. The unfortunate thing about it is that those talking about Biafra don’t even know what Biafra is. Most of them were not born during the Biafran civil war; most of them don’t know what the people went through during the civil war. It is something you can’t even wish for your enemies but the most painful thing is that some of the people clamouring for Biafra are not even living in Nigeria. You see, some people demonstrating in London, Malaysia calling for Biafra, I see those agitations as a distraction motivated by some set of people who want to make themselves known and enrich themselves. Are those agitating the right people to call for Biafra? Tell me their objective and reasons. They are enriching themselves with such process and putting the lives of innocent people in jeopardy but I personally appeal to the Federal Government to amicably address the issue of Biafra, we don’t need to ignore them and we don’t need to allow them distract the government as well. They have no objective. We have leaders and eminent personalities in Igbo land; they should go to them and make their case known. Would you say that the expectations of Nigerians have been met by successive governments? I would have wanted us to know

the benchmark for us to know if our expectations have been met or not. Then, you need to look at it from different perspectives; is it on national unity or education? Can we say we have done well in the educational sector, taking cognizance of some institutions in terms of infrastructural facilities; the high cost of education in the country? To me, Nigeria has done well at 56. In the health sector too, have we done well? Some people may say yes while some people as well may say no but to an extent, we could recognise some indices that will indicate that Nigeria has done well. Take for example the way we handled the issues of Ebola and Lasa fever. Don’t also forget that Nigeria has done very well in terms of human capital development. But in the area of industries, we have not done too well because you can see that most of our industries are moribund, they are not functioning again and there is no way we can develop as a nation without an effective industrial policy. One of the problems of our industrial development is the issue of electricity supply, it is a colossal failure. The issue of power supply has killed most of our industries because we can’t produce without regular power supply. In agriculture, we would have been better off if we have decided not to put all our eggs in one basket. Prior to the emergence of oil as our main source of income, the federal government was able to finance most of government expenditures through agriculture. Then we had the groundnut pyramid in Kano, people came from other countries to take palm oil seeds, now they are the best in palm oil produce. We saw crude oil like a dog that was passing through a river in the night and saw the shadow very big and in the day light the bigger shadow vanished. Our over dependence in oil has caused Nigerians untold hardship, when we want to talk about the necessities of life

Anyim

like clothing, shelter, food and others, we should not be a hungry nation with our landmass. If we want to judge critically, we have failed in the area of agriculture; we have not been able to utilize the opportunities we have, we failed to save for the raining day. When oil was booming, our problem wasn’t money but how to spend it. For that reason, we should have been proactive enough to save for the future of this country.

Nobody can tell me that a government that came into power barely two years ago is responsible for the present challenges

Are you saying that the failure to save for the future affected the country’s development? Where we found ourselves today is not a day’s making. You see, I find it very funny when people blame President Muhammdu Buhari or the APC government for the state of our economy. Everything is just manifesting now, just like an ailment that has being eating on someone for a very long time. The approach of past administrations on economy was very bad. If they have done the right thing from, we wouldn’t have found ourselves in this mess today. Nobody can tell me that a government that came into power barely two years ago is responsible for the present challenges. It has been there unchecked and that is why we found ourselves in this economic challenge today. Do you see the Muhammadu Buhari administration taking Nigeria out of this challenge soonest? What the government is doing right now unlike the past administrations is addressing the problems and adopting having a cosmetic approach. We inherited a defective structure and we have to re-construct it instead of building on it. If the government fails to do what it is doing now, the old structure we met would have collapsed by now but thank God they are doing the right thing and that is why we must go through the pain. It is just like somebody with a teeth ache and he goes to the dentist to remove it, he must feel the pain but after the pain for some moment, he would be fine. Just like a woman in a labour, after delivery, she will be happy. Why I am happy with this admin-

istration is because they are honest about our situation, they have come to tell us how things look like, and they are trying to make things better. My appeal to them is that in the process of making things better, let there be interim measures that will eradicate the suffering of the masses, so that the child you are cooking food for will not die before the food is done. Some people are saying that some of ministers in the Buhari cabinet are not performing. Are you in support for their sack? When people start talking about ministers not performing, I’m always surprised because what the ministers are doing right now is ensuring that things are put in the right direction. The past administration destroyed lots of things and the Bible says that if the foundation is destroyed what shall the righteous do? We should stop apportioning blames on people but that does not mean that I support low performance or somebody who does not know what he is there for but I know that it’s the situation that warranted their performance for now. What is your advice to the leadership and the led as the nation marches on? My advice is that the President should see leadership as a trust and sacrifice. He must wake up for the good of the nation, he must put everything in the right place. To the citizens, they should know that a leader is not a supper human and anyone who is planning to bring down the leader should be discouraged. Leaders have roles to play in the development of a nation so also the citizens have their roles to play as well. If we can have collaborative efforts between the leaders and the citizens, the nation will grow very fast. And we have to change our orientation because what you call your dog is what it answers. If you don’t see anything good in your country, if you never see anything good in your leadership, you cannot have faith in it. Even if something is wrong, you should not expose it to the world; you can make it known to leadership politely for urgent correction rather exposing it to the world at large. Across the globe, Nigerians excel academically but white men will never report this. In all aspects of live, Nigerians are excel but they are not reported; it is just some percentage of Nigerians are bad but with that they are now painting all Nigerians black while in their countries, they do worst things than we do here. So, our people should see positive things in their leaders and in their nation. Our policies in Nigeria should have human interest and our government should ensure an enabling environment that will give opportunities for the young ones who are doing exploits in other nations to come back home and develop our nation. The President and his team should go back to the drawing board and redefine those things that will move this country forward.

TUESDAY, octoBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ibrahim Uncommon patriot on wheels

Inside Abuja

Recession Abuja markets record low patronage

18 20

Ndigbo fetes Abuja with cultural flavour Caleb Onwe

he 2016 Igbo Day Celebration may have come and gone, but one thing about it that may for too long remain indelible in the minds of the people, is the cultural colour and resonance of traditional antiquities, robustly displayed during the event. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) like any other place experienced 'a rain' of Igbo cultural rebirth during the celebration. Igbo Day Celebration said to be a renaissance of the Igboâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dogged struggle to re-enact themselves, and forget the ugly experiences which they encounter daily in the journey towards getting integrated to the Nigerian mainstream society, after the unfortunate civil war that claimed over two million lives. Ohanaeze Ndigbo, a socio-cultural group of the Igbo nation, has continued to maintain that there is an urgent need to rescue the Igbo cultural heritage from total collapse, hence, this celebration, which the Igbo nation considers as an avenue to forestall losing their cultural identity. There seems to be a consensus amongst both the Igbo elites and the common masses of the Igbo origin, that revamping the dwindling popularity of the Igbo culture must be taken as a collective responsibility for the desired result to be achieved. This can be deducible from the dignitaries that always come out of their secluded empire to identify even with the downtrodden, each year during the celebration. In Abuja, one man that stole the show during the celebration, was the recently appointed Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, who did not only identify with his native Ugwu-Eke people of Enugu State by sitting in their midst, but participated fully in the cultural display that electrified the Old Parade Ground, Area 10, Garki, Abuja, the venue of the event. The VON Director General was seen hanging a long wooden drum on his shoulders and passionately beating it with a great sense of

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ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF nzeshi@newtelegraphonline.com

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Okechukwu... the drummer

Dignitaries at Igbo Day, Abuja

nostalgia, as his cultural group matched round the venue. Okechukwu, unlike many of his modern Igbo brethren, who either demonise their cultural heritage or consider it debasing and archaic lifestyle, was also sighted eating 'Okpa' (a local bean delicacy of Enugu people) with his brethren, at the pavilion where people were seated in groups according to their states and cultural leanings. He also was apparently too engulfed with activities of the day that he declined to talk to the press. He told journalists who anxiously besieged him to go to the Eze Igbo of Abuja for comments. To underpin the importance of the celebration, the Eze Igbo 1 of Abuja, HRH Ibe Nwosu, said that nothing could be as gratifying as a group that have suffered several injustices in their fatherland, setting aside a day to mingle with themselves and also showcase the uniqueness of their cultural identity.

Some women group at the event

The Igbo who were victims of war, have dwelt too long on their mourning garments

Nwosu said that Igbo Day Celebration is akin to the traditional burial ceremony to put mourners in a celebrative mood that will lessen the emotional tension that may have accentuated during the mourning period. According to him, the Igbo who were victims of war, have dwelt too long on their mourning garments, bemoaning their marginalisation and gross neglect in the Nigerian state and therefore needed to dust off everything that could further dampen their spirits and hamper their progress. President of Ohaneze Ndigbo in the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Odozi Nwodozi, was also of the opinion that for the Igbo nation to have survived a genocide-like attack during the civil war, and rising from the "state of nothingness" to prominence in Nigeria, an occasion like the Igbo Day was most needed. He noted that for the Igbo to be where they are today in

Nigeria, after an attempt to annihilate them during the civil war, is an achievement that calls for jubilation. He told Inside Abuja that the Igbo ethnic group by virtue of hard work and competence has bounced back to a place of honour in Nigeria's political economy. Dignitaries roll call The former Governor of the Old Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, who dazzled in his trademark white traditional attire and a red cap to match, said the occasion is very important to every Igbo man. Ezeife, who obviously was so deep into the mood of the celebration, did not want anything that will rob him of his cherished treasured moment. This was evident when he declined to make any comment on the current agitation of the Indigenous People of Biafra CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

Inside ABUJA | SLUMS

TUESDAY, octoBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ibrahim: Uncommon patriot on wheels Sanni Ibrahim is a victim of polio. He goes about on a rickety tricycle, with his crutches beside him, but his love for his country and humanity is unbeatable. ONWUKA NZESHI encountered him on the street and got him to tell his story

t a time when many Nigerians say they cannot be patriotic because their country has failed them, there is a Nigerian who, in spite of all the odds around him, has a rare stream of patriotism flowing through his veins. He is lame and cannot walk except with the aid of crutches; he rides on a hand-pedalled tricycle around Abuja; he has no place to lay his head, sleeps in the cold under the bridge and does not know where the next meal will come from, yet he has remained resolute on his firm belief in Nigeria. Inside Abuja ran into a young man who goes by the name, Sanni Ibrahim, the Ambassador of Peace in Nigeria. Our encounter was at the Eagle Square, Abuja. Wherever he goes, his admirers call him, One Nigeria for Peace. He smiles and waves at them in his green, white green attire. Ibrahim hails from Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State, but currently lives in Abuja as an itinerant campaigner for peace. According to him, he came to Abuja to create awareness on the need for peace and unity of Nigeria. One-man-riot squad He started his campaign in 2007 and later moved to Abuja in 2010. He was motivated by the frequent and perennial violent communal crisis in Kano, Kaduna, Jos and other parts of northern Nigeria. "Many people don't want to speak out but I chose to speak out on the issue of peaceful coexistence to enable the people understand that they don't have any other country but Nigeria. If Nigeria is better, it is for all and if Nigeria is bad, it's for all. We should join hands to make our country better no matter your religion, tribe or language. We should join hands to make our country better for all," he said. Ibrahim told Inside Abuja that he rode on his tricycle from Kano, through Kaduna to Abuja. The journey was long and strenuous but he was able to make it because he has been a power lifter and can endure the stress. He wanted to participate actively in Paralympic sports, specialising in power lifting but had to quit the game because of lack of support from family and the government. "You cannot do sports without being well fed," he said. However, when he arrived Abuja in 2010, he got the support

Ibrahim on his tricycle

of some well-meaning Nigerians who admired his courage. He came during the era of President Umar Musa Yar’Adua and supported his administration until his death. When Yar’Adua died and President Goodluck Jonathan became the leader of the country, he transferred the same support to him. On his tricycle is a billboard fabricated by him which bears the photographs of ex-President Jonathan and his successor, President Muhammadu Buhari. The artistic drawings of the two political gladiators in our recent history was done by him. He does not hide the fact that he supported the election of Jonathan in 2011. "There should be no tribalism. Anybody in Nigeria should be encouraged to see what he or she can do for the country," Ibrahim said. Reward and disappointment After the election, he said, he was offered an employment with the Abuja Environmental Protection aboard (AEPB) in 2012 as a campaign officer. His duties included moving round the city to enlighten the physically challenged people on the need to learn trades and stop begging on the streets of Abuja. "I was creating awareness on the need for people not to drop refuse on the road. I was also creating awareness for the physically challenged people to find something to do with their talents and energy. I worked there for about eight months and I left the work. When I left the work, they were owing me two months’ salary. "As they were owing me salary, I had to go and continue with my struggling. When I asked them to pay me, they said they don't have money. They said it was the system of government work. So, I left them and went on my own because I believe in eating from my sweat. I don't like begging to survive," he said. Thereafter he got a job with a

certain politician and was placed on a monthly salary of N20,000. He later discovered that it was not a job per se but an opportunity to enrol for adult education. He stayed there for a while and picked up a few lessons in reading, writing and arithmetic but he did not like the system of things and had to quit. He can read and write fairly well and also manages to express himself in pidgin English.

He currently sleeps under the bridge near Grand Square in Central Business District of Abuja

Honours award Since the advent of the change era he has continued to campaign for peace and unity. The inscriptions on the billboard he carries about and the stickers pasted all over his tricycle are eloquent testimonies that he lives, talks, sleeps and dreams about a peaceful and united Nigeria. During the last dispensation, he was honoured with the Transformation Ambassador Award by the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) for his contributions towards President Jonathan's re-election campaigns. "I believe in what he was doing and I believe that people are imbibing the message of peace. I will continue to preach peace because I believe that I will create a record with my campaigns in this country. I am doing it for God, my country and humanity. I love humanity because God is not going to come down to preach to mankind. He will do it through human beings like us. We have to respect humanity. If we respect humanity, everything will be good. I don't want to get plenty money in the bank but I want to create plenty record in the world; record about the peace and unity of the world," he said. Anti-polio Ambassador Ibrahim could have been a good ambassador for the Federal Ministry of Health, United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Rotary International in their campaign against poliomyelitis in

Nigeria but he told Inside Abuja that these systems do not recognise people like him. Curiously he has no regrets about his status as a physically challenged person. According to him, his being a cripple is the divine will of God. "I am very happy. I cannot be sad because I am physically challenged. It is God, not man who made it so. I believe that if those campaigning against polio could engage people like us in their campaign, it will help because if I go with my crutches and meet a parent, I will ask: Do you want your children to be like me? I know the father will say no and will accept the immunisation but they don't want to carry people like me when they go on immunisation campaign. It is the able-bodied men who they send to go," he said. Ibrahim expressed some displeasure at the way the Association of Physically Challenged People in Nigeria is being organised. He alleged that physically challenged people who have access to people in government do not want others to get close to them or government officials because of pecuniary interests. He said that at the inception of every administration, these people always run to the government from where they would get huge amount of money and give peanuts to their colleagues. Homeless and hungry Ibrahim said he has no parents and the few relatives he could connect with have no means of helping themselves, how much more him. It was this poverty and lack of hope that forced him to leave Kano. He told Inside Abuja that he currently sleeps under the bridge near Grand Square in Central Business District of Abuja from where he wakes up daily to embark on his campaign. According to him, he goes without food most of the time but he would rather pick food from the dustbin than beg for alms. "I move from place to place. I started sleeping under the bridge near Grand Square since May 29, 2016. Before that time, I was sleeping at Old Parade Ground, Area 10. If the government can help me to get a motor bike, I will be happy because moving around Abuja on this tricycle is very difficult because of the hills on the roads," he said. Pointing to the billboard and other artistic works around him, Ibrahim said he loves art works and paintings and would soon join a graphic artist in the popular Area 10 arts centre to learn the trade and earn a decent living.

Inside ABUJA

TUESDAY, octoBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

In September last year, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) issued an order banning the practice of open grazing of cattle in the territory and charged the Abuja Environmental Board (AEPB) to enforce the ban. One year down the line, the herdsmen and their cows are still roaming the streets and highways in Abuja. In this interview, the Public Relations Officer of AEPB, Mr. Sam Musa, spoke on the impediments to flushing the cows out of the city. ONWUKA NZESHI reports

There is a ban on the movement of cattle and grazing in Abuja and the Abuja Environmental Protection Agency (AEPB) is expected to enforce the ban. Why do we still see herdsmen leading their cows in the city? We've really been warning and sensitizing them and the process is ongoing because you know some of them are new in the city and they keep having the information. We have been working together with their leaders to also sensitize them. You know education is number one; once you educate people and they can understand why they should not do it, our job becomes easier. In line with Decree 10 of 1997, which established the AEPB, we have been trying to sensitise them to a reasonable level and we have rolled out jingles in different languages so that they can understand. We have translated the jingles into Hausa, Fufulde and even Pidgin English. We want to get the message across to them, let them understand that we have grazing zones and those grazing zones are within the Area Councils and they are supposed to be grazing their cattle there. What exactly did you say we have in the Area Councils? Are they grazing reserves or cattle ranches? They are farm approved locations and they are mostly in Kuje, Bwari and other satellite towns. Those are the areas where the herdsmen are supposed to be with their cattle. Beyond that education, we often arrest and prosecute them because it is contrary to Section 19 and 20 of the AEPB Act for you to graze animals in the city. It is against the traffic rule too because the movement of cows could obstruct free flow of traffic in the city. This is why we encourage them to go to the grazing zones in the Area Councils. What is the level of compliance?

Why cows still roam Abuja streets â&#x20AC;&#x201C; AEPB â&#x20AC;˘Says 296 hawkers have been convicted

How many have you arrested since the beginning of the year? I cannot really give you the statistics now unless I have to liaise with the judiciary to get that for you. But I think that we have arrested a reasonable number and we are not relenting. Sometime ago, security agencies alerted the public that terrorists have infiltrated the ranks of these herdsmen. Are you not worried that these men still take their cattle along the highways and even sensitive zones

mum. Oftentimes, we arrest and prosecute them. At the moment, we are engaged in a serious operation of arresting and prosecuting these hawkers. Before we started, we did a serious sensitization and the media was part of it. We tried to educate them to ensure they moved out of the streets and by the 6th day of last month, we commenced serious prosecution. We are sitting at Area 10 where we have a specific mobile court for them. As at today, we have a population of 296 hawkers that have been convicted. Out of this, only eight were set free. The ratio of their fine for the convicted hawkers is between N2,500 to N3,000. I think that so far, we are getting a good response from the hawkers and they are gradually moving out of the street. We are still telling those that are coming newly, to keep away from the streets of Abuja. They can only go into the market to do their business there. There are open spaces for them in the market. Anybody coming out to hawk on the street will be arrested. What about the issue of the beggars on the streets? We have also arrested over 130 beggars and we have handed them over to the Social Development Secretariat. We picked them up from the streets and hand them over. We also picked up some mad men and minors and handed them over to the Social Development Secretariat.

Cows on Abuja highway

Why do we still see them in the city everyday? The compliance is a bit at the minimal level. We have been trying to enforce the order and oftentimes we end up arresting and arraigning them in court. Now we have a mobile court to try them fully. So any time we are able to arrest them, we will parade them before the court.

We have been trying to enforce the order and oftentimes we end up arresting and arraigning them in court

like the State House and National Assembly? I cannot really talk on that, maybe you should talk to the security agencies. I think they are in a better position to respond to that angle of the issue. Our primary concern is the protection of the environment. In those designated grazing zones, are there facilities that would enable these herdsmen to stay there without coming out into the city? I can't really answer that. Ask the Department of Agriculture. They will be in a better position to tell you. Hawking has also been outlawed in the FCT, yet we see hawkers on the streets everyday. What is the problem? If you are really in the FCT, you can testify that the number of hawkers has reduced drastically. It has reduced to a bearable mini-

There is a colony of beggars near the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Estate, Lugbe. Men, women and children sitting by the fence of the estate. Is there anything the AEPB is doing about it? If they are out on the street, we will arrest them and hand them over to the Social Development Secretariat. We don't allow begging. Begging is not allowed on the streets of Abuja because it is contrary to Section 35(b) of the AEPB Act. Does the AEPB have jurisdiction to check what is happening in the satellite towns? Those are within the purview of the Area Councils. Our job is mostly within the city centre. We oversee the policy on environment for the entire Federal Capital Territory but the Area Councils also have departments that look after the environment in each council. They replicate what we do in the city.

Ndigbo fetes Abuja with cultural flavour C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 7

(IPOB) and other allied forces that are angling for secession from the Nigerian state. Another personality who added his voice to the call for Igbo unity at the occasion was the former Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Okwesillieze Nwodo. He said that unity was essential to fighting the socio-economic and socio-political battle which the Igbo, like other ethnic nationalities are engaged in. Director General, Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC), Dr. Ferdinand Anikwe, expressed dismay that African arts and culture has continued to be relegated to the background, while Africans are busy embracing the so-called modernisation bequeathed to Africa by her colonial masters. He called for concerted efforts towards reviving the African cultural heritage.

Anikwe, who likened the Igbo to the Jews, said that the Igbo nation is a unique breed whose ingenuity has impacted immensely on the economy of the world. The thrills The event was another "August Meeting" for the Igbo resident in the FCT, different groups were adorned in various customised costumes which gave the occasion a very unique identity. Cultural dancers from different states of the South-East were also very much available at the event, supplying cultural music that re-enforced the momentum of the celebrants. Another cultural show that added colour to the event was different masquerades paraded in sort of horrifying costumes. The knocks An abnormality that was very conspic-

uous was the absence of top serving government officials of Igbo extraction in the present political dispensation. None of the members of the National Assembly from the South-East was sighted at the event. One other situation that was as embarrassing as it was absurd was bringing in executive sofa chairs to displace dignitaries when the event had gone midway. Those who were invited to the pre-event colloquium scheduled to hold at the International Conference Centre on the eve of the celebration were shocked to their marrows to discover that important dignitaries who came for the colloquium were kept under a tree. The organiser who tried to cover their shame had no choice than to be dishing out lame excuses that the hall they booked for was allocated to another event without their knowledge.

INSIDE ABUJA

It is no longer news that Nigeria has gone into economic recession and cost of living has become rather unbearable to the average citizen due to crash in the value of the naira against other currencies. MONDAY RUTH went round some major markets in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to assess the impact of inflation on buying and selling

TUESDAY, octoBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Recession: Abuja markets record low patronage

A trader sitting beside his wares

Fruits on display

ike an infectious bug, the realities of the economic recession in the country have gradually, but remarkably permeated all sphere of the society with a serious devastating effects on almost every socioeconomic activity of the people. Inside Abuja's recent survey around major markets within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) show that the economic downturn is already taking its toll on traders who on a daily basis bemoan low patronage. The survey covered the Wuse Market, Kubwa Market, Utako Market and Garki Modern Market. What is common in almost all the markets visited was a drastic reduction of the human and vehicular traffic and the usual hustling and bustling that is a common feature around the vicinity of these markets. Inside Abuja's visit to the popular Utako modern market located within the circuit of a cluster of bus terminals belonging to private transport companies, revealed that the usual hectic traffic logjam in that area that forces motorists to look out for alternative routes especially during peak hours has disappeared. Our correspondent engaged

One of the shops at the market

one of the transport union task force members in an informal chat to know if there was any directive that vehicle movement should be restricted in the market. His response rather undermined the seriousness of the inquest, but attested to the fact that the ripple effects of the harsh economic situation knew no bounds. He said: "It is like you are a stranger in this country, when people don't have money, will they come to market? This place used to be very busy when people have the money to do shopping." Utako market like many other shopping arcades within the city centre is a place where most civil servants do their shopping at the close of the day's work before going home. Every evening, one of the peak periods for the traders in FCT markets, is usually a period that

If the government could encourage massive agriculture across Nigeria, most of the foodstuffs will not be so expensive

most market people look forward to, as they perfect their market strategies to entrap prospective customers and make a last-minute sales before closing for the day. All these cherished moments for the traders are no more, no thanks to the economic hardship. Meanwhile, one of the respondents who spoke to Inside Abuja said that the situation can be sorted out through youth empowerment. The unexpected situation has affected everything in the country, no matter the type of businesses people are engaged in. Though the present situation can't stop people from feeding, they can only buy within the limits of their pockets. The traders are frustrated by the attitude of the buyers who haggle endlessly before making purchases. The traders said they end up selling to the buyers at the

same cost price which leave them with no gain. When Inside Abuja visited the Garki Modern Market, some of the market women and their customers gave a long list of complaints about the harsh economic situation and the difficulties citizens face. One of traders, a woman who identified herself as Gladys, said she sells garri and other food items, but noticed that her customers were no longer coming to patronise her as usual. "Before, I can make N10,000 in day, but now I can hardly see that same amount of money," Gladys said. Another respondent, Mr. Ejike, who deals on provisions and cosmetics, said that his customers have been complaining that his wares were no longer affordable. As if to make things worse, his goods are not locally made products and has actually witness a significant price rise in recent months due to the foreign exchange policy of the Federal Government. "Dollar has increased and it is not easy to purchase these goods at wholesale market. But that is what the retail buyers don't understand," he said. A buyer, who declined to mention her name, gave a list of foodstuffs whose prices have been drastically increased in the market. "I used to buy a kilo of meat for N900, now am getting it for N1,400, garri too has added price," she said. Another customer, Mrs. Hussein, said that if the government could encourage massive agriculture across Nigeria, most of the foodstuffs will not be so expensive. She advised that agriculture should be looked into to reduce food importation and help Nigeria out of recession. According to her, this can be done by encouraging farmers and providing modern farming equipment to aid effective mechanised farming and boost food production.

FCT Task force arrests beggars' syndicate Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

n its efforts to stamp out street begging in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, the FCT Special Task Team has broken another notorious syndicate of suspected suppliers of beggars to strategic locations in the nation's capital. Chairman of the Special Task Team, Squadron Leader Abdullahi Adamu Monjel (rtd.) made this disclosure while parading the suspects at Area 11, Garki I District, Abuja. The chairman revealed that the feat was achieved as a result of the useful information received from

good Samaritans who reported the activities of the notorious syndicate to security operatives. The two leaders of the suspected syndicate, Mrs. Onyeachi and Mrs. Ogechi, who are both based in Keffi, Nasarawa State, send their agents into the FCT on a daily basis wearing very dark glasses, pretending to be blind and led by little kids, to beg for alms, after which the proceeds are remitted to their benefactors. Monjel further disclosed that luck however ran out of them, when they were arrested by the Task Team and were taken to Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre, Kuchiko in Bwari Area Council. Those arrested were

Nnena Nwehiwe (39), female, from Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State; Christiana Akame (40), female, from Isu Local Government of Imo State; and Ifeanyi Nwehiwe (12), male, from Imo State. “On reaching the centre, they were put together with the blind beggars and destitute awaiting repatriation to their states of origin and the trio now opened up that they were not blind as claimed and they removed their dark glasses, so they should be released,” the chairman added. He said that after further interrogation the “blind women beggars” spilt the beans by mentioning the two women that recruited them and others at

large from their villages. The chairman stated that the suspects have provided valuable information and would soon be handed over to the Nigeria Police for further investigation and subsequent prosecution. Hel further revealed that the areas of security breach would definitely be intensively investigated as the suspects have cooperated by giving useful information. Meanwhile, in another development, the FCT Administration has directed that henceforth, all construction sites in the FCT must have construction project information board displaying detailed information about the project. The FCT Permanent

Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, gave this directive in a meeting with the Director of FCT Development Control in his office. The Permanent Secretary reiterated that there was the urgent need to standardise construction activities in the FCT in line with the global best practice, hence the need to have this information available at all times at project sites. Ajakaiye emphasized that enforcement of the construction information board would help the FCT Administration to enhance and eliminate quackery in the construction industry. His words: “This will also improve the FCT Database on major project sponsors and financiers in

the Territory and reduce cases of unapproved development.” According to him, “this new policy would also reduce cases of building collapse, corrupt practices and indolence in the entire building construction industry.” Accordingly, the construction project information board is expected to be erected on the site before commencement of actual project with information comprising: Title of the project; nature of the project (in terms of height, composition and services); financiers/ sponsors of the project; development permit number and date as well as names and addresses of relevant consultants.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Features Residents of Orimerunmu in Ogun State depend on self-help projects for the construction of hospital, schools, roads, among others, reports CAMILLUS NNAJI

Providing healthcare through communal efforts

onday, September 26, would remain indelible in the minds of the residents of Orimerunmu community in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State. It was the day the Orimerunmu Community General Hospital was inaugurated for the healthcare needs of the people. The hospital, a self-help project embarked on by the residents, was a necessity. It was an idea nurtured for many years before it germinated and became a reality. The health facility, which was a vision of an individual shared by like minds in the Orimerunmu Community Development Committee (CDC), became a dream fulfilled last Monday. Mr. Theophilus Oluwasoya, described by residents as a man with milk of kindness, showed his love for the community where he lives by donating three plots of land for the building of Orimerunmu Community General Hospital. The inspiration to locate the hospital in Orimerunmu had come in the 1990s when, according to Oluwasoyi, a woman died after she was delivered of twins because of lack of access to medical care. He said: “The only hospital then was at Sagamu, several miles away from Orimerunmu. I gathered some residents and went to the Baales (village heads) to help us with land. When I found out that they were delaying in doing that, I decided to donate from what God had given me.” Orimerunmu Community Development Committee (CDC) comprises 66 Community Development Associations (CDA) which include Aseese, Orimerunmu, Omiyorin, Illate, Amo, Iboko, Oloko and Papa area, to mention just a few.

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun. bello@newtelegraphonline.com

Beneficiaries receiving treatment

A resident, Mr. Jimmy Olusoye, said the hospital actually came from the Federal Government as primary healthcare facility. He said: “The then governor in Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba, asked us to look for land. When we could not secure one, Baba Olobo (Oluwasoya) then donated the land to us. But I must tell you, the hospital has been the brainchild of the CDC. The CDC singlehandedly built what we call Orimerunmu Community General Hospital today.” The hospital also launched its operations with a week-long free health outreach which treated over 1,000 residents. The medical treatment was organised by the Orimerunmu Community Development Committee (CDC) and City of Refuge of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in the area. Medical examinations and drugs were provided free for beneficiaries, while the church offered free eyeglasses to those with sight impairment. The CDC Chairman, Mr. Michael Akinfolarin, said the hospital was a self-help project, while the Ogun State Ministry of Health endorsed and provided some consultants/ doctors. According to Akinfolarin, the hospital is the first ever designated centre for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers (HIRD). He said: “We are using the free health week to formally open the community hospital for operations. Orimerunmu residents henceforth will be offered 50 per cent subsidy on medical charges and drugs.” The CDC chairman also appealed to government to rehabili-

The Hospital

The only hospital then was at Sagamu, several miles away from Orimerunmu

tate roads and drainage leading to the hospital. He said: “One major challenge is the condition of the roads leading to the hospital. In case of emergency, how would the patients cope? We are requesting Governor Ibikunle Amosun to kindly complement our efforts and provide access roads to the hospital. He thanked the effort of Mrs. O. O. Faludimu who also facilitated the opening of the hospital. Pastor in charge of City of Refuge, Mrs. Olabisi Akinlabi, said the church was partnering by offering the medical treatment as its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). She said: “We looked at people’s health and believed what they needed most is medical test and counselling. This is part of our own CSR in the community.” During the inauguration, the CDC Chairman, Akinfolarin, spoke on the mood in the community. He said: “We are here to officially open the Orimerunmu community hospital built through our communal efforts. The Commissioner for Community Development, Mr. Gbenga Ademo, and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. N. O. Aigoro, have already inaugurated the hospital. “What we are doing is official opening and free health services and drug administration. Since we started on Monday, about 1,000 residents have benefited from this programme. “Different health diagnoses have been performed and treatment given to the sick. The Health Ministry sent us some consultant doctors, while the drugs were provided and subsidised by NAFDAC. Some philanthropists in the community and the CDC also provided drugs

being administered.” According to Akinfolarin, the purpose of the hospital is basically to meet the health challenges of all residents under the CDC. The chairman said the CDC had spent a lot of money on the provision of community roads. He said: “On our own, we have spent about N4 million reconstructing roads in our community, constructing culverts and drainages. But we need the assistance of the state and local government this time. It would be a failed venture if patients die on the way while trying to access this hospital because of lack of good roads. We have about 10,000 residents in this community; government should help us on road construction and provision of electricity.” One of the CDA chairmen, Mr. Adeogun (an engineer), said the community had embarked on robust self-help projects. According to him, his own CDA, (Asejere) has built a primary school with a population of about 150 pupils. He said: “We don’t want them to become area boys; we want them engaged for a better future and better society. Many of them are indigent, so we decided to offer educational facilities because the nearest public school is in Ibafo. Those who cannot afford private schools and cannot go to Ibafo are our targets.” Adeogun said one of the challenges they had was lack of government’s presence in the community in general. According to him, there is lack of good roads, electricity supply, schools, health centres, except the hospital built by the CDC.

FEATURES

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Recession: Nigerians take to suicides

neasy lies the head that wears the crown, says a maxim. This cannot be truer than the current situation in Nigeria brought about by the economic recession. On August 31, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed in a report that the country’s economy contracted 2.06 per cent in the second quarter of 2016. The country, which has seen two consecutive quarters of declining growth, the usual definition of recession, slipped into recession mode. The report stated that the 2.06 per cent contraction in the nation’s economy was lower by 1.70 per cent points from the negative growth rate of 0.36 per cent recorded in the preceding quarter. But the recession has in its tow tears, sorrow and blood. Several people have lost jobs or sources of income. Many businesses have folded up while a number of companies have either relocated or suspended operations. Many breadwinners of families have literally become crumbs eaters as they could no longer meet the needs of their families. For instance, on August 31, the management of Aero Contractors announced suspension of flight operations from September 1. Although the suspension came after five years’ turbulence in the affairs of the airline, it was, none the less, tied to the economic recession. When the going is tough, only the tough keeps going, says another maxim. While some people have stoically weathered the storm of the economic recession, others have simply thrown in the towel. While some resigned themselves to fate, others, unable to face the shame of not being able to provide for the upkeep of their families, have taken their own lives. But ironically some of those who have committed suicide have blamed President Muhammadu Buhari for their irreversible decision of killing themselves. For instance, a 50-year-old man, Chief Ekanem Edet, took his life at Mbiabong Itam in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State and left a suicide note blaming President Buhari. Residents of Mbiabong Itam were shocked to discover the man’s body dangling on the suspended rope from the roof of his house. The former secretary of the Mbiabong Village Council, popularly called Jolly Boy, blamed his decision to commit suicide on the prevailing hardship which had taken a toll on his life since the nation’s leadership changed on May 29, 2015. A few days before he committed suicide, the father of two was complaining of the current economic crunch which had generally impacted

Economic recession has forced many Nigerians to commit suicide. But President Muhammadu Buhari seems to be carrying the blame, writes ABIODUN BELLO

Buhari

on the living standard of the masses. Edet, who was selling Ogogoro (local gin), cigarettes and other stimulants, according to family source, decided to take his life when it appeared he could no longer provide for his family with the meagre earnings from his business. “He was a very sociable man and always shared his thoughts on issues. I don’t know why he should consider suicide as the last option to escape from these hard times.

Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun

Many breadwinners of families have literally become crumbs eaters

Only God knows,” Okon Effiong, a close associate of the deceased, said. Edet’s wife and two sons, it was learnt, had gone out at the time the man committed suicide. “Later in the day, his friend came to check on him, only to discover that his long-time friend and confidant had killed himself,” Mfonobong Ekpe, a teacher in the neighbourhood, had said. Relatives said Edet left a suicide note blaming the President for inflicting unbearable pains and hardship on the people. “He used to complain that his petty business was no longer fetching him enough money to take care of his basic needs such as food and clothing for his family as well as pay his children’s school fees. “He was always blaming Buhari for his economic policies that do not allow the common people to afford basic commodities like garri, bread, yam, rice, beans, oil and kerosene and other essential goods,” Asuquo Bassey, a pastor at the local church, said. According to him, the family was reluctant to call the police when it discovered the sad incident because of the suicide note which indicated that Edet took his own life. A few days later, a man attempted to commit suicide by jumping into Mile 2 River, Lagos. The man, who was later rescued by some divers in a speed boat, reportedly shout “Buhari, Buhari, Buhari,” be-

fore jumping into the river. “Buhari’s government has finished me and my business. I can’t afford to live anymore. Bye, bye to Nigeria,” he said after he was rescued. Also, a 30-year-old man, Yusuf Olubu, committed suicide at Aboru community on the outskirts Lagos metropolis for his inability to meet his financial obligations. Olubu’s body was found in an uncompleted building at Acquisition Estate. The body was later evacuated by policemen attached to Oke-Odo Police Station. The body, it was learnt, was deposited at the morgue of the Ikeja General Hospital. Olubu, who had a National Diploma in Business Administration from the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, Ogun State, was a commercial motorcyclist until the motorcycle was stolen last week. This aggravated the man’s economic woes, which made him to end his life. Neighbours said Olubu’s wife and two children had earlier abandoned the man because he could no longer provide for their needs or pay his rent. A neighbour, who gave his name simply as Sheriff, said Olubu was yet to pay fully for the stolen motorcycle, which he bought on instalment. He said: “Olubu was frustrated. He could not provide for his family because his stolen motorcycle was his source of livelihood. Also, the pressure from the landlord added to his problem.” However, it is not only those committing suicide who are blaming the President for their decision to end it all. Some who commit crime also heap the blame on President Buhari. A few weeks ago, suspected armed robbers, Mr. Uche Ezeugo and Somadina, said they were forced into robbery because of hardship experienced in the country in the recent times. Ezeugo and Somadina were arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) in Anambra State. Ezeugo said he needed money to give his late father a befitting burial, while Somadina also blamed his action on hunger and starvation. The suspects, both indigenes of Agulezechukwu in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, were arrested at Nanka in Orumba North Local Government Area for allegedly stealing some laptops. Ezeugo (20) denied being a thief by choice. “The hard condition caused by President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic policies led me into this temptation,” he told journalist.

TUESDAY, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

23 Energy Assets’ sale, $17bn missing crude, others rock energy

Business

Aviation Nigeria’s aviation on life support

25 29

What's news Airlines seek upgrade of navigational aids p.24

Nigeria, five others shine in real estate transparency

L-R: Executive Director, Abuja and North, Heritage Bank Plc, Ola Olabinjo; Executive Director, South, Adaeze Udensi; Managing Director, Niuma Boutique, Margret Albert; General Manager, Heritage Bank Plc, Wunmi Adeniyi and Group Head, Customer Experience and Analytics, Heritage Bank Plc, Kikanwa Akpenyi, at the bank’s business fair (Customer Service Week) in Lagos.

Rates Dashboard

p.24

INFLATION RATE August 2016 ..........................17.61 % July 2016.................................17.1% June 2016 ..............................16.5%

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

EXCHANGE RATE

(Parallel Market as at September 30)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N475 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N580 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N500

l Foreign Reserves – $24,566,419,718bn as at 29/9/2016

(Interbank as at September 30)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N305 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N397 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N347

Source: CBN

Crude: NNPC, IOCs lift 751.3m barrels, rake in $32.3bn OFFER The Business Desk Ayodele Aminu

Deputy Editor (Business)

26 international consultants bid for Oil Ministry’s NIOGS contracts

Bayo Akomolafe

Asst. Editor (Maritime)

Sunday Ojeme

Asst. Editor (Insurance)

Tony Chukwunyem

Asst. Editor (Money Market)

Dayo Ayeyemi Property Editor

Adeola Yusuf Energy Editor

Wole Shadare Aviation Editor

Chris Ugwu

Capital Market Editor

Abdulwahab Isa Finance Editor

Taiwo Hassan

Industry, Agric & Brands Editor

Kunle Azeez

Senior Correspondent

Chuks Onuanyin Energy

Nnamdi Amadi Reporter

Johnson Adebayo

Asst Production Editor

Adeola Yusuf

he Federal Government and international oil companies (IOC) in Nigeria lifted 751.3 million barrels worth $32.3 billion between July 2015 and June 2016. A document obtained from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) by New Telegraph, showed that oil independents and multinationals led by Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron lifted 475,960,905 to rake in $20.6 billion ($20,561,284,379) during the period under review. A breakdown of the crude lifting showed that while the total lifting by NNPC on behalf of the Federal Government amounted to 257,803,865 million barrels, the IOCs and independents, including Shell,

Chevron, ExxonMobil, Total and others lifted 475,960,905 million. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) lifted 53,864,655 barrels and made $2.3 billion ($2,344,045,678) during the time under review, while the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) lifted 8.3 million barrels (8,256,997) worth $306.6 million. NNPC lifted 50,278,066 worth $2,151,090,683 as federation export and 145,404,147 barrels worth $6,155,258,668 between July 2015 and June 2016. Grand total of crude lifting during the period was 751,293,617 barrels worth $32, 229,936,141. These developments came as 16 international consultants began race for Nigeria International Oil and Gas Summit (NIOGS) contracts. The federal ministry of petroleum resources had on behalf of the government called for entries, stating that any profit generate from the event sales would be shared with the ministry on a predetermined basis. The Nigeria International Oil and Gas Summit (NIOGS), a document of the ministry stated, “is a

N153.5 billion Being loss to oil theft recorded by the Federal Government in one year

national resource event, which will serve as a platform for Nigeria to engage the investment community, as well as directly market her oil and gas sector as credible business investment destinations to a global audience. “In line with international best practice, Nigeria will maintain ownership and control over the NIOGS. The private company to be appointed as consultants to organise the event will, however, bear 100 per cent financial risk for the event, including payment for venues, pre-financing the social functions, including galas and lunches. Any profits generated from the event sales will be shared with the Ministry on a pre-determined basis. “Further to the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 and extant regulations thereto and in compliance with international competitive bidding process, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources in conjunction with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) solicits for Expression of Interest from qualified and compeCONTINUED ON PAGE 24

TUESDAY, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

BUSINESS |news

Airlines seek upgrade of navigational aids IMPROVEMENT Airport runways need to be upgraded for 24 hours operations Wole Shadare

irline operators under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) have called for upgrade of the country’s airport landing aids and navigational equipment in line with global standards. Besides, the operators said

NNPC, IOCs lift 751.3m barrels, rake-in $32.3bn CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

tent Consultant with international experience. The organisation of NIOGS by a consultant with international experience, will be held in Abuja, Nigeria, in the first half of 2017. A source at the ministry told this newspaper that over 16 consultants have submitted bids for the contract. Meanwhile, NNPC has restated its commitment to the development of Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry. Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru, said this in Port Harcourt. He added that the successful commissioning of the Total Egina module would guarantee the drilling of the first oil from the 200,000 barrels per day Egina field by the first quarter of next year. According to him, what is being celebrated is the efficacy of the Nigerian Content Act and, the NNPC is strongly committed to the successful implementation of all provisions of the Act. Managing Director of Total, Nicholar Terahz, added that the Egina project was the largest contributor to the development of the Nigerian content in the oil industry being the largest offshore project currently going on in the country. He noted that the employment opportunities and technology transfer the project had generated contributed significantly to the nation’s economy. On his part, the Managing Director of Saipem, Guido D’Aloisio, said the performance of Nigerian engineers on the project was commendable, adding that the country would be proud of it. Amid renewed militancy in the Niger Delta, the Federal Government has lost a total of N153.504 billion to crude theft in the last one year as the menace surged.

...pay 70% delays caused by poor landing utilities that 70 per cent of delays and cancelations are due to poor landing aids. In a paper he made available to New Telegraph, chairman of AON, Capt. Noggie Meggison, who spoke on behalf of the operators, stated that airport runways should be upgraded for 24 hours operations with landing aids. He noted that air navigational facilities need to be upgraded to allow flight operation in zero visibility and to improve safety, save time and reduce cost. The upgrade of the country’s airport landing and navigational equipment in line with global standards, he said, would bring benefits such as increase in the operational efficiency and profitability of the airports, stimulate growth

in the non-oil sector of the economy and increase contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Other benefits are provision of better service delivery for operators, encourage more efficient and commercial operations, increased productivity, the ability to make Nigeria more attractive as a regional hub and attract more nonaeronautical businesses to the airport. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) had in the last few years implemented some programmes to improve airspace safety. The agency recently implemented Performance Based Navigation (PBN) in the country for 15 Nigerian airports as well as the publication of Stan-

dard Arrival Routes (STARs) and Standard Instrument Departure Routes (SIDs) for Benin Airport by the agency. This enables duly equipped aircraft with necessary approval from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to fly PBN procedures into the airports without the use of ground navigational aids. These airports include Benin, Calabar, Enugu, Ibadan, Ilorin, Owerri, Jos and Kaduna. Others are Maiduguri, Katsina, Minna, Sokoto, Zaria, Gombe and Bauchi. A former Managing Director of NAMA, Ibrahim Abdulsalam had noted that the implementation of Performance Based Navigation in Nigeria became inevitable as it is in line with global migration from ground-based naviga-

tion to satellite-based navigation. He stressed that NAMA is leaving no stone unturned in meeting the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requirement for states to ensure full implementation of Performance-Based Navigation at both local and international airports by 2016. He stated that because of the increased level of accuracy, reliability, continuity, integrity of information, overall enhanced safety and attendant benefits to airlines and the travelling public, it has become imperative for Nigerian operators to key in to PBN, adding, “with direct routing and reduced flight times, Performance-Based Navigation would enhance efficiency and reduce cost to the airlines.”

L-R: Managing Director/ CEO, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya; President, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Olusola Teniola and Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, during the special reception organised for Danbatta in Lagos

Nigeria, five others shine in real estate transparency BOTTLENECK Complexities of implementing new regulatory structures stalled progress in certain areas

Dayo Ayeyemi

ix sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) markets comprising Nigeria, Botswana, Zambia, Ethiopia, Angola and Ghana have recorded reasonable progress in real estate transparency index since 2014. This was contained in JLL’s latest global real estate transparency index report. This improvement, according to the report, was made possible due to greater penetration by international real estate consultancies, which have been promoting professional standards and availability of market data in SSA.

The study pointed out that these six SSA markets have continued to make advances in real estate transparency despite other countries requiring greatest attention. Improvement from Botswana, Zambia and Ethiopia, the report said, has secured these countries positions on the ‘global top ten improvers’ list. According to JLL’s global real estate’s report, while tangible improvements in transparency were being made, “sub-Saharan Africa is still some distance from competing equally with its counterparts in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region,” pointing out that sizeable effort would be required to close the gap with other global regions. Managing Director, subSaharan Africa at JLL South Africa, Craig Hean, said that it has been noted that SSA region is moving forward, but its progress has been patchy with limited development in regulatory, legal reforms and enforcement in some African countries.

He said: “Improvements in regulatory oversight have great potential to enhance people’s lives and promote greater transparency within the region. High-profile failures of regulation such as building collapses have served to highlight that a lack of regulatory enforcement can have devastating consequences.” Hean stated that there has been growing recognition by governments across the region of the critical role transparent real estate markets could play in a dynamic economy. Despite these advances, he noted that the region has seen a slight deterioration in legislative and operating environment, which appears to have stalled in several markets, with two countries – South Africa and Mozambique – registering a noteworthy decline in overall score. He said: “South Africa, however, remains sub-Saharan Africa’s most transparent market, supported by an active listed sector. It is the only country from the continent to

feature in the ‘Transparent’ category.” The JLL report said: “Technology is allowing some countries (Rwanda, Ghana, Kenya) to leapfrog the normal transparency evolution process by introducing innovative new ways of improving access to data or to faster, more reliable services. “Complexities of implementing new regulatory structures and the impact of slowing commodity markets have stalled progress in certain areas.” Head of Capital Markets, sub-Saharan Africa, Anthony Lewis, said: “One of the issues currently clouding the Sub-Saharan Africa market sentiment is currency and liquidity risk. There is significant uncertainty, especially in Nigeria, Angola and Mozambique and to a lesser extent Zambia, owing to acute dollar illiquidity and lack of direction on monetary and central bank policies to alleviate this. This compounds transparency risks.”

TUESDAY, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Energy

THIRD QUARTER REVIEW

The success recorded in the third quarter of 2016 was dotted by court action against Chevron, Total and Eni on the $17 billion undeclared crude; the toxic fuel scare and lately, the debate on the asset sales triggered by the on-gong recession. ADEOLA YUSUF reports

he Federal Government took the fight against crude theft a step further a few days to the end of the third quarter of 2016. A total of $12.7 billion worth of Nigeria’s crude, the government said, were, between 2011 and 2014, exported to the United States without government ‘s knowledge by a dozen of International oil companies (IOCs) operating in the country. Top on the list of over a dozen companies is Chevron, a US oil company, followed by French firm, Total and Italian Eni. The Federal Government, a court documents showed, filed a lawsuit against the companies, even though Garba Shehu, spokesperson for government, declined to comment. Aside from this, the third quarter was awash with many happenings in the energy sector. Dirty fuel scare The allegation of dirty diesel rocked the country during the quarter under review. A report by the Swiss watchdog group, ‘Public Eye,’ issued one month before the end of the quarter, had accused the Swiss trading companies of importing “dirty diesel” with over100 per cent Sulphur content into Nigeria due to evil collaboration of officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the entirely weak regulatory standards of the agency. This report put demand for diesel in jeopardy nationwide. The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), a civil society organisation, accused the two Switzerland companies, Vitol and Trafigura, of engaging in nefarious activities by importing dirty and toxic fuel into Nigeria, a claim many saw as an expose of the ineptitude of the oil sector’s regulator. The group, in conjunction with Public Eye, raised the alarm following the alleged shipping of some toxic fuel commodities by the companies to the country and other West African countries. That was not the first time that dirty fuel allegedly found its way into Nigeria under the watchful eye of the DPR. Nigeria, the biggest crude exporter in Africa with 2.4 million barrels daily exports, has turned to be the biggest importer of refined product in the continent due to long history of gross misconduct and corruption in its oil sector. The four refineries in the country are producing at their lowest capacity or not producing at all at different occasions.

Oil rig and power station

Assets’ sale, $17bn missing crude, others rock energy The DPR however, said that its product specifications are of international standards and sometimes exceeds some of these standards. “Our attention has been drawn to an online publication quoting from a report by the Swiss, watchdog group, ‘Public Eye,’ accusing Swiss trading companies of importing “dirty diesel” with more than 100 per cent Sulphur content into Nigeria and some other African countries due to weak regulatory standards,” the agency said in a statement. As the petroleum regulatory agency in Nigeria, the agency said that it wished to “state that the report was erroneous and misleading in its entirety.” Specifically, it said: “There is an established petroleum products traceability protocol for receipt of imported petroleum products cargoes that ensures all products can be traced to a refinery of origin, thereby eliminating products from unknown sources.” Nigeria’s product specifications are, according to DPR, of international standards and sometimes exceed some of these standards. It said: “All petroleum products (automotive gas oil inclusive) are properly analysed at registered third party laboratories to ensure accurate and unbiased results before any vessel is cleared to discharge at our depots. “All products receiving depots are statutorily required to have in-house laboratory for conducting tests of key product quality parameters such as flash point, density, octane rating, sulphur content and water content, among others. “Products samples are taken daily from active tanks and analysed to make sure they meet specification before truck out is allowed.” Besides, the DPR said samples are also taken and analysed from trucks conveying products from

Government had, through its various agencies, set policies and actionplans in place to right the wrong experienced in the third quarter

coastal depots to inland depots to ensure that product quality is not compromised during transit before trucks are dispatched to retail outlets. Consequently, it stated: “All the above tests at various stages of petroleum products distribution and supply chain are witnessed by assigned DPR staff as part of our regulatory oversight function. “We hereby state that the contents of the report should be disregarded by all stakeholders and the public, as there is no off-specification petroleum product in Nigeria. We wish to reassure the public that the operations of DPR are guided by strict adherence to international regulatory standards in alignment with our mission statement of ensuring sustainable development of Nigeria’s oil and gas resources, protection of our people’s health and Safety through effective regulation.” Shell’s tap flows again Hopes of early realisation of the 2016 oil production target of 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) brightened in the quarter under review, as Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (SPDC) was set to resume production from the Forcados Terminal. The company had on February 22 declared a force majeure on the Forcados Export Terminal- a legal clause that allows it to stop shipments without breaching contracts. The force majeure was declared after the Niger Delta Avengers hit a subsea pipeline. The first cargo was expected to load on September 28, Reuters said. October exports are expected to be around 230,000 barrels per day, a preliminary loading list showed. The export lines were set to resume at the end of September for the first time since February, with a loading programme issued for October, trade sources said. The International Energy Agency had, last April, estimated that Nigeria could lose an estimated $1

billion (N197 billion) in revenue by May, when repairs of the Forcados terminal was expected to be completed. OPEC uses its long knife The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) took many by surprise, as it slashed its production quota. This major step, which excluded Nigeria, also happened just a week before the end of the third quarter. Before this, Nigeria’s oil production was about 300,000 barrels daily below quota in August, the period the total output from OPEC hit a multi-year high of 33.24 million barrels per day. The cartel revealed this as its members, including Nigeria, gathered in Algeria to discuss ways to support prices, with nervous trade driving volatility to its highest since a similar meeting to freeze output in April in Doha, which failed. Nigeria’s low production was buoyed by renewed militancy in the Niger Delta, which reduced production in August to about 1.5 million barrels, about 300, 000 barrels below the 1.8 million daily production quota approved for the country by OPEC. Key OPEC member Iran, the fourth largest crude exporter, which is still trying to recapture output before Western sanctions in 2012, downplayed the chances of a deal while some OPEC members remained hopeful. Truce reached with avenges The Federal Government reached a truce with militants including the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), which led to a temporary cease-fire in the third quarter. Even though the ceasefire agreement appeared to have hit the rock, the country enjoyed unhindered production during the period of the truce. The Nigerian military and the militants had prior to this, launched CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

TUESDAY, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

BUSINESS | Energy

ALLIANCE Seven Energy to strengthen ties with Nigerian Gas Association on shared objectives

Adeola Yusuf

he highest body of stakeholders in Nigeria’s gas sector, Nigeria Gas Association (NGA) has demanded the review of the Gas Master plan. President of the association, Mr. Bolaji Osinsanya, made this call when he led executive members of

NGA seeks gas master plan’s review NGA on a visit to Seven Energy. In a statement, he maintained that various issues in the master plan should be revisited to move the sector forward. “The issues we put on the table as at 2008 for the gas master plan all require revisiting; be it fiscal terms, regulation, pricing or tax terms. For us as an association, that

will be the challenge going forward,” Osunsanya said. He added that the NGA is a broad-based association that pushes sector critical issues to stakeholders in a non-partisan way that is devoid of selfinterest. Amongst the critical issues that the association is currently canvasing, he said, include positioning

gas as the new resource pride for Nigeria, shoring up gas reserves and re-visiting the Nigerian Gas Masterplan. Meanwhile, Seven Energy has pledged to cooperate and strengthen ties with NGA on shared objectives of focusing on domestic gas supply to support the socio economic development of Nigeria.

This was disclosed by Seven Energy’s Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Corey, during a courtesy visit by the executive council members of the association to the company’s corporate office in Lagos. “We have many shared objectives. Whilst we have interests in some oil operations, Seven Energy’s focus remains domestic gas and our gas opera-

tions are integrated from production, processing, transport to sales”, said Corey. Mr Corey said that gas infrastructure, one of the areas of focus for Seven Energy, is highly needed in Nigeria and success can be accomplished in this area through attracting international funding along with the government funding.

Oil firm advocates emergency, disaster response awareness

gainst the backdrop of various disasters experienced in Nigeria and more recently, the earth tremor that occurred in Kaduna State, Chief Executive Officer, Richardson Oil and Gas Limited, Mr. Akin Osuntoki has advocated effective emergency and disaster response awareness among citizens. This, he said in a statement, had proven to be key to handling any such unforeseen calamities. Osuntoki noted that disasters have a major and long-lasting impact on people long after the immediate effect has been mitigated. “We cannot stop disasters from occurring but we can arm ourselves with knowledge so that many lives wouldn’t have to be lost if there was enough disaster preparedness”, he was quoted to have said. According to him, the aim of emergency and disaster management is to establish an organisational structure and procedures for immediate response to major emergencies, in order to maintain life, improve health and support morale of the affected population until more permanent and sustainable solutions can be found. “In an emergency, information must be treated like an important commodity just as the more traditional and tangible commodities like food, water and shelter”, he said. While lamenting the damage disaster can cause to essential services like health care, electricity, water, sewage/garbage removal, transportation and communications, he said poorly planned relief activities could also have a significant negative impact not only on the disaster victims but also on donor and relief agencies.

A gas plant

Assets’ sale, $17bn missing crude, others rock Q3 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

assaults with operations code-named; crocodile smile and crododile tears respectfully. “Stolen” crude The Federal Government instituted a lawsuit against Chevron, Total and Eni, alleging that the companies and others exported a total of 57 million barrels oil crude oil to the United States over the period and did not declare the products to the Nigerian government as required by law, according to the documents. ENI had said that there were “no grounds” to the claim against it amounting to $160 million and that it would contest it in court. US oil company, Chevron and France’s Total have both previously been named as defendants, but were not immediately available for comment. Assets sale saga and NNPC Reform Nigeria officially got into recession with the announcement by the Federal Government during the quarter under review and this threw up calls by some prominent Nigerians that oil assets, including shares in the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), the refineries and Joint Ventures shares should be sold. Adding his voice to the debate, former President Olusegun Obasanjo did

not only tasked President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently reform the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) if he is serious about taking the country out of recession, he also cautioned the president to disregards calls for sale of national assets. Before Obasanjo said this, Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo and the governors of 36 states, penultimate Thursday, agreed to dispose off some national assets to raise funds for the troubled economy. Meeting under the auspices of National Economic Council, the governors endorsed plans by the Federal Government to sell some national assets as part of efforts to address the current economic recession in the country. Also, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi (II), advocated the sale of national assets. Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, also said in a statement that the sale of national assets was one of the recommendations of the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udo Udoma, during the meeting on Thursday. Other recommendations, he stated, included the diversification of the economy and the use of recovered loot. Obasanjo, who also carpeted President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, busi-

ness mogul, Aliko Dangote and other proponents of the sale of national assets, maintained the NNPC reforms is best done to lift the economy out of recession and create wealth for Nigerians. Instead of putting the national heritage up for sale, the former president declared when the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, paid him a courtesy visit in his Presidential Hilltop, Abeokuta, capital of Ogun, the government should reform the NNPC. He addded that selling of national assets and calls for it are wrong. The former president himself sold refineries on the eve of his handover in May 2007 to companies owned by Dangote and other business moguls. He, however, declared during Maikanti’s visit that he did not “understand this talk of selling of national assets.” He used the GMD’s visit to call for the urgent reform of the business operations model of NNPC by President Muhammadu Buhariled government, maintaining that this is best done to lift the economy out of recession. Fuel consumption down by 12m litres Nigerians’ fuel consumption reduced during the time under review. In August, for instance, the consumers

stagnated demand and consumption of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known, as fuel was below 28 million litres daily. Data from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), showed that 12 million litres were cut off the daily consumption of over 40 million litres obtainable before May 11 announcement of fuel subsidy removal. Checks by this newspaper showed that the fuel retail business remained bearish in August, forcing more marketers to reduce pump prices at their filling stations. Oando became the first major marketer to reduce its price to N141 per litre in filling stations across Lagos and parts of Ogun State. Shortfall for power metres The power sector was still, in the quarter, ravaged by over N120 million investments’ shortfall in the supply of pre-paid to 2.8 million un-metered customers alone, a document of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) had shown. The metres shortfall came as the power sector’s regulator outlawed the purchase of transformers, poles, cables and other power equipment by electricity customers without signed agreement with Distribution companies (Discos) to refund the money over a period of time. NERC, a document in-

sisted, should also be carried along in such transaction as a “middle-man” to prevent any of the parties from short-changing the other. “About four million customers need to be placed on pre-paid metering system. While 1.2 out of these customers are on analogue metering, about 2.8 are still being placed on estimated billing system because they have no meter at all,” a NERC document showed. “There are currently 5,172, 979 power consumers in Nigeria, among which this nearly 54.15 per cent (2.8 million) have no installed meters at all,” NERC added. With an average of N3,000 (N24,600 and N5,600) needed for each of the four million meters under the CAPMI scheme, an investment of N120 million is needed to close the gap. Conclusion Government had, through its various agencies, set policies and action-plans in place to right the wrong experienced in the third quarter. These much-desired changes are expected to begin to manifest in this new quarter, which is the last for the year. Therefore, all hand must be on deck to support government’s aspirations to make the last quarter better one.

TUESDAY, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Homes&Property THIRD QUARTER REVIEW

Many real estate developers are finding it difficult to cope with the downturn in the economy as well as sudden increase in price of cement. DAYO AYEYEMI reports

espite the expressed hope for a vibrant real estate sector in the beginning of third quarter of 2016, the property industry is yet to recover from major slump occasioned by the current economic recession in the country. In the last three months, the industry has been devoid of construction activities, except a few government contractors, who though have been foot-dragging on housing and highways projects. Some of the sub-sectors, such as road and housing construction, mortgage and building materials suffered major setbacks in the quarter, according to stakeholders. Apart from the persistent macroeconomic headwinds, which have slowed down construction activities throughout the period under review, cost of building materials was also increased. Increase in prices Leading the pack was cement price, which was jacked up from N1,700 to N2,300, representing 35.29 per cent increase in one swoop. The increase also affected prices of sandcrete blocks, as manufacturers under the auspices of the National Block Moulders Association of Nigeria (NBMAN) jacked up the price of their products by 40 per cent. This implies that block moulders increased the price of 90 by 120 inches block to N210.00 from N150.00, while sandcrete block of 60 x 90 inches was increased to N185.00 instead of N130.00. Road construction Although road contractors handling projects in the country have resumed duties, their continuous slow pace of works on major nation’s highways, especially on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, has become a nightmare to motorists and residents owing to persistent gridlock on the route. Before now, construction works on Lagos-Ibadan, Shagamu-Ore, Lokoja-Abuja, Oshodi-Apapa, Enugu-Onisha, Enugu-Port Harcourt roads and Second Niger Bridge were put on hold due to abandonment of sites by contractors. Although, the Federal Government said it had paid part of the money owed contractors, the latter, however, claimed that what they received was nothing

An abandoned housing scheme at Ilubirin, Lagos Island.

Rise in materials’ price worsens housing crisis to write home about. Speaking with New Telegraph, some of the housing experts noted that the low disposable income of people had negatively affected demand for houses. The challenges are not limited to difficult economic climate but also to foreign exchange policy, anti-corruption crusade and non-implementation of budget by the government. Speaking to this newspaper recently, Director, Federation of Construction Industry of Nigeria (FOCI), Mr. Fidelis Imoisilli, said that recent astronomical increase in cement price was affecting the cost of road and bridge projects. According to Imoisilli, the new cement price increase has resulted in projects cost overrun in the construction sector. He disclosed that members of FOCI were planning to hold discussions with both federal and state governments for possible upward review of contract sum. Housing construction Major housing projects such as Eko Atlantic City, Abuja’s World Trade Centre and Lagos housing schemes, among others, lagged behind in the third quarter due to scarcity of fund and lack of patronage. Although the Federal Government proposed to build one million housing units per year in partnership with states and private sector, the proposal still remains on paper as nothing has been done to signal its commencement. However, Minister of Works, Power, Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said that about 24 states had released land for the housing scheme. Fashola, while discussing with stakeholders recently, noted

While demand for new homes slid, a huge number of tenants defaulted in rent payments

that the N35 billion earmarked in the 2016 budget for housing, when split across 36 states only amounts to less than N100 million, which could build only a few houses. To make affordable homes available to the target group, experts at the forum suggested the need for measures to prevent the rich from buying off potential low income houses. “We must also differentiate between affordable housing, social housing and low-income housing,” they said. To bridge the nation’s housing deficit, housing experts urged governments at all levels to involve in deliberate housing provision. During this period, it was discovered that while demand for new homes slid, a huge number of tenants defaulted in rent payments. Also, a lot of vacant residential properties still adorn Ikoyi, Lekki and Ajah enclaves of Lagos and some highbrow locations in Abuja. As a result of low disposable income, tenants are now moving from prime areas to more affordable locations on Lagos mainland and border communities such as Mowe, Sango, Ibafo and Ofada, among others. According to findings, vacancy rates of property remained high at 172 in July 2016 as against 100 last January, while some developers also concentrated on marketing their existing housing stocks rather than building new houses. Developers such as Adron Homes and Properties, Forthright Property, Zedextra Limited, Nedcom Oaks Limited, Oak Homes Limited, POC, Tailor Bricks, The Address Homes Limited, and Property Mart embarked on aggressive marketing of their products, putting in place flexible payment options, rather than floating new ones.

It was reliably gathered that the current anti-graft war by the Federal Government further eroded patronage in the housing sector, as many potential buyers expressed fear about property market. Some houses belonging to corrupt public office holders were seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) during the period. Mortgage There was no serious mortgage activity in the period under review. According to a reliable source, the apex housing financial institution, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), has been finding it difficult to grant approvals to mortgage seekers under the National Housing Fund (NHF) and Estate Developers’ loans due to current financial difficulty confronting it. The cash squeeze situation, the source said, was compounded by the inability of employers at both public and private sectors to pay salaries of their workers, who are major contributors to the NHF. Experts’ perspectives Managing Director, Financial Derivative Company (FDC), Mr. Bismark Rewane, noted that Eko Atlantic City and major ongoing commercial/ office projects such as shopping centres struggled to gain attraction, as domestic and international investors adopted a wait-and-see approach to their projects. He pointed out that demand for housing would continue to shrink more due to low disposable income. According to him, developers and home seekers would move from prime areas to more affordCONTINUED ON PAGE 28

TUESDAY, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Business | Homes & Property

DEATHTRAP Contractors have been tasked on workplace safety and compensation insurance policy

Dayo Ayeyemi

n a move to redeem debts owed State government by the Federal Government for road rehabilitation, plaus are afoot to develop a payment solution that will require inter-gover nmental, interministerial and parliamentary support. Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this. He said the report submitted by the committee set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to review states’ claims is receiving attention. T he debts, which r un into billions of naira, were money spent by state gover nments to repair some dilapidated federal roads in their territories. Fashola, who spoke about the debts in the presence of

Building materials price increase worsens affordable housing crisis CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

able housing locations (mainland areas), raising hope that new developments would come into the market. Rewane predicted positive changes in the sector from 2017 onwards, saying that demand for housing would grow with more expatriates coming into the country. Immediate past Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Lagos chapter, Mr. Stephen Jagun, described the current situation in the sector as a shock to every player. He expressed fear over s h o r t a g e o f l ow - i n c o m e houses in major urban cities, urging developers to look at the g ap as opportunity for revamping the housing sector. La gos-based estate surve yo r a n d va l u e r, C h i e f Kola Akomolede, said that the lull in proper ty market would continue due to low disposable income of honest people. He advised that the gover nment should deliberately allocate fund for the provision of low-income housing to revamp the economy. Besides, he wants the restructuring of the mortgage system to enhance easy access, low-interest and homeownership among Nigerians. Conclusion There is need to reflate the economy through the injection of funds into critical sectors, as promised by the government to enable developers go back to site.

Road intervention: FG plans payment

solution to offset debts

all states commissioners and directors of works at the National Council on Works’ meeting in Katsina, gave assurance that the Federal Gover nment was prepared to fulfill the promise of redeeming the debts. He said: “President Muhammadu Buhari constituted a Committee of Ministers, which I chaired, to review the claims. “We have recently submitted a report, which is receiving attention with a view to developing a payment solution that will require intergovernmental, inter-ministerial and parliamentary support.” Meanwhile, all road contractors handling highway

projects in the country have been asked to show proof of a minimum of workplace safety and compensation insurance policy before getting their payment. This, according to the minister, is to ensure their commitment to the safety of their employees, who are working on road construction sites across the country. Bemoaning non- compliance to insurance laws by citizens and organisations in the country, the minister noted that the laws had either diminished or were not being taken seriously to the effect that insurance business was not growing and employing as many people as it should. He said: “I committed to do my own part by ensuring that

every contractor working for the Federal Government must show proof of a minimum of workplace safety and compensation insurance policy, as a commitment to the safety of employees before we pay them for work done.” He also recommended a similar commitment to controllers of works in all the states as a step to ensuring safety of workers and as a boost to insurance sector. Fashola commended the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and expressed support for its road safety initiative to increase highway patrols and ensure that motorists stay and maintain the use of right lane unless they are overtaking. This initiative, he noted,

is set to commence soon on federal highways in order to promote safety. ”This accords with global best practice and FRSC plans a pilot programme that will increase slowly until nationwide coverage is achieved,” he said. The minister also frowned at what he described as “sad and unpatriotic actions of petroleum products transporters” who, according to him, were car rying cargo of up to 60,000 litres on the highways, instead of the maximum of 33,000 litres approved by law. “This must stop without delay. It is an illegal business done at the expense of Nigerians,” he said.

L-R: Member of International Construction Measurement Standards Coalition, Mr. Ruya T. Fadason; Chair of International Ethics Standards Coalition, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Mr. Peter Bolton King; Chairman, NIQS Lagos chapter, Mrs. Adenike Ayanda; Deputy President, Mr. Obafemi Onashile; Secretary, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Mr. Jide Oke and Regional Manager, West Africa of RICS, Mr. Benjamin Manu, at a one-day seminar on international standards held in Lagos.

Town planners tasked on sustainable devt Dayo Ayeyemi

or sustainable urban development, town planners have been urged to draft in all stakeholders for active participation in the process of planning. A former Member of House of Representatives, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, said this at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) in Lagos. He urged the settlement experts to be ready to stimulate, communicate and educate stakeholders about the importance of city planning in order to make things happen. Bamidele, who was a guest speaker at the lecture entitled: Town Planning Profession and the Future of Nigerian Cities: The Lagos Experience,” advised town planners on appropriate management strategies to promote active participation of community leaders in sustainable urban planning. He said: “Land use

should be located where they can be of benefit to the people. Land use should be re-examined to take care of informal land use especially within housing. “Planning should be pro-poor as not planning for them makes them contravene laws while trying to make shelter or tenure available for themselves.” Besides, he urged the industrial sector to sponsor new methods of building and research in sustainable building products, while business sector should sponsor media in order to market their products. He decried the lack of facts for planning, unreliable information and support for poor information support to top decisionmakers in medium and low order cities, urging town planners to ensure that information strategies for development in the new global system should emphasise connectivity, infor mation capacity and ability to manage social integration.

Britons to invest in Gracefield Island, says envoy Dayo Ayeyemi

mpressed by the development of upcoming Gracefield Island reclamation project and Eko Atlantic City in Lagos, the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Bashir Ahmed, has given assurance of British businesses’ readiness to invest in construction and infrastructure projects in Nigeria. Ahmed, who led others on a visit to the reclamation site in Lagos last week, stated that money was needed not just on the construction side, but also in infrastructure development such as roads and power among others. He said: “British businesses would like to come and make a difference here, and in making investment, money is needed not just in the construction side, but also in infrastructure development like roads and power, among others.” He pointed out that the special thing about the developers of the projects was how they have been funding themselves, saying that Nigeria had gone a long way in

real estate development and other areas of economic activities. Gracefield Island reclamation project is being developed by Gravitas Investment Limited. Commenting to the visit, Gravitas Investment Limited’s Chief Executive, Mr. Olufemi Babalola, described Gracefield Island as a forward looking new city development initiated and being implemented by the firm, not only to make money, but to make changes in peoples’ lives and the environment. He noted that the project presented a unique opportunity of multiplier effects on the economy. He gave examples of several technical partnership and development relationships that are driving progress on the new Island city even at this early stage of construction. “From what he said, the British Deputy High Commissioner was particularly encouraged to find that British companies are already engaged on the Gracefield Island project.”

TUESDAY, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

AVIATION

THIRD QUARTER REVIEW

Amaechi

Sirika

Stella Oduah’

Nigeria’s aviation on life support The aviation industry in Nigeria, like many other sectors, is going through crises. WOLE SHADARE looks at events that shaped the sector in the third quarter of 2016

West African nation’s chronic foreign currency shortage. Just last week, the Federal Government released $300 million out of the airlines’ $599 million funds.

he aviation sector in the last quarter was one that was characterised by crises. The segment has never seen the type of troubles it witnessed in the last quarter than any other period. At a point, it was as if the aviation sector in Nigeria had reached its end. Recession has taken a toll on the economy and the aviation sector is not immuned from the problem faced in the third quarter of the year.

Perennial JET A1 scarcity For over three months, Nigerian domestic airlines grappled with scarcity of Jet A1, also known as aviation fuel. The situation led to disruption of flight operations, as flight delays and cancellations became the order of the day at most domestic airports. Aside the scarcity of the commodity, aviation fuel price hit an all-time high of N230 per litre. The consistent nonavailability of the product while the scarcity lasted, led to inability of airlines to conduct their operations,\ which led to almost 50 per cent cancellation of flights.

Hard times hit airlines For Nigerian airlines, they are very much faced with hard times, leading to the cutting down of routes, especially on the lucrative Lagos-Accra route due to scarcity of foreign exchange. Before now, four Nigerian carriers dominated the route. They were Aero Contractors, Arik, Dana and Medview. The suspension of operations of Aero, the withdrawal of Medview and Dana leaves only Arik on the route. This has equally affected connectivity within the West African region, thereby making air travel very cumbersome. Even foreign airlines are also not spared following excruciating pain of sourcing foreign exchange coupled with tough operating environment that led to loss making by Spanish carrier-Iberia and American airline, United. Both airlines pulled out of the country, as the Nigerian government was urged to release more than $599 million in air ticket sales blocked by the

Aero shuts operations Like a tale in moonlight, Nigeria’s oldest airline, Aero Contractors announced the shutting down of its operations. The announcement, which came on September 1, 2016, shook the entire aviation industry. They were shocked because of the long history of the carrier and having lasted for close to 60 years, they felt it would be difficult for the carrier to be shaken to its very foundation. But for many who have followed the high-level graft and maladministration in the company, it came to them as no shock, as they had predicted the ‘end’ for the once prosperous airline. Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Captain Fola Akinkuotu had in a statement announcing the shut-down of the airline said, “The impact of the external environment has been very harsh on its operational performance, hence management’s decision to suspend scheduled services

Anywhere in the world, the profit margin at best for airline is between seven and 10 per cent

indefinitely effective September 1, 2016 pending when the external opportunities and a robust, sustainable and viable plan is in place for Aero Contractors to recommence its scheduled services. The implication of the suspension of scheduled services extends to all staff directly and indirectly involved in providing services as they are effectively to proceed on indefinite leave of absence during the period of non-services.” The airline, in recent years, had been under the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) receivership following its inability to repay some of its debts to creditor banks in the country. It was learnt that Aero Contractors’ exposure to the AMCON and other creditor financial institutions in Nigeria is in excess of N30 billion. It was also learnt that from a fleet of over nine aircraft, which serviced both domestic and regional routes, Aero’s aircraft fleet had shrunk to just one, an indication that the airline was drifting towards insolvency. Shortly before then, the airline pulled out of the Accra route owing to its inability to muster the requisite finances to undertake mandatory maintenance checks on its aircraft on that route. It was also learnt that a foreign carrier, which had leased one of its aircraft to Aero had recently cancelled the lease deal and ordered the airline to return the aircraft. Arik’s insurance crisis The insurance crisis of Nigeria’s biggest carrier brought panic to an industry that is on life support. Arik Airline controls about 50 per cent of air traffic because of its size and number of routes it operates. The inability of the airline to fly for almost two days led to stranding of passengers in many parts of the world and a further delay in resuming operations would have been catastrophic. The airline however, said that

documentation issues relating to the renewal of its insurance policy caused the development. It said the delay in renewing the insurance policy was caused by the two-day holiday, which was declared by the Federal Government to celebrate the Eidel-Kabir. Arik swiftly moved to resolve the problem and it came back to service strongly. The situation was scary for many while it lasted considering that FirstNation Airways was fixing its two aircraft that had snags. They have since returned to service. Contentious airports concession One issue that has remained very controversial in the aviation industry is the plan by the Federal Government to concession four of the juiciest aerodromes in Nigeria. The four are the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Abuja and the Port-Harcourt Airport. Opinions are divided over concessioning of these airports. At a forum held recently, experts were divided over the issue. While some supported the idea, others condemned it. To show its seriousness, the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika had already set up two committees to midwife the process. He had assured that the process would be transparently carried to the satisfaction of stakeholder. That remains to be seen as the committees are yet to submit their reports, which are expected to show a clear roadmap for the deal Sirika said would boost revenue and help to enhance facilities at these airports. Airlines’ appeal for rescue Nigerian carriers are in financial dire straits and if help does not come, the few surviving ones CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

TUESDAY, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

BUSINESS | AVIATION

Why airline operators’ travails persist, by Ojikutu UNSUSTAINABLE Recurring airlines’ debts is in the region of N40 billion

Wole Shadare

he present travails of the Nigeria Aviation industry, particularly the airlines are not about scarcity of fuel and the lack of foreign exchange, aviation security consultant, Group Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd) has said. The expert stated this in a paper he sent to New Telegraph in Lagos. He attributed airlines’ travail to what he described as lack of good management structure, single ownership and poor financial management of local and foreign earnings, the recurring debts portfolios and the diversion of earnings to invest in other businesses. He said that while the government’s service providers particularly had been the cash cow exploited by the airline operators and the politically exposed persons in govern-

ment, the aviation regulatory body, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has remained particularly passive on matters of economic regulation and oversight of all the operations. The expert stated that of particular importance is the NCAA neglect of its responsibility to continuously monitor the earnings and spending of these airlines and airports operators to ensure their compliance to the economic regulations as prescribed in the National Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs) Part 18.10.5 for airline operators and Part 18.7.5 for airport operators. He frowned at the recurring airlines’ debts to the

aviation agencies that is said to be in the region of N40 billion, stressing that the “questionable intervention funds of about N200billion seemed to have been facilitated by some politically exposed individual without verifying the debt portfolios of the recipients and without the knowledge of the Ministry of Aviation.” He disclosed that there was still a questionable part of the intervention fund facilitated by a bank for the defunct Virgin Nigeria Airline, which he said was transferred as loan to Air Nigeria Airline at 2 per cent; describing it a very low rate at the time the fund was disbursed as against

the 6 per cent approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on the intervention fund to the beneficiaries. His words, “This questionable intervention fund was unresolved by the National Assembly Committee on Aviation headed by Senator Hope Uzodinma before he was removed as the head of the committee.” Ojikutu who was also Commandant, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, noted that the NCAR’s Part 18.10.5 requires the NCAA ’to continuously monitor the financial health of licensed airline operators for the purpose of ensuring their financial capability for safe and sustainable

L-R: Director, Legal Services, Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mrs. Anastasia Gbem; President, Association of Foreign Airlines Representative of Nigeria, Mr. Kingsley Nwokoma; Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, Nigeria Immigration Service, Segun Adegoke and former Director General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren, at the Panel Session of Aviation Transaction Integrity Summit organised by Aviation Monitor Limited in Lagos.

Nigeria’s aviation on life support CONTINUED FROM PAG E 29

might go the way of others before them. They have however, pleaded with the government to come to their rescue. Not a few have suggested that for domestic airlines to survive, the government must put in place the right policies, operators have said. Carriers will continue to have problem if the policies are wrong. There is the need to refine jet fuel locally. Currently, a lot of the supplies are imported. There are import problems, which are causing foreign exchange scarcity. Policies on maintenance should be such that airlines could get spare parts and equipment, in and out of the country. Nothing stops an airline from taking a piece of land in Lagos and building a hangar. If maintenance were done in Nigeria, carriers would not waste money abroad. But because the policies do not work, it is not viable. Conclusion Anywhere in the world, the profit margin at best for airline is between seven and 10 per cent. Between this time last year and today, the naira has officially lost almost 130 per cent of its value. Officially, it lost over 50 per cent of its value, but it is not available at the official N308 rate to a dollar anyway. With that, it becomes difficult for airlines to plan. So, how do you plan? Government needs to take a more proactive step to save the sector.

services. The provision in the regulations on the other hand, he reiterated mandates the airlines ‘to ensure proper transparency and prudent financial management and to submit to the NCAA on monthly basis, all financial data and records of their operations in a form and manner prescribed by the NCAA. He alleged that the level of huge recurring debts of the airlines to all the service providers are evidence, which suggests that the provisions of NCARs part 18.7.5 and 18.10.5 have not been substantially complied with by the operators and the regulators.

Stakeholders seek integrity in business deals

ntil there is integrity in all the transactions in the aviation industry, there will never be any growth and the industry will continue to wallow and grope in the dark instead of developing. This was one of the views of industry players who gathered at Golfview Hotel, Lagos for the 1st Aviation Transaction Integrity Summit organised by Aviation Monitor Limited. Setting the direction for discussions, Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Usman Mukhar stated that enhancing transaction integrity in business cannot be equated with anything else. Mukhar, who was represented by Director of Consumer Protection, Alhaji Adamu Abdullahi said, “Remember that starting or running a business with the sole purpose of making money is not the only objective, but a deliberate

effort to make honour and integrity the hallmark. Enhancing transaction integrity in business cannot be equated with anything else. When a company is known for its transparency and integrity in business, it increases its chances to grow, make huge profits and have a loyal customer base.” In a presentation by Chief Executive Officer of Belujane Konzult Limited, Mr. Chris Aligbe titled, The Importance Of Transaction Integrity In Aviation Policy Formulation & Implementation, he stated that any policy formulated for the public good without consulting the public or stakeholders, is not in the interest of the public. He emphasised the need for the NCAA to be fully involved in the process of airport concession if government actually had the intention, adding, “NCAA staff should be trained on how to regulate airports under a concession arrangement before the concession

exercise starts.” Chairman of the occasion and President of Aviation Round Table, Mr. Gbenga Olowo, submitted that to achieve integrity in the system, there was a need for an upward review of airline fares to a more appropriate fare, considering the rate of inflation over the years, which air fares had not responded to. In his own submission at the panel, the chairman of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Capt. Nogie Megisson, who was represented by Mr. Ewos Iroro, explained that there was no way the domestic airlines in Nigeria would survive with the existence of too many charges from both within and outside the sector. He stressed the need for airlines to be involved in policy making processes from design point. “Every minute an airline stays on ground is an additional cost. When one flight is delayed for 30 minutes, it affects the airline’s chain of operations at various loca-

tions. Yet, the airline cannot charge the passengers any extra cost,” he explained. Earlier, publisher of Aviation Monitor Limited, organiser of the event, Mr. Albinus Chiedu, said the summit was convened “to evaluate the level of integrity in business transactions, interactions, agreements and contracts implementation as well as respect for laws and morality in various dealings that occur in Nigeria’s aviation industry.” He said, “The growth and development of Nigeria’s aviation sector has been challenged by issues of transaction integrity. For instance, duly signed contracts and agreements between parties have featured controversies at the middle of implementation over what the agreement originally was. Indebted service consumers have had to argue with service providers over how much was being owed, despite existing documentation processes.”

TUESDAY, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Interview Our students are equipped to challenge the world –Na’Allah

Education

Honour Youth assembly bestows leadership award on UNN VC

33 35

FACE-OFF The lingering tussle between Oyo and Osun states over joint ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State, is set to tear the two states apart. ADEOLU ADEYEMO and SOLA ADEYEMO report

he age-long crisis rocking the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State, over the joint ownership of the institution by Oyo and Osun States, has in the last few weeks taken a fresh dimension, as there seemed to be no amicable resolution of the lingering face-off in sight. This time, the two states are heading for a showdown, as the battle line has already been drawn for the soul of the 26-year-old university, established on April 23, 1990 by the then Military Administrator of the old Oyo State, comprising Oyo and Osun, Col. Sasaeniyan Oresanya. When the university was established as a centre of academic and research excellence, little did the founding fathers realised that 26 years later, the institution would become a source of discord and anguish for the students and the people of the two states, and the country at large. The ownership tussle, which began in 2010 during the administrations of Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State and his Osun State counterpart, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and inherited by Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State in 2011, has today reached a nagging level. The crisis reached its crescendo in July 2010, when Oyo State indigenes at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital and College of Health Sciences, located in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, were directed to report at Ogbomoso by their state government. This directive was backed up by

kayode olanrewaju Editor, education

kayode olanrewaju@ newtelegraphonline.com

LAUTECH gate

LAUTECH: A varsity in disarray •Oyo: We’ll decide on sole ownership in two weeks •Osun: Severance of joint ownership premeditated

a resolution passed by Oyo State House of Assembly disengaging the state from joint ownership of the institution, a move which was subsequently endorsed by the State Executive Council. But, in a swift reaction, Osun State Government in an advertorial discountenanced the position of the Oyo State Government, saying it was not aware of any disengagement exercise in the joint ownership of the university. However, a fresh battle has broken out between the two states and things have fallen apart, and the centre could no longer hold as the duo states are now poised for war, following the insistence of Oyo State Government that since Osun State has its own university- the Osun State University (UNIOSUN) located in Osogbo, the state should completely hand off in the running and ownership of LAUTECH. The Governor Abiola Ajimobiled administration in Oyo State is accusing the Governor Rauf Aregbesola-led Osun State of funding the Osun State University to the detriment of LAUTECH. Meanwhile, in its response, Osun State Government through the state House of Assembly, had last Wednesday in a press briefing, said: “We also need to debunk the wicked rumour that we are funding Osun State University to the detriment of LAUTECH. This is falsehood, as the Osun State Government has not given a kobo in subvention to Osun State University over the last six years and the institution has been self-sustaining and running smoothly on its internally generated revenue.”

Urgent step needs to be taken to address the issue of joint ownership of LAUTECH

Why must Osun State still lay claim to the ownership of the university and what right has it to get itself involved in the running of the affairs of the university? Why must the property still be managed by the two states when Osun State is no more part of the old Oyo State? These, among others are some of the questions the Oyo State Government is raising concerning the continued joint ownership of the university by Osun State. According to the Chairman, Committee on Education of Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Folorunso Bamisayemi, the options opened to the state then were either to leave the ownership of the LAUTECH to the new Oyo State like Osun State left every other immovable properties that fell within the geographical domain of the new Oyo State; or invite the Federal Government to take over the university like it happened between Enugu and Anambra States in the case of Nnamdi Azikwe University; or better still, agree to jointly own the university with the new Oyo State to save the university from premature death, the institution being less than one year old as at the time Osun State was created or carved out of the old Oyo State. But, he said that the spirit of oneness and integration of Yoruba nation, the two states chose the third option. “As a result of this fundamental and patriotic decision, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology continued in 1991 to be a joint property of both Oyo State and the

State of Osun and has remained so till date,” he stressed. Stating the position of Osun State Government on the development, the lawmaker said: “The issues now are that, it is important for us to make clear the issues at stake and not confuse them as the people of Ogbomoso area of Oyo State want. “The fundamental issues of the LAUTECH saga are two clear and distinct issues which must be addressed and resolved separately. They are the non-payment of subventions in recent times by both states. “But, before we go into this important detail, permit me to state very clearly on behalf of the Osun State Government that we regret our inability to pay our own share of subventions over the last couple of months. “It is unfortunate and unintended. It is as a result of collateral fallout of the financial challenges that all states of the federation including Osun State have been encountering for about two years now. As a result of this circumstance we have regrettably been unable to pay our core civil servants the way we would have loved to do and even fund our own university. “We will, therefore, like to reassure our people in Oyo State and Ogbomoso area in particular that we as a state are committed to our obligations to LAUTECH and the governor is working tirelessly to ensure that we redeem our pledge to pay part of our outstanding subvention as soon as our financial situation improves. “The Osun State Government has fully, consistently and timeCONTINUED ON PAGE 34

education

TUESDAY, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Old students plan N20m funds for alma mater Kayode Olanrewaju

etermined to lift their alma mater given the dwindling facilities in the school and the inability of the government to shoulder the responsibility of funding education alone, the old students of Anglican Commercial Grammar School Osogbo, have unfolded plans to raise N20 million development fund for the school. The old students, who graduated from the school in 1984, under the auspices of ANCO 84 Set, said the fund would be raised or sourced from members, private organisations as well as philanthropists in the next two years. Piqued by the dearth of facilities and laboratory equipment and reagents, as well as lack of functional library in the school, the old students noted that the funds would be used to fix the decayed infrastructure, especially identified projects that would be of immense benefits to the 42-year-old school. The Director of Administration of

the Set, Mr. Adewole Afolabi, who disclosed this during the maiden re-union meeting of the Set, which took place at the Centre Point Hotel, Osogbo, Osun State, reiterated the need to strengthen public-private-partnership as a veritable tool of development. “Our intervention activities are geared towards complementing the government’s efforts as it alone cannot shoulder all the responsibilities of funding education,” he said, adding that apart from this, the initiative is part of the Set’s way of giving back to the school that made them what they are today. He, however, expressed the determination to restore their alma mater to its past glory, calling on other sets to emulate the laudable move of the 79-84 Set. President of the Set, and the current Registrar of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Mr. Maruf Salawu, who expressed delight over the re-union, which provided the platform to meet some of his colleagues 32 years after leaving the school, pointed out the need to intervene positively to preserve the good legacy of

Pa Oyetade (middle), being presented with the recognition award by Salau (2nd right) and other members of the set during the event.

the school for future generations. While lamenting the rot in public schools, which has become the gain of private schools, he said solution to reverse the trend rests on all and sundry. Specifically, to turn the fortune of their alma mater around, Salawu suggested the need to find out whether or not the school has a survey plan and a master plan, and how they could intervene on the structural decay of the school, as well as contribute to the improvement of its academic standard and the well-being of the teachers and students with a view to enhancing their

education. Towards this end, he stressed that the teachers and students, under their intervention should feel the positive impact of the old students, even as the President spoke of the urgent need for interconnectivity among the old students to positively improve on the state of the school. The high points of the re-union were the recognition of the Set’s Principal, Pa Emmanuel Oyetade and some of the former teachers, as well as paper presentations on topical issues by two old students, as part of activities to add value to the re-union.

NOUN shuts down illegal study centre in Ankpa Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

L-R: The Chairman, Director of Skill Development, FIRS, Mrs. Junila Takom; Executive Secretary of TETFund, Dr. Abdullahi Baffa, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, at the 2016 Joint TETFund/FIRS Interactive Forum held in Lagos. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

NBTE approves NCC’s training institute Kunle Azeez

he agency supervising polytechnic and technical education in the country, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), has approved the newly established training arm of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Kano, to operate as an Innovation Enterprise Institution (IEI). This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs of the Commission, Mr. Tony Ojobo. The letter conveying the approval, which said that the DBI should operate as Innovation Enterprise Institution with effect from May 3, this year, according to the statement, was signed by the Executive Secretary of NBTE, Dr. M.A. Kazaure on behalf of the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu. It also said the Enterprise Institution should run such

programmes as National Innovation Diploma (NID) for Telecommunication Technology, Multimedia Technology, Networking and System Security, Computer Software Engineering and Computer Hardware Engineering, among others. “The approval is subject to the institutions strict compliance with the Federal Government’s terms and conditions governing the operations of Innovation Enterprise Institutions,” the Board said in the letter. Also, part of the terms contained in the letter is that “the approval is subject to DBI admitting not more than one stream of 30 students for each of the programmes.” “Admission of the students into the approved programmes should commence from 2016/2017 session, it added. The approval from the NBTE followed a visitation jointly carried out by the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Board

for Technical Education to the DBI. The Director of DBI, Dr. Ike Adinde, who described the approval as the right step in right the direction, noted that DBI is a specialised institution committed to creating a knowledge-based information society in the country through human capacity building in Telecommunication and Information & Communication Technology.

n furtherance of its war against illegal study centres across the country, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has shut down another illegal study centre discovered at Ankpa, Kogi State. The illegal centre, allegedly operated by one Prof. Abdullahi, was domiciled in the premises of St. Charles College in the town. Fielding questions from members of the university’s Committee on Illegal Study Centres, the Principal of the college, Mr. Adama Umaru Roberts, said that the attitude, carriage and conduct of Abdullahi smack of a fraudster. “This college is a Catholic school. Before anyone does anything in the premises of a mission school like ours, he must obtain authorization from the Catholic Education Directorate. When Abdullahi approached our former principal on this issue, the Director in charge of Education in the Arch-Diocese was contacted. The latter asked him to put the request in writing, but he never did,” Roberts said. “At present, he has gone underground because all the people

who registered and paid money to him are looking for him. Even some of our teachers, who registered there, have withdrawn,” he added, saying that since he assumed duties in January as the new principal of the college, he has never set his eyes on Abdullahi on the premises. “The block of classrooms, where he was operating from had long been retrieved by the school authority, the re-erection of the signboard is something that could have been done at night,” he concluded. However, the Deputy Registrar (Council Affairs), Mr. John James Ubaji, who led the NOUN team to the centre, explained that there was no single study centre of the university which is owned by an individual.

Prof. Adamu, VC

JABU VC, TETFund director, others bag NIM fellowship Mojeed Alabi

he Vice-Chancellor of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun State, Prof. Sola Fajana; the Director, Human Resources Management Department of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Alhaji Aminu Anans, and the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, and others, have been conferred with the Fellowship of the Nigerian

Institute of Management (NIM). The Fellowship was recently bestowed on them and other eminent Nigerians during the 2016 Awards, Fellows and Spouse’s Day Luncheon organised by the institute in Lagos. Tagged: “Re-Branding the Nigerian Professional from Goodness to Greatness,” the fellowship was in recognition of the crucial roles that the inductees have played as prime drivers of management values, management standards and management pro-

fessionalism in the country. The President and Chairman of Council Emeritus of the Institute, Prof. Munzali Jibril, while conferring the NIM Fellowship Certificates on the recipients, congratulated and enjoined them to continue to be good ambassadors of the institute in all their endeavour. They were also reminded of the need to remember that the status of fellowship of the institute is sacred and holds no compromise.

VC forum | education

TUESDAY, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, a Professor of Literature, is the Vice-Chancellor of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete. In this interview with BIODUN OYELEYE, he relives his experiences as pioneer Vice-Chancellor of the institution, and shares thoughts on his efforts at making the university a foremost centre of academic, research and community development You are in your second term of another five years as the Vice-Chancellor of the university, what has been your experience pioneering the leadership of a new university? The truth is that the first term as vice-chancellor was entirely all about starting, that is, about recruitment and laying a foundation for the university. And, we thank God that the first five years we were able to graduate two sets of students, which shows that some of the vision we put in place and the goals that we set, we were able to realise them at the end of the term. When you look at what we were able to achieve, you will see that part of the achievements is that throughout the country, people have begun to understand that there is a new university that is about entrepreneurship and about community development, and that is also serious in terms of its commitment to research. It was a kind of humble achievement and all the same, we thank God Almighty that it is an achievement that Kwara State community and the government clearly recognised. Therefore, in view of our achievements, the state government asked me to stay on for another second term of five years. But, I must also say here that our achievements in the first five years were to a large extent based on the kind of financial support from the state government, which enabled us to do some of the things that we did. As you know, the nation’s economy was very buoyant then and funds were trickling into KWASU on 70:30 ratio. That is 70 per cent from the state and 30 per cent was coming from the local governments. Apart from this, KWASU was also receiving funding support from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETTFund) and we availed ourselves the opportunity to collaborate with many other organisations. For instance, by 2010, KWASU already had a UNESCO chair as we had collaboration with UNESCO on Energy sector and it was as a result that the university has researched extensively on energy. Since power supply is the number one problem of the country, KWASU on its own sought to resolve that and so throughout the first five years, we had scholars and students, who continued to carry out research on this. We established a company called Rana Power, which is an energy company that is developing solar power that serves as an alternative source of solving the energy problem in the

Comrade Akeem Lasisi is the Chairman of Ogun State chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS). In this interview with KUNLE OLAYENI, he speaks on issues bordering on the current state of education in the state.

Our students are equipped to challenge the world –Na’Allah country. So, within the first five years, we were able to attract investors from China to establish an independent energy company in the country and already, we have appointed a Chinese American, who has since resumed duty as the Chief Executive Officer of the company. Hence, we also ended that first five years by establishing a Film Village, which was also in response to the Nollywood development in Nigeria and in 2009, when we started it was the third largest, by 2011 it was the second largest in the world and the university thought it wise to respond to this. We hired Joke Silva as the Managing Director of the Village and we also swung into action and identified the former site of Tate and Lyle, Ilorin as the site for the campus, which the state government has also given to the university. What specifically are your plans in the second term? The second term will be a period which we seek to consolidate on the achievements of first five years as a university that is research-focused, and as a university that is aggressive in identifying national problem and solving them, to engage in cuttingedge research towards solving those problems. We want to position ourselves as a university, where students and scholars are working together to bring about new innovations, new products, new equipment, new ideas directed at solving national problems and those of humanity. Apparently, this has started very well and we will continue to do well. If you ask me what is the major problem facing us, I will say the major problem is the nation’s economy recession, which has placed KWASU that is aggressively in addressing all its needs in the middle of the financial crisis .If you ask me I will tell

At KWASU, we have developed a strategy and we will never look back

you that perhaps there is probably no any other institution that has felt the hardship better than KWASU. As a child who required a lot of protein to survive, as university we need a lot of resources to grow, but suddenly the economic crisis came when the institution is merely six years, and you can imagine what appears as a major crisis to disorganise us and disarray the institution. Unknown to many stakeholders, our goal is not to entirely depend 100 per cent on state government, our goal is to develop a university that will continue to find resources all over the world to sustain itself in addition to what the state government and the public are able to give to us. We have always known that at the end of the day, the kind of resources that we need the government won’t be able to provide all, but whatever government is giving let it be regular. Whether it is 30 per cent of our budget, let them continue doing it and let it be regular and constant, while the university will go to all over the world to mobilise resources for itself. So, that philosophy from the beginning was what really helped us. The major problem I will say we are being confronted with in this my second term is funding in which the state government, the proprietor of the university, has practically for about a year now not been able to provide the university with funds. If that has been the case, how has the university been surviving? Of course, we just went back into the structures we had put in place. As a university we have different entrepreneurship centres that are doing some work, we went back to these centres since the initial investments had been made to grow them to certain level. Some of the centres are offering programmes that are serving our immediate communi-

ties. They were self-sustaining and the university is able to get something from them and presently we capitalise on all of these for Internally Generated Revenue. Initially, we thought of strengthening the centres so as to generate more revenues than what we were generating. And so, when government stopped giving us allocations, we started to generate income from the centres and we collapsed virtually all the funds from the centre for us to be able to pay salaries and some overhead cost. But obviously we are also working with some banks and as you will remember that as we were doing this the issue of Treasury Single Account (TSA) came and so we had to resort to banks. We began to work with the banks and they are also working with us, but I am happy to tell you that as at today, KWASU does not owe a single kobo to any member of staff, as we pay salaries regularly. We have developed our budget for the next year, though it has not been approved, it was a budget developed by KWASU staff, and our strategy also is to align our staff with whatever we are doing for this university. We have assembled think tank, comprising different groups, who always come together to tell us where we are going, and what we need to do. So, it is the KWASU staff members that are making it possible for the university to survive. That is where we are and that is how we are able to survive and we will continue to survive. This budget year ends in September, the Governing Council will meet to approve the budget, but the bulk of the funds to finance the budget will come from what we generate. Does the university really need subvention from the government? CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

education | public discourse

TUESDAY, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Controversies over restructuring of unity schools

Akinlabi: Government is misinformed

Elder Bode Akinlabi is a former Chairman of the PTA of the Federal Government College, Ijanikin, Lagos and member of the Board of Trustees of the NAPTAFEGC

Akinlabi

t is unfortunate that the decision of the Federal Government is coming at this time when many parents are withdrawing their children from expensive private schools and are willing to enroll them at the govern-

Mr. Ben Goong is the Director of Press in the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja.

nvestigations by the Federal Ministry of Education have revealed that the PTAs have almost taken over the administration of most of the schools, making admissions into any of the colleges an object for the highest bidders. And, based on this development, the ministry has been inundated with allegations and counter allegations of corruption against both the school managements and the PTAs, and so

ment-owned schools, and particularly, the Unity Schools. We are not oblivious of the fact that the unity schools require restructuring, but this blanket directive by the Federal Government indicates something sinister on the part of the government. When you consider the roles of the parents in almost all the unity schools nationwide, one would be surprised to receive such directives banning levy collection by the PTAs. Through the contributions of the parents, we have not only sus-

tained the excellence in the schools, we have also brought into them unequalled moral and religious dignity. For many years, the Federal Government has not only reduced subventions to the schools, it has also not been forthcoming in terms of subsidies on their foods, while adhoc staff members are no longer employed. In fact, retired teachers are not replaced, yet enrollment has continued to increase over the years, with the bulk of social and physical infrastructure provided by the parents.

Goong: Govt’s efforts in schools’best interest the Federal Government can no longer fold its arms and allow the situation to degenerate. Recently, in Akure, Ondo State capital, at the Admission Meetings for the Unity Schools, stakeholders discovered that the claim of the PTAs taking over the administration of the schools is made because the schools have been admitting above the quota allocated to them by the Federal Government. As a result, the facilities have been overstretched, while the Federal Government is painted as irrespon-

sible. And, as solution, therefore, the meeting resolved that all schools should revert to the existing quota based on their carrying capacities, and that the activities of the parents should be controlled to curb their excesses. The government understands the need to open up access to quality education for Nigerian children, but at the same time, the Federal Government is also being cautious not to lose the education quality the pupils are meant to acquire by merely opening up access.

Oladejo: Teachers are not opposed to meaningful restructuring Abiodun Oladejo is the chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Queen’s College, Yaba, Lagos chapter.

f what the Federal Government is doing is restructuring I can assure you that all teachers of the unity schools nationwide will support it, but we are afraid this may lead to more problems than solution. As members of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), we have been talking to the national leadership of our association about the new developments in the administration of our schools. Presently,

we are in the dark as all major support staff members employed through the support of the PTA have been asked to go. The cleaners are not enough and same with cooks. The PTA teachers no longer come because no one is ready to pay them anymore. I think the most important thing at this time is not just issuing directives but to first look at the crises bedeviling the unity schools and tackle them one after the other, but beginning the restructur-

Oladejo

ing by placing ban on certain developmental efforts could be counterproductive. We will continue to appeal to the Federal Government to consider our plight and address all the challenges facing the unity schools, at least, for the sake of the future of the students.

interviews conducted by mojeed alabi

Ajimobi

Aregbesola

Face-off over LAUTECH ownership deepens CO N TI N U ED F RO M PAGE 31

ously met its obligations to LAUTECH over the last 25 years out of the 26 years of the university’s existence, while the inability to pay its counterpart funds over the last one year was due to national economic problem which equally affects Oyo State.” Bamisayemi, however, recalled that in 2010, when the university needed the two states to inject N900 million each for the payment of monetization and personal allowances of workers, it was only Osun State that paid its own share of N900 million, while Oyo State has not paid its own share till date, which was borrowed from Sky Bank Plc and had eventually been paid back through the university’s IGR. According to Osun State, the statute setting up LAUTECH recognises only one Teaching Hospital and that it is situated in Osogbo. He added: “Oyo State has consistently refused to contribute a dime to the sustenance of the teaching hospital since the administration of Governor Alao Akala set up the illegal Teaching Hospital at Ogbomoso. It may interest fairminded observers to know that Osun State singularly maintains the facility with a monthly N200 million subvention. In the same vein, the state has invested close to N2 billion on capital projects in the teaching hospital, while Oyo State was busy investing in a parallel but illegal teaching hospital unknown to the law that established the university.” The state lawmakers further frowned at the moves by Ogbomosho community to unilaterally take over LAUTECH and push Osun State out of the joint ownership after investing in the project for almost 26 years. “We honestly want to believe that the conscious attempt to take over the ownership of LAUTECH by every means possible is

being orchestrated by only the Ogbomoso community which erroneously believe that it owns the college, but not the entire good people of Oyo State, who are our kith and kin. “The attempt to betray the trust and convert the university to Ogbomoso community-owned university did not start recently, but predated the current financial travails devilling the polity, culminating in the state’s inability to meet its obligations to LAUTECH and other government institutions. “You will recall how, beginning from 2010, Governor Alao Akala acted out the script written by him on behalf of the Ogbomoso community by using the apparatus of Oyo State Government to convert LAUTECH to an institution solely owned ostensibly by Oyo State, but in reality Ogbomoso community, his town.” “Then Osun State Government challenged AlaoAkala’s illegal plans in the Supreme Court and in a judgment delivered on 26th day of December 2012, the apex court held that the university was and will always be jointly owned by Oyo and Osun States and Oyo State alone cannot unilaterally lay claim to sole ownership of the institution.” Given the proposed severance of joint ownership of the university, an apex group in the Ogbomoso community had two weeks ago, ordered indigenes of Osun State working in the university to vacate the institution so that Oyo State could own the institution alone for proper funding. The state House of Assembly followed suit last week when a member from Ogbomoso North, Hon. Olawumi Oladeji and nine others moved a motion for sole ownership of LAUTECH. In the motion entitled: “Reviewing the Joint Ownership of LAUTECH: A Step Towards Sole Ownership by Oyo State Government,” Oladeji stated that the joint-

ownership of the institution began in 1991, when Osun State was carved out of the old Oyo State. He said: “We are concerned about the persistent crises in the university due to default in payment of staff salaries as at and when due. Cumulatively, Osun State Government is owing 15 months arrears of staff salaries as at September 2016. Consequent upon this, the university workers have embarked on an indefinite strike which has paralysed all activities at the university. “It should be noted that if the industrial action embarked upon by the university workers persists for too long, it may spell doom for the existence and growth of the university. Urgent step needs to be taken to address the issue of joint ownership of LAUTECH in view of the present challenges and crises rocking the university.” The former governor of the state, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, who initially mooted the sole ownership idea in 2009, has also renewed the call, thus encouraging the Oyo State Government to expedite action on the matter and free LAUTECH and its workers from its perpetual funding problem. As a way out of the imbroglio, the Oyo State Government has, however, directed the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Adeniyi Olowofella and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Oluwaseun Abimbola to look into the crisis and submit their reports within three weeks to address the issue once and for all. The state House of Assembly at its plenary presided over by the Speaker, Hon. Michael Adeyemo, has also directed the Commissioners that the reports must have two parts: the first to contain short-term solution to the lingering crisis that would ensure return of students and workers to the university as soon as possible.

TUESDAY, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Stakeholders seek end to closure of varsity ‘Yomi Ayeleso AAUA

iqued by the incessant closure of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), key stakeholders in the university project have expressed displeasure over the lingering industrial action by the academic staff of the institution and sought an end to it. In fact, the university in the last few years had enjoyed tremendous uninterrupted and stable academic calendar, resulting in nonbreak down in the system. Based on this, a United States agency had two years ago rated the institution as the best State University in Nigeria, but happenings at the university in recent

Otunba Oladunni, Council chair

times had changed this, as the university is now shut at every provocation. The stakeholders, comprising lecturers and students, as well as management and parents, wondered that since the beginning of this academic session, the university has only been able to complete an academic semester successfully which is not in any way helping the students. Recalling the incessant strikes, some of the students said on April 9, 2016, when they were about to begin their first semester examination the university was shut as a result of the violent protest by the students. The students were said to have protested the killing of one of their colleagues, Ojo Afolabi Daniel, who was allegedly crushed by a commercial motorcycle rider, while on July 4, the institution’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) withdrew its members from the classroom on an industrial action to press home their demands.

Young Nigerian, Akpabio makes history in the UK

young Nigerain, Ignatius Akpabio, has joined the distinguished and inspirational line of young Nigerians proving that Nigerians, and indeed Africans are among the best people in the world. In a tradition of excellence that is well-earned, Akpabio topped an international Faculty of Postgraduate Scholars to clinch the prestigious BP Prize for the best project on the course at the School of Computing Science and Digital Media’s annual awards ceremony for 2016 of Robert Gordon University (RGU), Aberdeen United Kingdom. Akpabio, who hails from Akwa Ibom State, expressed happiness over his outstanding performance, saying: “I feel very excited to have won this prestigious prize as I did not expect it, but I am very grateful to the best project supervisor any postgraduate students could have, Dr Iain Pirie, for being very supportive to me during the implementation of my M.Sc project.” Of his dream, he said he was returning home despite offers to stay back abroad to join hands in developing this country. Akpabio, who expressed dismay over the country’s overdependence on oil, said: “Oil and gas being the major sources of the

nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) means that the future of the country might well depend on the sector”. I am a strong proponent of the ‘Nigeria of Tomorrow’ and therefore, in every possible way I want to contribute my own quota to the development of my dear country. Coming from an Information Technology background, I would like to use IT to develop and improve the oil and gas sector.” He expressed gratitude to his lecturers, especially Dr. David Lonie and Dr. Angela Siegel, whom he hinted provided the leeway for him to find software development most interesting and which has enabled him to excel exceedingly in both modules.

campus

education

Youth assembly bestows leadership award on UNN VC Ozumba being decorated and presented with the award by Salihu, while other members of the group and the university management watch.

he Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA) has bestowed its highest honour, the “Garkuwan Matasan Nigeria” (Defender of Nigerian Youth) on the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Benjamin Ozumba. The certificate for the appreciation for the honour, in recognition of his administration’s fairness and just to students from the northern part of the country was presented by the group to him at a presentation ceremony, which took place at the Vice-Chancellor’s Conference Room of the university. While presenting the certificate

to the vice-chancellor, the Speaker of AYA, Mohammad Salihu said that Prof. Benjamin Ozumba had demonstrated un-relentless interest in developing Nigerian youth, by providing quality leadership at the university. “We nominated you as the most appropriate personality, who symbolises the resilience and the venturous spirit of triumph of the Nigerian Character,” he said, and described the vice-chancellor as a man ahead of his generation and a leader who has placed Nigeria on the world map of educational development. While noting that Prof. Ozumba represents a model of decency and

sanity to Nigerian youth, the Speaker called on Nigerian leaders at various levels to pay attention to the plight of the youths in order to stem the tide of insecurity and other social vices ravaging the country. “It is our candid opinion that our leaders should apply the late Sarduana and Dr. Azikwe’s legacies as blue print for change in Nigeria polity,” Salihu stressed, saying that the blueprint “will involve taking deliberate actionable steps to would bring about moral rebirth, establishment of necessary and critical institutions, improve local contents and unite the components and segments in all jurisdiction.”

Dean’s visit to medical hostels raises students’hope Eddy Uwoghiren UNIBEN

esidents of Medical Hostels at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) have been assured by the Dean of Students’ Affairs of the institution that massive renovation work will soon be carried out in the hostel. Prof. Benson Osadolor assured the students of the university authority’s plans last week after an inspection tour of the facilities at the hostel. The Dean was received in the hostel by members of executive of

L-R: Milliot Niku of British Petroleum; Akpabio and Prof. Chrisina Jayne, Head of school of computing and digital Media

the UNIBEN Medical Students Association (UBEMSA) and other hall executive and the hostel officials. At the Hostel Buttery, where he complained about the poor standard of chairs and tables, especially where the students buy their food items, the dean noted that the wooden tables and chairs were no longer fashionable and befitting a medical hostel. Osadolor, who mandated the operators to immediately change the furniture without further delay, as he would not take the failure to do so likely on his next visit, however expressed dismay over the poor condition of the toilets and bathrooms, as he found it extremely difficult to enter the place. He expressed shock over how the facilities were left over the years without renovation, saying: “This is terribly bad. I can’t believe this is the hostels being used by doctors in training. I won’t be surprised to hear that students culture bacteria as a result of the poor toilet facilities.” Other areas visited by the dean during the inspection include TV room, reading room, laundry, kitchen and rooms, where the dean discovered that the roofs in some of the rooms are leaking, and cracked walls in the male section of the hostel while some rooms are without ceiling. While addressing the Dean, the Hall Mayor, Eweka Osasere

commended him for visiting and inspecting the hostels, even as he complained about the exorbitant cost of items in the hostels, the poor quality of food sold by operator of the buttery, damaged WIFI spot, and the need to beef up security, especially at the female section of the hostels. “Over 85 per cent of students in this hostel no longer buy food from the vendors. The quality and quantity of the food sold to the students are so poor and expensive,” he added, recalling that the Students’ Union Task Force on price regulation on campus no longer visits the hostels. He insisted that the situation is not like that at other hostels on campus, even as Eweka spoke of the need as medical students to b up-to-date with what goes on in the medical field. His words: “We need the WIFI to download medical videos, textbooks, materials and also engage in online medical class rooms as being championed by Telemedicine. Most of us go to the medical complex at night which is very far from the hostels, while many of us have lost our laptops and phone in the process. “If the students could access the WIFI in their hostel, we would be in our rooms and engage in effective online classrooms and our laptops will be safe.”

education

TUESDAY, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

‘We develop ideas to solve national problems’ C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 3 3

As a university, it will forever need subvention because it is important as a public university. We need money for so many things. Research itself requires huge amount of money. There is no way a university will not need a lot of resources to carry out its activities because of its multi-disciplinary areas. We have undergraduate research as one of our strengths. In fact, we have an undergraduate research centre and this centre offers our undergraduate the platform to compete for funds and research grants. They write excellent proposals; the university looks critically at these proposals and decides who to provide grants and several of them have been given grants to contribute to development. If we give N2 million this year, we could probably raise it to N5 million next year based on what he has been able to do. With this you could see the need for funds will continue as long as we have ambition to develop and to help the country, Africa and humanity. It is a public university and it is not about profit making, and so we will continue to need money. There is something unique

about the university’s Aeronautic Engineering programme and as pioneering effort, what about its accreditation? Well, it is one of the cuttingedge we have. Already, we are collaborating with one of the largest Aeronautic Space University in the world. But because no any other university has it in Nigeria, we are sitting down with the National University Commission (NUC) on how to develop it. Just about two months ago, we were able to develop a benchmark, and as soon as that is approved by their management board, they will send in their accreditation team. But the truth is that we are very proud of this achievement and are giving the programme the best of our commitment. When the country was creating and launching its satellite, I was a keen observer and one of the questions I was asking then is that who are the people that will manage them and I was told that they have sent some people to China and I laughed. You don’t develop space research by just sending people who will manage them abroad; you have to start from the scratch. At KWASU, we are developing people who on their own

The government has asked universities to look inward and produce graduates who are job creators and not job seekers. What has been the contribution of KWASU towards achieving this? We have started that already by training our students from 200-Level to 400-Level the concept of entrepreneurship; how to do business survey; how to develop a company and how to start a company, as well as how to manage a company. By the time a student gets to 400-Level, he or she is already practising that right here on campus. By 2011, the nation realised that was the way to go and the Federal Government encouraged every universities to key into entrepreneurship skills. We started the yearly directorate of entrepreneurship conference, where we meet, review and discuss new strategies, we organised entrepreneurship summit for Chief Executives of institutions, we did the first one at Obudu Ranch, we did the other one this year on our campus . We are leading the way and helping the nation to develop.

R-L: President, National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, Ijanikin, Lagos, Prof. Adeola Abayomi Olaitan congratulating one of the newly inducted Fellows of the college, Dr. Rugaya AjibolaBakare during the institution’s 34th annual induction ceremony.

2016 Maltina Teacher of the Year to emerge in October Kayode Olanrewaju

ll is set for the emergence of the 2016 Maltina Teacher of the Year on October 20, when the winner will be unveiled and decorated, the organisers of the yearly award, which was instituted last year, have said. The excitement of this award, which entered its second edition this year, has reached a crescendo among Nigerian teachers and other stakeholders in the nation’s education system. The Maltina Teacher of the Year award was instituted last year by the Nigerian Breweries/Felix Ohiwere Educational Trust Fund to reward dedicated and diligent teachers, and specifically promote the teaching profession. The Maltina Teacher of the Year 2016, according to the organisers, will go home with N1 million instantly,

plus N1 million every year for the next five years, as well as a development training opportunity abroad and a block of classrooms to be built at the school where he or she is teaching. In the entries for this year’s award, which were flagged off in March, and which have since closed, teachers in secondary schools from 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory are jostling vie for the coveted prize. “Nigerians are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the results of the panel of judges, handling the scoring of the entries and that will determine who eventually the best teacher in the country is for 2016,” the organiser said. While explaining the modalities used in determining the winner, the Corporate Affairs Adviser, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Kufre Ekanem said: “The teacher with the highest score, from each state

EDUPEACE

have decided with passion that they want to help their nation to get to Jupiter.

will be crowned as the ‘State Champion,’ provided that score is above the mark set by the judges. From the pool of State Champions, the top 10 teachers will be invited to a session with the panel of judges at a test centre. The top performer at the test centre will be announced as the 2016 Maltina Teacher of the Year at a grand ceremony in Lagos on October 20.” Ekanem added: “It is our hope that through the Maltina Teacher of the Year initiative, we can inspire this nation to accord teachers their deserved position and bring back respect to the teaching profession in the country.” The Maltina Teacher of the Year initiative with prizes worth N50 million annually, is sponsored under the auspices of the Trust Fund, which was established in 1994, to contribute to the development of the educational sector in the country.

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

for Peace and Strategic Studies, Unilorin

Faith to the rescue

ast Friday, at a high-octane programme organised in Abuja in commemoration of Nigeria’s 56th Independence Anniversary, I was invited to give a lecture on “The Nation on Trial: Faith to the Rescue”. Four areas of trial where change is required for religion to really impact on us are excerpted and “formatted” for this space thus:

find hurtful” (Udana-Varga 5:18). The same idea resonates in several brands of African Traditional Religion. Anyone who is not good has lost the right to being faithful.

Moral Recovery During the heady days leading to the commencement of the Second World War, European countries started to re-arm themselves Ethnic Relativity militarily in preparation for the Many Nigerians are blinded by dire situation ahead. However, their ethnicity and it is as if they Frank Buckman jolted the sensiconsciously selected the ethnic bilities of world leaders that miligroups to which they are affiliated. tary re-armament was not the only But religion makes us to realise solution to the impending calamthat ethnic differentiation is just ity. He therefore launched a camfor identity formation. For the eth- paign for moral re-armament at nic jingoists, the world is for them the East Ham Town Hall, London, only and there should be no space on May 29, 1938. for others. The opinion of Buckman has Just as nobody chose his par- assumed greater importance in ents, no one chose to belong to any our world today. According to him, ethnic group. One concept Nigeri- the crisis confronting the world ans have to imbibe is “ubumtu”, “is fundamentally a moral one.” which loosely translates as “I am Therefore, “nations must re-arm because you are”, and denounce morally. Moral recovery is essenthis virus of selfishness as evident tially the forerunner of economic in the innocence of an African vil- recovery. Moral recovery creates lage. not crisis but confidence and unity The story was told that an an- in every phase of life.” thropologist proposed a game for a Nigeria today is facing moral group of African children. He put Armageddon. There are hearta basket full of fruits near a tree rending crimes committed with and told the children that whoever impunity by many Nigerians as got there first would win the sweet if there is no accountability. Evils fruits. When he told them to run, that could have brought complete they all took each other’s hands, destruction upon people are now ran together and later sat to enjoy a living reality in shrines where their fruits. When he asked them human beings are slaughtered, why they ran together and that as camps where young girls are imone of them could have had all the pregnated with their babies sold fruits, one girl replied, “How can like common commodities and all one of us be happy if all the others forms of social anarchy. Faith offers us are sad?” a platform to reNigerians must learn to set our priorities run together with a view to regardless of knowing that we Moral recovery is their ethnic are vice-gerents of the Almighty differences. essentially the Allah on this Religious earth and we are forerunner of Understanding all accountable Many Nigefor our actions. economic recovery Faith owes the rians proclaim religion withkey to letting Niout actually gerians know the understanding it or manifesting purpose of life, which is to worfaith. The fundamental teaching ship the Creator and serve His of all religions in the world is creation. Realisation of Life’s Vanity love. There is beauty in diversity and there is convergence in diverIn his book, “The Truth of gence. Take our religious differ- the Life of this World”, Harun ences for example, if we have the Yahya tells us that time destroys right attitude, we will appreciate everything: “A fruit gradually that the purpose of all religions darkens and finally decays from is to be good. the moment it is plucked from In Islam, the Prophet (SAW) its branch. The scent of flowers said: “Not one of you truly be- fills our rooms only for a limited lieves until you wish for others period. Soon, their colours fade what you wish for yourself.” The away. The prettiest face wrinkles same message is in Christianity after a few decades: the effect of where Jesus (PBUH) said, “In years on skin and the greying everything, do to others as you of hairs make that pretty face would have them do to you; for no different from those of other this is the law and the prophets” elderly people….In brief, every(Matthew 7: 12). Also, while you thing surrounding us is subject have “What is hateful to you, do to the ravages of time.” not do to your neighbor. This is If one is conscious of this, one the whole Torah; all the rest is would not destroy. If Nigerians commentary” in Judaism (Hillel, have the faith to realise the vanity Talmud, Shabbat 31a), you have of life and the ultimate uselessness in Buddism, “Treat not others of killing, stealing and destroying, in ways that you yourself would they will be more reflective.

BUSINESS |Money Line

TUESDAY, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Emefiele: CBN’ll pursue tight monetary policy to lure investors STRATEGY Apex bank is concerned about employment, growth Tony Chukwunyem with agency report

he Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has said the apex bank will pursue price stability as an anchor for economic

growth and attract foreign investors as the country battles recession and rising inflation. In an interview with “The Banker” magazine, he stated: :”The central bank does not reckon that curbing inflation, attracting foreign investors and supporting growth are mutually exclusive objectives. The bank will continue to ensure that its decisions not only consider price and financial system stability, but also issues of employment and growth.”

The regulator last month left its benchmark rate at 14 per cent, resisting calls from the finance minister to lower borrowing costs to help the government borrow more domestically without increasing its debt servicing costs. The CBN has said policymakers will need to act together on fiscal, monetary and trade policies to jump start growth, and that interest rate cuts alone will not help pull the country out of its first recession in 20 years. Past rate cuts have not

Weak naira: Exotix forecasts single digit capital ratios for banks Tony Chukwunyem

f the naira continues to decline against the dollar and eventually falls to N1,000 to the greenback, the impact could result in Nigerian banks’ capital ratios falling to single digits, analysts at leading international financial firm, Exotix Partners, have said. The naira, at a point last week, fell to N496 to the dollar on the parallel market. In a note obtained by New Telegraph, the experts stated that their stress test analysis of Nigerian banks shows that the lenders are in a very difficult situation, adding that the weakening naira will bring additional challenges for the lenders. They said: “Our stress test does not take into account any impact on Tier-1 or total capital

from currency weakness. Further, the stress test assumes no change in Naira-denominated risk-weighted assets as FC-denominated Risk Weighted Assets (RWAs) rise, and assumes the banks take no remediation measures (such as asset sales) to offset the impact of a weaker local currency. These are important caveats as in our stress test, all the banks end up with single-digit total capital ratios in the most extreme scenario of N1,000/US$.” The analysts, however, stated that although they did not expect their prediction to come to pass, they were concerned that given the lingering disparity between parallel and official exchange rates and the ability of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to continue to support the naira, it was vital that they continue to assess the potential impact of sig-

nificant naira weakness on the banks. The experts said: “We believe GT Bank and Zenith Bank are best placed to weather further potential naira weakness. These two banks’ capital ratios remain the highest in the peer group in our currency stress test.” Besides, they stated: “We see GT Bank as the most resilient. We think GT Bank is best placed to navigate the challenging operating environment. Zenith Bank also has solid fundamentals. Like GT Bank, this lender fares relatively well in our currency-based stress test. Access Bank has so far exceeded expectations on almost all fronts, including capital and asset quality, and profitability compares well to most peers. We believe valuations of the FBN bonds already reflect the challenges there.”

Economic Indicators

MPR 91-day NTB Bonny Light Ext Res**

Description 15.10 27-APR-2017 16.00 29-JUN-2019 15.54 13-FEB-2020 16.39 27-JAN-2022 14.20 14-MAR-2024 12.50 22-JAN-2026 10.00 23-JUL-2030 12.1493 18-JUL-2034 Tenor (Days) Call 30 90 180

N19,142,526.05m N18,579,219.49m 17.61

Mar, 2015 Mar, 2015 August, 2016

14 10.77 US$48.77 US$24,566,419,718

26/07/2016 Mar 2015 3/10/2016 29/9/2016 Source: CBN

FGN Bonds

TTM

Price 104.65 114.59 111.96 120.58 109.60 100.54 83.82 97.56

1.07 3.24 3.87 5.82 7.95 9.81 14.31 18.29

NIBOR

Rate (%) 4.4583 9.1071 11.0102 12.3790

Bid Yield 10.38 10.55 11.60 11.44 12.27 12.40 12.44 12.49

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

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

Price 104.80 114.89 112.26 120.88 109.90 100.84 84.12 97.86

Tenor (Months)

Offer Yield 10.24 10.45 11.51 11.38 12.22 12.34 12.39 12.44

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

NITTY

Rate (%) 6.9949 7.2368 8.0819 9.2061 9.5872 10.5042

1 2 3 6 9 12

Treasury Bills

Spot($/N)

Offer 199.24

Change (%) 1.12 ▲ -0.27 ▼ -0.17 ▼ -0.11 ▼ 0.03 ▲ 0.42 ▲

Money Market

Change (%) 0.57 ▲

NIFEX

Spot($/N)

Bid 199.0000

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

196.00

197.00

Recession: EU advises Nigeria to devalue naira

uropean Union (EU) official, Fillippo Amato, has advised the Federal Government to devalue the naira as part of measures to tackle the economic recession. Amato, Counsellor, Head of Trade and Economics Section of EU, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday. The EU official said that recession could not be addressed with traditional development tools. He noted that recession was a recent development, which was due to a number of factors, including the fall in oil prices and resurgence of militancy in the Niger Delta. “To come out of recession, the country has to take brave decisions, regardless of how unpopular they may be, such

Maturity Date Discount Bid Yield Change (%) Discount Offer Yield Change (%) Rate (%) 7.67 7.82 -0.51 ▼ Open-Buy-Back (OBB) 3.83 30-Jun-16 7.92 8.08 -0.51 ▼ 6-Oct-16 8.59 8.34 8.71 -0.31 ▼ Overnight (O/N) 4.33 8.99 -0.31 ▼ 16-Mar-17 9.36 10.28 -0.07 ▼ 9.11 9.98 -0.07 ▼ Bid 199.14

0.00 ↔

policy dictated by consumer price and exchange rate,” Emefiele said he was optimistic about the economy despite the headwinds. Government has tripled spending on infrastructure in this year’s budget while widening the tax base to generate income. However, securing foreign loans to support the budget will be key, he told The Banker. The African Development Bank (AfDB)’s board will, this month, consider approving a first, $1 billion loan to Nigeria to cover this year’s budget deficit, its President, Akinwumi Adesina, said last week.

as fully and effectively devaluing the naira. “Devaluing the naira is a measure, which will finally reassure investors and attract new capitals to the country. “At the same time, it will further reduce imports, thereby removing artificial forex restriction and removing any potential waste of scarce resources such as the fuel subsidy. “Improving security (in the Northeast and Niger-delta) and ease of doing business are also key factors on which the government must urgently work to re-launch the economy,’’ he said. Amato said that EU had been at the forefront of aid for trade support activities in Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

World Bank secretly funding coal explosion in Asia

As at M2* CPS* INF

spurred credit growth, as the banking system did not respond to the move, the banking watchdog said. Rising inflation - which hit a more than an 11-year high of 17.6 per cent in August - was not due to excess money supply, but was the result of government policies that included a hike in electricity tariffs and fuel prices and a currency floatation, which meant the naira fell 30 per cent in one day. The National Economic Council (NEC), composed of former presidents and state governors, has urged the CBN to introduce “special monetary

Offer 199.1000

Change (%) -1.75 ▼ -2.08 ▼

Change (%) 0.00 ↔

he World Bank Group has secretly funded a coal boom in Asia despite announcing a moratorium on such projects in 2013, according to the results of a new investigation. World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim, has spoken forcefully about the dangers of new coal projects. “If Asia implements the coal-based plans right now, I think we are finished,” he said. Yet the World Bank continues to

fund coal and other projects that have led to severe environmental damage and human rights abuses through multilayered financial transactions that exist beyond the scrutiny of the public. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank’s private-sector arm, is funding these projects through its highly opaque support for commercial banks, private equity funds and other financial intermediaries.

General Electric to invest $150m in Nigeria

.S. industrial firm, General Electric, plans to invest around $150 million in Nigeria by 2017, a senior executive said yesterday. “There are development projects where we are investing,” Jay Ireland, chief executive of General Electric in Africa told the Financial Times (FT) Africa Summit in London. GE would also invest in oil and gas industry projects. Growth in Nigeria - an OPEC member whose economy, the largest in Africa, is in recession for the first time in more than 20 years due to low oil prices - has been stunted

for decades by a lack of investment in its road and rail network. Ireland said the Nigeria investment was part of a plan to spend $2 billion in Africa in coming years. But the $150 million Nigerian investment falls short of the sum Nigeria’s government has said GE would invest. President Muhammadu Buhari, on Saturday in a speech marking Nigeria’s independence day, said GE was “investing $2.2 billion in a concession to revamp, provide rolling stock, and manage” some of the country’s railway lines.

TUESDAY, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

BUSINESS |Financial Market News

SEC to stockbrokers: Uphold CIS ethical standards COMPLIANCE Apex regulator says it is committed to zero tolerance on market infractions

Stories by Chris Ugwu

institute should endeavour to always comply to all the rules and regulations guiding the market in order to move the market forward.” He noted that the Nigerian capital market and the economy as a whole is currently facing excruciating challenges, adding that the commission hoped that during the tenure of the present administra-

tion the stock market would emerge one of the best in the world. Similarly, Executive Director, Market Operations and Technology, Mr. Adeolu Bajomo, said the current recession Nigeria is facing offers an opportunity to the stock market, adding that it will give the Exchange an enablement to sharpen its initiatives

for more innovation that will boost the market. “With the recession, we have the opportunity to repackage to enable us reach retail investors. It is appalling that in a country of about 180 million, we only have about five million playing the market. The economy needs to be deepened to sustain activities in the stock market.

“As an Exchange, we will continue to do our part in ensuring that we provide a competitive platform for operators to participate in the financial market. We have executed several initiatives to strengthen the operations of our Dealing Members and to make them comparable with their foreign counterpart,” Bajomo said.

he Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has called on members of the Chartered Institute of Brokers (CIS) to always imbibe and uphold the institute’s ethical standards and other rules and regulations guiding the capital market. The Director General, SEC, Mr. Mounir Gwarzo, made the call at the investiture of the 9th President of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Mr. Oluwaseyi Abe. He said compliance to standards represents a pledge to be tall on integrity and spotless in character. Gwazo, who was represented by the Director, Monitoring and Compliance, SEC, Mr. Isyaku Bala said: “Due to the level of development in the market, we operate a zero tolerance policy on all infractions. Members of the

L-R: Executive Director, Finance and Operations, PAL Pensions Godwin Onoro; Managing Director/CEO, Dave Uduanu; Managing Director, UBA Pensions Custodian, Bayo Yusuf; Regional Manager, South East- PAL Pensions, Chukwuma Amaonwu and Regional Manager North, Olusegun Obende, at the World Pension Summit “Africa Special,” in Abuja.

Forex firm sees extreme volatility in financial market

orexTime Limited (FXTM), a global online foreign exchange broker, has said that global financial markets might experience extreme levels of volatility in the coming weeks, as the catalytic combination of sporadic oil prices, on-going Brexit anxieties and anticipation ahead of the US presidential election leave investors on edge. Research analyst at FXTM, Mr. Lukman Otunuga, in a currency market analysis tagged: “Market Volatility on a Comeback,” said stock markets recently received a slight welcome boost with most major arena’s swinging back into gains, as talks of Hillary Clinton winning the first US presidential debate renewed risk appetite. “Although Asian equities managed to charge into green territory post-debate, gains were swiftly relinquished in Europe amid the heavy losses in banks and carmakers. Wall Street could be exposed to steeper losses if the bearish domino effect from Europe provides a solid foundation for sellers to attack. It is becoming increasingly clear that the short term gains observed in stocks are becoming unsustainable with the ingredients of bear market potentially leaving stock markets exposed to heavy losses in the future,” Otunuga said. He noted that concerns over the global economy remained

elevated while the mounting uncertainty ahead of the US presidential election could repel investors from riskier assets. “ Central bank caution remains a recurrent theme, which has a negative grip on global sentiment and oil prices volatility continues to sour risk appetite. The ingredients for a bear trend ripen by the day and it could take an unexpected catalyst to trigger a steep stock market selloff. “Sterling bears were unleashed last week with the GBPUSD approaching post-Brexit lows, as the persistent Brexit anxieties haunted investor attraction towards the currency. It is becoming quite clear that the Brexit has a firm grip on the Sterling with investors slowly digesting the unfavourable impacts it may have on the UK economy in the longer term. Sterling may be exposed to further losses with uncertainty mounting over when article 50 will be triggered and warnings growing over the UK being unable to have a trade deal with the European Union in two years. “ From a technical standpoint, the GBPUSD is under pressure on the daily timeframe, as prices are trading below the daily 20 SMA while the MACD has crossed to the downside. A breakdown below 1.2950 could encourage a steeper decline towards 1.2850. “The withering expecta-

Bonds, stocks fall on US data as pound slumps

onds fell with stocks after an expansion in US manufacturing bolstered speculation the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates this year. The pound sank on concern Britain may face a so-called hard Brexit. According to Bloomberg News, treasuries declined across maturities and the S&P 500 Index retreated after posting a three-week rally. Sterling dropped to its lowest level since July, while British shares rallied after Prime Minister Theresa May pledged to start pulling the UK out of the European Union by March. Colombia’s assets tumbled after the government failed to gain popular support for a peace deal that helped support a rally last quarter. Oil traded near $48 a barrel. Traders will keep a close watch on US economic data this week for additional clues as to the timing of a Fed interest-rate increase. New orders and production swung into expansion territory last month, indicating prospects are gradually improving across America’s manufacturing landscape. At the same time, factories continued to focus on becoming leaner by trimming inventories and cutting employment. Later this week, a key jobs report will show a pickup in the pace of hiring, economists surveyed by Bloom-

berg predict. “You’ve got to watch the bonds markets, that’s been key,” said John Canally, chief economic strategist at LPL Financial, which oversees about $479 billion in Boston. “Markets are warming up to the idea that the Fed is going to hike rates.” While the Fed decided last month to wait for stronger signs of growth before raising rates again, some central-bank officials have since publicly endorsed a hike in the near term amid signs of a tightening labour market and expectations that inflation will move closer to the Fed’s 2 per cent target. Traders are pricing in a 60 per cent chance of Fed action in December. The S&P 500 Index lost 0.4 per cent to 2,160.71 in New York, after rising 0.8 per cent last Friday. Financial shares in the benchmark index lost momentum after jumping the most in eight weeks last Friday. “Data will matter today,” said Michael Antonelli, an institutional equity sales trader and managing director at Robert W. Baird & Co. in Milwaukee. “Most people have pointed to the manufacturing sector as one negative, you know, something to be worried about. Earnings kick off in a couple weeks. I think people have their eyes on that.”

The next earnings season unofficially kicks off in about a week, when Alcoa Inc. reports results. Analysts forecast a drop of 1.5 per cent in S&P 500 company profits in the third quarter, which would mark a sixth consecutive decline. UK shares climbed the most among western-European markets, as exporters benefited from a weakening of the pound. Henderson Group Plc soared 17 per cent after saying it will combine with the US’s Janus Capital Group Inc. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index gained 0.1 per cent. Emerging-market shares added to their best quarterly perfor mance since 2012 as a measure of Chinese manufacturing suggested a brighter growth outlook for the world’s second-largest economy. Egyptian stocks soared, as investors bet that policy makers may devalue the country’s currency, luring back foreign investors. Saudi’s benchmark, which fell to the lowest level since 2011 on Sunday, has lost about $30 billion since the nation last week announced a series of cuts to government salaries and bonuses as part of effort to slash spending. Exchanges in China, Germany and South Korea were shut for holidays on Monday.

News|NATIONAL

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Recession: NASS passes eight bills for presidential assent Onwuka Nzeshi Abuja

he National Assembly has passed eight bills geared towards strengthening the laws of the federation as a way of employing legislative mechanisms to end the current economic recession in the country. The bills which were first passed by the House of Representatives and sent to the Senate for concurrence, were considered and passed at a single sitting. President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly, Dr Bukola Saraki, who disclosed this yesterday, said that the eight bills would be promptly forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari for his assent. Saraki said that given the approach adopted by the National Assembly, Nigerians should expect that the legislature would adopt a united and efficient approach to getting Nigeria’s economy back on track. The bills include the Telecommunication and Postal

4.3m

The total population of Melanesia in 1980. Source: Un.org

Tambuwal denies involvement in N1bn amnesty budget padding

overnor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has denied a report linking him with an alleged padding of Amnesty Office budget to the tune of N1billion alongside a

The total number candidates for the 2016 Edo governorship election. Source: New Telegraph newspaper

Clean-up: MOSOP to process Ogoni database Emmanuel Masha Port Harcourt

he Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP, has started to process the database of Ogoni in a bid to find roles for them during the implementation of the Ogoni clean-up, which was flagged off in June. MOSOP said the database would include graduates, contractors and artisans in Ogoniland, stressing that the clean-up should also accommodate Ogoni who are willing to contribute their quota in the exercise. MOSOP president, Comrade Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, who stated this in Port Harcourt after an engagement with representatives of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), noted that the process of compiling a database of Ogoni professionals, graduates, skilled and unskilled personnel were necessary to access Ogoni’s human capacity. He also said that it would help MOSOP determine the level of training required for the engagement of the Ogoni people for the cleanup exercise. Pyagbara said: “As part

Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode (fifth left), with other members of the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO), to present food items donations to General Manager, Love Home Orphanage, Ms. Hephzibah Olaleye (fouth left) and Welfare Head, Ms. Hephzibah Itimi (third left), during COWLSO’s visit to the Orphanage home as part of activities towards their forthcoming 16th National Women Conference (NWC)… yesterday

Offences Act (Amendment) Bill, National Crop Varieties, Livestock Breeds (Registration) Act (Amendment) Bill, Produce (Enforcement of Export Standards) Act (Amendment) Bill, Prevention of Crimes Act (Amendment) Bill, Water Resources Act (Amendment) Bill, National Agricultural Land Development Authority Act (Amendment) Bill, Bee (Import Control and Management) Act (Amendment) Bill and Agricultural and Rural Management Training Act (Amendment) Bill.

Wale Elegbede

of our preparations, we will launch a database of Ogoni graduates and contractors, so we can have a good understanding of our capacity as a people ahead of the full implementation of the cleanup exercise.” “We also need data on artisans, all skilled and unskilled personnel so that we can competently determine our training requirements” The MOSOP President said. Pyagbara also hinted that the full implementation of the cleanup exercise should be accompanied with job creation, entrepreneurship development, training and massive infrastructural development.

former Deputy Speaker, Chibudom Nwuche. He stated that the report was false, mischievous and without basis. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Imam Imam, the governor said he had never engaged in legislative, political, administrative or business relationship with the persons alleged in the story. An online newspaper, Sahara Reporters, had reported that Nwuche in 2012 and 2013 allegedly solicited for N1 billion from the office of the Presiden-

tial Amnesty Program on behalf of Tambuwal, who was then the Speaker of the House of Representatives, in order to ensure a passage of the Amnesty office budget. However, Imam said, “there is no iota of truth in the story as it relates to Governor Tambuwal.” The statement reads: “The attention of Sokoto State Governor, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has been drawn to a story published by SAHARA REPORTERS alleging that he helped a former Deputy Speaker of the House of

chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Chief Willy Akinlude, has said that the main opposition party has brought itself back from the brink with its performance last week at the Edo State governorship election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had last

Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche, to receive some illegal payments from the Amnesty Office. “The story, as it relates to Tambuwal, is false, mischievous, and without basis. For the records, Tambuwal has never engaged in legislative, political, administrative or business relationship with the persons alleged in the story. “Nwuche left the House of Representatives in 2003, the same year Tambuwal was elected into the National Assembly to represent Kebbe/Tambuwal

Federal Constituency in the House. He was not in the House of Representatives when Nwuche was in the House” Imam noted further that, “The history of the frosty relationship between then Speaker Tambuwal and elements close to former President Goodluck Jonathan (which both Nwuche and Kingsley Kuku were prominent members), is well known to Nigerians. “Speaker Tambuwal could not have had dealings with people who considered him antagonistic to the aspiration of their benefactor (Jonathan).There is no iota of truth in the story as it relates to Governor Tambuwal,” the statement said.

FG rallies against oil reserves dry up Adeola Yusuf

he Federal Government yesterday rallied petroleum explorationists against imminent oil reserves dry up in Nigeria. Oil reserves in Nigeria have been under threat occasioned by daily depletion through production of an average of 1.9 million barrels while no substantial discovery is made in the last 10 years. Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, who on

behalf of the government, addressed the fear of imminent dry up of the reserves, urged the highest body of petroleum explorationists in Nigeria (NAPE) and others stakeholders to embrace cost effective and novel technologies for more discoveries Addressing members of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) who hosted him to a dinner in Abuja, the NNPC boss, according to a statement, expressed readiness to partner with stakeholders in the Oil and Gas Industry to grow the nation’s fast

PDP reinvented self with Edo election –Akinlude Wale Elegbede

week declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Godwin Obaseki victorious at the Edo governorship election after he polled 319,483 votes to defeat his closest rival, Pastor Osagie IzeIyamu of the (PDP), who garnered 253,173 votes. According to the PDP chieftain, the budding popularity of the party at the election was responsible for the slim

difference in the result, adding that the party should build on the performance for the next governorship election in Ondo State. His words: “The PDP should be congratulated for its outing last week at the Edo governorship election. Don’t forget that Oshiomhole used wide margin to defeat the PDP in the two previous governorship election in the state.” The difference be-

depleting reserves in order to increase productivity in the petroleum sector. “Dr. Baru stated that the 2016 national average oil production of 1.9 million barrels is low partly due to oil infrastructure vandalism, stressing the need for stakeholders to share data and use common available resources to reduce cost of operations in the area of rigsharing, vessel sharing and synergy in projects development,” the statement signed by Group General Manager, Group Public affairs division of NNPC, Mallam Garba tween the APC and PDP has shown that despite its little resources and influence, the PDP is gradually becoming popular again among Nigerians. “The PDP has reinvented itself with the performance of Pastor Ize-Iyamu in Edo governorship poll and I think our party should build on it. Although the victory of the APC is being contested, I think the tribunal will be the final arbiter.

Deen Muhammed, read. This, Baru added, has become even expedient in this era of low oil prices and security challenges. “Our national gas demand forecast to year 2020 (domestic plus export) indicates a rapid growth to 15bscfd meaning current reserves level can only sustain that production for 35 years if we do not increase the 2bscfd gas reserves base which require 3tcf to replace production yearly,” Dr. Baru also noted. The GMD tasked NAPE and other stakeholders to focus on increasing the nation’s oil and gas reserve base to match national aspirations to increase oil production to 4 million barrels per day and meet gas demand of 15bscfd by 2020 required for industrialization consumption. He noted that less than three per cent of all wells drilled in the Niger Delta Basin both onshore and swamp were deeper than 15,000 feet, adding that a greater number of these wells have not gone beyond the 10,000ft as a high pressure regimes seems to be a limiting factor.

NEWS | south-west

tuesday, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Sultan takes peace, unity advocacy to Ekiti

Sulaiman Salawudeen Ado-Ekiti

r rang ements have been concluded ahead of a visit by the Sultan of Sokoto and

President-General, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III to Ayede Ekiti, Ekiti state. The Sultan is visiting the Ayede Kingdom next week on its Founder's Day.

On his entourage are the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (Guest Speaker), Gover nor of Oyo State, Senator Is-haq Abiola Ajimobi (Chairman), Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji

Alasoadura slams Oke for defecting to AD Babatope Okeowo Akure

Senator representing Ondo Central Senatorial district, Chief Tayo Alasoadura yesterday described his former colleague in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olusola Oke as a man without political relevance in the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying his defection to the Alliance for Democracy (AD) was a good riddance to bad rubbish. According to him, APC would win the November 26 governorship election in the state without his support. Oke and Alasoadura were members of the late

Olusegun Agagu political family even as both of them contested the September 3 contentious governorship primary of APC. Oke who lost the September 3 governorship primary election dumped APC for the AD at the weekend while Alasoadura had chosen to remain and work for the party in the election. Speaking at the NUJ Press Centre in Akure, the state capital, Alasoadura slammed Oke for dumping the PDP after the presidential election of last year and wanting to become the flag-bearer of the APC barely a year after he joined the party. According to him, Oke should not have come third in the governorship primary that produced

Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN as the party’s candidate should there be no economic recession which had compelled members to collect money from him before casting their votes for him. Alasoadura who however pleaded with other aggrieved governorship aspirants of the party to come together and work for the victory of the candidate at the polls, urged party’s National Leaders, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sheathe his sword and help the party in the election. Alasoadura said: “I strongly believe that there hadn’t been any better time than now for APC in Ondo State to harness its political strength."

Aminu Waziri Tambuwwal (Keynote Speaker), Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Peter Ayodele Fayose (Host Governor) and former governor of Ekiti, Otunba Niyi Adebayo (Chief Host). Others include the Emir of Zazzau Emirate of Zaria, Alhaji Shehu Idris (CFR), Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, the Iyaloja-General, Mrs Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, former Minister of Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Alhaji Sarafa Tunji Ishola, Deputy President-

Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

he passage of the bill establishing the creation of 35 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) by Governor Abiola Ajimobi in Oyo State instead of the expected conduct of council elections, has been described by a former governor and Leader of the Accord Party in the State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, as a ruse intended to hoodwink the people of the State. Local government election was last conducted during the administration of Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala between 2007 and 2011. Caretaker Chairmen had steered the affairs of the state in the last five years of Ajimobi.

He however constituted and inaugurated the State's Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) about three months ago with a promise of conducting the local government election by September. According to Ladoja while speaking with journalists in his Bodija residence in Ibadan yesterday, said his party had seen the move as nothing but a booby trap that could provoke the opposition party to take legal option which the state government would now use as excuse to further delay the conduct of the election. Ladoja said: “I don’t know the reason why the local government election is not conducted. It is just as if you are sabotaging democracy."

Sulaiman Salawudeen Ado-Ekiti

non-governmental organisation, New Initiative for Social Development, NISD in collaboration with The

Fayose blames FG, INEC for PDP's loss in Edo Sulaiman Salawudeen Ado-Ekiti

kiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the Edo State governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu contested against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and not the All Progressives Congress (APC). Fayose, speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media,

49.8%

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

tah of Ayede Kingdom, Oba Abdul-Mumini Adebayo Orisagbemi said the Sultan’s visit to the kingdom would serve as the beginning of a new era in the advocacy for peaceful co-existence among the diverse people of Nigeria. The Sarkin Mu’mineen of Nigeria, who is noted for his resilience and unrelenting efforts at ensuring peace and unity among Nigerians even in the face of security and economic challenges, is notably also Africa’s fourth most influential monarch and world’s 18th most influential Muslim leader.

NISD, DFID task South-West states on domestication of VAPP Act

L-R: Minister of Communications, Barr. Adebayo Shittu; Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and the state's Chairman, Muslim Community, Alhaji Kunle Sanni, at a celebration marking the Islamic New Year, organised by the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisationsin Ibadan... on Sunday.

Ladoja faults Ajimobi on 35 new LCDAs

General, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (South), Alhaji S. O. Babalola, among others. Sultan Abubakar III, a retired Brigadier-General, would be in Ayede between Friday October 14 and Saturday October 15. In a statement made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti yesterday by the Chairman, Publicity Committee of the event, Prince Bashir Adefaka, the Sultan will be embarking on the trip to the kingdom in furtherance to his national peace, unity and development advocacy. Ayede’s monarch, At-

Lere Olayinka, described the APC victory in the election as “victory only made possible by the use of federal government’s agencies to subvert the will of the people.” The governor lamented that the ‘win at all cost attitude’ of the APC was inimical to the sustenance of democracy in the country. He however described it as sad, saying that instead of the people of Edo State to elect their own governor, the APC conspired with INEC to foist its own governor on the people., regretting it was unfortunate that those whose change was made possible because PDP government allowed the people the freedom to make a choice had now eroded the independence of INEC.

Department for International Development, DFID, has tasked state governors to domesticate an Act prohibiting violence against persons, particularly women. This move, the body said, would protect the rights of women and vulnerable groups in the society. The NGO, during a workshop organised for journalists and representatives from various media houses, both print and electronics, across the South West, encouraged media practitioners to ensure the promotion of Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 as they serve as advocate of the masses. The Coordinator, NISD, who was the first Speaker at the programme, Mr Abiodun Oyeleye, had advocated mass production of copies of VAPP Act but regretted the 31.1 per cent in southwest statistic evidence of Violence Against Women in 2014. He pointed out that "If there is violence, women and children suffer most."

Also the DFID used the workshop to assure Nigerians of its readiness to give technical policy direction and track impacts of whatever project that would improve the livelihood of the people especially women. In a communiqué issued at the end of the programme, held at The Jewels Apartments and Suites in Ado-Ekiti, over the weekend, participants observed that the level of importance of the media in the society as well as their role in shaping public perceptions about issues and policies of government was a priority. The participants further identified ignorance, stigmatization, lack of family courts, religious concerns and incompetent/untrained public officers as some of the challenges confronting the promotion of violence against persons in Nigeria. The communiqué stated that at a time like this when a critical component of the society (women) faces difficulties assessing their rights under the Law.

Ambode approves Epe, Ikorodu master plan projects Muritala Ayinla

agos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode has endorsed a master plan for the Epe and the Ikorodu towns with a view to ensuring ‘orderly’ development in the state’s nooks and crannies ahead of 2018 comprehensive master plan. Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Wasiu Anifowoshe, who disclosed this, said that government was determined to eradicate haphazard development across the state with the award of

the master plan for the areas which had no master plan for years. Anifowoshe said that Governor Ambode would also award Kosofe plan by 2017, assuring that by 2018, all the nooks and crannies in the state would have had a comprehensive master plan. On why Mile 12 market was yet to be relocated to Imota Regional Market after the expiration of the six-month deadline, Anifowoshe explained that the construction and relocation expenditure was not captured in the 2016 budget.

News|SOUTH-EAST

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Umahi to CAN: Expose fake pastors

Chairmanship aspirant harps on internal democracy

Uchenna Inya

Igbeaku Orji

ABAKALIKI

overnor of Ebonyi State, Chief Dave Umahi, has urged the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to expose fake pastors whose activities had constituted threats to true christian worship. He made the call at the interdenominational thanksgiving service to

APGA backs call for restructuring

mark Nigeria’s 56th independence day celebration and the 20th anniversary of the creation of the state at the Assemblies of God Church, Abakaliki . Umahi said: “Let me appeal to the church, during the last election, there were some so-called churches that were destroying the name of the Lord. I know that they and their pastors still exist. I therefore ask CAN to check them. It is not everybody that calls the name of the Lord that is actually of God. I will be ready to join you to check

their activities.” The governor while appreciating the church for supporting his administration through supplications, announced that the state government would honour families of the late. General Sanni Abacha and Chief Arthur Mbanefo in next year’s celebration for creating the state. He said: “Next October, we will be looking at those that made the creation of our dear state possible. These are people like Sani Abacha that God used. Mbanefo, who was

the chairman of the committee that recommended the creation of Ebonyi State and some founding fathers of the state. So, we will like to recognise them, including the Abacha family. But we are also going to review the founding fathers. We are going to set up a committee to honour them. “We are going to start this year or early next year, to renovate the palace of Akanu Ibiam, the man who also played a central role in the creation of this state before he died.”

UMUAHIA

chairmanship aspirant for Isiala Ngwa North Council of Abia State, Chief Ginger Onwusibe, has hailed a decision by the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to return it to the people by allowing internal democracy and a level playing field for all aspirants in the forth-coming December 17 election. Onwusibe, a two term transition chairman of the local government, bared his mind while picking his form at the party’s secretar-

Uchenna Inya ABAKALIKI

he All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) branch in the United States has thrown its weight behind calls for the restructuring of Nigeria. The party’s position was contained in a joint communiqué issued at the end of a meeting between the party’s executive and its board of trustees at its headquarters in Boston. The communiqué was signed by Kpajie Nnamdi Onochie, Chief Okwukwe Ibiam, the Chairman and Secretary of APGA USA respectively alongside two members of the board of trustees, Mazi Okey Kanu and Paschal Nneji. The communiqué reads; “We encourage our Nigerian national leaders to work meaningfully towards integrating the Nigerian fabric. To this end, we support the restructuring of Nigeria. The comparative advantages of the geo-economic zones are too apparent to be ignored. Nigeria must tap into its geo-political zones and encourage the local economies to invest in what they do best”. APGA USA also faulted plans by some members of the party in Nigeria to negotiate merger with other political parties ahead of the 2019 general election saying the party would not survive another ‘Okorocha’s use and dump’. It was stated that the party as a political platform had paid its dues to stay in Nigeria and should not contemplate any merger. “We condemn in totality any attempt or attempts by members of our party who have benefited from electoral faithfulness to decamp to other parties. We urge them to stay and build the party.”

L-R: Imo State Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere; Enugu Deputy Governor State, Mrs. Cecelia Ezeilo and Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, during a recent event in Imo International Convention Center, Owerri

Abia pensioners lament 25 months unpaid arrears Igbeaku Orji UMUAHIA

hough some of its members are yet to receive their March pension allowances, the Abia State Council of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has called on the State Government to pay up the 25 months pension arrears of the retirees of the Abia State Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH). The Abia NUP while making the call at the end of its meeting in Umuahia, lamented the hardship being faced by ABSUTH pensioners who have not been paid for two years. They urged government to work out palliative measures for them to ameliorate the pain. In a communique jointly signed by the State Chairman, Comrade Chukwuma Udensi and Secretary, Elder O.C. Arungwa, the Council urged the state government to apply the law of equity in disbursing whatever funds available to it in order to accommodate the interest of pensioners on its payroll. While appreciating the very harsh economic and

political conditions under which the present Abia State Government had been operating, the council said it observed with dismay, the discriminatory manner in which salaries and pensions were paid by government. It noted that while some sectors on the government pay-roll had been paid up to June 2016, their civil servants and retired secondary school teachers’ counterpart were just being paid their pensions for March 2016. The council commended the Local Government Pensions Board for paying its pensioners and retired primary school teachers up till April 2016. While lamenting the situation where gratuities to retirees in the state had stood in arrears since 1999, it called on the government to take necessary steps to start clearing the back log of gratuity arrears. The council also urged all banks handling the payment of pensions in the state to always properly indicate the month for which payment was made in the alerts sent to their clients for ease of reconciliation and also

ensure prompt payment to pensioners as soon as the government releases funds to them. The National Headquarters of the Union was also commented for highlighting the plight of Nigerian pensioners who had for long been neglected and subjected to dehumanizing conditions. The council however sought a synergy with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in order to take further practical actions to get the federal, state and local governments to address all issues of pension and gratuities in the country.

Group donates food, equipment to indigent Nigerians Steve Uzoechi

OWERRI

humanitarian group based in the United States and Nigeria, Survival Home of the Nigerian Charity, has declared emergency food relief, medicine and medical equipment for indigent Nigerians. The NGO said it was worried about thousands of displaced persons who

Imo PDP sets up Diaspora chapter Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

mo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has established a foreign chapter to coordinate the activities of the party across the world. A statement issued yesterday in Owerri by the publicity secretary of the party, Mr. Damian Oparah, disclosed that the action was part of plans to enhance the party’s capacity in its bid to return to power in 2019.

iat, Umuahia. The aspirant while expressing his joy at the party’s leadership plan for the election, commended Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for deciding to democratize council administration and end the transition administrations at the local government level. He said: “I thank Governor Ikpeazu for finding it necessary to conduct local government election. For a very long time we have been running transition committees, but now it is time to democratize the local government. “I also thank the party for deciding to return the party to the people. Our party is standing on a sandy soil and this is the only thing that will return it to the position of winning elections convincingly”. He noted that the assurance of a free and fair primary was responsible for his plan to vie for the position, adding that as soon as the guidelines for the conduct of the primaries and the election was released, “my people came to me and urged that I should serve them in a different capacity as an elected chairman.” “I joined the party in 1998 when I won the councillorship ticket. I have been Transition Council Chairman for two terms. Now I want to make myself an instrument and partner with Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for the development of the rural areas.”

The opening of the new chapter was sequel to the demand and aspiration of indegenes of the state in the United States when some of their representatives paid a solidarity visit to party chairman, Barr. Charles Ezekwem. Given their avowed commitment to the ideals of the parent body, the party leadership in the state appointed the state Assistant Organizing Secretary, Dr. Johnwilliams Uche Anyanwu, as the head of the foreign chapter of the party.

were living in hunger, lack of shelter and medication in the Niger Delta areas. The Nigerian-born Director of the group, Rev. Maduagwu Okere, who spoke through his media aide, Lady Joy Amadi, said Survival Home will not wait to see people, especially children and women starve to death before extending their help. He said: “We will not ignore the cry of our people for help and so we are appealing to every son, daughter, friends and kind hearted individual to donate food, medicine and medicals for the suffering populace in Nigeria, especially the deprived and displaced people of Awarra and Ohaji in Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State.” Okere further stated that the motivation of the charitable organization is the love of God, adding that the organization was not restricted to Nigeria alone, but provided assistance to people in need regardless of race, ethnicity or religious persuasion across the globe.

News|SOUTH-EAST

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Umahi to CAN: Expose fake pastors

Chairmanship aspirant harps on internal democracy

Uchenna Inya

Igbeaku Orji

ABAKALIKI

APGA backs call for restructuring

UMUAHIA

Uchenna Inya ABAKALIKI

L-R: Imo State Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere; Enugu State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Cecelia Ezeilo and Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, during a recent event in Imo International Convention Center, Owerri

Abia pensioners lament 25 months unpaid arrears Igbeaku Orji UMUAHIA

Group donates food, equipment to indigent Nigerians Steve Uzoechi

OWERRI

Imo PDP sets up Diaspora chapter Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

NEWS | south-south

Gabriel Efeduku Ughelli

he Ijaw people of the Niger Delta yesterday rebuffed the statement credited to President Muhammadu Buhari that looters of Nigeria’s commonwealth recruited militants against his administration, vowing never to stop agitating for the region even after Buhari leaves office. They spoke through some human rights’ groups in a joint communiqué signed by Dickson Bekederemo, President, Niger Delta Security Watch Organisation of Nigeria; Austin Ozobo, President, Ijaw Peoples Development Initiative (IPDI); Mr. Ebi Brisibe, Ijaw Human Rights Monitors; Alaowei Cleric Esq. President, Foundation for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusade respectively. They also spoke about what compelled the late Isaac Adaka Boro, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Ijaw Youth Congress, MEND and others, to cause civil disorder against the Federal Governments in the past was what pushed Niger Delta Avengers to embark on renewed armed struggle. The communiqué reads in part; “The Avengers or any of the genuine agitators are not recruited to wage war against Buhari’s government. We want to state unequivocally, without any fear of contradic-

Ijaw: NDA not recruited by treasury looters

tion that the Niger Delta agitation will never stop even after Buhari leaves office as long as the age-long issues pertaining to oil governance is not addressed. “Mr President should not shink from the responsibilities of his government. He cannot say he is not aware of the demands of the Niger Delta Avengers. “The pan-Niger Delta civil societies find it difficult to stomach President Buhari's assertion that looters of Nigeria’s commonwealth recruited militants against his administration. While the many follies of Mr. President on issues relating to the Niger Delta agitation are forgivable in the sense that Mr. President has already admitted that age will limit his capacity, we however, find it difficult to forgive the ignorance displayed by Mr. President's nephews, cousins and friends, who are presently the handlers of the President's functions in Aso rock. “If the handlers of Mr. President were good students of history, they ought to have known that the Niger Delta agitation for self-determination and political autonomy or better still equity participation of the resources in

72.18

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of Denmark in 2001. Source: Itu.int

Bayelsa schools remain shut three weeks after resumption P ublic primary and secondary schools in Bayelsa State have remained shut three weeks into the 2016/2017 session and months after the state government failed to settle teachers seven months’ salary arrears in the state. The teachers had embarked on strike at the end of the 2015/2016 long vacation, which ended in the first week of September. The state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in a statement yesterday, advised teachers to stay at home till their demands were met. The union said the industrial action became inevitable after the expiration of its 21-day ultimatum to the government on September 19. In a statement signed by the state Chairman of NUT, Mr. Kalaama Toinpre and Secretary, Mr. Johnson Hector, the teachers condemned alleged efforts to factionalise the union. It said it remained the legally recognised body

charged with the responsibility of agitating for the welfare of primary and secondary school teachers in the state. The union expressed regret that the government had reneged on an earlier agreement reached in May to pay half salaries to its workers pending improvement in the finances of the state. It said that the state government had only paid teachers their January salary in full and half salary in February, thereby leaving arrears of seven months. Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Education, Mr. Markson Fefegha, said the government had been meeting with the teachers to resolve the issues raised by the teachers. “We have been meeting with the executive of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, I have been explaining to them our efforts so far in meeting our salary obligations,” Fefegha said.

their lands predated Nigeria’s independent and even oil discovery. “In the 1954 constitutional conference, our forefathers agitated for a separate state of their own. The agitations for COR State by the minority ethnic groups in the East and Mid-Western State by the Niger Delta people in the West gave birth to minority agitation for political autonomy. That was why in the 1957 constitutional conference, the ethnic minorities in the Niger Delta region presented their agitation for separate states.

“This was the reason why the British Government recommended a commission for the region instead of a separate state. Today's Avengers’ armed struggle is a rehearsal of what our forefathers have done in the past. “The question we want to ask is; who were the looters that recruited our forefathers to agitate for resource control in the precolonial era with particular reference to the King Koko's rebellion against the British Government in response to the latter’s gunboat diplomacy?"

tuesday, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Sheriff's faction hijacks PDP councils, wards in Delta Dominic Adewole ASABA

he crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has assumed a new twist in Delta State, following the inauguration of wards' chairmen across the state by the faction of Senator Ali-Modu Sheriff. The inauguration came barely 48 hours after the party's factional Chairman in the state, Chief Austine Ogbaburhon, flanked by the Deputy National Chairman of his group, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, sworn-in senatorial and 25 council chairmen in the state.

They were sworn-in on Saturday at Agbor, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa's home town, in Ika South Local Government Area of the state. It will be recalled that the warring factions of Senators Ali-Modu Sheriff and the Ahmed Makarfi's, had three months ago, engaged in legal battles on who was the legitimate National Chairman. But at the inauguration of factional ward executives in Asaba yesterday, the factional council Chairman of the party, Hon. Dada Okolo, supported by his Secretary, Hon. Jude Okafor, tasked them to discharge their duties without fear or favour. Destruction of illegal oil refineries and barges filled with petroleum products by Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in Bille Community of Rivers State… yesterday

Independence anniversary: Wike orders release of nine convicts Emmanuel Masha Port Harcourt

ivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has ordered the release of nine convicts serving various jail terms as part of his goodwill gesture to mark the country's 56th independence anniversary. According to a document sent to the Comptroller of the Port Harcourt Prisons by the Rivers State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Emmanuel Chinwenwo Aguma, Wike gave

the order based on the advice of the Rivers State Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy. Aguma in the letter noted that the governor also gave the order based on “the powers conferred on him by Section 212 (1) (c) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended... by substituting the terms of imprisonment already served by them for the sentences of either life imprisonment or death imposed on them upon conviction by a court of law." Six of the convicts who

benefited from the governor's gesture were serving life imprisonment at the Port Harcourt Prisons, while the remaining three had been sentenced to death. Those serving life imprisonment include Chukwuemeka O. Emeka, Akara Etteh, Emmanuel Ihenebiri, Samuel Amadi, Sgt. James Mordi and Tochukwu Chukwu. The others facing death sentence include Goddy David Faghawari, Kendu Uffort and Emmanuel Da-

vid Ekanem. The letter reads in part; "The Comptroller of Prisons, Port Harcourt is authorised and commanded to, upon the receipt of the Instrument signed under the hands of His Excellency, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, CON, the Governor of Rivers State on the 1st day of October, 2016, to discharge the above named persons from the Port Harcourt Prisons by releasing them and the said Instrument shall be a sufficient warrant for so doing.

FRSC to officials: Issue fake get sacked Ekere commiserates with licence, Pauline Onyibe ex-IGP Inyang’s family Yenagoa

Tony Anichebe Uyo

he Managing DirectorDesignate of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Nsima Ekere, yesterday commiserated with the family of former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Sir. Etim Inyang, following his death. In a statement made available to New Telegraph yesterday, Ekere

described the demise of Inyang, the second indigene of the Niger Delta to rise to the position of IGP, as a monumental loss considering his contribution to the progress of Nigeria, Akwa Ibom State, Mbo Local Government Area and the Nigeria Police. He particularly recalled Inyang’s distinguished career in the police where he held the top job from 1984 to 1986, when he introduced many reforms in the force.

he Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Bayelsa State Command, Ayuba Gora Wobin, yesterday warned officials of the commission that any official caught in the act of issuing fake licence to drivers would be shown the way out of the organisation. Wobin spoke in Yenagoa during the graduation ceremony of stu-

dents of Chelok Drivers’ Academy. He said 90 per cent of fake drivers’ licence in circulation was not produced by the commission. However, the sector commander advised motorists to be wary of anybody that would demand their passport or collect money from them rather than asking them to pay to the bank, give them within two days or issue them the licence within one week, adding that such drivers’ licence will definitely be fake.

north | news

tuesday, october 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Recession: FG urged to match words with action Ibrahim Abdul Yola

damawa Chambers of Commerce, Mines and Agriculture (ACCMA), has urged the Federal Government to match words with action in its plan to diversify the economy. The Chambers of Commerce, which spoke through its Deputy President, Mr. Maliki Daniel told newsmen in Yola, the state capital that the overdependence or concentration on oil and gas over the years had contributed to the recession currently

being experienced in the country. This was as he noted that the major way out of the economic recession was to diversify the economy by tapping into and harnessing other abundant mineral resources in the country. Daniel lauded the Federal Government for attention being given to agriculture by supporting rural farmers with soft loans through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers Scheme, adding that similar gesture should be extended to small scale miners and other businesses to ginger the economy.

"Our members in the North East suffered serious loses because of the insurgency and are finding it difficult to cope because of the current recession.” "We, therefore, need government support for our members to pick up and contribute to the economy." Daniel also tasked the government on the need to ensure compliance with policies and programmes being implemented for effective and sustainable outcome. He noted that Nigerians should be encouraged in all spheres to positively contribute their quota to nation building.

Tambuwal declares today public holiday Umar Abdullahi Sokoto

okoto State Government has declared today, October 4, which is equivalent to Muharram 3, 1438 AH, as public holiday to commemorate the start of the Islamic New Year. A statement issued yes-

terday by the Media Aide to Governor, Malam Imam Imam, said Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal congratulated Nigerian Muslims for witnessing the Hijra New Year and appealed to them to use the occasion of the public holiday to intensify prayers for the state and nation. It urged all citizens

to care, love and protect one another, adding that Islamic virtues of unity, peace and honesty should be promoted by all people. The statement said Sokoto State Government will continue to implement policies and programmes that will uplift the living standard of all citizens.

Kwara to replace LG bosses with TIC in November Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

he Kwara State Government is tinkering with the idea of constituting a Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) to replace the elected Local Government Council Chairmen in the state, whose tenure would expire next month. This indications emerged following outcome of a meeting of the leadership of the ruling All Progressives (APC) in the state, which took place in Ilorin, the state capital, last week. Although, no statement was issued at the end of the meeting, party sources confided that local government chairmen of party were asked to go and shop for names for possible consideration for the Transition Implementation Committee. The tenure of the 16 local government council chairmen will expire on

1.925m

The estimated number of registered voters for the 2016 Edo governorship election. Source: New Telegraph newspaper

Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai (second left), with members of the Senior Course of Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information, during their visit to the monarch Palace in Maiduguri … yesterday.

Yola

he over 800 workers recruited as hospital cleaners, security men, drivers, record keepers, laboratory and theatre attendants by the Adamawa State Government in 2014, have decried non-payment of their salaries for two years. The spokesman for the workers, Mallam Ibrahim Auwal, said they had lodged their complained with the Ministry of Health and a committee was raised to that effect, but according to them nothing had since

The party sources claimed that the decision to embrace the TIC option was due to what was described as “recent developments within the party that necessitated the new decision” among others. It was also alleged that the government will not inaugurate a large TIC for the councils in order to save cost.

Consider Bafarawa’s advice on inclusive govt, group tells Buhari Musa Pam Jos

group based in Plateau State, under the auspices of the “Compass,” has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to consider an open letter written and published in some national dailies by the former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa on national issues. The group is a forum of like minds in the country, which is desirous of implementing and institutionalising good governance and therefore promotes economic prosperity in Nigeria for the people through research on how other countries overcome their challenges and suggest same to the political leaders.

Dan Atori MINNA

Senator representing Niger East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, David Umoru, has said that the Gender Equality Bill at the Senate needed no debate for passage because of the strategic role being played by women in the country.

PHOTO: NAN

Ibrahim Abdul

November 10. Only 15 of them were initially to be affected as the tenure for Offa Local Government Council, which ended in September, had been extended by three months to ensure that all future council elections in the state hold at the same time in order to save cost, based on the government’s position on the matter.

The National Chairman of the group, Dr. Daniel Kokong and National Secretary, Chief Nanyah Daman, had in press conference yesterday in Jos, urged President Buhari and the Federal Government to consider inclusive governance, which would promote national unity and foster economic prosperity as suggested in the open letter by the former governor. "For Bafarawa to place advertorial in national dailies to draw the President’s attention to his advice is an indication of his personality as a patriotic Nigerian par excellence and a hero of democracy and masses, and his efforts needed to be applauded and commended especially in a situation where most leaders are keeping quiet when the nation is in recession," Kokong said.

Gender equality bill needs no debate –Umoru

Adamawa: Health workers decry non-payment of two years’ salaries been done. Auwal said: "We were screened by a committee which retrieved our permanent and pensionable employment letter and replaced it with temporary appointment. We were given personal sub-head numbers with the assurance that we would be captured in the September salary, but report reaching us is that the voucher for September salary to be paid this week did not include us in any way. "We want Governor Bindow to intervene in this matter to end our sufferings as we are aware that we were captured in the

bailout money collected by the state government." Meanwhile, he noted that the 836 affected workers comprising security, drivers, record keepers, as well as theatre and laboratory attendants, could halt activities in government hospitals if their plight was not addressed. "The Doctors and nurses are being paid their salary, while we are being ignored; the government needs to know that if we go on strike there will be no work in the hospitals,” Auwal hinted, stressing that “if we do not work, there will be no admission and work in the hospitals."

Federal varsity Gashua appoints bursar, librarian

Willie Danjuma GOMBE

he Governing Council of the Federal University, Gashua in Yobe State, established by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, has named new Bursar and Librarian for the institution. They are Mohammed Bello Aminu and Dr. Aduku Shaibu Baba, who are to serve as Bursar and Librarian respectively. A statement by the university’s Head of Information and Protocol Unit, Mallam Adamu Saleh, and which was made available to New

Telegraph yesterday, said that the appointments ratified by the Governing Council were with immediate effect. He said the appointments were ratified and approved after considering a report of an interview panel set up for the purpose of appointing substantive bursar and librarian for the new university. Aminu, who hails from Adamawa State, holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. He is a member of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN).

Umoru stated this yesterday while presenting sewing machines and some undisclosed amount of cash to some 450 women who graduated from the skill acquisition and training in fashion designing and tailoring. The skill acquisition and training is an initiative of his wife, Mrs. Tabitha Umoru, instituted to uplift and empower women in the society. According to him, for Nigeria, as a country to have a future, we must develop and empower the women because there was no family, either a father or husband that would do without a woman as they were the pillars of most families. He said: "I am satisfied that the bill had passed second reading. I must commend my colleagues for their tremendous support for the bill because in every culture and religion, we cannot do without women. This is the reason why I think there should not be any debate on the bill in the first instance, except for the records. “Women are very important. This is why we gave priority to women empowerment."

WORLD \ NEWS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Thieves steal Kim Kardashian’s $6.7m jewelry, €4m ring

asked Jewel thieves put gun to Kim Kardashian’s head and tied her up in the Paris bathroom. The police and her publicist said that the thieves left her tied up in the bathroom of her luxury residence in Paris and stole millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry in the early hours yesterday. “Kardashian, wife of rapper Kanye West, later left France aboard a private jet from Le

Bourget airport after speaking to investigators. “Five attackers, wearing ski masks and clothes with police markings, struck inside the exclusive apartment block where Kardashian was staying while attending Paris Fashion Week. “Two of the men entered Kardashian’s apartment after threatening the night guard with a hand gun and stole a box with $5.6-$6.7 million worth of jewels and a ring worth about 4 million Euros.’’

According her publicist, Ina Treciokas, “ Kardashian was discovered badly shaken but physically unharmed. As news of the event spread, West abruptly ended a performance in New York less than an hour into his set. The Paris apartment block is a discreet building behind the city’s Madeleine church, with several secret entrances, often frequented by movie and music stars who pay up to 15,000 euros a night. The source said that the

attackers fled on bicycles and Police found the night guard in the staircase, his hand and feet bound. Kardashian was in Paris with her mother, Kris Jenner and her sisters, Kendall Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian, to attend the fashion week but the rest of the family stayed in a hotel. The robbery set social media alight, with many users expressing disbelief at the latest headline-grabbing event in the life of a TV star whose life

is continually documented on screen and the internet. Paris had seen several armed robberies on high-end jewelry stores in recent months. The armed robbery could add to worries about safety in Paris, hit by a series of attacks by Islamist militants last year. Tourist numbers to what is traditionally the most visited city in the world, fell 6.4 percent in the first half of 2016 as many Asians and Americans stayed away.

Ethiopia mourns 52 killed in protest

thiopia has begun three days of mourning after at least 52 people were killed during a protest at a religious festival in the Oromia region. Some died in a stampede on Sunday after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets, witnesses said. Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said rioters had caused "pre-planned mayhem" that led people to fall to their deaths in ravines. He denied reports that the security forces had opened fire. In a national address on state TV, he praised their "great efforts" to protect the public and blamed "evil forces" for the deaths, vowing to bring to justice those respon-

sible. Thousands had gathered for the religious festival in Bishoftu, 40km (25 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa. The annual Irrecha celebrations are an important festival by the people of Oromo in welcoming spring. But crowds at the festival chanted "We need freedom" and "We need justice", witnesses said. Some participants crossed their wrists above their heads, a gesture that has become a symbol of the worst protests by the Oromo people in more than two decades. Police fired tear gas after anti-government protesters threw stones and bottles, but others said demonstrators were entirely peaceful.

Colombian voters reject Farc peace deal

oters in Colombia have rejected a landmark peace deal with Farc rebels in a shock referendum result, with 50.2 percent voting against it. The deal was signed last week by President Juan Manuel Santos and Farc leader Timoleon Jimenez after nearly four years of negotiations. But it needed to be ratified by Colombians in order to come into force. Addressing the nation, President Santos said he accepted the result but would continue working to achieve peace. Colombians were asked to endorse or reject the peace

agreement in a popular vote on Sunday. The "yes" campaign had the backing not just of President Santos but of a wide array of politicians both in Colombia and abroad, including UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon. But there was also a vocal campaign for a "no" vote, led by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Polls conducted ahead of Sunday's vote suggested a comfortable win for the "yes" campaign. But in a surprise result, 50.2 percent of voters rejected the agreement compared with 49.8 percent who voted for it.

Putin suspends nuclear pact, raising stakes in row with Washington

ussian President Vladimir Putin yesterday suspended a treaty with Washington on cleaning up weapons-grade plutonium, signaling he is willing to use nuclear disarmament as a new bargaining chip in disputes with the United States over Ukraine and Syria. Starting in the last years of the Cold War, Russia and the United States signed a series of accords to reduce the size of their nuclear arsenals, agreements that have so far survived intact despite a souring of US-Russian relations under Putin.

But yesterday, Putin issued a decree suspending an agreement, concluded in 2000, which bound the two sides to dispose of surplus plutonium originally intended for use in nuclear weapons. The Kremlin said it was taking that action in response to unfriendly acts by Washington. The plutonium accord is not the cornerstone of post Cold War US-Russia disarmament, and the practical implications from the suspension will be limited. But the suspension, and the linkage to disagreements on other issues, carries powerful symbolism.

Black is the choice of colour for those opposing the proposed total ban.

Black Monday: Polish women strike against abortion ban

housands of women in Poland have gone on strike in protest against proposals for a total ban on abortions. They marched through the streets wearing black as a sign of mourning for their reproductive rights. Women who oppose the ban are staying away from work and school and refusing to do domestic chores, in a protest inspired by a women's strike in Iceland in 1975. Anti-abortion protests are being held around the country too. Women took to the streets of the capital city, Warsaw, in a prochoice march on what they are calling "Black Monday". It is unclear how many women are taking part in the action and how

widespread it will be beyond big cities. If the law - which has cleared one parliamentary hurdle so far - goes through it will make Poland's abortion laws as restrictive as those in two other countries in Europe: Malta and the Vatican. Women found to have had abortions would be punished with a five-year prison term. Doctors found to have assisted in an abortion would also be liable for jail time. Abortion is already mostly banned in Poland. Critics say the tightening of the law could mean women who have a miscarriage are also investigated, on suspicion of having had the pregnancy terminated deliberately. At early stages of pregnancy, miscarriages and

abortions have indistinguishable symptoms. One protester said: "We are saying 'enough is enough' over what is happening, to what the government, the Church and the so-called prolife organisations are planning for women. "They want to introduce an anti-abortion law which will mean in many cases, women will be sentenced to death. It will take away the sense of security they have, the treatment options available when pregnancy puts their lives or health in danger." One gynaecologist warned that the law as it is worded now could effectively lead to doctors being unwilling to do invasive prenatal tests and lifesaving operations

Ivory Coast's draft constitution amends clause at heart of civil war

vory Coast voters will decide this month whether to soften a nationality clause that helped trigger a decade-long political crisis, a draft of a new constitution showed yesterday President Alassane Ouattara promised during his campaign for reelection last year to change the language of an article in the constitution which states the parents of presidential candidates must both be natural-born Ivorians. Ivorian nationality was at the heart of a crisis that began with a 1999 coup and included a 2002-2003 civil war that split the country in two for eight years. The proposed revision to the constitution, seen by Reuters and due to be presented

to parliament on Wednesday, means only one parent must now be "Ivorian by origin", a term that excludes naturalized citizens. Ivory Coast has long attracted immigrants from neighboring countries, and the clause became a symbol of exclusion, particularly of northerners whose family ties often straddle regional borders. Ouattara, a northerner, was repeatedly barred from seeking the presidency because of what opponents said were his foreign origins. He finally won election in 2010, although his victory sparked a second brief war that killed more than 3,000 people. The new constitution, which will go to a public referendum on Oct. 30, also removes an age limit of 75 for presidential candidates.

All three of Ivory Coast's main political figures - Ouattara and former presidents Laurent Gbagbo and Henri Konan Bedie - will be over 75 in 2020, when the next elections are due. New language also makes it easier to change the constitution. It lowers the number of votes required for revisions submitted directly for approval by parliament to two-thirds of MPs from four-fifths and removes a clause requiring a public referendum for any changes to presidential mandates. Other major changes include creating a post of vicepresident and a Senate. Currently, the speaker of parliament is second in line to the president, but the constitution states that new elections must be organized within 90 days, a time frame critics say is unworkable.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Sport Fury (right)

Sport News

Did you know? That Manchester United’s current squad is the most expensive team ever assembled, with the world record purchase of Paul Pogba having taken their spending to more than £600m

Rohr replaces Moses, Success with Obaje, Egbuchulam

Sport These players deserve all, says Chukwu

Eagles fed up with NFF’s antics

Fury retires …over return tickets, bonuses from boxing Ajibade Olusesan

yson Fury has claimed that he has “retired” from boxing and has hit out at the sport just days after reportedly testing positive for cocaine. The 28-year-old recently pulled out of his highly-anticipated bout with Wladimir Klitschko for unspecified reasons, which were initially put down to “medical grounds”. It was the second time that Fury had withdrawn from the fight, leaving Klitschko to turn his attention to a potential title fight with Anthony Joshua later this year. Trainer and uncle Peter Fury announced on Sunday that the heavyweight world champion would not return to the ring this year while he ‘deals with some issues’, though Fury himself has now taken to Twitter to announce his retirement from the sport. In an expletive-ridden tweet, he said: “Boxing is the saddest thing I ever took part in, all a pile of shit, I’m the greatest, and I’m also retired, happy days.” Fury, who is said to have tested positive for benzoylecgonine - a compound found in cocaine - faced the prospect of losing his world title belts due to his prolonged absence from the ring.

igerian football fans may face another major heartbreak because the Super Eagles may not qualify for 2018 World Cup if poor mentality and apathy that have hit the team are not arrested. That the players are angry with the Nigeria Football Federation over unpaid bonuses and allowances might not be new but some of them told our correspondent that their patience had been stretched to the limit by the soccer house. A senior member of the team told New Telegraph in an exclusive interview that even though

they were not oblivious of the current economic reality in the country, the NFF’s insincerity and insensitivity to their welfare was disgusting. He said the players were keen to make it to the World Cup but it seemed the administrators were working at cross purposes with the players which might ultimately jeopardise the team’s chances to make it to Russia. He confirmed that the team had been hit by players’ apathy and poor commitment and said the federation needed to do something to light up the camp. He said the team would go into a showdown talk with the federation when all the players finally arrive camp to determine next

fessionals, we know that these people spend money on some other things and will be telling us stories “Let me tell you the truth, many players may be picking matches they will play in, in fact one of our strikers told me he would not be coming for this Zambia match and blame it on injury, that is how bad the situation is. Imagine, they asked us to come by economic class and I asked the team’s secretary to get us the commitment but they did not do that on time, I almost got stranded.” Another player who is a defender alleged that some officials could be doing business with his tickets. “I still don’t know who is pocketing my ticket money because part of the deal I signed with my club is that they would be responsible for my airfare to Nigeria anytime I am called up for national duty, my club pays for my tickets and I don’t collect refunds from the NFF but I know some people could be doing business with that because I have asked question and I think that is why I am not on the good books of some powerful people,” he said.

Our success story -Rangers’ TM Adekunle Salami

The Sport Team Adekunle Salami Group Sport Editor

Emmanuel Tobi Assistant Sport Editor

Ajibade Olusesan Sport Correspondent

Charles Ogundiya Sport Correspondent

line of action. “Of course we are tired with their antics,” said the midfielder who did not was his identity revealed. “This is one of the things that happened that made us not to qualify for the Nations Cup, they are just not organised and it is now showing in the players’ commitment. For instance, I arrived in Nigeria today and if it was before I would head straight to the camp but I won’t do that now because there is no point killing myself over this country when these people are not serious. They are yet to give us match bonusfor three matches and we have not gotten some ticket refunds, so why are we coming? We are pro-

Rangers vs El-Kanemi action

he Team Manager of Rangers International of Enugu, Amobi Ezeaku, has said the success story of the team is due deliberate efforts by the management to do things differently. Ezeaku in an exclusive interview told our correspondent that it was very tough to instill discipline, gain confidence of players and also work as a team with the technical crew. He noted that the current crop of players had a good understanding with the technical crew and the management. Ezeaku said: “We laboured to be where we are today. It was simply a case of not going the usual way. We did things close to what obtains in other developed countries. “The players had trust in the management and the entire family had a good understanding.” The

coach, Imama Amakapabo, has a good synergy with me. “It has generally been tough but we give thanks that we have a success story to tell at the end of the day.” The league title win of Rangers was the first in 32 years by the Flying Antelopes and the Team Manager said it was not a surprise that the outfit emerged tops. “All teams will aspire to win the title but for us, we approached each game to win and gradually found ourselves in a big position to grab the title. Let me also say that about 70 per cent of efforts to win games were off the pitch. “We have to sort out various logistics that could hinder the players and the entire team almost always. For example, we travelled by air for the crucial last away game that we won against Ikorodu United and that decision paid off,” he noted.

SPORT NEWS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Rohr replaces Moses, Success with Obaje, Egbuchulam Emmanuel Tobi

uper Eagles Manager Ger not Rohr has replaced injured duo of Victor Moses and Isaac Success with homebased stars Godwin Obaje and Chisom Egbuchulam for NIgeria’s crunch encounter with Zambia in Ndola on Sunday. This move is sequel to the Nigeria Football Federation’s receipt of letters from English Premier League clubs

Chelsea and Watford that the forwards were injured. The NFF received letters at the weekend which stated that Moses had hamstring trouble and that Success, who scored for Watford in their 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth on Saturday, had a knock. Obaje, on the books of Wikki Tourists of Bauchi, finished the just-ended Nigeria Professional Football League season as top scorer with 18 goals, and his goals

steered the Bauchi team to a third place finish that has earned it a slot in next year’s CAF Confederation Cup competition. Enugu Rangers’ skillful forward Egbuchulam finished just behind Obaje with 15 goals, including a hat-trick as the Flying Antelopes concluded a triumphant season with a 4-0 home win over El-Kanemi Warriors on Sunday, lifting the League diadem for the first time in 32 years.

Injured Rangers’ star to be treated in Germany –Ndukwe Ubong Emmanuel

nugu State Commissioner, Charles Ndukwe, has assured that Ifeanyi Egwim who got injured in the match against El-Kanemi Warriors will be flown to Ger many for further treatment. Rangers clinched the league on Sunday after a 4-0 defeat of El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri but their celebration was marred with Egwim’s injury late in the

game. “Egwim is in the Orthopedic Hospital in Enugu, the Governor has said that he will be taken out of the country, Germany precisely for best treatment.” the commissioner said. Ndukwe expressed shock over Egwim’s broken leg, stating that the striker shouldn’t have gotten injured; according to him when he watched a recap video he saw that the El-Kanemi’s goalkeeper didn’t touch him. “When I watched the vid-

eo, I discovered that actually there was no contact, only God knows what happened but it’s something that can heal very quickly, it was not up to the knee.” He added that the Flying Antelopes would be rewarded for their heroic in shattering the over two decades of not winning the league. “Considering that Rangers have broken this jinx of 32 years, they will be fully celebrated so most of the things they will be given will be definite to the Governor.”

Oshoala unveiled as face of 2016 Women FA Cup

igeria Football Federation, in conjunction with HS Media Group, will on Tuesday October 4th,

2016 unveil African Female Player of the Year (2014), Asisat Oshoala (MON) as the ‘Face of 2016 Women Federa-

Oshoala (left)

tion Cup’. The event holds at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere – Lagos and will herald the chain of activities lined up for this year’s Women Federation Cup final, which comes up later this month in Lagos. Oshoala who will grace the final in Lagos, will also give out signed jerseys and other football items to fans and participating teams at the stadium. This benevolent gesture is in tune with her heart desire to promote the game at the grassroots and help the future generation of young Nigerian players and the event will be complimented by other side attractions. The Arsenal lady won the Women Federation Cup twice in 2013 and 2014 with Rivers Angels FC of Port Harcourt and has expressed her pleasure at being picked the ‘Face of 2016 Women Federation Cup.’ She promised to work towards bringing back the glory days to the tournament. “I am prepared to join hands with the NFF to rekindle the passion and bring back the crowd for this age-old competition in Nigeria,” she said.

Moses (left)

Supporters’ Club expels Okumagba, others

… sets up 13-man electoral committee

cting national chairman of Nigeria Football Supporters Club, Vincent Okumagba, has been expelled from the club for anti- club activities. In a communiqué issued after its special Annual General Meeting which was attended last Friday by 19 out of the 21 chapter’s chairmen and secretaries of the club, the activities of the for mer acting national chairman has become an embarrassment not only to the club but the entire Nigerian general public. Others expelled by the club are; Mrs. Kemi Popoola, former social secretary, former Oyo State chapter chairman, Dauda Femi Ali, chairman of Anambra State chapter, Okwy Ezike as well as Chairman of Bayelsa chapter, Mr. Dangana. “I want to inform Nigerians that the above named former members of the club who were earlier suspended about three months ago have not shown any sign of

remorse but rather have been engaging in anti- club activities. “After a careful review of their cases at the special AGM it was decided that they should be expelled from the club and any person doing business with them on behalf of the club does so at his or her own risk,” the PRO, Hafeez Balogun, warned. According to him, the AGM also nominated Awal Taofik as the new acting National Chairman of the club while it also dissolved the former electoral committee, replacing it with a new one to be headed by Ademola Bankole with the mandate to organise election within 60 days. Balogun named other members of the committee to include; Ademola Ariyibi who will serve as the secretary while Elder N.A Bakare, Amaka Okediadi, Ayasina Sherif, Alhaji Musa Dunjaki, Chief Eric Ihetuga, Mercy Osakwe, Richard Onoro, Babatunde Oduwole and Mr. Tinubu while Joe Johnson will serve as vice chairman.

Turkish Airlines’World Golf Cup hits continental stage Emmanuel Tobi

urkish Airlines, according to the recent Skytrax Passenger Survey, at the weekend celebrated the beginning of Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup with a golf shot from Europe into Asia in Istanbul. About 22 golf writers were at the weekend in Istanbul for the fourth edition of the amateur tour nament, which involved the winners of the qualifying matches from 100 destinations around the world. The opening ceremony of the tour nament in Istanbul took place on September 30 in Gala-

tasaray Islet -also known as Suada-, a small island situated just north of the Bosphorus Bridge, the iconic symbol of Istanbul, natural crossroad of different cultures. During the event, amateur players from around the world were invited to symbolically hit a golf ball from one continent to another in order a hole located on the water. Danny Miche of Argentina who scored 70 meters won two business class tickets of Turkish Airlines for a destination of choice in the world. All the participants were offered a fantastic opportunity to discover the beautiful city of Is-

tanbul, where Turkish Airlines has a luxurious lounge at Ataturk Inter national Airport as passengers enjoyed the traditional Turkish hospitality thanks to unique facilities and excellent services provided. In addition, the winners of the tour nament in Istanbul which ended on October 2 in Kemer Golf Country Club have the opportunity to attend the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final in Antalya billed for October 31 - November 1, where 14 times major champion Tiger Woods is scheduled to appear along with the top 70 players in the Race to Dubai, to claim the prize of $7million.

Winner of the Hole-in-One event, Danny Miche (second right)

SPORT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

RANGERS TITLE WIN FALLOUTS

These players deserve all, says Chukwu Adekunle Salami

member of the Nigeria Football Federation’s technical committee and former Rangers coach, Christian Chukwu, has urged Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to immortalize the name of the Enugu-based club. Chukwu was overwhelmed with joy after the 4-0 victory of the Flying Antelopes against ElKanemi of Maiduguri at the Cathedral on Sunday. He said the entire players and the technical crew did so well and nothing would be too much to compensate

them for their efforts. “We need to lay good example for others. It will be great if government can have something like “Rangers Avenue” somewhere in Enugu and then the entire team should be well compensated. Those who have done well in the past should also be remembered with a hall of fame exclusively for Rangers. “This is a big team and the teeming supporters cut across all parts of the federation. I am so elated that this is happening because we have waited for so long,” Chukwu said. The former Eagles coach who is also the technical director of the current

victorious team of Rangers added that winning the Nigeria Football Professional League was not planned but the team only took the opportunity that came its way. He said: “We decided to start with young new players together with a new coach Imama Amapakabo, who is also a young man. Afer Kelechi (Emeteole) left, we decided he (Imama) who was assistant coach should continue. Our target was to start a building process and along the line the boys gained so much confidence and somehow we decided to go all the way.”

Emordi: It’s big celebration time Charles Ogundiya

ormer Rangers coach, Okey Emordi, was full of joy after the Flying Antelopes won their first title in 32 years. Rangers defeated ElKanemi Warriors 4-0 on Sunday to end the season as the league champions, a trophy they won last in 1984. “I am very happy we won the trophy that had eluded us for more than 32 years, it is a big celebration,” he said.

“I am here to celebrate with the team because it is long overdue.” Speaking further, Emordi expressed his appreciation to the technical crew led by Coach Imama Amakapabo. According to him, the coaches could have been getting a serious backlash if it was another way round. “I am happy with the technical crew; I appreciate them especially with what they have achieved because if it was other way round, they would have been given

the stick too. For me, I am on sabbatical leave now but I am coming out again soon.”

Rangers Jersey sign by head coach and 35 registered players

Are faults Okorocha’s gift to Paralympic team Ikenna Amadi

ead coach of the Nigeria Paralympics team to Rio, Feyisetan Are, has faulted the gesture of gifts being awarded to athletes from Imo State, who won medals at the just concluded game by the Imo Governor, Rochas Okorocha, claiming it has caused division in the Paralympic team. The Imo State Governor rewarded gold medalists trio of Roland Ezurike, Nwosu Ndidi and Orji Josephine Precious, with the sum of N1 million and a car each for their exploits in Rio, while

Roland Ezurike

also extending the gestures to their individual coaches to mark his 54th birthday. “Governor Okorocha was not well guided when taking his decision to reward selected athletes from the state. He ought to have hosted the entire team that went to Rio because we competed as Team Nigeria and not Team Imo. This is what has been dividing the team because we bring tribalism and religion to everything we do in Nigeria.” he stated. “Even some athletes and coaches from Imo state were shortchanged and neglected because they don’t live in the state. It’s a shame and this action has brought division and hatred in the team. Those neglected are saying that the athletes that were rewarded kept the information from them,” he said. He added that the Governor should have sought the advice of the real stakeholders before giving the donation. “The right way was for the governor to host and reward the entire team even if it is a token, then he can add extra to the athletes from Imo and not only athletes residing in the State. How do you expect a coach from Delta State, Kano State or Ogun state to select athletes from Imo State again? That is what breeds division in the team because those from Lagos, Rivers, Kaduna and other part of the country will feel bad.”

Pat Ekeji’s Corner patrick.ekeji@yahoo.com 08159364282 (sms only)

Recession and sports development advocacy

ast week I challenged the Senate President to use his good offices of the institution over which he oversees – the National Assembly- and rise up to the occasion of enacting the National Sports Commission Bill which has been archived somewhere in its hallowed Chambers. Knowledge and experience not shared, it is said, are assets wasted. It is for this reason that I have taken the pleasure to share via this column, the knowledge and experience I have acquired over the years with not just stakeholders in the sector, but the public in general. It is also pertinent to state that it is of utmost importance to continuously invite attention of relevant authority to the benefits of actions that should be taken but are not being taken because of lack of courage from the political heads in the sector. I served under many of them. The truth is that while in office, many of the Hon Ministers did not believe they could argue a good case for sports at forums that matter even where the documents and facts have been prepared and discussed at management. This was and still is most likely the situation. This is so because of the low perception of the Sports sector as a very distant contributor to the national economy. By the way, a country’s status is measured by both its economy and social order. Yes, the sports sector may not belong to the “Real Sector” category, but I know that it is what a country desires of its sports and from its sports that it gets. It is the responsibility of a government to package the administration of its sports sector in a manner that it ultimately contributes to the Gross Domestic Product by simply establishing the right policies. Such policies, appropriately implemented will grow our sports sector into the industry of our desire. Sport is an intricate part of education as well as an acknowledged field of business. Even as it is today, our sports sector engages, in active participation, arguably not less than 25% of the entire national population. We are still a very long way from appreciating and tapping the potential socio-economic values in the sector. The benefits to the country, of properly positioning the National Sports Commission by an Act of National Assembly (NASS) are so numerous that it was so frustrating to observe a lack of enthusiasm to pursue the subject by many of the Honorable Ministers with who I served. Given what I know of the dynamics in the processes for the enactment of a Bill in our NASS, I deem it necessary to keep the issue con-

tinuously in focus. Advocacy is presented in different descriptions. Some say it is an action directed at changing the policies, positions or programs of any type of institution. Another says it is pleading for, defending or recommending an idea before other people. Yet another says it is speaking up, drawing a community’s attention to an important issue, and directing decision makers towards a solution. It is as well taken to be working with other people and organizations to make a difference. Whichever way, I am a strong advocate for the return of the National Sports Commission because that is the way forward for sports development. The state of the sector at the moment presents a rather unpalatable prediction at Moscow 2020, and that is -it will not be significantly different from that of London 2012 or Rio 2016 for two reasons: the economy as it is today and, scrapping of the NSC. How does sports administration survive in this economic mudslide? Clearly one of the sectors of least worry or concern to different governments in our political history is sports. In times like this it becomes easy for anti-sports, armchair political economists to “advance” such banal reasons as; government should hands-off funding sports, or that government has no business with sports or that the Organized Private Sector should run sports etc. The truth and fact is that in countries where sport is truly recognized, it is embellished with investor-friendly policies. Such Governments have their hands in the business of sports through ensuring strong institutional administrative arrangements. Further, in such countries, it is the business of government to seek ways and means of creating enabling environments by law, not just for the business of sports but for all other commercial and investment areas of socio-economic concern. It was Vince Lombardi that said: “I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious”. Hon Minister, your finest hour in that capacity would be that moment when the Senate President hammers the gavel to pronounce the passage of the Bill that enacts the NSC. The trip to achieving this objective is froth with challenges which can very well be overcome by dexterously navigating first, through the Federal Executive Council and, the two relevant committees of the NASS. I believe you can.

On Marble Leaders come in many forms, with

many styles and diverse qualities. There are quiet leaders and leaders one can hear in the next county. Some find strength in eloquence, some in judgment, some in courage.

Clem Aguiyi

Sanctity of Truth

They own it all and still want more

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2016

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Tinubu and those who want him dead (2)

ence James Faleke was ruthlessly dropped and shabbily treated and another person was selected to be the gubernatorial candidate of that state. It worked, Faleke went to court and sadly he lost. That was the end of the story. The fifth shot is the thorough and systematic, though subtle and covert, humiliation and relegation of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, a close associate and political protegee of Tinubu and a spiritual son of the reverred Pastor Enoch Adeboye of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), to not just a spare tyre as Vice President but also to a very flat one. Rather than being allowed to participate in the crucial decisionmaking processes on vital and critical issues of state and governance as any Vice President should, Osinbajo has been kept in the dark about virtually everything and he has little or no power to effect anything. When such decions are to be debated, discussed and made the Vice President is never invited into the room and neither is he even aware that there is such a meeting going on. Worse still he is constantly being directed to represent the President at official functions all over the country as if he were more his Personal Assistant, Special Advisor or Minister rather than the Vice President of the country. Osinbajo's crime is simply that he is loyal to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and he has refused to dump or betray him. The sixth and perhaps most devastating shot is the fact that the party machinery has not only been taken away from Tinubu with the effective highjacking of Odigie-Oyegun but that it has also opted to do the bidding of his mortal enemies and to fight him. An eloquent testimony to this disturbing fact is the outcome of the Ondo state gubernatorial primaries where Tinubu's candidate was edged out and cheated of the nomination by the party leadership. This was the last straw that broke the camels back and predictably Tinubu has reacted in a very loud, aggressive and profound manner by publicly calling for the removal of the National Chairman of the party. Yet calling for the removal of Odigie-Oyegun is not enough. The whole situation calls for critical thiking, sober reflection and deep retrospection. The point that needs to be clearly understood when considering these six shots and the unfolding anti-Tinubu agenda within the APC is the fact that, contrary to all pretensions, President Muhammadu Buhari is part and parcel of it and he is in fact the moving spirit behind the whole conspiracy. Nasir El Rufai and a number of others are simply the strategists and enforcers. Buhari, Mamman Daura and Abba Kyari are the masterminds. Given all this one thing is clear: these people want Tinubu dead. If he does not realign quickly and fight hard

Crossfire FEMI FANI-KAYODE ffk2011@aol.com

Tinubu

Adeboye

to save his dwindling political fortunes and empire his APC friends and allies will destroy him in a slow, clinical, sadistic and systematic manner. And they will do it with a big, beautiful and friendly smile on their faces. The fact of the matter is that, right from the outset, Tinubu failed to accept the fact that he was in bed with destroyers. He refused to appreciate the fact that he was sleeping with foes that are hell bent on eating his flesh, drinking his blood and ruthlessly implementing an ancient ethnic and religious agenda. He gave them his all, caused them to win an election and trusted them to

honour their word and treat him with respect and decorum. He failed to appreciate the fact that you cannot make a deal with snakes and expect them to honour their word. He forgot that you cannot wine and dine with cancerous lepers and hungry tigers without ending up being served as the final dish in a long, bloodcurdling and Byzantian satanic feast. Yet if the truth is to be told, no matter what mistakes he may have made, Tinubu does not deserve to be treated in this way. Up until the Presidential elections were conducted last year he led and held together the south-western wing of the APC with an iron fist and he was the undisputed leader of the APC in that zone. All four APC governors from the South West and virtually every single party leader waited on his every word and he called all the shots. Sadly today, just over one year later, he is a caricature of his former self. Today Tinubu can only boast of having the ear and the full support of only two of those govermors, namely Rauf Aregbesola of Osun state, who will NEVER betray him no matter what, and Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos state who will also stand firmly behind him until the very end. The truth is that Tinubu has lost much ground and political mileage in recent times and, as more daggers are pulled out over the next few months and years it is bound to get worse for him. Yet that does not mean that he is finished. I say this because he is a tried and tested fighter and a formidable adversary who is quite capable of pulling the whole APC house down. It would be a fatal error for any of his adversaries, including President Buhari, ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar or Senate President Bukola Saraki, to underestimate him or dismiss his ability to fight back. In July 2016, just after my release from detention and during the course of an interview with Channels Television (which can still be viewed on Youtube) Mr. Seun Okinbaloye asked me whether I could ever contemplate going back to the APC and how I thought the ruling party would fare into the future. I told him that I would NEVER go back to the APC under ANY circumstances. I also told him that in any case by 2019 there would not be an APC, as it is presently constituted, because the party would have spilt up into three separate and distinct political entities. I told him that the Tinubu group comprising men like Baba Bisi Akande, Rauf Aregbesola, Akinwummi Ambode and others would establish

one party, the Atiku Abubakar group comprising men like Bukola Saraki, Rabiu Kwakwanso and many of the former PDP leaders and governors that had left for the APC when President Goodluck Jonathan was in power would establish another and that the Buhari group comprising men like Nasir El Rufai, Bello Masari, Aminu Tambuwal, Rotimi Amaechi, Rochas Okorocha, Chris Ngige, Ogbonaya Onu, Adams Oshiomole and virtually the entire structure of the old CPC leadership in the core north would constitute yet another. I stand by this prediction. These three strong and equally forceful factions can be likened to the proverbial three blind yet ravenous wolves. They cannot stay in the same cage or remain on the same platform for long without tearing each other to pieces. Eventually they will all go their separate ways and, hopefully, contend with a newly-branded and reinvigotated PDP in the field of battle in 2019. What we are witnessing today in the ranks of the APC is the beginning of that bitter separation and messy divorce and it is going to get far worse. It will be loud, bitter, acrimonious and rancorous and many political empires, careers and aspirations will be destroyed as a consequence of it. My hope and prayer is that the PDP, which is also going through its own rigorous process of redefinition and reinvigoration, can get its act together before then, take advantage of the situation, pick up the pieces and win the presidential election in 2019. I am sure that we will. Meanwhile my advise to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is to watch his back, consolidate his base, fight his enemies, reach out to new friends, accept the fact that he is at war and sleep with one eye wide open. The truth is that it will get far worse before it gets any better.

Solution to B. Teaser 6

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