Wednesday, july 1, 2015 binder1 by Newtelegraphonline

Sanctity Of Truth

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Wednesday, July 1, 2015

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Vol. 2 No. 497

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N150

Unmetered consumers to stop paying electricity bills – NERC }6 m ega c i t y

Ilaje-Bariga water front: A metropolis’ eyesore }21

CBN extends BVN deadline to October 31

lUnregistered customers make panic withdrawals lEnrolment of Nigerians in Diaspora begins Ayodele Aminu, Kunle Olayeni and Biodun Oyeleye

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday bowed to pressure and extended the deadline for the

registration for the Bank Verification Number (BVN) by four months. With the extension, the reg-

istration, which was billed to end yesterday, would now end on October 31. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

APC leaders battle to save Oyegun }4

QuickRead

It's unfortunate I have Ekweremadu as deputy - Saraki }14-16

Terrorism: Court okays }5 Ndume's request to travel for Hajj A crowd of traders at the Ladipo Market waiting for the demolition of the market in Lagos…yesterday.

PHOTOS: TONY EGUAYE

PDP receives 1,000 memos over Jonathan's }5 defeat

$2.1bn probe to rubbish Jega hands me, says Okonjo-Iweala over to Wali }4

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

News

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

APC leaders battle to save Oyegun Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

he battle to save the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, from being removed from office has been intensified, New Telegraph learnt yesterday. The party's National Executive Committee (NEC) meets on Friday and complaints against the APC chair over his alleged role in the leadership crisis rocking the National Assembly may be discussed, a source said. Oyegun, among others, has been accused of poor leadership, which led to the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara as Senate president and House of Representatives speaker respectively, despite the fact that they were not the party's candidates for the positions. Saraki and Dogara had defied the party to run against APC’s consensus candidates, Senator Ahmed Lawan and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila who lost to the duo. Therefore, for his poor handling of the National Assembly leadership crisis, some members have called for Oyegun’s resignation. However, the APC national chairman has accused his traducers of being out to smear his reputation. The source stated that the allegation against Oyegun might form part of the NEC agenda, as it has not gone done well with President Muhammadu Buhari. He said: "To prevent any ugly situation at the NEC, national leaders of the party are reaching out to save the party chairman." He said party chiefs from various geopolitical zones had been reaching out to others to save Oyegun. According to him, Senator Chris Ngige is leading the mobilisation for Oyegun in South-East while former Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Saidu Barde, heads the lobby group in the North. Speaking in preparation of the meeting and efforts to protect Oyegun's job, the source said: "A lot of meetings are going on ahead of the NEC meeting. For example, Ngige and so many other persons are meeting behind the scene to make sure that at least every-

thing becomes right. Former Governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Saidu Barde, is doing that for the North, so that nobody will put the name of the national chairman in disrepute. Also, former Governor of Cross River State, Clement Ebiri, is there and so many other national leaders nationwide so that there would be no victimisation. "All I have gathered is

that national leaders are rallying round the chairman so that his name would not be put in disrepute. That is the basic thing and meetings are still going on this morning (yesterday). Also of importance is the fact that stories against the office of the APC national chairman are not true. "Naturally, people will blackmail and say all sorts of things to gain ad-

vantage and some people are not too comfortable with his steadfastness. Also, information reaching me is that non politicians like the former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar are drawing support for the national chairman and Ngige is working round the clock to make sure there is reconciliation ahead of the meeting." The source also said

the first NEC meeting of the APC since it won the presidential election in March 28 would resolve all the grey issues in the party. According to him, issues such as the leadership of the party, the National Assembly crisis, supremacy of the party, delay in the ministerial list, bailout for governors and many others would be discussed.

The members of party's NEC comprise the president, vice-president, Senate president, House speaker, governors, principal officers of the National Assembly elected on the platform of the party, state chairmen of the party, members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and other chieftains of the party from the six geopolitical zones.

L-R: Manager, Government and Business Relation, ExxonMobil, Mr. Nigel Cookery-Gam; Country General Manager, Public and Government Affairs, Mr. Paul Arinze; Managing Director, Mr. Nolan O’Neal; President Muhammadu Buhari and General Counsel, Dr. E.l. Kachikwu; during a visit to the president in Abuja...yesterday. PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN.

$2.1bn probe to rubbish me, says Okonjo-Iweala Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

ormer Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, yesterday took issues with the National Economic Council (NEC) over the alleged unauthorised withdrawal of $2.1 billion from the Excess Crude Account. She described the allegation that she superintended over the alleged illegal withdrawal of the fund as an attempt by governors, whom she considered as champions of the bid to probe the remittance and disbursement of oil revenue from 2012 to May 2015, as an attempt to rubbish her. The former minister, in a statement by her Media Adviser, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu, described the allegation as malicious and totally without foundation. She reiterated her earlier stance that no unauthorised expenditure

from the ECA was made under her watch. She said decisions on such expenditure were discussed at meetings of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC), attended by finance commissioners from the 36 states of the federation. “It is curious that in their desperation to use the esteemed National Economic Council for political and personal vendetta, the persons behind these allegations acted as if the constitutionally recognised FAAC, a potent expression of Nigeria’s fiscal federalism, does not exist. “But Nigerians know that collective revenues, allocations and expenditures of the three tiers of government are the concern of the monthly FAAC meetings. It is important to acknowledge the efforts of governors who are working hard to overcome the current revenue challenges facing their states without resorting to character

assassination and blame game,” the statement added. However, OkonjoIweala expressed her readiness to respond to legitimate enquiries about issues under her purview as finance minister. “But it is clear that this is the latest chapter of a political witchhunt by elements who are attempting to use the respected National Economic Council for ignoble purposes having failed abysmally in their previous attempts to tar the Okonjo-Iweala name,” it added. The NEC, inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, had considered revenue that accrued to the country from the sale of crude oil from 2012 to 2015. The council raised a four-man panel to probe the remittance and disbursement of oil revenue within the period. It also accused Okonjo-Iweala of spending $2.1bn from ECA without

authorisation. Edo State Governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, who is also a member of the probe committee, told State House correspondents that a report presented to the council indicated that a total of N8.1 trillion was generated by the NNPC during the period under review. The committee, which also has Governors Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom) and Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna) as members, is expected to consider details of the account as submitted in the report by the NNPC and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation. Oshiomhole said out of the N8.1 trillion generated by the NNPC, only N4.3trillion was remitted into the Federation Account. He said it was unbelievable that the NNPC withheld and spent a total of N3.8trillion, which is 47 per cent of the gross earnings from crude oil

sale within the period. He added that such unauthorised spending by the NNPC breached the constitution, which stipulates that all revenue accruing to the country should be remitted to the Federation Account. Oshiomhole also said the last time NEC met in November 2014, a total of $4.1billion dollars was left in ECA, but it had been drawn down to about $2 billion. "We looked at the numbers for the Excess Crude Account, the last time the (former) Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance reported to the Council, we had $4.1 billion. But today, the Accountant General Office reported we have $2.0 billion. "Which means the Honourable Minister spent $2.1 billion without authority of the NEC. And that money was not distributed to states, it was not paid to the three tiers of government," he added.

News

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

PDP receives 1,000 memos over Jonathan's defeat Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

he Post-Election Review Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has received more than 1,000 memoranda over its loss of the presidential and gubernatorial elections in the 2015 general elections. The committee was set up by the PDP to look at is-

sues that led to the party's poor performance at the general elections. The committee, which was inaugurated in April by the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), yesterday set up three committees to go round the country to hold consultations with stakeholders on how to reposition the party for future elections. Chairman of the committee and Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike

Terrorism: Court okays Ndume's request to travel for Hajj Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

he Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday granted the Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, permission to travel for lesser Hajj. Senator Ndume is standing trial for alleged terrorism charges. Ruling on Ndume's application seeking the court's permission to travel, the trial judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole ordered the Deputy Chief Registrar (Litigation) of the Federal High Court to release Ndume’s passport and other travel documents. Ndume, who is standing trial for terrorism charges and alleged sponsoring the terrorist group, Boko Haram, is billed to embark on the trip to Mecca on July 3. He had earlier deposited the passport and other travel documents with the court registry in fulfilment of the bail conditions given to him by the court after he was arraigned on December 3, 2013. In granting Ndume’s

prayer, Justice Kolawole ordered the senator to return the travel documents to the DCR (Litigation) within 72 hours of his return into the country. Prosecuting counsel, Muslim Hassan, did not oppose the application moved by Ndume’s counsel, R. Okotie-Eboh. The court granted Ndume's request on ground that the prosecution did not oppose the application filed on June 23, 2015 and that applicant had been granted such applications in the past. The court, however, fix July 2 for continuation of trial. Ndume was arraigned on four counts of terrorism after he was implicated by a suspected member of the violent sect, Ali Konduga, who had since been convicted and sentenced for terrorism charge. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was accused of sponsoring the Boko Haram sect, and failing to disclose the cell phone number of Konduga, which was alleged to be in his (Ndume’s) possession.

Buhari promises total reforms in oil sector Anule Emmanuel Abuja

resident Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said that his administration would embark on complete reforms in the oil and gas sector to boost the country's revenue. The President, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said his administration would soon begin the implementation of fresh policies in the sector. Speaking at separate meetings with delegations from Exxon-Mobil and the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG), President Buhari listed the removal of bureau-

cratic bottlenecks created by multiple government agencies that currently impede the operations of companies in the oil and gas sector as one of the reforms to be undertaken by his administration. The president said that his government would also give priority attention to the security of oil and gas installations as well as maritime security in its bid to boost national earnings from the sector. Assuring the NLNG delegation of his administration's full support for plans to expand the total production capacity of the company, the President regretted that political squabbles and interference in the past had prevented it from attaining its full potential.

Ekweremadu, told journalists that a template has been drawn up for the committees to determine how the party's primaries were conducted, whether the money voted for the elections was adequately and judiciously deployed as well as post-election management. "We have now come to another critical point; we now want to take our work to the ordinary people of PDP in respective zones and states. "So, on account of this, we have decided to draw up a timetable for zonal consultations. That is why we had this meeting with our zonal vice chairmen and our party chairmen

at various states," Ekweremadu stated. Zonal vice chairmen and state chairmen of the party were also present at the meeting. They briefed the committee on the situation of things in their zones and states. According to Ekweremadu, each of the three committees, comprising three members, will visit two geopolitical zones. The first committee, which has Senator Ahmed Makarfi as chairman, is expected to visit SouthSouth and South-East between July 6 and 10, while the second committee headed by Alhaji Shuaibu Oyedokun will visit NorthEast and North-West with-

in the same time, to interact with party members. The North-Central and South-West committee is headed by former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha. "We expect that the committees will round off their assignment by the 10th of July and we will start analysing the report because we are given 10 weeks to complete this assignment. "As soon as we receive the report of this committee, we will start working. But we want to use this opportunity to appeal to all other party faithful who will like to also make contributions in addition

to those already sent to do so during the zonal hearing," Ekweremadu added. He said the committee is determined to give life to the party, adding that the template will be on the PDP website so that anybody who will like to make contributions can download the template and make input. "We want to appeal to our members to remain faithful to PDP. And we will do everything to regain their confidence both at the state and national levels, and by the grace of God by 2019, we will be able to get back to power to give Nigerians a new lease of life for a complete new government,” he said.

L-R: Senator Danjuma Goje, Senate President Bukola Saraki, French Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Denys Gaver and Premier Counselor, Mr. Bertrand de seissan de Marignan, during a visit of the French delegation to Saraki in Abuja...yesterday.

Senate pledges speedy confirmation of ministerial nominees Chukwu David Abuja

he Senate yesterday pledged to hasten up the process for the confirmation of ministerial nominees as soon as President Muhammadu Buhari submits his list of cabinet members. Senate President Bukola Saraki told the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Denys Gaver, who visited him in Abuja that the legislature would do all it could to ensure the success of the present administration. Saraki spoke against the backdrop of fears being expressed that the ongoing National Assembly leadership crisis could inhibit the smooth process of governance by the Buhari administration. Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, had emerged despite opposition to their candidacies by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that settled for Senator Ahmed

Lawan and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila for the Senate presidency and House speakership respectively. The leadership crisis, last week, forced the two chambers of the National Assembly to adjourn till July 21. However, fears have been expressed that the long adjournment could delay the process for the constitution of the cabinet. But Saraki said the recess of the Senate would not hinder serious government business like screening of ministerial nominees, noting that he has continued to reiterate that the Upper Chamber would reconvene plenary to attend to any urgent matter of national importance. "Although the Senate is currently on break, we are working and we are ready to reconvene any time to attend to any national assignment, including the confirmation of President Buhari's ministerial nominees," he said. Saraki added that the National Assembly would

cooperate with the executive to help accomplish the programmes of the present administration to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people. He also said that executive bills would be treated with dispatch as part of efforts to support the president to effect the positive change expected from his administration. He told the French delegation that the Senate had already commenced work with the setting up of an 18-man committee to formulate a realistic and progressive legislative agenda. The agenda would address issues like poverty alleviation, law enforcement, national security, commercial disputes, eradication of corruption and investments in the petroleum sector, he stated. According to him, the National Assembly will partner the French National Assembly in the area of capacity building for legislators, strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries

and ensuring that more French investments come into Nigeria. He solicited the co-operation of Paris in tackling the security problems in the North-East, saying the cooperation became necessary since Nigeria shares borders with Frenchspeaking countries. Earlier, the French ambassador, who described the leadership tussle at the National Assembly as part of democracy, had solicited cooperation between the National Assembly and the executive in order to collectively actualise the goals of the Buhari administration. He said the expectations of the international community on Nigeria were high just as he called for cooperation between the private sector in Nigeria and its counterpart in France for enhanced performance. On security, Gaver said France was encouraging its former colonies in West Africa to cooperate with Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram.

News

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Unmetered consumers to stop paying electricity bills –NERC lBlames DISCOs for poor implementation of scheme

he Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has stated that electricity consumers would henceforth stop paying bills if Distribution Companies (DISCOs) fail to provide meters. The regulatory agency also blamed some DISCOs for poor implementation of the Credited Advance Payment for Metering Implementation (CAPMI). CAPMI provides a platform for willing customers to pay the cost of the meter into a dedicated account jointly managed by the DISCOs and meter Vendor/Installer. Chairman of NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, who disclosed this at a news conference, said that the scheme had suffered in spite of the willingness of consumers to cue in. “The CAPMI scheme has suffered poor implementation in spite of customers’ willingness to make advance payment for meters. “Although some customers paid for meters, some DISCOs did not provide meters as expected to those who paid,” he said. He said that other distri-

bution companies failed to make adjustments in their billing software to make the mandatory refunds, six months after installation of CAPMI meters. Amadi said that the commission was proposing to exempt unmetered customers from paying electricity bills due to alleged reluctance of distribution companies to fully carry out their metering plans. He explained that the

proposal followed a recent decision to cap the maximum charges that an electricity distribution company can levy on its unmetered customers. Amadi said that the decision was aimed at making the DISCOs to engage in widespread metering of electricity consumers in their networks. He, however, said that the proposal would be subjected to scrutiny by industry operators.

According to him, after a 16-month grace, any DISCOs who failed to exercise full metering plans would lose revenues from consumers. “There are three-prong approaches to this; one is that there is a moratorium between now and the next four months for the capping of estimated revenue to start. “After four months, you have an extra 12 months within which to meter all

customers who are on your network. “After the 12 months and four months which is 16 months, every unmetered customer will no longer pay electricity bills until he is metered. “As at today, over 50 per cent of all the registered customers are either unmetered or have nonfunctional meters,” Amadi said. Amadi said that it was not aimed at hurting stake-

holders in the sector, but to get every player in the electricity industry to be active to his responsibilities. He enjoined distribution companies to report customers who by-passed or cloned meters and tampered with electrical installations, to the Police. “We call on the police authorities to step up prevention and prosecution of criminal activities in the electricity market,” he said.

TODAY’S WEATHER FORECAST LAGOS

ABUJA

30o C 24oC Thunder Storms

30o C 23oC Cloudy

L-R: Registrar, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Mrs. Josephine Akinyemi; Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Vincent Tenebe; Executive Director, Zenith Bank Plc., Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, NOUN, Prof. Victor Adedipe, during the handing over of the renovated section of NOUN classrooms in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Unregistered customers make panic withdrawals CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

PORT HARCOURT

KANO

ENUGU

IBADAN

CALABAR

MAIDUGURI

ONITSHA

20oC 17oC Storms

36oC 24oC Mostly Sunny

34oC 18oC Mostly Sunny

31o C 23oC Thunder Storms

34oC 18oC Mostly Sunny

40oC 26oC Partially Cloudy

28oC 22oC Storms

The extension stemmed from the crowd that had been besieging bank branches nationwide in a bid to beat the earlier deadline of June 30. Banks’ customers that waited till the last minute to register for the exercise had been clamouring for an extension, which the banking watchdog had declined. But yesterday, the CBN Director, Banking and Payments System Department, Mr. Dipo Fatokun, in a circular to all Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), said the BVN registration had been extended to facilitate a smooth completion of the exercise. He added that the BVN registration has elicited tremendous interest from the banks' customers who crowded the banking halls in order to beat the deadline. Besides, Fatokun said there was the need to give bank customers in Diaspora ample time to enrol

on the programme, adding that the guidelines for the enrolment were being finalised and will soon be released. He said: “In view of the foregoing, it has become imperative for the bank to extend the timeline for all bank customers to have the BVN. "The deadline for enrolment is hereby extended from 30th June, 2015 to 31st October, 2015. This extension is expected to facilitate a smooth completion of the registration exercise.” The extension came as banks' customers who thought they would not be able to beat yesterday's deadline resorted to panic withdrawal on the erroneous belief that they would lose their funds following their inability to register for BVN. In Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, worried customers thronged various Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) to withdraw their deposits.

Hundreds of customers seeking to register before the deadline also formed very long queues in the banking halls and premises. But when New Telegraph visited some banks in Ibara, Oke-Ilewo, Kuto, Sapon and Asero areas of Abeokuta, customers who felt they might not meet up with the deadline were seen withdrawing their monies from the ATMs. It was learnt that the ATM option was considered when speculations became rife that bank account holders would not be able to access cash at the expiration of the BVN deadline. Some of them complained that the bank staff and machines were inadequate to capture the biometrics of the unprecedented crowd of customers yesterday. Speaking with New Telegraph, a bank customer, Wasiu Adejumo, said he was determined to withdraw his money through

the ATM if he failed to register for the BVN, after several attempts. He said, "For almost three days, I've been coming to the bank as early as 7:30am; I will just see endless queues. Sometimes, people engage in serious altercations and fight in order to register. "I'm here with my ATM card. If I try and there is nothing coming forth, I would rather withdraw my money and find other means to keep it." Another customer, Mrs. Eunice Akinwale, appealed to the government and the banks to extend the deadline for the exercise. Also, it was a chaotic scene in many of the banks in Ilorin, Kwara State, as overwhelmed bank officials tried to control the crowds of customers who had besieged the various branches to register. In some of the branches visited by our correspondent, it was observed that

many bank staff were deployed from their normal duty posts to cater for the huge crowd. Some customers, who spoke with our reporter, lamented they were not sure of meeting the deadline even if the banks close by 7pm. They, therefore, appealed to the CBN to review its reported decision not to extend the deadline. Meanwhile, the CBN has commenced the enrolment on the BVN platform of Nigerians living abroad that have bank accounts at home. The exercise, which was expected to commence last Monday, New Telegraph gathered, would begin today with those living in the United Kingdom. The registration, according to CBN sources, would be executed through the outlets of Outsourcing Services International (OSI) and extended to the United States, China and India.

NEW TELEGRAPH wednesday, july 1, 2015

News

national

ICPC arraigns two over N72.6m theft Akeem Nafiu

he Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), yesterday docked two men, Akinyemi Badejogun and Olanrewaju Bakare before Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo of an Ikeja High Court for allegedly stealing N72.6 million belonging to the National Anti -Corruption Volunteer Corps (NAVC). The duo were arraigned on a 36 counts amended charges bordering on conspiracy to commit felony, stealing, fraudulent conversion and making of false statement with intent to mislead an officer of the ICPC. The two accused, who are the Coordinator and Treasurer of the Lagos State Chapter of the NAVC, were alleged to have committed the criminal offences at ketu, Lagos, between December 2010 and November 28, 2011. They were alleged to have used their position to confer corrupt advantage on themselves. Justice Lawal-Akapo, later adjourned the matter till July 3, for the hearing of their bail applications. In count one, the duo were alleged to have between December 2010 and September 2011 conspired to transfer N55 million from NAVC account number: 4110013083 in Fidelity Bank Plc to another NAVC account number: 4110013076 in the same bank for the purpose of conferring corrupt advantage on themselves and converted the money to personal use.

L-R: Chairman, Steering Committee, National Code of Corporate Governance, Mr. Victor Odiase; Chairman, Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC), Hajiya Maryam Ladi-Ibrahim; Executive Secretary/CEO, FRC, Mr. Jim Obazee and National Coordinator, Independent Shareholders' Association of Nigeria, Sir Sunny Nwosu, during a public hearing on the National Code of Corporate Governance for Private and Public sector Entities by FRC under the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, in Lagos…yesterday photo: tony eguaye

Buhari promises support for Boko Haram victims Anule Emmanuel Abuja

resident Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday said that the Federal Government will continue to provide programmes geared towards supporting all victims of terrorism perpetrated by the Boko Haram sect. The President stated this while receiving briefs on steps already being taken by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and other agencies of government to rehabili-

tate victims of terrorism and violent extremism in Nigeria. A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, said Buhari while receiving the briefing on the work of the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Department of ONSA, assured that the Federal Government will continue to do its best to ensure that victims of Boko Haram's atrocities receive necessary support. He said government would also strive to rid the country of terrorism

Buhari addressing Nigeria problems – APC Temitope Ogunbanke

he All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for addressing major challenges in the country within one month at the helms of affairs. Addressing a press conference in Lagos yesterday, APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said despite the enormous challenges that the Buhari administration faces, including an empty treasury and an economy that has virtually collapsed, the president has made a significant progress in tackling insecurity, corruption and restoring Nigeria’s respect in committee of respected nations. “The mere fact that President Buhari, a man of impeccable pedigree,

an incorruptible personality, has taken over the mantle of leadership has spurred Nigerians to dream again, put public servants on their toes, forced many looters to start disgorging some of their loots even without prompting, and fired the zeal of many public enterprises to deliver better services,” he said. Mohammed said the incumbent government has hit the ground running in tackling insecurity and fight against terrorism by getting international support and joint forces against the dreadful Boko Haram sect. His words: “The President had hardly been sworn into office than he embarked on a shuttle diplomacy to rally Nigeria's neighbours to act as a common front against the terror group Boko

Haram. The President travelled to Chad and Niger, and then hosted a summit of the Lake Chad Basin Commission that comprised Cameroon, Chad and Niger, with Benin also invited. “The result is the decision to deploy the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), with headquarters in N'Djamena, Chad, on July 30 to pep up the fight against Boko Haram! This is the same force that the past administration could not get off the ground in six years. That's what we meant when we said what the Jonathan Administration could not do in six years; the Buhari Administration has done in three weeks, not minding that some mischievous elements decided to quote us out of context."

and insurgency in the shortest possible time. According to the President, one of the objectives of the CVE is to reform terrorists and prevent others from joining terrorist organisations and violent sects. Dr Fatima Akilu, Head of the CVE, told President Buhari at the meeting that its non-military approach was running concurrently with the armed onslaught against insurgents in the country. Akilu said that so far, the CVE has rehabilitated no fewer than 305 victims of terrorism res-

cued from the Sambisa Forest by the Nigerian military. She told the President that a National Security Corridor Program has been created to provide a safe route for those who wish to leave Boko Haram voluntarily, and that 47 erstwhile members of the group have embraced the program. Akilu also said that no fewer than 22 women and girls, recruited as suicide bombers by Boko haram are now undergoing rehabilitation by the CVE after voluntarily embracing its de-radicalization program.

Public support critical to counter terrorism — Abubakar support

Military cannot fight insurgents without support, ex-Head of State says Emmanuel Onani Abuja

ormer Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), has argued that the military needs "public support" to successfully prosecute the ongoing counter-terrorism operations in the North East. Abdulsalami spoke yesterday in Abuja at the public presentation of two books written by

the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Major General Chris Olukolade. The former Head of State, who was represented by a former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Dambazzau, said: "...Public support is very important, which is tied to popular support. To be able to conduct a successful counter-terrorism operations, you need public support and you need somebody to communicate your actions to the members of the public. "You also need to manage the public relations, which relates with excellent media management, and this Olukolade has done well," he noted.

EFCC to re-arraign ex-NLNG Cooperatives' president, others Emmanuel Onani Abuja

he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has said it will, on September 15, re-arraign a former president of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Staff Bonny Cooperative Investment and Credit Society Limited, Mr. Julius Ola Peters; his deputy, Mr. Emeka Iloegbunam and three others, on a 12-count charge bordering on alleged forgery and obtaining N207 billion under false pretence. The disclosure was contained in a statement signed yesterday by the Commission's Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren. The statement reads: "The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC will on September 15, 2015 re-arraign Julius Ola Peters, Emeka Iloegbunam, Ijeoma David Alanza, Jonathan Wallang and Dinijocs Nigeria Limited before Justice Ishaq U. Bello of Federal Capital Territory High Court Maitama on a 12 count charge bordering on forgery and obtaining money under false pretences to the tune of N207, 000, 000,000 (two hundred and seven billion naira). "Ola Peters and Iloegbunam, former President and Vice President respectively of the NLNG Staff Bonny Co-operative Investment and Credit Society Limited, alongside Ijeoma David Alanza and Dinijocs Nigeria Limited, fleeced members of the Cooperatives under various guises. For instance, they allegedly drew the sum of N1, 220,000,000.00 (one billion, two hundred and twenty two million naira) from the NLNG Cooperatives account.

News

Saraki right in refusing to read Oyegun’s letter, says Deputy Leader Chukwu David Abuja

enate Deputy Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, yesterday said that the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, is right in refusing to read the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Chief John OdigieOyegun’s letter on the floor of the Senate, saying that Saraki is only bound by law to read letters from the President of the country on the floor of the Senate and not letters from political parties or any of its leaders. Na’Allah gave this clarification while speaking to journalists in Abuja on the alleged refusal of Senator Saraki to read the controversial letter from the national chairman of the APC on the choice of candidates for the four principal offices in the Senate. The Deputy Leader, who is a lawyer by training and represents Kebbi South senatorial district, said this practice is not peculiar to Nigeria, pointing out that it is a common principle and practice in other parliaments all over the world. He expressed concern that people who were not conversant with acceptable democratic principles and practices across the world were making criticisms against Saraki based on misinformation. He further explained

that the allegiance of a lawmaker in the National Assembly is first to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, then to the laws of the land and the rules of the legislative house, where such individual operates. He said: “A lot of people do not understand; as a member of the National Assembly, the moment you step into the National Assembly, you either take the Bible or the Quran. Then you subscribe to the oath of allegiance and then

take your oath of office, the oath of office says that you will uphold, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the law and then the rules of the Senate. “Outside these three documents, a Senator does not have any leverage to do anything outside; there is no other document outside these three. Then, if you carefully look at the rules of the Senate, the only letters that can be read on the floor of the House is a letter from Mr. President. That is

Abuja

ewly appointed Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Alhaji Idris Ahmed, has ordered federal Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to comply immediately with the presidential directive on full remittance of all revenues accruing to the country into the federation account. The decision is to ensure probity, accountability and transparency in the distribution of national collectible revenues among the three

the convention not only in Nigeria, but in all other parliaments all over the world. “People should understand the workings of democracy before they begin to make imputations that are not known in democratic circles.” Reacting to the crisis within the APC over the emergence of principal officers in the Senate, Na’Allah said there was no crisis but disagreements on how certain things should be done pertaining to sharing of principal offices.

Jega bows out of office, hands over to Wali Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

he former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, yesterday bowed out from office after five years in the saddle. He handed over to Ambassador Mohammed Wali, from Sokoto State, who is now the acting chairman of the commission. Jega, at a brief ceremony, which was attended by senior management and staff of the commission, said

L-R: Executive Director, Centre for Information Technology and Development, Mr. Yubusa Yau; Country Director, Plan International, Dr. Hussaini Abdul; Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, Mrs. Ojobo Atuluku and Deputy Director and Head, Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Department, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Mr. Akeem Lawal, during the National Dialogue on Poverty in Abuja… yesterday. PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

AGF enforces directive on Federation Account remittances Anule Emmanuel

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

NATIONAL

tiers of government Idris spoke yesterday while declaring open a training workshop for accountants, finance officers and auditors on the implementation of the accrual basis on International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) in Abuja. He said: “This is a presidential directive and we must all comply. Already, we have a mechanism, a policy of generating and collecting revenue into the central account of government. We will intensify this and all must fall in line. “We have already in-

structed MDAs to comply and we will ensure full compliance,” he added. The AGF also explained that all MDAs within the Integrated Personnel Pay Roll net would be encouraged during his tenure to key into the system for achieve a seeming less accounting process. President Muhammadu Buhari at a meeting with governors of the 36 states at the Presidential Villa, Abuja had directed that all revenues accruing to the country must first go the federation accounts for better accountability.

he was gratified at the opportunity to serve the country. He expressed gratitude to the staff of the commission, whom he said, assisted in the achievements recorded in the past five years. “We feel great; we thank God Almighty for the opportunity to serve the country. The future is bright for the commission and the country,” he added. Jega said the future of the country and commission is bright and expressed appreciation to God and Nigerians for the opportunity to serve. The event, which was held behind closeddoors, was described as emotional as Jega, at a point, was said lost to have lost his voice. Secretary to the Commission, Mrs. Augusta Ogakwu, who spoke with journalists after the event, said the former INEC chairman encouraged them to keep the flag flying. “Jega said in whatever we have achieved, we should keep it up and do more. He said that there are still a lot to be done,” she said. She disclosed that Ambassador Wali will act as chairman pending the appointment of a substantive chairman, adding that “We believe we will soon hear what will happen next from the President.”

Aviation workers may picket Air France, KLM Wole Shadare

here were indications yesterday that aviation workers may picket mega carrier, Air France-KLM, over outsourcing of document checking unit of the carrier. Reports said a fresh crisis is brewing between mega carrier, Air France-KLM and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) over the issue. NUATE, which comprises of workers in the aviation industry in a statement issued by its Secretary Gen-

eral, Olayinka Abioye, said the airline could not have taken such decision when both parties were currently undergoing discussions and negotiations. A former Assistant Secretary General of NUATE, who retired recently, Abdulkareem Motajo, also told New Telegraph that the department was outsourced to a bigger security firm experienced in the profiling of the carrier’s passengers at the airport. Motajo, however, said it was insensitive of the airline to have done that

without resolving all labour related issues before the disengagement of the workers in that department, who he said are Nigerians. Abioye, however, said pursuant to extant laws as provided in Section 20 of the Trade Unions Act, and matters ancillary to it, “we are compelled to inform and put your management on notice that the outsourcing of document checking unit of the Air France-KLM is currently undergoing discussions and negotiations between the union and the management.”

Court determines Lagos councils’ suit October 9 VCs ask FG to curb capital flight in tertiary institutions Akeem Nafiu

ustice A. M. Lawal of an Igbosere High Court has fixed October 9 for judgement in a suit filed by the National Conscience Party (NCP) against the Lagos State government over the conduct of local government elections. NCP, through its National General Secretary, Comrade Ayodele Akele,

had gone to court seeking for a declaration that the local governments in Lagos State could only be run and managed by a democratically elected administration. The National Conscience Party (NCP) is contending that the refusal of the government to conduct local government elections was in contravention of both Section 7 of the 1999

Constitution, which states that only a democratically elected government can be allowed to run the local governments and Section 1 (2) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that no part of Nigeria shall be governed in any method contrary to the constitution. The party is consequently seeking for an order directing INEC to supply voters register to the Lagos.

Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

he Committee of ViceChancellors and Registrars of Private Universities (CVCRPU) yesterday called on the Federal Government to urgently stem massive capital flight which it said had been occasioned by the rush for foreign institutions by Nigerian students.

Its Chairman, Prof. Isaac Adeyemi, made the call at the 2015 Annual General Meeting of CVCRPU held at the main auditorium foyer of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta. At the event, with the theme: “Repositioning private universities for improved performance and service delivery,” former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of

Justice, Judge Bola Ajibola, urged government to assist private varsities financially to enhance quality university education in the country. In his address, Adeyemi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of Bells University of Technology, Ota, lamented the annual huge loss of Nigerian universities to foreign institutions, including African countries, as a result of desperate students seeking admission.

NEW TELEGRAPH wednesday, july 1, 2015

WIKE gets assembly’s nod to obtain N20bn

ivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, yesterday got the state assembly’s approval to obtain N20 Billion loan from Access Bank Plc to fund both old and new projects in the state. Twenty-nine lawmakers voted in favour of the loan, arguing that most of the state's roads were in very bad shape, and that the public could hardly make use of them, just as they said that most of the road had been abandoned in the past. They said that when completed, the projects would accelerate the economic dividends of the state. The governor had written to the House through the Speaker, Ikuinyi Ibani, for the loan, which he said will be used would be used to fund ongoing road projects awarded by the Amaechi-led administration, and that the loan would be serviced through Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR). The loan was approved barely three weeks after the House approved a loan of N10 billion from Zenith Bank Plc for the execution of "vital projects".

ando Plc, an integrated oil and gas company in Nigeria, has commenced the sale of $276 million downstream assets to HV Investments II B.V. (HVI), a joint venture owned by a fund advised by Helios Investment Partners and The Vitol Group. The company made this known in a statement yesterday. The oil firm said that it “Is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive agreement with HV Investments II B.V. (HVI), a joint venture

Segun Edwards

he Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Sam Amadi, yesterday said that the regulatory agency was considering endorsing contracts for natural gas supply above the regulated rate so as to ensure increased deliveries to the nation’s ailing power plants.

Nigeria, which holds Africa’s largest gas reserves, raised the price of the fuel to power plants to $2.50 for 1,000 standard cubic feet last August from 50 cents to help spur deliveries, but gas producers have said that they may need more than that to guarantee supplies. The nation produces about nine billion cubic feet of gas daily, out of which half is exported

new opinion poll has suggested that 87 percent of Nigerians supported the ban on same-sex relations. That number is lower than five years ago, when 96 percent of Nigerians opposed relationships between same-sex couples. Gay rights’ activists, who commissioned the poll, said this showed attitudes towards gay people were changing, albeit slowly.

as liquefied natural gas. One billion cubic feet is flared during oil production and another 1 billion is re-injected into oil wells to maintain pressure. Almost two billion goes to industries and power plants, where demand is forecast to more than double to five billion cubic feet daily in two years. Any proposed gas deals from energy companies must be “pru-

dent,” Amadi said, adding that “The bottom line is that because the tariff in the electricity industry is regulated, the cost of gas will be regulated.” Meanwhile, Nigeria plans to issue separate leases for gas assets in order to attract more investors to boost output of the fuel, the state-owned oil company said. “Gas, over the last few years, has become a very prominent commod-

ity on its own, which requires a life of its own,” David Ige, group executive director for gas and power at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation said in May. The nation needs companies such as Russian exporter OAO Gazprom and Centrica Plc, the United Kingdom’s biggest energy supplier, to enter the market to “drive our gas agenda aggressively,” he said.

L-R: Executive Director, Socio-Economic Rights & Accountability Project (SERAP), Mr. Adetokunbo Mumuni; Judge, Court of Appeal, Calabar Division, Justice Oyewole Olubunmi; guest speaker, Prof. Alex Gboyega and former Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Lagos Branch, Mr. Taiwo Taiwo, at a media roundtable on how the Federal Government can prevent corruption in the operations of the Local Government Joint Accounts held in Lagos…yesterday. PHOTO: GODWIN IREKHE

owned by a fund advised by Helios Investment Partners and The Vitol Group, to acquire 51 per cent of the voting rights and 60 per cent of the economic rights in Oando’s downstream businesses.” The deal has been brokered at US$276 million, conditional upon the receipt of regulatory approvals and subject to customary purchase price adjustments, including working capital (the Acquisition). The Oando downstream businesses primarily consist of Oando Marketing Plc (OMP);

Oando Supply & Trading Limited (OS&T); Oando Trading Limited (Bermuda) (OTB); Apapa SPM Limited and the Ebony Oil & Gas Limited. Commenting on the transaction, the statement said Wale Tinubu, CEO of Oando Plc stated that: “This transaction is an exciting development in downstream West Africa. By working with Vitol - a global energy and commodities company and the largest independent trader of energy products; and Helios - a premier Africa-focused private investment firm."

Poll suggests 87% of Nigerians oppose gay rights

NERC mulls ceiling on gas prices to boost supply

Oando sells $276m downstream assets to HVI JV Adeola Yusuf

News

national

Nigeria is a deeply conservative country and religion plays a major role in society. The government tightened anti-gay laws last year, banning same-sex marriages, gay groups and shows of same-sex public affection. Campaigners say the laws are among the most draconian anywhere in the world - and impose a sentence of up to 14 years imprisonment for

same-sex couples. About 1,000 people across Nigeria took part in the telephone poll, which was commissioned by gay rights groups, including the Bisi Alimi Foundation. Many Nigerians are deeply religious only about one in six people said they knew someone who was openly homosexual, reports the BBC's Will Ross from Nigeria's main city, Lagos.

Group condemns killing of Nigerians in Indonesia Andrew Iro Okungbowa

group, United Nigerians in Diaspora (UNID) has joined the growing list of groups and individuals calling for the abolition of capital punishment in the wake of recent executions carried out by some countries across the world. The was even as the group condemned the recent killing of Nigerian youths by the Indonesia government over their involvement in drugs peddling, calling such acts an affront on the Nigerian government and people, especially following the country’s refusal to heed pleas from the Federal Government to stop the executions. UNID, a non-governmental organisation based in Lagos and made up of Nigerian professionals both at home and abroad, in a recent event organsied to mark the United Nations (UN) International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Lagos,

wants world leaders and the UN to take concerted action against capital punishment. According to UNID’s President, Pascal Okoli, the use of capital punishment over time has not yielded the expected result as more people are getting involved and caught in crimes, especially drug trafficking. To this end, Okoli suggested that various governments should tackle the root causes of people’s involvement in crimes. “In a country where there is little or no infrastructure, graduates hardly get jobs, the rich keep getting richer at the expense of the poor, a whole lot of people, especially the youth, may be forced into crime to make ends meet. “However, when they are caught committing crime, there should be a way out other than outright killing as done in Indonesia, because killing has not stopped drug trafficking or other crimes in Indonesia and other places,” Okoli said.

We’ve 25 days stock — NNPC Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

gainst the panic buying of Petrol Motor Spirit (PMS) that has resulted to queues at the filling stations in Abuja metropolis, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation yesterday stated that the Corporation has enough stock that can stabilise supply to motorists nationwide for 25 days. The Corporation in a statement from the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, disclosed that it has enough stock of petrol to service the country for 25 days at a national consumption rate of 40 million litres per day, even as it has stepped up product distribution to petroleum marketers and NNPC Retail outlets across the country. Alegbe said, "While calling on members of the public to refrain from panic buying, the NNPC said it has sufficient stock of petrol at its coastal depots in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Calabar besides the stock it holds in the national strategic reserves".

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Metro

Demolition of Ladipo market begins ANGER Angry traders tackle Mushin Local Government over plans to demolish Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market in Lagos Camillus Nnaji

“T

housands of families ear n their daily bread from this market, train their children, pay rents

and tax.” This was the lamentation of the Chairman of the Ladipo Central Executive Auto Dealers Association, Kingsly Ogunor, as officials of Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State yesterday moved bulldozers to demolish the popular market. Ogunor’s statement captured the agony of traders at the market, who claimed the government gave them a notice of the demolition barely 24 hours earlier. The chairman said he was unable to notify all

the traders in the sprawling market on the ApapaOshodi Expressway. As early as 8am, the local government task force aided by fully armed policemen invaded the market to begin the demolition. Caught unawares, thousands of traders rushed to the market only to discover their shops locked. Petrified and confused, the traders were running helter-skelter in a desperate bid to salvage their goods before the demolition. At press time, only the

20 butchers held for evading vets’ test Busola Salawu

olicemen attached to Abattoir Police Station, Agege, Lagos State have arrested 20 butchers for allegedly not presenting their cows to veterinary doctors to ensure the animals were safe for human consumption. The Divisional Crime Officer (DCO), Inspector Thomas Ifeanyi, said the butchers were using illegal abattoirs which were unhygienic. He said: “The butchers sell unscreened meat at this Abattoir Market. The 20 butchers were operating illegal abattoirs and slabs. The meat they sell to customers is not screened. They could be bad for human consumption.” One of the butchers, identified as Adewumi Ola, denied

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com

Ifeanyi

operating illegal abattoir. Ola explained that he had been a butcher for 10 years and had never flouted the law. The man said the cows he and his colleagues were selling were free of diseases. He added: “I can’t believe I’m running into this kind of problem. I pay my dues regularly. The meat I sell is safe for consumption because I consume this meat. Even my wife consumes this meat and nothing has happened to us. So what is wrong with it?”

But Ifeanyi noted that most of the butchers do not want to change and do the right thing. He said: “The right thing is for them to change and process a more hygienic and disease-free meat for Lagos residents. “The state government is concerned about the health of its residents, thus, it is concerned about eradicating illegal slaughter slabs and stalls in the state. “These butchers are not just ready to change. We have eight slaughter slabs and over 200 refrigerated meat vans. They don’t use those, rather they go for their illegal ones because they are more concerned about their pockets than consumers’ health. “There are certified veterinary doctors registered and approved in the market. These doctors have said there are dangers in patronising illegal slabs. “The state government is maximising resources under its power to eradicate illegal slaughter slabs in abattoir, Agege area of the metropolis.”

Traders outside the gate of the market

roofs of the shops had been removed by the task force but proper demolition had not commenced. Policemen cordoned of f the market and prevented the angry traders from accessing their shops. Ogunor said there was no prior notification to traders to pack out. He said: “It was only yesterday the local government officials said they will come. There was no prior notification to the planned demolition of shops. How could the entire traders relocate their goods in the market in less than 24 hours?” Ogunor said there was no doubt Mushin Local Government was the landlord with 60 per cent of the market land while the remaining 40 per cent belonged to a family. He said: “But the right thing would be to have a roundtable discussion and see that both parties have a mutual agreement. To embark on this manner of demolition obviously would affect the traders.” One of the importers, who gave his name as Samuel Chukwudi, said before building shops by traders, the area was a swamp and inaccessible. He said: “It was around 1996 and 1997 that some Igbo traders gathered themselves together to clear the area and do auto business here. “The Lagos State Govern-

ment and Mushin Local Government have been collecting tax running into millions of naira from us here. The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has also been collecting waste disposal fee from the traders. “For mer Gover nor Babatunde Fashola once closed up this place because of sanitation issues and we resolved that. “To come to the market early this morning and see roofs of our shops removed with bulldozers and policemen gather in front of the gate without notification is unjust and we shall not fold our hands and see our means of livelihood destroyed.” Ifeanyi Njoku, a spare parts trader, said “when they do this, they will send a lot of people to the village while those remaining must survive by all means”. Some of the traders marched to Mushin Local Government headquarters on Palm Avenue. When our correspondent visited the secretariat, the Executive Secretary, Babajide Bello, was not around. However, a source at the secretariat confirmed the planned demolition. He said: “It is to bring order to the market by erecting modern shops. The local government could not have proceeded without approval from the state government.”

News 11

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

City Briefs Indian, Nigerians arrested for theft of N20m goods

Jilted man bathes ex-lover with acid Taiwo Jimoh

Dan Atori

olice detectives in Lagos have arrested a man for allegedly bathing his former lover with acid after she jilted him. Although nobody was sure that the person who bathed the victim, Rosemary Nanaifa, with acid was her former lover, but the lady said she was sure. According to Nanaifa, 23, her former lover, Paul Nwokobia, whom she dated for five years, had repeatedly threatened her since she dumped him. She said she never knew he would go to the extent of bathing her with acid. Speaking from her hospital bed at the Female Surgery, Ward B, University of Lagos Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nanaifa, a caterer, said the incident happened on June 3, around 8pm. The matter was reported at Itire Police Division. She said: “I was at work one day when a private number called me around 4pm. The caller was a lady. She said she wanted me to bake cake for her. She said

MINNA

olice in Niger State have arrested three workers of DANA Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Minna, a subsidiary of Dana Group for allegedly stealing property of the company worth over N20 million. Those arrested are an Indian who is also the Administrative Officer (AO), Mr Devendran Sawant, Purchasing Officer (PO), Mr Johnson Bitrus and Chief Security Officer (CSO), identified as Mr Adeyinka. It was gathered that the suspects were arrested by policemen attached to Maitumbi Police Division in the suburbs of Minna, based on an order by the management of the company. Although, the suspects are said to have been released on bail, while police investigation is still on going as the buyer of the goods is said to have travelled out of the state.

Man impregnates girl, 14 Dahiru Suleiman Dutse

man, Malam Sani Mohammed, of Kanti Katoge, Kazaure in Jigawa State has been arraigned before a court in Dutse allegedly defiling a 14-year-old girl. Mohammed was arrested and arraigned by officials of the Nigeria security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). During his arraignment, the accused pleaded guilty and begged for leniency. Mohammed claimed he was misled by Satan to commit the act. During interrogation, the accused admitted he had sexual intercourse with the teenager whose identity was withheld. Meanwhile, medical test has shown that the girl was carrying a fourmonth pregnancy.

Two men in court for stealing fish Caleb Onwe Abuja

or allegedly invading and stealing fish from a pond, two men, Thomas Lockrit, 38, and Philip Useni, 36, were arraigned before a Magistrates’ Court, sitting at Karu, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The accused are standing trial on a four-count charge of joint act, criminal breach of trust, cheating and theft by servant; contrary to sections 79, 312, 322 and 289 of the Penal Code. According to the prosecutor, Glory Iheanacho, the accused fraudulently accessed a fish pond belonging to Mrs Josephine Nwakor and stole fish valued at N135,000. Nwakor, who testified in court, alleged that while Useni was a worker at the farm, Lockrit disguised as an employee of a electricity distribution company to gain access to the pond. The accused pleaded not guilty, though they had allegedly admitted the offence during police investigation.

Nanaifa

she would call back in the evening.” According to her, the woman called around 8:30pm and told Nanaifa to meet her at Surulere. She said she would be in a red car. She said: “I was wearing a red blouse too. When I got to the spot, I did not see any red car and she was not calling back. Suddenly, I noticed someone drew my hair from behind and suddenly poured acid on my face down to my waist.” As she felt the debilitating pains, she fell to the ground, screaming in pains. People later rushed her to the hospital. They also alerted her family. “When it happened, I couldn’t see very well, but I’m sure it was a man. The man fled the area immediately.” Nanaifa left her boyfriend last September, and since then, he had been threatening her. She said: “I didn’t know his plans. I left him because he did not have a stable job and he wasn’t honest. I decided to move on with my life.” According to her, her

Nanaifa - before the incident

family had spent over N200,000 on her treatment. She said that she went to work at a factory after her secondary school. The victim’s elder brother, Eric, said: “There’s no big deal in jilting your lover. People do it every day. I didn’t expect Paul to have gone to that extreme. I was the one who led policemen to his house. He did not suspect we would trace the incident to him.” When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP, Kenneth Nwos, said the suspect and three others had been arrested and taken to the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, for further investigation.

Ilemobade’s killers won’t go scot-free, says Mimiko Babatope Okeowo Akure

overnor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State yesterday said the perpetrators of the murder of former ViceChancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof Albert Ilemobade, would not go unpunished. Mimiko, who was with the family of the deceased, described Ilemobade as a man who devoted his life to the service of humanity. The governor spoke when he led the state del-

egation on a condolence visit to the family at his Ijapo country home in Akure, the state capital. Mimiko, who was on the visit with members of the State Executive, Director of Department of State Services (DSS), Christian Ojobor, representative of the state Commissioner of Police, Isaac Eke, among others, said the deceased lived a life worthy of celebration. He, however, decried the manner of the exit of the deceased. The governor commended the efforts of the security agents in

getting to the root of the incident. Mimiko, who later visited the store where Ilemobade’s body was kept by the culprits, enjoined the people to always look into the profile and details of whoever they wanted to engage as domestic workers. Responding on behalf of the family, Ilemobade’s first son, Adesola, expressed appreciation to the governor and his team for the visit. He said his father was a great man who left a legacy that would be followed by his children.

The late Ilemobade

Ondo youths protest crazy bill, outage Babatope Okeowo

Akure

outh in Ondo in Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State yesterday protested incessant blackout in the area. The protesters chased out officials of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) from their office at the Ondo Business District (OBD) located on Brigadier Ademulegun Road in the town. The youth stormed the office about 7am to protest what they called crazy bills

and the incessant power outage in parts of the town in the last three months. The angry youth pulled down part of the fence of the office and later chased away the staff, including the Business Manager, Mr Auta Yohanna, who was already in the office. Several customers, who came to transact business with the organisation, were chased away by the irate youth. The protesters were chanting various solidarity songs to show their displeasure over the situation. Similarly, the protesting youth also disrupted free flow of vehicles on the pop-

ular highway, which led to gridlock. A detachment of police led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Enuowa Division, Mr Adekunle Omisakin, as well as men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), were trying to persuade the irate youth who threatened to remain in the place until light was restored in the affected areas. One of the leaders of the protesters, who claimed to be the President of Ondo Youth Forum (OYF), Mr Lawrence Omolayo, said the youth who, were from the affected streets in the commu-

nity, decided to embark on the protest to demonstrate their displeasure over the activities of BEDC officials. Omolayo, who described the situation as unfortunate, said it had brought untold hardship to the people of the affected areas. Addressing the people, the DPO in charge of Enuowan, division, Mr Adekunle Omisakin, a Superintendent of Police (SP), commended the people for the peaceful conduct of the protest. The police chief, who appealed to the people to be patient, advised them to engage in dialogue with the officials of BEDC.

12 News

south - west

wednesday, july 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ajimobi seeks legislative approval to reduce ministries to 13 Sola Adeyemo IBADAN

n line with the policy of President Muhammadu Buhari to cut the cost of governance in order to boost the nation's economy, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state yesterday sought the permission of the state House of Assembly for approval to reduce

the number of ministries in the state. The governor made the request through a letter he sent to the House, read by the Speaker, Honourable Michael Adeyemo at yesterday's plenary. Adeyemo, while reading the letter said the governor was seeking the approval of the House for a bill for the establishment of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technol-

ogy Law 2015, Ministry of Trade Industry, Investment and Cooperatives Law 2015 and Ministry of Finance and Economic Development Law 2015. Others are a law to repeal some existing laws in Oyo State and other matters there in 2015 and the Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Urban Development Law 2015. The Governor's re-

quest when acceded to by the House would give the legal backing to him to reduce the existing 23 Ministries in the State to 13 for the economic reality in the State and the country in general, the House reasoned. In another development, the House has adopted a motion urging Governor Ajimobi to urgently constitute the Governing Councils of

the Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa and Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Saki, already granted autonomy by the State Government. The motion jointly moved by the Speaker, Honourable Michael Adeyemo and his Deputy, Honourable Abdul-Wasii Musa, said the Governing Council will thereafter appoint the Rectors and the Principal Officers of the two institutions.

Ambode set to overhaul LGs' administration Muritala Ayinla

ndications have emerged that the Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode is set overhaul the administration of the 20 local governments and 27 local council development areas in the state for optimal performance of the council. There have been concerns from residents in the state over the abysmal performance of the local governments, especially under the Mr Babatunde Fashola-led administration. The councils chiefs had blamed the poor performance on paucity of funds, claiming that after deduction from their federal allocation to the join-account with state government to provide certain needs which include payment of salaries of local government staff, training fund for local government, there would be nothing left to execute other projects at the councils.

Why they are after me — Monarch L-R: United States Deputy Consul-General, Mrs. Dehab Ghebreab; outgoing Consul-General, Mr. Jeffery Hawkins and Senior Information Specialist, Mrs. Joke Omotunde, after a farewell briefing by Hawkins in Lagos …yesterday

Appeal Court reinstates workers of Ondo Poly Babatope Okeowo AKURE

he Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital yesterday ordered the reinstatement of the 15 workers of the state owned Rufus Giwa Polytechnic sacked some years ago. The pronouncement of the appellate court upheld the judgement of the Industrial Court which reinstated 15 out of the 32 sacked workers of the institution. The workers were relieved of their job in January 2013, on what the management of the institution called reconstruction of the polytechnic. Dissatisfied with the decision of the school management, the embattled workers, comprising 22 non-teaching and 10 teaching staff, approached industrial court to seek redress, through their lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana SAN. The lower court, which was presided by Justice Anthonia Ubaka returned

15 of them on July 2014, on the ground that they were able to provide the court with necessary documents which showed they were senior staff of the polytechnic. On the remaining 17, Ubaka said she could not return the remaining 17, because they were unable to convince the court about their status in the school. However, the Polytechnic Authority, through their lawyer Dr. Olumide Ayeni approached the Appeal Court with four grounds. It include, “not satisfactory served the copy of the judgement of Industrial court within seven days, the failure of the Industrial Court to read the entire judgement, violation of its human right that gave the polytechnic the right on who to associate with, and that the lower court granted the workers what they did not request for”. But, the Appeal Court Judge, J.S Abiriyi struck out the applications of the appellant on the ground that it is meritorious.

Ekiti APC, PDP trade tackles over project Ayo Fayose to abandon legacy projects of the Fayemi administration. He wondered why a development-oriented governor would abandon an edifice like the Oba Adejugbe Hospital which was already completed by the Fayemi administration, such that overgrown weeds now adorn the once beautiful edifice. He said: "Oba Adejugbe Hospital was completed and commissioned by the Fayemi administration while contract for equipping the hospital was already awarded but Fayose on assumption of office

cancelled the contract and has abandoned the hospital to be overgrown with weeds. "It will be unfortunate and sheer waste of resources if Oba Adejugbe Hospital is left to rot away because of this thought by Fayose that the project belonged to Fayemi instead of Ekiti people that are to benefit high profile healthcare which the hospital and the adjoining chest clinic are to provide," he said. However, the PDP has said the incessant concoction of falsehood by the APC against the Governor Fayose is very barbaric.

Robberies: Ambode partners Nigerian Navy to secure Lagos waterways

said Lagos, being the foremost commercial hub of the country, is strategic and cannot be a breeding ground for criminals. The governor disclosed that the spate of crime in the state informed his urgent audience with the Chief of Naval Staff, saying that his administration has resolved to evolve strategies that will frontally confront the insecurity through collaborative efforts of the State government, the private sector and security agencies.

Adesina Wahab ADO-EKITI

he All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State on Tuesday traded accusations over the handling of some projects not completed by the former administration of Kayode Fayemi in the state. Throwing the first punch, the APC, in a statement by the State Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said it was a disservice to the people of Ekiti State for Governor

Muritala Ayinla

orried by the frequent robberies in the state and escape of robbers through the state waterways, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has appealed to the Nigerian Navy to collaborate with the state in securing the state's water ways. Governor Ambode, who

also expressed his displeasure at the unfortunate and current spate of robberies in the state within a week into his administration, said there is need for the Navy to assist the state in the fight against crime. Speaking when he paid a courtesy visit to the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Usman Oyibe Jibrin, at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, Governor Ambode

Adesina Wahab ADO-EKITI

he embattled Olu-Iye of Iyemero in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Oba Agboola Ogungbemi, has said that those calling for his deposition are doing so because he did not allow them access to other people's farmlands and inheritance in the town. He also denied any involvement in the sale of land and economic trees in the town as alleged by some members of the Iyemero Progressive Union. Addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, Oba Ogungbemi said the compensation paid by government on the land acquired in the town for the establishment of cassava plantation was duly shared among the owners of the affected land, saying the modality of sharing was not coordinated by the palace or his council. The royal father said he had attracted about 20 developmental projects to the community through his personal efforts and interaction with Ekiti State Government since his ascension to the throne 16 years ago.

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JUly 1, 2015

Bukola Saraki

Parliament

Brawl

Interview

14, 15

It’s unfortunate I have Ekweremadu as deputy

How senators humbled colleagues

Reps’ show of shame

Wike on course with Amaechi probe – Obuah, PDP chair

Politics The brickbats over alleged looting of Rivers State resources by former Governor Chibuike Amaechi continues even with the setting up of a Commission of Inquiry by Governor Nyesom Wike. EMMANUEL MASHA reports

No end in sight

t was in late 2011 that observers first knew that the once robust and result-oriented political partnership between former Rivers State, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and now governor, Nyesom Wike, had gone bad. By then, there were mild allegations of betrayal, abandonment, backstabs and issues that were not really tilted to their next big political move. The unclear nature of the rift, its cause and why the key persons involved did not discuss the matter openly, led some to believe that nothing had really gone bad. They reasoned that the disagreement between Amaechi and Wike only exists in the imagination of the opposition, who needed a crack in the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to launch into power. Politicians in the state had always seen the governorship as the ultimate trophy; that no other elected position, apart from the President and Senate President rank higher. There is so much at stake in the governorship of Rivers. But some analysts did know that the crisis in Rivers would worsen, and extend beyond May 29, 2015 when the Amaechi administration came to an end. Why would two men who fought and won tough battles; who jointly developed a blueprint to lift Rivers and make its people smile suddenly decide not to see eye to eye? What really went wrong? Was it about good governance in the interest of Rivers people or the

AYODELE OJO

DEPUTY EDITOR, PoLITICS ayodele.ojo@newtelegraphonline.com

hijack of state’s resources? Was there a secret gentleman pact between both men on who should assume what position at a point in time? What many would not have thought of was that Wike would succeed Amaechi and inaugurate a commission to probe his former boss. Rivers politics is dictated by very serious-minded persons who live and breathe politics and thus see it as a way of life. Ordinarily, politicians in the state – mostly friends whose actions somehow influenced their supporters to step out of line before, during and after the general elections would have long reconciled their difference in the true spirit of Rivers

politics. Amaechi and Wike, the arrowheads of the two camps that contested the last election, had the opportunity to bury their difference, and work out a realistic solution. Now it appears that the road to reconciliation appears long. The fact is that from May 29, things changed dramatically based on the revelation of what allegedly transpired in terms of contract awards, the abandonment of projects, the utter disregard of due process in governance, serious cover-ups, the speedy sales of valuable state assets to friends and cronies at give-away prices and the collapse of governance. There was also the alleged lastminute lootings of billions of

Naira from a dedicated account that was supposed to be a no-go-area. The account had been opened to keep oil proceeds for posterity because of the logic that oil will dry up one day. While some have blamed Amaechi for deliberately manufacturing enemies in order to fight battles because he loves being in the spotlight, others have argued that Wike caused the problem because of his ambition to succeed Amaechi. By early 2013, when the situation had deteriorated to the extent that courts were being bombed – the worst case being the simultaneous bombings of courts within and outside Port Harcourt CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

Politics

WEDNESDAY, JUly 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

The bukola saraki Interview

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unfortunate I have Ekweremadu as deputy

I feel very sad that people are talking about 2019 now... It is not on my radar. What is paramount to me now is Nigeria

Saraki

Senator Bukola Saraki gives an insight into his emergence as President of the Senate, hurdles he surmounted, crisis over the National Assembly leadership, his regrets, reconciliation process, the missteps of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Muhammadu Buhari. CHUKWU DAVID reports On June 9, when you were elected as Senate President, what happened inside the chamber that very day? Were you aware of the meeting scheduled by the party at the International Conference Centre (ICC)? The truth is that I have not spo-

ken on that incident before. First, as regards the meeting at the ICC, I did not stop the various meetings I was having till around 4a.m. on Tuesday and I got the information that efforts were likely being made to make sure I did not get access into the chambers. So, as early as 5a.m., I had a contingency plan that I must have my way because the plan before was that we should go to the Transcorp Hilton between 8a.m. and 9a.m. and proceed to the National Assembly from there. But I was advised that it would not be safe or secure for me to do that because there were some people who were striving to ensure that if I do not get to the chamber, it will not be possible for anybody to nominate me or second my nomination. So, I had to devise my own means. I can tell you today that I was in the National Assembly Complex as early as 6a.m. I stayed in the car park, inside the car from that 6a.m. to 9:45a.m. This is the truth. I was there and there was no communication. So, anybody that said he spoke to me or called me was lying. I did not know what was

Tinubu, as you know, is one of the leaders of the party and I have great respect for him

going on. All I did was to monitor how people were arriving into the chamber. It was at 9:45a.m. that I got an information that the Clerk had entered the chambers. I got out of my car, put on my Babariga and walked from the car park into the chambers. That was the reason some of you would have noticed I looked very tired that morning. Even when I was in the chambers, the only thing I observed was that some of our senators were not present but for the fact that people were arriving in batches, I was of the opinion that they will come in subsequent batches. Then, by 10a.m., the event started and before we knew it, my election had come and gone. That was what happened with regards to it. Even some of my supporters were initially worried that they did not see me. They were relieved when they saw me in the chambers. Is there any change in the 2011 Senate Standing Order and that of 2015? These are administrative issues. All we got when we arrived in

the Senate Chambers was a brown envelope and inside it was the 2015 Standing Order and that was what we worked with. There was a story that in 1979, your late father contested to be Senate President and that he was a threat to the preferred candidate. We heard that on the day of the inauguration of the Senate, he was invited by the then President Shehu Shagari and by the time he came back from the meeting, Senator Joseph Wayas was already on the seat as the Senate President. Is there any link between 1979 and 2015? I think people are just creating stories and expressing issues. Honestly, nobody in his wildest calculation ever thought that senators would not be present on the day of inauguration. In my own view, most of those who worked closely with us would be surprised with the outcome of the election because I worked hard. I had direct contact with every single senator. I was not relying on anybody. Even within our party, I worked hard and was in touch with everybody,

Politics

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JUly 1, 2015

seeing them, talking to them and we began to build confidence. Also on the other side, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), I was talking to them. That was the reason I laughed when people said that I had a deal that led to the emergence of Senator Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President. I did not make any deal for Ekweremadu to win. I did not need a deal because as I said, I worked hard. Everybody who was a senator, I was canvassing and campaigning for their votes and some of you will remember the meeting we held at the Transcorp Hotel where former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, co-chaired with Senator Gobir. If you heard most of them there, the position they were taking was that ‘this is the Senate President we want’. This was not on any party line. Those who came from PDP, their view was that ‘this is the Senate President we believe in and we believe can lead us.’ So, when I heard people talking about a deal, it is strange to me. Our success was because one was able to convince a lot of our colleagues and they accepted that this is the person that was going to lead and as such, the outcome of the Senate Presidency election was positive. I believed that the way the events turned out was some evidence of faith and destiny because sometimes, I sit down and still wonder how some of our colleagues found themselves in the International Conference Centre. I mean, if there had been a situation where the Clerk announced that the event has been postponed, it would have been a different thing. I am sure if you ask some of my colleagues what actually happened, they will not find an answer to it other than that there must be a hand of faith and destiny. So it was not true that you were invited to APC meeting at the ICC and you refused? What I am saying is that PDP senators had announced to the public that they were supporting me without me having a meeting with them. PDP as a party told the public at about 10 pm on June 8 that because in their own meeting, majority of their Senators have told the party that ‘this is who they were going to vote for, the party decided to agree with them. So, even in their own interest strategically, they decided that since 30 of their senators were going to vote for me anyway, the remaining had better join and concur. It was not until 2a.m. on June 9 that they called us to tell us that this was what they have decided. And when they said that they had a candidate for the position of Deputy Senate President, we also told them we had a candidate in the name of Senator Ali Ndume. It was our own calculation that after we finish the Senate President’s election, the two groups in APC would meet and agree on a candidate. We never in our own team thought the other group would not turn up for the inauguration. By the time we got there, we were 25 or thereabout and they were over 40 PDP members. So, there was no way they would not have defeated us and that was what happened. When people said it was a deal, I said to them that if the Clerk had started the procedure in the House of Representatives first before proceeding to the Senate, I

am sure the House would have had a Deputy Speaker from PDP. It was the two hours the Clerk of the National Assembly spent with us that gave the time to House members to return to the House and have enough number to prevent that kind of event. For any APC member, it is unfortunate that we have a PDP man as a Deputy Senate President. It is painful for any APC member. When we went through all the struggles, that was not what we signed for. It is unfortunate it has happened but it would be unfair to put all these blames on one side because it was a combination of luck and miscalculations that led us to have what happened that morning – that some senators were in another place instead of being at the National Assembly. So, to suggest that it was out of desperate act to emerge as Senate President will be uncharitable. I reject the suggestion that we had a deal completely and those who had followed the event knew that I did not need that kind of deal to emerge. As I said, if we had the Senate elections after that of the House, Ekweremadu would not have emerged Deputy Senate President. The problem would have been in the House of Reps. My view is that we will see how to work with it and how we would be able to move on as a party and still push in through our agenda. Your emergence was against your party’s wish but the party leadership later accepted. When the party nominated principal officers, one would have thought that in order to mend fences, you would have accepted their nominees. Why the rejection of the party’s list? Let me take the first question where you say that my emergence was not the party’s position. We have it on record that at no time did the party say it has zoned this position to a particular zone. Soon after the election, the party held a meeting at the caucus level. At the caucus level, there was a working document that the party presented, which showed that it has zoned the Senate Presidency to the North Central but at the meeting, it was rejected and thus, the party needed to go back and work on the paper. We waited for the party but there was no follow up. Then, we started hearing rumour that the party was thinking that it might consider not holding on to that proposal from the National Working Committee (NWC) that the Senate Presidency should be zoned to the North Central and may be, it will be given to the North East. Then, the governors got involved, held their own meeting and also recommended North Central. All we were waiting for was for the party to announce that the position has been zoned to North Central but all of a sudden, the leaders of the party categorically came and said there was no zoning. If the party had said it has zoned this position to the North East, Bukola Saraki would never have contested for the office of Senate President. But the party said there was no zoning and that it would use merit and all that. It also said anybody from the two zones can contest. That was the point number one. On the issue of procedure of the emergence of the principal officers of the party, it is true that the party did send a letter but as you all know, we are guided by the Con-

When we went through all the struggles, having Ekweremadu as deputy was not what we signed for

Saraki

stitution and the Standing Order of the Senate. These are two documents that I have taken an oath to ensure that whatever I do as the Senate President, I will abide by their rules. Also, the content of that letter clearly was not the norm or what the practice in the Senate. It generally has been the convention that majority of these positions go to the different caucuses of the party and from there, the party meet and recommend. This Senate President is just first among equals. I do not have any executive power over my colleagues and some of you know the effort I made over the last 48 hours particularly in the North East zone to appeal to some of our senators to see whether they will agree with the party position. But at the end of the day, my hands are tied. All one could do was to appeal and at the end of the day, we must be guided by the Standing Orders and the Constitution. It would be unfair to say that the party was defeated twice. I remember in 2011, we saw how leaders emerged, in the previous Senate, we have seen how the nominees emerged and I do not think this one has been any different from how the previous ones have emerged. That area is very important and it is clear. So, we should not give impression that the party’s position was jettisoned. Some of these letters from the party are normally addressed to the caucuses of the party and not to the plenary session of the senators. And at the end of the day, what I was reading was their decision, not mine. I was only reading the decision of the caucuses of the senators in the zones, not my decision or my directives. And those are the people according to our Standing Orders and the Constitution that have the right to make those decisions. In any case, the party had also demonstrated some inconsistencies on the matter. On Friday, June 19, the party chairman called me and said they were sending a letter to my office. I said they should send it. In the letter, which I had seen the copy, the party only zoned the positions and principal officers and directed the Senate caucus of the APC to fill It. No name was put against any of the positions. Then,

they recalled the letter, obviously after somebody had mounted pressure on them. They then wrote the last one which they specifically allocated to individual senators. That is the inconsistency we are talking about. Why did you not read the letter from the South-West Caucus? Because I have not received their letter but they communicated to me later that day that their letter should be ready by the end of the business last Friday. I knew that they had no objection to a particular candidate but I wanted to be sure I got a letter from their caucus like others did and that was the reason I did not announce any name. With the emergence of the Senate leadership, it is winner takes all approach. I think you are very right and that is what I was saying. If you check, you will find out that I made a plea. There was only one particular zone that had issue and that was North East. In the other zones, there was a general consensus on the direction they were going. But in a scenario where you have over 75 per cent of the senators holding on to a very strong position, it makes things very difficult and I appealed to them to review it. I also had the opportunity to sit with Senator Ahmed Lawan as part of my reconciliation efforts. Although some of the good news that have come out of the reconciliation is not in the public domain or reported because I am confident that this matter will fizzle out and blow away because we are making effort to begin to engage ourselves because these are two groups that never had problems. I did say to Lawan when we sat down to talk that he should try and reach out to his members in the North East so that they can come together to begin to engage themselves. The idea is that beyond the issue of leadership, they must work together as a caucus because there will be many issues that would be sent to the caucuses to go and discuss and there must be unity there. I must say that on CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

16 Politics C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 5

Lawan’s own part too, I could see that efforts are being made. As someone who has taken this position, I will not stop until I see a full healing process, a full reconciliation. I am a fair-minded person and I will be fair to everybody because everybody has contributed for us to get here. Things have happened unfortunately but it cannot be a winner takes all. Everybody must be part of that process and we will get there. We are not entirely there but I believe that in the few weeks within this period of recess, by the time we come back, we would be able to get closer and closer as a united APC family. I am sure that by the time we come back with full leadership in place, we will be better off than where we are now and that responsibility is mine. Since your emergence, have you met with President Muhammadu Buhari and Senator Bola Tinubu? What did they tell you? First, it has been the view of some of us senators that what Mr. President wants to see as a father is a reconciliation among us as a group and his position is that he will like us to unite so that he is not seen to be on one side or the other. I think those steps are going on. As regards Asiwaju Tinubu, as you know, he is one of the leaders of the party and I have great respect for him. Two of us have worked very closely together on major issues in the party leading to issue that were very important at different stages in the development of our party. Unfortunately, in this matter, it happened like that. I think at the end of the day, we will look at the things we have done together that have gone well. Yes, it is a setback but I do not think that that in any way was what will dictate the kind of relationship that we have. We are both responsible and committed to the project of the party and Nigeria. We will overcome this and move forward. It is our intention, as part of the healing process to be able to do that and it will happen. There is the general belief that opposition to your Senate Presidency was that you are planning to run for the presidency in 2019. How true is this? I hear a lot about this 2019 and honestly, I feel very sad that people are talking about 2019 now. The reason I am saying this is because the challenges ahead of us is enormous. We went round, I particularly spent less time in my state during our campaign. I was campaigning with Mr. President and I have the opportunity of going round parts of the country and the aspirations, expectations of Nigerians are high. We have a lot of work and I cannot understand how responsible politicians, knowing the kind of challenges that we have, will begin to talk about 2019. First of all, the challenges that we have in meeting the expectations of the people, assuming we are even in a buoyant economy is huge. Then, unfortunately, we are in a situation where the world economic recession with the drop in oil price is going to affect the challenges ahead. How then can we leave those challenges and be talking about 2019? I find that to be very irresponsible. I do not want to be part of it. It is not on my radar. What is paramount to me now is Nigeria. Some of us took a lot of

WEDNESDAY, JUly 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

I’m committed to Buhari’s success, says Saraki risk, made a lot of sacrifices, left our own party against everything, went round, campaigned, sold an agenda to the people. We have to deliver and that is my focus. I want people to desist from this because it shows that either we are not committed to what we want to do for Nigeria or we are not sincere if we are talking about 2019. Honestly, anybody that talks about 2019 must be very irresponsible. What is your take on the plea by the APC to be carried along in the nomination of ministers by Mr. President? We have elected Mr. President as a leader of the party. I believe he will find the candidates he believes are fit and good for the offices. I am sure in most cases too, it will be with the consultation with party leaders. There cannot be rigid position; there will be a hybrid. There would be candidates that he wants and also, in taking those decisions, you know that it is not possible for one man to know the entire 36 states. He might have a good knowledge of people in certain states but in some states too, I am sure he will ask people about candidates he wants to appoint as ministers. What is key is for us to have a right team that will support him because he is heading that team and at the end of the day, he can be happy with who he works with. So, we can say that the prerogative in that process would be his. The process of getting there is ongoing. Have you reached out to the APC national chairman over the leader-

Saraki

I am committed to making sure that APC and President Buhari deliver

ship crisis? Yes, we had a meeting with the party chairman. A number of times, we have tried and find solutions but unfortunately, we have not been able to make much progress and that is the reason I find it very funny when I read that the party chairman is either supporting me or that he has compromised. How has the party chairman helped me? If the party chairman was going to help me, most of you were there when we went to a hotel in Abuja for a retreat as early as May 23. At that retreat, the party chairman was planning to hold a mock election but the other group did not turn up and the party chairman could not hold the election that time. Nobody should say that the party chairman is trying to help or dancing to Senator Bukola Saraki’s tune. I think that the party has taken some of the decisions based on what they think is in their interest. I disagree with the way they have managed some of the issues. It was not to my own advantage in any way. You talked about Mr. President, I want to assure the public that if you look at the time of the campaign, I was the first person that stepped down his presidential ambition the moment President Buhari announced he was going to contest for election and since then and throughout the time of the primary elections, I worked tirelessly. Even, some of my friends or associates who did not support me in my Senate Presidency race did so because I did not

support them for their presidential ambition but supported Buhari. This world is very funny. They are now the people claiming to love Buhari more than me. These are people that were begging me. My offence was to tell them that we are young and he is the man for today and that we should allow him. But time will tell. The truth will always prevail and that would be seen because, God forbid, any failure on the side of Buhari is a failure for me. Remember that I have taken my state and I was at the forefront of taking some states out of PDP. We made every effort to work and deliver. How can I now turn to be the one that will not make that work? It means my political career will also be in jeopardy. I am committed to making sure that APC and President Buhari deliver. I have shown it and I am committed to it and I think some of these things are mere blackmail by people who have their reasons. Let us come back in two months’ time and let us see how some of President Buhari’s wishes in the Senate fly. That is the reason I said it was unfair for anybody to have concluded on what Senate would be. Has the President brought anything and we refuse to grant it? The issue is that we want to provide stability in the Senate and cooperate with Mr. President. Just let the work start and our actions will speak for us. A lot of us are key stakeholders and we cannot allow anything else other than to ensure this government succeeds.

Politics 17

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JUly 1, 2015

How senators humbled colleagues After weeks of tussle and intense politicking for Senate leadership, the Like Minds senators had the upper hand over the Senate Unity Forum. CHUKWU DAVID writes on the winner takes all politics

fter the National Assembly elections on March 28, the jostle for the Senate Presidency and other principal offices started immediately. This great struggle instantaneously factionalised the All Progressives Congress (APC). At the Red Chamber, two parallel pressure groups emerged. One camp, the Senate Unity Forum queued behind Senator Ahmed Lawan (Yobe North), for Senate Presidency. Then another camp, the Like Minds Senators stood behind Senator Bukola Saraki (Kwara Central), for the same office. Interestingly, the Senate Unity Forum has the maximum support of the national leader of the APC and former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu. Although some other leaders of the party, including the national Chairman, Chief John OdigieOyegun, were said to be in support of Lawan, it was actually Tinubu who was driving and virtually coercing others to support Lawan. However, Tinubu was originally supporting the former Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume for the Senate Presidency and Femi Gbajabiamila for the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives. At that time, it was speculated that President Muhammadu Buhari quietly declared that he would not work with Akume. He was also reported to have said that he would not work with anybody elected to the Senate, who has one corruption case or another hanging on his neck. It was at that point, according to insinuations making the rounds that Tinubu decided to concentrate on producing the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who must be Gbajabiamila. Having read the handwriting on the wall, all the other Senators, who qualified by virtue of the ranking rule, and openly or latently indicated interest to contest for the Senate Presidency quietly stepped down and resolved to join either Lawan’s camp or Saraki’s camp. Those who voluntarily rescinded their Senate Presidency ambition include Senators Ali Ndume (APC, Borno), Akume (APC, Benue) and Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe). Akume, who was neither popular with the leadership of the party nor with the senators, decided to collapse his structure and teamed up with Lawan, where he opted for the Deputy Presidency of the apex legislative assembly.

Saraki

Lawan

On his part, Ndume also quietly withdrew his ambition and joined forces with Saraki to fight against Lawan/Akume camp. Suddenly, the two support groups went into politics and propaganda of number. Each camp tried to intimidate its opponent by claiming to have more numerical support than the other. The horse-trading went on for weeks before the day of inauguration on June 9. For many analysts, he major thing that worked against Lawan and his camp was the godfather factor. Unlike Saraki and Ndume, who were not supported by external forces, it was obvious that Akume and Lawan had very powerful godfathers. Prominent amongst them was Tinubu. Meanwhile, most of the Senators were afraid that the National Assembly leadership would be hijacked and controlled from outside instead of the legislators themselves running their affairs their own way. The fear of the lawmakers was that, in a situation where those with godfathers emerged as presiding officers, they would be a puppet in the hands of their godfathers, and would therefore, have to seek their opinion before taking decisions on critical national issues. Issues such as appointment of standing committee chairmen, and approval of presidential nominations might have to wait until these external powers dictate the pace. These considerations gave the Like Minds Senators an edge over

Ndume

their counterparts in the Senate Unity Forum. Nigerians even from outside the APC and the National Assembly circles lent their sympathy and support to Saraki. Analysts are of the view that godfatherism is anti-change which the people of Nigeria came out en mass and voted for in the 2015 general elections. Therefore, anybody or group working against change in the present dispensation is seen and treated as an enemy of the Nigerians. When eventually providence helped Saraki to emerge the President of the Senate on June 9, it was the expectations of Nigerians that Lawan might at least, be allowed to take the majority leader slot. But that was not to be. The Saraki Senate Presidency support group, the Like Minds Senators, coordinated by Senator Dino Melaye from Kogi State, went all out for “the winner takes all” mission. So, rather than consider Lawan for the position, they vowed that he would get nothing, and actualised it. It was like a joke, when on June 20, senators loyal to the President of the Senate addressed a press conference in Abuja and vowed to resist moves by Tinubu and other party leaders to impose Lawan and Akume as the Senate Leader and deputy respectively. Senators Ahmed Sani Yerima and Goje, while speaking with journalists warned that plans by the leadership of the APC to fill the four principal officers positions with ranking members of

the Senate Unity Forum was totally unacceptable and would be vehemently resisted by the Like Minds Senators. Before then, the APC leadership has been working out an arrangement which would facilitate the emergence of Lawan as the Senate Leader and Akume as his deputy as a compensation for losing the Senate Presidency and the Deputy Senate Presidency seats to Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The pro-Lawan group, which has the backing of Tinubu, was also said to have picked Prof. Olusola Adeyeye (APC, Osun) as the Chief Whip, while Senator Abu Ibrahim from Katsina State, would be his deputy. But Senators Yerima, who was the Senate Deputy Minority Leader in the 7th Senate, and Goje, a former Governor of Gombe State, insisted that the Like Minds Senators would resist imposition of principal officers on the Chamber. Yerima said that the filling of the four principal offices was the exclusive rights of the zonal caucuses in the Senate, and therefore, condemned the encroachment of external forces in the matter. He unequivocally stated that the move by the APC leadership was illegal, He said: “There can never be imposition of candidates on the Chamber by the party leadership. As far as I’m concerned, the party cannot impose leadership on us. It is unconstitutional and against the rules of the Senate. The Senate Majority Leader, Deputy Majority Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip were elected by their zonal caucuses in the Seventh Senate and the case of the Eighth Senate cannot be different. The best thing the party can do, given the circumstances, is to give us directives. Any attempt to impose will be resisted and this will further divide the party.” He also said that the party must follow due process and that the Senate Presidency of Senator Bukola Saraki was committed to protecting the interests of President Muhammadu Buhari. He said: “We should follow due CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

Goje

Akume

MORE STORIES ON pageS 40-43

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion

As Attahiru Jega bows out

Adewale Kupoluyi

s the five-year tenure of the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega alongside six other national commissioners, comes to an end, the INEC boss may not stage a come-back having declared on several occasions that he had no interest in seeking re-appointment. Jega was in 2010 appointed the INEC chairman by former President Goodluck Jonathan to take over from Professor Maurice Iwu, another university don, who conducted the election that brought in President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2007. That election, which ushered Yar’Adua into office, was widely criticised as falling short of acceptable international standards. To that effect, late President Yar’Adua, in a rare display of candour, admitted that the process that brought him into power was truly ‘flawed’, culminating into the Mohammed Uwais Electoral Reforms Committee that was put in place to fashion-out how to turn around the electoral system of the country. The conduct of this year’s general elections became a watershed as many observers both from within and outside the country saw it as a deciding factor in bringing about the desired peace and continued corporate existence of the nation. Before now, notable international think-tank such as the United States Fund for Peace had predicted that the country was going to disintegrate come 2015. The way and manner the two main political parties; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) went about their campaigns added to the level of apprehension such that the parties accused each other of engaging in hate speeches. At the end, their presidential aspirants were made to sign an undertaking to ensure peace before, during and after the polls. The Jega-led INEC would be remembered for good in a number of ways. In what many observers have described as the greatest innovation by the electoral body, the introduction of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and the Card Reader Machine (CRM) for the verification and accreditation of voters has no doubt

stamped credibility into our electoral process. From the outset, INEC under Jega, had carried along all the registered political parties on the need to appreciate the importance of the use of the high-tech devices in minimising the incidence of malpractices. Inspite of the pressure mounted against INEC to drop the idea, it is on record that the adoption of PVCs eventually made it absolutely difficult for intending voters to use the cards that were not theirs. Not only was the introduction of the card rendered useless but the prevalence of buying-off of voter cards by desperate politicians. To further discredit the process, the use of PVC and card readers was even described as electronic voting that was not permitted under the Electoral Act. Despite the encouraging performance by INEC, there are some areas where the incoming helmsman would need to improve on. To begin with, INEC would need to carry out more sustained voter education and enlightenment of the electorate so as to know what is expected of them during general elections. Lack of adequate awareness was largely blamed for the demonstration that initially trailed the use of the card readers in the 12 states of the federation, following the postponement of the presidential poll. There were also reported cases of voters not knowing where to thumbprint, a factor that could have been largely responsible for the prevalence of void votes. This should be looked into by the incoming chairman. Another area that needs improvement, based on the outcome of the general elections is in the logistics as electoral materials were still reported to have arrived many polling units late and in some other places, voting materials reportedly got to the voting points too late when the accreditation of voters should have ordinarily ended. INEC staff were found deficient in operating some of the machines, hence suggesting the urgent need to embark on the thorough training of its staff ahead of the pending tasks. The use of the “incident forms” during the elections had allegedly led to large-scale rigging. It was a major factor too in the inconclusive outcome of the governorship and state assembly polls in some states like Taraba and Imo. Another anomaly INEC has to correct is the hap-

hazard distribution of PVCs which was done in a manner that was said to have disefranchised many voters. The PVCs have come to stay as part of our electoral process. The daunting challenge before INEC still has to do with the numerous electoral litigation involving the commission even though the umpire had shouted it loud and clear that it does not have such financial base and time to prosecute these offenders, hence the justification for the establishment of the electoral offences tribunal. So far, little has been done in that regard. Furthermore, the new INEC boss should work hard to ensure that those cases are cleared while the commission should really be independent, as obtainable in other progressive democracies. It should be made to draw its funds directly from the first-line of charge, instead of the present practice where it gets its finance from the Executive, which many people believe could further expose it to undue manipulation by the government in power. Also, the new helmsman needs to review the remuneration of its regular staff and the ad-hoc staff that would be used in future elections. Even after the last polls, many officials of INEC were said to have embarked on demonstration and protests, urging the commission to pay them the approved stipends. The relative success recorded by Jega would forever be appreciated and this goes on to say that his successor should be able to do more to raise the bar of excellence. The new INEC boss should be a man or woman who truly sees himself or herself as a Nigerian in truth and reality. He should be principled, firm, apolitical and indeed ready to work for the entire country without any fear or favour. The man for the job, just like Jega, should be passionate, mature, intelligent and be ready to contribute his/her quota to the growth of the entire electoral system by not secretly working for any politician or political party at the detriment of others. He should be ready to take the welfare of the staff more seriously. • Kupoluyi writes from Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), adewalekupoluyi@yahoo.co.uk, @AdewaleKupoluyi, adewalekupoluyi.blogspot.com

Saraki, Dogara: The rebirth of ‘New PDP’ Ndubuisi Ugah

o doubt, the high-wire politics and horse trading that characterised the June 9 inauguration and election of the National Assembly leadership, which saw the emergence of Dr. Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara as Senate President and House of Representatives’ Speaker respectively readily spoke volume of what to expect in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC). Perhaps, this political trajectory may have informed the late former South African president, Dr. Nelson Mandela, to enthuse inter alia: “When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.” To say that Mandela had Saraki and Dogara in mind when he made the assertion would be to say the least obvious. However, the build up to Saraki and Dogara’s emergence was not without the usual historical razzmatazz. For instance, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had indicated that it was going for the jugular ahead of the election when on June 8 its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, announced that

it had adopted Saraki and Dogara for the two positions. The decision, it was gathered, is a manifestation of a development once foretold but which was equally an eloquent testimony to the veracity of that ageless axiom: history has a way of repeating itself. But with the benefit of hindsight, Saraki and Dogara may not have emerged if the precedent of June 2011 had not come to pass. The then ruling PDP had zoned the speakership to the South-West. But Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, now governor of Sokoto State, had other ideas. Relying on the opposition then, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which did not want the PDP to have any foothold in the South-West through any high ranking public figure, Tambuwal went against the directive of his party. He not only emerged speaker, he also romanced the opposition throughout his reign. That was the most audacious challenge to the PDP since its creation in 1998. This perhaps explains why a game of high stakes fast-forwarded to 48 months later and the same scenario seemed to have played out itself. But this time, the stakes are higher and the players are veterans in the game of political subterfuge. APC chieftain, Bola Tinubu, Saraki, Ahmad Lawan, George Akume,

were the principal actors. In the build up to the “palace coup”, the ruling APC had made it clear that the official candidate was Lawan. But Saraki would not accede to that. A “primary” election had produced, expectedly, Lawan, but Saraki’s supporters under the aegis of “Senators of Like Minds”, had kicked against it, claiming that the mock election was arranged to favour Lawan. Despite this, they vowed that their candidate (Saraki) would contest nonetheless. With the 51 pro-Lawan senators absent, Saraki emerged senate president with 57 votes. Since simple majority was needed to win, Saraki carried the day. The real issue then was not the emergence of Saraki but the seeming rebirth of the “PDP and the decimation of Tinubu’s influence”. Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the last deputy senate president, still a PDP member, was nominated as Saraki’s deputy and he was also returned. To tame the APC leader, the victories of Saraki and Dogara were a major blow to Tinubu whose influence in the APC was obviously rankling many leaders of the party and ruffling not a few feathers. First, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Tinubu’s choice, had emerged as Buhari’s running mate after Tinubu himself failed to clinch the ticket even when it was an open secret that the candidacy of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila for speaker was

spearheaded by Tinubu. It was also gathered he was the man behind the Lawan project for the senate presidency, even though Buhari’s name was frequently mentioned as the prime mover. If Lawan and Gbajabiamila had won, Tinubu would have helped produce the vice-president, senate president as well as the speaker. But with the PDP being instrumental to Saraki and Dogara’s emergence, the PDP may have marked its rebirth as it had now tested its strength in the new dispensation. It is expected that APC will try to squeeze out Saraki and Dogara – given the statement issued by the party kicking against their election. But since at least two-thirds majority was needed to impeach the senate president or speaker, it would always be difficult to achieve. Analysts have argued that as long as the PDP lawmakers remain behind Saraki and Dogara, all they needed to do was to preserve his own camp within the APC. If APC does not play the game better, they may end up pushing Saraki and Dogara and their camps out and that could give PDP back the majority in both chambers. The highlight of PDP’s rebirth is against all odds, the party is retaining the senate deputy president slot through Ekweremadu. •Ugah is a member of Staff, New Telegraph

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

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Anambra protests and security implications

n Saturday June 27, 2015, protests broke out in some cities in Anambra State over alleged plans by the Nigerian Prisons Service to transfer Boko Haram prisoners from the North to Ekwulobia Prison. The rumour stirred anger in the populace and led to simultaneous street protests in Onitsha, Nkpor, Nnewi and Ekwulobia. For much of the day, business activities were grounded as angry protesters marched around with placards bearing various inscriptions. Even attempts by security agents to disperse the crowd were not quite successful as the protesters seized major roads and disrupted intra and inter-state travellers. As it was widely reported in the media, the protests were sparked by unsubstantiated rumours about the alleged relocation plan. There was no record anywhere that the NPS or the security agencies were planning such a relocation of prisoners. Usually, the movement of prisoners, especially dangerous ones, is a guarded secret. The prison authorities may inform family members of the convicts of such movements. As the spokesperson for the NPS, Mr. Francis Nobore, explained to Sunday Telegraph, the prisons service does not transfer suspects awaiting trial from one penitentiary to another because they must be held within the

jurisdiction of the courts where they are being tried. Therefore, it was surprising how a rumour on such a sensitive issue broke out. It is even inconceivable that the NPS would have publicised the relocation of convicts. In a press statement, Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, was quoted as saying that when he got wind of a plan to relocate such high-risk prisoners to the state, he took it up at the highest level and was given assurances that the matter would be looked into. Perhaps, it might be useful to publish some excerpts from the statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, James Eze. In explaining how he responded to the development, Obiano said he made some facts available to the relevant authorities on why he and the people of the state were opposed to the relocation. “That Anambra has been one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria in the past one year under his watch and that the arrival of these radical elements in any part of the state would disrupt this peace and lead to a new regime of a different kind of fear in the state. “That Ekwulobia Prisons is not a Maximum Security Prison. It is therefore not suitable as holding place for convicted terrorists. Global experiences show that terrorists and terror suspects are kept in strongly fortified and isolated places. A

good example is the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp where the US keeps high-risk terror suspects and convicts which is a military facility, located away from the people. Ekwulobia Prisons does not fit into this category of detention facilities. “That Ekwulobia Prisons has a capacity to hold 85 inmates. At the moment, there are 135 inmates in the prison. Therefore, there is no space for new prisoners. The acute shortage of space presents a high possibility for the radicalization of other inmates by the Boko Haram convicts. “Governor Obiano’s efforts to establish this understanding and achieve a speedy and peaceful resolution of the matter went to the highest authorities. He was given assurances that the matter would be looked into with a view to resolving it with dispatch. “With these assurances he worked assiduously to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order during the peaceful demonstration staged by traders across the state on Saturday, June 27, 2015 against the relocation of the inmates. Since the demonstration, Governor Obiano has continued to engage the relevant authorities on behalf of Ndi Anambra to ensure an amicable resolution of the issue. Given the governor’s account, it means that the issue leaked to the public at a certain stage and

sparked the protests. That such a sensitive matter was leaked to the public shows a level of insensitivity to the public mood and a seeming disregard for the protection of high-level security matters by whoever may have done so. Governor Obiano is a state chief executive who does not toy with security matters, given his total war against kidnappers and other kinds of criminal elements. The state government would need to investigate the incident, with a view to ensuring that such does not occur again. The relevant authorities should also consider the governor’s explanations and ensure that the people of the state are not exposed to danger with the relocation of such high-risk prisoners to a facility that is meant to hold a few prisoners. Government may have to consider upgrading prisons in different parts of the country so they can have the capacity to hold high-risk convicts. But such upgrading should put into consideration points raised by Governor Obiano. This will demonstrate that the relevant authorities consider the safety and security of the people in taking sensitive decisions for the nation. Above all, there is the need for Nigerians to cross-check information issuing from unofficial sources in order to avoid being used by mischievous elements to breach the peace.

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Arts

Book Review

In Our Minds, celebrating Arisekola

he book,“Arisekola in Our Minds; A Compendium of Tributes” compiled and edited by Prof. Rashid Aderinoye, of University of Ibadan, is a collection of documented as well as published articles and tributes on the late Alhaji Abdul Azeez Akanmu Arisekola Alao, the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland. Although, it is a publication with articles and tributes on the subject (Aare), it is however, more of a “Collection” on the personality of the subject which is intended to immortalise as well as celebrate the ‘life and times’ of an ‘Internationally acclaimed good man ’who departed this world on Wednesday, 18th June, 2014 in London. The introductory part of the book i.e. the “Front Matter” covers 17 pages in roman numerals which includes the foreword by the Aare Alaasa Olubadan of Ibadan, OloyeLekan Alabi, the preface by the Editor and other ancillary contents. The 202 paged book, published in March 2015; barely a year after the demise of Aare, is indeed a beauty to behold which probably gives credence to the fruitful and beautiful life that the Aare lived. The entire contents which include relevant and appropriate pictures add up to 195 pages of 11 sections with 82 articles being an editorial and publications from Tribune Newspapers, 38 from the Nation, 8 from the Sun, 6 from the Punch, 2 from This Day, 2 from Village Fortune, 1 each from the Guardian and Vanguard Newspapers, while 14 were compiled from the Condolence Register and other sources such as letters sent to the deceased. The sectionalisation of the Compendium with different titles as well as relevant, rich and exquisite pictorial references added value to the book and further justifies its being “A Compendium”. Pages 1-75 of the book contains articles from the following individuals, Femi Abbas, Ladi Williams, Chief Ebene-

TONY OKUYEME Arts Editor tony.okuyeme@newtelegraphonline.com

Book title: Arisekola In Our Minds: A Compedium of Tributes Editors: Rashid Aderinoye Pages: 202 Year: 2015 Reviewer: Abdur-Rahman Aderinoye zer Babatope, Ayinla Mukaila, Imam, Alhaji Abdul Razak Akuru, Dr. Taiye Ayorinde (Baale of Ekotedo), Oloye Lekan Alabi, Prof. D.O.S Noibi, late Chief Imam of Ibadan, Chief Imam Busairi. There are also articles by columnists Tunde Fagbenle, Paul Omorogbe and Jimoh Mumini. Pages 77-84 could best be described as Presidential Tributes of the Compendium as five former Heads of State and Presidents, namely, Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Shagari, Gen, Ibragim Babangida, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, and Dr Goodluck Johnathan, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and President Muhammadu Buhari, described the late Aare as a good man who lived for the benefit of others and would be sorely missed. Pages 85 to 102 cover tributes from Military to civilian and Deputy Governors published in different newspapers. They include, Governors Tunji Olurin, Amien Oyakhire, Omololu Olunloyo, Rashidi Ladoja, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Alao Akala,Kayode Fayemi, Gbenga Daniel, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu,Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola,Senator Isiaka Adeleke,Muazu Babangida Aliyu,Ibikunle Amosun,Olusegun Mimiko, Alhaji Fatai Ahmed, Babatunde Fashola,Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Senator Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi. Deputy Governors include Hazeem Gbolarumi and Chief Moses Adeyemo, both of Oyo state. The fourth section of the Book which captures tributes from Royal Fathers and Religious Leaders on pages 103-116 include those of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba (Dr.) Samuel OsundiranOdulanaOdugade I; The Sultan of Sokoto His Eminence Sulatan Abubakar Saadu, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba LamidiAdeyemi III, the Soun of Ogbomosho, Oba OladunniOyewumiAjagungbade III; the Oyo Traditional Council (Oyo Mesi); the Iyalode of Yorubaland, Chief Alaba Lawson; traditional rulers from Okeogun and Ibarapa areas of Oyo State; Prelate emeritus, Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr. Sunday Ola Makinde; the National Missioner of Ansar-ud-deen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh

Abdur-Rahman Ahmad, the Aare Musulumi of Ibarapaland, AlhajiSanusi Mustapha, Ojolowo; the Chairman Oyo State Pilgrims Welfare Board (Muslim wing), AlhajiTaofeekAkeugbagold; and the leader of Anglican Church of Nigeria, Ekiti Province, Rev. (Dr.) R.A Adetiloye. Politicians were not left out as their tributes spread over Pages 117-132. They include those of Senate President, Senator David Mark, Speaker House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Chief OlajumokeAkinjide, Senator MusiliuObanikoro, Ambassador TaofeekArapaja , Hon. Monsurat Sunmonu, Mr.RemiBabalola, Senators TeslimFolarin, Olufemi Lanlehin, Hosea Agboola, IyiolaOmisore and Rasheed Olasunkanmi Akinlabi. Others include, Seyi Makinde, Muhammad Dele Belgore (SAN), Alhaji Abdul Jelili Adesiyan, , Hon. Segun Olulade, The various Islamic organisations tributes are captured on pages 133-140, these include the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) to which he was the Vice President, Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) through its Secretary General and National Coordinator, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, The Oyo State Muslim Community via its Chairman, Alhaji Ishaq Kunle Sanni, Obafemi Awolowo University Muslim Graduates Association (UNIFEMGA),The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Prof. Ishaq Akintola, the founder of Daru Dawah Islamic Centre, Sheikh Mustapha Zuglool, Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MMPN), Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Jama’atuNasru-l-Islam (JNI), Nawair-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, The Companion, Al-Muminaat Organisation, Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Ansar-udDeen Society of Nigeria (AUD/ ASN) and National Council of Muslim Youths Organisation (NACOMYO) and the University of Ibadan Muslim Graduates Association. Family and Friends could be found from pages 141-162. Some of them include, Pa Jenrola, the Mogaji Arisekola

at the Ita-Baale family house, Oba-Otudeko Alhaji Yekini Adeojo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyawu, Chief Harry Akande, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Folorunsho Adewole, the Pioneer Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Justice Mustapha Akanbi, Evangelist Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) Joseph O. Sanusi, Prof. A.O Popoola of the Faculty of Law, O.A.U, IleIfe, Ambassador Roland Ola Omorua, Nigerian Embassy, Bangui CAR, Pastor (Dr.) J.A Adeniji, S.D.A Conference, Oke-Bola, Ibadan A section of the compendium contains those who could be described as beneficiaries as they all described him as a father to all as we can find from pages 163-167.. These include Yinka Ayefele, Hafeez Adeaga, Rashidat Ogundele, IyaboYisa and BashiruAyinla all acknowledged that Aare was more of a father to them whom God has made a pillar of success in their lives. Pages 169.184 contained Tributary Messages. These are mainly advertorials in National Dailies which

opened with what could be described as a poetic ode with the title “Good Night, Aare” written by Governor Ajimobi of Oyo State and his wife. Last of the tributary messages/advertorials on page 184 announcing the demise of Aare is a list (36) of Aare’s Children. Arisekola at 70 a Posthumous birthday write up on Aaare was last part of the Compendium on pages 185195 authored by Oloye ‘Lekan Alabi and Ayo Akinyemi published in both the Nation Newspaper (Saturday, 14th February, 2015) and 14th February, 2015 on page 34 of Saturday Tribune. In concluding this review, efforts of the editor and all those involved, directly or indirectly in the compilation of this compendium are worthy of commendation considering the speed at which the book was published. Aaare was mirrored in this Compendium as a special envoy of God to bring smiles to the faces of those that came across him. He came, doggedly ran his race, faithfully delivered on the errand his creator sent and left in a blaze of glory”.

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

The Mega City ...EXCLUSIVE LAGOS MAGAZINE

LIFE IN THE CITY

MY CITY, MY WORLD

See where your ‘protectors’ live

Lagos must afford equal rights – Sariki 27

Ilaje-Bariga water front

A metropolis’ eyesore Several months after a recent fire outbreak which engulfed close to 50 houses, the residents of Ilaje-Bariga waterside have been rendered homeless and are still counting their loses, report Ruth Okocha and Ifeoluwa Idowu

ome now live under the third mainland bridge behind the University Of Lagos State, close to the Makoko settlement. They erect house like structures using sticks and polythene bag just to lay their heads at night. Around this tents are canoes used for mobilization into town in search of food and a means of movement for their businesses. The fire outbreak which had been caused by a single lighted candle made the residents decided to create land, directly above water. There are heaps and hills of refuse; sachets of

OLUWATOSIN OMONIYI CITY Editor

tosin.omoniyi@newtelegraphonline.com

used goods, planks and logs of wood. And it is these waste that the community made good use of to create land for themselves. They were able to make another make-shift apartment for themselves. Most of the houses in the settlement are made from plywood, cement sack, planks and bamboo constructively joined together and given a roof with corrugated roofing sheets. Most of these houses also have their toilet/bathroom as out-houses built directly above the Lagoon. The ground has a foamy feel under the feet. There are however a few brick houses built in the popular face-me style well known to Lagosians. The out houses, the dirty almost nonexistent streets, the poorly constructed houses and murky waters of the area tell a tale of poverty. There are some residents of the community who live directly under the third mainland bridge(i.e.on the water). They have shacks built out of logs of wood and sacks, the houses have no roof as they are

We are mostly affected by malaria parasite

protected by the bridge. The residents of these shacks defecate into the lagoon. For those living above the lagoon, their toilets and bathrooms are made of wooden planks and polythene bags, their bathing waters and excreta flows back into the lagoon, as there is no water system or pit toilet in the community. Though surrounded by water, they still lack safe drinking water; they rely on pure water or bottle water for consumption. They are mostly affected by malaria parasite due to their unclean environment; On the streets of this town are poles meant to generate electricity but in years they have neither seen a gleams of power supply nor even a solar light which is all over the street of Lagos. According to the residents who spoke to New Telegraph, they are given bills and they paid heavily to ensure those poles are put off, but their effort to modernise their community failed. Judging from everything around these people, it’s evi-

dent enough to conclude that they are more or less still living in the stone age. And one can rightly point out that the state government does not recognise their existence. During rainy season, it is most terrible for them as their make-shift houses or shanties get drenched, for the a-bit lucky ones, they roof leaks. According to Michael Mayowa, a youth within the slum, the settlement gets flooded for at least three consecutive months every year. He explained that although the flood gets into the streets, and even to the entrances of the houses but it never enters into the rooms. The water and the people have such respect for each other. He explained that the area gets flooded more whenever the dam gets opened. “The Ilaje-Bariga is a part of Lagos that is grossly underdeveloped, reeks of poverty and isolation,” he said. Speaking with Olounwa Abeke, a resident of the community but an indigene of Warri, CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

Life | Mega City

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

A long wait for good health Nowadays, the state of patients’ health in most government hospitals in Lagos and in the country at large, seem no longer a premium. It is a situation, many have, rightly or wrongly, concluded as a menacing death sentence to ailing citizens. EZURIKE UGOCHUKWU reports.

atients in excruciating pains wait for hours to be attended to by doctors. Many are subjected to rescheduling of appointments for treatment, check-ups and laboratory tests which takes months to be done and for the results to come out. By which time, ailing patients may have died in the process of investigating the course of sickness or disease, thereby, making the whole essence of going to the hospital to get healed or sound mind lost. Blessing, a third year undergraduate of Economics at the University of Benin, Edo State, recently, developed toothache. She tried getting medical attention from the school clinic. It wasn’t so well equipped for her kind of ailment. She was advised to travel down to Lagos for proper medical care. Her panicky parents, on seeing Blessing with a swollen mouth, wasted no time in arranging for her to visit the Lagos General Hospital. With the help of her elder sister, Ruth, she went through a rigorous routine process of obtaining an admission card for N500. A process which could eat much into ones time, according to Ruth, it’s attributed to the number of patients at the hospital, and at times, it could be bureaucratic bottle-necks inherent with government establishments. Having concluded the documentations, a doctor was assigned to Blessing. Ruth led her sister, who was agonizing in serious pains to meet with the doctor. In their hearts, they heaved a sigh of relieve that she will now get that attention and relief that had eluded her for days. After a series of interviews by the doctor, the doctor instructed Blessing to repeat a visit in a months’ time. The situation startled the sister Ruth, who cried, kicked and wondered why her sister in severe pains and a student who left her school with a strong belief of getting a better and a quicker medical attention, could now be asked to wait till a month before treatment could

Entrance to Alimosho General Hospital

Patients waiting at a health care centre

commence on her. It was not until Ruth had cried so loud, a cry that attracted people’s attention. Then, the doctor called them back and rescheduled their appointment to two days and prescribed some drugs for Blessing. In the face of the unfolding drama, Ruth by extension, her ailing sister Blessing were not happy even with the new development. They had the belief that she will be attended to as soon as they get to the hospital going by the pitiable state of her look. At this point, Ruth exploded, “I can now see why most people would vow to stay at home and die, rather than going to a government hospital.” Dupe Afolayan, a musician and writer had a bone stuck to her throat one afternoon when

The sector is greatly underfunded Govt has failed to provide for trainings

eating. She thought it was a normal type of bone stuck that would go down with a thick morsel of garri that she was eating. But the bone didn’t go down. She struggled with her throat to see if it would come out but it remained stubborn. Shortly after, she started spitting out blood from her mouth. People around her rushed her to the emergency ward of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH. According to her, it took her approximately three hours before she was made to see the doctor. “I had to do something drastic which attracted attention to me. Because I was in serious pains, I started spitting on the floor and eventually threw myself to the floor. That was when they rushed to me and took me in. Upon all that, the doctor only gave a small piece of paper to take back to the nurses at the front desk. On getting there, I was asked to wait for another 30minutes before they referred me to the X-ray room,” she narrated. At the X-ray room, Dupe said she still waited another one hour before her turn because she met a lot of people there. At the end of the X-ray, she said all the doctor told her was to come back the following month. By then, her husband had come to meet her at the hospital. So, he joined her in protesting vehemently. “We told him to help remove the bones first before coming back, the following month. He made to

walk out on us. We blocked his way and started arguing with him,” she said. While this little drama was going on, a miracle happened. The stubborn bone dropped into her mouth and she spat it onto the doctor’s legs. “That was how I escaped the sudden death LASUTH doctor wanted to subject me to,” she said. The two cases above are just minor out of millions of cases of neglects to the plight of sick patients by doctors and hospital staff in government hospitals. One wonders why this type of attitude is never experienced in private hospitals. Regardless of the number of patients some private hospitals have to contend with, hardly will a patient visit them without prompt attention being given unless the patient hasn’t the money to pay for the initial deposit. Mr. Idowu Favour has been taking his aged mother who is on a wheel chair to the Igando General Hospital in the last four months. According to him, it took the hospital three months before confirmation for surgery on her knee could be recommended. “It’s a month and half now since surgery was recommended for my mum to correct an abnormally on her knee. Since then till now, no week passes without our visiting this hospital. Rather than carry out the surgery on her, they subject me into carrying her down to this hospital every now and then. If you look CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

Life | In The City

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

Patients in painful wait at a health care centre CONTINUED FRO M PAG E 22

at my mum, she is going down daily. They want me to deride God? It’s not possible. A healthy man does not know what God has done for him especially our health system here that handles human life with laxity. Sometimes, you get to the hospital, they will recommend only analgesic for you; some days, they will not. Even if the patient dies out of their negligence, nobody queries them; it will only be ascribed to the will of God,” he lamented. Mrs. Grace Olonitola, who brought her children for routine check-up at the Igando General Hospital, said the issue of long waiting in government hospitals are long general practice in the country, not Lagos alone. “General hospitals and even health centres are synonymous with long waiting all over the country; it’s not a Lagos issue. Many people come here not only because

Patience seeking attention in a hospital

Waiting for good health of the moderate cost, because they have equipment and qualified doctors. The challenge is that we have few doctors to attend to the numerous patients in the hospital. Some people come as early as 5.am while some people come at nights. The teaching hospitals are the worst. If you go there, you will see people dying while in emergency wards. There are too many emergencies. For me, I have favour. I don’t waste time whenever I come here.” She concluded. She added that the notice boards strategically placed in the hospital, telling people to call the phone numbers written on them when they are not satisfied, that the phone numbers hardly go through. They always report ‘switched off.’ A doctor in one of the general hospitals in the city said the challenge they have is that patients

compound problems for the system. They hardly comply with prescriptions; that they undermine the directive of doctors. “There are certain diseases that need monthly attention and observation. Such viral infections like hypertension, diabetes, among others, long appointment times are given to review drugs and monitor the patient’s health. Most times, when people are given or prescribed for, drugs they already know, they think the doctor has not given them adequate attention. You see them grumbling. They will tell any person that tries to inquire from them, that they were not given any treatment, only they were asked to repeat in two weeks or a month’s time. Nigerians are good at analyzing issues more than a professional; that’s our problem.” He said.

A doctor at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, who spoke anonymously said, “Though the number of patients that visit are too many, which is a contributory factor to longer appointment days for some sicknesses, some sicknesses, such long time is normal. It creates latitude of time to monitor the disease as the patient is placed on a certain medication. However, its worthy of note that because many people resort to selfmedication/prescription, they feel alienated when they come to the hospital, and after the doctors examination, eventually the doctor gives them the same type of drug they know or same drug they have been taking. The patient or their relations will not understand they have been abusing the drug, which could account to why it hasn’t been efficacious on them. When they go out, they will be announcing to people; that they were asked to go and come back in so, so and so time without any medication administered on them. “He said. Tope Ojo, chairman Lagos state chapter of the Nigerian medical association said, the predicaments of the health sector are pitiable. “The sector is greatly underfunded in structures and personnel. Government has failed to provide for trainings. The resultant effect of underfunding is the long queues and longer months of revisit. A situation where 10 doctors are to attend to 1000 patients, they are bound to give patients appointment base on the number of the people and hour of time they (doctors) have. Doctors are not motivated. There are so many allowances owed doctors and other health workers. Many of our doctors have relocated to the middle east on account of this.” He said.

Life | Mega City

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

Delta State complained about the lack of basic amenities in the community; “We don’t have light, we don’t have water for cooking and good drinkable water. We survive on sachets water which we purchase at expensive rates.” He said. The residents also groan under the outrageous rent they pay for their wooden houses. Mr. Olounwa Abeke complained bitterly about the rents and the extortion that comes with it. “We rent wooden houses at N2000 per month, while block-built houses of one bedroom cost N130,000 annually. You can imagine that! And they don’t allow you pay for a year, they ask for two years upfront. They also ask that you pay for agreement which is N40,000. We are also asked to pay Tenement rate, Land use charges, and we also pay taxes. Yet, we don’t enjoy government’s solid attention. We are not asking that the state government should come and demolish our settlement. We are very comfortable here. We are just asking for a sophisticated lift and drinkable water, we need light, we need jobs, just like an average Lagosian. Elias Aletile, a Congolese, but he has stayed for decades in Lagos. A sand supplier by profession and employer of labour told New Telegraph that, “there is no electricity here, though we pay our bills, we still lack electricity. Our living condition here is terrible. People who live here are more because they have no choice and rents are high in Lagos. We rely on cart pushers to buy consumable water, no provision of government at all for us,” he said. He added that there are no good health care units in the town; they only have a small health center which is not in perfect condition. It is not equipped at all, emergency cases are mobilised to other hospitals outside this community. He pleaded with the Lagos state government to provide a good health care unit for the people for longevity. Yusuf Adebola, another youth of the community, said, “we need employment here, the youths here do menial jobs and we earn small. If the government can employ our youths, they will bring development to the community. Also we need good drainages here, sometimes the water overflows into our gutter, especially during rainy season, it stays that way for three month breeding mosquitoes and other disease carrying insects, which is why there is serious malaria outbreak here.” Meanwhile, New Telegraph observed that several children of school age were rather seen running around the slum, some were busy fishing, hawking and smoking fishing. Their parents too were either busy preparing the fishes, or weaving baskets and mats. Some of the parents explained that they could not afford to send their children to school; hence, they sent them to learn craft otherwise called handiwork. According to a crosssection of the parents, majority of them who also could not afford to pay the apprenticeship fees, encourage their children to go into fishing as that requires less skill and money. And those who are lucky go into wage-paying job. Asides fishing, weaving of mats, baskets and sale of sand, the IlajeBariga people also build and mend

A shack under the bridge

canoes. However, as much as these community people denied the presence of government within them, there was a smoke fishing centre built by Lagos State government for the residents of the community, in order to make fish smoking easier, also to create a favorable arena for large scale sales of fish. The building, called ‘Better Life’ by the people has become a general market place. They explained that the Lagos state government had told them that the third mainland bridge would be a hindrance to big ships and vessels, therefore, the large scale export of fish could not be realised. The bridge had blocked the pathway to the community. They maintain law and order by their own local means known as OPMESA, a security operative. According to Mr. John Megbuwawon, a resident said the security operative became necessary because hoodlums who reside in the community became bundle of nuisance and a pain in the neck. He said they have no police station within the area. The closet to the community according to him is at Bariga, some distance away from them. They however pleaded to the State government not to forget them in this new dispensation. They asked for government support in terms of education, Primary Health Centre within their community. They also asked for mosquito nets to prevent malaria parasites generated by incessant mosquito bites. They also pleaded with the state government to support their fishing career by making that project possible for the betterment of the community.

A life in the slum

We don’t want government to come demolish our settlement

A woman washing her hand in water

Houses surrounded by garbage

Life | In The City

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

See where your ‘protectors’ live It is supposed to be the abode of one of the most important security arms of the nation. But as ELIJAH SAMUEL found out, some police barracks in the state are not even good enough as hideout for criminals. They are begging for repairs

or all their service and sacrifices to their father’s land, it is only agreeable that the men and women of the Nigeria Police deserve all the best treatment that government could offer. That is to enable them be comfortable and encouraged to be more dedicated in their patriotic endeavours. But many, it seems, are the afflictions of the Nigeria Police. Apart from their unimpressive welfare packages, decent accommodation remains a nagging challenge to them as most of their barracks in Lagos State are in lamentable condition. Although it is always conspicuously noticeable, the deteriorative state of the police barracks across the country was brought to the fore in 2014 when Lagosbased Channels Television station did a report that exposed the deplorable and horrible living condition at the Lagos Police College’s barracks. The story ultimately made the government to carry out massive renovations of the buildings in the college. It was then only expected that the touch of renovation would be extended to other barracks in the state. But a year after, hosts of other barracks are still in condition only fit to be qualified as deplorable and in utter disrepair. On New Telegraph’s visit to the Isolo Divisional Police Barracks, from the entrance, an air of dilapidation immediately hits one’s consciousness. The expansive compound, which is bordered around on its fence by a pack of shops has four residential blocks of mini-flat apartments. Apart from the weather-beaten appearance of the buildings, the cracks and open holes on some parts of the walls show the possibility of distress. Apparently, the residential structures, which obviously had been built a long time ago, need attention to ascertain its safety level. A police sergeant who resides at Okota Police Barracks, but spoke on condition of anonymity to New Telegraph, revealed that the sanitary condition of not a few barracks in the state is hygienically detestable. “If you visit most of the barracks where we have our accommodation, you will have pity when you see the way people live. Apart from the fact that barracks are apartments meant for the public servants, they (barracks) are not well maintained by those responsible for their maintenance. I can tell you that most of us that are taking accommodation inside the barracks are doing so because it is our last resort. With our salary, we can’t afford to pay for decent accommodation; the rent fees taken by most landlords in many areas in the metropolis are unreasonable. As it is, it is about the only affordable accommodation that we can get. So many things are really not right, but we can only manage.” Further assessment visit made

The derelict Itire Police Barracks

to Itire Police Barracks also reenacted the abandonment and deplorable sanitary condition which have become common features for which most barracks are now known with. Although the compound is not as wide as most other barracks, the three blocks of apartments domiciled within the compound are no more than shanties. With parts of their ceilings fallen off, the compound littered with dirt; broken slabs and drainage channels; weak walls and damaged entrance gate, the barrack, like many others, needs a kind of redevelopment which the police will find befitting and that can accommodate more beneficiaries. Yet, a senior police officer, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, who resides at one of the Ikeja Barracks, also spoke on the basis of confidentiality as he was not in any way allowed to speak to the public on matters that affect the welfare and service condition of the Nigeria Police. Although some of the senior officers live in a relatively better accommodation, he lamented that the maintenance of their apartment is borne by the occupants despite that commensurate rental fees are being deducted from their salaries. “It is true that you find some of us in the police living in the provided accommodations in the barracks, which is what, has been provided and what we can afford. You know we also have responsibilities to cater for in the family;

It is pertinent to have government intervention for accommodations

that’s why we have to take what has been provided for us. But the condition of living in most of our barracks is deplorable and shameful. These barracks have been built a long time ago and are not adequately maintained. It is the occupants who now carry out maintenance works on their apartments as their financial capability can take them. “Again, you know we are not living in these barracks for free. Our salaries are being deducted according to what is commensurate. Therefore, the relevant authority should embark on the general upgrading, maintenance and face-lifting so that the morale of servicemen and women can be enhanced. We deserve to be given decent accommodation in a decent environment.” When compared to other divisions of the armed forces, the Nigerian Police Barracks, at least in Lagos, are the most deplorable. For instance, the

Sam Ethnan Air Force Base in Ikeja parades some of the most organized apartments not only in the state but also in the country. “Sam Ethnan Air Force Base is a beautiful and one of the most organized barracks in the state. The foundation of what you are seeing today was laid by a former base commander, late Sam Ethnan, who championed some of these physical structures, the landscaping and administrative template for the running of the base,” said an administrative officer at the base. The Lagos Police barracks need to be salvaged as soon as possible so that calamities can be prevented from occurring. It is also pertinent to have urgent intervention of government, and perhaps the private sector to provide decent and affordable accommodations, so that the psychological and sociological aspects of policing as a profession can be enhanced.

Perforrated wall of the staircase of one of the blocks at Isolo Police Barrack, Okota

Life | Mega City

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

hey were born like every other beings, they live, sleep, procreate like any other man. Sometimes, they learn, read , understand and reason better than other citizen. As members of the public, they are entitled to enjoy some of the basic infrastrures, public facilities, security, safety and other basic needs which will make life easy for them. But just because they are special creation and have one form of physical disability or the other, they found themselves in chain of societal stigma. Hence, everywhere and every day, obstacles are thrown on their paths while attempting to access public facilities. To these special people, living in the midst of their fellow human beings could even be more agonisng experience as communication, transportation and other activities that could make life rewarding and interesting are made difficult by the society. From transportation which allows movement and interactions, through health, recreations and even educational services which can make them compete effectively, people with one disability are most often discriminated against and deprived of their rights as nobody care to provide the enabling the environment for them. It is even more difficult for the physically challenged living in Lagos where every citizen has to struggle for the available facilities and resources such as roads, airports, schools. They are constantly bullied, humiliated and discriminated against as freak of nature. Speaking with New Telegraph, some of the physically challenged persons, said the state Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode should come to their aid in order to address numerous challenges confronting them. According to them, about 98 per cent of public buildings in the country such as schools, hospitals, banks, churches mosques even shop stalls are not equiped with facilities that will make them accessible to the buildings, saying that the ugly situation could be daunting. They described the lack of access ramp and other physically challenged friendly facilities in most public buildings a reflection of the attitude of the society towards the physically challenged. The Senate, had in March 2009, passed a law outlawing discrimination against people with disabilities in the society. The law also requires government and public institutions as well as individuals to provide convenient access for physically challenged persons. The law, among other things, states: “public building shall be constructed with the necessary accessibility aids such as lifts (where necessary), ramps and other facility that shall make them accessible and usable to persons with disability.” The Lagos State through the state Office for Disability Affairs, LASODA also vowed to implement its laws made specifically to cater for the needs of person with diabilities. Many considered the laws and the moves as major milestone on the rights of the physically challenged in the Nigerian so-

Bolarinwa and Salami

Making them to feel wanted lAmbode asked to include special people in agencies’ boards People with disabilities, otherwise called special people are often faced with difficulties in spite of the laws and agencies created to cater for their welfare. Writes Muritala Ayinla ciety. But like everything in Nigeria, there are no significant follow up on the implementation of the law which has fallen into disuse. This explains why most of the physically challenged were forced to become beggars to survive. They have become succumbed to every day embarrassment and discrimination at work and on the streets of Lagos. Speaking with New Telegraph, Rosary Ebere, a cripple, said on regular basis she is faced with needless embarrassment from Lagos bus conductors, saying that it is either she overlook the harassment or remain at Bus Stop endlessly. “Whenever I am the Bus Stops, both the conductor and the driver don’t aways want to carry me. When a conductor carries you, he will be touching your sensitive parts without regards. But what can I do when the goverment is not creating the enabling environment for us? There are laws, but who is implementing them?” Also speaking, Babatunde Sefiu, a visually impaired lawyer, charged Governor Ambode to include the person with disability in the composition of the

We want government to consider the physically challenged

new boards of agencies and parastatals. “We appreciate him for organising a mega rally for the physically challenged during his campaign. It showed that he appreciates and understands persons with physical disabilities needs special care and needs.The area we want him to focus on now is that person with disability should be considered for appointnts in Lagos. The Governor should look at the side of several graduates with disabilities in his newly created Ministry of Wealth Creation. There are many of our colleagues in the city looking for employment. They are constituting burden to their family. We pray the governor to create scheme where special people will be looked after in term of employment opportunities. He added that housing is major problem for the physically challenged in the state, especially those in the state’s public service, calling on the governor to establish a housing scheme that ensure shelter for the special people. According to him, “Most of us live in the out skirt of the state. For instance, those in the state public service live in Badagry, Epe and come to work in the state capital daily.

In the area of transportation, we want Governor Ambode to come out with an action committee that will be ready to liaise with persons with disability, understand their challenges and be ready to solve their problems. The person must be ready to carry them along. We want the government to consider mobility aid for the physically challenged in government. Something like a special vehicle loan should be given to the physically challenged persons working in the state civil service. “Person with physical disability is a potential employer of labour because there are certain things they need to do which they require someone to assist them to do. These services are rendered for a fee. Somebody on the wheel chair pays somebody to wheel him around. So, disability allowance could be paid to the physically challenged, it will go a long way in assisting us,” he said. Sefiu added that, “Whenever Governor Ambode wants to constitute boards on Education, Works, Healths, Physical Planning sector, he should ensure that a person with physical ability is a member of any of the board to ensure the needs of the special persons are fashioned in the policies.”

Life | In The City

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

A technology-driven Lagos

Our Expectations

Lagos must afford equal rights – Sariki Ezurike Ugochukwu Hussaini Sariki is Apinglhaji the Seriki of Alade shopmall currency market

Technology enthusiasts

Ifeoluwa Idowu

agos State, in few years has gone from just a commercial hub to a land of online transactions. Following the CBN cashless policy, Lagos State has become a cashless Lagos as most transactions are done with credit/debit cards, ATMs, POS machines or via internet or mobile banking. Also, with the increasing popularity of online sales and purchases’ websites like Jumia, Konga, OLX, among others have become centres for buying and selling. A lot of the online companies also offer free or low cost delivery around Lagos, which has made Lagosians embrace the culture better. Lagos is now technologically driven. This has significantly reduced stress for a lot of residents, who no longer have to go through endless traffic and long queues in banks to do a simple transaction. Most transactions can now be done without entering into the banking hall or going to the market. Mrs. Aina Olusosun, a bank official, said with the advent of technology and with the rowdiness and the busy nature of her job, she orders her food items online and on a day she can’t cook, she orders for pot of her choice soup from a mobile soup market. Mrs. Taiwo Akinleye, a pharmacist, attests to the convenience of online transactions. “I don’t have to enter into a banking hall to perform any transaction. I can’t even remember the last time I went into

a banking hall. As long as I have my ATM card, I’m covered. In fact, I don’t have any cash on me right now, but as long as I have my card, I know that I can do whatever I want to do. However, the major problem I have is network problem. A lot of times, after picking the things to purchase, I find out that the POS machine does not have network, or some ATMs are usually out of service a lot of times and this is as a result of network problem. I think that should be really looked into. Also, the charges for these transactions are not usually very high. Especially when it comes to NEFT or NIBBS transfer, I find that very comfortable and the charges are not high in some cases.” She enthused. Unfortunately, fraudsters have also used this medium to swindle people. There have been several complaints of websites that were set up simply to swindle people. Also ATMs have been used severally to defraud innocent users. According to Akinleye, fraud is the major reason why she does not make purchase from online markets in Lagos anymore. “I don’t buy things from online markets in Lagos. I am very sceptical when it comes to doing that. I make my purchases from the markets based abroad, but not from our domestic online markets. I have heard a lot of stories from friends who have been victims of fraud, and that has left me sceptical about domestic transactions. And there have also been situations where people have ordered

Technology is growing rapidly in Lagos, with time it becomes better

for things and when they got it, it would be different from what was advertised.” She said. Mr. Olajoju Adekunle, who is a banker in said that online banking has been very accepted in Lagos. “Online banking is very available in Lagos; its acceptability is one of the problems. Although a lot of customers accept it for its convenience and its accessibility, the system is still not being used by a lot of people. The truth is, some people prefer to come into the bank and fill forms and pick up papers. Some people still come into the bank to do transactions that can be done via the automated teller machine. It could be the level of education of people that is causing the low level of acceptance” Miss. Anuolwa Omolade, an I.T specialist commended the level at which Lagos has become technologically driven. She, however, stresses that it could be better and that the issue of network has to be looked into. “Adequate infrastructure has to be put in place in order to stop the network failure problem. Currently in Nigeria, internet technology has been highly accepted, especially in Lagos. Internet technology is being encouraged and should be further encouraged. Security problems should also be addressed because a lot of people have been defrauded. Security should be tightened because there a lots of swindlers who use the internet for dubious things. So those are the things that should be done, but I think technology is growing rapidly in Lagos and with time, it will become better.”

(Bureau de change) Allen avenue, Ikeja. He has lived well over two decades in Lagos. Sariki He assuredly said his Hausa community at the shopping mall voted for the present administration because, they believe his administration will abolish tribalism, nepotism, and inequity that have taken much toll in the running of various agencies in the state. “We campaigned and voted for Ambode. Most of us were born in Lagos; all our children are born in Lagos; we pay our statutory dues to the government like every other person if not more. But we are being discriminated against in all things. There is discrimination against our children in job opportunities, discrimination and maltreatment in the hands of some state law enforcement agents as, KAI, LATSMA and etc.. They operate and interpret laws as if there are laws for Hausa, laws for Igbo and separate laws for Yoruba.” He expressed so much concern the manner their children born here in Lagos are being asked from time to time to travel home for letters from their state which in his view negates the spirit of one country. Sariki is not happy over the activities of touts in Lagos, especially the ones at the bureau the change markets. To him, they are better called thieves. “They reap where they did not sow. It’s unhealthy for any business anytime and anywhere. People that paint other people’s business black should wait the tainting of their entire life by God.” He admonished Lagosians to desist from patronizing touts in all their transactions because its effect could be so devastating. He believes that the promises made to them by Fashola will be fulfilled by the present administration. “We are looking to a new and better Lagos for all in it, irrespective of where the person comes from so long as the person does the right thing.”He said.

More job opportunities needed – Razak Omolola Giwa or Mrs Temitayo Razak Giwa, a businesswoman, beautician, precisely, Lagos State is a small London. According to her, the first time she visited Lagos State was when she was in the university and she Razak promised herself that she was going to settle down here and she has been in the state for past 10 years now. She says that Lagos State has a lot of recreational centres for both kids and adult. “You would always see somewhere to go for fun.” She discovered that there are lots of business opportunities in Lagos; this also charmed her to want to stay in the state. As fine as Lagos is, it has its clumsy side. The transportation system for instance, is too clumsy, except you have the money to get a car or hire a taxi, then you would enjoy Lagos State. But the taxis are always expensive. If you decide to go through public transport, you would end up sweating and getting choked among people in the bus. She added that to go out in Lagos, one has to plan his movement so as to avoid the traffic snarl which is Lagos State peculiar feature. Giwa would like more secondary schools to be established for the less privileged. Not everyone can afford to send their kids to a private school. So, more schools should be provided by the government. However, Giwa prayed the state government to create more job opportunities for youths especially. Above all odds, she said Lagos is a place to be and thanks to the new government, some aspects of our lives have been made easy. Oshodi is an example. “Before the previous government, I could not think of going to Oshodi talk less of actually going but today Oshodi is my main route and I am loving it.”

The Mega City

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

MEGA CITY EVENTS Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria mushin branch held its Special Ramadan Lecture at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos

President/CEO, Standard Group of Companies, Dr. Ahmed Olaniyi Salawudeen (left) with the Guest Lecturer, Alhaji Muyideen Ajani Bello, at the event

L-R: Alhaja Ganiyat Salaudeen; Alhaja Idiat Bolanle Salami and Olori Maryam Ajoke Akindele, at the Ramadan Lecture PHOTOS: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

See Joy Foundation/Living Waters Unlimited Church, Isolo, Lagos, recently empowered the under privileged church members and nonmembers in commemoration of the first Chairman of the Foundation, Late Mrs. Christy Essien-Igbokwe

Director, Board of Trustee, See Joy Foundation, Chief Edwin Igokwe; Pastor Florence Izagbo of Living Waters Unlimited Church; Chairman, Board of Trustee, See Joy Foundation, Dr. Austin Izagbo and Director, Mr. Akin Amos. ..at the event

A cross section of beneficiaries of the Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s empowerment programme. ..at the event.

PHOTOS: GODWIN IREKHE

UPCOMING EVENTS

Digital Marketing Essentials

Organiser: RainyLemon Ltd Date: July 4, 2015 From 9:30 AM -1:30 PM Venue: Hot House 34, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria

TUITION FREE COMPUTER TRAINING Organiser: Heaven Investors Missionaries & The House of Wisdom. Date: July 4, 2015 From: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Venue: Ajah Shopping Mall Alesh Rd, Lekki, Lagos Nigeria

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

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Tougher days ahead as FG tackles MDAs

29 Money

Naira: ‘CBN’s fighting a lost battle’

The Investor

Maritime

BGL: All eyes on SEC to guarantee trapped funds

Nigerian seafarers parade fake certificates

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GSM operators’ market share hits 98.41% The market share of the players in the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology in Nigeria has further increased to 98.41 per cent, suggesting a continuous GSM players’ dominance of the country’s mobile space, New Telegraph has learnt.

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Three ships to deliver N4.5bn wheat to Nigeria, others Three vessels are to discharges some 105,000 metric tons of wheat valued at N4.51billion ($2,259,750) in July to the ports in Nigeria, Yemen and Iran.

L-R: Pro-Chancellor, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Dr. Segun Oshin; former Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Chike Ogeah and former Managing Director, NICON Insurance Plc, Sir Ogala Osoka, during the 20th anniversary celebration of Custodian and Allied Plc in Lagos. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

VERIFICATION The organisation developed a biometric enrolment and verification system last year Chris Ugwu

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The Business Desk Ayodele Aminu

Deputy Editor (Business)

Bayo Akomolafe

Asst. Editor (Maritime)

Sunday Ojeme

Asst. Editor (Insurance)

Tony Chukwunyem

Asst. Editor (Money Market)

Dele Alao

Industry & Agric Editor

Dayo Ayeyemi Property Editor

Adeola Yusuf Energy Editor

Wole Shadare Aviation Editor

Chris Ugwu

Capital Market Editor

Abdulwahab Isa

he Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS) settled 108.47 billion units of equities valued at N1.043.64 trillion in 2014, New Telegraph has learnt. A document obtained by our correspondent, revealed that the volume of equities settled represented about 1.8 per cent increase from the previous year’s figure, which was 106.54 billion units. The company also recorded an increase in the value of equities that were cleared and settled from N1.043.64 trillion, a 28.3 per cent from the previous year. The CSCS’ income grew by 18.69 per cent in 2014, with total earnings of N8.2 billion in the year, as against the N6.94 billion

Finance Editor

Kunle Azeez

Senior Correspondent

Chuks Onuanyin Energy

Nnamdi Amadi Reporter

Johnson Adebayo

Asst Production Editor

CSCS settles equities valued at N1trn in 2014 it generated in 2013. Managing Director, CSCS, Mr. Kyari Bukar, said that the feat was achieved through fees earned from clearing and settlement services provided to capital market participants, interest on fixed deposits and debit instruments in which the CSCS had invested as well as sales and subscription from other service offerings. The CSCS’ operating expenses also stood at N2.48 billion in the year under review, with a variance of 14.52 per cent, when compared with the N2.12 billion spent in 2013. “These expenses were judiciously incurred in shoring up and maintaining our capital and human resources in pursuit of our objectives. We closed the year on a profitable note with our profit after tax up by 19.1 per cent from N3.74

billion in 2013, to N4.62 billion in 2014,” he added. The CSCS 2014 report showed that the volume of its e-rights recorded in the year under review climbed to 41.86 billion, representing an increase of about 260 per cent from the previous year. Among other initiatives in 2014, the CSCS boss revealed that the organisation, last year, developed a biometric enrolment and verification system (CEVS). He said that the system had been presented to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

N8.2bn Total earnings of CSCS last year

“We are happy to report that the CEVS has gone live and we are optimistic that the initiative would boost investors’ confidence in the area of security of investors’ identity, increase efficiency and liquidity in our market. The record of investor biometric enrolment has increased from 1,256 in 2013 to 8.696 as at the end of December, 2014,” he added. The board recommended a total dividend pay-out of N1.350 billion to shareholders of the company. This represented 27 kobo per share to shareholders. Also, Chairman of the CSCS, Mr. Oscar Onyema, gave an assurance that the company would continue to work to be in strong position to benefit from any improvement in the country’s economic conditions.

Rates Dashboard INFLATION RATE May 2015.................................9% April 2015................................8.7% March 2015.............................8.5%

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

EXCHANGE RATE (BDC as at Jun 26)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N226 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N350 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N247

l Foreign Reserves – $29.029bn as at 25/06/2015

Source: CBN

EXCHANGE RATE (Interbank as at Jun 26)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N200 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N307.65 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N223.50

Business | News

DWINDLING FORTUNE Smaller players in the CDMA and fixed line segments continue to face gradual extinction

Kunle Azeez

he market share of the players in the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology in Nigeria has further increased to 98.41 per cent, suggesting a continuous GSM players’ dominance of the country’s mobile space, New Telegraph has learnt. The new figure stemmed from the accumulation of additional 0.12 per cent market share to their networks in the first quarter of this year, spanning January to

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

GSM operators’ market share hits 98.41%

Gain 0.12% in Q1 March. The GSM market is dominated by big players such as MTN, Airtel, Globacom and Etisalat, as well the active Mobile Telecommunications (MTEL), the mobile arm of the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), which was recently acquired by NATCOM Consortium. This is according to the latest industry status report released by the telecoms industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). The commission’s official industry data shows that Nigerian telecoms market continues to be

dominated by GSM operators with players in the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and fixed wired/wireless segment continually being flattened by GSM operations. According to the NCC report, with 98.29 per cent share of the market in December last year, GSM operators increased this year to 98.41 per cent by the end of first quarter of this year, ended March. New Telegraph learnt that this represents an increase of 0.12 per cent within the first three months of this year. In June and September 2014, GSM share of technology usage in the market

stood at 98.31 per cent and 98.07 per cent respectively. However, the CDMA technology segment, with Visafone as the only visible player in the space, has been consistently recording a decline in its market share. According to the NCC data, CDMA market share, which as at June 2014 stood at 1.55 per cent, increased to 1.79 per cent in September 2014. In December 2014, the figure fell to 1.57 per cent and by the end of March this year, the market further declined to 1.46 per cent. For fixed wireless/ wired market segment, the players, most of which have been labeled as inactive by the regulator, had 0.14 total market share in June 2014, a figure that was

still held by September last year. In December 2014, the figure plummeted to 0.13 per cent and by the end of first quarter this year into March, the market share still stood at 0.13 per cent. Meanwhile, the dominance of the telecoms space by four major players dubbed ‘Big Four’ signalled gradual extinction of smaller operators in the sector. Also, the total number of active telephone lines in Nigeria’s telecoms market increased to 145.4 million as at the end of April, just as teledensity, which denotes telephony penetration in the country, has reached 103.91 per cent during the same period. According to NCC sta-

L-R: Group Executive Director, Operation & Projects, Nosak Group, Osaheni Ogunbor; Managing Director, Elton Ventures, Tony Nsitem; Chief Operating Officer, Nosak Group, Joseph Oboko; Managing Director, Danberton International Company Nigeria Limited, Augustine Onwuka and Group Executive Director, Corporate Services, Nosak Group, Osagie Ogunbor, during Grand Petroleum and Chemical Limited Customers’ interactive forum in Lagos.

SHIPMENT

Four vessels berth in Lagos Port terminals with 119,081 tons of wheat Bayo Akomolafe

hree vessels are to discharges some 105,000 metric tons of wheat valued at N4.51 billion ($2,259,750) in July to the ports in Nigeria, Yemen and Iran. The ships will dispatch the commodity from the port of Rostock, Germany, It was learnt that one of the ships would sail with 40,000 tons to Nigeria, another with 25,000 tons to Yemen and one is set to load 40,000 tons for Iran. Already, four ships have

Three ships to deliver N4.5bn wheat to Nigeria, others berthed in Apapa Port, discharging 119,081.36 metric tons of wheat valued at N5.12 billion ($25,620,354.60). According to the Nigerian Ports Authority’s shipping position made available to New Telegraph, MV Eleoussa has berthed with 34,000 metric tons at Greenview development Nigerian Limited and MV Cupper Triumph with 14,083.3 metric tons at standard Flour Mill jetty. Also, MV Desert spring and MV Desert Melody are discharging 35,998.06 metric tons and 35,000 metric tons at Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited respectively. Meanwhile, twenty mem-

bers of the Nigerian flour milling and noodle/pasta manufacturing industries have visited Kansas in United States last week to examine the current hard red winter (HRW) crop as part of a US Wheat Associates (USW) trade team. The Nigerian flour millers also attended the two-week US Wheat Associates Nigerian Flour Milling course at the IGP Institute in Manhattan, Kansa. As a major US partner with the Nigerian milling industry, Kansas State University’s IGP Institute annually hosts the Nigerian flour milling course in conjunction with US Wheat

Associates. Year-to-year, it was revealed that Nigeria buys more US HRW than any other country. Nigerian millers imported 58.4 million bushels of hard red winter wheat last marketing year. Nigerian flour is used predominately to make a dense, high volume loaf of bread. Nigerian flour millers are looking for wheat to be able to withstand variable conditions and produce the same high quality loaf of bread. In addition to bread, it was revealed that Nigerians eat more instant noodles than anyone else outside of Southeast Asia.

tistics, Nigeria telecoms market achieved 139.1 million active telephone subscriptions by the end of December 2014 with a teledensity of 99.39 per cent. The growth in mobile subscription in the Africa’s largest telecoms market has further increased to 140.8 million in January this year, 142.5 million in February and 143.9 million with 145.4 million active mobile subscriptions. Teledensity jumped from 99.39 per cent in December last year to 100.56 per cent in January this year. By February, March and end of April, the figure increased to 101.85 per cent; 102.81 per cent and 103.91 per cent respectively. In terms of subscriber base by technologies, analysis of the NCC data showed that, of the 145.4 million mobile lines, GSM operators hold 143 million, the CDMA segment controls 2.2 million lines, while fixed line operators recorded 184,790 actve lines. Meanwhile, in terms of total connected telephone lines, the regulator says that the number of connected telephone lines in the country is now put at 196.9 million at the end of April, of which 145.4 million are active lines. The total industryconnected telephone lines rose from 192.1 million last January but fell by close to 1.5 million to 190.5 million in February and by end of first quarter ending March, the figure rose again to 194.5 million. In April, it stood at 196.9 million. Nigeria’s telecoms subscriber base has grown significantly since 2001, when the country liberalised the telecoms market, paving the way for different players to come into the sector. From around 500,000 connected mobile phones 14 years ago, the sector has grown in leaps and bounds, reaching over 145 million active lines, according to the NCC data. Meanwhile, industry pundits say that the dominance of GSM operators in a country, where over 90 per cent of services is deployed through wireless/ mobile means, smaller operators, mostly in the CDMA and fixed markets, which have been facing dwindling fortune, boast of slim chances of survival. “It is not that other operators in the CDMA and fixed line segments have any limitation in their technology, but by the look of things, Nigerians have developed penchant for GSM services in the past years and neglected CDMA and fixed line services, especially with regard to voice service provisioning,” an industry analyst, Mr Akin Akinbo said.

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

FCT Business Watch Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

esides revenue from oil sources, tax income by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), import and export receipts by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), are expected to rake in substantial revenue from numerous Ministries, Department and Agencies, (MDAs) of the government. The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB), Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the National Communications Commission (NCC) and Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) are some of the departments and agencies of government that generate huge income from their operations. Only two agencies - the Nigeria Customs Service and the FIRS are statutorily allowed to retain part of the income generated as revenue collection cost. The FIRS is empowered by law to retain four per cent of its generated income as cost of collection whilst Customs is entitled to retain seven per cent of revenue as cost of collection. Aside these two agencies, other MDAs are expected to remit their incomes to the consolidated revenue account and, thereafter, request for a refund of expenses incurred as operational cost. MDAs hoarding revenue The global shock that characterised prices of crude oil last year invariably shrunk government’s income. Fiscal budgets, effective from 2014, were not only threatened, financing key projects became a tall dream. With squeeze in the prices of crude oil, which accounts for 85 per cent of government’s means of budget financing, it became expedient for government to beam its attention on MDAs for succour. After a painstaking investigation, reality dawned on government that most MDAs were emperors on to themselves. They made their monies, spent and remit whatever fraction they deemed fit to the Consolidated Revenue Account. First to raise the alarm was the erstwhile Coordinating Minister for Economy/Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. At a function last year in Abuja, Okonjo-Iweala accused revenue-generating ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of not fully remitting to government coffers, all monies generated by them. The former CME revealed that most revenue generating agencies engaged in sharp practices by short-changing government. She accused them of hoarding

Tougher days ahead as FG tackles MDAs She added, “We had to act because a situation where agencies that are revenue-generating are supposed to remit 25 per cent of gross revenue to the treasury and have not done that is not acceptable. “And so, we did meet with them, pleaded with them and talked with banks, and when we saw that this was not happening, we decided to move in quickly; and if you can’t get something to work through discussions and dialogue, then you have to take action, and we did.” She pointed out that while the Federal Government targeted N58 billion during the process, it, however, realised N34 billion, which was fair enough. The former minister also accused banks of being culpable by conniving with MDAs in withholding revenue belonging to government.

President Mohammodu Buhari

large chunk of revenue generated, thereby denying government the much-needed resources to carry out projects and infrastructure development. Okonjo-Iweala said that the act of hoarding revenue without remitting to government coffers contributed in no small way to the difficulties encountered in the budget implementation. Prior to Okonjo-Iweala’s alarm, the House of Representatives had, in an investigative report on unremitted revenue last year, said that 60 revenue generating agencies of the Federal Government collected money, but failed to remit over N9.4 trillion to government coffers between 2009 and 2012. The then Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Abulmumin Jibrin, had said of the N3.06 trillion the agencies generated in 2009, that only N46.8 billion, representing 1.53 per cent, was remitted to government. “In 2010, the sum of N3.07 trillion was generated, but only N54.1 billion or 1.76 per cent was remitted; and in 2011, the generated revenue stood at N3.17 trillion, out of which N73.8 billion or 2.33 per cent was remitted,” he had said. Instructively, the MDAs put up a defense for their action. It was learnt that some revenuegenerating agencies complained about the Budget Office allocat-

DG NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi

Most revenue generating agencies engage in sharp practices by shortchanging government

ing to them revenue projection figure without consultation, a situation they said left many not being able to meet their revenue targets. But the former Minister of Finance would not buy their excuse. She said that most MDAs were notorious for concealing the actual amount generated. Her words: “Every year, most of them want to maintain the same profile. They won’t admit their revenue is growing so that you won’t ask them to remit more. They will always tell you they have so many expenses they can’t remit anything, they don’t make any money and if you yield to that, it means there would be no money from them. “Last time, imagine we had to go and compel some of them to visit their bank accounts. They refused to remit the money. We had to take permission from Mr. President to go and get the money because the Minister of Finance and Accountant General have that right by law. “We were projecting N54 billion and I think we were able to get N34 billion. Some of them took us to court. “This is our revenue generating agencies. It is not enough for you to generate revenue and be spending it in your corner, refusing to remit and then go about getting friends to support you, that can’t be,”Okonjo-Iwela said.

Paradigm shift On realising that the huge revenue generated by agencies were being withheld or diverted, government had no choice than to come up with a mechanism to halt the act. The immediate past Accountant General of the Federation Mr. Jonah Otunla, announced in May this year, the introduction of electronic revenue collection platform aimed at checking theft and diversion of collected revenue. The policy will also help in stopping all sorts of corrupt practices associated with the collection process. Otunla stated this in Abuja during a sensitisation workshop for Federal Government parastatals, departments and agencies. He told the agencies that the implementation of the e-collection project, which begun on January 1, this year, was meant to enthrone a new regime of centralised, transparent and accountable internally generated revenue management system. Conclusion From the foregoing, it is expected that the declaration by the new government never to condone all gaps permitting revenue leaks must not end. There is the need for the authorities to back this pronouncement with action by enforcing relevant provisions in the Fiscal Responsibility Act that spells out the consequences of flouting the provisions. However, government must also be honest to promptly order refund of operational costs incurred by revenue generating MDAs.

Business |Money

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Naira: ‘CBN’s fighting a lost battle’ As the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was introducing more curbs on foreign exchange last week to preserve the nation’s reserves, the Nigerian Customs was easing import restrictions on some items. Tony Chukwunyem reports that it is just a matter of time for the naira to find its level

redicting Central Bankers’ moves is not always the easiest of task for analysts. When reports emerged that the CBN would hold crunch talks with chief executives and treasurers of banks over issues surrounding its policy on the foreign exchange market on June 19, the general feeling in industry circles was that the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, would likely reach an amicable deal with the bankers. Even though the banking watchdog had previously indicated that it was reluctant to review the policy, as doing so would lead to the naira plummeting against the dollar, analysts believed that the nation’s dwindling foreign reserves would force the regulator’s hand. Interestingly, prior to the meeting, authorised forex dealers, including banks, had stepped up pressure on the CBN to lift trading restrictions that the regulator had imposed as part of efforts to curb speculation on the naira and save dwindling foreign reserves in the wake of the slump in oil prices. According to them, these restrictions such as the scrapping of the Retail Dutch Auction System (RDAS) window and the fixing of the rate at which banks buy dollars from oil companies had sharply reduced liquidity in the Interbank Foreign Exchange Market (IFEM) and discouraged foreign investors from buying equities and bonds. JP Morgan threat The meeting between the CBN and the bankers took place against the backdrop of the threat by JPMorgan to remove Nigeria from its Government Bond Index-Emerging Market (GBI-EM) by the year-end, unless the country restores liquidity to currency markets in a way that allows foreign investors tracking the benchmark to transact business with minimum hurdles. Indeed, the US bank claimed that it extended the deadline to eject the country by another six months, because a new government had just taken charge. It had, in fact, placed Nigeria on a negative index watch last January, saying that it would assess

CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele

MD, First Bank, Bisi Onasanya

the country’s place on the index over a three to five-month period. Analysts point out that the country’s removal from the GBIEM could lead to massive capital outflow, higher borrowing costs as well as macro economic instability. So, industry watchers were taken aback last Tuesday when the CBN instead of easing the restrictions, introduced fresh curbs, banning importers of 41 items such as rice, cement, furniture, textile, iron rods and vegetable produce from accessing forex on the IFEM. Although the CBN contended that the move was aimed at propping up the naira, analysts pointed out that it would result in about $5.7 billion quarterly forex demand by importers of the items moving from the IFEM to the parallel market, thus hurting the local currency in that segment of the market. Emefiele’s stance But neither the concerns expressed by forex dealers nor the JP Morgan threat appeared to have had any effect on Emefiele when he held a press conference last Wednesday to explain why it chose to introduce additional curbs instead of easing them. Emefiele, who surprisingly refused to answer questions not related to the press conference, argued that the mandate of central banks in developing economies should not be restricted to checking inflation and making monetary policies alone, but should also extend to seeking ways of increasing employment and reducing poverty. He said that the CBN was concerned about the huge amount that the country was spending to import items that could be locally produced, thereby depleting the foreign reserves. Specifically, he said : “These issues may seem only tangential to the concerns of a central bank, but nothing can be farther from the truth. For example, the huge amount of money the country spends on importing things we can produce locally have become a significant drag on our

MD, Zenith Bank, Peter Amangbo

foreign exchange reserves. Most of you are aware of the oftenquoted figure of N1.3 trillion, which is what we spend on average importing rice, fish, sugar and wheat every year.” Stressing that the CBN could not continue to support the importation of these items using the country’s foreign reserves, he advised importers who wish to continue bringing in such goods or services into the country to source their foreign exchange from private sources.

As long as Nigeria is not producing enough of her needs, the Naira will continue to fall

Unbanning textile, others However, as analysts noted, the CBN would appear to be working at cross purposes with the Federal Government because a few days before the CBN boss restated the bank’s drive to discourage importation of items that could be manufactured locally, the Federal Government, through the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, had announced the lifting of the ban on the importation of items such as textile and furniture in line with the implementation of Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS), Common External Tariff, (CET). According to the Customs boss, Nigerians could now import textile materials subject to payment of right duty. A financial analyst, Mr. Wilson Omoroyi, said: “If the CBN is saying it wants to discourage importation of items that can be locally produced here, why is the Federal Government lifting the ban on the importation of textiles and furniture? I believe that the CBN did not really consult the government before announcing its policy.” Omoruyi was, however, wrong. Emefiele did consult Buhari because last Wednesday’s press briefing in Abuja was delayed because of the latter’s visit to the Presidential Villa to brief the president. Bank CEOs’ reactions Furthermore, less than forty-eight hours after Emefiele’s

press conference, bank CEOs and other top officials in the financial sector, also faulted his position, warning that the country’s economy might ground to a halt in coming weeks unless the CBN eased the forex trade restrictions. According to them, banks have been unable to open letters of credit for their clients, resulting in an increasing backlog of unmet dollar demand by Nigerian firms. Bloomberg quoted Group Managing Director and CEO of First Bank Plc, Bisi Onasanya, as saying: “Manufacturers are unable to fund FX for raw materials and banks are scrambling for dollars overseas as credit lines dry up. Things are at a standstill. The CBN cannot support the naira at these levels.” Also, Group Managing Director and CEO of Zenith Bank, Peter Amangbo, was reported as saying that the backlog of unmet dollar demand is “substantial,” adding: “There is a need to clear that backlog and start at a zero base. We now have a case of panic in the market. A decision has to be made soon, and we believe that the size of the FX backlog can be managed, with the easing of the interbank trading restrictions coming afterwards.” Also reacting on the issue at the weekend, President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr. Remi Bello, stated: “The directive would potentially result in major disruptions, dislocations and panic among many investors in the economy because of its multidimensional and far reaching implications.” He added: “Many of the products on the list of the 41 products are intermediate goods, which are critical inputs for many manufacturing firms as well as other critical sectors of the economy. This development will put several investments at risk with implications for job losses, quality of loan assets in the banking system and the welfare of citizens. Examples of these CONTINUED ON PAGE 33

Business | Money

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

IMPEDIMENT

Fuel subsidy bill rose to N2.7 trillion in 2013

Tony Chukwunyem

ontrary to the belief in some quarters that the removal of subsidy on petroleum products will further hurt the naira, the currency will instead benefit from such a move. Leading economist and Chief Executive Officer of Financial Derivative Company Limited, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, stated this while speaking at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Nigeria, in Lagos. Speaking against the backdrop of the debate over whether the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should devalue the naira or not, Rewane argued that removal of the subsidy on petroleum products would enable the apex bank to devalue the naira by a lower percentage than would otherwise be the case if the devaluation takes place before the removal of subsidy. Available figures indicate that the fuel subsidy bill rose from about N356 billion in 2011 to about N2.7 trillion in 2013. Rewane said that the Federal Government should remove the subsidy without any further delay as it (subsidy) was responsible for most of the country’s problems. He warned that fate of the new administration

Removal of fuel subsidy will boost naira –Rewane could rest on such a move. “If you don’t remove subsidy, subsidy will remove you,” he said. Describing the current subsidy regime as a “comprehensive criminal enterprise,” the FDC boss noted that under it, there were too many sophisticated schemes through, which fraudsters ripped off the country.

He argued that although the country’s reserves were under pressure, Nigeria’s main problem was more “of mismanagement.” Commenting on the debate on whether the naira should be devalued or not, Rewane urged the CBN to ensure that it takes the right decision on the issue at the right time. He warned that taking the

Mr. Henry Boyo, cautioned the Federal Government against the sudden and unsystematic removal of petrol subsidy, warning that this might have a dangerous impact on the economy. He said that if the naira continues its decline against the dollar, fuel prices will simultaneously continue to spiral, adding

that there was already a build up of pressure internationally that Nigeria should devalue the naira. Boyo insisted that the removal of subsidy will lead to inflation and further devaluation of naira, which, according to him, might cripple the Nigerian economy. “Removal of fuel subsidy will lead to inflation or what I call inflation spiral. Inflation is capable of reducing the amount of consumer demands. Inflation leads to further devaluation of Naira, while naira devaluation leads to increase in interest rate,” he stated.

L-R: Product Manager, Astymin, Mr. Femi Ajala; Marketing Manager, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Mr. Friday Enaholo; Winner of the MyAstymin UCL Predict and Win Contest, Mr. Fijabi Adebayo and Corporate Services Manager, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Mr. Oladimeji Oduyebo, during the Grand Prize presentation of Samsung LED TV to the Winner in Lagos. PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

FDI to Africa stable at $54bn in 2014, says report

right decision at the wrong time on such a sensitive issue would do more harm than good. He, however, pointed out that using administrative tools to help stabiilise the exchange rate as the CBN was currently doing would not produced the desired result. Only recently, another well known economist,

oreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows to Africa remained stable at $54 billion in 2014, with decreases in North Africa being offset by rises in sub-Saharan Africa, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Report 2015 has revealed. According to the study, North Africa saw its FDI flows decline by 15 per cent to $11.5 billion. It said that the FDI fell overall in the region because of tension and conflict in some countries, despite significant inflows to others. It said that in sub-Saharan Africa, where investments from abroad rose by five per cent, there was variance by sub-region. The report said FDI flows to West Africa declined by 10 per cent to $ 12.8 billion, as the Ebola outbreak, security issues and falling commodity prices negatively affected several countries; while East Africa saw its FDI flows increasing by 11 per cent to $ 6.8 billion.

It noted that FDI rose in the gas sector in Tanzania, and Ethiopia was becoming a hub for multinational enterprises producing garments and textiles. It said that Central Africa received $12.1 billion of FDI in 2014, up 33 per cent from 2013. According to the study, foreign investment into Africa is increasingly being made by developing countries’ multinational enterprises, such as firms from China and India. Meanwhile, many firms from developed countries, in particular, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom were large net divestiture from Africa during 2014. It said that demand from developing-economy investors for these divested assets was significant. “As a result, African mergers and acquisitions increased by 32 per cent from $3.8 billion in 2013 to $5.1 billion in 2014, especially in the finance and oil and gas sectors,” it said.

Naira: ‘CBN’s fighting a lost battle’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 32

are iron rods, cold rolled sheets, wire rods, reinforcing bars, polypropylene granules, glass and glass ware. The construction, real estate, fabrications and housing, among others, will be adversely affected. A painstaking gap analysis to determine the domestic capacity for production vis a vis the demand should have preceded the policy decision by the CBN.” Besides, he noted that the alternative forex markets – parallel market and the Bureaux De Change (BDCs) are not deep enough to meet the demand of the essential intermediate products on the exclusion list. “Therefore, the exclusion of the items from the forex market is as good as import prohibition. The policy measure will lead to the widening of exchange

differentials between the interbank markets and the parallel markets. The immediate consequence will be rampant round tripping of foreign exchange, which the CBN has limited capacity to curb.” In an earlier chat with New Telegraph, a former President of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) Dr. Sam Nzekwe, predicted that the various measures introduced by the CBN to stabilise the exchange rate would not yield the desired result for as long as the country’s economy remains heavily dependent on imports. He said: “The economy is import dependent, so, how would Naira gain strength against the dollar and pound? It is only when you are able to produce that you are less dependent on imports. If you don’t do that, the naira will con-

tinue to lose value because since oil prices are down, what do you expect? The naira will continue to fall. The only way to save it is to create the enabling environment so that the productive sector can thrive. But as long as the country is not producing enough of her needs, there is every possibility that the naira will continue to fall.” Conclusion With the foreign reserves coming under great pressure, the CBN had to do something so that people will not start accusing it of being clueless. It could have easily devalued the naira but the risk in such a move is that the new government might not be amused by it. Hence, the banking watchdog is only buying time for the new government to settle down before it finally devalues the naira.

Business | The Investor

developed capital market engenders investors’ confidence, has breadth and depth in terms of product offerings and it is characterised by market integrity. Besides, such market should have a sound regulatory framework, a strong and transparent disclosure and accountability regime, fosters good corporate governance and above all, be fair, robust and efficient. Thus, the level to which corporations observe basic principles of good corporate governance is an important factor for investment decision. However, in Nigeria, lapses in adherence to these principles have contributed majorly to crisis in the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). Consequently, many ignorant investors have burnt their fingers by investing in some of the dormant companies, which do not furnish the market with their financials. This had led to unreasonable manipulation of share prices, which firms, in collaboration with other financial institutions, indulged themselves. This despicable practice saw the market bubble to a peak on March 5, 2008, with market capitalisation and index hitting N13 trillion and 66,371.20 points respectively, only to reverse speedily to N6.957 trillion and 31,450.78 by December, 2008. The reaffirmed commitment by the regulator to do anything to compel operators in the market to obey the rules guiding it informed the decision to tighten the noose on market infractions and other miscellaneous capital market crimes. This avowed determination saw regulatory harmer fall on heavy weights such as Ecobank Transnational Incorporation (ETI) Plc, International Standards Securities Limited and Woodland Capital Market Plc, among others. Suspension BGL Plc, which is said have been shielded by a former Director General of SEC, was the latest to be suspended after investigation on issues relating to corporate governance breaches. The Commission had suspended BGL group from all market activities. The suspension followed the outcome of investigation by the executive management committee of SEC at its meeting held on May 19, 2015, which considered the report of a detailed investigation into the various complaints received from investors against subsidiaries of the group. The executive management of the apex regulator directed that BGL Asset Management Limited, BGL Capital Limited and BGL Securities Limited, be suspended from all Capital Market activities; that all Sponsored Individuals of BGL Asset Management Limited, BGL Capital Limited and BGL Securities Limited whose particulars are contained in the Commission’s record as at December 2014, be suspended from performing any Capital Market activity. Fair hearing It noted further that BGL Asset Management Limited, BGL

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

BGL: All eyes on SEC to guarantee trapped funds With shareholders’ funds eroded and alleged indebtedness of N5.8 billion, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) should protect investors in BGL, writes Chris Ugwu

Gwarzo

Okumagba

ments were struck between BGL and some of the affected investors. It noted that unfortunately, BGL continued reneging on promises to restitute investors. According to the apex regulator, backed by a court order from the Investments and Securities Tribunal (IST), SEC set up a seven-man Interim Management Team (IMT) for BGL Group.

Capital Limited and BGL Securities Limited and all individuals involved in the management of the said companies have been referred to the SEC Administrative Proceedings Committee (APC), which will give all parties to the cases a fair hearing. SEC said it intervened in the operations of the group after investigating some complaints of breach of corporate governance made against it. According to reports, sources with knowledge of the matter said that the commission, in the course of its investigation, had written to the group, seeking clarification about the complaints, before reaching a decision to replace the management. Interim board The commission had also appointed an interim management board headed by Mr. Oladipo Aina, a former President of the CIS for the BGL with other members of the board, which included Mr. Abubakar Ambursa, Mrs. Hafsat Rufai, Ms. Temitayo Siyanbola and Ms. Tonne Ladipo-Ajayi. Latest exposés Latest on findings showed that SEC received over 40 letters of investor complaints against BGL Group Plc alleging indebtedness to the tune of about N5.8 billion. In a document obtained from SEC at the weekend, the regulator said that investigations were conducted and all-parties’ meetings were arranged by SEC during which repayment agree-

SEC received over 40 letters of investor complaints against BGL Group Plc

Negative shareholders’ funds The Commission said that from the preliminary report of the forensic auditors, it was revealed, among other facts, that BGL Group was in a critical financial state in which the group’s management had progressively eroded its shareholders’ funds through losses sustained over a five-year period totaling about N48 billion as at December 31, 2014. Billions of naira in investors’ funds was put at extreme risk through questionable investments by the BGL management in some illiquid, unlisted companies’ securities, one of which has been declared bankrupt. It noted that the group has significant liquidity challenges, making it unable to meet its responsibilities towards clients and investors as evidenced by over N11 billion in unpaid matured funds to investors. The commission said: “While the IMT, in conjunction with the forensic auditors were conducting formal investigations, BGL obtained a Federal High Court order asking the IMT to vacate BGL premises. In obedience to the court order, SEC complied

with the ruling despite an existing order from the IST. “In addition, BGL got another Federal High Court order mandating SEC to reverse the suspension. This ruling was given without putting the other parties on notice (exparte). The order has since lapsed, given the provision of the Federal High Court rules regarding all interim injunctions obtained exparte. In view of the fact that the interim order has lapsed, we wish to reiterate to the general public that BGL Securities Limited, BGL Capital Limited, BGL Asset Management Limited, All BGL Group sponsored individuals (as at December 31st, 2014) and Mr. Albert Okumagba, remain suspended from all capital market activities. Additionally, they have all been invited to appear before the SEC Administrative Proceedings Committee (APC) sitting slated for August 4 and 5, 2015, to explain the allegations of capital market infractions against them,” the Commission noted. Shareholders’ voice General Secretary, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), Mr. Adebayo Adeleke, commended the Gwarzo-led administration at SEC. He said: “Gwarzo has shown that something good can come from SEC. In the past, the commission had not taken a decision like this. “This may also be informed by the fact that Gwarzo has rose through the ranks in the Commission and that he has seen the rot in the system and he understands the dynamics. I also think that the intervention is to preserve value to BGL.” Shareholders under the aegis of Progressive Shareholders Association of Nigeria (PSAN) in a telephone chat with New Telegraph, also described the action of the apex market regulator as a step in the right direction that will help to bring sanity into the local burse. President of PSAN, Mr. Boniface Okezie, said that the action of the regulator was to enable the companies meet their obligations to investors and also to save others from running into investment hitches. Okezie called on the interim management to ensure that they unravel whatever the problem and recover investors’ money. Conclusion Since both the intervention and its outcomes were hailed by market watchers as pole position in market regulation in Nigeria, it is worthwhile that SEC continues to implement its zero tolerance policy in a decisive and far-reaching manner, to eliminate sharp practices, deter malpractice and change behaviours by ensuring that both the institutional and personal costs of any wrongdoing are extremely high.

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

NPA orders port access roads’ rehabilitation p.36

Maritime

Terminal operator links Lagos Port, Kano by rail p.37

Nigerian seafarers parade fake certificates Seafarers in Nigeria are now forging Certificate of Competence (CoC), to secure jobs on board the vessels in the nation’s coastal waters as over 4,000 among them lack the sea time experience required by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). BAYO AKOMOLAFE reports

He, however, said that the NSDP was a jamboree that must be restructured. He said: “NSDP must stop being a jamboree. It must be redesigned to benefit the country and it must be tied to the opportunity in the country.”

hese are bad days for the nation’s maritime sector as Nigerian maritime institutions are turning out thousands of half-baked, unemployed seafarers yearly. The demise of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) and the loss of opportunity for the seatime for budding seafarers and cadets were said to be responsible for it. It was learnt that things were so bad that the percentage of employable seafarers was very low when compared with the 1960s when the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) had an international maritime school with harbour craft and two carriers manned by Nigerians. Ship owners and master mariners blamed the inadequacies on government agencies. For instance, the President, Shipowners’ Association of Nigeria (SOAN), Mr. Greg Ogbeifun, an engineer, said that government ought to have set up regulatory agencies similar to the Merchant Navy Training Board in the United Kingdom, which would mobilise vessels owners to mandatorily provide and implement training scheme for seafarers. Problem of NSDP He described the National Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) as a contract awarding programme. Ogbeifun stressed that the NSDP programme made it impossible for the Cadets to have an identity. He explained that the programme was structurally defective and amounts to waste of government resources. The president, who spoke on the hope of seafarers in a lackluster economy on the Day of the Seafarers in Lagos at the a summit organised by the Mari-

Ogbeifun (left) with Olugunwa

time Reporters Association Of Nigeria, also added that it was wrong for NIMASA to turn the programme into a contract awarding jamboree. He said: “Presently, there are about 4,000 seafarers in the country, most of whose claim to qualification are questionable, leaving the shipowners with the challenge of identifying truly and well qualified seafarers to man their ships. Recounting his experience, the president said that of the 100 seafarers approaching his company for job, only 13 had genuine certificates. He lamented: “With due respect, the NSDP got to a point where it became a contract awarding thing that people get contract to train cadets around the world. The evidences abound. “I am speaking from first hand information, NSDP has been turned into a contract awarding programme and that is wrong. “For instance, one of the contractors took the cadets to Poland and when they finished in the class room, they were told to come back to Nigeria to get their sea time experience and that was why you see them advertise that they need training vessels. “The scheme was originally structured to fail because of the defect such as non provision of training berth by the foreign institutions,” he said.

Presently, there are about 4,000 seafarers in the country, most of whose claim to qualification are questionable

The president added: “These students are going out to overseas with no identity, because they have nothing to be tagged to. If you travel to see these students and hear their stories, you will weep. “If the scheme is well structured, you compel the institution to train the cadets. No foreigners will want to see a Nigerian on his ship because they believe that if they are trained, they become an asset. “When the gentle man from Poland came, I told him he will pay me because he got it as a contractor and I must also participate because I will feed them and equip them, so, he paid me and I put them on my ship.” Shipowners’ position Ogbeifun said that the shipowners would rather prefer cadets from Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, or Regional Maritime University (RMU), Ghana, than foreign trained cadets with no practical experience. He explained that the shipowners prefer cadets trained by Nigerian maritime institutions or regional university at Ghana to graduates that lack expertise. Also, the Vice President, National Association of Master Mariners, Capt. Jide Ologunwa, said that the agency neglected critical stakeholders while setting up the programme.

Training problem Also, Ogbeifun said that NIMASA had no business training cadets, saying that the agency should support the shipowners, Maritime Academy, Oron (MAN), maritime universities and other international schools with affiliations who could give credible support to the current existing programme. The president noted that the statutory role of the agency in this regard could not be over emphasised. He said that the agency was supposed to do more than it was doing at the moment as a regulatory agency. Ogbeifun added: “The National Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) which has seen many young Nigerians beginning a career in seafaring fail to meet the yearnings of the maritime sector for qualified seafarers due to defects in the programme. “Between the inception of the NSDP and now, a very insignificant number of the cadets trained had become officers. This shows that there was a problem with the programme. NSDP programme became a contract awarding scheme for many individuals,” he said. The president stressed that the programme had lost its credibility and relevance towards the growth of the economy. Solution The president explained that sea time experience was vital to the cadets. He noted: “It is not enough to send cadets to foreign maritime institutions; concerted efforts must be made to ensure that they have opportunity for sea-time to enable them to be properly certified,” he added. Olugunwa, who bemoaned the challenges faced by the seafarers, advised the regulatory body and other stakeholders in the industry to look inward and give priority to the survival and effective participation of the seafarers. Ologunwa stressed the need to secure berthing space for the Nigerian seafarers in order to solve the problem of unemployment. He said: “We talk of unemployment in Nigeria and we have MAN, Oron producing cadets constantly. If we keep focus and solve the berthing space, we will be getting a lot of inflow.”

Business | Maritime

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

NPA orders port access roads’ rehabilitation MAINTENANCE Ports authority signs MoU with a construction firm

Stories by Bayo Akomolafe

igerian Ports Authority (NPA), has directed that immediate rehabilitation works should commence

on the deplorable road networks linking Apapa and Tin Can Island ports in Lagos. Managing Director of the authority, Aihaji Sanusi Lamido Ado Bayero, gave the directive while receiving members of Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN), who were on a courtesy visit to the NPA’s Corporate Headquarters in Marina, Lagos. This was contained in a statement by the authority’s general

manager, Public Affairs and signed by its Principal Manager, Public Affairs, Mallam Isah Suwaid, Lamido. Lamido was reacting to updates by the General Manager, Western Port, Chief Michael Ajayi, on the adverse effect of the road on the economic activities at the ports in Lagos. He directed that the order should be carried out immediately. He gave an assurance that the authority

would mobilise resources, both human and materials, to ensure that palliative maintenance work start without delay. The general manager, Western Port, had updated the stakeholders at a meeting that the management of the authority and a construction firm, had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the rehabilitation of the Liverpool roundabout and the Creek

road axis. Ajayi called on other Federal Government agencies involved in road maintenance to see it as a common challenge and align with the management of the authority in making the Apapa Wharf road motorable. Earlier, the Chairman, Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Val Usifo, on behalf of the association, assured the managing director of their cooperation for a

common objective in the maritime sector.

Senator to champion auto policy reversal

he Senator representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, Alhaji Ali Wakili, has pledged to champion the reversal of the Federal Government’s automobile policy that led to the increment in tariff on imported new and fairly used vehicles. Former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, approved the Nigeria Automotive Industry Development Plan in 2013 to promote local assembly of vehicles and limit importation of cars by raising tariff to as high as 70 per cent on vehicles. The policy generated mixed reactions with commercial road transporters and some businesses questioning the policy while government defended it, saying in 2014 that the implementation was already working positively for the country as some vehicle manufacturers had either started or stated their intentions to start assembling vehicles in the country. Wakili noted that the hike in tariff on the second-hand cars would not only deny the country the much needed revenue, but would also emasculate the middle class. The lawmaker, who was a former Comptroller in Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), added that the new Customs tariffs on cars need to be reviewed downward because there was the need to re-establish the middle class in Nigeria.” Wakili called for a review of most of the laws being operated by the NCS, arguing that such laws were no longer in tune with modern economic realities. He promised to advance legislation that would better the operation of Customs and help to re-establish the extinct middle class. Wakili stressed: “The relativity on items often affects the implementation. Nobody wants to pay high taxes, because the higher the tax, the higher the potential of smugglers to indulge in smuggling.”

Business | Maritime

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

TRADE FACILITATION Importers to clear cargoes at the hinterland Stories by Bayo Akomolafe

he terminal operator of the Lagos Port container terminal, APM Terminals Apapa Limited, has said that it would soon commence evacuation of cargoes from the Lagos Port Complex in Apapa to Kano by rail. The plan was part of efforts aimed at facilitating cargo clearance in the country’s port sector. Its Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Sunil Bansal, disclosed this when the Executive Secretary/CEO of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Hassan Bello, visited the facility. Bansal said that the company was the only terminal in Lagos connected to the rail line through to the hinterlands. He noted that when the rail tracks, which would move cargoes from Lagos to Kano

Terminal operator links Lagos Port, Kano by rail become fully operational, importers whose cargoes were destined for the hinterlands would no longer have to come to Lagos to clear their consignments. He stressed: “We are very much ahead in the process of connecting Kano, which is another business hub like Lagos, by rail. We expect to start operation very soon. We are having some little challenges but we are almost set to start. “This is the only terminal in Lagos which is connected to rail through to the hinterland. We have two lanes inside and two trains can come simultaneously and with this. People do not have to come to Lagos to clear their cargo, it can be cleared at their doorstep. These are the kind of investments and processing that we are coming with.” The chief financial officer added that the company had

so far invested $350 million (about N70 billion) in modernising and upgrading the Apapa terminal. He recalled: “When we started the terminal nine years back, the dream was to make this terminal a world class facility and we are happy to say that this terminal is equivalent to any other terminal in Europe in terms of infrastructure and processes.” Speaking earlier, the NSC chief executive lauded APM Terminals’ commitment to

the development of the port, especially in the areas of infrastructural development and acquisition of modern cargo handling equipment, which he said, had brought about efficiency and increased tonnage at the port. Bello said: “I am happy to know that there is an effort with what you are doing with the inland terminals. We are appreciative of the continued investment you have made in the operations of your terminal. “When the port was con-

cessioned to the private sector, it shows that the private sector is the engine room of development. We have also seen increase in the tonnage, which shows there is some efficiency.” Bello said that for terminals to achieve a sustainable increase in productivity, there is need for collaboration with relevant government agencies. “In port operations, we all need to come together, nobody can be sufficient to solve the problems,” he said.

Customs’ Kano textiles seizures worth N3trn – Group T he Concerned Port Users Group (CPUG) has said that the total transactions of the Kano textiles traders seized by the Nigeria Customs Service was worth over N3 trillion. The group condemned government’s double standard in the recent lifting of the ban on textile importation. Last week, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) kicked against the revocation of textile seizures by government. The CPUG alleged that government merely lifted the ban to enable Kano textiles traders recover their multi-billion naira merchandise impounded by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). It noted that even though the ban on textiles was lifted in April this year, the offence of textile smuggling was committed in 2013 and 2014, when the importation of such goods was illegal Its Executive Chairman, Mr. Abayomi Adeagbo, explained that members of the association could not understand why government was treating the Kano traders with kids gloves He noted that the South Western business class had forfeited far more than the total seizures made in Kano. He alleged that NCS was operating as if two laws were governing Customs seizure operations in the country with a harsher one for Southwestern traders and a softer one for traders in the North. Adeagbo said: “From every indications, government has un-banned importation of textiles, not because it wants to free the market, but simply to

waive the seizure of the multibillion naira Kano-textiles; all because it desires to pacify the northern electorates who overwhelmingly voted for the ruling party, without a recourse to all that the business class in the Southwest and the Eastern part of the country have lost to Customs’ anti-smuggling operations. “The government, which was uncompromising, smoking out with stringent policy on rice, has suddenly become complacent, wearing human face, when it comes to cotton? Why the hues and cries when it comes to cotton? Was this because it has to do with the North? Is this how our new President is going to administer the country, despite all our prayers and efforts to ensure his victory at the polls? Is this the desired change we had hoped and prayed for”? The chairman stressed that his group was concern with the flagrant manner and impunity, by which the traders violated and flouted all known financial regulations, covering the funds transfer or remittances, leading not only to breaking the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) limit in funds transfer, via splitting, but also the use of banks to commit the illegal transactions. Also, the group’s secretary, Mr. Ben Ikenna Okafor, alleged that the 200 companies currently being defended by customs broke all known financial regulations laws. He alleged that the traders were backed by their banks, especially in their splitting and transferring of huge sums of money, running into billions, without any compliance with the EFCC Act.

L-R: Executive Director, Maritime Safety and Shipping Development, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Capt. Bala Agaba; Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr. Dalhatu Tafida; Secretary-General, International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Mr. Koji Sekimizu and Director of Legal, IMO, Mr. Friedrick Kenny, during Nigeria’s handing over of the Instruments of Accession at the IMO Headquarters in London.

Nigeria domesticates IMO’s laws

igeria has concluded the process of domesticating five International Maritime Organisation (IMO)’s regulatory instruments with the submission of the instruments of assent to five protocols of the IMO in London. The apex maritime regulator, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and the Federal Ministry of Transport (FMoT), facilitated the legal instruments in a bid to ensure that Nigeria continues to implement the various safety measures and practices as endorsed by the IMO. In a statement by the Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Isichei Osamgbi, the Nigerian High Commissioner and Permanent Representative to the IMO, Dr. Dalhatu Sarki Tafida, who presented the instruments to the IMO Secretary-General, Koji Sekimizu, on behalf of the Nigerian government, listed the instruments to include the Safety of Lives at Sea Protocol 1988 (as amended)

and the Marine Pollution MARPOL Protocol of 1997. Others are the Protocol of 2005 to the Suppression of Unlawful Acts (SUA) Convention 1988, Protocol of 1988 to the SUA Convention Against Fixed Platforms on the Continental Shelf and the Protocol of 1988 to the International Convention on Load Lines. Tafida noted: “This submission is borne out of the desire of the Federal Government to curb the menace of piracy and promote shipping activities in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea in line with international best practices.’’ The Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi, who was represented by the Executive Director, Maritime Safety and Shipping Development, Capt. Bala Agaba, at the event, noted that with the deposition of the instruments of assent, the agency was obliged to enforce the provisions of the conventions to the letter, not only on Flag Ships but also Port

State Administration. He said: “Nigeria will now domesticate and gazetted these instruments, which will provide the basis to develop guidelines on the implementation of the conventions and protocols. “Nigeria is not only highly placed but also occupies a strategic position in world shipping trade in the Gulf of Guinea. The signing of the instruments will therefore mark a turning point in the fight against ship piracy, pollution prevention and control as well as load line convention on the ship standards.” Responding, the IMO Secretary-General expressed the organisation’s pleasure on the submission of the core instruments, particularly three of which border on Ships Standard, SUA Convention and SUA Protocol, which are significant towards prevention of piracy. Sekimizu urged the Federal Government not to relent in its war against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

WEDNESday, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Photo | News 39

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

L-R: Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Shehu Garba; Correspondent of the Radio Germany, Mr. Ubale Musa and Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, during the presentation of the re-issued Press pass to Musa in Abuja.

PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

L-R: Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu; former Chief of Staff to Fashola, Mr. Lanre Babalola and immediate past governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, during the Thanksgiving Prayer Service for Fashola to mark his 52nd birthday and successful completion of his two terms (2007-2015) in office in Lagos.

Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani (left), with the Chief Librarian, National Library of Nigeria, Kaduna branch, Mr. Muhammad Ndagi, during Saniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s courtesy visit to the Library in Kaduna.

Speaker, House Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara (right), with the Leader of Northern Re-awakening Forum/former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Mohammed Umar Kumalia, during a courtesy call to the Speaker in Abuja. PHOTO: ELIJAH OLALUYI

PHOTO: NAN

L-R: Chairman, National Youth Conference Committee, Mr. Jaskiah Onu; members, Mr. Abdus-Sabur Oliyide and Christian Ugwuanyi, during a press conference on the state of youths in Abuja. PHOTO: NAN

L-R: Member of the Advisory Committee, Prison Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Niger State chapter, Pastor Peter Okere; Chairman, Rev. Eberechukwu Ejezie and National Executive Director, Mr. Benson Iwuagwu, at the inauguration of the Niger State chapter of PFN in Suleja.

Chairman/CEO, Concord Estate and Properties Limited, Alhaji Isiaka Adekunle, with his wife, Adebola, during the commissioning of new Concord Eatery/Event Center, Hotels and Car Wash, at Abule-Olosun, Ita Oshin, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

L-R: Relationship Manager, FBN Insurance, Mr. Osita Onyeji; Managing Director/CEO, Rwells Media, Mrs. Jibe Ologeh; outgoing young scholars, Prince Elis Ogbemudia; 2015 young scholars, Prince Monanu Nduadi; Princess Sarah Njoku; Our Daily Manna representative, Mrs. Josephine Moses and outgoing Prince Father, Mr. Ogbemudia, during the recent children concert anniversary in Lagos.

40 Politics

WEDNESDAY, JUly 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

How senators humbled colleagues CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

process. Allowing the party to impose leadership on the Senate President is to make him to fail because they cannot force him to work with his rivals. We are committed to giving President Buhari protection in the Senate. What we are doing is definitely not against the President.” Also, Goje warned the party against imposition of candidates on the Upper Chamber, and maintained that, such move

would likely further polarise the party and erode its fortunes as the ruling party. “Imposition of principal officers is against the tradition in the National Assembly. It is not the tradition. The tradition is to try to reach consensus by making the zonal caucuses decide for themselves. This is another dictation by the National Leader of the party, Tinubu. Leaders must be supported by the led. We, in the APC are craving for change and this change must be seen in the

way the affairs of the party are run,” he said. After all the hullabaloo, the President of the Senate last Thursday announced Senators Ndume (Borno South) and Bala Ibn Na’Allah (Kebbi South) as the Leader and the Deputy Leader of the Senate respectively. He also announced Senator Francis Alimikhena (Edo North) as the Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, notwithstanding that he is a first timer in the Senate. But he was the choice candidate of the South

South APC Senate Caucus as the only senator of the party from the zone. Meanwhile, Saraki did not announce the position of the Chief Whip because members of the South-West caucus, which should produce a representative, did not write any letter to him, indicating their choice candidate for the position. He was silent on the matter because the South-West Caucus insisted that they would abide by the party’s decision as contained in its letter to the President

of the Senate on Tuesday. In the party’s letter to Saraki, signed by the national Chairman of the APC, Chief John OdigieOyegun, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, representing Osun Central, was named as the Chief Whip and Abu Ibrahim from Katsina State as the Deputy Chief Whip. However, shortly after he finished making the announcement, one of the members of the Senate Unity Forum, Senator Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara Central) raised two points

of order, opposing the action of the President of the Senate in announcing the principal officers. He first raised order 28 (1) and Constitution point of order 65, (1d), which states that: “There should be a majority leader of the Senate who should be a senator nominated from the party with the highest number of senators. This point of order was raised yesterday and another colleague raised another point of order distinguishing between the word, from and by. “That is why I am joining it with order 65 (1d) of the constitution. It says subject to the provisions of section 66 of the constitution. A person shall be qualified for election as a member of the Senate if he or she is a member of a political party and sponsored by the political party. There is a communication from the APC, which is the party with the majority representatives in the Senate. However, for reasons best known to you Mr. President, you declined to read it yesterday on the floor of the Senate. When your attention was drawn to the communication from the party. “The constitutional provision just cited, clearly put the party ahead of any other caucus from anywhere. Therefore, if the communication from the party can so be disregarded, I suggest that you, Mr. President cannot read any communication from any caucus because there is no caucus that is bigger than the political party,” he argued. As he was resting his argument, a member of the Like Minds Senators, Goje, raised a point of order, drawing the attention of the Senate to the fact that Marafa made reference to a matter already concluded the previous legislative day. The President of the Senate, while ruling on the matter, said: “Let me refer to order 53 (6) which states that it will be out of order to attempt to reconsider any specific question upon which the Senate has come to a conclusion. This matter had already been raised and ruled upon. Also order 25 (3, 8) which talks about interpretation of rules. On these two issues, I will have to rule Senator Marafa out of order.” That was how the Senate Unity Forum lost everything to the Like Minds Senators, who did not even care to leave the crumbs for their opponents. It was not only the Senate Unity Forum that was defeated; the APC as a party and its leadership were also thoroughly humbled.

Politics 41

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JUly 1, 2015

PHILIP NYAM relives the events that aggravated the fight between supporters of Speaker Yakubu Dogara and lawmakers loyal to the All Progressives Congress (APC) over leadership positions in the House of Representatives

ast Thursday, Nigerians were entertained to a game of parliamentary gymnastic as members of the House of Representatives engaged one another in a freefor-all over disagreements on the choice of principal officers. This shameful display took place in the presence of secondary school students who were on excursion to the House. The hapless students watched from the gallery with bewilderment as their lawmakers fought and tore clothes, exchange abusive words and flung against one another parliamentary reference books. It was indeed embarrassing. Unfortunately, this kind of crisis is not new to the Green chamber. Since1999, the House of Representatives has almost always shown a propensity to rowdiness and crisis. It started with the crisis that ousted the first speaker of the Fourth Republic, Hon. Salisu Buhari. It heightened under the leadership of Hon. Ghali Umar Na’Abba who was perpetually at loggerheads with then President Olusegun Obasanjo. During the fifth Assembly, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari also had a dose of the restiveness in the lower chamber. Series of attempts were made to remove him from office, but the suave and humble politician was able to complete his term. The Sixth Assembly under the leadership of Hon. Dimeji Bankole became notorious for rowdiness and disorderliness. The crisis actually began with the first speaker of that Assembly, Hon. Patricia Etteh, who could not survive the heat and was forced to resign. The first female speaker began her reign on a crisis note even though she had emerged unopposed. Etteh was speaker for only four months. Bankole on his part became the whipping boy of the House. Despite the fact that he tethered on and weathered the storm of the lower chamber, Bankole ended up in court courtesy of the disagreements he had with his opponents while serving as speaker. He was only discharge and acquitted some two years back. Under his leadership, some analysts christened the House “Bankole’s House of controversy”; some tagged it “House of shame” and so many other unpleasant descriptions. Because every other week, members would engage one another in fisticuffs either in an attempt to impeach the speaker or to protest over some other issues. It was during the last Assembly led by Hon. Aminu Tambuwal that sanity returned to the House.

House of Representatives’ members in free-for-all

Dogara

Reps’ show of shame Tambuwal was able to hold the House together and ward off all external interferences beginning with his elections. Even with the massive defections that attended the Seventh Assembly, Tambuwal ensured that acrimony and physical combat amongst lawmakers was greatly curtailed. Now Hon. Yakubu Dogara emerged as speaker under similar circumstances as Tambuwal – against the directive of his party. In fact, Dogara’s campaign slogan was consolidation, meaning he was out to build on the relative peace that prevailed in the House under Tambuwal. However, the new speaker had his baptism of fire barely three weeks in office. Can Dogara re-enact the Tambuwal magic wand that kept the House peaceful most of the four years of the Seventh Assembly or will he be overwhelmed like Bankole and Etteh? How soon will the Eighth House resolve its teething problems and hit the ground running? Will this House fall again? The story For over one hours last Thursday, proceedings at the plenary were disrupted as members opposed to Speaker Dogara made spirited attempts to seize the mace, symbol of authority to prevent him from dissolving into a closed-door meeting and evade reading a letter from the national leadership of the APC to confirm the party’s choice for the remaining four majority principal positions. Trouble started when on resumption of plenary that day and after the opening prayers, Dogara called on chairman of the ad hoc committee on rules and business, Hon. Orker Jev (APC, Benue) to move a motion for the House to revert to an executive session to consider residual matters. The party had chosen Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as Majority Leader, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa as Deputy Leader, Hon. Pally Iriase as Chief Whip and Hon. Mohammed Monguno as Deputy Whip.

We will sit down as leaders and resolve... this matter as quickly as possible

But as soon as Jev rose to move the motion, he was shouted down by Dogara’s opponents who insisted that the speaker must read out the list of principal officers as approved by the party. Shouts of “no executive session” “no executive session” “continue with plenary” rented the air. In the midst of this confusion, the speaker hit the gavel announcing that the House had dissolved into a closed door session. Dogara consequently left his seat to assume his position as chairman to preside over the executive session. But members loyal to Gbajabiamila led by Hon. Balarabe Abdullahi Salame (APC, Sokoto), Hon. Ali Madaki (APC, Kano), Hon. Rufai Ahmed Chanchangi (APC, Kaduna), Hon. Garba Ado Doguwa (APC, Kano) moved towards the mace and a struggle ensued with the Sergeantat-arms. After a protracted struggle, the Sergeant-at-arms were able to ferry away the mace from the chambers to safety. After the mace was removed from the chambers, Doguwa climbed the table where the mace is traditionally domiciled but was dragged down by Dogara supporters. Parliamentary reference books were freely thrown about in the chambers. Speaker Dogara was forced to sit back. But Salame made it towards the speaker asking him to leave. However, some PDP lawmakers led by Hon. Raphael Igbokwe (PDP, Imo) and Hon. Onyeama Chukwuka (PDP, Anambra) quickly formed a protective ring around the speaker. They were quickly joined by over 50 other members who surrounded the speaker and started chanting “Dogara! Dogara! Dogara! Conversely, Dogara’s opponents were shouting “APC change! APC change!” but when they chant the PDP lawmakers would interject “APC shame! APC shame! The matter degenerated as the members engaged one another in a free-for-all and proceedings were disrupted from 11:09a.m. till 11:58a.m. when after much plead-

ing, Gbajabiamila approached Dogara and conferred with him. At this point, sanity started returning to the chambers. At about 12:38p.m. order was eventually restored to the floor and the mace which was ferried away by the Sergeant-at-arms returned for speaker to preside. Dogara subsequently approved the votes and proceedings of the previous day and invited acting leader, Jev, to move for House to revert to plenary. The motion was seconded by Hon. Gone (APC, Yobe). Relying on order 10 rule 10 of the House standing rules, the Speaker adjourned the House to July 21. Before adjourning the House, Dogara admonished his colleagues to be mindful of their conduct as representatives of the people. He said: “We are very fortunate. Let me remind us of the fact that, we are very fortunate, in a nation of 170 million people only 360 of us are selected or elected to represent the people and we should be grateful to our constituents for sending us here. “To be candid, we have promised so much in the course of our elections and even the very party I belong to, the APC, we have promised change and Nigerians expect us to really talk about those matters, those issues that bother them most, they want to hear us talk about unemployment, poverty. In my region, they want us to address insecurity and as long as this House is divided and not united we cannot achieve that. “We have been down this tedious road before. So, I plead of us honourable members as leaders all hands must be on the deck to enable us achieve the desired unity that we need in order to move this House forward. That is the responsibility we owe. “As to the issues that led to the fracas today, we will sit down as leaders and resolve whatever the fight we have to ensure that this matter as quickly as possible be resolved and that is what we will do by the Grace of God.”

42 Politics

WEDNESDAY, JUly 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Amaechi, Wike swim in crisis C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 3

the day striking judiciary workers were to resume work, it was obvious that the state would further sink in 2014 and 2015. So, from becoming one of the states in the country that has never owed workers in its history or toyed with its scholarship programme abroad to one that could no longer pay workers and pensioners, or fund overseas studies or hold contractors accountable for poorly executed projects, Rivers is a perfect example of how things can terribly go wrong. One observer has described the situation “as a state whose rapid deterioration defies logic.” It did not help matters that the State House of Assembly, which was supposed to intervene in the judiciary crisis, and the near total neglect of governance, had split into two factions that sided Amaechi and Wike. The depth of the crisis became clearer when the state became the only one across the country without a transition committee to ensure the smooth handover from Amaechi to Wike. The stronger faction of the Assembly that was supposed to rescue the state from near total collapse, spent the last two years in a temporary building within the vast Government House complex. The displeasure expressed by Wike at his swearing-in at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt on May 29 over the alleged attempts by Amaechi to scuttle his inauguration had hardly died down when the governor directed permanent secretaries in the state to produce account details of their ministries’ expenditure in the last 18 months. He gave the directive barely four days in office, and alleged that some of them aided the corruption of the Amaechi administration by signing cheques in the last days of the administration,

noting that he won’t accept any handover note from any of them without details of their accounts. Wike said: “I want full details and print out of every ministry’s account in the last 18 months. I will not accept any handover note without an accompanying account details. “The administration was coming to a close and some of you were busy signing cheques on the 26th, 27th and 28th of May. On May 28, the transition committee called most of you and you refused to cooperate, because they told you I will not be sworn in,” he stated. Wike had told the people of the state that he met an empty treasury when he came into office on May 29, while dismissing the reports in some quarters that the Amaechi administration did left behind N7 billion in the state coffers. “I want to say on good authority that we did not meet any N7 billion as being speculated. The state’s Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) account as at May 29 was in debit. That was the briefing I received from the Accountant-General,” he said.

Looting of state properties When Wike alleged that the Amaechi administration looted furniture, facilities and cars in Government House, and that it might take three months before he starts operating from there, it sparked a fresh round of war. Wike had alleged that all the bullet proof doors, furniture, cars, crested carpets, curtains and windows were carted away by the Amaechi administration. He said: “As I speak with you, everything has been vandalised. I will not enter the Government House in the next two or three months. There is no vehicle in Government House, not even one. Yet the former governor talks

There is no vehicle in Government House, not even one. Yet the former governor talks about corruption

Amaechi

about corruption.” The PDP, which also expressed shock, urged the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to prevail on Amaechi to return all the looted items. The PDP state chairman, Felix Obuah, noted that failure to do that would continue to present both the APC and the former governor in bad light. Obuah said that Amaechi’s action was “childish and criminal.” But Amaechi said the allegation was aimed by Wike “to intimidate, threaten and blackmail officials of his administration, including civil servants into making false, phony and bogus claims of alleged corruption and corrupt practices against him and his wife, Judith; concocted claims that cannot be substantiated.” The former governor said he left the Government House intact.

Wike on course with Amaechi’s probe – Obuah, PDP chair Felix Obuah, the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State speaks on the probe of Amaechi’s administration in this interview with EMMANUEL MARSHA Some critics have complained that the Wike administration decided to probe former Governor Amaechi rather than settle down fully and plan the development of the state. How would you react to that? I don’t think it is too early for Governor Wike to know how the resources of Obuah the

state were managed under the Amaechi administration. It is a clear sign that this present administration strongly believes in accountability and the good management of the resources of the state. He should be commended by taking the bulls by the horn. He has also sent a very strong signal that it is no longer business as usual. During his campaigns across the 23 local government areas of the state, Wike promised to serve the people, deliver good governance, and ensure the judicious use of

the state’s resources. There is nothing wrong in knowing how the resources of the state were spent in the past. So, it is a step in the right direction. So, you are saying the constitution of a probe panel is in the interest of Rivers people, and not a witch-hunt as alleged by Amaechi? The present Rivers State government does not believe in the witch-hunt of anybody. I say this because what is key in his mind as governor is to rebuild Rivers State and restore its glory. He wants to correct the mistakes of the past that has landed us where we are today. In the history of Rivers, workers and pensioners have never been owed. That is why we are concerned on how to correct the anomaly of the past and

instil sanity in governance and public service in the state. As a party, we can assure you that the governor is focused and on track. We have confidence in the steps he has taken so far, and believe that they will yield positive results. But some people are insisting that the probe is not necessary now. The governor simply exercised his powers as enshrined in section 2(1) of the Commissions of Inquiry Law of Rivers State (Cap. 30, Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria, 1999). It is our hope therefore, that members of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry will do a thorough work in uncovering the monumental frauds Amaechi and his aides committed in the state during their tyrannical regime. Doing that will rekindle the hope of our people.

As the matter continued to attract reactions, a few days later, the state government recovered 10 vehicles that were parked in a private residence. The state later recovered a Lexus SUV from the Port Harcourt residence of the immediate past Commissioner for Information, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari. Setting up Commission of Inquiry Wike also stepped up his inquiry. He constituted a commission to probe the Amaechi administration by mandating them to investigate the sale of gas turbines; the sale of Olympia Hotel and the uncompleted monorail project. The governor also urged them to investigate the non-execution of the Justice Adolphus KaribiWhyte Specialist Hospital, the withdrawal of N96 billion from the state’s reserve fund without due process, and N2 billion agricultural fund. Wike specifically urged the commission to “determine whether the disbursement of money from the fund complied with the provision of the Rivers State Reserve Fund Law No 2 of 2008.” The commission’s scope would also cover the sale of Omoku 150 MW Gas Turbine; Afam 360 MW Gas Turbine; Trans Amadi 136 MW Gas Turbine and Eleme 75 MW Gas Trubine, Wike urged the members to identify those who bought them, the amount they were sold and how the proceeds were used by the Amaechi administration. As the Amaechi camp waited for the dust on the constitution of the commission to settle down, Wike went a step further by declaring that the state’s students on scholarship were suffering abroad having being abandoned by the Amaechi administration. He said the programme was a scam, and accused the state government of

Politics 43

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JUly 1, 2015

We won’t dignify him with a response Wike

using consultants when there was a scholarship board in the state to carry out such task. He said: “If the fees being paid is N2 billion, consultants take N900 million. Why use consultants to do jobs when you have a scholarship board? Now our children (students) are in foreign lands suffering. Their parents are crying why send our children abroad when you can’t pay their fees.” Ameachi: There’s nothing to probe For the first time since he left office, Amaechi felt it was imperative to let the world know that Wike’s probe of his administration was nothing other than a sham, because nothing will come out of it. He also feels that it is an opportunity for the governor to deceive the public as a “sick man.” A statement from the former governor read in part: “This socalled Wike’s probe of Amaechi is dead on arrival. All the noise Wike is making is to grab media headlines with his lies of monumental corruption against Amaechi. It’s all drama made for the media. What is playing out is a script written and directed by Nyesom Wike. Wike should move to Nollywood where his devious skills would probably be useful. “Even while inaugurating his yeoman commission of Inquiry, Wike could not conceal his vendetta agenda. He was clear to the panel members that their job is to indict Amaechi. “While it’s no longer in doubt what would be the report of Wike’s sham probe commission, what may shock Nigerians is the extent Wike has gone and is ready to go to manufacture stories of corrupt practices, and the kind of bogus tales of corruption against Amaechi that he would soon be feeding the nation.

“Since May 29, Wike has been intimidating, threatening, coercing and blackmailing officials of the past administration, especially civil servants into making false, phony and bogus statements that would make legitimate government transactions appear as corrupt practices.” Did Assembly aid looting? In October 2014, in the heat of the political crisis rocking Rivers, and just a few months to the end of the Amaechi administration, the Rivers State House of Assembly granted Amaechi’s request to withdraw N19 billion from the state’s reserve fund. The reserve fund was established through a law of the House in 2008, for the state government to compulsorily save the sum of N1 billion every month.

The 22 lawmakers present during the sitting, unanimously granted Amaechi’s wish, less than 24 hours after he made the request. The House Leader, Hon Chidi Lloyd, had earlier called for the approval of the request, arguing that the loan was needed to cushion the effect of the difficult times. The Speaker, Hon. Otelemabam Amachree, presided over the sitting. Shortly after the proceedings, the chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Hon. Josiah John Olu, explained that the request became necessary so that government can run, as there was no allocation to the states in the last FAAC meeting. He also used the occasion to inform the people of the state that the Amaechi government was yet to access an earlier N50 billion first tranch loan approved by the Assembly. Predictably, the only voice of resistance to the loan was the leader of the six anti-Amaechi lawmakers, and factional speaker, Evans Bipi, who described the action of the pro-Amaechi lawmakers as illegal, and strongly blamed his colleagues for succumbing to Amaechi. When the N50 billion bond was approved, Bipi said it was unfortunate and disturbing that the proAmaechi members of the House and the governor were moving towards mortgaging the future of the state on debts running into hundreds of billions of naira. N100bn savings disappear Part of the cash that kept Amaechi moving towards the end of his administration was withdrawn from the state’s compulsory savings, so claimed an insider. The fund was a compulsory monthly N1 billion savings that was deducted from the state’s allocation from the Federal Government. Amaechi once said during one of his “Accountability Fora” that nothing will ever make him remove a dime from it. In his first term in office, the account had more than N40 billion, and was over N100 billion when he left office. It is the way the fund was withdrawn and “disappeared” and other alleged cases of looting that the Judicial Com-

mission of Inquiry to probe the Amaechi administration will get busy with. In December 2010, three years after Amaechi became governor, the state had saved N27 billion reserved savings of the state government. Amaechi assured that he won’t spend it, and kept to his words. During the inauguration of Change Rivers State initiative held at Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, Amaechi once again assured that his government would not touch the money despite the recent fall in state revenue. He made it clear that the N1 billion monthly saving was backed by law and was for future use of the state, and that his administration will continue to abide by that law. In December 2013, exactly three years after, Amaechi’s Commissioner for Finance stated that the fund had topped N50 billion. By then, the savings had assumed the name of Sovereign Wealth Fund. So, as a state with a compulsory savings programme, it felt the people of the state had something to fall back on in future, and the people were quite happy that their government was futuristic rather than soak up the pleasure of the moment. Today, the more than N100 billion saved in the course of almost eight years is nowhere to be found Amaechi, Ikuru feud While Wike has embarked on the probe of the Amaechi administration, the former governor’s deputy, Engr. Tele Ikuru, has described the government he served as the most corrupt. Ikuru had dumped APC for the PDP few days to the 2015 elections. A few days ago, Ikuru, who led the transition committee set up by Wike, dropped a bombshell, when he alleged that the Ameachi administration was the most corrupt in the state’s history. Amaechi would respond by calling Ikuru a clown. He said: “We won’t dignify him with a response. He’s such a worthless piece of trash that we won’t waste our energy on. This is a man with no dignity, no shame. No self-respecting man would talk the way Ikuru is talking right now. This is a character that served the Amaechi administration for almost eight years. He is a clown.”

Omenazu: Probe must extend to Wike’s tenure as Chief of Staff Chief Jackson Omenazu is the national publicity secretary of the African Renaissance Party (ARP). In this interview with Emmanuel Masha, he speaks on development in Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has inaugurated a commission to probe the Amaechi administration. How do you see the move? I am a strong believer in the saying that those who go to equity, must go with clean hands. I am against–corruption, because it slows down growth, and can equally crip-

ple an economy. As a country, Nigeria has suffered; it has failed to rise to the level it was supposed to rise. So, there is nothing wrong if Wike inaugurates a commission to probe Amaechi, but what I don’t like is the constitution of the panel. That aside, if Wike wants the Amaechi administration to be probed, then he has to start from Amaechi’s first term in office, when he was the Chief of Staff to Amaechi. You must agree with me that it was a very sensitive post. If the panel investigates Amaechi’s first term in office, it therefore means that Wike means well for the people of the state. There shouldn’t be half measures, but a thorough and detailed investigation. Are you saying that the panel has been mandated to carry out a

selective probe? How else do you expect one to see it? To have an idea of who did what, you must adopt a holistic approach to accomplish your objective. Any selective or segmented probe will leave a question mark, because it indicates some level of malice and a predictable outcome, which may be lacking any moral standing. Some items allegedly looted by the Amaechi administration have been recovered. We have been told that some commissioners left with their vehicles, and that they did so, based on the monetisation agreement they had with the government. In other words, the cars they left with were not looted, but they belong to them. We have heard of situation where members of the

Omenazu

House of Representatives left with their cars, and even they structure they occupied. For Rivers, there should be a gazette, indicating what and what was not returned to the government. This requires a detailed investigation. The question we should ask ourselves is: Did Wike leave behind his official cars as the Chief of Staff ?

Business | Money Line

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

NAICOM approves 35 insurance firms’ accounts

DEADLINE

Failure to meet the June 30 deadline of every year attracts a fine of N5,000 per day

Queries Linkage, Standard Alliance, Sterling Assurance Custodian & Allied Ins. Ltd, Custodian Life Assurance Ltd, Law Union & Rock Insurance Company Plc, Mansard Ins PLc and FBN Insurance Ltd. Also included are Oasis Insurance Plc, Consolidated Hallmark Insurance, UBA Metropolitan Life Ins. Company, Zenith Life Assurance Company Ltd, and Zenith General Insurance Company Limited.

Details made available to New Telegraph revealed that three companies’ accounts have being queried and awaiting response, while 17 others are yet to make their accounts available to the regulator. According to the breakdown, underwriters, whose accounts have been approved include Wapic Life Assurance Ltd, Wapic Insurance Plc,

Sunday Ojeme

he National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has approved the accounts of 35 insurance firms following their ability to submit the details according to the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) guidelines.

Others are Royal Exchange Prudential Life Plc, Royal Exchange General Insurance Ltd, AIICO Insurance Plc, Cornerstone Insurance Plc, Prestige Assurance Plc, Continental Reinsurance, NSIA Insurance, NEM insurance Plc and Leadway Assurance Plc. Insurance firms that also made the list are Equity Assurance Plc, Unity

Code of corporate governance: Shareholders reject ‘joint auditors’

Deborah Olayode

he Independent Shareholders Association (ISAN) is against the provision in the national code of corporate governance, which imposes joint auditors on shareholders, its Chairman, Chief Sunny Nwosu has said. He said this in Lagos yesterday during a one-day public hearing on the National Code of Corporate Governance for Private and Public Sector Entities organised by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC). “We have made a presentation on the National

was to create an avenue for stakeholders in private, public sector entities and not-for-profit entities of the economy, to come together and brainstorm on the Code of Corporate Governance with the view of making meaningful inputs that will assist the council to provide a statutory code that is all embracing. In a brief comment during the hearing, one of the resource persons, Mr. Victor Odiase, Chair-

Code, and we are not going to deviate from it,” Nwosu said. “What we are going to do as an association will be to update our presentation while looking at some areas where we are not comfortable with. “We as an association disagree with the imposition of a joint auditor on the shareholders and some other areas, which we are going to seriously look into.” The one-day hearing

man, Steering Committee, National Code of Corporate Governance, said the committee had adopted a qualitative approach as its main philosophical position. He also said that in order for the committee to arrive at the final code, they gathered enormous data through semi-structured and unstructured in-depth interviews, personal observations, focus groups and the memoranda submitted to it.

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

N19,142,526.05m N18,579,219.49m 9 13 10.77 US$60.72 US$29,031,537,741

Mar, 2015 Mar, 2015 May, 2015 4/6/2015 Mar 2015 10/6/2015 22/6/2015

Source:CBN

Description 13.05 16-AUG-2016 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 10.00 23-JUL-2030

TTM

FGN Bonds

Price 1.13 1.83 4.00 4.62 6.58 8.71 15.06

Bid Yield

98.49 100.44 102.99 101.77 106.33 97.52 68.00

NIBOR

Tenor (Days) Call 30 90 180

Rate (%) 8.0833 14.6278 15.9834 16.7887

14.50 14.78 14.98 14.98 14.84 14.70 15.56 Change (%) -0.58▼ -0.31▼ 0.22▲ 0.09▲

Change (%) 0.22▲ 0.30▲ 0.40▲ 0.16▲ 0.21▲ 0.36▲ 0.00 ↔

Price 98.64 100.59 103.29 102.07 106.63 97.82 68.30

Tenor (Months)

Offer Yield 14.35 14.68 14.88 14.89 14.77 14.64 15.49

NITTY

1 2 3 6 9 12

Treasury Bills

Rate (%) 11.9071 13.2586 13.3525 13.7272 13.8799 14.0574

Spot($/N)

Offer 197.47

Change (%) 0.04 ▲

NIFEX

Spot($/N)

Bid 198.9500

CBN Clearing Rates of June 30, 2015 Spot ($/N)

195.95

Change (%) 0.25 ▲ 0.54 ▲ 0.41 ▲ 0.15 ▲ 0.26 ▲ 0.05 ▲

Money Market

Maturity Date Discount Bid Yield Change (%) Discount Offer Yield Change (%) Rate (%) 13.17 13.62 0.16 ▲ Open-Buy-Back (OBB) 7.33 01-Oct-15 13.42 13.89 0.16 ▲ 13.30 14.21 -0.26▼ Overnight (O/N) 7.75 24-Dec-15 13.55 14.50 -0.26▼ 12.36 13.96 0.02 ▲ 02-Jun-16 12.61 14.28 0.02 ▲ Bid 197.37

Change (%) 0.22▲ 0.30▲ 0.39▲ 0.16▲ 0.21▲ 0.36▲ 0.00 ↔

196.95

0.03

Offer 199.0500

Change (%) -0.50▼ -0.50▼

Change (%) 0.00 ↔

Kapital Assurance Plc, Lasaco Assurance Plc, Regency Alliance Plc, ARM Life Insurance, Niger Insurance, Staco Insurance Plc, Union Assurance Plc and Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc. Others are KBL Insurance Ltd, Unitrust Insurance Plc, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc, and Mutual Benefits Life Assurance Plc. Those queried and awaiting response are Linkage Assurance Plc, Sterling Assurance Plc, and Standard Alliance Life Assurance Plc. The responses of Nigerian Reinsurance Cor-

poration and Old Mutial Life Assurance are under review while the review of Old Mutual Nigeria Insurance and Standard Alliance Insurance are being processed. The 17 companies that missed the deadline include African Alliance, Anchor Insurance, Capital Express, Fin Insurance Compnay Ltd, Great Nigeria Insurance, Guinea Nigeria Insurance, Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation, Universal Insurance Plc, and Industrial & General Insurance Plc. Others are Unic Insurance Plc, NICON Insurance, International Energy Insurance Plc, Goldlink Insurance, Alliance & General Insurance, Alliance & General Life Assurance Plc, Investment & Allied Assurance Company Ltd and Spring Life Assurance Plc.

CBN lowers forex peg, naira falls at black market Nigeria 2024 bond yield jumps 40 bps as funds switch to bills

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) inched its exchange rate peg lower yesterday while domestic investors worried about a slide in the naira pushing inflation higher switched out of bonds into short-dated paper, traders said. The naira according to Bloomberg News, slid to N228 to the dollar on the parallel market yesterday, down 0.88 percent from the previous day, while the yield on the 2024 bond in the JP Morgan Government Bond Index (GBIEM) rose 40 basis point to 14.74 percent. The apex bank moved its naira peg to N196.95 against the dollar yesterday from N196.90 it set last week, the fourth time it has tweaked the peg since it was introduced in February. Traders said the move might indicate that the bank is beginning to think about how to loosen its currency regime. “There is no change to FX policy, therefore the locals are getting a bit nervous thinking that offshore investors will not be coming back any time soon,” said Kevin Daly, portfolio manager at Aberdeen asset management. “Effectively, the bond market is starting to price in a much wider move on the currency,” he said. Traders said last Monday the negative outlook for inflation, which is hovering around the

CBN’s upper limit of 9 percent, was one reason why local investors were selling bonds. The most liquid 5-year bond yield rose to 14.95 per cent, up from 14.71 percent the day before the bank unveiled the currency rules last week, but below 15.5 per cent on the eve of the presidential election in March. On the interbank market, the naira traded $50.15 million, with bulk of the trades executed at the new CBN rate of N196.95, traders said. Another trader said the banking watchdog may be trying to gauge the level at which it can defend the naira, but noted the bank was running low on ammunitions to do this. Foreign reserves in Africa’s top oil producer declined to $29 billion as of June 26, the apex bank said, down from $29.6 billion at the end of May and 22.1 percent lower than a year ago. Last week the bank, seeking to conserve dollar reserves, stopped importers from accessing hard currency from the interbank market, further tightening liquidity and adding to market jitters. JP Morgan has warned it may remove Nigeria from its Government Bond Index by the end of the year unless Africa’s biggest economy restored liquidity to currency markets in a way that allowed foreign investors tracking the benchmark to transact with minimal hurdles.

Business | Financial Market News

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

30-Jun-15

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

Bonds FGN Bonds

Price

Rating/Agency

Issuer

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

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

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

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

581.39 476.80 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 233.73 600.00 599.99 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 324.50

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,838.17

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,413.10

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

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

1.13 1.83 2.07 2.17 2.92 4.00 4.32 4.62 6.58 8.71 13.41 13.89 14.39 15.06 19.05

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

14.50 14.78 14.84 14.85 14.92 14.98 15.03 14.98 14.84 14.70 16.13 16.34 16.57 15.56 14.92

14.35 14.68 14.75 14.76 14.85 14.88 14.92 14.89 14.77 14.64 16.07 16.27 16.48 15.49 14.86

98.49 100.44 91.33 90.07 90.28 102.99 75.13 101.77 106.33 97.52 93.83 79.06 56.20 68.00 82.61

98.64 100.59 91.48 90.22 90.43 103.29 75.43 102.07 106.63 97.82 94.13 79.36 56.50 68.30 82.91

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Modelled Price

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

17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

2.10 112.22 116.70 66.49

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

0.76 1.44 1.80 2.02

2.27 1.85 1.00 1.00

16.56 16.46 15.77 15.84

100.52 99.40 104.27 100.84

Agency Bonds FMBN ***LCRM

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

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

297.52

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

302.40

Sub-National Bonds A/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.17

4.44

17.59

99.06

A-/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

2.16

30-Sep-15

0.25

3.23

17.33

98.89

BBB+/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

3.90

30-Jun-16

1.00

4.46

18.57

96.05

‡ /Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

5.73

30-Jun-16

1.02

3.48

17.61

98.12

A+/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

1.80

1.00

15.77

91.19

‡ /Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

25.73

30-Jun-17

1.57

1.00

15.70

97.44

‡ /Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

2.50

1.79

16.67

94.71

‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

30.81

30-Sep-18

1.88

1.80

16.60

96.01

Bb-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

1.90

1.00

15.80

97.15

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

14.50

12.40

09-Dec-18

2.08

1.00

15.84

97.74

Bb-/Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

9.21

12-Dec-18

2.09

4.78

19.62

91.05

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR

*ONDO

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

27.00

14-Feb-19

2.07

1.00

15.84

99.38

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

*GOMBE LAGOS

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

BBB-/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019

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

15.50 14.50 14.75

15.09 80.00 24.74

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

2.50 4.40 2.57

2.02 1.00 1.00

16.90 16.03 15.89

97.25 95.25 97.72

BBB-/Agusto

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020

10-Oct-13

14.75

10.78

10-Oct-20

3.01

1.82

16.75

95.58

Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

13.50 LAGOS 27-NOV-2020

27-Nov-13

13.50

87.50

27-Nov-20

5.41

1.00

15.94

91.33

A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro

KOGI

15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020

31-Dec-13

15.00

5.00

31-Dec-20

5.50

1.00

15.93

96.67

‡ /Agusto A-/GCR

*EKITI *NASARAWA

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

31-Dec-13

14.50

4.55

31-Dec-20

3.66

1.00

16.00

96.15

06-Jan-14

15.00

4.56

06-Jan-21

3.19

1.00

15.95

97.81

99.49

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

448.65 425.24

Corporate Bonds BBB+/Agusto BBB-/Agusto

*UPDC

10.00 UPDC 17-AUG-2015

17-Aug-10

10.00

2.50

17-Aug-15

0.13

1.00

13.77

*FLOURMILLS

12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015

09-Dec-10

12.00

9.38

09-Dec-15

0.44

1.00

15.40

98.57

BB/GCR

*CHELLARAMS

14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016

06-Jan-11

14.00

0.42

06-Jan-16

0.27

2.63

16.76

99.35

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016

29-Sep-11

13.00

15.00

29-Sep-16

1.25

1.00

15.39

97.32

A-/Agusto

FSDH

14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

25-Oct-16

1.32

1.34

15.81

98.14

A/GCR

UBA

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017

30-Sep-10

13.00

20.00

30-Sep-17

2.25

1.00

15.86

94.70

BBB-/GCR

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.56

30-Nov-17

1.48

1.88

16.54

102.54

Nil

*C & I LEASING *DANA#{r}

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

09-Apr-11

16.00

5.40

09-Apr-18

1.53

3.84

18.53

96.82

A-/DataPro†; B+/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

18.00

2.54

09-Sep-18

1.69

1.00

15.74

103.05

100.29

AAA/DataPro†; A/GCR

*TOWER

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.70

09-Sep-18

1.69

1.00

15.74

A+/Agusto; A/GCR

UBA

14.00 UBA II 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

30-Sep-18

3.25

3.00

17.96

90.49

BBB+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.10

18-Oct-18

1.80

2.29

17.06

98.01

BBB-/DataPro†; BB/GCR

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

17-Feb-12

18.00

0.36

17-Feb-19

1.88

6.11

20.91

95.88

Nil

*DANA#{r}

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

2.50

2.16

17.04

97.90

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

5.38

2.76

17.71

91.65

BBB/GCR

FCMB

14.25 FCMB I 20-NOV-2021

20-Nov-14

14.25

26.00

20-Nov-21

6.39

1.80

16.63

90.79

A/GCR

UBA

16.45 UBA I 30-DEC-2021

30-Dec-14

16.45

30.50

30-Dec-21

6.50

2.63

17.45

96.20

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

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

30-Sep-14

16.29

0.10

30-Sep-24

9.25

1.00

15.73

102.60

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

13.25

15.44

30-Sep-24

9.25

1.00

15.73

88.05

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

178.07

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

167.23

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

IFC

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

11-Feb-18

2.62

1.00

15.89

88.15

Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P

AfDB

11.25 AFDB 1-FEB-2021

10-Jul-14

11.25

12.95

01-Feb-21

4.75

1.00

16.01

80.82

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

24.95 21.04

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value ($mm)

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

6.01

5.79

103.47

104.51

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

5.01

4.65

100.33

101.34

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

6.31

6.15

100.40

101.43

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

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

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,520.95

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

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

4.24

102.75

B+/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

7.51

99.50

B/Fitch; B/S&P

FIDELITY BANK PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

11.19

10.20

89.71

91.95

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

7.63

7.30

95.26

96.19

B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P

ZENITH BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

7.24

96.75

B/Fitch; B/S&P

DIAMOND BANK PLC

8.75 May 21, 2019

21-May-14

8.75

200.00

21-May-19

10.19

9.64

95.45

97.16

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

FIRST BANK PLC ACCESS BANK PLC II FIRST BANK LTD

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

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

8.25 9.25 8.00

300.00 400.00 450.00

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

9.28 10.44 9.55

9.28 10.23 9.55

95.25 95.03 92.25

95.25 95.92 92.25

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

10.49

10.12

91.51

93.10

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

3,650.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

3,496.59

**Treasury Bills^ DTM 9 16 23 30 37 44 58 65

FIXINGS Maturity 9-Jul-15 16-Jul-15 23-Jul-15 30-Jul-15 6-Aug-15 13-Aug-15 27-Aug-15 3-Sep-15

Bid Discount (%) 10.72 10.55 11.64 11.80 11.63 12.63 12.93 12.50

Offer Discount (%) 10.47 10.30 11.39 11.55 11.38 12.38 12.68 12.25

Bid Yield (%) 10.75 10.59 11.72 11.91 11.77 12.82 13.20 12.78

Money Market Tenor

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 8.0833 14.6278 15.9834 16.7887

Rate (%)

OBB

7.33

O/N

7.75

Tenor Call 1M

REPO

Rate (%) 8.00 9.00

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M 3M

197.37 201.81 202.13 202.87 204.24 205.60

197.47 201.93 202.28 203.37 205.31 207.21

^10.00 23-JUL-2030 ^12.1493 18-JUL-2034

23-Jul-10 18-Jul-14

10.00 12.1493

591.57 324.50

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

4,838.17

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,413.10

Rating/Agency

Description

Issuer

23-Jul-30 18-Jul-34

15.06 19.05

15.56 14.92

15.49 14.86

68.00 82.61

68.30 82.91

# Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Modelled Price

2.27

16.56

100.52

1.00 1.00

15.77 15.84

104.27 100.84

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

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

17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

2.10 112.22 116.70 66.49

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

0.76 1.44 1.80 2.02

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

FMBN

Business | Financial Market News

***LCRM

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

297.52

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

302.40

1.85 JULY 1, 2015 16.46 NEW TELEGRAPH 99.40 WEDNESDAY,

Stock market closes half year on positive track Sub-National Bonds

A/Agusto

KADUNA

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015

31-Aug-10

12.50

8.50

31-Aug-15

0.17

4.44

17.59

99.06

A-/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

2.16

30-Sep-15

0.25

3.23

17.33

98.89

BBB+/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

3.90

30-Jun-16

1.00

4.46

18.57

96.05

‡ /Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

5.73

30-Jun-16

1.02

3.48

17.61

98.12

A+/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

CONFIDENCE

19-Apr-10 to close at 33,456.83 & 10.00 LAGOSbasis 19-APR-2017 Bi-monthly Economic 30-Jun-10 13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017 ‡ /Agusto *BAYELSA points as against 33,249.19 Business Update, said the 30-Dec-10 14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017 ‡ /Agusto EDO Investors gain N71bn previous day, investment reversal may 30-Sep-11 DELTA 30-SEP-2018 ‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR *DELTA recorded the 14.00 14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018 be experienced by 04-Oct-11 Bb-/Agusto; A-/GCR NIGER while the market capitaliother ‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR† *EKITI 14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018 sation of equities appreci- emerging markets.09-Dec-11 12-Dec-13 Bb-/Agusto *NIGER 14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018 ated by N71 billion or 0.62 Meanwhile, a 14-Feb-12 turnStories Chris Ugwu ‡ /Agusto;by A-/GCR *ONDO 15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019 02-Oct-12 BBB+/Agusto; A-/GCR *GOMBE per cent. 15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019over of 268.5 million Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR LAGOS 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019 22-Nov-12 bilespite recording Chief Executive Offi- shares worth N4.2 12-Dec-12 BBB-/Agusto; BBB+/GCR *OSUN 14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019 10-Oct-13 BBB-/Agusto *OSUN OSUN II 10-OCT-2020 lion in 4,808 deals losses during cer, Financial14.75 Derivatives was Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR 13.50 LAGOS 27-NOV-2020 last two weeksLAGOS of Companies (FDC) Limit- recorded yesterday27-Nov-13 . 31-Dec-13 A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro KOGI 15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020 ed, Mr. Bismark Rewane, Banking sub-sector 31-Dec-13 ‡ /Agusto the month, the *EKITI 14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020 06-Jan-14 A-/GCR *NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021 Nigerian Stock Exchange had said that15.00 theNASARAWA Nigerian of the financial services TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE (NSE) closed the month of equities market may wit- sector was the most acTOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION June, which also marked ness Foreign Portfolio In- tive (measured by turnCorporate Bondshalf of the vestment (FPI) reversals, over volume), with 180.9 the end of first UPDC 17-AUG-2015 17-Aug-10 BBB+/Agusto *UPDC as the Unites10.00 States (U.S) million shares worth year, on a positive route, N2.2 12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 BBB-/Agusto 09-Dec-10 *FLOURMILLS prepares06-JAN-2016 as BB/GCR bargain hunters *CHELLARAMS re- Federal Reserve billion exchanged 06-Jan-11 by in14.00 CHELLARAMS 13.00 NAHCOrates 29-SEP-2016 vestors in 2,395 deals. A+/Agusto; 29-Sep-11 turned toA-/GCR the market. NAHCO to increase interest 14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016 A-/Agusto 25-Oct-13 FSDH in September. Consequently , the AllVolume in the sub13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017 A/GCR 30-Sep-10 UBA Share Index grew by 207.64 Rewane, who stated sector was largely driven 18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 BBB-/GCR 30-Nov-12 *C & I LEASING DANA 9-APR-2018 09-Apr-11 Nil points or 0.62 per cent *DANA this in theMPR+7.00 company’s basis by activity in the shares

#{r}

A-/DataPro†; B+/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

AAA/DataPro†; A/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

A+/Agusto; A/GCR

#{r}

B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK LTD

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

18.00

2.54

16.00

0.70

NSE plans custodian firms for naira investment in Apple, Hennessey 14.00 UBA II 30-SEP-2018

UBA

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 *LA CASERA igerians will soon be able MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019 BBB-/DataPro†; BB/GCR *CHELLARAMS to invest in companies 16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019 Nil *DANA such as Apple Inc. and 15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020 A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO 14.25 FCMB I 20-NOV-2021 BBB/GCR FCMBLouis LVMH Moet Hennessy 16.45 UBA I 30-DEC-2021 A/GCR UBA Vuitton SE in their local curtial Nigerian following,” Chief 182D T.bills+1.20 STANBIC IA 30-SEP-2024 A/GCR STANBIC IBTC 13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024 rency Executive Officer Oscar Onyema A/GCRat their local bourse. STANBIC IBTC TOTAL OUTSTANDING According to VALUE Bloomberg said in an interview. “For examTOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION News, not that these global com- ple, we know that Nigerians buy panies are looking a lot of Apple and Louis Vuitton Supranational Bond to sell shares in the African nation yet products. Nigerians also follow 10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 AAA/S&P IFC but the 1-FEB-2021 Aaa/Moody's;plans AAA/S&P to get custodian AfDB Exchange soccer.11.25 So,AFDB any football club that TOTAL VALUE firms toOUTSTANDING issue depositary re- is listed is a potential.” TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION ceipts against their stocks and Apple and LVMH didn’t imoffer them for trading in Lagos. mediately reply to e-mails reDescription Rating/Agency Issuer The unsponsored offerings questing comment. Depositary FGN Eurobonds would come from the holdings receipts represent a stake in of the custodians and would not a foreign company that inves6.75 JAN 28, 2021 BB-/Fitch; B+/S&P involve tors in a country can buy and BB-/Fitch;the concerned compaFGN 5.13 JUL 12, 2018 BB-/S&P sell with their local currency. nies. BB-/Fitch; 6.38 JUL 12, 2023 Nigeria, Africa’s largest Sponsored offerings involve the BB-/S&P economy , is trying toVALUE develop its consent and participation of the TOTAL OUTSTANDING stock exchange by increasing li- companies, while depositary TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION quidity and the products avail- banks make unsponsored issues. Corporate Eurobonds able for investors as it seeks to The Exchange7.50 will finalise the MAY 19, 2016 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC I close the gap with South Africa, details of the plan by the year7.25 JUL 25, 2017 B+/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC home toB/S&P the continent’s biggest at 09,a 2018 Bloom6.88 MAY B/Fitch; FIDELITY BANK PLC end, Onyema said NOV 08, 2018 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC equity market. berg conference 6.00 at bourse premAPR 22, 2019 B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P ZENITH BANK PLC “We’re looking to start with ises. It is seeking6.25 clarity from the 8.75 May 21, 2019 B/Fitch; B/S&P DIAMOND BANK PLC those with substantialFIRST business National Pension Commission 8.25 AUG 07, 2020 B-/Fitch; B/S&P BANK PLC 9.25/6M USD LIBOR+7.677 24, 2021 dealings in Nigeria, or aACCESS substanpension fundsJUN would B-/Fitch; B/S&P BANK PLC IIon whether BBB+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021

30-Sep-11

14.00

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.10

17-Feb-12

18.00

0.36

01-Apr-14

16.00

15.25

2.05

20-Nov-14

14.25

26.00

30-Dec-14

16.45

30.50

23-Jul-14

8.00

450.00

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

2.07

1.00

15.84

99.38

2.50 4.40 2.57

2.02 1.00 1.00

16.90 16.03 15.89

97.25 95.25 97.72

10-Oct-20

3.01

1.82

16.75

95.58

27-Nov-20

5.41

1.00

15.94

91.33

31-Dec-20

5.50

1.00

15.93

96.67

kye Bank value16.00 at optimised cost, and 3.66 Plc has 1.00 96.15 06-Jan-21 3.19 1.00 announced the sucoffer 15.95 delightful 97.81 customer cessful conclusion experience. We will thereof its integration pro- fore continue to make the cess with Mainstreet required investments in 17-Aug-15 0.13 1.00 13.77 Bank Limited, which it people, process 99.49 and tech09-Dec-15 0.44 1.00 15.40 98.57 acquired late0.27last year nology to meet 99.35 this com06-Jan-16 2.63 16.76 29-Sep-16 1.00 15.39 97.32 “in line with1.25its longmitment”, he reassured 25-Oct-16 1.32 1.34 15.81 98.14 term vision of playing a customers of the bank. 30-Sep-17 2.25 1.00 15.86 94.70 leadership role Oguntayo disclosed 30-Nov-17 1.48 in Nige1.88 16.54 102.54 09-Apr-18 1.53services 3.84 96.82 that 18.53 Skye Bank’s total ria’s financial 09-Sep-18 1.69 1.00 15.74 103.05 industry .” branch network stood at 09-Sep-18 1.69 1.00 15.74 100.29 The bank 3.25 said in 3.00 a 469, while its Automated 30-Sep-18 17.96 90.49 18-Oct-18 1.80 2.29 98.01(ATM) statement made availTeller17.06Machine 17-Feb-19 1.88 6.11 20.91 95.88 network has increased able to news2.50 men that 01-Apr-19 2.16 17.04 97.90 six months after it took to 815 across the country, 14-Nov-20 5.38 2.76 17.71 91.65 20-Nov-21 6.39 1.80 16.63asset base 90.79of N1.5 over Mainstreet Bank, with an 30-Dec-21 6.50 2.63 17.45 96.20 it30-Sep-24 seamlessly9.25achieved trillion. 1.00 15.73 102.60 the harmonisation and The of 30-Sep-24 9.25 1.00 15.73implications 88.05 integration of their pro- these for the customers, cesses, procedures, struc- he said include better actures, operations, human cess to the bank’s service capital the other channels, cutting edge 11-Feb-18 and all 2.62 1.00 15.89 88.15 01-Feb-21 4.75 1.00 16.01 scheduled tasks. technology , and80.82 stronger The statement quoted balance sheet to support the Group Managing Di- their businesses. rector/Chief Executive The Skye Offer Bank boss Maturity Date Bid Yield (%) Offer Yield (%) Bid Price Price Officer of the bank, Mr. said In line with the & Yields growth strategy, Timothy Oguntayo, asPricesbank’s promising in a 6.01 letter he adand preparatory to the ac28-Jan-21 5.79 103.47 104.51 dressed to the customers, quisition, the lender had 12-Jul-18 5.01 4.65 100.33 101.34 that the lender was set to made enormous invest12-Jul-23 the full 6.31 6.15 100.40 101.43 unleash potentials ments in both its human of the combined strengths capital and information of the two institutions for technology, two critical better customer service, assets that define organsacustomer experience and tional success.102.75 He noted 19-May-16 4.24 4.24 102.75 value creation7.51for all its that the bank’s new bank25-Jul-17 7.51 99.50 99.50 ing software, Oracle Flexstakeholders. 02-May-18 11.19 10.20 89.71 91.95 08-Nov-18 7.63 7.30 cube 95.26 12.0, with 96.19 its multi “We are committed to 22-Apr-19 7.24 7.24 96.75 96.75 functional capabilities, is pushing the frontiers of 21-May-19 10.19 9.64 95.45 97.16 technology and innovaone of the best and most 07-Aug-20 9.28 9.28 95.25 95.25 tion to enhance10.44 stakeholder recent inventions. 24-Jun-21 10.23 95.03 95.92

4.50

23-Jul-21

9.55

92.25

14-Aug-21

10.49

10.12

91.51

93.10

3,650.00

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

14-Feb-19

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

31-Dec-20

35.00

14-Nov-13

15.77 per share, while91.19 Cutix Plc 15.70 97.44 shed 4.85 per cent to close 16.67 94.71 at N1.57. fell 16.60 PZ Cussons 96.01 15.80 by 4.84 per cent 97.15 to close at 15.84 97.74 N30.45 per share. 19.62 91.05

Skye Bank closes Mainstreet integration

be allowed to invest 16.29 in them, he 0.10 30-Sep-14 said. 30-Sep-14 13.25 15.44 Onyema is also waiting for 178.07 the Central Bank of Nigeria 167.23 (CBN) to state whether there will be any11-Feb-13 restrictions on10.20 the trades, 12.00 10-Jul-14 11.25 following new foreign exchange 12.95 rules. On June 24, the regulator 24.95 banned Nigerians from using 21.04 the interbank currency market Outstanding Value Issue Date Coupon (%) to buy Eurobonds and foreign ($mm) shares. On 07-Oct-11 the premium6.75 board the 500.00 NSE plans to start this year, On12-Jul-13 5.13 500.00 yema said four local companies 12-Jul-13 have qualified for the6.38 list. He de- 500.00 clined to disclose them. 1,500.00 There should be something1,520.95 closer to eight or nine companies on the19-May-11 premium board when it 500.00 7.50 opens,25-Jul-12 according to Onyema. It 350.00 7.25 is designed that 300.00 09-May-13 for companies 6.88 6.00 400.00 pass a08-Nov-13 corporate governance 22-Apr-14 test set by the NSE 6.25 and have a 500.00 21-May-14 8.75 200.00 market value of more than $1 300.00 07-Aug-13 8.25 billion, he said. 24-Jun-14 9.25 400.00

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1.80 share.1.00 at19-Apr-17 N10.71kobo per 30-Jun-17 1.57 1.00 On the flip side, Trans31-Dec-17 2.50 1.79 corp Hotels Plc 30-Sep-18 1.88 led the 1.80 04-Oct-18with a drop 1.90 1.00 losers of 9.66 09-Dec-18 2.08 1.00 per cent to close at N8.70 12-Dec-18 2.09 4.78

10.00 57.00 and of Zenith Bank Plc 13.75 25.73 Sterling Bank Plc. 14.00 25.00 Also, other 30.81 finan14.00 14.00 9.00 cial services sub-sector, 14.50 12.40 boosted by activity in 14.00 9.21 the shares of FBNH 15.50 27.00 Plc, 15.50 with a turnover 15.09 followed 14.50 80.00 of 13.314.75 million shares 24.74 val14.75 10.78 ued at N83.5 million in 13.50 87.50 544 deals. 15.00 5.00 Further analysis4.55 of the 14.50 4.56 day’s 15.00 trading showed that 448.65 Fidson Health Care Plc topped the day’s 425.24 gainers table with 8.18 per cent to 10.00 2.50 close 12.00 at N3.57, while May 9.38 and 14.00 Baker Plc trailed 0.42 13.00 per cent to 15.00 with 5.37 close 14.25 5.53 at N1.57 per share. Next 13.00 20.00 came18.00 CCNN Plc with a 0.56 16.00 5.40close gain of 5 per cent to

30-Jun-15

3,496.59

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

9 16 23 FGN Bonds 30 37 44 Rating/Agency 58 65 72 86 93 107 121 135 149 156 NA 163 170 177 191 198 205 212 219 226 TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE 233 240 TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION 247 261 268

9-Jul-15 16-Jul-15 23-Jul-15 30-Jul-15 6-Aug-15 13-Aug-15 Issuer 27-Aug-15 3-Sep-15 10-Sep-15 24-Sep-15 1-Oct-15 15-Oct-15 29-Oct-15 12-Nov-15 26-Nov-15 3-Dec-15 NA 10-Dec-15 17-Dec-15 24-Dec-15 7-Jan-16 14-Jan-16 21-Jan-16 28-Jan-16 4-Feb-16 11-Feb-16 18-Feb-16 25-Feb-16 3-Mar-16 17-Mar-16 24-Mar-16

Rating/Agency 282

Issuer 7-Apr-16

10.72 10.55 11.64 11.80 11.63 12.63 Description 12.93 12.50 ^13.05 16-AUG-2016 12.16 ^15.10 27-APR-2017 12.11 9.85 27-JUL-2017 13.42 13.45 9.35 31-AUG-2017 13.70 10.70 30-MAY-2018 13.58 ^16.00 29-JUN-2019 13.72 7.00 23-OCT-2019 12.43 ^15.54 13-FEB-2020 13.53 ^16.39 27-JAN-2022 11.87 ^14.20 14-MAR-2024 13.55 15.00 28-NOV-2028 12.77 12.49 22-MAY-2029 13.60 13.60 8.50 20-NOV-2029 13.80 ^10.00 23-JUL-2030 13.63 ^12.1493 18-JUL-2034 13.65 13.71 13.73 13.57 13.55 13.23 13.08

10.47 10.30 11.39 11.55 11.38 12.38 Issue Date 12.68 12.25 16-Aug-13 11.91 27-Apr-12 11.86 27-Jul-07 13.17 13.20 31-Aug-07 13.45 30-May-08 13.33 29-Jun-12 13.47 23-Oct-09 12.18 13-Feb-15 13.28 27-Jan-12 11.62 14-Mar-14 13.30 28-Nov-08 12.52 22-May-09 13.35 13.35 20-Nov-09 13.55 23-Jul-10 13.38 18-Jul-14 13.40 13.46 13.48 13.32 13.30

Description

12.98

21-Apr-16

13.15

12.90

310 Agency Bonds

5-May-16

12.91

12.66

338

2-Jun-16

17.25 FMB12.61 II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 08-DEC-2016 *for the Amortising bonds, the average life is calculated and not the duration ***LCRM 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 19-APR-2017 # Risk Premium is a combination of credit risk and liquidity risk premiums 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017 FMBN

Bonds

14.65

Issue 14.55Date

12.83

296

10.75 10.59 11.72 11.91 11.77 12.82 Coupon (%) 13.20 12.78 13.05 12.46 15.10 12.46 9.85 13.89 14.00 9.35 14.35 10.70 14.29 16.00 14.54 7.00 13.13 15.54 14.40 16.39 12.56 14.20 14.50 15.00 13.69 12.49 14.69 14.72 8.50 15.00 10.00 14.84 12.1493 14.91 15.03 15.09 14.94 15.00

Tenor O/N 1M 3M Outstanding 6M

(N'bn)

Value

581.39 16-Aug-16 476.80 NITTY 27-Apr-17 20.00 27-Jul-17 Tenor Rate (%) 1M 11.9071 100.00 31-Aug-17 2M 13.2586 300.00 30-May-18 3M 13.3525 351.30 29-Jun-19 6M 13.7272 233.90 23-Oct-19 9M 13.8799 233.73 13-Feb-20 12M 14.0574 600.00 27-Jan-22 599.99 14-Mar-24 75.00 28-Nov-28 NIFEX 150.00 22-May-29 Current Price ($/N) 200.00 20-Nov-29 BID($/N) 591.57 198.9500 23-Jul-30 OFFER ($/N) 199.0500 324.50 18-Jul-34

4,838.17

14.28

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

BBB+/Agusto

*BENUE

‡ /Agusto

*IMO

A+/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

‡ /Agusto

*BAYELSA

‡ /Agusto

EDO

‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

<3 3<5 >5 Market

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016 15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 840.66 10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017 13.75 BAYELSA1,196.91 30-JUN-2017

649.67 14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017 2,687.24 14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

UBA: United Bank for Africa

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

# Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Modelled Price

17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

2.10 112.22 116.70 66.49

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

0.76 1.44 1.80 2.02

2.27 1.85 1.00 1.00

16.56 16.46 15.77 15.84

100.52 99.40 104.27 100.84

FMDQ FGN BOND INDEX

31-Aug-10

12.50 KADUNA 31-AUG-2015 13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

WAPCO:West Africa Portland Cement Company

91.33 91.48 90.07 90.22 90.28 90.43 NA :Not 102.99 Applicable 103.29 ^ : Market Prices 75.13 75.43 # : Floating Rate Bond 101.77 102.07 ***: Deferred coupon bonds 106.33 106.63 97.82 ‡ : Bond 97.52 rating under review 93.83 expired 94.13 †: Bond rating 79.36 N/A :Not 79.06 Available {r} :Issuer in receivership 56.50 56.20 68.00 68.30 NGC: Nigeria-German Company 82.61 82.91

Maturity Date

302.40

Porfolio Market Value(Bn)

2.07 14.84 14.75 2.17 14.85 14.76 2.92 14.92 14.85 :Benchmarks 4.00 14.98 14.88 * :Amortising 4.32Bond 15.03 14.92 µ :Convertible Bond 4.62 14.98 14.89 AMCON: Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria 6.58 14.84 14.77 FGN: Federal Government of Nigeria 8.71 Mortgage Bank14.70 14.64 FMBN: Federal of Nigeria 13.41 Finance Corporation 16.13 16.07 IFC: International 13.89 16.34 Management 16.27 LCRM: Local Contractors Receivables NAHCO: Nigerian 14.39 Aviation Handling 16.57 Company 16.48 O/N: Overnight 15.06 15.56 15.49 UPDC: UAC Property Development 19.05 14.92Company 14.86

NOTE:

Offer ($/N)

197.37 197.47 Price 201.93 201.81 202.13 202.28 202.87 203.37 Bid Price Offer Price 204.24 205.31 205.60 207.21 98.49 98.64 206.28 213.47 100.44 100.59 220.29 226.27

14.50

12.36

Sub-National Bonds Modified Duration Buckets

Rate (%) 8.00 9.00 14.50 10.00 14.78 11.00

Bid Yield (%)

Bid ($/N)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

297.52

*EBONYI

TTM (Yrs)

Spot 7D 14D Offer 1M Yield 2M (%) 3M 14.35 6M 14.68 1Y

Coupon (%)

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

A-/Agusto

Tenor Call 1M 1.13 3M 1.83 6M

7.75

REPO

Tenor

4,413.10

14.72

**Exclusive of non-trading t.bills

KADUNA

7.33

O/N

Maturity Date

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

A/Agusto

OBB

Rate (%) 8.0833 14.6278 15.9834 16.7887

Total Outstanding Volume(Bn)

828.10 1,173.14 891.07 2,892.30

30-Sep-10 Weighting by Outstanding Vol 30-Jun-11 30-Jun-09 28.63 19-Apr-10

40.56 30-Jun-10 30.81 30-Dec-10

100.00 30-Sep-11

12.50

13.00 Weighting by Mkt Value 14.00 15.50

10.00 31.28

13.75 44.54 14.00 24.18

100.00 14.00

8.50

31-Aug-15

2.16

30-Sep-15 % Exposure_ Mod_Duration 30-Jun-16

Bucket Weighting

3.90 5.73

57.00 0.29 25.73 0.41 25.00 0.31 30.81 1.00

0.17 0.25

Implied Yield

1.00

30-Jun-16 14.63 19-Apr-17

1.02 14.90 1.80

100.00 30-Sep-18

15.03 1.88

41.24 30-Jun-17 44.13 31-Dec-17

14.77 1.57 15.31 2.50

Bb-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

1.90

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

14.50

12.40

09-Dec-18

2.08

Bb-/Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

9.21

12-Dec-18

2.09

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR

*ONDO

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

27.00

14-Feb-19

2.07

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

*GOMBE LAGOS

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

BBB-/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019

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

15.50 14.50 14.75

15.09 80.00 24.74

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

2.50 4.40 2.57

BBB-/Agusto

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020

10-Oct-13

14.75

10.78

10-Oct-20

3.01

4.44 3.23 Implied Portfolio Price 4.46 3.48 103.8361 1.00 108.9260 1.00 77.8974 1.79 97.9093 1.80 1.00 1.00 4.78 1.00 2.02 1.00 1.00 1.82

17.59

99.06

17.33

98.89 YTD Return (%) 96.05

INDEX

18.57 17.61 1,163.37 15.77 1,086.87 15.70 1,094.85 16.67 1,106.37 16.60 15.80 15.84 19.62 15.84 16.90 16.03 15.89 16.75

98.12 5.0119 91.19 7.3380 97.44

8.7226 94.71 4.8507 96.01 97.15 97.74 91.05 99.38 97.25 95.25 97.72 95.58

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

Kumuyi lauds Ikpeazu for slashing own salary Igbeaku Orji Umuahia

he General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Church, Pastor Williams Kumuyi, has lauded Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, for slashing his own salary and allowances by 50 per cent, to ensure that civil servants in the state were paid.

Kumuyi made the commendation yesterday when he visited the governor at the Government House Umuahia. He called on other governors, political office holders, as well as clerics to emulate the exemplary decision as a way of identifying with the masses who they serve. The cleric who was in Abia State for a five- day gospel crusade, said he had received testimonies

News 47

SOUTH-EAST

that Abia, had started witnessing some changes under Ikpeazu, especially as it concerned the rehabilitation of some roads in Aba and Abia North and urged him to sustain the tempo. He assured of his continued prayers for the state, adding that Abia, will witness abundance blessings of God during the programme. In his remarks, the state’s Overseer of the

church, Pastor G. C Umeh, commended Ikpeazu, for the massive road rehabilitation in Aba and encouraged him not to relent in his efforts to put the state in good shape . Responding, Ikpeazu, commended the cleric for coming to the state for a gospel crusade, expressing faith that the visit will translate into exceeding divine blessings to residents.

Rep embarks on water project rehabilitation for communities Igbeaku Orji Umuahia

hree communities in Arochukwu and Ohafia local government area are to be beneficiaries of the water rehabilitation project of the member representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency of Abia State, Hon Uko Nkole. The water projects include those at Nkporo and Abiriba in Ohafia local government area and Ndi Okorie Abam in Arochukwu local government area. Speaking to newsmen after visiting some Water projects at Nkporo and Abiriba Hon. Nkole, said that he came on the visit with a Technical team of Consultants to assess the projects and find areas of collaboration towards solving the water needs of the communities. Nkole noted that his decision to take up the task of providing potable water for his constituency was a vision born out of compassion for the people who gave him their confidence through their votes and promised that the water rehabili-

tation scheme would be realized in a shortest possible time. According to him, portable water is a necessity which should not be overlooked in order to avoid possible outbreak of water borne diseases and ensure that all the factors needed to tackle this challenges would be planned and strategies put in place in order to avoid abandonment of any project. According to him, the sources of their drinking water which is detriment of their health and lamented that administration after administration make promises of rehabilitating some of the abandoned water projects to no avail. “This is a water scheme project, it has taken long since it was built in 1979, this is a project that the government have been handling right from that tine, it has not functioned for a day, so, I am appealing to the member representing us at the Federal House of Representative who by this visit has shown his commitment towards ensuring that the water project is finally realized,’’ he noted.

Group warns Wike against ridiculing PDP L-R: Wife of the General Overseer, Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor Esther Kumuyi; Pastor Williams Kumuyi; Abia State Governor. Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu; his Deputy, Rt. Hon. Udeh Okochukwu and Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Matins Azubuike, during Kumuyi’s courtesy visit to the governor in Umuahia…yesterday

Umahi signs N75.8bn budget into law Charles Onyekwere ABAKALIKI

bonyi State Governor, Chief Dave Umahi yesterday, signed the state appropriation bill of N75.8b into law. Signing the bill at the Executive Chambers in Abakaliki, Umahi, applauded the State

House of Assembly for the speedy passage of the budget, assuring that the it would assist to improve the fortune of the state within two years. According to the governor, all political appointees would make one month sacrifice of their salary, adding that so far, his appointment has covered the

thirteen local government areas of the state. He said, “my administration was doing everything possible to increase the internally generated revenue(IGR), while all the ongoing projects in the state started from 1999 to may 2O15, will be completed during my tenure. Speaking at the

Ebonyi Assembly confirms board appointees Charles Onyekwere ABAKALIKI

bonyi State House of Assembly, yesterday screened the former governorship aspirant under the platform of the People Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Hyacinth Ikpor for the position of chairman secondary education board and 3 others for boards chairmen and commissions in the state.

The House however screened the former deputy governor’s wife, Chief Catherine Ogbu, for the position of the chairman of the Civil Service Commission, along Chief Jessy Eze, as the former AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice for the position of Chairman Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission, (EBSIEC). Also screened, is the former state chairman

of the Peoples Democratic Party,( PDP)Prince Ugorji Ama-Oti, for the position of chairman Internally Generated Revenue Board. The speaker Hon. Francis Nwifuru after duo questioning by the members of the house urged the Clerk of the House to prepare a memo, informing the governor that the House has confirmed the appointments of appointees.

event, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Francis Nwifuru, assured the governor that the Assembly would work hand in hand with the executive to uplift the state. The Speaker also submitted to the governor the report of House Committee that investigated the financial activities of local government and development centres in the state.

Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

ivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has been advised to desist from acts capable of plunging the state into crisis and attracting negative consequences to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The caution was made at a news conference by a group, Concerned PDP Democrats . Consequently, the Board of Trustees and National Working Committee of PDP have been called upon to call Wike to order before he derails the party’s plan to bounce back to power in 2019. The group frowned at

the energy being dissipated by Governor Wike, in hounding his predecessor Governor Rotimi Ameachi, instead of concentrating on working for Rivers people and delivering on the campaign promises of the PDP. Coordinator of the group, Nze Elvis J. Agukwe , said his group was alarmed at the personal interest being pursued by Wike, against Amaechi, to the detriment of the job for which he was elected. He listed such acts by Wike, to include the Commission of Inquiry set up to probe Amaechi’s administration, the sack of lecturers and other workers and the reversal of some policies “without proper advice.”

APC denies objecting to CJ’s wife’s appointment Charles Onyekwere ABAKALIKI

he leadership of the All Progressives Congress(APC), in Ebonyi State, has denied media report that the party opposed the appointment of the wife of the state Chief Judge, Mrs. Lilian Nwankwo, as the Chairman of the state Local Government Service Commission. The state chairman of

the Party, Ben Nwobasi, who dismissed the report, said it was the claim was the handiwork of mischief makers, who want to destabilize and distract the party from its focus in displacing the PDP government from the state in 2019. In a statement, he signed along the Secretary, Pastor Victor Elem, the party noted, “the authors of the report are not known to the Ebonyi State chapter of the APC and there is one state executive of the party that

is led by Ben Nwobasi”. The statement however decried the use of “impersonators or fictitious” names to covey the idea that the APC in the state condemned the CJ’s wife appointment. Meanwhile, the National President of Ebonyi State Progressives Youths Movement (PYM), Comrade Ejike Nwafor, has accused some stakeholders of being responsible for the crisis rocking the party.

News

NLC vows to shut down Edo over non-payment of salaries Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

orkers, under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Edo state chapter yesterday vowed crippled socio-economic activities in the state over the failure of the state and local governments to pay all the outstanding salaries owed workers in the state. The leadership of the NLC stated during a protest by the local government workers under the umbrella of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) who protested along major streets and designated government institutions to lodge their

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

SOUTH-SOUTH

complaints over the refusal by the two arms of government to settle the arrears of salary owed them, vowed to distrupt activities in the state. It would be recalled that the councils through their body, the Association of Local government of Nigeria had expressed sympathy over the plight of the striking council workers, attributing the delay in the payment of the months of salaries to the workers to shortfall in the revenue allocation due to the states and councils in the country. ALGON state chairman, Mrs. Itohan OsahonOgbeide, had promised that the national leadership of the body was working our modalities towards seeking audience with President

Muhammadu Buhari, with a view to resolving the matter. But the workers during their march to the union’s state secretariat and the State House of Assembly promised to make the state ungovernable should the relevant authorities fail to urgently look into their plight. The workers drawn from 14 out of the 18 local government areas of the state have insisted on three times per

month protest to send message to the state government and the indebted councils. They complained being owed between one to eight months of salary by the management of the 14 councils in the state. Addressing the workers, the state Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Emmanuel Ademokun, assured that the labour union would not hesitate to join NULGE in ongoing strike.

Wike appoints new Abuja liaison officer Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

overnor of Rivers state, Mr. Nyesom Wike, has approved the appointment of Mr. Vincent Nemebioka, as the new Liaison Officer for the Rivers State Liaison Office in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The appointment, which was announced yesterday by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, takes immediate effect. Nemebioka, a former

Commissioner for Commerce and Industry and former Vice Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, has since assumed his new office in Abuja. His appointment, according to the governor’s spokesperson was to facilitate a smooth interface between Rivers state Government and the Federal Government and institutions in Abuja. A graduate of Political Science and Administrative Studies at the University of Port-Harcourt Nemebioka, and also studied Law at University of Burkinham, United Kingdom.

INEC suspends three staff for fraud Dominic Adewole ASABA

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday suspended three of its staff indefinitely, over their alleged involvement in the fraud that characterized the 2015 general elections in Delta state. Two of the affected staff, who are store-keepers at the commission’s headquarters in Asaba, were said to have cloned the election materials brought to one of the commission’s local government offices with the aim of falsifying the supplementary election of the Delta Central Senatorial District conducted on April 25, 2015. Their case was also linked to the stealing of result-sheets sold to a leader of the Labour

Party in the state, Esiri Onoduwereho, who is currently being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the State Police Command. Onoduwereho had posed as an agent of the party, having allegedly applied for certified copies of results for the purpose petition at the tribunal at the commission’s office in Asaba and in the process of documentation, fled. The alarm raised by the commission’s officials resulted in the search for and eventual arrest of Onoduwereho, by detectives last week. The affected staff were however caught and suspended in Asaba yesterday, by top management officers of the commission for “negligence of duty and apparent conspiracy.”

C’River PDP’s success attributed to Imoke Clement James Calabar

he Cross River State chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ntufam John Okon, has attributed his success in piloting the affairs of the party in the state to the support of the immediate past governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, who he said supported the structure of the party wholeheartedly. Speaking during his 63rd birthday commemoration in Calabar, Okon, said many people did not give him the chance to succeed when he was appointed, but he weathered

the storm against the impression of being a green horn. He said but for the guidance of Senator Imoke, he wouldn’t have achieved the success he achieved, stating that as a core civil servant, his only experience in politics was his relationship with members of of State House of Assembly, as the clerk of the House. He recounted the turbulent period leading to the last primaries in the party and subsequent elections, saying how he steered the ship of the party and still produce all the elected candidates on the platform of the party remains one of his major achievements.

Akwa Ibom State Secretary to the Government, Sir Etekamba Umoren (right), being decorated as Honorary Rotarian by the PDG, Olayinka Babalola, during a rotary induction at Atrium Event Centre, Port Harcourt.

Tribunal turns down Okowa’s objection Dominic Adewole

ASABA

he election petition tribunal sitting in Asaba, Delta state, yesterday ruled in favour of the governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress and the Labour Party , Olorogun O’Teger Emerhor and Chief Great Ogboru, rejecting the preliminary objections raised by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to the petitions. The governor and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, had, in two separate applications, queried the jurisdiction of the tribunal to entertain their petitions and prayed it to quash them, having being abandoned. When the matter came up last week, counsel to Okowa, Dr. Alex Iziyon (SAN), who appeared with Ken Mozia (SAN) and seven others, urged the tribunal not to entertain the petitions for their demerit. But in their separate arguments, counsels to

Ogboru, Dele Adesina (SAN) who appeared with nine others, and Emerhor, Thompson Okpoko (SAN), who appeared with three others, urged to disregard Okowa’s objection as it was mischievous. According to them, it was a delay tactics by Okowa, to limit the stipulated 180 days life-span of the tribunal. “It is a mischief by the respondents Okowa, the PDP and the INEC, to seek that the petitions be struck out without hearing. The proper thing to do is to hear the petitions on their merits as provided for in Section 38 of the amendment contitition, 2010”, Okpoko maintained. Before fixing the next sitting for July 9, the tribunal, headed by Justice Nasil Gunmi, averred that since the petitions and the objections constitute the life-wire of the matter in contention, they are thereby entertained, maintaining that “the petitions will be heard alongside the objection.”

Delta Poly students protest alleged lecturers’ extortion Gabriel Choba Ughelli

tudents of the Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku, yesterday protested against what they described as extortion by their lecturers who were assigned to supervise their projects. They alleged that their supervisors are demanding money ranging between, N20,000 to N50,000 as supervision fees for their projects. One of the students in HND II, Accounting, who craved anonymity for fear of victimization, told our correspondent that their supervisors who is also the Head of Department (HOD), had asked them to pay N30,000 each, outside an initial N5000, they paid for their project topic to be approved. “We are five in each group and three members of our group have already paid the N30,000 including me, but the instruction he gave the business center owner was that until four persons completed their

payments he should not commence typing. And now the other two persons are saying they have no money. Meanwhile the Rector have issued a circular that everything about project should be completed by 30th of June”. Further investigation by our correspondent, who posed as a member of the student community, revealed that, the practice has been on in the institution for a very long time even as existing laws that forbid such practices in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions. Another student, a female, who also spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, revealed that students were being forced to buy textbooks at exorbitant prices even when such textbooks were irrelevant to their studies. When contacted, the Rector of the Institution, Mrs. Edner Morgekwu, claimed ignorance of the develoments in the institution, saying that she has not received any complaints on the issues being raised from any student.

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

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NORTH

Kano to establish anti-graft offices in 44 council areas Muhammad Kabir Kano

etermined to clean Kano State of corrupt practices and financial sleaze, the state Public Complaints and

Anti-Corruption Commission is to establish offices in the 44 local government areas of the state. This was revealed by the Chairman of the commission, Alhaji Muhyi Magaji Rimin Gado, who believes that fighting cor-

ruption should not be confined to the Kano main office. He reiterated the need for the work and the offices of the anti-graft offices to be decentralised if serious corrupt practices are to be reduced. Gado said for a long

time, he had been engaged in the anti-corruption crusade without any backing, but that now that he has the law supporting him, he will do his best to clean Kano of the menace. He said fighting corruption entails acting on complaints and petitions,

but that that does not mean he will not beam his searchlight on suspected offices. Gado added that he knew of a college in Kano, where there was admission racketeering and that such places would need to be looked into.

“These kinds of places would certainly not be spared; we will work on them and make Kano a better place.” He assured the people that there will not be selective treatment for anybody who falls victim of the law.

Plateau judiciary workers suspend strike Musa Pam Jos

L-R: Community leader, Zaranzong community, Ashom Agwom; Head of Public Affairs and Communications, Uzo Odenigbo; Region Logistics Director, North, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited, Hamza Godfrey and Managing Director, Ben Langat, at the inauguration of an electric transformer donated recently to the community in Jos East Local Government Area, Plateau State.

Bauchi LGs incur N2.5bn liabilities I won’t have running battles Mohammed Kawu Bauchi

t least N2.5 billion has been incurred as liabilities by 10 out of the 20 local government councils in Bauchi State from 2007 till date. This was disclosed by the Chairman of the Transition Committee, Senator Mohammed A. Mohammed, at the submission of their report on local governments to Governor Mohammed A. Abubakar. Mohammed said during the course of their assignment, the committee discovered widespread irregularities due to lack of proper records and poor book-keeping. He said this was more glaring, especially where expenditure was carried

with Ortom, says Deputy Gov

out by the Ministry of Local Government without the knowledge of the local government executives. The committee also noted that many contracts were awarded and huge amounts of money paid to contractors who later abandoned the projects. These and other glaring cases, the committee recommended, should be investigated and all excess monies paid to contractors must be recovered, and where applicable such people should be prosecuted. Similarly, the committee observed that laid down rules and procedures were not followed in the employment of staff both in the local government and at the Local Education Authorities.

Cephas Iorhemen Makurdi

enue State Deputy governor, Benson Abounu, yesterday said that he will not engage in any battle with his boss, Governor Samuel Ortom, as was the case in the past with other governors and their deputies. Rather, he promised to strive to add value to the life of the present administration in its quest to bring about a revolutionary change for the growth and development of the state. Abounu, who made the declaration while receiving members of the correspondents’ chapel in his office, said he was elected to provide assis-

tance to the governor when the need arises, and not to fight him as people may erroneously expect him to do. He assured the people of the state that he will not derail in his responsibilities by engaging in acts inimical to the development of the state. “There will be no acrimony between me and Governor Ortom, I know the job I am doing and there is a difference between a deputy governor and that of a House of Representative member or Senator. I was elected to help Ortom succeed, and not to constitute a clog in the wheels of progress or fight him, I am only a helper and I will continue to give him my advice.”

Lawmaker to FG: Take proactive measures against Plateau killings Musa Pam Jos

ember representing Barkin-Ladi Riyom Federal Constituency of Plateau State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Istifanus Gyang, has appealed to the Federal Government to take proactive measures toward curbing the persistent killings of in-

nocent people in Riyom and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas of the state. He advocated that the Federal Government should capture victims of the incessant attacks in the respected local government areas of the state in to a programme of terror attack in the North-East to enable them benefit from the re-

habilitation and resettlement programme. Gyang made the called while briefing journalists in Jos on the killings in the state. He said he has tabled a motion in the House of Representatives for which a committee was set up immediately to visit the scene of the attacks with a view to proffer solutions. According to him,

“Based on my submission in the floor of the House, over 38 communities have been attacked this year, and the communities were burnt down and destroyed with 22, 000 people displaced, 300 people killed and another 300 people escaped death with fatal injuries, while some are at various levels of disability.”

ormal court activities resumed in Plateau State yesterday following the suspension of the six-monthold strike embarked upon by judiciary workers in the state. The workers had gone on strike since January 2015, demanding for financial autonomy from the state government. New Telegraph gathered that the suspension of the strike followed an agreement signed last weekend between the state branch of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and the state government. The agreement was signed by the Head of Service, Ezekiel Dalyop, while Gabriel Muduutdai

signed on behalf of the judiciary workers. Our correspondent, who went round the courts in the state capital yesterday, saw the workers at their desks attending to people. Some lawyers were seen taking new dates for their cases that have been in limbo as a result of the strike. Some of them expressed delight that the strike had been called off, lamenting that many of their cases had dragged unnecessarily as a result of the strike. They appealed to the workers and government to resolve their differences to prevent further disruption to legal activities in the state, noting that the judicial service system was suffering as a result of that while other workers were also happy to be back after six months.

Benue teachers sue NUT, SUBEB over N50m deductions Cephas Iorhemen MAKURDI

iffed by the deduction of N2, 000 each from their salaries, primary school teachers in Benue State have dragged the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) to the Industrial Court in Makurdi, for what they described as illegal deduction of a whopping N50 million from their salaries without their consent.

The alleged deductions were carried out during the administration of the immediate past governor, Gabriel Suswam, in 2014. New Telegraph gathered that the teachers, numbering over 25, 000, had N2, 000 deducted from each of their salaries without their consent by officials of the NUT in collaboration with SUBEB to organise a reception in honour of its National President for what it called facilitating the payment of the new National Minimum Wage to teachers in the state.

PUBLIC NOTICE JESUS CHRIST IS ALIVE EVANGELICAL AND DELIVERANCE MINISTRY NOTICE is hereby given to the general public that the above named MINISTRY has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission for registration under part “C” of the Company and Allied Matters Act 1990. THE TRUSTEES ARE 1. REV. (MRS) TINUOYE REMI VICTORIA - MINISTER IN CHARGE 2. EVANG. TINUOYE JOHN TAIWO - EVANGELIST 3. DEACONESS ADEKUNLE FOLAKE RACHEAL 4. OSISADA MODUPE GLADYS - SECRETARY 5. ELDER AYILARA DAVID 6. GEORGE ADEWALE BABATUNDE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1 To preach the gospel of our Lord JESUS Christ worldwide 2 To seek and save the lost through friendly evangelism, mass services and outreach in the name of Lord 3 To plant Churches worldwide 4 To train believers in the Bible based Christian life Any objection to this registration should be forwarded within 28 days of this notice to the Registrar General Corporate Affairs Commission, Abuja. Signed: TRUSTEES

50 WORLD | News

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Debt crisis: Greece seeks last-minute deal

he Greek government has requested a new bailout deal from the eurozone, just hours before it must repay €1.6bn (£1.1bn) to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Greece is asking for a new two-year €29.1bn aid deal from a bailout mechanism for eurozone countries. Eurozone finance ministers will discuss the Greek offer in a teleconference yesterday evening. If it fails to make the IMF payment, Greece could risk leaving the euro.

The European Commission, which is one of Greece’s creditors, wants Athens to raise taxes and cut welfare spending. No advanced economy has ever missed a payment on an IMF loan. Amid fears of a Greek default on its huge public debt of €323bn - and a possible exit from the euro - long queues of people are continuing to snake from many cash machines in Greece, where withdrawals are capped at just €60 a day. Greek banks did not open this week

after talks between Greece and its creditors broke down. However, up to 1,000 bank branches will re-open from Wednesday to allow pensioners - many of whom do not use bank cards - to withdraw up to €120. The European Commission offered a slightly amended deal to Greece late on Monday night, which the Greek government did not accept. Instead, Greece responded with a request for a two-year deal under the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the bailout mechanism

for eurozone countries whose aim is to maintain the stability of the euro. The ESM did not exist when Greece was bailed out in 2010 and 2012. Eurozone finance ministers will discuss the offer in a teleconference at 17:00 GMT, Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem announced. However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has insisted that the eurozone’s wealthiest member will not enter into new aid negotiations with Greece before its weekend referendum.

“Before a referendum, as planned, is carried out, we won’t negotiate on anything new at all,” she said. A referendum is due to take place in Greece on Sunday over whether the country should accept its creditors’ proposals. EU leaders have warned that a rejection would mean Greece leaving the eurozone - though Mr Tsipras says he does not want this to happen. The EC says that if funds were to be released, Mr Tsipras and his party must back the “yes” vote in the referendum.

Burundi counts votes as thousands flee political crisis

Rescuers are having to deal with wreckage from the aircraft as well as debris from destroyed buildings

100 feared dead in Indonesian plane crash

ore than 100 people were feared dead after a military transport plane ploughed into a residential area shortly after take-off in northern Indonesia yesterday, in what may be the deadliest accident yet for an air force with a long history of crashes. “For the moment we know there were 113 people (on board). It looks like there are no survivors,” Air Marshal Agus Supriatna told Metro TV in the Sumatra city of Medan, adding that some of the passengers were air force families. The crash of the C-130B Hercules aircraft, which went into service half a century

ago, is bound to put a fresh spotlight on Indonesia’s woeful air safety record and its aging planes. Officials said the plane plunged into a built-up area of the Sumatra city of Medan. Eye witnesses said it had appeared to explode shortly before it smashed into houses and a hotel. An official at a nearby hospital who declined to be named said that 55 bodies had been brought in so far. In the first hours after the crash officials had said that only a crew of 12 service personnel were on board. Firefighters and military personnel inspect the site where an Air Force cargo

plane crashed in Medan. Black smoke billowed from the wreckage, and crowds of people milling around the area initially hampered emergency services rushing to the scene. “We have been using heavy equipment like earth movers to clear the wreckage of the plane,” said Romali, chief of Medan’s search and rescue agency, who has only one name. “We are still evacuating bodies from the rubble and we hope we can finish the operation tonight,” he told Reuters. The Hercules plane had been on its way from an air force base in Medan to Tanjung Pinang in Riau Islands off Sumatra.

UN: South Sudan army accused of rape

outh Sudan’s army raped then torched girls alive inside their homes during a recent campaign marked by “new brutality and intensity”, a UN rights report said yesterday. Rights investigators from the UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) warned of “widespread human rights abuses” including gang-rape and torture in a report based on 115 victims and eyewitnesses from the northern battleground state of Unity, scene of some of the heaviest recent fighting in the 18-month-long civil war. The military, the Sudan

People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), launched a major offensive against rebel forces in April, with fierce fighting in Unity state’s northern Mayom district, once a key oil producing area. “Survivors of these attacks reported that SPLA and allied militias from Mayom county carried out a campaign against the local population that killed civilians, looted and destroyed villages and displaced over 100,000 people,” the UN said. “Some of the most disturbing allegations compiled by UNMISS human rights officers focused on the abduction and

sexual abuse of women and girls, some of whom were reportedly burnt alive in their dwellings.” Investigators said they had collected at least nine separate incidents where “women and girls were burnt in tukuls (huts) after being gang-raped” as well as scores of cases of sexual violence, which included numerous cases of mothers raped in front of their children. Photographs in the report seen by AFP show the burnt circles left after huts were set on fire, with all buildings apparently razed to the ground.

urundi’s authorities were counting votes yesterday, a day after holding a parliamentary election that was boycotted by the opposition and marred by sporadic gunfire and blasts. The UN refugee agency UNHCR said nearly 10,000 fled over the weekend before Monday’s vote, with some trekking through the bush after Burundi closed its borders, determined to escape its worst political crisis since civil war ended in 2005. The European Union and African Union did not send observers to watch Monday’s poll,

saying conditions were not in place to ensure a fair vote. The United States said it was disappointed that the government did not heed calls to delay the vote due to weeks of unrest triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term in office. Opponents say the bid is unconstitutional. The government says it will not again postpone the presidential vote set for July 15 after it was pushed back several weeks. It says the parliamentary vote went smoothly and that next month’s election will be the same.

Iran nuclear talks deadline extended

ran and six major powers yesterday gave themselves until July 7 to clinch a historic nuclear deal as a midnight deadline approached in marathon talks with no breakthrough in sight. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who joined the talks in Vienna earlier Tuesday, said however he believes that, after almost two years of trying, a deal ending the 13-year standoff is “within reach”. The talks are “progressing in a positive direction. There remain questions, mostly regarding procedural issues rather than technical,” Lavrov told Russian television after meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry. “We have all reason to believe that results are within reach,” Lavrov said. US President Barack Obama on Tues-

day reiterated that he would not hesitate to “walk away” from a nuclear deal with Iran if the conditions are not satisfactory. Obama told reporters at a White House press conference Tehran would have to agree to a “strong, rigorous verification mechanism” on curbing its disputed nuclear programme. Earlier yesterday Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif returned to Vienna following consultations in Tehran, a visit that had raised hopes he may be bringing instructions that would yield a breakthrough. But after Kerry met with Zarif for almost two hours after his return, the US State Department said the P5+1 group of global powers had agreed to extend the terms of an interim agreement until July 7.

France pursues terrorism charge against beheading suspect

man who beheaded his boss, pinned the head on a fence and tried to blow up an industrial gas plant will be investigated on terrorism charges, France’s chief public prosecutor said yesterday, dismissing the suspect’s claim that his act was not motivated by connections with Islamist militants. Prosecutor Francois Molins announced the news at the end of a 96-hour custody period following the arrest of Yassin Salhi, 35, at the scene of the crime near the southern city of Lyon.

The attack last Friday came five months after 17 people were killed in Paris by Islamist militants who targeted the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical journal and a Jewish shop. Molins said 120 investigators had spent four days combing through phone messages and quizzing Salhi, who worked as a delivery man, and his relatives. They discovered he had sent two photos of his act to a Islamist militant contact in Syria. One showed the murdered man, and the other was a selfie with the victim.

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

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I regret advising Keshi, says Amodu

International Sport

Portugal risk Madrid row over plans to pick Ronaldo for Olympics

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Inter return for Mikel

Sport

Did you know? That before 1986, the tennis balls used at Wimbledon were not yellow. The colour was added to allow people to see the ball better while in play.

Bring Eagles back to Lagos, Chukwu tells NFF Ajibade Olusesan

Former Super Eagles coach, Christian Chukwu, has added his voice to the growing calls for the national team to play its home matches in Lagos. Chukwu told our correspondent that it was imperative for the Eagles to play their home matches at a permanent venue instead of the current arrangement whereby the national team is taken from one state to another. He said having the Eagles face boisterous Lagos fans could propel them to better performances especially in crucial matches. Although the former Green Eagles captain admitted that logistics could be a challenge especially infrastructures, he urged the Federal Government to urgently refurbish the decaying National Stadium Lagos to ease the problem. “Eagles normally play their matches at a permanent venue

The Sport Team Adekunle Salami Group Sport Editor

and that was Lagos in the past and I am worried that this is no longer the case. I understand we have challenges with the National Stadium in Lagos but if we are serious we can get it back to shape. “There are a lot of advantages for the team to play in Lagos, the fans will come and they can also help the team win matches. Eagles rarely lose at home when they were playing in Lagos and we can bring all of these memories back,” he said. On the rift between the NFF, national team coach, Stephen Keshi, and captain Vincent Enyeama, Chukwu said the federation should not have allowed the matter degenerate to a crisis. “I think the issue is overhyped. The NFF has not handled the matter very well and I will advise them to sort this issue out now and allow peace to reign. The time and energy we would have dispensed in investigating the matter should be channeled towards the preparation for the Africa Nations Cup qualifiers. “What is going on can affect the team’s chances and we cannot afford to miss the AFCON ticket this time,” he said.

Wimbledon: Easy wins for Federer, Nadal

Emmanuel Tobi Assistant Sport Editor

Ifeanyi Ibeh Sport Correspondent

Ajibade Olusesan Sport Correspondent

Charles Ogundiya Sport Correspondent

Super Eagles of Nigeria celebrating after scoring a goal

Federer

ormer champions Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal easily progressed at Wimbledon, securing straightset wins in the first round. Federer took just 67 minutes to see off debutant Damir Dzumhur 6-1 6-3 6-4. Nadal, 29, needed longer against Thomaz Bellucci on Court One, but his 6-4 6-2 6-3 victory was still comprehensive. Elsewhere, 13th seed JoWilfried Tsonga was pushed to five sets by Gilles Muller, eventually beating him 7-6 (10-8) 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 3-6 6-2. Temperatures peaked above 30c

in south-west London, but neither Nadal nor Federer were concerned about playing on one of hottest days of the year in Britain. “In Australia it can be worse,” said two-time Wimbledon champion Nadal. “It’s actually beautiful. When you have this weather in Wimbledon, it’s probably one of the best places in the world.” Nadal hit only one ace during his match and made five double faults, but the 29-year-old was happy with his performance. “It was a very positive victory,” said the Spaniard, who lost in the fourth round to teenager

Nick Kyrigos last year. “Straight sets, no bad feelings, good backhands. The forehand needs to be a bit more aggressive.” Second seed Roger Federer would have experienced more difficult matches in his previous 62 Grand Slams. “I was happy I played aggressive,” said the Swiss, who covered just 1,204.5 metres during his win over the world number 88. “He hung around, changed up his game a little bit which also made it a bit more difficult. I’m always happy to win.”

Sport

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Rio 2016: Oshoala, 34 others invited for E/Guinea Tosin Obisesan

uper Falcons interim coach, Chris Danjuma, has called up 35 players, including reigning African Women Player of the Year, Asisat Ohoala, in preparation for the 2016 Olympics qualifying fixture against Equatorial Guinea. The players are to report to the national team’s Abuja camp on Wednesday ahead of the team’s departure to Port Harcourt for the first leg of the third round of

qualifiers on July 18. The return leg comes up in the Equatoguinean city of Bata on August 2. The Equatoguineans are the only country apart from Nigeria to have won the biennial African Women Championship launched in 1998. The Guineans have won the trophy twice against Nigeria’s seven times. The players listed include goalkeepers Precious Dede, Ibubeleye Whyte, Tochukwu Oluehi and Sandra Chiichii; centre-back Joy Jegede,

Sweden-based defender, Faith Ikidi; midfielders Amarachi Okoronkwo, Osarenoma Igbinovia and Sweden-based forward, Sarah Michael. Others are defenders Onome Ebi, Osinachi Ohale, Ngozi Ebere, Evelyn Nwabuoku, Blessing Edoho and Josephine Chukwunonye; midfielders Halimat Ayinde, Onyinyechi Ohadugha, Ngozi Okobi and Cecilia Nku, and forwards Francisca Ordega, Esther Sunday, Desire Oparanozie and Loveth Ayila.

I regret advising Keshi – Amodu Adeolu Johnson

ewly appointed Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amodu Shaibu, has regretted asking Stephen Keshi not to lobby for re-engagement after his contract with the NFF expired at the end of the 2014 World Cup. Shaibu had told his former Super Eagles coaching assistant not to hang around after the expiration of his initial contract with the NFF. Reacting after receiving his appointment letter from the NFF, Amodu

said he did not make his earlier statement to the current Super Eagles coach in bad faith. “Keshi has not been on talking terms with me since then,” said the former Super Eagles handler. “I simply meant he should move on and go for something bigger since he had made his mark after winning the African Coach of the Year 2O13. “If I did not support Keshi, I would have taken his job when I was approached during the Nations Cup qualifiers. “I turned down the offer because of our relationship. But if what

I said angered him, I regret it,” added Amodu. The former Orlando Pirates of South Africa handler also revealed that some Nigerians called to rebuke him over the statement while some called to praise him. He however said that with the ratification of his appointment as the NFF’s Technical Director, he has no choice than to call Keshi and join hands with him to move the national team forward. “We once worked together as a team and maintained a perfect relationship,” he explained.

NFF fine will be resolved soon, says Onazi

S Lazio and Super Eagles midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi, has reacted to the $5,000 fine imposed on him by the Nigerian Football Federation following his red card during last month’s Africa Cup of Nations ad in Kaduna, saying it would soon be resolved. “I really don’t have anything to say other than to smile about it and to assure that we are going to resolve it amicably,” Onazi was quoted as saying by Footballlive.ng. “I expect that this issue is not something that is supposed to be in the public space like that but as it is, we are going to resolve this

Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala fights for control of the ball with USA’s Julie Johnston

Ogba, Nesiama, Worphil vie for IAAF seats

resident of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria, Solomon Ogba, is in the running for one of the nine individual IAAF Council member seats when elections come up on August 19, the opening day of the 50th IAAF Congress, scheduled for Beijing, China. Ogba’s name was among the 39 listed by the IAAF in its official newsletter released Tuesday in Monaco as contestants in the elections. The former Delta State Sports Commission boss

technical committee head of the AFN. Omatseye was surprisingly proposed as a candidate while knowledgeable exinternationals like Yusuf Ali, Tony Osheku, Falilat Ogunkoya,Rotimi Obajimi and reigning Nigeria 400m record holder Innocent Egbunike were not considered by the AFN as possible candidates. Former General Secretary of the AFN,Maria Worphil is also in the race to become the chairperson of the IAAF Women’s Committee.

Glo hails Premier League strikers

itle sponsor of the Glo Premier League, Gobacom, has commended league strikers for their consistent form in the ongoing season. Globacom in a press statement in Lagos on Tuesday said: “We are delighted with the number of goals scored by the strikers as it has emphasised our belief that the league has improved in terms of quality.” Week 13 matches recorded 20 goals, while 22 goals were scored in week 14 across ten match centres, indicating the determination of Glo Premier League strikers to continuously increase the goals tally as the competition gathers

Onazi in action for Nigeria

in a better way. I have communicated with them and so everything will be fine.” Onazi’s influence has waned in recent seasons making just 19 appearances for Lazio last

season and scoring one goal in the process. Lazio finished in the top three in Serie A last term and will feature in the UEFA Champions League next season.

250 judokas for trials ahead AAG

o fewer than 250 judokas from across the country are expected to take part in a three-day judo trial in Abuja to raise a team for the 11th All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville taking place from September 4 to 19. Musa Oshodi, the President of the Nigeria Judo Federation told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Tuesday that the trials, scheduled

however has a tough battle ahead of him as he faces famous Olympians such as Namibia’s double sprints silver medallists at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Frankie Fredericks; Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco, who won the 400m hurdles gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and Bahama’s Pauline Davis-Thompson, amongst others. Also in the running for a seat in the IAAF Technical Committee is Nigerian naval officer, Omatseye Nesiama, the

to end on July 5, would feature men and women judokas. Oshodi added that the trials would hold at the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Academy in Sauka, Abuja. According to Oshodi, judokas from the various states, the military, paramilitary organisations and clubs are expected to participate in the event. The president said the trials would be open

to all judokas with valid licences and above 18 years of age as at August this year. “The trials are open to all judokas who have the dream and patriotic zeal to hoist Nigeria’s banner at the All Africa Games,” he said. Meanwhile, current champion in the women’s 63kg category, Esther Augustine, is confident about her chances of making it to the AAG.

momentum. “This development, we believe, highlights excellent officiating and fair play by all concerned and we wish to particularly applaud the League Management Company for this great turnaround in the league,” the statement further said. Globacom also expressed delight at the performance of teams on away grounds which have resulted in defeats for home teams which hitherto took victories for granted. The telecoms company also commended the league coaches and technical advisers for bringing the best out of the marksmen.

No room for Keshi as Cote d’Ivoire shortlist five

he Ivoirian Football Federation has shortlisted five persons for the post of head coach of the national team, the Elephants. And Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, was not among the shortlisted coaches, even though he was in the initial 60-man list drawn by the Ivoirian

federation. The five shortlisted candidates are Patrice Neveu, Paolo Duarte, Michel Dussuyer, Henry Kasperczak and Frederic Antonetti. The Ivoirian federation said a further shortlist of three candidates will soon be released before the final selection.

Herve Renard resigned as coach of the Elephants after leading Cote d’Ivoire to its second continental title in February. He is now with French league club Lille.

Keshi

International Sport 53

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

Portugal risk Madrid row over plans to pick Ronaldo for Olympics

TRANSFERS

Sergio

Ramos wants Man United move

ortugal are risking a club versus country row with Real Madrid after revealing Cristiano Ronaldo is under consideration to fill one of their three over-23 slots at the 2016 Olympic Games. Should the 30-year-old still be at the Santiago Bernabeu

heading into the 2016-17 campaign, Madrid are likely to heavily object to his participation in Rio de Janeiro, with the event scheduled to run from August 5-21. That would mean it would cut heavily into Madrid’s preseason programme and, potentially, a lucrative overseas

tour. Barring injury, Ronaldo is also certain to be involved in the Euro 2016 finals, assuming the Selecao qualify. Portugal Football Association (FPF) president Fernando Gomes said planning for Rio 2016 is still in the early stages but admitted Ronaldo

could feature at the Games. “It’s a possibility,” Gomes told Globo Esporte when asked about Ronaldo being involved in the Olympics. “We can take three players aged over 23. Ronaldo is one of our current options but we have not thought too much about it yet.”

UEFA approves changes to FFP rules

Inter confirm Miranda move

Messi better than Maradona – Maldini

icks Cardiff for 2017 champions league final UEFA has updated its Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules in a bid to make clubs more attractive to new investors and improve competition. FFP was introduced as a way of preventing clubs from spending beyond their means and curbing huge losses, with fines imposed on those found in breach and some clubs receiving bans from Uefa competitions. Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter are among those to have been sanctioned under FFP rules, but UEFA President, Michel

ergio Ramos has told Real Madrid officials that he wants to leave the club and join Manchester United report the Daily Mirror. The defender has recently become unsettled at the club and has requested that Real Madrid only negotiate with Manchester United and no other club which will disappoint Manchester City who were rumoured to have made an enquiry of their own. It comes as a fresh twist as it was widely felt that the 29-year-old was using United to make Madrid offer him a much improved contract but that was swiftly denied on Tuesday.

nter have confirmed the imminent signing of Atletico Madrid defender Miranda by posting a photo of him mid-medical on Tuesday. The Brazil international, 30, is joining the San Siro club in a 15 million deal that ends his fouryear spell at the Vicente Calderon. Inter tweeted a photo of Miranda with two thumbs up ahead of him putting pen to paper on what is expected to be a three-year contract with the Nerazzurri.

Muntari

Rolando (left) in action

Corruption allegation: Warner hires top British barrister

ollowing the alleged corruption scandals in the International Football world, the Former FIFA vicepresident, Jack Warner, has hired one of Britain’s leading barristers, Edward Fitzgerald QC, to help his fight against extradition to the USA. Warner, 72, who was forced to resign from FIFA in 2011after being caught up in a corruption scandal, has been indicted by the US justice department on eight counts of football-related corruption and is currently on bail in Trinidad. Among the charges, he is accused of taking a 10million US dollar (£6.4m) bribe to vote for South Africa

to host the 2010 World Cup. Fitzgerald, who has represented Trinidad businessman Steve Ferguson who has successfully resisted extradition to the USA for the last 10 years and also won human rights awards for his cases challenging death sentences, confirmed his working for Warner but said he could not discuss any details of the case. However, Warner still insists he knows nothing about the allegations laid before him, saying “I have been afforded no due process and I have not even been questioned in this matter. I reiterate that I am innocent of any charges.”

he Milan legend, Paolo Maldini, believes the Barcelona top striker, Lionel Messi, is destined to leave a better legacy than Diego Maradona and lauded the treble-winners’ talent. Maldini, 47, has predicted that Lionel Messi and his current Barcelona comrades are destined to “break all the records”. In Luis Enrique’s first season in charge at Camp Nou, the Catalans won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League to complete the second treble in the club’s history. Having matched the achievements of Pep Guardiola’s 2009 side, Maldini thinks Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez can help Barca leave an even greater mark in the history books in the

Milan terminate Copa final a dream come Muntari contract true for Chile coach

ilan have come to an agreement with Sulley Muntari to terminate the player’s contract. After joining Milan on loan from rivals Inter in January 2012, Muntari signed permanently later that year and agreed a new twoyear contract in 2014. However, the 30-year-old midfielder fell out of favour last term and will not form a part of Sinisa Mihajlovic’s first-team plans for the 2015-16 season.

hile coach Jorge Sampaoli has hailed the performance of his players after “achieving the dream” of reaching the Copa America final on home soil. An Eduardo Vargas double ensured Chile beat Peru 2-1 in Santiago to book their spot in Saturday’s final against either

Argentina or Paraguay. “We have achieved something great as a group of players, achieving the dream of playing the final of a tournament that is being played here in Chile,” Sampaoli said. “For the people and for us this was a dream we wanted to fulfil and it happened.

Messi

Platini, stated that the regulations were set to be eased. “The new regulations are an expansion and a strengthening of financial fair play. The overall objectives of financial fair play remain the same, we are just evolving from a period of austerity to one where we can offer more opportunities for sustainable growth and development”, said Platini. Meanwhil, UEFA also said that Cardiff ’s Millennium Stadium will host the UEFA Champions League final in 2017, while the same year’s Europa League final will take place at Stockholm’s Friends Arena.

coming campaigns. “Messi, Neymar and Suarez are phenomenal and the statistics speak for themselves, barcelona have already made history and the team’s destined to break all the records,” Maldini said. The iconic former defender, who won five European Cups and Champions League titles during his illustrious AC Milan career, also thinks that Messi could ultimately be considered better than former Serie A and international adversary Diego Maradona. “Leo Messi is the best player in the world, from what I’m seeing, he’s approaching the point where he is perhaps overtaking Maradona in terms of everything he’s achieved in recent years.” he added.

Sport

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Inter return for Mikel Ajibade Olusesan

nter Milan have rekindled their interest in Super Eagles midfielder, Mikel Obi, as back-up in case they fail to sign Felipe Melo from Galatasaray. Inter have been long-time admirers of the Chelsea player and the 28-year-old was reportedly close to a move to the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium last summer. The Nigerian struggled to make an impact in Jose Mourinho’s first team last season following the brilliant form of fellow holding midfielder Nemanja Matic. Although Blues boss Mourinho is keen to keep Mikel, the Portuguese knows it will be

hard to try and persuade the player to settle for a place on the bench at Stamford Bridge. Inter are chasing Melo but it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Nerazzurri to land the Brazilian and have identified the Nigerian as a viable Plan B. Mikel has also been linked with a move to a United Arab Emirates side, Al Ain, but Inter are ready to win the battle for his signature in case Melo’s deal falls through. Mikel missed a large chunk of Chelsea’s Premier League titlewinning season between February and April after undergoing knee surgery, but remains one of the west London club’s most experienced players having signed from Lyn Oslo in 2006.

Don’t camp Eagles in hotels anymore, Amodu tells NFF

AAG Draw: U-23, Falcons know fate Thursday Tosin Obisesan

Mikel

he Confederation Of African Football will on Thursday stage the Draw Ceremony for the Men’s and Women’s Football Tournaments of the 11th All-Africa Games, scheduled for Brazzaville, Congo, at its headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. According to a release by CAF, the

Amodu

draws will take place at 11AM local time. The qualified teams for the men’s tournament are Congo, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan and Zimbabwe. For the women’s event, Congo, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania will battle it out. The final tournaments have been fixed for September 4 to 19.

Adeolu Johnson Abuja

he Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amodu Shaibu, has condemned the use of hotels as camps for the country’s national teams. Instead the coach advocated the use of games villages and resorts across the country. He said the national teams would concentrate better ahead of matches

in places such as the Mambila Plateau and the Obudu Cattle Ranch. “This is what we observed when we go abroad on attachment with big clubs,” he said. He also canvassed for more use of Nigerianbased players in the Super Eagles as this would bring good understanding amongst the players. “What we need is for a few foreign-based players to join the ones here to save cost and for better understanding,” he said.

Wimbledon 2015

Kvitova opens title defence in style

etra Kvitova wasted no time as she opened the defence of her Wimbledon title in overpowering fashion. Winning 28 of 29 points on serve, the two-time champion needed only 35 minutes to overpower Kiki

Murray

Murray defies heat to advance

ritain’s Andy Murray began his Wimbledon campaign with a testing win over Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan on a hot afternoon in south west London. Murray, 28, won 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 in two hours and 13 minutes as the temperature hit 41 degrees on Centre Court. The Scot, seeded third, will play Dutchman Robin Haase or Alejandro Falla of Colombia in round two. “It was a tough match. I made it hard for myself in the second set,” Murray told BBC Sport. Kukushkin, ranked 59th, went into the match with no great form to speak of but tested Murray for an hour and a half and served for the second set.

Bertens of the Netherlands 6-1, 6-0 in Tuesday’s opening match on Centre Court. The only point Kvitova lost on serve came when she double-faulted on the first point of the final game, hitting a 93 mph (150 kph) second serve just wide. She

won the next four points, finishing — appropriately — with a service winner. In keeping with Wimbledon tradition, Kvitova had the honour of playing the first Centre Court match on the second day as the reigning champion.

Tsonga survives Müller threat

He flicks on when there is danger, rests when the threat has passed. This mental approach can and does get him through against lesser opponents but is repeatedly exposed by titans of the circuit. Tsonga took the first set in a relative languid manner. It went to a tie-break, which the Frenchman won 10-8 but there never seemed much doubt he would win it.

n fits and starts, JoWilfried Tsonga moved into the second round of Wimbledon with a fiveset victory over Luxembourg’s Gilles Müller. On a sweltering No2 court, with a white baseball cap offering the vague hope of respite, he saw off

a spirited challenge from a dangerous opponent who similarly troubled Andy Murray at Queen’s. For all his menace, talent and athleticism, Tsonga, who won 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, is bedevilled by lapses in concentration and wavering intensity. He has the modus operandi of a security light.

Kvitova

Serena, Venus pull out of doubles

Tsonga

Venus

erena and Venus Williams have pulled out of women’s doubles at Wimbledon. The tournament referee’s office announced the withdrawal Tuesday, but did not give a reason. The Williams sisters have won 13 Grand Slam

doubles titles as a pair, most recently at Wimbledon in 2012. Both won first-round singles matches Monday. In doubles at the All England Club last year, they stopped after three games in the second round, because Serena was ill.

Special Feature 55

NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

Governors’ salary debts Orji Uzor Kalu

t seems to me and other well-meaning compatriots that our country is rudderlessly adrift due to the untoward behaviours of most of the immediate-past governors. As a former governor of Abia State (1997-2007), I make this dispassionate observation with all sense of responsibility and in fairness to this crop of Nigerians and for the good of our nation. For me, it is unfathomable that most of the governors in the last dispensation left huge debts in their states so much that their successors met empty treasuries and cannot pay basic salaries, let alone carry out other functions associated with their mandate. This is a very unfortunate development, which needs to be urgently addressed in our march towards the enthronement of good governance in our country, We need to establish why these monies were borrowed and what were they used for? Were they channelled towards income-generating ventures or just white elephants for aggrandizement or sheer architecture for looting? I raise these posers because throughout my tenure as governor, I never took a loan internally or externally. The records are there for audit purposes and other inquiries. Therefore, I do not understand this passion for accessing all manner of facilities that have now become an albatross and impediments to the effective administration of states.

The special committee empannelled by President Muhammadu Buhari to look into the Excess Crude Account to find out how it could be shared to mitigate states’ salary indebtedness is not the best option. This encourages administrative laziness and gives room for endless corruption at that level of government. The solution, I believe, is that former governors who incurred these debts should be made to account for them, while the serving governors should deploy their unaccounted security vote in managing some of the challenges thrown up by their predecessors and fresh bottlenecks. During my tenure as governor, the monthly allocation to Abia State from the Federal Government was less than N1b. It was in 2005 that the allocation hit N1b and security vote was between N60 and N120 million—all these have quadrupled since I left office in 2007. With this fund, I was able execute people oriented projects without owing workers’ salaries. Therefore, this cap-in-hand resort to Abuja should be discontinued, as it is not in the interest of the country. Otherwise, we mortgage the life of future Nigerians, It is obvious that a “Nigerian Spring” looms if we continue the way we are currently. Everyone in government at any stratum should know that public administration is not a profit-making enterprise. It is essentially service to the people—not crass acquisition of ill-gotten wealth to the detriment of the larger society. Such sleazy developments tantamount

to toying with our children’s tomorrow. President Buhari should evolve a way of halting this form of corruption. Pampering governors to settle their predecessors’ debts is an illwind that will not blow anyone any good. And the time to act fast is now as delay could institutionalize other sharp practices. Interestingly, the former president, Goodluck Jonathan, has admitted that probing only him will amount to witch-hunt except if President Buhari has to probe all his predecessors and himself. In the words of Jonathan: “I believe that anybody calling for probe must ensure that these probes are extended beyond the Jonathan administration, otherwise to me, it will be witch-hunting. If you are very sincere, then is not just the Jonathan administration that should be probed.” By implication, it means that those before Jonathan were corrupt, yet he did not do anything and now he wants Buhari to carry the burden. Mr. President, I trust your capacity to deal with this issue squarely. I make these critical observations in the expectation that President Buhari will swiftly take them up in his typical characteristic aversion to all forms of corruption. Immediate-past governors must be made to render forensic accounts of their stewardship as a way of discouraging graft in the unfolding dispensation with very high expectations of your inimitable leadership from the people. •Dr. Kalu is Chairman, Slok Group

Things to appreciate about the Igbo

will begin by confessing the obvious flaws of the Igbo. Igbo people are not strategic like the Hausa Fulani, they are also not as crafty as the Yoruba and I will agree completely with anyone who says we have the worst politicians in Nigeria or that we are not good politicians. Our political leaders are greedy, they fight each other and fought only for their pockets though more as a product of the Nigerian factor rather than the Igbo factor because historically we were not always like this. In spite of these flaws there are still things to appreciate about the Igbo. The Igbo by their republican nature are democratic and cherish freedom. The great Zik of Africa, Late Michael Okpara, Dr. Akanu Ibiam, Mbonu Ojike, Mokwugo Okoye and Akwaeke Nwafor Orizu were among the best and brightest of their time. They contributed in no small measure towards Nigeria’s independence. When God spoke to Moses at the burning bush, He informed him of the good spacious land flowing with milk and honey. The South East of Nigeria which God gave as inheritance to the Igbo could be likened to that Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. The beauty of the Igboland is unparalleled when you come to discover it. It is a land blessed with one of the best vegetations in Africa where crops, plants and lives tocks flourish with ease. Under the earth of the region are rich natural resources including a massive deposit of Oil and Gas; Igboland is the beauty of all lands, a paradise whose people, with the right leadership should lack nothing. I know for certainty that all hopes are not lost and that for certainty at the appointed time God will raise a leader for His people just like He raised Moses to lead the children of Israel to flee from slavery in Egypt. Nigeria today loses over 50trn annually from unutilized natural resources of which a huge percentage are buried under the rich alluvial soil of the South East. The Oil and Gas of the region remain untapped, designated as strategic natural resources and also as a deliberate punitive measure by the Nigerian state to deny the people of the region access to their wealth following the loss of

My Word CLEM AGUIYI

myword@gmail.com 08034747898 (sms only) Biafra. For the Igbo Biafra remains a divine destination that still lives in the minds of the people, hence at every festive period. They return home in droves; when persecuted they flee back home to the land of their fathers. Despite the conspiracy to enslave and subjugate the people they remain unstoppable. That the Igbo are remarkable and highly determined people is evident from their fruit, their product and their people which has remained a gift to humanity. In fact Nigeria need the Igbo much more than the Igbo needs Nigeria because the Igbo nation can survive and prosper by itself. The people are hardworking, industrious and enterprising. At the close of the Nigerian civil war, Igbo people became landlocked by a deliberate policy that redrew their boundaries so as to deny them access to the sea but then no one , no policy , no law and no authority could stop the sun from rising from the east-the Igbo heart land. The people were deprived of all their earthly belongings, stripped of their gold and silver save for their humanity; their properties which were outside Igboland were designated as abandoned property and seized. All the wealth of the Igbo was exchanged for just 20 pounds and with just 20 pounds they rebuilt and entirely new nation and reinvented themselves back to economic reckoning. Anambra State alone is said to have over 150 billionaires. Nnewi, a community in Anambra has more Millionaires than can be located anywhere in Africa. The Igbo are people who can squeeze water out of stone. They remind you of Joseph in Egypt. They had produced many geniuses and charismatic leaders in the military in the persons of Gen. Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, Gen. Emeka Ojukwu and Lt. Gen. Azubike Ihejirika to mention but a few. The Igbo gave the

world Prof Eni Njoku and just recently Samuel Achilefu who founded the Cancer Goggle; in education the Igbo gave Nigeria Alvan Ikoku and produced the best mathematician in Chike Obi, Chinua Achebe and Chiamanda Adichie in Literature and Christopher Okigbo in poetry; in religion the Igbo gave Nigeria Cardinal Francis Arinze and of course her first beatified Saint in the person of Rev. Fr Iwene Tansi. Not many knew that Bishop TD Jakes is of Igbo origin; In sports the Igbo gave Nigeria Emmanuel Ifeajuna our first Commonwealth Gold Medalist , the world class Boxer Dick Tiger Ihetu , Sam Okwaraji, Chairman Christian Chukwu, Mary Onyali; imagine the Super Eagles without Steven Keshi, Kanu Nwankwo, Jay-Jay Okocha , Emmanuel Amuneke and Aloysius Agu; in politics the Igbo gave Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr Alex Ekwueme , Chuba Okadigbo , Peter Obi, Olisa Agbakoba and Stanley Macebu; I cannot imagine Nollywood without Genevieve Nnaji, Kanayo .O. Kanayo, Peter Edochie, Kenneth Okonkwo, Stephanie Okereke and Segun Arinze or the story of the Nigerian beauty pageant told without Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu. Many may not know that concert singer Paul Robert and Oscar Award winner Forest Whitaker, Olympic champion Christine Ohurogu and BAFTA award winning actor Chinwetalu Ejiofor are Igbo. In law the Igbo gave Nigeria, such legends as Justice Chukwudifu Oputa and many others. During the civil war, the Igbo invented several war machines which could have formed the backbone of Nigeria’s technological advancement. Even though Nigeria couldn’t take advantage of the Biafra military efforts the Igbo are not deterred. In Aba, Nnewi and Onitsha is a growing technological advancement. Imo became the first

state in Nigeria to build an airport just like Anambra remains the only state to explore , produce and refine her own petroleum. For the highly misunderstood Ndi -Igbo, everywhere is home. When they sojourn in a place they come with a good heart to be part of the land. Because they understand the power of blessings, they bless the land and the people. They drink from their water, eat from the land, learn, speak the local language and toil from very humble beginning. Because they bless the people who host them, because they bless the land, in turn the land where they settle blesses and prospers them. In appreciation they develop and build mansions as a show of gratitude to God. Unfortunately the success of the Igbo has become the cause of envy and jealousy against them resulting in their repeated massacre. In parts of the North the Igbo life is worthless, they are killed, maimed and injured. Their properties are destroyed without compensation. Towards the 2015 general election, they were threatened with death and destruction for voicing political opinion. In Lagos, the Oba threatened to drown them in the Atlantic Ocean if they failed to vote for his choice candidate in the governorship election. Despite the hate attack on them, the Igbo still welcome everyone that comes to Igboland with an open hand and smile. The Igbo spirit and belief in Nigeria remain strong. They wish for a strong indivisible Nigeria where love , unity, peace and justice will reign, and with the same passion the Igbo believe that anytime the politicians think Nigeria is not workable , rather than kill and maim each other , that we can sit down and decide how to share what is left of the nation so that everyone can go in peace. Given the Nigerian reality, every Igbo is encouraged to think home as there is nothing lacking in Igbo land. Both time and history has proven that nothing can stop the resilience of a people who are determined. What the Igbo need today is the right leadership, a leadership that will unite the people and lead them to the endless prosperity that God promised their fathers.

On Marble The monkey that derives fun

from gazing directly at the hunter’s face would someday carry a bullet in its head.

World Record

Sanctity of Truth

Wichai Thongthan definitely deserves the number one spot on the list of the richest lawyers in the world for having a net worth of $1.1 billion.

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– Kingsley Ogbeide-Ihama WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015

N150

Bye Ezeazu, adieu Adoga

ur friend, comrade, President and General Secretary, Emma Ezeazu will be buried in his country home in Onitsha, Anambra State on Saturday the 4th day of July, 2015. Emma, as most of us called him died on the 18th day of May, 2015 after a protracted illness. Emma was a product of the University of Nigeria Nsukka where he obtained a masters degree in history. Between 1986 and 1988, he served as the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). Emma’s next port of call (which seemed logical) was the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) where he served as its Executive Director. The CLO is the foremost human rights and pro-democracy organization in Nigeria. On leaving the Civil Liberties Organization, Emma served as the Executive Director of the Community Action for Popular Participation (CAPP) between 1992 and the year 2000. Until his death he was the General Secretary of Alliance for Credible Elections (ACE). I knew Emma had health challenges. He bore his challenges stoically. He attended to his duties in the office. He attended workshops, seminars and conferences. He kept his health challenges to himself. He only told me that he has health challenges because I specifically asked him. Emma’s office served as my office anytime I was in Abuja on a short trip. On the 18th day of May, 2015 around 6pm, I had closed from work and felt unwell. I decided to drive to Vania Pharmacy, being run by my younger brother in the Shagari High Cost Area of Kaduna State to get some medication. My phone rang and it was our friend and comrade, John Ejoha Odah, former General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress. Before I could pick the call, it went off and I entered my car and started driving towards the Pharmacy. John Odah called again and asked whether I was at home. I said no and he wanted to know where I was. I found his line of questioning slightly strange. I told him I was not at home and he wanted to know whether I was driving. At that point I packed and told him that I was not driving. He asked whether Y.Z. Yau, our mutual friend, comrade and Executive Director of CITAD had called me and I said no. Of course I had been in touch with Y.Z Yau a few days before then. Both of us served as civil society representatives at the 2014 National Conference and I had requested for some materials for a paper I was writing. I thought the call had something to do with Y.Z. Yau. He dropped the bombshell. Our friend, brother, comrade and former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students had exited the world. I was confused and managed to get to the Pharmacy. I got the drugs and headed home. I did not know that the 18th day of May, 2015 will be a very tough day for me and for our friends and comrades. Around 8pm, my phone rang and someone came on the line and introduced himself as Stephan Tanko Ayuba. I remember that both of us met and stayed in the house of my friend, comrade and confidant, Anebi Adoga who lived in the Baltimore Area in the US. Stephan asked

Hard Choices FESTUS OKOYE

festokoye2003@yahoo.com 08054480565 (sms only)

Ezeazu

Adoga

when I last spoke to Anebi and I told him that I chatted with him on the net the previous week. He told me that he just got information that Anebi had passed on. Before my trip to the US for a graduate programme in 1993, I had known Anebi Adoga as a law student at the University of Jos. He was my junior and had progressive tendencies but did not join us in the Movement for the Advancement of African Society (MASS). I met him again in Kaduna where he served as Assistant Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, Kaduna Branch when I was Vice Chairman under the leadership of M.A R. Oredola(now a Justice of the Court of Appeal)in 1992. He later proceeded to the United States for further studies and to join his wife who was also a student in the United States. I completed a graduate program at the University of Minnesota in 1994 and was doing internship with Human Rights Watch in their Washington D.C Office when Adoga insisted that I must also come and spend some time with him in Baltimore. Before then, my friend Felix Morka who was working with the International Human Rights Law Group (IHRLG) had graciously accommodated me in his apartment in Washington DC. I met Emma Ezeazu and Chima Ubani (late President of the Students Union, University of Nigeria, Nsukka) at the All Nigeria Conference on Foreign Policy at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru near Jos in Plateau State in April, 1986. I had served the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) as its Secretary General under the leadership of late Chris Abashi between 1983 and 1984. On graduation from

the University of Jos in 1984, Chris and I later proceeded to the Nigerian Law School Lagos. On completion of Law School in 1985, Chris Abashi was posted to Benue State for his National Youth Service and I was posted to Kano State. I was still doing my National Youth Service in Kano in 1986 when the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students Hilkia Buba Joda detailed that I should head to Kuru to present the position of Nigerian students at the Conference. The NANS position was titled “This is our Testimony”. Of course, and as should be expected, some reactionary forces wanted to deny us the platform to deliver the message of Nigerian students and we resisted the move. Emma Ezeazu became the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students at a difficult period in 1988 and for his efforts at leading progressive NANS he and other students were charged to court on trumped up charges of arson and property damage. I am sure that historians will at the right time situate Ezeazu properly within the matrix of popular struggles and resistance. Emma was a chain breaker and it was during the period of his presidency that institutions in the South East of Nigeria came out of the closet and assumed their position in the progressive students’ movement. As the Executive Director of Civil Liberties Organization, Emma saw to its expansion and growth in places like Kaduna and Jos using the network of former student leaders. His empathy for the poor and the vulnerable led to his work with villagers displaced by the construction of the Shiroro Dam in Niger State. He also

worked with the Original Inhabitants of Abuja who acknowledged that he helped to champion their quest for the democratization of governance in FCT, Abuja. Emma worked tirelessly for credible elections in Nigeria. He observed important elections in Nigeria even with his health challenges. During the Governorship Election in Edo State in July 2012, I had gone to AIT for an interview while he led other observers to the field. When I got through with the interview, he decided to take a break and came to AIT studios in Benin City to pick me. We rode in different cars. A few kilometers to our hotel their driver lost control and the car rammed into the road divider several times and the airbags exploded. Emma and other occupants of the car came out unhurt but the car was terribly damaged and was towed to the hotel while we continued with our observation. Adoga on the other hand played a key role in the struggle against military dictatorship. He led several missions to Canada and Benin Republic. I remember attending a NADECO meeting with him in the Washington DC Area. Some ignorant people produced and circulated a map of the states they referred to as the caliphate states that will be excised from Nigeria. They included Benue (and Abebi was from Benue), Plateau, Taraba, Kaduna and other “middle belt” states. Efforts to educate them on the issues proved abortive but we decided to trudge on and ignored them. Till his last days, Anebi felt that most of us that are his friends had somewhat diluted and or betrayed the course of a progressive Nigeria and regarded and referred to himself as the only comrade still standing. Anebi died in the United States and was buried in Oturkpo on the 7th day of June, 2015. For us, it is “ozoemena” “may it not happen again” but the truth is that death is ever present and we can only take solace in the fact that God gave them to us freely and willingly and he has taken back those he gave to us freely and willingly.

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