3rd October 2016

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 16,602 MONDAY, 3 OCTOBER, 2016

www.tribuneonlineng.com

Nigerian Tribune

@nigeriantribune

TribuneOnline

Nigerian Tribune

N150

14 uncommon habits that contribute to success Fayose, Aregbesola differ on sale of national assets —P4 TODAY'S SPECIAL

1. Sacrificing important things In the end, we all only have 24 hours in a day. To reach success, you have to sacrifice spending time on important things to be able to have more time to spend on the things that really matter. Check every week what you can give up to gain something better.

2. Believing what you want instead of what others tell you Most beliefs people hold are not based on fact and are not true whatsoever. Get into the habit of believing that which empowers you and makes you feel amazing, instead of the things that others tell you to believe. If it is not certain what is real, believe the thing that makes you feel better.

Continues pg2

•Recession may lead to revolution —Sheu Sani

Lack of savings

Why Buhari should stop blaming past leaders, by Bolaji Akinyemi —P2

•X-rays 1999 Constitution •Explains role of National Economic Council

Nnamani heads electoral reform committee

•Inauguration tomorrow —P29

Saudi Arabia dumps Islamic calendar —P37

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

Trader killed in presence of husband, children in Ibadan —P7

2

news

Monday, 3 October, 2016

14 uncommon habits that contribute to success Continued from front page

3. Getting motivated Motivation is an emotion that doesn’t last, but of enormous help. Find things that motivate you every day.

4. Thinking less Thought usually hinders us in our actions.

When we think about things to do, we tend to think about ways it can go wrong or reasons we shouldn’t do something. Stop thinking and start doing.

5. Going to bed early To be at the top of your game you need enough sleep. Yes, successful people get up somewhere between 4.00 and 6.00 in the morning, but they can only do that because they go to bed between 9.00 and 11.00 in the evening.

6. Keeping track of your progress

Even though you may believe that you know, unless you can actually see the evidence in front of you, you will never know for sure. Know exactly how you spend your time and how you are doing in your habits.

If you are really motivated: Graph it!

7. Having a clean space Keep your apartment, room, and/or house clean. Leave as little clutter as you can, and always take care of the mess right away.

Anything that aids your motivation and makes you feel great is worth doing.

8. Speaking only positively about your future Say things as if they already happened, or as if there is no way they will not happen.

If you believe it is a fact that you will get an amazing life, you will act accordingly and receive it.

9. Gratitude

Thank as many things and people as you can. Most successful people come from a place where they had absolutely nothing, which is why they are grateful about every little thing that they have. This makes even the most simple things special and amazing.

10. Doing it all Whenever you see tips online, or hear about some great strategies, do them all.

You can never have enough of a good thing when it comes to reaching success.

11. Never giving up on what matters If you want something, find a way to get it.

Not because you necessarily want that thing that bad, but instead, because you absolutely have to prove to yourself that you can get whatever you set your mind to.

12. Doing what you said you would no matter what Success comes from not giving up halfway

through. Everyone is on the way to be successful in what they do, but only one per cent of all people actually see it through. Do what you said you would. No matter what.

13. Spending more money on yourself Not on beauty products, clothes or video games, but instead on gathering information, finding connections and learning more through books. Spend money on the only thing that lasts: Yourself.

14. Stop caring Not only about the people around you, but also about whether or not you will accomplish your goal. The less you care about it, the less stress you will experience when you work, which will make your work more fun and you will get to success much faster than you thought you could. Stop chasing it and you will get it. *Culled from Time Magazine

Lack of savings: Why Buhari should stop blaming past leaders, by Bolaji Akinyemi •X-rays 1999 Constitution •Explains role of National Economic Council Bola Badmus -Lagos

F

ORMER Minister of External Affairs and deputy chairman, 2014 National Conference, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to stop blaming past leaders for having no savings to fall back on, saying the blame should be laid squarely at the doorstep of the 1999 Constitution.

Professor Akinyemi said this on Sunday, in reaction to a statement credited to President Buhari while playing host to a group of youths at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He, however, quickly charged Buhari to “singlemindedly drive a constitutional amendment that would follow the Norwegian model, which favours setting up a government pension fund into which 100 per cent of the government’s revenue from royalties and dividends are paid and from which no more than four per cent is allowed to be drawn from the account in any one year.

“The Nigerian model, given our peculiar Federalism, can include a provision that any withdrawal from the fund must be with a unanimous decision of the members of the National Economic Council,” he said, adding that “this is the way forward and goes beyond name calling and the blame game.”

Buhari had accused past presidents, including Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Dr Goodluck Jonathan, of expending all the country’s savings on importing fuel and food without building

infrastructure and, thereby, making it difficult for his administration to fulfill his campaign promises to Nigerians.

“When we came in by some unfortunate coincidence, I screamed to high heavens because I had promised a lot seeking votes. I said where is the savings? There was no savings.

“There was no infrastructure – power, rails, roads; there was none. What did we spend the money on?

I was told it was spent on buying food and petrol,” President Buhari was quoted to have said.

But in a statement entitled: “Blame the Constitution and not past regimes for lack of savings,” which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune, Professor Akinyemi, while noting that he was not in the business of rising up to the defence of previous presidents or regimes, especially as most of them were still alive and capable of defending themselves, said it was thoroughly misleading to isolate and demonise past regimes for the situation where Nigeria had no savings.

“It is thoroughly misleading to isolate and demonise past regimes for the situation where Nigeria has no savings.

“The fault is in the 1999 Constitution (Section 162) which makes it mandatory for all monies collected by the Federal Government, with a few exceptions, to be deposited into a central account and to be distributed among the federal, state and local governments.

“The exact language is as follows: Section 162. (1) The Federation shall maintain a

special account to be called ‘the Federation Account’ into which shall be paid all revenues collected by the government of the Federation, except the proceeds from the personal income tax of the personnel of the Armed Forces of the Federation, the Nigeria Police Force, the Ministry or department of government charged with responsibility for Foreign Affairs and the residents of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja,” he said.

Akinyemi said the same constitution also enjoined the president, upon the

receipt of advice from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), to table before the National Assembly, proposals for revenue allocation from the Federation Account, who would, in determining the formula for its sharing, take into account the allocation principles.

He said the principle included especially those of population, equality of states, internal revenue generation, land mass, terrain, as well as population density, among others.

The deputy chairman of

2014 conference contended that no provision was made for savings, describing such lapse as an unforgivable oversight.

“No provision was made for savings. This, with considerable charity, can only be called an unforgivable oversight,” he said.

“If we have to lay blame, it should be at the door of those responsible for the 1999 Constitution.

This does not mean General Abubakar Abdulsalami alone or the military regime alone, but includes elements of the judiciary and civilians who were all instrumental

in midwifing that constitution,” he added.

Akinyemi, however, recalled that both the Obasanjo and Jonathan administrations made attempts to put in place savings through the backdoor, such as Excess Crude Accounts (ECA) and Commonwealth Savings Funds (CSF), lamenting that both plans were frustrated by the states and the judiciary, with the irony being that some of the state governors who spearheaded the opposition to the attempts to save for Nigeria were now key players in current government.

Editors’ House for commissioning Thursday THE Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) will commission its first ever secretariat on Thursday, in Ikeja, Lagos.

The secretariat, coming

over 50 years after the birth of the Guild, will serve as the permanent office of the NGE, which is the highest professional body of Ni-

gerian editors in the print, electronic and online media.

The event will be held at 24, Mojidi Street, off Toyin Street, Ikeja, the address of

Lagos set to engage market communities Reiterates commitment to street trading laws Akin Adewakun -Lagos LAGOS State government has unveiled plans to engage market communities in the state, through innovative market activations and road shows.

This is to further strengthen its relationship with the critical sector of the economy, as it again expressed its commitment to the enforcement of street trading laws in the state.

Disclosing this in Lagos, at the weekend, Special Adviser to the Governor on Community and Communications, Kehinde Bamigbetan, said the activities, which would take place in the five administrative divisions of Ikorodu, Badagry, Ikeja, Lagos Island and Epe (IBILE), were designed to communicate the

activities of government to the sector.

He stated that besides providing the opportunity for the market communities in the state to interact with the state government, it would also be an avenue for the government to appreciate and celebrate traders, who had been law-abiding and supportive of government’s activities, with gift items.

According to him, some of the markets to be engaged are Aiyetoro, Epe, Sabo, Ikorodu, Sura, Lagos-Island, OkeOdo, Alimosho and Alaba International Market.

Bamigbetan added that the engagement of the market communities by the state government would further drive home the seriousness of the ban on street trading in

the state.

“These engagements will also help the state government reiterate its decision that the ban on street trading is still in force.

“These events will enable the state government to further drive home the seriousness of its ‘No Street Trading/ Hawking’ advocacy, by engaging the law-abiding traders in the state,” Bamigbetan stated.

Speaking at the event, the project consultant, DD-IMC Limited, Mr Tosin Bakare, described the government’s decision to partner with market men and women as an attestation to the fact that the governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, was desirous of fulfilling his promise of running an inclusive government.

the secretariat.

Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, will be the special guest of honour, while the Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode and the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, would play the roles of host governor and host minister respectively.

Former governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, who played a prominent role during the fundraiser for the secretariat, would chair the occasion, which would also have in attendance other dignitaries, including captains of industry, public office holders as well as professionals and business people.

It will be recalled that in April 2014, the Guild organised a fund-raiser for the building of a befitting secretariat.

According to the President of the Guild, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, the acquisition of a secretariat for the Guild was a milestone in the history of the highest professional body in Nigerian journalism.

4

news

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Fayose, Aregbesola differ on sale of national assets •Nigeria should sell idle assets —Aregbesola •Selling national assets amount to auctioning Nigeria —Fayose Sam Nwaoko-Ado Ekiti

G

OVERNOR Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and his Osun State counterpart, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, at a gathering in Ado Ekiti, at the weekend, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the creation of Ekiti State, openly disagreed on the issue of sale of national assets.

At the interactive forum, which was part of the activities lined up to mark the 20th anniversary of the creation of Ekiti State, Aregbesola delivered a lecture entitled: “The imperative of unity.”

Aregbesola said the biting economic problem in the country was such that in the whole of the SouthWest region, only Lagos State could stand on its own, and therefore, suggested the sale of national assets, which he said, were idle.

Aregbesola also suggested that those assets he described as “functional” should be spared as one of the measures towards ending the economic recession.

He said we “should revive agriculture, especially food production,” saying “agriculture gives us raw materials for industries and aids, in no small measure, economic development. If we can improve on our productivity in food production through agriculture,

we will eliminate hunger in our land.”

He added: “I want to urge all Nigerians on a concerted effort to end the ongoing vandalism of oil pipelines as the militants’ activities have been reducing the nation’s daily productivity level to between 700,000 to one million per barrel.

“The current vandalism of oil pipeline by the Niger Delta militants is robbing the nation of oil production of 700,000 to one million per barrel on daily basis.

This amounts to a huge loss of oil revenue to the coun-

try and has further led to the current recession in the country. An urgent concerted effort is, therefore, needed to stop the vandalism.”

But Fayose rejected the idea of selling national assets and contended that selling off the nation’s assets amounted to auctioning Nigeria.

Fayose said: “I’m totally opposed to the sale of the national assets, as selling the national assets is like selling Nigeria at agiveaway price.

“Selling our national assets simply amounts to

auctioning Nigeria. If we sell the assets because the country is in recession, what would be left of Nigeria? What would we call our own? Selling of assets is like bringing the country more backward.

“If we sell the assets to finance this year’s budget, what would we sell next year? The Federal Government should look beyond its party and assemble economists and financial experts that would assist the president in his drive to bring the nation out of the present economic quagmire.”

Fayose also urged the Federal Government to uphold the principles of justice and equity, saying “justice is very important and without it, democracy is already endangered. If people are now beginning to contest against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for manipulations of elections, then democracy is endangered. It is political parties that supposed to contest elections and not people contesting against inadequacies of the electoral umpire. A virile opposition

Speed limiting device: FRSC books 2,800 commercial vehicles on take-off Clement Idoko-Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (second right); Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki (right) and the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele (left), during a cocktail reception to mark Nigeria’s 56th Independence anniversary celebration, at the State House, Abuja, at the weekend.

Recession may lead to revolution —Sheu Sanni

•Says Nigeria squandered over $3 trn oil money in 56 years •Calls for extension of corruption war to Obj, Abdulsalami, others Ayodele Adesanmi -Abuja ALL Progressives Congress (APC) senator, representing Kaduna South, Sheu Sanni, has disclosed that the current economic recession bedeviling the Nigerian nation, if not urgently addressed by the Federal Government, may result in revolution by Nigerians against their political leaders, both present and past.

Senator Sani, who spoke with newsmen to mark the 56th Independent anniversary of Nigeria, at the weekend, said the recession might end up to be the ignition depressed Nigerians had been waiting for over the years to fight their leaders for giving them nothing, but bad governance over the decades, which, according to him, culminated in squandering over $3trillion oil monies within the last 56 years by successive governments.

The lawmaker informed

is a veritable ingredient of democracy. The Federal Government should promote justice and the rule of law and ensure that justice is administered to all parties, irrespective of political affiliation.”

The Osun State governor praised Ekiti people as men of integrity and courage, and urged them to continue to unite in integrity and courage and support Governor Fayose for the development of the country.

“I congratulate with you, all Ekiti people, on the 20th anniversary of the creation of your state, my state, our state. You fought the Ekiti Parapo war which is an indication of unity of purpose. There is strength in unity.”

that one of the ways of fighting the recession, was for the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to enlarge the scope of its anti-corruption war beyond the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration with the sole purpose of recovering the nation’s monies and resources stolen by corrupt-minded past administrators.

According to him, “We are in recession, but the recession must be tackled headlong by the Federal Government and all stakeholders in the polity towards getting out of it very quickly, else it may lead to revolution, more so, going by what the Nigerian masses have been facing over the decades, as far as governance was concerned.

The totality of which was bad governance characterised by unbridled greed and massive corruption by over 90 per cent of the administra-

tors, whether elected or appointed.

“The 2015 election supposed to have ushered us into a new hope of unity and progress for our country.

But I think, there are a lot of mistakes that have been made in the last one year, one of the correction is the need for us to look forward in terms of bringing our people to the promiseland and not look backward on the crises we faced in the past.

“In 1999, Nigerians were full of expectations, this time around we should get things right as a democratic nation, build a new foundation under freedom and constitutional rules and a new country.

“If we don’t succeed this time around, the nation will be heading to revolution, because what Nigerians have done in 2015 by voting for change is to see it happening very positively and it

must be delivered, and if not delivered, revolution cannot be ruled out with Nigerians trooping out en masse on the streets to challenge their leaders and saying no to their sufferings. Enough is enough!

“Over the last 56 years, Nigeria has earned over $3 trillion from crude oil sales, but there is hardly 25 per cent of that fund issued to show for the achievement of that large kind of money.”

Sanni, who is the chairman, Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, stated further that catching both new and old thieves in the current war against corruption would help in not only getting money to re inflate the economy, but rekindling the failing hope of the masses in their country.

He added that ”The fight again corruption as it is now is about recovery and arrest.

If the Government says , the

money recovered under Jonathan is not a enough, to service the economy, then, we should move to Yar’dua and Obasanjo administrations too, move to Abdulsalami, Abacha, Babangida, Buhari himself as a military ruler then, and to Shehu Shagari of the second republic.

“We must go after the old thieves, irrespective of the political parties they belonged to now, as the government is going after the most recent ones. For example, there was a senate committee that probed the independent power project, where it was said that, over $16 Billion was looted and we have not seen anything done to the revelation made by the former CBN governor now Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi over the alleged $20 billion missing from the NNPC account under Jonathan etc”.

THE Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), has, so far, issued 2,800 commercial vehicles with tickets on take-off of the nationwide advisory enforcement of speed limiting device.

The commission had, on Saturday, October 1, commenced enforcement of compulsory installation of speed limiting device in commercial vehicles, following expiration of the deadline earlier set for all commercial vehicle owners to have their vehicles fixed with the device.

Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, on Sunday, expressed satisfaction with the enforcement drive.

According to Bisi Kazeem, Head, Media Relations and Strategy, FRSC, Oyeyemi saiid the enforcement was not to inflict pain on motorists and road users, but for commercial vehicle owners to voluntarily imbibe the culture of its usage and key into it.

Oyeyemi said the advisory enforcement was a sort of subtle force that entailed stopping commercial vehicles, verifying electronically whether the devise was fixed and giving citation to offenders for corrective purposes.

He added that the exercise was also known as free safety checks.

5

ondopoll

Monday, 3 October, 2016

APC leaders kick over choice of running mate Hakeem Gbadamosi – Akure

A

NOTHER crisis seems to be looming in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, as some leaders of the party kicked against the choice of Honourable Agboola Ajayi as the running mate of the candidate

of the party, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu.

The leaders, which included Honourable Bola Ilori and Chief Samuel Ikujumimu, on Sunday, said the choice of Ajayi as Akeredolu’s running mate would spell doom for the party if the name is not substituted before the deadline given by the In-

dependent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Ilori said “Even when the NWC just upheld the fraudulent primaries that produced Akeredolu, the nexus of fraud in the party is trying to perpetrate another fraud to enforce the initial fraud.

“And while we are still on the fraudulent pri-

maries through fake delegates and delegates’ list padding, another fraud is also being foisted on the party as the deputy governor.”

Ikujumimu, in his statement, noted that picking Ajayi who hailed from Kiribo, in Ese Odo Local Government Area of the state would be another

injustice against the principle of fairness, saying that Ajayi hailed from the same area with the mother of Akeredolu.

Ikujumimu said this would bring another crisis if two brothers are allowed to be the governorship and deputy governorship candidate of the APC. In his statement, entitled “Support Ileoluji/ Okeigbo/Odigbo for APC deputy governorship position”, Ikujumimu said justice, fairness and equity demanded that the zone should be given the slot.

Nigerian Tribune

Ikujuminu insisted that Ileoluji/Okeigbo/Odigbo federal constituency in Ondo South Senatorial district should produce Akeredolu’s running mate in order to enhance the chances of the party in winning the November 26 gubernatorial election.

In his justification for the slot, the septuagenarian APC leader said Ileoluji/ Okeigbo/Odigbo has the highest registered voters in Ondo south with 184,233 while Okitipupa/Irele has 156,275 and Ilaje/Ese-odo - 171,490 votes.

Jimoh Ibrahim remains PDP standardbearer —Factional chairman Hakeem Gbadamosi - Akure

ing of teachers is guaranteed with Jegede as governor and urged them to help spread his good news.

Also present at the meeting were the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Chairman, Sunday Adeleye and the immediate past NUT Chairman, Ojo Fanimokun who submitted that the head teachers, having been convinced that Jegede is the right man for the job, should take the message to their people across the state.

THE factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, Biyi Poroye, has condemned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the publication of Eyitayo Jegede’s name as the candidate of the party in the November 26 governorship election in the state.

Poroye who stated this during a press conference in Akure, the state capital, insisted that the business mogul, Mr Jimoh Ibrahim, remained the authentic candidate of the party, saying the publication of Jegede’s name was an error which will be corrected soon.

The factional chairman alleged the electoral umpire of conspiring and conniving with a political class in the state to

and I am excited by this affirmation and confirmation of friendship by the people who represent voters in Ondo State.

“I believe that this demonstration of support is also a call to duty in its own way.

“Despite the harsh eco-

nomic condition, our people are still supportive. They are still excited about the prospect that lies ahead.”

He, however, urged the people to come out in their large numbers to vote for him and PDP during the election.

From left, Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade; Governor Olusegun Mimiko; governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Eyitayo Jegede; Head of Service, Toyin Akinkuotu and the Alara of Ilara-Mokin, Oba Aderemi Adegbemigun, at the special intercessory prayer to commemorate the Independence Day, at the International Events Centre, Akure, at the weekend.

Labour leaders endorse Jegede to succeed Mimiko LABOUR leaders in Ondo State have thrown their weight behind the candidature of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag bearer in the November 26 gubernatorial election, Mr Eyitayo Jegede.

The labour leaders expressed their confidence in the ability of Jegede to deliver on his electioneering campaign promises at a meeting the PDP candidate held with Head Teachers across the state at the Labour House, in Akure, the state capital, at the weekend.

Present at the meeting were representatives of head teachers across the state who used the forum to bare their minds on expectations from Jegede if elected as Governor Mimiko’s successor.

The state NLC Chairman, Comrade Bosede Daramola, at the meeting, explained that the school administrators came to the meeting on their volition because of the need to rub minds with Jegede on his plans for the education sector.

According to her, Jegede understands and knows that with their support, by the grace of God, November 26 will be a reality.

At the meeting, Jegede assured that recruitment of more teachers for all public schools across the state would be one of his priorities, just as he added that non-Mega Schools will also be brought up to standard.

The governorship hopeful emphasised that a lot of plans had been laid out

to sustain the gains of the Mimiko-led government in the education sector, adding that teachers form a very important strata of the state, hence the need to engage them on his plans to consolidate on the present gains.

He said he was aware of some of the present challenges in the sector which he noted could be solved with their support when elected as governor.

The PDP governorship candidate also announced plans being put in place to improve on the state’s economy to guarantee abundant job opportunities for the teeming youths, especially by using the public private partnership approach.

The Commissioner for Education, Jide Adejuyigbe and the state’s PDP Chairman, Clement Faboyede, while speaking at the meeting, said the future and wellbe-

PDP, party to beat —Jegede Hakeem Gbadamosi - Akure

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo State, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, at the weekend, said the PDP will win the November 26 governorship election with wide margin.

Jegede stated this in Akure during a road show organised by the leadership of the party after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced his name as the authentic candidate of the PDP for the governorship election.

Addressing the people, he assured them that he would not disappoint if elected as the governor of the state, saying “Happening today is a confirmation of what we all know that I am the only candidate of the PDP.

“I wonder why everybody is interested in PDP’s candidate. There was a transparent primaries here in Akure and a winner emerged and that was my self.

“Look at the level of support demonstrated by the people both young and old

Oke’s defection, a blessing —Ondo APC Hakeem Gbadamosi - Akure

THE Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Sunday, described the defection of an aspirant of the party, Chief Olusola Oke, to the Alliance for Democracy (AD) as a blessing and will not affect the chances of the party in the November 26 gubernatorial poll.

The party stated this in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Adesanya, who said

rather than feeling the effect of Oke’s defection, it will affect the sinking PDP in the state, noting that the chunk of Oke’s supporters are still in the PDP. Abayomi explained that none of the APC supporters defected with Oke in his new sojourn to AD, saying the party was not surprised with the defection.

He stated that the party leadership, particularly those in the South-West had never for once trusted

Oke’s claim that he is done with the PDP. Abayomi said in the statement “that was why Oke was the first aspirant to raise an alarm over the governorship primaries.”

He boasted that APC would defeat Oke at his stronghold which is believed to be southern senatorial district, saying some credible politicians are already waiting for him to leave so that they can come in.

parade illegal candidate for the election, without respect to the law of the land.

He said “It is glaring to us that INEC is colluding with some political class and enemies of progress to parade an illegal candidate for PDP in Ondo State.

“For quite a while, we have suspected that the state INEC was working out scripts written by some political gladiators in the state. A few weeks ago, the state INEC commissioner disowned our congress knowing fully well that the electoral law did not make it mandatory for the body to observe any party primaries but should be informed, which we complied with.

“We, therefore, call on all well-meaning Nigerians to stand in defence of the law and ultimately our nascent democracy and advise INEC to do the needful without delay. Jimoh Ibrahim remains the PDP candidate in Ondo State.”

Remembrance THE entire Isola family celebrates the one year remembrance of Madam Victoria Abeni Isola (nee Adeyemi), who died on March 2, 2015 at the age of 70.

Madam Isola was born in December 6, 1944, in Ghana, to late Pa Ezekiel Adeyemi.

The late Madam Isola, was a former Women Missionary Union leader in the First Baptist Church, Calabar.

Madam Isola

6

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Metro...

Nigerian Tribune

crime, security, court

Shun crime, Navy urges youths during free medical outreach in Delta Ebenezer Adurokiya - Warri

The Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS DELTA), Commodore Joseph Dzunve, has urged Niger Delta youths to shun criminal activities and aim for a better future.

Dzunve gave the advice at the weekend, during the command’s ongoing medical outreach tagged: “Rhap-

sody,” in Ogbe-Ijoh, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.

The commander, who assured the people of their safety, however, admonished them to avail the Navy of intelligence report that could help security agents to stem criminality in the area.

The naval boss, who said the medical outreach was

to engender cordial military and civil relationship, disclosed that three communities had already benefited from the programme since he assumed office in July, 2016.

Metro learnt that the medical outreach was an initiative of the Nigerian Navy, which enabled it to offer free medical services to communities within its

areas of operation.

Some of the medical services provided included malaria, eye and blood sugar/glucose tests, as well as free drugs, among others.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Governing Council of Ogbe-Ijoh community, Mr Alex Akemotubo, commended the Navy for the free medical exercise.

Police nab suspected robber in Ogun

By Oluwatoyin Malik

P

olicemen from Onipanu Division in Ogun State Police Command have

arrested an armed robbery suspect, Taofeek (surname withheld), whose gang member allegedly shot at a bike rider in an attempt to snatch his motorcycle.

The arm and ammunition recovered from the suspect.

The suspect was apprehended following a distress call received by the Division, prompting the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Baba Maiyaki to lead his men to the scene where Taofeek’s gang was trying to dispossess one Onwubiko Jeremiah of his Bajaj motorcycle.

In a statement issued by the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, Metro gathered that the gang shot at the rider when he resisted the attempt, but he was lucky that the bullet did not hit him.

The PPRO stated that immediately the robbery gang members saw policemen approaching, they took to their heels, but Taofeek was arrested while others escaped.

Recovered from him were a double-barrel short gun and live cartridges.

Oyeyemi added that the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Ilyasu, had directed that the suspect be transferred to the anti-robbery section at Eleweran in Abeokuta for further investigations, while efforts should also be made towards fishing out the fleeing hoodlums.

...Arrest 2 with human bones Olayinka Olukoya - Abeokuta

Two people have been arrested by the men of the Ogun State Police Com-

mand for being in possession of human parts.

They were said to have been apprehended at Ijemo area of Abeokuta, at the

weekend, while policemen from Oke-Itoku Police Division were on routine patrol.

Those arrested gave their names as Wole (38) and Wasiu (30) (surnames withheld).

The suspects were said to have taken to their heels on sighting policemen, but

were pursued and arrested with a leather bag which contained human bones.

One of the suspects, upon interrogation, confessed that the bones were those of his sister who died four years ago and that a herbalist asked him to bring them for money ritual purpose.

“I thank the Nigerian Navy for fulfilling its promise of providing a free medical service to our people in Ogbe-Ijoh,” he said.

On his part, the community youth president, Mr Godwin Aken, opined that the programme was timely, noting that the people had been facing health challenges due to communal crisis in the community.

“I am happy that the programme is extended to our community, thanks to the

Federal Government,” he said.

A beneficiary of the outreach, Mr Etimadimene Francis, who was diagnosed of eye problem, commended the medical team.

“As an indigene of this kingdom, I am glad to be a beneficiary and I encourage them to keep it up,” he said.

Patients with critical cases were, however, referred to the Navy Hospital, Effurun, for further examination and support.

Commander, NNS DELTA, Commodore Joseph Dzunve attending to a patient during the medical outreach.

2 brothers drown in Lagos Olalekan Olabulo - Lagos

Two children of the same parents have drowned at Ipakodo area of Ikorodu in Lagos State.

The deceased children were identified as Godspower (13) and Marvelous (11) Ebube Nwachukwu and were suspected to have drowned last Thursday after they were reported missing.

The bodies of the two children were recovered from the river early on Sunday in a manner that suggested that they drowned.

A police source at Ipakodo police station told Metro that the children were returning from

school when they decided to swim in the river.

The source added: “We got a report on Thursday that the two children were missing but we told their parents to go back home while we began our investigations.

“They were said to have gone to school but did not return till night, which was very unusual.”

The image maker in charge of the state police command, Dolapo Badmos confirmed the incident to Metro.

She said that the bodies of the drowned children had been deposited at the mortuary while investigations had commenced into the incident.

Court remands 3 suspected cultists in prison over possession of ammunition Oluwole Ige - Osogbo An Osun State Magistrates’ Court sitting in Ile-Ife, last Friday, remanded three suspected cultists, namely Abayomi Omidiran (24), Opeyemi Arowolo (18) and Elijah Ademola (21) in prison custody for possession of ammunition.

The prosecutor, Inspector Emmanuel Abdullahi,

informed the court that the accused committed the offence on September 28, 2016 around 12.30a.m, at Oke-Atan area of Ile-Ife. Abdullahi disclosed that the accused conspired among themselves to commit felony to wit: housebreaking, stealing, and parading themselves as members of a secret cult.

He added that the accused

armed themselves with axes within the society, resisted arrest and conducted themselves in a manner that caused the breach of peace and panic in that area.

According to him, the offence was contrary to and punishable under section 70, 197, 249 and 516 of the Criminal Code Cap 34, Laws of Osun, 2003.

Magistrate Olalekan

Ijiyode did not take the plea of the accused, but asked the defence counsel, Mrs Sidikat Salawu to come with written application for their bail.

Ijiyode ordered that the accused persons be remanded in Ile-Ife prison custody, as he adjourned the case till October 25 for hearing.

7

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Edited By Oluwatoyin Malik

08116954633, 08078891950 e-mail: tribunecrimedesk@gmail.com

Club girl steals customer’s ATM card, withdraws N300,000 Olalekan Olabulo - Lagos

A club girl who stole the Automated Teller Machine

(ATM) card of one of her customers to withdraw N300,000 naira from his

account has been arrested by the police.

The lady confessed to the

police that she picked the ATM card while the owner was fast asleep.

The suspects

Trader killed in presence of husband, children in Ibadan

By Oluwatoyin Malik

A 51-year-old woman, Mrs Funke Ashaolu was last Thursday killed by unknown gunmen in her shop at Elewure area of Sango, Ibadan, Oyo State in the presence of her husband and children at about 9.45p.m.

The killing came several days after she received a call from unknown persons who instructed her to drop N20,000 in front of her shop under a small keg that would be partly filled with a liquid substance, with the threat that she would be killed if she refused to act accordingly.

The deceased, who traded in wine and liquor, was said to have reported the threat to the police at a nearby police station where her statement was taken.

Metro gathered from a reliable source who craved anonymity that to the woman’s consternation, a couple of days after she reported the case at the police station, she noticed a keg half-filled with petrol by her shop, which raised her fears that her callers meant business.

This was said to have taken her back to the police station where she reported, for the second time, what she saw at her shop,

prompting detectives to follow her to the scene where they took the photograph of the keg.

The police officers on duty were said to have drafted a patrol team to the woman’s shop to be stationed there to prevent anything untoward.

Metro further gathered that this was the situation until last Thursday when the patrol team had to leave the spot after 9.00 p.m. as a result of a distress call it got to move to another troubled spot.

While the patrol team was manning the second spot, Metro learnt that the deceased called the operatives to inform them that she got a call from the unknown people who challenged her for involving the police over the issue of dropping N20,000.

The patrol team was said to have left where it was immediately but before it could get back to the woman’s shop, she had been shot.

Three men who rode on a motorcycle were said to have stopped in front of her shop where she sat with husband and children, when one of the men got down from bike, went into her shop, pulled a gun from his shirt and shot her.

Though she was rushed

to Victory Hospital, Sango-Eleyele Road, Ibadan for treatment, Metro learnt that she died while receiving medical attention.

The manner of killing raised the belief of some friends and sympathisers that the woman was a victim of assassination, going by the incidents before her murder and the fact that nothing was taken from her shop by the assailants.

When contacted, the state Police Public relations Officer, Adekunle Ajisebutu confirmed the killing, saying that the police suspected armed robbery.

“Police received information at about 9:50p.m.

The hoodlums probably went there to rob but could

not complete their action and then became agitated to escape. They did not take anything away. The deceased’s body was thereafter moved to the morgue at Alafia Hospital, Mokola, Ibadan,” Ajisebutu stated.

He also disclosed that the state Commissioner of Police, Sam Adegbuyi, visited the family on Friday, September 30 to offer his condolences, and had assured that the culprits would be fished out.

The Commissioner of Police has also directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) for discreet investigation,” the PPRO concluded.

Sam Adegbuyi Oyo State Commissioner of Police

Also arrested in connection with the incident were her boyfriend and two other persons who allegedly took part in the withdrawal.

The suspects were arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) after the victim reported the incident at the Alausa office of the security unit.

The prime suspect, Imoleayo (surname withheld), had reportedly stolen the ATM card from the victim and memorised the PIN code while he was making a transaction.

Imoleayo was arrested at a club in Surulere area of Lagos while the boyfriend and two other accomplices were arrested in Itori area of Ogun State.

The victim told the police that “I thought I had misplaced the card, not knowing that the lady had stolen it and had previously memorised the PIN code for withdrawal.”

He said that he was shocked one Saturday afternoon when he received alerts amounting to N90,000 withdrawal.

He explained further that “while I was still contemplating on how to deal with the issue, I got another debit alert for buying two Infinix phones totaling N84,000. I was confused and shocked.

“I didn’t know what action to take on a Saturday evening. On Sunday, there was another debit alert. I did not pin the crime to the lady I met at the club.

I lodged a complaint on Monday morning at my bank and I was told that the withdrawals and shopping were legitimately made by me,” the victim said.

He added: “I reported the incident at the RRS office on Monday after informing my bank. My emphasis to the police was the withdrawals and shopping totalling N300,000.”

In her confession, Imoleayo said: “I stole the card when the victim dozed off during our conversation. Initially, I had spied on him and memo-

rised his PIN code when he was sending money to his colleague via mobile app.”

“I initially thought of withdrawing only N20,000 from his account and then destroying the card thereafter. But when I withdrew the money and checked the account balance, I was shocked to see his balance.

“Afterwards, I withdrew another N70,000.00 again making N90,000.00 that day. Then, the following day, I called my boyfriend who told me not to destroy the card but come straight to Itori, Ogun State, where he resides” She said that she went to Abeokuta the following day to use the card, believing that by going far away, “nobody could trace us.

We bought two android phones for N84,000 at a phone store.

“We proceeded to a boutique where four of us bought clothes worth N126,000. I also recharged my phone with another N2,500 credit.

The money spent from the account was over N300, 000.00.”

She added that “I committed this offence because I was so desperate to re-stock my shop at Wasimi in Ogun State, and also to take care of my only daughter. I never had a rethink while committing the crime. I regret my action now.”

Metro gathered that two Android phones as well as eight pairs of trousers and shirts were recovered from the suspects during a thorough search of their residents.

When contacted, the image maker in the state police command, SP Dolapo Badmos confirmed the arrest of the suspects while she urged members of the public to be very mindful of how they use their ATM and other sensitive cards in the presence of strangers or people.

She also added that the suspects had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID) for further investigations.

south-westnews Crisis rocks Ekiti Assembly 8

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Deputy Speaker, Information Committee chairman under fire Sam Nwaoko - Ado Ekiti

E

KITI State House of Assembly is currently brimming in crisis of confidence with members said to be embroiled in controversy over loyalty.

The crisis has set the assembly members against one another, with the House said to have con-

cluded plans to suspend the chairman, Committee on Information, Chief Gboyega Aribisogan and the Deputy Speaker, Mr Segun Adewumi.

Sources contended that Deputy Speaker Adewumi was made to enjoy reprieve and would be given a soft landing by being made to write a resignation letter and a letter of apology.

It said: “The allegation being levelled against the duo, who are seen as diehard loyalists of Governor Ayodele Fayose, is that they were having nocturnal meetings with the governor’s political adversaries.”

It is expected that the matter would be concluded at the house’s sitting tomorrow, October 4, 2016 being their next legislative

sitting.

The source said: “I can confirm to you that the Deputy Speaker had already written his resignation letter and that the letter is already in the hand of the Speaker. He signed the letter and it has no date.

The other members have already taken their position against the duo.”

However, reacting to the

development, and allegations of meeting with Fayose’s political adversaries, Aribisogan, in a statement denied the allegation, saying that such allegation were the handiwork of some blackmailers ahead of 2018.

He said “I am a steadfast and a major stakeholder in Governor Fayose’s emergence as governor of Ekiti State. I have repeatedly spoken without disguise of my absolute belief and commitment to the government and its policies, even at most difficult and critical times and can, therefore, not at a time that the battles have been won, be a sell-out.”

ARFH counsels beauticians on family planning methods

From left, General Pastor of Glory Tabernacle Ministry, Bodija, Ibadan, Pastor Uzodinma Obed; his wife, Chinyere; General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor E.A. Adeboye and his wife, Folu, cutting the cake to celebrate Pastor Obed’s 70th birthday, in Ibadan, on Sunday.

PHOTO: OLUWATOYIN MALIK

Aregbesola releases N797m as take off, stabilisation funds for LCDAs Oluwole Ige - Osogbo GOVERNOR Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has approved the release of N797 million as take-off grant to the newly created Local Council Developments Areas (LCDAs), Area Councils, Administrative Offices in the state.

It also included the stabilisation fund for all the existing local government areas in the state.

According to a statement issued by Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Office of the Governor, Mr Semiu Okanlawon, on Sunday, the breakdown of the funds are as follows: N15 million to each of the 31 LCDAs; N9 million to each of the three Area Councils; N5 million to each of the two Administrative Office and N10million to each of the 30 local government areas.

The governor, however, urged the leadership at each of these strata of local government administration in the state to ensure

the realisation of the main objectives of the creation of the various administrative units.

Aregbesola also remind-

ed the leadership to be conscious of the main targets which included pursuit of revenue generation, markets development,

control and supervision, environmental sanitation, primary health care delivery and elementary education superintendence.

Why Iyalode chieftaincy system was created —Olubadan Bola Badmus - Lagos THE Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji, has said that the Ibadan chieftaincy system, led by the Iyalode, is designed to promote active participation of women in the development of the society.

The Olubadan said this at the launch of a book, entitled, “Nigerian Women Pioneers and Icons” written by Professor Bolanle Awe, the first female lecturer in Nigeria, held at the MUSON Centre, Lagos Island, Lagos.

Oba Adetunji, while noting that Professor Awe, an indigene of Ibadan and also a chieftaincy holder,

was a clear example, listed other distinguished Ibadan women to include the late Iyalode Wuraola Adepeju Esan, Batili Alake and Professor Jadesola Akande.

“Indeed, the Ibadan chieftaincy system led by the Iyalode is designed to promote active participation of women in the development of the society,” the Olubadan said.

Speaking on the book, the Oba, who was represented by the Asipa Olubadan, High Chief Eddy Oyewole, described it as a collection of essays, as well as a record of the history of some Nigerian women whose lives and achievements had distinguished them.

According to him, their histories are particularly important because they are pioneers who earned themselves the distinction of being the first women to attain leadership positions in their chosen fields of human endeavours.

He, therefore, expressed the belief that these women, more than 30 in number, as chronicled in the book, would serve as role models to young Nigerian women, “particularly in secondary schools, as they prepare to embark on their professional careers, as well as challenge them to also make positive and lasting contributions to the development of the country.”

THE Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH) has advised the womenfolk to use family planning methods to fight the scourge of gender domination worldwide.

Speaking on a forum tagged ‘Global Female Condom Day 2016’, organised for the Oyo State’s chapter of the Nigeria Beauticians/Hairdressers Association (NBHA), ARFH’s Research Officer for the event, Rasheedat Olakunle, advised women to emancipate themselves from reckless amorous relationship and inordinate procreation by wearing protective condoms during casual sex.

One of the ARFH’s instructors on the occasion, Dr Sola Osinowo, explained that family planning was a veritable avenue to expand women’s fortunes.

Mrs Kemi Oludipo took participants through the proper use of condoms and advised that where there were complications, doubts or worries, they should consult medical experts.

She also dismissed fears that condoms could be cancerous, describing it as an allusion that has no foundation in medical practice.

Leader, NBHA, Oyo State, Mrs Bunmi Adesanya, described the programme as very educating.

“You know the beautician salon is a kind of rendezvous where women discuss their general problems, so taking the campaign on Global Female Condom Day to us is a right step by ARFH,” she said.

Nigerian Tribune

Olayemi commends Oyo Accord members over ward congress A member representing Egbeda/Ona Ara federal constituency in the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2015, Honourable Olayemi Busari, has commended members of the Accord Party in Oyo State for the peaceful conduct of the recent ward congress.

A statement issued in Ibadan and signed by Honourable Olayemi called on Accord Party members to remain focused, united and disciplined and ensure that the forthcoming local government congress and state congress hold peacefully.

Honourable Olayemi said Accord remained the only political party that has masses-oriented manifesto and workers friendly, imploring members to see themselves as one family with common purpose.

The former federal lawmaker who extolled the leadership qualities of the Accord national leader and former governor of Oyo State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, also congratulated him on his 72nd birthday, praying God to grant him long life and sound health.

Kofoworola Bucknor endorses NGO’s sickle cell campaign THE former deputy governor of Lagos State, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, has commended the initiative of 4sight Productions, a non-governmental outfit comprising of young people, for its plan to organise an awareness campaign on Sickle Cell Anaemia.

Speaking with the leadership of the NGO when they paid her courtesy visit in her Lagos home recently, to solicit for her support on the awareness campaign, entitled “End sickle cell in our generation”, which the NGO is planning to organise, Bucknor-Akerele disclosed that she was happy seeing young people trying to create awareness to discuss disease, which according to her, had claimed many lives in the society.

She commended the effort of the NGO for educating public about the disease; adding that such would go a long way to manage the health challenge the disease posed to the Nigerian society and humanity generally.

She, therefore, assured them of her total support to the programme.

9

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

10

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Monday, 3 October, 2016 11 businessnews Vitafoam reports N159 million loss in 9 months Kehinde AkinseindeJayeoba-Lagos

V

itafoam Nigeria Plc has announced a huge loss of N159.029 million for the period of nine month ended 30 June 2016.

The company’s in its nine months unaudited financial statement made available to the Nigerian Stock Exchange in Lagos shows that it recorded loss after tax of N159.029 million, represented 147.42 per cent dropped when compared with profit after tax of N335.329 million it made during the same period of 2015.

The company’s also recorded a shortfall in it’s before tax, as it stood at -N49.144 million as against N521.944 of 2015.

Its revenue fell by N2.850 billion or 20.59 per cent in nine months 2016 from N13.842 billion to N10.992 billion.

Vitafoam spent 67.50 per cent of its revenue on cost of sales in 2016, little drop from 68.01 per cent of revenue spent on the same purpose during same period of 2015.

Its operating profit dropped drastically by 36.89 per cent or N397.019 million from N1.076 billion of 2015 to stand at N679.329 million at the end of nine month 2016.

The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, Taiwo Adeniyi had, however, expressed optimism that his company’s performance indicators would not be affected adversely by the ongoing business challenges if the government had ensured that genuine manufacturers have access to official foreign exchange window, to reduce cost of production.

He noted that the government’s failure to create a special window for foreign exchange exclusively for genuine manufacturers has exposed the sector of the economy to the vagaries of the naira’s exchange rate in the parallel market.

According to him, while traders could easily pass the increasing cost of funds to the consumers, manufacturers in Nigeria could

not do that.

Not discouraged by the company’s performance, Adeniyi unfolded some strategies to sustain shareholder value, saying Vitafoam remained committed to value creation and delivery as one of the fundamental principles that define the company’s operations.

Commenting on the current efforts to sustain Vitafoam’s competitive edge,

G la x o S m i th K l i ne Consumer Nigeria plc, has announced the successful completion of divestment of its drinks bottling and distribution business to Suntory Beverage & Food Nigeria Limited (SBFN).

In a letter to the Nigerian Stock Exchange on Friday, it noted that following this approval, GSK has transferred ownership of the drinks business in Nigeria to Suntory Beverage & Food Nigeria Ltd effective October 1, 2016, following the recent approvals obtained from the shareholders and the Nigeria Securities & Exchange

competitive.

“We remain committed to our shareholders as ever before to make returns to them. They will not be disappointed because, for us as management, our responsibility is to return good dividend to our shareholders. That is our target and they will surely get good return for their investment,” Adeniyi said.

From left, Group Vice President StarTimes, Guo Ziqi; Cultural Counsellor of Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, Yan Ziangdong and representative of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Culture, Peter Dama, at the unveiling of the 2016 Chinese Movies and Drama Series in Abuja recently.

Stockbrokers chart way out of recession at 9th investiture Kehinde Akinseinde -Jayeoba-Lagos The President of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Mr Oluseyi Abe, on Wednesday said the nation’s capital market can provide the needed capital that can take the country out of the current economic recession.

Speaking at his investiture ceremony in Lagos, Abe said the capital market has the potential to fund economic activities, noting

that what is needed is the right policies and products that attract investors who can provide the funds.

According to him, with a vibrant capital market, the federal government does not need to sell assets or borrow externally to fund the budget deficit.

He said although the government is yet to bring out the names of assets that would sold, he noted that caution should be applied.

“I believe there is nothing wrong if the government plans to sell assets

GSK completes divestment, to pay shareholders special dividend Kehinde AkinseindeJayeoba-Lagos

he noted that the company places premium on the realignment of internal processes to cut waste, development of human capital and investment in research and development, in consonance with the needs of the customers.

Adeniyi stated that the company‘s shareholder value would not be compromised, hence the need to remain innovative and

Commission (SEC).

The new GSK Consumer Healthcare Company (retained business) consists of the Consumer Healthcare Wellness, Oral Healthcare and Nutrition categories and Pharmaceutical business, with a portfolio of leading healthcare brands.

The retained brands include Sensodyne, Macleans, Panadol, Horlicks, Andrews Liver Salts, Voltaren, Otrivin and CAC 1000.

GSK Nigeria will continue to be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

In the light of the successful completion of the divestment, the company’s Register of Members and Register of Transfers

would be closed from Monday, October 3, 2016 to Friday, October 7, 2016, both days inclusive.

that are not performing optimally. But caution should be applied in taking this decision,” Abe said.

However, the CIS boss noted that market still has the potential to provide the funding needs of government at all levels.

“The capital market can provide funds for the government and corporates.

It has been doing so in the past and I believe the market has the potential to provide what funding needs of government and corporate bodies. What we need is products that will attract the capital from investors both domestically and foreign,” Abe said.

He emphasised that the capital market plays a vital role of mobilising funds from the surplus economic unit to the deficit for devel-

opment, while noting that the CIS would collaborate with relevant government agencies to deepen the market it more attractive, noting that advocacy will be top on the agenda of the institute.

He added that he will work with stakeholders in the capital and stockbroking community to ensure that stockbrokers take their right place in the economic development and growth of the country.

Abe explained that stockbrokers, who are also trained as investment advisers will be encouraged to work with government at various levels as consultants and advisers as part of efforts to look for solutions that will take the nation from the current challenging times.

Only professionals can bail Nigeria out of recession —APBN boss Kehinde AkinseindeJayeoba-Lagos

The newly-elected president of the Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN), Dr Idris Omede, has argued for more involvement of professionals in governance so as to enhance quick recovery of the nation’s economy from recession.

Speaking with the media after getting members of the association’s approval to run the affairs of the as-

sociation for the next two years, the newly elected president stated that the country’s economy had suffered in the past due to non-participation of professionals in the affairs of the country.

While expressing his delight that the incumbent government is increasingly appreciating the significance of professionals, and as a result getting them increasingly involved in government, the new APBN boss appealed to profes-

sionals in the country to come together to form a common front that would earn them the recognition of the public sector.

While rendering the account of his stewardship at the association’s Annual General Assembly, the immediate past president of the association, Mr Gabriel Fasoto, expressed delight that the association had been able to post impressive financial report, despite the harsh economic times.

Nigerian Tribune

Sterling Bank restates commitment to supporting women entrepreneurs Chima Nwokoji-Lagos

Sterling Bank Plc in partnership with Afrigrant, a Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO) and through its ‘One Woman’ proposition, has launched a new initiative called the ‘Market Women Quick Cash.’

The new proposition according to the bank is expected to promote women empowerment and capacity building.

The scheme is designed to bridge the gap between women entrepreneurs and access to funds, thus aiding the process of bringing them into the formal sector, where they can benefit from financial advisory services, capacity building and mentorship.

Disclosing this at the launch of the initiative held last weekend at the Entrepreneur Research and Development centre Kaduna, the Bank’s Managing Director, Mr Yemi Adeola said the proposition is specifically designed to provide access to convenient savings, transaction and quick loan services for women using both self-service methods and agent banking.

SMEs: Heritage Bank set to hold 2nd ‘business fair’ Kehinde AkinseindeJayeoba-Lagos

In a bid to impact positively to the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that will contribute to the economic recovery efforts of the Federal Government, Heritage Bank is set to host its second Business Fair.

The two-day event tagged ‘2016 Heritage Bank Business Fair’ is one of the key activities marking the bank’s 2016 Customer Service Week scheduled for October 2 and 3, 2016.

According to the bank, the fair is created for fast-growing businesses to promote their brand and engage customers.

The fair is expected to provide an opportunity for local businesses across the state to showcase their goods and services while enjoying a wider reach and fantastic networking opportunities.

Speaking on the forthcoming event, the Group Head, Customer Experience and Analytics of the bank, Kikanwa Akpenyi, explained that the Lagos edition would feature over 50 vendors with discounted prices on various items, a raffle draw, music, kiddies’ corner and a special guest.

Monday, 3 October, 2016 12 businessnews Rates to trend high on tightening stance, N135.7bn worth T-bills auction Chima Nwokoji-Lagos

T

here are expectations that money market rates may trend higher this week over Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) continued mop up of excess liquidity and a Treasury Bills auction of N135.7 billion on Wednesday.

However, while some dealers are expectant of the above auction, and corresponding maturities, others rely on the central bank›s notice on Friday that Nigeria plans to raise N129.67 billion ($403.01 million) in shortdated treasury bills at the Wednesday auction.

The bank said it would raise N28 billion in threemonth paper, N33.49 billion in six-month bills and N68.18 billion in one-year bills.

Payment for the purchases will be made on Thursday, the bank said in a public notice.

“In the week ahead, we expect money market rates to trend northwards as the CBN maintains its tightening stance by mopping up excess liquidity.

There is also a T-bills auction of N135.7 billion next (this) Wednesday, but its impact on liquidity levels is expected to be neutralized by maturity of the same amount,” one dealer said.

Nigeria issues treasury bills to raise cash to fund the budget deficit, manage banking system liquidity and curb rising inflation.

Meanwhile, dealers are expectant that yields in the local bonds market will inch higher in the week ahead as investors continue to price in expectation

of tighter monetary policy against the backdrop of weaker exchange rate and

likely pass-through on prices.

“We also expect investors

The N200 billion Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS), and the Anchor Borrowers programmes of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has given a good boost to local rice production in Ebonyi State that meets international standards.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ebony Agro Limited (Integrated Rice Mill), Mr Charles Ugwu, made this revelation while addressing finance correspondents and business editors who were in the state for a conference and took facility tour of the factory.

The scheme was established by the CBN to fast track the development of the Nigerian economy by

uled T-bills auction,” analysts at Afrinvest stated in a note to investors.

New president of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers Nigeria, Mr Oluwaseyi Emmanuel, being decorated by Mr Albert Okumagba, at the Investiture.

Udoma urges donors to support made-inNigeria products Budget and National Planning Minister, Senator Udoma UdoUdoma has appealed to international agencies to assist Nigeria’s drive for self sufficiency by encouraging the local production of items required for the execution of their mandates in the country.

Senator Udoma who was speaking at a meeting with the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNDPA), Professor Babatunde Osotimehin and his delegation from the agency’s office in New York, at the weekend in Abuja, said Nigeria has the human capacity to realize theobjective but needed

support and patronage to drive the process.

As part of plans to achieve self-sufficiency, the minister said government is focused on encouraging small and medium scale industries and promoting Made-in-Nigeria goods because there is a

providing credit facilities to commercial agricultural enterprises at a single digit interest rate as well as enhance national food security, increase output, generate employment and diversify the revenue base which is in line with the government’s bid to diversify the economy.

The Ebony Agro CEO said “Our locally processed rice now competes favourably with imported ones as the integrated mills churn out rice without sand and stones, well-polished, graded and branded. It tastes better than the imported rice.”

Although the rice mill according to him was built through the support of the Federal Government, while the Chinese provided

lot of scope for production and expansion.

“It is important that we support them and patronise them and help them improve on the quality of goods produced in Nigeria,” he said.

The minister told the delegation that there is no reason why we cannot

manufacture most of the drugs and other medical accessories needed in the treatment and control of maternal mortality and other related medical conditions and would appreciate assistance more in the area of production of those materials locally.

BATN rewards 283 farmers for child labour policy compliance By ’Wale Olapade

British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) has been commended for ensuring compliance with Child Labour Policies

CBN’s CACS, Anchor borrowers programme boost rice production in Ebonyi Chima Nwokoji-Lagos

to concentrate more on the shorter end of the yield curve on the back of sched-

the technology, it is kept alive by the CBN when no Nigerian bank was willing to support the project, only asking for difficult collaterals.

“Without the CACS fund, this mill will not run. Indeed no mill will run in the country because you need low interest funding to buy major raw materials to stock up.

“So CBN stepped in through CACS and the most recently launched Anchor borrowers program,” Ugwu stated.

He said the mill with production capacity of 30,000 tones (that is four trailer loads of rice per day) in a year, is a medium-sized mill and the biggest that Nigeria has at the moment which boosts of high quality.

among tobacco farmers in the country. This commendation was given at the 2016 BATN Farmers’ Awards Ceremony, which held in Iseyin, Oyo State, on Wednesday, September 28, 2016.

This year’s award was held to celebrate 283 tobacco farmers for their commitment to complying with policies and regulations on child labour and to reward their productivity Charles Kyalo, Director of Operations, BATN, expressed the company’s appreciation to the farmers for their valuable partnership and contribution towards the growth of the organisation.

“At BATN, we have a proud history with the farmers who we like to call our valued business partners. It remains important to celebrate these partners who play a key role in ensuring we deliver quality products to adult consumers,” he said.

Seyi Ashade, Area Head, Corporate Affairs, BATN West Africa, reiterated the company’s commit-

ment to the growth of rural communities through the empowerment of farmers.

She stated that BATN maintains a tough stance against child labour, noting that the organisation had shown great determination to discourage it by creating massive awareness on the ills of child labour and the benefits of sound education for the children.”

Senator Gbolahan Dada (Ogun West), in a goodwill message, lauded BATN’s awareness programme on child labour policy compliance among farmers. He urged the company not to relent, while emphasising the critical role education plays in the current administration’s agricultural revolution.

He appealed for greater support from BATN to farmers in his constituency and advised the farmers to place premium on the education of their children.

A total of 283 farmers were rewarded with sprayers, bags of NPK and KNO3 fertilisers.

Nigerian Tribune

Hunger: Ogbeh urge youths to engage in agriculture Collins Nnabuife-Abuja The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, has implored Nigerian youths to return to commercial/ mechanized agriculture in order to curb the looming hunger that is imminent.

This is just as the Federal Government in collaboration with other policy makers and international agencies, has expressed determination to implement attractive agricultural policies that will entice and engage Nigerian youths to agriculture.

“Nigeria will have a bleak future in terms of food if we do not plan now. Nigeria consumes seven million tons of rice annually and the fact that we largely depend on other countries like Thailand and Malaysia for this quantity of rice is a concern so we are introducing mechanized agriculture to encourage our youths,” he said.

He made the call while delivering a keynote address at the official launch of the First conference of the “Feed the Future Nigeria Agriculture Policy Project,” a five year, $12.5 million initiative.

The initiative is a joint effort between Michigan State University (MSU) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Nigeria Strategy Support program (NSSP) funded by USAID-Nigeria.

The minister decried the fact that agriculture has been neglected in the past thirty years due to the discovery and reliance on oil for our revenue.

He said “the need for us to attain food sufficiency is not only for Nigeria but also for neighboring countries like Chad, Niger, Sudan and Mali who depend on us for food.

In his address, the Mission Director USAID, Michael Harvey, said he was pleased with the priority given to agriculture by the present administration with the production of the ‘Green Alternative’ agriculture policy document.

He said Nigeria would not be capable of leading Africa if it did not have food security and therefore called for the implementation of the project with urgency.

The goal of the ‘Feed the Future Project’ is to promote inclusive agricultural productivity growth, improved nutritional outcomes, enhanced livelihood resilience for men and women through an improved policy enabling environment.

13

editorial

T

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Selling national assets?

HE current government of President Muhammadu Buhari, as part of its strategy of confronting and getting Nigeria out of the present economic recession, has touted the sale of some national assets in order to have the direly needed revenue to prosecute its programmes. Part of the reality of the economic downturn has been the decline in the revenue accruing to the government, particularly in foreign exchange. And the government believes that one way of getting revenue would be to sell off some of the country’s assets. Indeed, it would seem to have made up its mind on this move, as it got the governors, through the National Economic Council (NEC), to support the move even as it also trumpeted the agenda in the wake of the strong opposition to it from across the country. Yet it has also suggested that the planned sale is a mere rumour.

It has also been suggested that the government would likely put a repurchase clause in the sale agreements in order to ensure that it can, at any point in the future, get the assets back. It has also been stated that the government would also consider selling only part of the assets where it is possible.

The government’s narrative suggests that what is important is to get additional revenue, particularly as it is having problems with funding the 2016 budget, and that it would not be out of place if it disposes of some of the current national assets to get the needed revenue.

Yet, what this narrative also confirms is the flaw in the planned sale of national assets as there is nothing to suggest that there is any other strategy associated with it than to simply obtain revenue. If the argument is that the government needs the additional revenue to commit to the building of infrastructure, it is not likely that any of the assets to be sold would also not be part of the national infrastructure framework, in which case it would be difficult to convince anybody about the imperative of selling some assets in order to get some other assets when there is no evidence that the current assets are no more useful.

For if the assets are not useful, the government would be hard pressed to get buyers for them.

Government’s conviction that it would soon be able to dispose of the assets suggests that those earmarked for disposal are valuable assets that would command instant buyers. This evidently makes the government’s case more difficult to present and understand, as it would be hard to justify selling important and valuable assets in order to get new important and valuable assets. Since the assets to be sold are still valuable and important, getting new infrastructure would not justify their sale. Rather, the government ought to be making a case about reforming the

governance processes and if there are government assets that are not performing, part of the remedy for such nonperforming assets would be sale or lease agreement for their private takeover. Not many Nigerians would frown at government action on non-performing assets.

In any case, such action would not be new as this was the logic behind the privatisation policy in the country through which entities such as the defunct Nigerian Telecommunications (NITEL), which was spectacularly not performing, were sold. But this scenario would not apply to assets such as the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG) which has been paying dividends to the government and is running effectively. Stripping the country of such assets would be a deliberate negative action to deprive the country of its most important and performing assets.

Fortunately, the Senate has passed a resolution asking the executive to jettison the idea of selling the national assets. And many civil society groups including labour unions have also spoken out against the planned sale. The vociferous opposition to the sale is because many Nigerians are persuaded that this is just a mere ploy to get enough revenue in government’s hands, to be wasted on irrelevances, as is usual in the country. Nigerians are worried that rather than protecting available assets during a recession and ensuring that things do not degenerate and deteriorate beyond the current level, government is contemplating selling assets just to allow it to continue to have funds for itself. Yet, this is the time that should necessarily call for restraint and frugal existence on the part of all, particularly those in government.

Besides, is it not better for the country to live within its means and spend only within the ambit of the resources available to it, including whatever could be legitimately borrowed? There is no denying that Nigeria is currently going through hard times, but what this should connote is the preservation of existing assets, in order to have the backbone to withstand the hard times. Even with the planned inclusion of a repurchase clause, what exactly is the country going to gain by selling off the assets now only to want to buy them back in the future?

If the assets would still be useful in the future, why sell them now?

The government evidently has no business using performing national assets to buoy up its revenue profile since such assets are already serving the purpose for their establishment. It is in this sense therefore that we strongly add our voice to the throng urging the government to forget about the idea of selling national assets for revenue. The gains from such an action are not evident and are at best dubious.

AFRICAN NEWSPAPERS OF NIGERIA PLC Founders: Chief Obafemi Awolowo GCFR, SAN (1909 - 1987)

Chief (Dr) H.I.D Awolowo CON (1915 - 2015)

Chairman Rev. (Mrs) Omotola Oyediran Co-Chairman Dr. Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Edward Dickson Controller (Business Development) Fola Oke Chief Accountant Oluremi Olufisayo, ACA

Ibadan Office (Advert Hot Lines): 08077227269; 08034135733 Lagos Office (Advert Hot Lines): 08055333067; 08033013177 South South Regional Office: No. 50 Ikwerre Rd., Mile 1, Diobu, P/Harcourt, Rivers State

Snr. Manager (Advertisements) Kayode Titiloye Sales Manager Omotayo Lewis, Ph.D Consultant/Director Segun Olatunji, Ph.D

GOT NEWS?

Abuja Office: Suites G2. 05-07, PEB04 Plaza, Plot 2027, Dalaba Street, Beside NAPTIP Headquarters, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja Advert Hot Lines: 08033199716; 08078891797 Kaduna Office: AN 20, Lagos Street, by Keffi Rd., Kaduna.

Ikeja Marketing Office.

Block C, First Floor, Motorways centre, Opp., 7up Alausa, Ikeja.

Contact: editornigeriantribune@yahoo.com or call:08055069471, 08116954630

14 LETTERS TO THE

Monday, 3 October, 2016

editor

Letters to the editor should be sent to letterstribune@yahoo.com or by sms to 08054005323. It MUST be accompanied by the full name and address of the writer.

Nigeria at 56: There is still hope

W

E may not be where we ought to be, but there is hope for the country; we just need to chart a new course in our developmental agenda.

The current economic crisis in the country presents us with a great opportunity for us to start afresh. Over the years, we relied only on crude oil, which made our people lazy. As a result, we forgot agriculture, which we built the early years of our nationhood around. Then, we had cocoa in the West, groundnut in the North, palm oil in the East, and the economy

was thriving. In fact, there was a time Nigeria was the world’s largest exporter of cocoa. The biggest mistake we made was losing focus on developing through agriculture, while diverting into crude oil. Today, that crude oil that took away agriculture from us is now a curse to us. We had overrelied on the black gold, and its crash in the global oil market has brought us nothing but economic woes.

I, however, believe that we can still retrace our steps and return to agriculture; in fact, we have no choice than to return to agriculture. It is often said

that agriculture is the largest employer of labour in the country, and it can absorb all unemployed people; so if this is the case, why don’t we reorganise this sector to our advantage. We can begin to work towards overcoming Ivory Coast and Ghana as the world’s largest exporter of cocoa; we can develop our cashew industry, thereby becoming one of the biggest cashew exporting countries in the world. The same thing goes for other agricultural produce, and we can imagine how many jobs can be created when we focus only on agriculture. What we just need

are visionary leaders who are ready to direct the country and her people on the right path.

Therefore, as Nigeria celebrates its 56th independence anniversary, we should not lose hope, but we should believe that with more hard work, we

tary intervention in our politics, what have successive civilian administrations achieved since 1999?

As someone who experienced the good periods of the 1980s, I can’t but lament the situation the country has found itself now. Things are just going worse every day; our youths cannot find gainful employment after years studying for their degrees.

The roads are in terrible shape, while electricity, which should be the bedrock for our industrial development, has been in coma for several years. I must, however, commend the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for the achievements being made in the power sector.

With the way things are in the country, I believe our case is more of spiritual, and being a religious people, it is important we use this period of our independence celebration to pray for God to deliver us from regressive spirits.

If our case is normal, I keep wondering why those economic policies that worked in other countries of the world have failed in Nigeria; I keep wondering why our leaders are only after their selfish personal gains.

Is it not absurd that our political leaders who travel to developed countries of the world, cannot replicate what they see there back in their country?

However, as Nigeria is celebrating its 56th independence anniversary, I hope that things will change for the better with the commitment of our political leaders.

It is still too early to determine the direction this current government is

heading, but from what I see, I believe President Buhari is serious about turning around the country for good; he, however, needs time.

production, or with the Germans in machinery, or with the Indians in services, but we can become the leader in agriculture, and through that, we can achieve a prosperous Nigeria.

•Edwin Onome, Ikeja, Lagos.

Kudos to INEC on Edo election I want to commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the successful conduct of the Edo State governorship election. I am happy that the success has justified the postponement by

•••It’s a sad story IF our founding fathers can look back to see how the country they fought for is faring, then they will be shocked that after 56 years, we are yet to get our bearing right. Our biggest problem is not being blessed with selfless and committed leaders who could think for the country’s future. Immediately after independence, we had so much hope. We felt Nigeria would lead the way for other black nations to follow.

We also had money, as well as the human resources to aid our quick progression from a developing country to a developed one; it was during this time that former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, said our problem was not money, but how to spend it. We were awash with oil money, and we had everything going on well for us.

A visionary leadership would have invested in the right infrastructure. I felt this was the period the country could have got its power problems right, and that would have aided our economic and industrial transformation.

Unfortunately, that was not to be, as we squandered our opportunities.

Other countries that were trailing us decades ago like Malaysia, Indonesia, among others, are now far better than Nigeria.

It is difficult to trace where we have gone wrong; even when we blame mili-

can achieve our dream for a better country. We should see the opportunities in the challenges we are facing at the moment to re-strategise on the right path to follow, and to me, that right path is agriculture. We cannot compete with the Asians in vehicle

•Dr Taju Alalade, Ilorin, Kwara State.

the electoral body, and I hope this achievement will be replicated in Ondo State next month when the citizens votes for a new chief executive. I want INEC to start preparing for the Ondo State election now that it is done with that of Edo. It is important that the date for the Ondo State governorship election is not tampered with so that losers in the election will not have anything to blame their loss on.

It is also important that INEC meets the security agencies that will monitor the election in order to

fashion out ways through which this electoral assignment will take. We don’t want a situation whereby the electoral body and security agencies will be working separately on the same purpose.

I, therefore, want to urge Ondo State citizens to participate actively in the forthcoming election so that the new governor will be indebted to the people, as this will make him work hard towards taking the state to the next level.

•Olajide Adebayo, Akure, Ondo State.

15

opinion

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Lasisi Olagunju Lasgunju@yahoo.com (08111813053)

T

HE last sallah celebrations produced a viral online video clip of former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu dancing with gusto to drumbeats of a group of young men. Although the drums really talked to the initiate, still those guys seemed determined to ram in their message so that aliens to the depth of proverbs could hear and run or stay. And so as they beat the drums, they also sang out what the drums said: Ope ni won o, won o mo nkankan/ Ajanaku yo lokere, won lo mo’re dani/ Erin koja eran a nf’opa lu...(They are novices, they don’t know anything/ Ajanaku emerges from a distance, they went for canes/ The Elephant is more than an animal you beat with sticks...). The song and the drumbeats were unmistakable battle cries. They were of the sounds that ushered Yoruba war generals into battle in the bloodsoaked canvas of Yoruba-Fulani wars of the 18th century.

Tinubu danced, stopped, danced, smiled and danced even more vigorously as the drummers stressed their message.

Who are the ordinary mortals fighting the strongman? I watched the interesting video clip over and over again and smiled. These bards are invoking the spirit of the elephant in the presence of a potentate who relishes the sobriquet of the Lion of Boudillon!

There is a sense in which such songs and beats cast the joke on the dancer. Who is the elephant and who is fighting it with sticks, Abuja or Lagos? Or has the lion also become an elephant in this forest of big bones? There was no doubting Tinubu’s deep satisfaction with the message.

Every line in that short song has a meaning for the King of the jungle. You do not do what he does in politics and not enjoy the kind of proverb in that song. Every warrior does because he knows he steps on toes with relish. He knows there will always be novices aiming their catapult at the elephant. It does not matter whether they hit their target or not. The elephant’s skin is thick enough to get the stones ricochet — back to the sender. It is like the elephant passes by in the forest and the upstart farmer snaps his fingers. Whose ancestor ever killed an elephant with a hoe? And that is why the elephant rarely acknowledges the hunter, his presence and power. It is a granite mountain, immovable.

I was about asking who the novices, the apprentice hunters were when the elephant himself solved the riddle last week with a letter longer than Mariama Ba’s So Long A Letter. I know the media described the message as a press statement. I call it a letter, a spittle straight into the eyes of whoever he was fighting and who was fighting him.

Politicians are never short of enemies. There must always be one, two, three or even hundreds to fight and defeat.

Tinubu’s dance of the elephants

It is the singular test of leadership to fight wars and win.

The one who runs away from battles is not a general. And so, Tinubu’s angry message over the Ondo APC primary at a time no one was ready to confront power showed how perceptive those drummers were. Or were they the messengers of Esu who provoked Sango to come out firing from all cylinders?

The message was long and furious. In content and form, it was a stream of anger, disappointments and frustrations. “The feeling of pain is the tragedy of great men,” so said a thinker. Pain was in that statement, anger was there too just as threats and promises of pains.

You read and read and wonder who really wrote this?

Gaps here, gaffes there. Truth and threats laced with undisguised declaration of war. Sometimes, the voice you heard in the statement was that of Tinubu speaking with the personal pronoun “I”. At other times, you heard the distant voice of a third person named ‘Tinubu.’ Yet, there were puffing portions where Tinubu became a ‘we’ reminding the “ungrateful” how they were bettered by the don and his unseen powers.

Tinubu’s message did not mention names, although it spoke very loud of enemies and powerful hands using Chief John Oyegun against “democracy.” The message did not operationalise the senator’s understanding of “democracy” and “democrats.” What does he mean when

he romanticises democracy and its ideals? He is called Lion of Boudillon and he likes it. Elephants everywhere are worshipped, respected and revered. It is not the same with the lion. Lion, like other cats, eats anything flesh.

Sometimes it turns its claws homeward, making delicacies of its own cubs. When a cat does that, everyone keeps a safe distance. It has crossed the line of trust. That is why the elephant in the drummer’s songs and beats deserve examination. Oyegun was the only name mentioned

by Tinubu in his statement. Why didn’t he mention others? Was he afraid of them and the powers they wield?

Why would the king of the jungle be afraid of upstarts empowered with its femur? In the animal world, when cubs grow to become big and strong, they move against their fathers. They fight, defeat and displace them in the battle for space and mate. The wise ones among the old quietly yield space to the new order. When they do so, they enjoy their retirement in peace and in one piece. It is the natural order of life in the jungle of politics. Tinubu knows this is true from Lagos, through Abuja to Sokoto.

It is what defines our democracy from 1999 up till this moment.

Yorubas say the elephant inherits attention of all whenever it strolls into the market square. But they are an endangered species. The elephant is ever confounding in its ways and visage. The poet, Wayne Visser, aptly captures its essence.

He calls it “survivor of frozen time” and “memory of our faded past” whose “trail of destruction is the path of creation.” Because the elephant never forgets to repay good for good, evil for evil, it gets marked by the hunter. It gets too big for the forest to contain. It soon, whether out of its own indiscretion and vainglorious self-exhibition or pure envy, invites eyes of the earth to itself. It self-destructs. Whether elephant or hippopotamus, the hunter proves his superior mettle by subduing the strong. When that happens, the elephant becomes an object of commerce or of history, artifacts in the museum of power and its consequences. It is tragic. Ask M.K.O. Abiola. Ask Kurunmi. Ask Afonja. “Where will your tusks go?,” Oria Douglas Hamilton asks elephant, the mountainous animal, rhetorically. He answers his own question: “They will leave Africa, hidden in dirty sacks, in boxes, trucks, and stores, changing hands from man to man. No one will know who you were, where you lived.

You will be like thousands of others, unknown, abused, and used. One day, a piece of you will be cut into myriad items.”

That is the story of kingmakers. They almost always lose to kings baying for the blood of their friends.

That is the tragedy of power, of strong men whose unbending raw strength turns chinks in their armour.

Mimiko: The federalist perspective

By Abiodun Awolaja

FOR obvious reasons, I will not here be listing the achievements of Dr Olusegun Mimiko, the Ondo State governor who today turns 62. That will present a daunting challenge. Happily, the United Nations, WHO, Federal Government, NANS, and countless other bodies have testified about the revolution in Ondo State.

Rather, I choose to restate a salient national point using the Mimiko praxis as a reference point.

Dr Mimiko, judging by the Obafemi Awolowo parameters, remains Nigeria’s quintessential governor, second to none. It is easy these days, because moneybags and neo-Fascists have taken over the political space, to ignore the fact that the states in the country would have unleashed their full potentiality and become centres of verifiable, and uplifting, development had Nigeria chosen the path of what Governor Olusegun Mimiko has often tagged “the irreducible minimum” of the democratic enterprise, namely the ability of people to choose their leadership and governance framework within the socio-pragmatics of their own existence, which would recommend, in the case of Nigeria, the federalist framework, a framework which would allow every region to develop using its God-given resources and actively borrowing from neighbouring paradigms.

However, in 2014, Nigeria took a giant step forward, a step that by far outclassed Dr Goodluck Jonathan’s giant strides in education and the economy—and please ignore the loud mouths who seek to ascribe legitimacy to their illiteracy by excoriating Jonathan on a daily

basis while offering no basis for rational governance— because it touched on the very basis of Nigeria’s existence. It convoked a National Conference, assembling some of Nigeria’s finest minds and turning out a report that is truly revolutionary in its federalist purport.

A true son of Awolowo, Governor Mimiko gave active support to that conference, and even organised several post National Conference assemblies geared towards sensitizing Nigerians on the implications for the 2015 presidential election.

At those events, disciples of the sage like Ayo Adebanjo, Seinde Arogbofa and Femi Okurounmu detailed the struggles of the past decades and pointed the way forward. But the nation chose damnation and, since then the political space has been polluted with empty shouts of corruption/anti-corruption, themselves merely poignant in restating the thesis that Mimiko and other patriots had always posited. It is indeed a tragedy that instead of implementing the recommendations of that conference, the Federal Government is busy doing exactly nothing.

In 2004, General Sani Abacha was listed as the fourth most corrupt leader in history, but the man who said Abacha did not steal money wants us to believe that corruption begins and ends with Jonathan’s government.

Yet, only last week, the nation and international observers saw a complete charade in Edo. Now, make no mistake about it: there was corruption in the Jonathan government. But so was there corruption in every other government since Independence, and so will there be even worse corruption in the present government and

those to come unless Nigerians take the crucial step of unravelling the behemoth that is currently tagged Nigeria. May I state boldly that any anti-corruption fight which preserves Nigeria’s current iniquitous structure whereby the resources of the Niger Delta are used to develop the North while it (North) contributes nothing to the federal purse is an exercise in futility.

A true visionary, Mimiko insists that unless and until Nigeria adopts the federalist framework, the component units making up Nigeria cannot unleash their potentiality. Certainly, Nigeria today is nothing but a superstructure erected on Niger Delta oil. The agricultural, maritime and other energies of the component units have been subsumed under an unworkable and thoroughly hopeless unitary structure. Pray, who profits from the North’s cattle rearing other than the northerners themselves, and in fact at the expense of southern lives? Why it is that Niger Delta oil money has produced generations of billionaire northern Generals and business moguls, and suddenly the owners of the oil are thieves and rogues?

Chief Obafemi Awolowo spent the larger part of his political life preaching a federalist Nigeria. In the same vein, Dr Mimiko has stood out as a lone voice among the governors, advocating federalism. He has recorded firsts in virtually all sectors, yet he recognises the limitations of the current structure. Happily, however, there is now a ready weapon of war: the 2014 Conference report.

That is why, as he turns 62 today, the struggle continues.

Here’s wishing the Iroko 62 hearty cheers.

• Awolaja is on the staff of Nigerian Tribune.

16

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

17

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

18

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Group Business Editor Sulaimon Olanrewaju | 08055001708 | lanresulaimon@yahoo.com | @lanresulaimon

analysis

entrepreneuership

markets

leadership & management

Could BoI, state partnership stem Nigeria’s unemployment tide?

By Doyin Adeoye

W

HEN Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, disclosed in August, that about 110 million Nigerians were still living below poverty line, reactions that followed depicted the depth of policy failure to which the nation may have been subjected by successive governments.

Osinbajo, at a parley with members of the Alumni Association of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, in Abuja, expressed concerns about formulating and implementing policies that will have direct impact on the people.

He drew a linkage between extreme illiteracy and school dropouts believed to have reached unimaginable level of 80 - 90 percent and the inability of succeeding administrations to stem the tide.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported recently that the country’s unemployment rate jumped from 12.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2016 to 13.3 per cent at the end of the second quarter. It also said the unemployed or underemployed figure increased from 24.4 million at the end of the first quarter to 26.06 million persons.

As a continental leader and the most populous country in Africa, the rate of unemployment and depth of hunger are bound to create unease in government. The need to produce alternative measures to contain this unpleasant situation and pursue genuine economic revival is almost becoming a national emergency.

Oil, Nigeria’s economic backbone is now quite unreliable, with the drop in production level and unstable market price. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation reported that the average daily output of crude oil from Nigeria between January and May 2016 stood at 1.97 million barrels per day. This is worrisome for a country whose current budget is benchmarked on 2.5 million barrels per day.

This is as a result of production shut-ins following tension and increased siege on oil installations by militants in the Niger Delta.

Analysts are of the opinion that the lull in the oil sector is compounded by consistent fluctuation in the price of the product in the international market. Oil has continually been sold below $38 budget benchmark.

The slump has compounded the financial situation of almost all the states; many governors are incapable of meeting obligations to their workers, even after several attempts to remove ‘ghost workers’ from their payrolls. Despite the bailouts given by the

With some patience and commitment, there is no doubt that the diversification window in agriculture and solid minerals industries has the capacity to revamp the ailing economy, promote job generation and wealth creation at all levels.

Federal Government to solve this problem since the inception of the current administration, many states are still struggling to keep afloat.

The Federal Government has fully embraced the diversification option, promoting agriculture, solid minerals and the ICT sectors as alternative candidates. It is therefore imperative for state governments to ride on the platform already made available by the operational mandate of the Bank of Industry, BOI, to stimulate the desired economic diversification into these sectors.

The bank’s mandate is to provide financial assistance for the establishment of large, medium and small projects; expansion, diversification and modernisation of existing enterprises; and rehabilitation of ailing industries. BOI’s activities include project identification and selection; resource mobilisation and financing on long, short and equity terms. It also includes industrial policy formulation, business development, support and advocacy towards improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the local entrepreneurs through reduction in initial set-up costs, taxation, timing and cost of obtaining consent to mortgage as well as obtaining land for business.

In carrying out these mandates, the bank renders support to business that add value to local raw materials on the concept of value chain development, thereby generating employment for the youths and the unemployed; creating wealth and stimulating export.

The bank has collaborated with many local and international development organiza-

Waheed Olagunju, Acting MD, BoI tions and some states governments towards achieving its mandate.

Currently 20 out of the 36 states have signed up to boost micro, small and medium enterprises by committing matching funds to enable them benefit from the varieties of services available on the BoI’s template.

Katsina and Sokoto have committed N2 billion each. Abia, Anambra, Delta, Kaduna, Ogun, Oyo and Ondo states have earmarked N1 billion each.

Taraba has committed N630 million, followed by Niger with N600 million; Cross River, Edo, Gombe, Kano, Kogi, Kwara and Osun have also staked N500 million as matching fund, while Enugu and Ekiti have thrown in N283.6 million and N200 million respectively.

Between 2014 and March, 2015, the bank provided loans in excess of N18 billion to industrialise the South-West geopolitical zone, out of which over 80 firms and micro enterprises in Oyo state benefitted over N10 billion.

If states are committed to the vision to create jobs and find potent alternatives to the depleting earnings from oil, governors should consider the need to stimulate the small and medium scale enterprises in their states. This is a quicker and sustainable avenue to add value to natural resources, boost entrepreneurship and drastically reduce unemployment, especially among women and the young people.

Doing this would engender feasible earnings, less volatility and restiveness through quick economic revival. Recently, BoI launched a N10 billion Youths Entrepreneurship Support, YES, project to empower youths with loans to start their business. Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enelamah, said more than 40 percent of Nigerian graduates had no jobs from an average of eight million citizens that join the labour job market annually.

The ‘YES’ project of BoI was part of the Federal Government youths’ employment scheme, a platform from which about 36,000 jobs are expected to be created annually. The scheme is exceptionally friendly

as participants could access loan up to N10 million with single digit interest rate over three to five years re-payment tenure.

Among many of such interventions, the BoI, in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2014, unveiled the N5billion Cottage Agro Processing Fund. It also staked N13billion as Rice Intervention Fund for the establishment of 10 integrated rice mills and six cassava mills across the country.

Deserving states have not been left out.

Recently, the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai disclosed that his state was partnering with the BoI to create jobs; specifically providing funds to enable the state take controlling shares in the ailing Peugeot Automobile Nigeria.

In August, the Gombe State Government sealed the N360million deal for the deployment of pay-as-you-go solar home systems in selected rural communities in the state.

Gombe is one of the states that benefitted from the first phase of the BoI/UNDP rural electrification programme involving one community in each of the six geo-political zones. The success of the initial project informed the replication of same in nine other local government areas in the state.

Indeed many states are finding it difficult to raise tax at this time when Nigerians are faced with high cost of doing business and the prevailing economic reality confronting the nation. It is therefore expedient for state governors to grab the opportunities presented by the Bank of Industry to scale up the development of the MSMEs, especially along value chain strengthening in agriculture, solid minerals and even in the arts and craft industry!

With some patience and firm commitment, there is no doubt that the diversification window thrown open by the Buhari Administration in agriculture, solid minerals and the petroleum resources industries has the capacity to revamp the ailing economy, promote job generation and wealth creation at all levels.

Monday,3 October, 2016

MANAGEMENT Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerian President

Quote LEADERSHIP

We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret — Jim Rohn

Nigeria:

By Sulaimon Olanrewaju

L

AST Saturday, Nigeria celebrated its 56th independence anniversary. For a country that started on a very promising note, its current state is a great let down to those who put their lives on the line for her independence. Compared with other countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, which also gained independence about the time Nigeria got hers, Nigeria is a study in retrogression.

The per capita income of Nigeria today is lower than it was in 1960. Infrastructure is in a better 20 state then than now. ThePAGE education system was

better in the 1960s than it is now; ditto for health services. Rate of employment in 1960 was higher than it is in 2016. Rate of poverty is higher today in Nigeria than it was in 1960.

According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, at independence in 1960, about 15 per cent of the population was poor. This rose to 28 per cent in 1980.

By 1985, it had risen to 46 per cent, dropping to 43 per cent in 1992.

However, by 1996 poverty in the country had gone up to 66 per cent before climbing further to the current rate of 67 per cent. Why is the situation this way in this country?

Continues on pg20

INSIDE

The leaders’ undoing PAGE 20

Leaders’

forum PAGE 21

The 60-second

business coach PAGE 20

20

21

Monday,3 October, 2016

MANAGEMENT THE 60-SECOND business coach

Problems with Nigerian leaders Continued from pg19

ability to deliver, to determine who he picked for what position. He took his time to select the best hands. It is then no wonder that success trailed everything his administration did.

Singapore is populated by a mixture of Chinese, Malaysians and other Asians with the Chinese in the majority. At a point in the country’s development, ethnicity became an issue. To tackle it, Yew, who was Chinese, legislated that nobody should make any reference to their ethnic origin. That ended the issue of ethnicity in the country. Nigerian leaders are not like that; they play the card of ethnicity and religiosity to gain personal advantage to the detriment of the nation.

It’s all about leaders The state of a nation is a reflection of its leadership. As put by John Maxwell, one of the world’s most respected leadership teachers, everything rises and falls on leadership. Leaders shape and mould their societies in the form they want, and determine the course of events in their countries. The height attained by a nation is determined by its leaders. Similarly, the depth to which a country slides is a function of its leadership.

The success recorded by any society or country is dependent on the kind of leadership it has at a point in time. Therefore, the fate of a nation hangs on its leadership. Great nations, just like great organizations, don’t just happen; they are made. Every great nation or organization is a product of great leadership. Every thriving nation today has been led consistently over a period of time by a group of selfless leaders. So, the situation of Nigeria today is a pointer to the quality of leadership it has experienced.

Leaders show or blur the way If things are working well in a country, it is because the leaders are doing what is right.

Not only do leaders provide the direction in which the rest should go, they also determine the speed at which they move. So, everything rests on the leaders. To think otherwise is to think amiss. Corruption will thrive in a country with corrupt leadership. Uprightness will take root in a country where the leadership celebrates uprightness. It is trite knowledge that whatever the leadership encourages grows while what it frowns at declines. At times, some leaders attempt to push the responsibility of leading to the followers but it is wrong. Leaders must show the way for the followers to toe. If the followers consistently go in a wrong direction it is because the leaders overtly or covertly approve of it. Rot in a fish starts from the head. The rest of the body is as good or bad as the head is. Pushing leadership responsibility to the followers is a failure of leadership. Followers take a cue from the leaders. Even when the initiative for a change comes from the followers as in the case of a people-led revolution, some members of the masses must still lead the change. It is all about leaders; nothing less, nothing else.

The problems with Nigerian leaders While occasionally there appears a flash of good leadership in a few of those who occupy leadership positions in the country, the firmament is dominated by those who are illequipped for the positions they occupy.

Self-centeredness The primary problem with Nigerian leaders is self-centeredness. To the average Nigerian leader, leadership is not about service but about self aggrandizement. Most of those who occupy or aspire to occupy leadership positions are driven by selfish motives. They do not see the platform as an opportunity to improve the lot of the people but an avenue to feather their own nest. Hence, everything they do once they ascend the position is focused on themselves. Legislators change

Five things great bosses do daily

Mahatma Gandhi the constitution to improve their own welfare at the detriment of the people. Those in the executive arm of government deploy security vote to servicing their own interests. The leaders are goaded by their greed leaving the state and the people poorer for it.

But as opined by Gerald Brooks, a leadership teacher and pastor, “When you become a leader, you lose the right to think about yourself.” This admonition means nothing to Nigerian leaders.

Once they assume that position they think the world of themselves. This is evident in the fact that as soon as a political leader is sworn into office, he starts making plans for the next election. So, instead of working for the people, he starts to scheme to win the next election. Consequently, brainstorming for the good of the people will suffer and so will planning and execution. The result of all of that would be collapsed infrastructure and retrogression in the society.

Non-sacrificial Not only must leaders be unselfish, they must also be willing to make sacrifices as a result of the position they occupy. One of the marks of great leadership is sacrifice. Leadership is nothing without sacrifice. But this is bunkum to the average Nigerian leader. While leaders in other climes deploy their resources to birth a positive change in the lives of the people they lead, the average Nigerian leader is unwilling to sacrifice anything. Instead of making sacrifices, he wants to profit from the system. He wants to manipulate the system for his personal benefit.

Nelson Mandela is regarded as a global hero, not because he was behind the bars for 27 years, but principally because of the sacrifices he made to make his nation great. After being elected the President of South Africa, the Madiba set up the Truth and Reconciliation Committee to investi-

Lee Kuan Yew, former Singaporean Prime Minister gate crimes of the apartheid years. But his mission was not to retaliate. Rather, it was a move meant to help South Africans to come to terms with their past on a morally accepted basis and to advance the cause of reconciliation. Instead of using his office to deal with his persecutors, he used it to forge cohesion in the country. While he was in office, he took time to visit the last Apartheid President, Pieter Botha; he was also with Betsy Verwoerd, the widow of Hendrik Verwoerd, the brain behind apartheid. The Madiba was also a guest of Percy Yutar, the vindictive prosecutor who had tried to have him executed at the Rivonia Trial. Nigerian leaders would rather keep their perceived political enemies in the gulag than reconcile with them.

They will not sacrifice the opportunity of evening things out with their opponents for the unity of the nation.

Then, after spending a term in office as President, Mandela opted not to run for a second term.

The whole country wanted him to but he declined.

He was 79 years by the time he completed his first term and handed over to his younger deputy, Thabo Mbeki.

Such is rare in Nigeria. Even when it becomes obvious that they are unable to perform their role as stipulated in the constitution, Nigerian leaders will still hold on tightly to office. They never consider it statesmanlike to make sacrifice for their country.

Not interested in continuous self development Very few Nigerian leaders are interested in selfdevelopment. Although this is a general malaise in the country, leaders should be different. Leaders should make it a point of duty to develop themselves because what they know will determine what they can do. For a legacy-minded leader, self-development is sine qua non. One of the critical criteria for leadership is being ahead of others

Nelson Mandela, former South African President

intellectually. This enhances the leader’s ability to solve problems. If a leader knows little, he will only be able to do little. If a leader knows much, he will also be able to do much. Leaders reproduce after their kind. A leader with an underdeveloped mind will only be able to lead his country into underdevelopment.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the former premier of the defunct Western Region, was unrepentantly committed to self development. He was so much in love with knowledge acquisition that there were not many topics under the sun that he could not discuss intelligently. This is why he was clearly ahead of his peers. Continuous learning makes a leader see farther than others. This is the reason he was able to see problems before they became manifest. This is why he was able to decipher that the best freedom anyone could have was, and still is, freedom of the mind, hence his commitment to the education of his people. That is why he was able to think of setting up a television station in 1959 when even France, a first world country, had yet to do the same.

For giving himself to intellectual matters, he became reflective rather than reflexive. This is a clear

Leaders reproduce after their kind. A leader with an underdeveloped mind will only be able to lead his country into underdevelopment.

advantage of intellectualism. Developing the intellect delivers an individual from the tragedy of being a pawn in the hands of situations and circumstances. Being intellectually prepared saves a leader from the antics of opportunistic lieutenants or advisers. A leader that wants to make a positive impact must develop the ability of thinking through matters. Awo had this ability in abundance. So, rather than being driven by impulses, he was moved by convictions. Every project embarked upon by the administration led by Awo was targeted at investment. Every shilling spent was expected to yield a return. They were not throwing money at problems. They were not looking for quick fixes. They never allowed the urgent to drive them; they did only those things that they found very important after subjecting same to serious reflection.

But the tide is different now. Many of today’s leaders are moved by emotions. They hardly take time to reflect on issues before acting. Hence, their interventions never last the distance. This is a function of their intellectual shallowness.

They support nepotism Nigerian leaders are inflicted by nepotism and they have also inflicted the nation with that. Most Nigerian leaders are clannish; they believe more in their tribes than they do in the nation. They promote regional and religious issues than they do national ones. They sacrifice merit on the altar of ethnic considerations. As a result, there has been a multiplicity of mediocrity in the land. This has retarded the nation’s growth.

Lee Kuan Yew, the man who turned Singapore into a developed country, abhorred nepotism with a passion. He went out of his way to bring to government best brains that were available in the country. He picked a first class team. He did not allow any other consideration, apart from the

They are not visionary Many of Nigerian leaders live for the moment; they never think beyond what they can do or get immediately.

Many state governors are into programmes that will yield result during their tenure. They do not want to embark on a programme that will be completed in the tenure of their successor so that the credit would not be for their successors. Because of their affliction with myopia, they fail to create opportunities for succeeding generations.

Many of the leaders are beneficiaries of free education, but now education has become a luxury. Many of them enjoyed bursaries and scholarships as undergraduates, now those have become history. Many of them were offered employment even before the completion of their education, now that is a rarity.

At the 2012 Democratic Party’s National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, Julian Castro, a former Mayor of San Antonio, who was the keynote speaker at the convention, gave an unforgettable speech.

After regaling the audience with the story of his grandmother, an orphan who had arrived in the USA with little education, Castro said the woman was able to see her only daughter through college because of the opportunities available in the country. With her college education, the daughter had a better life than her mother. And by extension, the life of Castro, a third generation immigrant who is now United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, is an improvement on both his mother and grandmother’s lives because of the opportunities available in the country.

According to Castro, “America didn’t become the land of opportunity by accident. My grandmother’s generation and generations before always saw beyond the horizons of their own lives and their own circumstances.

They believed that opportunity created today would lead to prosperity tomorrow. That’s the country they envisioned, and that’s the country they helped build. The roads and bridges they built, the schools and universities they created, the rights they fought for and won—these opened the doors to a decent job, a secure retirement, the chance for your children to do better than you did.”

Therein lies the difference between the USA and Nigeria; every generation creates opportunities for the succeeding one. That is why the American story keeps getting better one generation after the other. Contrariwise in Nigeria, every generation narrows the opportunities available to the succeeding one. That is why the glorious days in the country seem to be in the past. It is common in the country to refer to the past in glowing terms and the present in gloomy tones. This is because every succeeding generation is worse off than the preceding ones.

Changing the curve The responsibility of changing the narrative from its present unpleasant tone rests squarely on the shoulders of the leaders. When the leaders are unflaggingly committed to doing what is right, they will have the moral courage to demand same from the people. Then the change will come.

By Nicolas Cole EVERY morning, your team members rally themselves to come to work. Some are enthused about what they’ll experience that day. They feel trusted, honored, and respected.

They’re optimistic about what they’ll learn, how they’ll partner with peers, how they’ll contribute to customers’ quality of life that day.

Those team members don’t have to work hard to rally themselves.

Other team members are not enthused about what they’ll experience in your team’s work environment. They might feel it’s much more likely they’ll be demeaned and discounted than trusted or respected at work that day.

Those team members have to rally themselves hard to get into work.

If your workplace culture doesn’t treat team members with trust, respect, and dignity in every interaction, you’ve got work to do. You need to embrace the best practices of great bosses.

Over 30 years of research and experience have helped me identify these five best practices that help great bosses craft high performing, values-aligned teams. These practices are easily remembered - they form the acronym GREAT. Great bosses inspire growth They create avenues for team members to learn new approaches, develop new skills, and gain confidence to put those skills into action in the workplace. They don’t allow team members’ skill sets to stagnate. GREAT bosses help team members continually boost their contribution and value to the company.

Great bosses honour relationships They know that positive relationships based on shared values create mutual trust and respect in the workplace. They create and maintain positive relationships with team members and expect the same among team members. They act to maintain a safe, inspiring, productive workplace so employees feel valued and honored at work. GREAT bosses know that trust and respect is a fragile state; it must be tended and monitored daily.

Great bosses inspire excellence They set clear performance expectations and coach team members to exceed them, every time. High standards met consistently help differentiate the team’s contribution to the company and to their customers. They must create a work environment that enables team members to apply their knowledge and skills in service to the team’s performance standards.

Great bosses ensure accountability They know that consequence management is the avenue to high performing, values-aligned teams. They praise and encourage progress and accomplishment of both goals and valued behaviours. They redirect and, if needed, reprimand values mis-aligned behaviours and/or missed performance standards.

Great bosses spur teamwork They know that cooperative interaction among team members maintains trust and respect more than competitive interaction does. They align all players to norms that enable sharing of information, skills, and support across their team.

They hold teams and team members to high standards, not just for performance but for citizenship, as well.

By embracing these best practices, you can create a safe, inspiring, productive work environment that team members thrive in - and love being a part of.

22

leadership&management

Monday,3 October, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

TOPE POPOOLA is a Human Capital developement Consultant and Pastor. Please feel free to send questions, feedback comments on this column to

topheritage@yahoo.com or visit http//turbochargedforsuccess.blogspot.com

The dominion of ideas 2

I want to use this platform today to celebrate a thoroughbred representation of the Fourth Estate of the realm, an astute craftsman of the pen trade and a true son in the faith. Over the years, from his early years in the teaching profession and the Christian faith to his transition into journalism where he has not only excelled but has garnered awards back to back, his consistency, dedication and dogged adherence to the ethics of faith and his profession are a rare occurrence in this generation. In a manner reminiscent of Paul and Timothy, we started a journey of father/son relationship in the Christian faith in the nineties. He has weathered many storms with me in ministry, believing in me and honouring God’s call upon my life and staying the course even when others that he met in the faith and ministry found it more convenient to jump ship. While that relationship has endured till date, he has gone ahead to become the Editor of the Tribune’s Business Pages and so the one to whom I am, through this column, directly accountable. So it is not out of order if I call him my Boss. Neither of us planned it that way but it was bound to happen. I am glad and excited. Fulfillment for me is not about what we have become or raising people to live perpetually under our shadow. It is also about adding value to others and mentoring one’s protégés to not only discover their own wings, but to spread them and take flight to greater heights where they can become greater than us. Sulaimon Oluwakayode Olanrewaju, if you know me with any flaw, you know it is not flattery. So, believe me when I say that to me, my family and the ministry that God has made me Shepherd over, you are a veritable son of consolation. The Lord whom we have served together on and off the pulpit for about twenty years, will continue to make your life beautiful and continually enhance your capacity to add and deliver value to humanity. You will not shipwreck both in faith and in your chosen course in life. While we celebrate what you have become, rest assured that there is much more land to conquer. The fragrance of God’s grace in you will be noised abroad in your

generation and for the advantage of generations to come.

Happy, though belated, birthday my son and “my Boss”!

Cake loading...

In the same vein, I want to congratulate every Nigerian on the occasion of the nation’s 56th Independence anniversary.

Although it appears that there is hardly much to cheer at the moment, I am hopeful and resolutely convinced that in time, as we all contribute our quota, our nation will be great.

I also want to congratulate Governor Ayodele Peter Fayose and all the good people of Ekiti State on the 20th anniversary of the creation of our dear state. I pray that the state will grow from strength to strength and become prominent in the Nigerian comity of states.

Now to today’s discourse.

Ideas do not require special genius to generate or implement. The most successful people in the world are not the most brilliant by IQ standards. This is the reason why, every so often, it is common to find people who barely made it through a university education employing first rate graduates of Ivy League universities. Neither Thomas Edison nor Albert Einstein was regarded as a first class brain in their growing years. Yet both of them gave the world several breakthrough ideas. Hear Einstein, “I myself have no special talent. Curiosity, obsession and dogged endurance, combined with self-criticism have brought me to my ideas” Ideas can be volatile. By the sheer avalanche of their occurrence in the average mind on a daily basis, ideas can evaporate as fast as they come to us. This is why ideas must not be treated with levity especially when they give an indication of transformational value. If we agree that ideas are precious even if they have a tendency to be fleeting, deliberate ideation sessions should be part and parcel, nay, the bedrock of personal and corporate growth.

So how do we treat ideas when they come?

First and foremost, recognize that no idea is absurd.

Ideas are pictures of a possible reality in another realm, time and climate. Once the imagination can capture it, it

is a possibility. Our current realities and the limitations they set on our minds may not yet allow us to see it. When I teach in brainstorming sessions, one of the rules of engagement is that no idea must be considered stupid, no matter how absurd it may sound to the rest of us.

Documentation is essential to ideas that will endure. I counsel my protégés to be friends with pen and paper. I personally have a jotter and pen by my bedside since I discovered that ideas don’t respect time and space in coming to you, neither do they give you advance notice! Do you recall how many times you woke up from sleep with an idea and you convinced yourself that you would do something about it, only to simply roll over and go back to sleep, but promptly forgetting all about it by the time you eventually get up from the bed? I know the feeling too. Or that moment when an idea hit you like a bolt from the blues. For some days you were ecstatic about it but never documented it. Then in the frenzy and grind of daily activity, it all but evaporated.

Until one day, maybe even a few years later, you saw that idea practically expressed in full execution by someone else and you started pinching yourself in regret of missing what might have been if only you had kept faith with the idea?

It is however not enough to source ideas and document them. You must also spend time brooding on them through meditation. Take time to pray over your ideas. I know we live in an age where it does not sound “politically correct” to mention godliness or spirituality in the public space.

I am however unashamedly convinced that ideas that create or add the greatest value to humanity come from God even though transmitted and executed through human vessels. If the idea is divinely inspired, it can only be divinely sustained. It is only wise therefore to revert to the Source for an appropriate template for executing it. In the place of meditation and prayers, we are able to connect with the resources and innate capacity to execute the idea as well as receive guidance on the roadmap to follow... continued.

Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!

Leaving and cleaving principle 1

I released the first part of this twin articles last week and the impact made has been so mind-blowing. At present, I am going to take it a little further and round it off, because I cannot completely drain it. Are you ready to devour the bone of what I do have to serve you at the moment? If yes, let’s go!

For the umpteenth time, there is no one who is a success in his or her field of purpose who does not understand and practice the principle of “leaving and cleaving.” This principle has changed my own life, business and leadership. It would change yours too, on the condition that you can live it out.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “A man is the sum of his actions, of what he has done, of what he can do. Nothing else.”

One of the actions that you would need to take is leaving what causes distractions in your life and cleaving to purpose. Until this happens, you cannot live a meaningful life on earth. Nothing destroys a man’s life more than distractions. Leaving things and people that distract is a personal sacrifice you would need to pay. No one can pay it for you. Only you can pay this price.

It is just one person you shall need to cleave to and your life, business and leadership shall change forever. It was when Keith Harrell cleaved to late Myles Munroe that his life changed. It was that singular encounter with late Dr. Munroe that imbued him with the required courage to step out of the comfort zone of IBM to the unfamiliar territory of human capital development business. Today, he gives about a thousand talks yearly and he is known the world-over—as an excellent speaker on the subject of attitude and he is transforming lives and companies.

Many years ago, beyond the shores of Nigeria, I was on a campus to study. On an evening, I took a casual walk to meditate on a few crucial issues before me, in which how to move from where I was to where I needed to be was chief. I knew what I wanted to do and where I needed to be, but I did not know how to go about it. But before retiring to bed on that day, it became very clear to me what I would need to do. And the how to go about it that was revealed to me was about cleaving to people who are relevant to my life, business and leadership. And this has changed everything about my life today.

The link between who you are and who you are aspiring to become in the days to come is just one relevant man or woman. Locate that one man or woman and cleave to him or her. After cleaving to him or her, you’d need to be teachable and down to earth. You’d need to know how to follow. You’d need to be hard at work. You’d need to become excellence-driven. Ultimately, you shall rise beyond where you are today.

The best that can happen to anyone on earth is to discover and cleave to his or her purpose early in life. This will help and give you an edge in your field of purpose.

Great artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci started drawing and studying art when they were very young. Mozart was composing music when he was four years old. May you not waste your time, energy and wisdom before finding the true purpose why you are on earth!

I discovered and cleaved to my purpose when I was a teenager. I wrote my first manuscript when I was about nineteen (19) years old. And I gave my first public speech

when I was twenty (20). Over the years, I have grown through mistakes, regrets and accolades, and here I am today still doing what I began to do when I was about sixteen (16) years old. In my field of purpose, I do have a lot of experience, not because I am very old, but because I started very early in life.

Each time I am opportune to teach “youngboods”, this is what I do tell them: “The best time to start a life of purpose is when you are a teenager. When you are about 30years of age, you should have about thirteen (13) years of experience, learning on the job of purpose. When you are thirty (30) years of age, you should have become an expert in your field of purpose.

Are you a youth, reading through this article? If yes, then the best time to leave what you are wasting your time, energy and wisdom on and cleave to your purpose is right now. Find out why you were born before you die. Remember, you cannot afford to be part of the wasted generation.

Lastly, having a sense of purpose is not enough, however. You can feel you have a sense of purpose to help cure disease, but if all you do is feel, that will not get you very far in life. Purpose is nothing without consistently and passionately running with it. After leaving the activities and people that impact negatively on you, what is left is for you to consistently run with your purpose with a rare level of excellence, passion and consistency. If you can do all I do have for you today for the next 10years, you shall become a clear voice in this nation and beyond. See you where great leaders are found!

23

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Who said what?

Businesses acting as businesses, not as charitable donors, are the most powerful force for addressing the pressing issues society faces.

—Tony Elumelu, Chairman, Heirs Holding and Founder, TEF.

How 25 Nigerian entrepreneurs made it

Author discusses struggles, triumps in new book Chima Nwokoji -Lagos

S

PEAKER, trainer, business developer and author, Kachi Ogbonna has painstakingly profiled 25 innovative Nigerian Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) that grew to bigger brands, in order to serve as sources of inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs.

According to him, his book “How They Started: Innovative Nigerian Brands,” presents sources of inspiration and opportunities from which the youth can liberate themselves from the clutches of unemployment.

Cutting across different sectors including

technology, the internet, entertainment, learning and development, manufacturing, restaurants, health and transportation, the Inspiration-Packed Book showed that opportunities abound in almost every sector of the Nigerian economy.

With more than 12 years of experience working among the youth, seven years of being an active entrepreneur and a substantial portfolio of solutions delivered for the benefit of humanity, Ogbonna’s career has taken him through the banking sector, telecommunications, training and consulting as well as Non-Governmental Organizations(NGOs), giving him the opportunity to have one-on-one business reviews with top business leaders including the founder,

Centre for Values in Leadership Prof. Pat Utomi, Senator Ben Bruce Murray, Chief Executive Officer iROKO Partners, Jason Njoku, Chairman of Cosharis Group Chief Cosmos Maduka and many more.

The author being an entrepreneurship and youth consultant, has from his many years of mentoring young entrepreneurs and growing startups, discovered that, the ‘entitlement mentality and the blame game’ has become the biggest hindrance to the realization of the full potential of Nigerian youths, insisting that everyone is ultimately responsible for his or her own success or failure in business and life endeavours.

Continues on pg25

Entrepreneurial profit is the expression of the value of what the entrepreneur contributes to production.

—Joseph A. Schumpeter,

Austrian-born American economist and political scientist

Tips for success Stay away from negativity This is the time to really evaluate your inner circle, including friends and family. This is a tough one, but it’s time to seriously consider getting away from those individuals who put you down and shred your confidence. Even a temporary break from Debbie Downer can make a huge difference and help you make strides toward more self-confidence.

—Peter Economy, via inc.com

24

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

How my business lasted one decade —Naira4dollar CEO

Naira4dollar (Sunej Global Ventures) is about the biggest names in the e-currency exchange industry in Nigeria. Its CEO, Sunday Ejezie is not yet 30. However, the Lead City University graduate shares the secrets of how the business he started a decade ago last month while in secondary school has successfully thrived despite the harsh storms of the Nigerian business climate in this interview with PAUL OMOROGBE. What was it like when you started?

HERE were not much people in the business then, and there was nobody to learn from. So I hard to learn on my own; I had to learn the hard way. It was something I loved doing; that was why I was able to survive the challenges. The major challenges then were hackers. Because I was a novice, when I made a little money hackers would clear everything. But because I loved what I was doing and I saw the future, I didn’t give up.

T

Was the business a dream that you followed or an opportunity that you saw?

You dream of something that you are aware of! This business was more of an opportunity that I saw. I started as (cyber)café attendant. I used to see people then come to ask for e-gold. I didn’t know what was egold. Later a man came and dropped a flyer saying that he has e-gold for sale. So I saw an opportunity, so I would tell those that wanted to buy that I could get it for them.

So they would pay me, I add my own extra cost to it and go to the man, buy from him and give to them! I saw an opportunity, and luckily for me it was in an area which I loved.

I have always loved computers. Even before I knew anything about webhosting and all, I started learning programming with Frontpage. There is nothing like Frontpage now, but then I was learning on the job.

A lot of people started this business around the same time you did, but are now extinct. What makes the difference between you and them?

I would say they started just because they thought there was money in the business; but I started the business because it was what I loved. Money has never been the driving force. For me, it has been about passion, about rendering service, and about meeting needs.

Where are entrepreneurs missing it?

Most entrepreneurs are missing it because a lot people that call themselves entrepreneurs are really not entrepreneurs. Most of them are just opportunity seekers! (cuts in..) But you saw an opportu-

nity…

What I mean by opportunity seekers is, you are journalist. Suddenly you hear that car headlamps are making sales and you leave your job and jump into car headlamps, meanwhile you don’t know anything about vehicles. You are just looking for where to make money without having proper knowledge. In my case, you could say I didn’t have proper knowledge, but remember it was not about money. No. It was because I loved the fact that people had a need for e-gold and I could stand as a middleman. They didn’t know where to get it and I could get it for them at a profit.

But then it was not about the profit, it was about doing something that had to do with what I loved and meeting needs.

How did you survive the risks of the business?

One thing I know is that once you are cleans, as long as you do things in accordance with the law, not trying to cut corners or pull a fast one, and money is not the driving force, anything that comes your way, you will be able to withstand it. A lot of storms have come my way, I was able to withstand them because I know that if there truly is justice, it will prevail and if you hands are clean, you have nothing to be scared of.

What’s the future like for e-currency in Nigeria?

E-currency is the future. The world is a global village now. You no longer have to travel to buy things. From the comfort of your home you can buy anything you want to buy or sell anything you want to sell.

You can do interviews, seminars from your house. The internet has brought in a lot of goodies for us. It is quite unfortunate that in this country, it is not well harnessed.

People are not yet taking advantage of it the way they should. Even the system is not helping matters. In this country, people think that once you are young and you are rich and you have a laptop, then you are a “yahoo boy”! That’s what’s killing us.

I don’t blame people for thinking so, because truly the so-called yahoo boys have messed up a lot of things. But entrepreneurs like us who are talented in computer technology should be encouraged and not

discouraged. For instance, a scammer could pull a fast one somewhere, he then comes to buy what we sell, and then the police come to make it look like we are the criminals. That can be discouraging. A lot of people have left the business because of police harassment; whereas for the person harassing us, we may be the ones to employ their son or daughter tomorrow.

Whether we like it or not, ICT is the way to go. The billionaires of tomorrow are not coming from steel and raw materials, the billionaires of tomorrow are coming from ICT. A lot of them already exist like Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg and the guy who founded Whatsapp and sold it to Facebook, Jan Koum.

How 25 Nigerian entreprene Continued from pg23

Ogbonna in his book argues that “the solution to graduate unemployment in Nigeria is not rocket science”, maintaining that, “if the universities can focus more on how to produce job creators rather than job seekers, then, unemployment will soon become an issue of the past”. He further insists that each problem in this country provides a great business opportunity for those who are willing to add value to the society.

In showing how Nigeria has always been a land of opportunities, the author traced how businesses that started decades ago are still waxing stronger by the day.

Also, giving instances of how some businesses that were launched just about four years ago have grown to become multinationals today, he explains that his efforts in securing one on one interview with the founders of these brands also goes a long way to validate the information in the book.

Each of the founders shared his own unique experience of what it took them to startup their businesses, the challenges faced and how they handled them; how

they funded their businesses and most importantly, every one of them has words of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

This book ‘How They Started ‘couldn’t have come at a better time than a period when the Nigerian economy has plummeted to an incredibly low state. It couldn’t have been more appropriate than at this time when the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently reported that over 15 million of Nigeria’s educated youth population still depends on their parents.

May be that is just a mere coincidence, as government and citizens alike stand to benefit immensely from the latent force of possibilities the book ignites even as the country seeks to drag itself out of the present mess.

Interestingly, someone has embarked on the important task of documenting how Nigerian brands started in a country where there is little or no regard for history. In a very unique way, Ogbonna through his book has told the story of the best of Nigeria.

Published 2006, in Lagos by MiH Consulting Limited, the 252 page-book ‘How They Started ‘provides a handy roadmap for producing a new generation of entre-

25

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Ogoni cleanup: How my company will create 2,000 jobs —OilOff Africa Olabode Akinjide-Oladeji is the CEO/Chief Strategic Officer, OilOff Africa Limited, a technology-based oil clean-up recovery solution company. He speaks with DAPO FALADE, on his company’s willingness to partner with the Federal Government in the quest to implement the UNEP Report on the remediation of the oil-devastated Ogoniland in Rivers State, among other issues.

What is your company about?

OILOFF is an oil clean-up and recovery solution company which is here primarily to clean up contaminated soils and contaminated waters, creeks and hydro-carbons. Crude oil spills, today, take a major part of contaminated soils and waters that we have. But our product can be used to clean up hydro-carbons to include crude oil, PMS, AGO. Primarily, the product that we market is what we called Zafiro Absorbents. They are made from a secret formula which involves the mixture of three different products-OPA liquid, OPA hardener and OPA plus-which are mixed together to make up the absorbents. The difference with our product is that it is an absorbent, not an absorbent. The difference between the absorbent and the absorbent is that the absorbent soaks up the oil through a capillary action into its body. The absorbent works on surfaced area attraction; the oil absorbed is like an electron movement of oil that the absorbent picks up. So the oil stays on the top of the absorbent around it because it is a neutron electron reaction-negative and positive. So it follows around each particle of the product.

Why do you think your company can handle the Ogoni clean-up exercise?

The other part of the technology we are bringing into the country is the equipment and its arrangement to be able to facilitate the working of the clean-up. Technically, what we do for this exercise is to go to field; we condone off the field, break it into segments. For each segment, we physically remove the soil that is there, bring it through our processing lines; take the soil through the processing lines to

e urs made it

preneurs, who will run the upcoming global brands, with roots in Nigeria.

Today, entrepreneurship has become a major buzz word in Nigeria, and that is not for nothing. It is a common knowledge that youth unemployment has gone beyond just an economic problem to also become a social problem. The issues of pipeline vandalism, terrorism, thuggery, electoral violence, kidnapping and sectional agitations are hugely due to the fact that the young ones, mostly graduates, are not properly engaged.

Those who see entrepreneurship as the way out have come up with different approaches for tackling this, the most notable of them being skill acquisition. Ogbonna has, however, done something completely different. As much as he believes in entrepreneurship and skill acquisition, he argues in his new book that the solution to unemployment in Nigeria must begin with a fundamental mind shift.

He believes that Nigerian youths are talented enough to tap into the numerous opportunities that exist in the country, but, according to him, “they must first of all believe that they can. They must first accept that those opportunities are there because no one can feature in a future that he cannot picture.”

wash the oil from that soil; return the soil back to the field after we have cleaned the oil from it. This is a thermal absorption process; the oil is removed from that soil and the soil is returned back to the site.

How long can you complete a circle of this whole process?

It is within a day, depending on how deep the contamination is. You have to remember that some soil have oil that has been spilled from 20, 30, 40 years. The contamination in those soils would have caked; it would have gone through different degrees of degradation.

To wash those kinds of soil would take longer because we have to pass it through the process like three, four, five times. This is because as it is coming out, we gave to test it to make sure that it is free of the oil contamination.

Given the vastness of the contaminated areas in Ogoniland, how long will this process take?

It now comes down to what we called scheduling of works; it comes down to how many processing lines you want to have at a particular time. That is what will determine the length of time it would take to be able to completely engage in this process. What we are trying to do is that we set up this location in a one-hectare area. When we do this, we can actually go on to clean up of up to 100 hectares because we have break them into different zones. We will take the soil from one particular zone and take it to the process line.

We do not want the distance between the processing zone and the contaminated area to be too long. The trucks that will bring the materials must be able to bring them from a distance not more than one or two-kilometre mark. This is to enable them to go back as quickly as possible to pick up materials and bring them. They dump the materials on the conveyor and the conveyor will move the soil straight to the process.

From each zone like that, we are able to create three, four, five numbers of processing lines as to what we need. This means that within a particular zone, we could, for example, break it into one local government area within each zone, we probably could have three or four of these processing lines that are attacking a particular zone.

The interesting part of the exercise is that because we engage a retinue of trucks and a retinue of equipment, activities of work in the local area is immediately vibrating because where we have 200 trucks that are bringing materials from a particular area, there is a backward need for people that are going to provide food, shelters, diesel, water and a lot of different things. So, the economy of that particular area kicks off, almost immediately.

That is different from the 120 to 150 people that are working within the plants to take care of the process in itself; local indigenes are trained; welders are trained in how to work the equipment; people naturally in the area who have trucks to move material down are able to do that; people that have equipment were able to lease their equipment and the

whole environment is engaged. We are able to employ within that particular area like that between 400 and 500 people at a particular point in time. Definitely, over that course of time, we are able to see over 2,000 that are being employed, doing different things.

Of course, at the same time, as we continue with that process, the soils in that whole area are made available immediately the area is finished and is handed over for them to start using it. So, we are saying that within a spate of three months, a particular area is completely completed and is delivered back to the community to work on.

So after the clean-up process, you are sure the people of the affected communities will be able to have back their old life...

Yes and you also have to appreciate that the other thing that happens is that, I am not sure if you have seen the level of degradation that has occurred from contamination, you will see that the soils are cracking. The interesting part of it is that there is a ground water issue; a ground movement of that contamination in the soil that spills over to other areas. Because it spills underground, there is a portion of probably 1.5 metres that seems to be okay that can only take some light vegetations. That is why you see those vegetations there; it is not as if there is no contamination there under.

Because this is the main area that is contaminated, there is a distance that it would travel over a course of time.

Scientifically, we are able to determine how far down that that contamination will go so that you know how far down the removal and clean-up exercise will be and that is the worst part of the whole

exercise.

The UNEP Report recommended the clean-up exercise to be completed within 25 and 30 years, but, using your technology, how long can it take you?

We can flush the place with a good number of equipment and it can be achieved in a much shorter time. I can say 15 years, depending on the deployment. You also have to remember that it is a cost benefit issue. Are we able to pay for it almost immediately? How do we approach the project? Of course, I want to believe that one of the things that the government is going to do is to say, let us give different zone to different persons.

Where do you come in, in the whole process?

Our aim here is to let the Federal Ministry of Environment and all other stakeholders know that, if we are given the opportunity and, using our technology, we can absolutely complete the clean-up exercise within 15 years. What happened is that if we are given the opportunity and we are able to deploy numerous process zones in the whole area, we will be able to achieve this much faster than the norm.

You also have to understand is that we have been on this process for a long time. In 2011, my colleagues brought this project to us. Since then, we have done presentations across board. In 2014, we did a formal presentation to NOSREA and we have been in discussion with the Hydro-carbon Restoration and Pollution Agency. Of course, we have also submitted Expression of Interest to the Ministry of Environment.

26

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

27

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

28

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

29 news

Monday, 3 October, 2016

FG committed to rescue of Chibok girls —Lai Mohammed

M

INISTER of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has reiterated Federal Government’s commitment to rescue the Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram terrorists.

The minister spoke at a live programme on Channel Television on Independence, entitled: “Nigeria at 56: Recursive, resilient, rising.”

Alhaji Mohammed said no group, local or international, could claim to have more stake or to be more committed to the rescue of the girls than the Federal Government.

He added that the issue of the rescue of the girls was a humanitarian one that everyone or group should be “passionate but rational about.”

The minister said contrary to the position of some critics, government had robust counter- terrorism policy and had recorded significant success in fighting Boko Haram in the North-East.

He noted that the fact that the Chibok girls were yet to be rescued should not be a yardstick to write off the achievements of government in decimating Boko Haram.

Alhaji Mohammed recalled that upon assumption of Muhammadu Buhari -led administration, many parts of the North-East were under the control of Boko Ha-

Hijrah: Ajimobi declares today public holiday GOVERNOR Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has declared today, as public holiday to mark the Islamic New Year, 1438 AH. He made the declaration on Sunday at the 1438 Hijrah Grand Rally organised by the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO) at Ibadan.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Oct. 3 is the lunar month of Muharram, which was the first month of the Islamic calendar.

The Islamic year calendar had started counting in 622 AD after the emigration of Prophet Muhammed from Mecca to Medina in Saudi-Arabia.

Ajimobi stated that Hijrah, the beginning of the new year in the Islamic calendar was another opportunity for Muslims worldwide to reflect on their past and channel a new way of life.

“Hijrah symbolises a new beginning. It is the state of improving on the past into a new status. Hijrah began when the holy Prophet Muhammed migrated from Mecca to Medina,” he said.

ram and were not safe and accessible.

The minister said the situation was not the same today, as no part of the North East region was under the control of the group.

He reiterated that Boko Haram had been decimated and government was working daily to ensure the release of the abducted girls.

“The North-East is free now, students are returning

to schools, all the towns and communities hitherto under the control of the terrorists have been liberated and those who fled their homes are gradually returning,” he said.

The minister also recalled that when the Buhari -led administration assumed power, it was 410 days after the Chibok girls were abducted without any clue to their rescue by the previous

government.

He noted that in all cases of abduction, especially by terrorists, 24 hours was critical to ensuring prompt rescue, adding that the government in power then did not utilise the intelligence at that time.

The minister said the current administration had, on three occasions, established links with Boko Haram for the exchange of the abducted girls with the arrested

members of the terrorist group.

He said on each occasion, the efforts were thwarted by either the link with the terrorist, fresh demands

by Boko Haram or division in the camp of the terrorist group.

Mohammed said government had not foreclosed negotiation with the group on the release of the girls but it wanted to ensure that the

From left, Provincial Pastor-in-Charge, Oyo Province 13, Pastor Samuel Awobode; Pastor-in-Charge, Region 21, Pastor Dele Balogun; Pastor (Mrs) Elizabeth Awobode; Pastor (Mrs) Balogun; Pastor (Ms) Bukola Adepariola and Pastor (Mrs) Mobisola Adeseolu, during the inauguration service of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Oyo Province 13, on Sunday. PHOTO: YEMI FUNSO-OKE.

Why we stopped subventions to our tertiary institutions —Oyo govt

By Wale Akinselure

INFORMATION have emerged that the Oyo State government’s resolve to reduce cum stop giving subventions to state-owned tertiary institutions is due to paucity of funds and the need for the management of institutions to be largely responsible for its running.

The state government’s decision would see a reduction in the subventions of the seven state-owned tertiary institutions, ranging from 25 per cent to 50 per cent, and then, an entire stoppage of the subventions.

In a letter to the Vice Chancellor, Ladoke Akintola Uni-

versity of Technology (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso; rectors of the Polytechnic, Ibadan; Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa and Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Saki; provosts of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, College of Education, Lanlate and Oyo State College of Agriculture, Igboora, marked HCF/Corr.Gen./23, dated September 20, the state government had intimated of its inability to continue with the grant of subventions to the institutions.

The letter, which emanated from the office of the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, also referred to an earlier discussion on the need for the manage-

ment of the institutions to focus on internally generated revenue to run its affairs.

Responding to what informed government’s decision to end granting subventions to tertiary institutions, Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Adeniyi Olowofela, said, “it is not exactly true that we have stopped giving subventions to institutions, but ultimately, it will get to that.

The government is challenging tertiary institutions to look for ways by which they can generate revenue. These institutions have clamoured for autonomy, so, this must include financial autonomy.

The management of these institutions are aware of this development.”

Commissioner for Information, Mr Toye Arulogun, had also hinted of the state government’s move, stating that “this is the time for people to think out of the box, think differently. The allocation is not coming in the quantum that it used to come from Abuja. So, you see, the state government is focusing on improving its internally generated revenue. I dare say that some of these institutions must begin to look inwards. They cannot live on subventions forever and subvention is not statutory.

Aquafina Elite Model Look Nigeria 2016 winners emerge, cart away $150,000 prize money

By Rotimi Ige

THE Aquafina Elite Model Look Nigeria 2016 held its grand finale last Saturday, at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos where contestants modelled outfits from several international and local fashion houses in tune to top performances from Omawumi and other top Nigerian artistes.

A 300 level Economics student of Bells University, Mr Obemnebo Davidson, won the male category while a 17-year-old lady, Miss Omoh

Momoh, won the female category.

The winners of the Aquafina Elite Model Look 2016 went home smiling with $150,000, and also the opportunity to represent Nigeria at Elite Model Look International world finals which would have over 80 countries represented.

In addition, both Davidson and Momoh won modeling contracts with Elite Model Management worldwide as well as a two-year modeling contract with Beth Model

Management Africa.

In a close Interview, Davidson said he was discovered by his personal photographer, named Anthony, who was always encouraging him to give modelling a try.

“Anthony was always motivating me to give modelling a try through the means of a call casting for Tokyo Jamz, and that was how Elite started.”

He expressed gratitude to God for making him the winner of the content in the male category saying that, “I never knew I could become

the winner because I had to compete against huge odds, but God pulled me through.”

Commenting on Aquafina’s sponsorship of the Aquafina Elite Model Look Nigeria, Seven-Up Bottling Company’s head of marketing, Mr Norden Thurston, said, “Aquafina, as one of the biggest water brands in the world, is delighted to partner with Elite Model Look to give young Nigerians a platform to aspire to the zenith of international modeling and fashion.”

link were genuine and credible.

He said government appreciated the efforts of the “Bring Back Our Girls” (BBOG) group but noted that “the administration is as concerned as they are and ready to work with them in ensuring the release of the girls.”

Mrs Oby Ezekwesili, one of the leaders of the BBOG reiterated the position of the minister that 24 hours was critical to ensuring success or failure in cases of abduction by terrorists, adding that the past administration failed in that regard.

Ezekwesili, however, said the BBOG group was disappointed that more than 900 days after the girls’ abduction, there was no tangible evidence or convincing plans by government on their release.

Nnamani heads Nigeria’s electoral reforms body, as AGF inaugurates committee tomorrow Sunday Ejike-Abuja

IN its committed effort to ensure an electoral process that would meet global standard and satisfy the desire of the electorate, the Federal Government will tomorrow inaugurate a constitutional and electoral reform committee to re-jig the current Act. A statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, on Sunday, by Comrade Salihu Othman Isah, Special Adviser to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, disclosed that the committee would be inaugurated tomorrow (Tuesday October 4, 2016) at the AGF’s conference room, Abuja, at 11.00a.m.

The statement read: “the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, will on Tuesday, October 4, 2016, inaugurate a committee on constitutional and electoral reform at the HAGF’s conference room, Abuja, at 11.00a.m.

“The committee is expected to review electoral environment laws and experiences from recent elections conducted in Nigeria and make recommendations to strengthen and achieve the conduct of free and fair elections in Nigeria.

The statement urged members of the committee, which would be headed by former president of the Senate, Ken Nnamani, to take note and turn up for the inauguration.

30

news

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Delta State governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa (right) and the General Superintendent, Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, during an interdenominational church service organised by the church in Asaba, on Sunday.

Independence: There is hope for Nigeria —Kumuyi

As Okowa charges religious leaders From Banji Aluko and Alphonsus Agborh

A

S Nigeria celebrates 56th independence anniversary in a state of economic recession, the General Superintendent, Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor Williams Kumuyi, has asked Nigerians to focus on the good things that have happened to the country, instead of misadventures.

He said there is hope for the country with the pace of the country’s democratic development, urging the Federal Government to look beyond oil for the country’s economic growth.

Speaking with journalists at Benin Airport, on his way to Delta State for a church programme, Kumuyi regretted that some clerics now indulge in undignifying activities and lifestyles.

On the nation’s 56th independence anniversary, he said: “We need to thank God for everything. There are things to look into for us to become a better society but we are thanking God for what has hap-

pened already.”

Meanwhile, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, has charged religious leaders to be fearless in preaching the word of God to the people in positions of authority.

The governor said this on Sunday, during a special church service organised by the Deeper Life Bible Church, which had the General Overseer of the church, Pastor Kumuyi, in attendance.

Army to hand over 6 foreigners to NIS for deportation THE Nigerian Army has said that it planned to hand over six foreigners who were arrested in the course of its anti-terrorism war, to the Nigeria Immigration Service( IMS), for deportation.

Brigadier-General Victor Ezugwu, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 division of the Nigerian Army, said this while speaking with newsmen in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Sunday.

General Ezugwu said that the foreigners were among suspects arrested at various raids in Boko Haram terrorists camps but were cleared of affiliation with the group.

He said that the suspects had been found to have entered the country illegally.

“We handed over 348 cleared detainees to the Borno State government on

Saturday.

“Some other suspects were not released because they had committed crimes that are civil in nature, as such, will be handed over to relevant security agencies for further action.

“Among this category are six foreigners, who illegally entered Nigeria.

“They consist of four Cameroonians, one Chadian and one Jamaican; these foreigners will be handed over to the IMS for deportation,” he said The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), recalled that the Nigerian Army, had on Saturday, handed over 348 cleared detainees to Governor Kashim Shettima, as part of its efforts to ensure justice and fairness to individuals arrested in the ongoing anti- terrorism war.

MTN staff protest termination of appointment in Kwara Biola Azeez - Ilorin CONTRACT staff with mobile telecommunications company, MTN, in Ilorin, Kwara State, have protested termination of their appointment allegedly in violation of an earlier agreement.

The angry workers, numbering over 400, who said they were employed to provide customer care services for MTN through an outsourced agent, Contact Centre Limited, alleged that they had no proof to show the company paid their personal income tax estimated at about N46million between 2013 and 2016.

The protesters said that they had not received their tax clearance certificate since

2013 and expressed concern that all may be lost due to the latest development.

They also said that they were being owed arrears of pension, leave allowances and salaries while a seamless migration into fresh employment allegedly promised them at the end of the contract job, had not been fulfilled.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, at the weekend, the spokesman for the protesting workers, Fatai Jinadu, said that they were asked to submit all company documents in their care at the end of September, expressing fears that if the directive was obeyed, it could lead to total loss of contact between them and the company.

“They asked us to submit property in our care but the letter they gave us said once we do that, the company no longer owes us. They have not paid our pension for one year, although, they never failed to deduct it from our salaries every month, they have not paid September salary as well as our leave allowances for two years. If they had paid us pension, it would have accrued interest.

Efforts to speak with the management of the company proved abortive as a security man at the gate was sent to tell newsmen that the management was in a meeting. One of the managers was spotted pleading with the workers at the entrance to the administrative section of the company.

31

news

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Abandoned baby

Anniversary

Christ Love Evangelical Church (INC), a.k.a Roesieem Revival Ministry, Agbala Idande worldwide, opposite Ona –Ara garage, No 8, Temidire Olorunsogo, Akanran, Ibadan, Oyo State, will hold its special programme and 25th anniversary tagged “Ose Idande” with the theme “

By His Grace”. commencing from Monday (today), till Friday, by 5:00pm daily, at the church auditorium. The grand finale of the programme will hold on Sunday, by 12.00pm, at the same venue. Guest artistes expected at the event are Lady Evangelist Bukola Akinade, Lady Evangelist Bola Omotosho and Mrs Ayobami Osundare. Ministering are Prophet Michael Fakinle, Reverend Solomon Olusegun Aremu, Prophet Joseph Akinlolu Akinade, among others.

Also expected on the occasion are Mr Oluwatosin Osikoya, Mrs Folake Solomon, Elder Sunday Obiyinka, Prophet Elizabeth Kayode, Olori Ebun Andu and Deaconess Mubo Salawu. The guest speaker is Prophet Michael Fakinle, while the Royal father of the day, is Onipetu of Ijeruland, Oba Sunday Oladapo

Oyediran. Reverend (Mrs) Olajumoke Odeyemi, is the vice-president of the church while Reverend (Dr) Amos Olanrewaju Odeyemi, a.k.a Baba Agbara Idande, is the General Overseer of the church.

A day-old-baby girl, was abandoned at veterinary area, Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo State, on August 21, 2016, by an unknown person.

Anybody with useful information that could lead to the discovery of the child’s parents or relatives should, please, contact the Principal Social Welfare Officer, Ibadan/Ibarapa zonal office, Iyaganku, Ibadan or the nearest police station.

Prophet Amos Odeyemi

Ademola Ige, a seasoned politician —Ibadan S/East Accord leadership

By Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare The leadership and members of the Accord party in Ibadan South East Local Government Area of Oyo State have described the lawmaker representing Ibadan South East Constituency II in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Ademola Ige, as a man of impeccable character and a seasoned politician, who is being celebrated from far and near because of his numerous achievements as a politician.

The chairman of the party in Ibadan South East Local Government, Mr Kamorudeen Okiti, said this shortly after he received a meritorious award of excellence on behalf of Honourable Ige as part of activities marking the 7th annual event and award night organised by an Englandbased Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Abike Ade Foundation, founded by a Nigerian, which was held at Welcome Centre Hotels, Lagos, recently.

32 Photonews

‘Kick Against Cancer’ walk organised

by Access to Basic Medical Care Foundation (ABC), Ibadan.

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Symposium to mark third anniversary of Access to Basic Medical Care Foundation (ABC), Ibadan.

Wife of the Oyo State governor and founder of ABC Foundation, Mrs Florence Ajimobi (JP), with other dignitaries during the ‘Kick Against Cancer’ walk in Ibadan.

From left, wife of the Minister of Solid Minerals, Erelu Bisi Fayemi; wife of the Lagos State governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode; wife of the Oyo State governor and founder of ABC Foundation, Mrs Florence Ajimobi; the executive governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and the Minister of Health and keynote speaker at the symposium, Professor Isaac Adewole, during the event.

Mrs Ajimobi with some secondary school students who participated in the walk.

Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Azeez Adeduntan (second left); the Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Michael Adeyemo (fourth left) and other speakers at the event.

Cross section of participants during the walk.

Chairman of the event, Emeritus Professor Oladipo Akinkugbe, delivering the chairman’s remarks at the event.

Fitness and exercise session at the event.

Professor Isaac Adewole delivering the keynote address at the event.

Cross section of participants during the walk.

Cross section of participants at the symposium.

politicsnews Edo poll: Seven communities say votes allocated to them withot voting

33

Banji Aluko-Benin City

F

our days after the Edo State governorship election, leaders of seven riverine communities in Ward 10, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of the state, have declared that they were still waiting for the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to bring voting materials to the area so that they could vote.

Leaders of the mainly Itsekiri communities: Ajamimogha, Ajoki, Kolokolo, Ajatiton, Ikara, Abiala One and Abiala Two, said they waited to no avail for the arrival of voting materials to their communities on Wednesday. But they were shocked to discover that figures were appropriated to the communities wherein they did not vote.

At a venue in Ajamimogha, where leaders of the communities gathered, the community head of Ajamimogha, Pa Edwin Otikperi, said nothing could be farther from the truth that election was held in the area, adding that it was the first time in recent times they would be disenfranchised.

Another community leader and chairman of the Itsekiri Solidarity Movement, Dennis Otikperi, alleged that voting materials meant for the area were hijacked at Ologbo by an individual (names withheld), who they said led a group to thumprint the ballot papers and returned them to Benin.

He said: “Itsekiris and Ijaws in these communities are here today to say that voting materials did not get here in the riverine communities of Ward 10, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area. Most surprising, INEC still went ahead to announce the results of an election that was never conducted.

“I have written a petition and it has been acknowledged by the Electoral Officer. We want the whole world to know this. We heard that voting materials were stopped at a side

Monday, 3 October, 2016

of the river by the backyard of one persons (names withheld) and thumprinted.

“We sent our people there to find out and stop them.

Our people were, however, chased away from

the place by police and army, who accompanied the people. They could not record them because their phones were seized and thrown into the water. We have seven communities in these places. These com-

munities have 15 units and we have over 10,000 votes here. I just want the whole nation to know this.”

The community leaders were joined by the women, who took journalists to the Ajamimogha Community

The Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted against call for resignation of the national chairman of the party, Chief John Oyegun, by the national leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu had demanded

orated the claims, claiming that the people, who prevented them from voting, caged him at his hotel room on the election day.

‘Critics of Gov Bello don’t mean well for Kogi’ Christian Okeke-Abuja

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State (middle ); his wife, Rachel ; and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF),Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, during a thanksgiving service to mark the end of Ebonyi at 20 and 56th Independence anniversary of the country, at the Assemblies of God Church, in Abakaliki, the state capital, on Sunday

Kwande warns on cracks in APC Isaac Shobayo-Jos

The row between All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader , Chief Bola Tinubu and the national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun indicates a major crack in the party, a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, has said.

Speaking to Nigerian Tribune in Jos, he said it was sad that such disagreement between two founding fathers of APC could degenerated to the level of Tinubu asking Oyegun to resign from office “We have just started; the disagreement is just too early and uncalled for.

The two of them are experienced politicians and friends of long standing as far as politics is concern.

We are disappointed an issue such as the Ondo state gubernatorial primary could lead to this level.

“There is no doubt about it that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu contributed to the emergence of Chief Oyegun to be the national chairman of APC. Instead of fighting, Tinubu should tell the party why he wants the national chairman to resign.

He prompted him to be chairman; he should tell us how he failed the party,” Kwande stated.

He said politics was all

about mutual understanding, give and take, but that politicians often stepped on each other’s toes because of personal interest.

“What is happening now is all about politics. It is all about people disagreeing in order to agree; it is an opportunity for our supporters to know what is happening. But, it is unfortunate that things are get-

Oyegun’s resignation over his alleged role in the governorship primary of the party in Ondo State that produced Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, as APC standard bearer.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, the state secretary of the APC, Chief Olabode Adekanye, said no one could dictate to the

ting to this level.

“As far as some of us are concerned, we don’t know that they are quarreling because they are friends and loyalists. But from all indications, there are cracks on the wall, and supporters of Tinubu or Oyegun might be the ones fueling the disagreement and deepening the crack,” the former envoy said.

H/Reps urges fresh election in Benue speaker’s constituency Johnson BabajideMakurdi

The House of Representatives has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to resolve the logjam in two constituencies in Ushongo by conducting election within 90 days in the area.

The outcome of the election could affect the status of Honourable Terkimbir

Ikyange, as the Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, who currently represents the Ushongo state constituency.

The Lower House took the decision at its sitting last week after adopting the report of its Committee on Public Petition, urging INEC to comply with the 2005 judgment which ruled on the delin-

Kwara APC to Oyegun: Ignore calls to resign Biola Azeez-Ilorin

Hall, where they said voting was supposed to take place, insisting that they did not vote on Wednesday.

An ex-militant in the community, ‘General’ Roland Abanara, also corrob-

party.

He said Tinubu merely expressed his personal opinion, stating that only the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could overrule the nomination of Akeredolu as the candidate of the party.

“That statement was the personal position of Sena-

tor Tinubu and not that of the party. To us as a party, it’s only INEC that has the power to overrule the nomination of the governorship candidate. So, we don’t go along with the position expressed by. Senator Tinubu. He may have been offended. But that is not our position,” he Adekanye.

eation of onstituencies in the area.

The Speaker, who represents Ushongo state constituency at House of Assembly is serving a second term and may have to step down, to re-contest in the proposed election.

Although there were mixed feelings on the resolution of the House of Representative concerning the directive to INEC to conduct a fresh election into the constituencies, a stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ushongo, Mr Joseph Abaagu, who spoke on phone to Nigerian Tribune on the matter, however explained that the speaker could still retain his seat if he was able to reach a mutual agreement with members of the Assembly not to declare his seat vacant.

The administrative secretary of Okene Local Government Council of Kogi State, Mr Abdullahi Shehu Lukman, has said that only corrupt past leaders would not support the state governor, Yahaya Bello, in his transformation policy to make the state better.

He accused them of failing to transform the state despite the ample time they had to do so, stated that the citizens would resist any of their attempts to sabotage the current government in the state.

The council secretary, while speaking in Abuja, noted that security threats in the state had been reduced, following proactive steps taken by the governor.

According to him, more than over 18, 000 ghost workers were uncovered by the government in an exercise which he said saved the state about N1.

4 billion.

Lukman stated that any complaint about non receipt of salary could only come from a ghost worker or a worker who did not submit complete biometric verification number during the verification exercise as well as a worker who must have forged his certificates.

“So, the person needs to go to the state capital to clarify himself. Your money is there; nobody is eating your money,” he said.

He said, “When the governor came on board, he met a state in shambles and we know that before going into any developmental programme, you have to first of all find out what the problem is and that is what the governor did.

“He noticed that even to pay salaries of state and local government workers was a problem. The previous government couldn’t pay. What it did was just to pay 25 percent of the salary.

“Imagine that you worked a full month but was given 25 per cent of your salary. You know how bad that was.”

Monday, 3 October, 2016 34 politicsnews Nasarawa people will decide my successor in 2019 —Al-Makura Godwin Agwam-Lafia

N

ASARAWA State governor, Umaru Tanko Al-makura, has promised that the people of the state would determine who succeeds him in office in 2019.

The governor, who is currently serving a second term of four years, also spoke on his political ambition after completing his eight-year rule.

Al-Makura specifically declared that it was beyond him to install a successor from the Nasarawa North senatorial district.

The northern axis of the state is yet to produce the governor since of the state in 1996.

“I am too small to determine my successor because such decision is in the hands of the people of the state, even though it is natural that the people would want the Northern part of the state to produce the next governor based on the principle of fairness,” he said.

The governor dispelled

rumours doing the rounds that he planned to seek a seat in the National Assembly to represent Nasarawa South.

In a speech to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the state and Nigeria’s 56th Independence anniversary, he said his plan after leav-

ing office was to become a father of all in the state.

On the economy of the state, the governor said Nasarawa was gradually

exploring the agricultural sector to boost its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), as a way of diversifying the economy.

‘Flaws in Edo gov election not enough for cancellation’

From left, Edo governor-elect, Mr Godwin Obaseki; his wife, Mrs Betsy Obaseki; the deputy governor-Elect, Mr Phillip Shaibu and his wife, Mariam Shaibu, at the election thanksgiving ceremony at St. Peter Anglican Church in Benin City, on Sunday. PHOTO: NAN

Court fails to stop next Saturday’s Ogun LG poll OLayinka OlukoyaAbeokuta

A High Court sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State has dismissed a suit filed by the Labour Party in the state, seeking to stop the Local Government and Local Council Development Areas elections scheduled for next Saturday.

The party, in the suit number AB/215/2016, had approached the court seeking an injunction to restrain the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) from conducting the election.

The party, in an originating summons, dated August 12, asked the court to extend the date of the election so as to allow it collect and submit forms CF001 and CF002.

Counsel to the claimants, Mr Monday Mawah, told the court that OGSIEC and the chairman, Mrs Risikat Ogunfemi, who were 3rd and 4th defendants in the suit, violated the rights of LP by excluding them from the process of the election.

He argued that party had been sidelined in the electoral process, citing Ibrahim Nuru vs INEC, as well as insisting that OGSEIC should be bound by the regulations as contained in the 2006 Election Guidelines Procedure and the time table released by it.

Mawah submitted that his clients were entitled to

He appreciated his predecessors for not handing over a failed state to him and assured the people of the state of greater years ahead.

remedy which, in this instance, was for the court to order an extension of time for the conduct of the election.

But, counsel to OGSIEC and Ogunfemi, Wahab Ismail, objected to all the reliefs sought in the summons, informing the court that he had filed a notice of preliminary objection and a counter affidavit before the court.

Ismail told the court that

there was no disclosure of any reasonable cause of action against OGSIEC and Ogunfemi, and that there was nothing in the affidavit to link any of the defendants to the allegations in the suit.

He submitted that a court of law had no power to extend the time of an election, as requested by the claimants, adding that the court could only direct the extension of time.

He said: “You have the power to direct but they have not sought the power of the court to do that. A court of law doesn’t extend the time of an election; it can only direct and there is a clear distinction between the two.”

The presiding judge, Justice Olanrewaju Mabekoje, in his judgment, dismissed all the reliefs contained in the amended originating summons dat-

ed September 5, 2016.

Mabekoje, said that the claimants failed to establish any reasonable cause of action against the defendants and that the court should not be allowed to guess on the link between the suit and the defendants.

He dismissed the application and awarded N10, 000 cost in favour of the defendants.

Ekiti IPAC lauds INEC on Sheriff/Makarfi feud Sam Nwaoko-Ado Ekiti

The Ekiti State chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), has praised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the way it settled the logjam created by the candidature of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu , as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) during the Edo Governorship poll.

It also lauded the commission for maintaining substantial neutrality in the poll, urging the commission to replicate the same feat in the November 26 governorship poll in Ondo State.

The Ali Modu Sheriff and Ahmed Markafi groups presented two different candidates for the election, which the candidate of the All Progressives

Congress(APC), Godwin Obaseki had won, but INEC discretionally recognised Ize-Iyamu, who was nominated by Markafi group.

Speaking with journalists in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, the IPAC Chairman in Ekiti, Dr Dele Ekunola, said INEC did the country proud by conducting a credible election that complied substantially with the provisions of the Electoral Act. On the crisis rocking the state chapter of the party, which polarised the body into two, Ekunola clarified that the feuding groups had fused into one after reconciliation, which he said led to the election of new executives recently in the state.

Those elected were: Dr Ekunola as Chairman, Hon Ilesanmi Omolayo (Vice Chairman), mallam Jimoh Saheed (Sec-

retary), Fred Iyaniwura (Publicity Secretary), Chief Moses Awogbemi (Financial Secretary), Rufus Alabi (Treasurer) and Ileanmi Josiah (Assistant Secretary).

Ekunola particularly expressed satisfaction with INEC’s disposition to neutrality, which he said made the opposition PDP to be able to give the ruling party, APC , a run for its money in the highly pulsating and keenly contested election.

“When the election was postponed from September 10 to October 28, I felt the INEC only postponed the evil day. But it gladdens my heart that nobody died during the election.

No bloodshed, no arson attack and even the protest that was held by the PDP against the election were peaceful.

“INEC even settled the PDP confusing candida-

ture with ease. We all the existing political parties in the state are pleased with INEC neutrality.

“All these showed that democracy has taken a deep root in Nigeria and we appeal to INEC to repeat the same feat in Ondo State.”

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly St. Peters Olugbolaga Oladipupo Abel now ODEDINA OLUGBOLAGA OLADIPUPO. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Babarinde Adebola Ige now MRS IGE TESTIMONY ADEBOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Ibrahim Surajudeen Adeyemi now IBRAHIM MARCUS ADEYEMI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

The National Conscience Party (NCP) candidate in the Sept. 28 Edo governorship election, Pastor Peters Omoragbon, said that the flaws committed during the election were not strong enough to cancel the exercise.

He said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday.

Omoragbon said the election was one of the best conducted so far in the country, stating that those calling for its cancellation were doing so in bad faith.

He noted: “The Sept. 28 Edo governorship election is one of the best done so far in Nigeria. The exercise was devoid of killings and fighting.

“We have witnessed other elections, including common local government election in some states where people were killed or kidnapped. No single soul was lost in the Edo election and I think that was great.

“During campaigns and election, I and my supporters did not receive any threat from other party members.

“There were some flaws though, but not strong enough to cancel the election. I give INEC 96 per cent for performance. Those calling for cancellation are doing so because they lost.

If APC had lost the election, they will cry fowl also and call for cancellation.”

35

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Dupe Comfort Hassan now DUPE COMFORT ADEBAMBO. All former documents remain valid. Skye Bank Plc and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Ogunbemide Bolanle Adesola now MRS. OLAWALE SUCCESS BOLANLE ADESOLA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Adewole Ibukun Oluwatoyin now MRS AKINBOLA IBUKUN OLUWATOYIN. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

Monday, 3 October, 2016 CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Lawrence Akinola now LASISI AKINOLA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Bamikole Opeyemi Ruth now MRS ADEYEMO OPEYEMI RUTH. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, Olaniran Quadri Olaitan am the same person as Dada Bamidele Olawale. Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as OLANIRAN QUADRI OLAITAN. All documents bearing these names remain valid. UBA Plc and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Miriam Ogadimma Muodirim now MRS MIRIAM OGADIMMA EZEABULUNNE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Miss Ogunseyin Ifeoluwa Oluwatoyin now MRS JACOB IFEOLUWA OLUWATOYIN. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Sanni Tosin Florence now MRS AIYEDUN TOSIN FLORENCE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Isikilu Olalekan now ISIKILU OLALEKAN ATANDA. My date of birth is 21st April, 1970. All former documents remain valid. Banks and general public take note.

I, formerly Miss Bashiru Rashidat Oluwatoyin now MRS. RIDWAN RASHIDAT OLUWATOYIN BASHIRU. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Miss Oni Mojisola Olusola now MRS ADEWUMI MOJISOLA OLUSOLA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, Stephen Sunday Adeolu am the same person bearing Adeoye Stephen Sunday. Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as STEPHEN SUNDAY ADEOLU. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Felix Akinloye Olota now AKINLAYE FELIX. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Miss Modupe Mayaki now MRS MODUPE OGBODO. All former documents remain valid. TESCOM, Oyo State and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Oyedeji Temitope Joan now OYEDEJI TEMITOPE AGNES. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Kazim Olalekan Ismail now KASSIM OLALEKAN ISMAIL. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Akinyele Bejide Taiwo now MRS AKINYELE TAIWO DEBORAH. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Alimat Ismail now MRS ALIMAT IBRAHEEM MUBO. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Agbeni Olubunmi Veronica now MRS ABIMBOLA OLUBUNMI VERONICA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, Anyim Chukwudi Junior am the same person bearing Osman Sax Shaib. Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as ANYIM CHUKWUDI JUNIOR. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Oluwatelure Segun Joshua now O L U W A D A R E TOLULOPE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Kiladejo Olusegun Tope now BAKARE FEMI SAMUEL. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Akinyoade Michael Olugbenga now OYESOKO OLUGBENGA OYEJIDE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Sofowora Mosunmola Iyadunni now MRS AFOLABI MOSUNMOLA AANUOLUWAPO. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Musiliu Badmus now GBADAMOSI MUSILIU. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Tijani Abosede Jarinat now ALLI ABOSEDE JARIYAT. All former documents remain valid.

NYSC and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Adegbola Olaiya Isiaka now SADIQ ISIAKA OPEYEMI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Ruth Chekwubechukwu Odibeli now MRS OGAN RUTH CHEKWUBECHUKWU. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Aiyenigba Alexander now LEVIN, ALEXANDER EZRA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Moriselade Aduke Oke now SAUDAT WEMIMO OSHUNGBURE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Umar Muhammed Gali now SALISU MUHAMMED. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss John Harriet Nkem now MRS ONYERIONWU HARRIET NKEM. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Olarerin Ridwan Moses now BELLO RIDWAN. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Miss Adebayo Adebola Esther now MRS ANUOLUWAPO ESTHER ANTHONY. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME & DATE OF BIRTH

I, Miss Salawu Amidat Olanrewaju am the same person bearing Miss Salawu Olanrewaju Amidat, Miss Aderonke Olanrewaju Salawu, Mrs Adeye Amidat Olanrewaju and Mrs Adeye Olanrewaju Aderonke. Now, I wish to be known and addressed as MRS ADEYE AMIDAT OLANREWAJU. All documents bearing these names remain valid. Oyo State TESCOM and general public take note.

I, formerly Shittu Mohamadu Yaku now SANNI YAKUB MUHAMMAD. All former documents remain valid.

GTBank Plc, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc and general public take note.

I, formerly Nwandu Oby Catherine now CHRISTOPHER OBY CATHERINE. All former documents remain valid. Federal Hight Court of Nigeria, Benue State University and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Olaleye Olapeju Olasunmbo now MRS BAKARE OLAPEJU OLASUNMBO. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CORRECTION OF NAME My name is Osungbemi Bolarinwa Adio and not Ogungbemi Bolarinwa A. as stated in some of my documents. All documents bearing these two names remain valid. Ogun State Local Government Service Commission and general public take note.

I, formerly Miss Arowosegbe Oluseyi Sharon now MRS ORJI OLUSEYI SHARON. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Oloriegbe Shakirat Arinola now SALMAN SHAKIRAT OLORIEGBE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, Abdulrasak Rainat Gbemisola, Abdulrazak Rainat Gbemisola and Abdul-Razak Rayinat Gbemisola now wish to be known and addressed as ABDOULRAZAK RAYINAT GBEMISOLA. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Oloyede Joshua Olukunle now OLOYEDE MORAKINYO OLUKUNLE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Omatseye Blessing Egozi now OMATSEYE BLESSING TOJU. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

ADDITION OF NAME I, formerly Osuolale Akeem now OSUOLALE AKEEM BABATUNDE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Akinola Jesudunni Aanuolu now MRS AJILEYE JESUDUNNI AANUOLU. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Azeez Tawa Ronke now MRS OLASUNKANMI TAWA RONKE. All former documents remain valid. Oyo State SUBEB, ATISBO Local Government and general public take note.

REGULARIZATION OF NAME I, Adeniyi Ismail Adekunle am the same person bearing Adeniyi Ismail. Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as ADENIYI ISMAIL ADEKUNLE. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Adewopo Hope Funmilayo now OLUSESI HOPE FUNMILAYO. All former documents remain valid. Authorities concerned and general public take note.

I, formerly Miss Olayinka Ifeloluwa Olawumi now MRS OYEDEPO IFELOLUWA OLAWUMI. All former documents remain valid.

Authorities of University of Ibadan and general public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, Akeukereke Ayobami Azeez am the same person bearing Olatunji Ayobami Azeez. Now, I wish to be known and addressed as AKEUKEREKE AYOBAMI AZEEZ. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Lamidi Sekinatu Ajani now SEKINATU ADEOLA IPADEOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Miss Nwalozie Tochukwu Mirian N. now MRS UDENSI TOCHUKWU MIRIAN. All former documents remain valid. Zenith Bank Plc, FCMB Plc, Lagos State Polytechnic and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CLARIFICATION OF NAME I, Babalola Oluwafemi Lateef am the same person bearing Babalola Femi Anuoluwapo. Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as BABALOLA OLUWAFEMI LATEEF. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Adejumo Lilian Adeola now MRS ADENEYE LILIAN ADEOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Ikpidi Sanctuary Layefa now IKPIDI LAYEFA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Abagun Olanrewaju Oluwaseyi now ABAGUN SHAKIRULLAHI OLANREWAJU. My date of birth is January 25, 1998. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Vivien Onyinye Akabueze now MRS VIVIEN ONYINYE AKABUEZE ORUKPE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Aderemi Olanrewaju Opeyemi now ADEREMI ABDULMALIK OLANREWAJU. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I, formerly Olajide Wasiu Adebayo now OLAJIDE WASIU ADETOYESE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Ogunranti Samuel Olayinka Oladipo now OLUWARANTI SAMUEL OLAYINKA OLADIPO. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Miss Akinwumi Misirat Olaranti now MRS JAYEOLA MISIRAT OLARANTI. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I, formerly Lukuman Mojeed Olanrewaju now OLANREWAJU LUKUMAN AKANFE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I, formerly Miss Lowo Abosede Omobukola now MRS ARALAMO ABOSEDE OMOTAYO. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Salami Lawal Agbaje now RASAKI ISMAILA KASALI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Azeez Arike Ibiwunmi now AZEEZ IBIWUNMI SAIDAT. All former documents remain valid. UBA Plc and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Alhaji Murana Mobolaji now ALOYINLAPA MURANA AYINLA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Akinlade Omolola Esther now ALADE OMOLOLA ESTHER. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Oladimeji Akolade now OLADIMEJI AKOLADE BASHIR. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Fatimo Afolabi now BABALOLA FATIMOH ADUNI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Shittu Rasheed Isola and Rasheed Shittu Lawal now SHITTU RASHEED ADEWALE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I, formerly Omobori Owo Abey Adegoke now SIKIRULLAH SERIFDEEN BIODUN. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Ashiru Zakariyau now ASHIRU ZAKARIYAU IYANDA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I, formerly Oluyombo Oluwadoyinfunmi Morufat now MRS AKILAPA O L U WA D O Y I N F U N M I MORUFAT. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, Bala Magaji Haruna am the same person as Bala Ismail Haruna. Now, I wish to be known and addressed as BALA MAGAJI HARUNA. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Bose Kolawole now AFOLABI KEHINDE JANET. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I, formerly Bakare Stella now MRS AJIJOLA NIMOTALAHI. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I, formerly Salawu Nurudeen Babatunde now SALAWU NURUDEEN AKOREDE. All former documents remain valid. GTBank Plc and general public take note.

I, formerly Salaudeen Akeem Olamide and Salauhudeen Akeem Olamide now SALAUDEEN ABDUL AKEEM OLAMIDE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Bello Joy Jesudunsi now MRS ADEYEMI JOY JESUDUNSI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Saliu Aishat Osho Toyin, Saliu Aishat Toyin and Osho Toyin Haissat, Osho Aiyisat now SALIU AISHAT ASABI. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Chimezie Okoro now CHIMEZIE OKORO DESMOND. All former documents remain valid.

Diamond Bank Plc, EcoBank Plc and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Isaiah Bartholomew now MARCUS EMMANUEL. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

36 news

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Nigeria ’ll continue to move forward, says Osinbajo

T

HE Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, on Sunday, declared that the country had moved forward as it turned 56 years and would continue to move forward.

He made the declaration in a speech at the service of the Olive Tree Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos.

He asked the congregation, if they knew that God made a promise to the nation which was that the nation would be great, and made the same promise to them as individuals.

According to him, a lot of people are confused and asking if the promise will ever come true.

He said “this country has gone forward and it is going to keep moving forward.”

Osinbajo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that while he was praying recently, the Lord reminded him of some-

thing He asked him to do on the eve of the 2015 Presidential election.

He said that God asked him to take the communion because he was crossing over and when he did (take the communion) He took him through the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.

He said God reminded

him of what happened in that journey.

He added that the first thing that happened was that God himself said if he took the children of Israel through the path where the Philistines lived, they would be afraid and would ask to return to Egypt.

He said that God rather took the people through

the Red Sea. He explained that by the time they were about crossing the sea, there was a fight back from where

GENERAL Overseer of The Gospel Faith Mission In-

Bishop of Ibadan Diocese (Anglican Communion), Most Reverend Joseph Akinfenwa (left), exchanging pleasantries with the Vicar of St Mary’s Anglican Church, Oluyole Extension, Venerable Joseph Woranola, during the corporate communion service and commissioning of new Diocesan Evangelists in the church, on Sunday. PHOTO: D’TOYIN

day, said that the nation was blessed with critical human capital development, just as he flayed those who predict-

Be hopeful, Okonkwo urges Nigerians

By Tolu Olamiriki

BISHOP of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Dr Mike Okonkwo, has called on Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic group, not to lose hope in spite of the current socio-economic problem facing the nation.

Bishop Okonkwo, said this in a message delivered to mark the 56th Independence Day anniversary of the nation, a copy of which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune, on Sunday.

While calling on Nigerian leaders to take urgent measure in tackling current national problems in the country, he urged Nigerians to continue to pray fervently and put their trust solely on God so as to be able to solve the current economic recession.

“In the developed nations, they deal with issues holistically without ethnic or tribal sentiments. That is the reason why they seem to be on top of whatever comes their way.”

The cleric urged leaders to take drastic and pragmatic measures in addressing internal issues just like the Federal Government, took drastic measure on the scourge of Ebola disease within a few months.

He, however, called for more prayers to eradicate violence and insurgency in the country so that meaningful development could take place as well as pray for the political office holders in the country so that they would be able to pilot the affairs of the nation well.

ed that the country will not exist as a nation by 2016, saying that God has proven them wrong.

Bishop Akinfenwa said this as part of his message to mark the 56th Independence Day anniversary and the inauguration of new Diocesan evangelists as well as corporate communion services, held at St Mary’s Anglican Church, Oluyole Estate, Ibadan.

“As a people, we must collectively unite on issues of equity and justice.

It is good that the current Federal Government is committed to fighting corruption. The current administration should continue in that direction.

“The people should unite

Islamic leader advocates system overhaul SPIRITUAL Head of Shafaudeen in Islam Worldwide, Professor Sabit Ariyo Olagoke JP, has recommended the need for change with system overhauling and rebuilding in the face of recessed economy, otherwise the much publicised change mantra would be a mere rhetoric.

This, he pointed out, was the only way by which Nigeria could come out of her present problems which have sent many people to their earlier graves and

impoverished millions of Nigerians.

Olagoke, in his message from the International Headquarters of Shafaudeen In Islam Worldwide in Ibadan, to mark the nation’s Anniversary titled “Nigeria at 56: Time for Ethical Revolution,” said, “Core value erosion has led to loss of integrity with consequent environment of impunity in the management and administration of our human and material resources. All indicators of development

and support the current leadership.”

He, however, said that fighting the scourge of corruption should not be limited to financial activities, but should equally be directed to other facets of human endeavour that had destroyed the image of the nation since the attainment of political independence.

The Bishop lamented the high rate of exchange; cost of essential commodities, retrenchment of workers in organisations, high cost of education, inability of government at all levels to pay workers as well as kidnapping of innocent people for ransom, among others.

Independence, call for renewal of patriotism —Osun assembly OSUN State House of Assembly wants Nigerians, irrespective of religious, ethnic or political leanings to re-dedicate themselves to the cause of nation

have low scores with downward profile from one regime to the other.”

The Cleric, who is also the President of Ajagun Esin Consultative Forum (AECF) said, “to date the system and subsystems are dysfunctional, giving hardship and poor human development index (0.478) manifesting in low life expectancy (48), 8 per cent rating for infrastructure, 70 per cent poverty index, kleptomania and endemic corruption in high places.”

Moses confused as he did not know what to do as God never told him there would be a Red Sea, a difficulty, in the journey.

Buhari should make haste to lessen Nigerians’ sufferings —Abina

Nigeria blessed with human capital —Bishop Akinfenwa THE Bishop of Ibadan Diocese (Anglican Communion), Most Reverend Joseph Akinfenwa, on Sun-

they were coming from as Pharaoh chased them and wanted to bring them back.

He said the incident got

building.

This was contained in a statement on behalf of the Assembly, endorsed by the Chairman, House Committee on Information and Strategy, Honourable Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, to felicitate with Nigerians on the occasion of the nation’s 56th Independence Anniversary.

The Assembly, under the leadership of Rt Honourable Najeem Salam, pointed out that the anniversary, though worthy of celebration, also called for sober reflection and renewed commitment to the ideals of nation building.

According to the Assembly, the nation, more than ever, needed to be truthful to herself in the conduct of governance and political leadership to be able to fulfil the vision of the founding fathers.

ternational (GOFAMINT), Pastor (Dr) E. O. Abina, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to take urgent steps to lessen the current sufferings Nigerians are going through in the face of current economic recession.

Pastor Abina, in his 56th Independence Day anniversary message to Nigerians, said the current economic challenge Nigeria was facing was surmountable, adding that Nigerians should not lose hope in the current administration.

He also stated that most importantly, for the current anti-corruption war to be won, President Buhari must first try to reproduce himself in all other officials of government working around him.

“The anti-corruption war must first be domesticated in all serving government officials at all levels of government including the Judiciary and the National Assembly.

“The founding fathers of this nation, who fought for independence, their goal was not money but nation building. Their desire was to see a Nigeria where all would be free and proud to identify with, a Nigeria that is blessed with equal opportunity for all.

“This noble dream is fast becoming a mirage.

Over the years, Nigeria has systematically destroyed structures and systems which would have made the country a great country,” he said.

Pastor (Dr) Abina, who also led a rally of members of the church on Saturday, October 1, to pray specially for God’s intervention over the affairs of the country, expressed the hope that from the ashes of the dark times the country currently faced, Nigeria will emerge stronger, more prosperous, a delight to all and a beauty to behold.

Churches in Kafanchan offer prayers for Nigeria CHURCHES in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, on Sunday, offered special prayers for peace to reign in Nigeria, as the country marks its 56th Independence Anniversary.

Checks conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), revealed that churches observed special prayer session for leaders at all levels of government.

At the Goodness Power Base Church, Abuja Street, the Pastor, Emmanuel Kwalbe, reminded Christians of their scriptural responsibility to pray for those in authority.

Also, Pastor Emmanuel Musa of All Saints Cathedral, admonished Christians to live exemplary lifestyles as demonstrated

by Christ.

The Clergy said Christians must be guided in their criticism of government’s policies, rather than engaging in uncivil utterances.

“We must not utter abusive utterances on our leaders but instead, pray for them on a daily basis,” the cleric said.

Other churches who offered same prayers were ECWA Church, Takau, Anglican Church, Garaje and Living Faith Church, Takau.

NAN also reports that the churches observed thanksgiving song renditions to mark the anniversary.

Insecurity: Nigerians indebted to Buhari GOVERNOR Jibrilla Bindow of Adamawa said in Gombe, on Sunday, that Nigerians owed a lot to President Muhammadu Buhari for his swift action in addressing the security challenges posed by insurgents.

Bindow, who was in Gombe to felicitate with the people of the state on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the creation of the state, noted that the threat to lives and property had been substantially reduced.

“Our President deserves commendation for his military exploits in fighting the insurgents.

“Now, we can sleep with both eyes closed and move around freely,” he said, while fielding questions from newsmen.

The governor also commended Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe for taking the state to greater height within a short time of his stewardship.

37

Monday, 3 October, 2016

foreig naffairs with seyi gesinde

08116954632 foreignnewseditor@gmail.com

50 Ethiopians killed after police fire shots during protest

P

olice in Ethiopia’s Oromiya region fired teargas and warning shots on Sunday to disperse antigovernment protesters at a religious festival, triggering a stampede that the opposition party said killed at least 50 people.

Reuters said government

did not give a precise death toll resulting from chaotic scenes during the annual festival where some people chanted slogans against the government and waved a rebel group’s flag. But it said “lives were lost” and that several were injured.

Sporadic protests have erupted in Oromiya in the

last two years, initially sparked by a land row but increasingly turning more broadly against the government. Since late 2015, scores of protesters have been killed in clashes with police.

These developments highlight tensions in the country where the

Chaotic scenes broke at a festival of thanksgiving in Ethiopia’s Oromiya region, where police tried to disperse protesters who were chanting anti-government slogans. PHOTOS: REUTERS.

PM to begin Brexit negotiation by end of March The United Kingdom will formally begin the formal Brexit negotiation process by the end of March 2017, Theresa May has said.

The PM’s announcement on triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, according to BBC means the UK looks set to leave the EU by the summer of 2019.

Mrs May also promised a bill to remove the European Communities Act 1972 from the statute book.

She told the Tory Party conference the government would strike a deal with the EU as an “independent sovereign” UK. In her first Conservative Party conference speech as prime minister, Mrs May repeated that the UK would be leaving the EU and attacked those who “have still not accepted the result of the referendum”.

But she said there would be no “blow by blow” account of the negotiations.

“Every stray word and

British PM, Theresa May

every hyped up media report is going to make it harder for us to get the right deal for Britain,” she said.

Brexit campaigners have been calling for Article 50 - which begins a twoyear negotiation process - to be triggered as soon as possible.

Speaking on BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show earlier, Mrs May, who had previously only said she would not trigger it this year, ended speculation about the government’s timetable, saying this would be done by “the first quarter of 2017”.

government has delivered stellar economic growth rates but faced criticism from opponents and rights group that it has trampled on political freedoms.

Thousands of people had gathered for the annual Irreecha festival of thanksgiving in the town of Bishoftu, about 40 km (25 miles) south of the capital Addis Ababa.

Crowds chanted “we need freedom” and “we need justice”, preventing community elders, deemed close to the government, from delivering their speeches at the festival.

Some protesters waved the red, green and yellow flag of the Oromo Liberation Front, a rebel group branded a “terrorist” organisation by the government, witnesses said.

When police fired teargas and guns into the air, crowds fled and created a stampede, some of them plunging into a deep ditch, witnesses said.

The witnesses said they saw people dragging out a dozen or more victims, showing no obvious sign of life. Half a dozen people, also motionless, were also seen being taken by pickup truck to a hospital, one witness said.

other NEWS Saudi dumps Islamic calendar T h e birthplace of Islam containing Mecca – I s l a m ’ s holiest site – shifted to the western Gregorian calendar on Sunday, bringing the oil-rich kingdom in line with many of its energy customers.

The Islamic lunar calendar is actually 15 days shorter than the 365-day solar year which will actually save the kingdom money by cutting salary days for many public servants.

The kingdom began the use of Islamic calendar since it was founded in 1932, Al Arabiya local news reported.

But austerity measures and the need to conserve funds caused the shift. The Saudi workers will now need to work more days to earn the salaries already sliced by government.

Now government employees will get less

Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has made much of his tax record.

Mrs Clinton has publicly released nearly 40 years’ worth while Mr Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, has released 10 years of his tax returns.

In its story, the New York Times says the three pages of documents were sent last month to one of its reporters who had written about Mr Trump’s finances.

A former accountant for the property tycoon, Jack Mitnick, whose name

appears as Mr Trump’s tax preparer of the filings, said the documents appeared to be authentic copies of portions of the 1995 returns.

Mr Trump appeared to shrug off the report in Sunday, tweeting: “I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them.”

But on Saturday, his campaign had accused the New York Times of being “an extension of the Clinton campaign”.

annual salaries than they used to receive.

The decision came after the cabinet announced last week the reduction of salaries of ministers and Shura members (advisors).

It was part of an austerity package, including cancellation and amendment of civil servants’ allowances and rewards, such as cancelling the annual bonus.

Saudi Arabia has taken a series of steps to deal with the dropping oil prices in global markets.

In Nigeria, the state government in Kano has earmarked Tuesday 5 October, as a special holiday to mark the Islamic year, which began on 1 October, NAN reported.

UN bans global trade in wild African Grey Parrot The United Nations has banned global trade in wild African Grey Parrots, prized

Trump may have avoided paying tax for 18 years —Report A United States newspaper has said that it has obtained documents showing tycoon Donald Trump declared a loss of more than $900m on his 1995 federal income tax return.

The New York Times said the loss was so large it may have enabled the Republican candidate to avoid paying tax for up to 18 years legally.

His campaign has refused to publish his tax returns and neither confirmed nor denied the scale of his losses.

Saudi’s King Salman

Mr Trump, the campaign added, was a “highly skilled businessman who has a fiduciary responsibility to his business, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required.

“That being said, Mr. Trump has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes, sales and excise taxes, real estate taxes, city taxes, state taxes, employee taxes and federal taxes, along with very substantial charitable contributions.”

for their ability to imitate human speech, to help counter a decline in numbers caused by trafficking and the loss of forests.

The highly coveted species was placed on the convention’s “Appendix I”, which prohibits any crossborder movement in the birds or their body parts for commercial purposes.

Reuters said the decision, made when members of the U.N.’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) held a secret ballot for the first time ever, came at a two week-long convention in Johannesburg.

The African Grey Parrot, usually bred in captivity and sold as a pet, was listed on “Appendix II” in 1981, which includes species whose trade must be limited, after concerns over the impact on its numbers.

Grey Parrot

38

communitynews

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Ekiti extends MDGs projects to 6 LGs Ekiti State government has taken the execution of the Millennium Development Goals projects to six more local government areas of Ado, Ikere, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ilejemeje, Ikole and Ise/Orun.

The projects being executed in the areas include construction/ renovation of schools, provision of medical equipment, renovation of health centres and the provision of desks, tables and chairs in schools.

This is just as the state government frowned at the poor maintenance of the facilities by some benefiting communities.

Speaking during an advocacy tour of the communities, the Chairman, State Implementation Committee of MDGs, Chief Dipo Anisulowo, said the Ayodele Fayose-led administration would always embark on programmes and policies that would positively impact on the lives of the people.

While soliciting support for the administration, Anisulowo, who is also the Chief of Staff to the Governor, said communities must imbibe th e culture of community ownership of the projects.

He stressed the need for communities to continually support the efforts of the government to improve their lot, adding that it was imperative for all stakeholders to imbibe maintenance culture and protect the projects from vandals.

Anisulowo said Governor Fayose had lived

up to expectation in all sectors and urged the people to support the government.

Speaking in the same vein, the Secretary, MDGs, Mr Olukayode Adunmo, said the Fayose administration keyed into the programme because its thematic goals conformed with the six cardinal programmes of his government.

He said the highlights of the programme include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, promoting women empowerment and gender equality among others.

From left, Secretary, Millennium Development Goals, Ekiti State, Mr. Kayode Adunmo; Chief of Staff to Ekiti State Government /Chairman Millennium Development Goals, Chief Dipo Anisulowo; Chairman, Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area, Mr Dapo Olagunju and Oluyin of Iyin-Ekiti, Oba Ademola Ajakaye, during the sensitisation, enlightenment and awareness on MDG’s projects in Irepodun Ifelodun Local Government of Ekiti State, recently.

Fix Iseyin-Oyo road, residents appeal to Ajimobi

S

ome residents of Iseyin Local Government Area of Oyo State have appealed to Governor Abiola Ajimobi to reconstruct Iseyin-Oyo highway.

The residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews on Thursday in Iseyin, described the state of the road as appalling.

They bemoaned the condition of the 40-kilometre road, saying that it had been in a bad state for too long.

Mrs Amao Rukayat, a farmer, said rehabilitating the road would help farmers in moving farm produce from rural to urban centres.

Mr Saka Ismail, a transporter, said the road was getting worse by the day and appealed to the state government to come to the rescue of transporters and passengers.

Mr Owokoniran Johnson, a businessman, who claimed

to travel on the road on a daily basis, said that so many communities had resorted to self-help projects to fix some portions of the bad road.

“If not that some people took it upon themselves to fill the potholes, may be by now, Oyo and Iseyin would have been cut off from each other.

“If that happens, how will farmers move their produce, how will business thrive?

“I’m appealing to the government of Oyo State to fix the road.

“I have heard some people say that the road belongs to the Federal Government, but the state government has fixed some roads belonging to the Federal Government before now.

“Our people are suffering, some are dying on the road; government should

Ilorin GRA Rotary presents water facility to Ara community biola azeez-ilorin

Residents of Ara rural community in Ilorin recently heaved a sigh of relief as the Rotary Club of Ilorin GRA presented the community with a borehole.

The community, located close to the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, is largely populated by students of the institution aside the indigenes.

Speaking during the commissioning of the borehole, the traditional head of the community, otherwise called Alangua, Alhaji Salimonu Samba, appreciated the club, saying that the amenity was timely.

The community leader, who said that the people had suffered for many years due to scarcity of potable water, added that their health also suffered.

He, however, expressed happiness that their suffering had ended with the provision of the borehole.

He also said that the project was capable of improving their health and socio-economic status, while promising to maintain the project.

The Alangua further called on the three arms of government to provide social amenities such as roads, andhealth facilities in the area.

Also speaking, the president of the club, Rotarian Sulaiman Ayomidimeji, urged the community to form a maintenance committee for the facility.

The rotarian, who advised members of the community to discourage water wastage, also promised that members of the club would visit the community for maintenance and re-

pair when necessary.

He said the club had also embarked on renovation of school classrooms at Eyenkorin area of Ilorin, adding that the club also intended to provide modern toilet facilities, primary healthcare centre among others.

please help.

“In view of lack of funds, government can work on some dangerous portions of the road for now.

“To abandon the road with its terrible state is not fair at all and I hope it will be addressed sooner than later,’’ he said.

Lafarge provides housing facilities to host communities by joseph ajayi

Prompted by the need to boost people’s standard of living as well as health and safety standards by relocating residents off its quarry sites in Ewekoro, Lafarge Africa has expended N750 million on the provision of housing facilities for two of its host communities in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that Lafarge Africa, a leading building solutions provider, constructed a total of 21 units of 8-room bungalows equipped with basic social amenities for two communities, namely, Oke-Oko Sekoni and Egbado on the border of its Ewekoro Cement Plants at the cost of N750 million.

Speaking at the commissioning of the housing units in Ewekoro at the weekend, Michel Puchercos, Country Chief Executive Officer, Lafarge Africa, said the relocation of communities to new sites was borne out of the commitment to good health and safety standards and the obligation of ensuring that there was zero

harm to stakeholders in the course of doing business.

Puchercos, represented by Adepeju Adebajo, Managing Director of Lafarge Africa, stated: “Lafarge Africa very strongly believes in sustainable development and we live in peace and harmony with our host communities and our businesses positively benefit our host communities.

“There was a very strong need for these two communities to be relocated and in 2013, we signed an MoU, saying that we would relocate the two communities and you can see that has now been fulfilled today. Altogether, we are commissioning 21 units of bungalows in Oke-Oko Sekoni and Oke-Oko Egbado and you can see that on top of the bungalows, we have provided boreholes and electrification.

“It is our strong belief and desire that this is just a seed that, in these two locations, will be developed. Schools will come, hospitals will come, maternity units will come and and more indigenes from Ogun State will come home and live here so we are very proud of

Kwara community lauds govt on road rehabilitation biola azeez ilorin, with agency report

Members of Rore community in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State have commended the state government for rehabilitating Ipetu-Rore-Arandun Road.

The people, who made the commendation during their monthly inter-religious prayers held at Rore Market Square, said that the rehabilitation of the road would enhance the socio-economic development of the community.

Efforts to get the state Commissioner for Works and Housing, Mr Wasiu Dauda, were not successful as he did not pick his calls.

Christian prayers were led

by Reverend Ogundare Sunday of ECWA Church in Rore, while Muslim prayers were led by the Chief Imam of Rore Central Mosque, Alhaji Bello Adeoye.

The religious leaders, in their separate comments, also corroborated the views of residents.

“The rehabilitation of the road will not only ensure the smooth flow of traffic, but equally improve the socio-economic status of the community.

“This road project is an investment booster.

“It also has the capability of showcasing the economic potential of the community to the outside,” Adeoye said.

Sunday and Adeoye in their separate sermons, urged the people to imbibe the spirit of unity, tolerance and peaceful coexistence in order to move the community and the state forward.

The traditional ruler of the community, Oba Ezekiel Oyewole Arojojoye 11, described the gesture as unprecedented.

what has been done today.

Responding on behalf of the people and government of Ogun State, Gbenga Adenmosun, Commissioner for Cooperatives and Community Development, lauded Lafarge Africa for not only relocating scores of Ogun State residents to a safer place, but also for helping government to bridge infrastructure deficit.

Motorists decry state of roads in Mashegu Residents of Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State have decried the deplorable state of roads in their locality.

They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the road condition was affecting their lives negatively, citing roads from Gidan gwari to Tozon dadi, Rifin gora and Makira.

A resident and commercial bus operator, Mallam Abubakar Bawa, said that the poor state of roads had forced commercial drivers in the area to jack up their fares.

“A journey that is supposed to take few minutes, takes many hours owing to the terrible state of our roads.

“This has caused commercial bus operators like me to increase fares because of the stress and all that.” he said.

Another commercial driver, Alhaji Musa Saleh, said he repairs his vehicle at least twice a week because of the bad roads.

39 tribunesport

Monday, 3 October, 2016

Spurs 2, City 0

Watford coach hails Isaac Success WATFORD manager Walter Mazzarri has described Isaac Success as “excellent” after the Nigeria striker scored his first Premier League goal to salvage a point at home against Bournemouth.

Seven minutes after coming off the bench, the 20-year-old Success, signed

Left, Ali scores against City as Arsenal fans (right) are strained after the train accident.

Dele Ali ends Guardiola’s unbeaten run Gunners’ fans in train accident, 8 cows killed TOTTENHAM delivered a truly dominant display to defeat Manchester City 2-0 and keep their unbeaten start to the league alive.

The result dents City manager, Pep Guardiola’s unbeaten run record.

Spurs took the game to City from the very first whistle and their initial pressure paid off when Aleksandar Kolarov turned the ball into his own

net.

They doubled their lead on 37 minutes through Dele Alli, who capped off a fine team move with an unerring finish past Claudio Bravo.

Things almost went from bad to worse for Pep Guardiola’s side when Fernandinho conceded a penalty for a foul on Alli in the second half, but Bravo managed to save Erik Lamela’s spot kick and spare

any further blushes.

Meanwhile, Arsenal supporters have had plenty to smile about in recent weeks given their excellent form but they have quite literally been stopped dead in their tracks.

Heading to Turf Moor for yesterday’s 1-0 win over Burnley, Gunners fans journey was disrupted when their Grand Central train collided with a herd of cows.

from La Liga side Granada CF in the summer, rose high to connect home a free kick to ensure Watford a share of the spoils on Saturday.

Mazzarri praised the young striker’s impact in the game.

“He is an excellent player and he has showed it in the past, not only today,” the Italian coach told the Watford official website.

“He can improve a lot in defensive parts, but he deserves it because every time he’s come on he’s showed he can help the team.”

Watford are now 11th on the table with eight points from seven matches.

Dunking as Ochei b’ball championship begins

By Niyi Alebiosu

Rohr returns for Zambia

•Chipolopolo name team

By Nurudeen Alimi

N

IGERIA’S Technical Adviser Gernot Rohr and some of his technical assistants on Sunday landed in Abuja as preparations kicked off for this weekend’s 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Zambia in Ndola.

France –based Rohr, who has now been provided with accommodation in Abuja by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), jetted into town aboard an flight in company with technical assistant, Jean Luc Royer and video analyst Nabil Trabelsi.

Meanwhile, captain Mikel John Obi has debunked reports of his being injured.

“I don’t know where the story about me being injured came from. I have no injury. All the other players and myself are fit and ready and we are determined to start the World Cup race on a winning note,” Mikel told the team’s Administrator, Dayo Enebi Achor on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Zambia national team trainer Wedson Nyirenda on Sunday named his final 23 man squad against Nigeria.

Tribunesports gathered from ZAMFOOT, that the list contains 14

home based players who will be joined by their nine foreignbased colleagues.

The Final Team Goalkeepers: Jacob Banda (Zesco United), Allan Chibwe (Power Dynamos), Kennedy Mweene (Mamelodi Sundowns/ RSA) Defenders: Kabaso Chongo (TP Mazembe/DRC), Stoppila Sunzu (Lille /FRA), Simon Silwamba (Zesco United) , George Chilufya (Zanaco) , Adrian Chama (Green Buffaloes), Ziyo Tembo (Zanaco), Fackson

Kapumbu (Zanaco), Lawrence Chungu (Power Dynamos) Midfielders: Rainford Kalaba (TP Mazembe/DRC), Kondwani Mtonga (Zesco United), Fwayo Tembo (Power Dynamos), John Ching’andu (Zesco United), Clatus Chama (Zesco United), Rodrick Kabwe (Zanaco), Nathan Sinkala (TP Mazembe/DRC), Chisamba Lungu (FC Ural/RUS) Strikers: Jackson Mwanza (Zesco United), Winston Kalengo (AC Leopards /Congo), Collins Mbesuma (Highlands Park/RSA), Lewis Macha (Kaizer Chiefs/RSA).

Isaac Success

The Chipolopolo of Zambia

Moses expresses doubt over Ndola trip

By Dipo Ogunsola NIGERIAN winger, Victor Moses on Sunday implied that his participation in this weekend’s Russia 2018 World Cup qualifier against Zambia would be determined by what Chelsea medical team pre-

scribes.

After winning the Man of the match in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over home side Hull City, 2-0 on Saturday, the player said on Twitter.

‘Unfortunately I’m feeling my hamstring and so the club medical team will be reviewing me. Will be working hard to get fit

asap.’

Moses has been criticised

by Nigerian federation officials for picking the games he likes to play for the Eagles but the player had always claimed that his injury cases when on loan with Stoke and West Ham, could not afford him the chance of flying to Africa..

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s Manager, Antonio Conte continued to praise his player. The Italian told Sky after the win over Hull City.

‘It was a great performance from Victor Moses.

Your name isn’t important, but you have to be able to play my idea of football.’

THE sixth edition of the annual Rt Hon. Victor Ochei International Wheelchair Basketball Championship gets underway today at the Sir Molade Okoya -Thomas indoor sports hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium.

All the states of the federation, teams from Ghana, Republic of Benin and Togo as well as paramilitary teams are participating in this year’s edition which attracts N5m as prize money.

Bukola Olopade, President, Wheelchair Basketball Federation of Nigeria, (WBFN) said on Sunday that all necessary arrangement were in place to ensure a hitch- free championship aimed at preparing the country for an international engagement later in the year in South Africa.

Also, Olopade who expressed appreciation to the sponsor of the championship,Sir Ochei; former Speaker Delta State House of Assembly.

“It’s a great honour to have an individual who despite not in government sponsor such championship for many years till now, its however on this note that I am appealing to other notable Nigerians to support so that the game can grow and as well empower the athletes.

He however observed that this year’s edition would be keenly competed among teams going by the preparation of participating teams and the number of athletes that have been discovered.

The technical director, WBFN, Adoki Obrien said that the championship would enable him to discover more talents for the senior and junior national team.

The championship ends on Saturday at the same venue with the minister of sport, Solomon Dalung expected as special guest of honour.

SIDELINES

NO 16,602

MONDAY, 3 OCTOBER, 2016

O

UR great, beautiful country of great and high men, sages and patriots, who are not allowed or chanced to perform their duty to their fatherland the way they should or ought to do, is entering a new epoch as we enter a new season of independence. And in this new epoch of our 56th year of our political independence from Britain we are moving towards a new character and design of nation-building. For those who are currently at the helms of our affairs politically and otherwise the sands are running out; and our politics and noises and voices at Babel would soon be remedied.

In fact, let me state very quickly, very urgently, that I am sending this writing from my sanctum sanctorum. Because of the current state of things in our country, I enter where I have not entered for quite some donkey time – if you permit me to say and do so. In a spirit of deep yearning and contemplation I enter my sanative chambers of self to embark on the exercise of religious communication in the quest for solutions to our national malaise on the occasion, this occasion of our 56th year of nation-hood that our people of power, authority and influence just celebrated with a whimper. And what a whimper it was – a whimper bereft of true grammar or syntax of a whimperer and a whimperer.

In my contemplative thought and dispute with self, I enter, firstly, the orbit of literature. And I remember the English Romantic/Victorian poet laureate Lord Alfred Tennyson (1809- 92). I remember his deeply religious poem In Memoriam, which we can subject to diverse and diverse readings and interpretations. I remember these eternally-quoted lines: “So many worlds, so much to do, So little done, such things to be.”

When will our political people, our political movers and shakers end our countrymen and countrywomen’s struggle for existence?

When will they end our years of pain, sorrow, alienation, loneliness, poverty, hunger and gnashing of teeth? When will they end the masses and people’s hard work that has not fetched them the good life these fifty-six years? Which new world and worlds have they pictured for us as they engage every now

RESULTS

EPL Man Utd 1 Stoke City 1 Leicester 0 Southampton 0 Tottenham 2 Man City 0 Burnley 0 Arsenal 1 NPFL Plateau Utd 1 Heartland 1 Rangers FC 4 El-Kanemi 0 Warri Wolves 1 Ikorodu Utd 0 Wikki Tourists 2 Sunshine Stars 0 Abia Warriors 2 3SC 1 Akwa Utd 1 Rivers Utd 2 Lobi 2 Nasarawa 0 MFM 1 FC IfeanyiUbah 0

N150

The National Judicial Commission (NJC) has sacked some judges for various offences, including collecting N200m bribe. Good move. But what happens to the victims of their perversion of justice?

in&out with Tony Afejuku 08055213059

The former things are passed away and then in their politics of confusion that is quenching in us our flame of nationalism and patriotism? Will we not be correct to call our politicians Babel politicians, whose political and ethnical disagreements and quarrels in our parliaments and executive chambers that are places of “Hard words, jealousies and fears” where folks are set “together by the ears” offend and affect very badly our existence as a united nation? As I give attention to this thought and others, several text messages from some of the readers of this column stream into my ideological and religious consciousness.

The texts relate to my last message in this

Because of the current state of things in our country, I enter where I have not entered for quite some donkey time – if you permit me to say and do so.

column. Let me quote four.

Text one: “What a challenging treatise from your desk this morning…. It’s so appalling that “high chiefs” who must be called high thieves and men without honour have poisoned the land with their “ill-gotten wealth” mentality so much so that to be honest in Nigeria is to be stupid; so much so that to be moral is to be grossly immoral.

However, the Nigerian factor may so seem to have enclosed everyone with practices of dishonesty, but I must sincerely say that there are still a few special species whose souls have not been hijacked by the tempting gripping dictate of Mammon…. As a honest father, continue to spread the gospel of honesty with your magical pen. So help us God. Text two: Nigerians don’t want to hear you preach or talk about honour, conscience, morality or justice. A young lady left the church I attend here in Ogwashi-Ukwu just because the pastor preached about righteousness. This goes to show that we the citizens must bring back morality and sanity to our country.”

Text three: Hmmmm….. The preacher of morality and comrade of honour and justice in a “honour-less and conscience-less generation,” I greet you, I salute you, great columnist of stupendous thought.”

Text four: “Thank you for “A honourless and conscience-less generation.”

Unfortunately, the love for money in this

Rangers crowned NPFL champions Jude Ossai -Enugu

RANGERS International on Sunday ended a 32-year wait to land the 2016 Nigeria Professional Football League title in convincing fashion after beating El Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri 4-0 in a last day fixture held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu.

The win crowned Rangers champions with 63 points from 36 matches leaving Rivers United on the second position on 60 points.

Wikki Tourists of Bauchi also won a continental ticket after a home win over....

Rangers’ victory party started as early as the third minute of Sunday’s game against El Kanemi when Egbuchulam scored from the penalty spot after an El Kanemi defender handled a Bobby Clement shot inside his box.

Osas Okoro doubled the lead with a clinical finish after receiving a pass from Obinna Nwobodo in the 42nd minute.

Egbuchulam scored his brace in the 64th with the best goal of the day before he completed his hat-trick in stoppage time again from the penalty spot after El Kanemi goalkeeper Kazeem Yekeen broight down goal-bound Ifeanyi Egwim.

An excited team head coach, Imama Amakapabor told the press after the match “I’m happy winning the top-flight title in my first stint as coach of Enugu Rangers.

“I want to sleep over what is going on right now perhaps when I wake up the reality will dawn on me’’ The two clubs thus join Remo Stars as the other NNL side that have gained promotion to the NPFL ahead of next season.

country is extra-ordinary.”

These messages and others and telephone conversations relating to the subject and others pertaining to our historical and political discourses positively invade my contemplative heart and mind and the saplings and fruits flourishing therein. But it is the healthy tree of the bible dropping special ripe fruits for my intensely fascinating interior to consume that makes all the difference. Behold God’s light shine forth as I intone “Revelation” 21:4. A divine voice utters: “former things are passed away.” A new and mighty epoch is turned into our country as I am also told to announce to you all, our people, our people “Joel” 2:25: “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great arrow which I sent among you.”

A new epoch is here as all tears are to be no more and “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, no crying, neither shall there be any more pain” (“Revelation” 21:4) as a new spirit that is not the spirit of mere poetry but poetry divine enters the land. It is the spirit of God the Son that henceforth shall be the Sun lighting and brightening the land and the heart of an un-eccentric change.

Believe, or not believe, these words must come to pass – shortly and urgently in our country’s new epoch.

This is the un-failing Voice of voices - not the voice of Babel.

FINAL LEAGUE TABLE TEAM

P

1

Rangers

36 18 9

2.

Rivers United FC 36 19 3

14 38 29 60

3.

Wikki

36 16 9

11 45 28 57

4.

Ifeanyi Ubah

36 16 8

12 37 33 56

5.

Lobi

36 16 7

13 41 35 55

6.

Sunshine Stars

36 14 11 11 44 37 53

7.

Kano

36 15 7

14 47 40 52

8.

El Kanemi

36 16 3

17 37 42 51

9.

Enyimba

36 14 8

14 34 35 50

36 16 2

18 41 43 50

11. Niger Tornadoes 36 15 4

17 40 42 49

10. Nasarawa

W D L GF GA PTS 9

53 37 63

12. Plateau

36 13 10 13 34 37 49

13. Abia Warriors

36 12 12 12 35 39 48

14. Akwa

36 13 8

15 45 46 47

15. Shooting

36 14 5

17 41 48 47

16. MFM FC

36 12 9

15 36 40 45

17. Warri

36 12 9

15 29 38 45

18. Heartland

36 11 11 14 25 30 44

19. Ikorodu United

36 7

11 18 32 55 32

20. Giwa

Printed and Published by the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, Imalefalafia Street, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. E mail: editornigeriantribune@yahoo.com Website: www.tribuneonlineng.com MANAGING DIRECTOR / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: EDWARD DICKSON. EDITOR: DEBO ABDULAI. All Correspondence to P.O. Box 78, Ibadan. ISSN 2712. ABC Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation. 3/10/2016.