4th July 2016

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 16,537

MONDAY, 4 JULY, 2016

www.tribuneonlineng.com

Avengers strike again, bomb 5 oil pipelines —P6

Nigerian Tribune

@nigeriantribune

TribuneOnline

Nigerian Tribune

N150

Minimum wage —P36 committee begins work

Oando bounces back with N4.1bn profit after tax

—P18

Abia: FG didn't direct INEC to issue certificate of return to Ogah —AGF —P3 •Urges parties to await courts' decision •I didn't run away —Abia CJ •Modu Sheriff 's PDP wades in Senate calls for probe into murder of Oyo lawmaker —P3

President Muhammadu Buhari with his Katsina Middle School 1953 classmates, when they paid him a visit in his Daura, Katsina home, on Sunday.

EFCC arrests Omisore —P11

Naira closes slightly stronger at N282.03 to dollar —P12

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Monday, 4 July, 2016

3

news

Monday, 4 July, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

FG didn’t direct INEC to issue certificate of return to Ogah —AGF •I didn’t run away —Abia CJ •Sheriff-led PDP wades into tussle BySundayEjike,JacobSegun Olatunji and Leon Usigbe

T

HE Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, said he is not behind the legal logjam in the Abia State governorship seat.

The AGF, in a statement

through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Comrade Salihu Othman Isah, at the weekend, was reacting to “insinuations and crass lies by a crosssection of Nigerians and various media platforms that the AGF is behind the legal logjam over the Abia State governorship seat and wish to clarify that those canvassing this posi-

tion have no basis to do so.

“Of particular concern are those who have peddled ill-natured rumours with a view to misinform our discerning populace that the AGF and by extension, the Federal Government, gave directives to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue

Certificate of Return to Dr Uchechukwu Ogah, declaring him governor-elect,” the statement said.

The AGF said in the statement that he has not taken any action either by spoken words or body language as far as the Abia governorship crisis is concerned.

In his words: “I wish to therefore, on behalf of my principal declare that these

From left, Company Secretary, Omomunmi Adedurotimi; Chairman, Felix Ohiwerei and the Managing Director/CEO, Valentine Obi, all of eTranzact Intertional Plc, during the company’s Annual General Meeting, in Lagos, at the weekend. PHOTO: OVADJE ELLIOT.

Ramadan: Watch out for crescent, NSCIA urges Muslims FRSC deploys 20,000 personnel, 600 patrol vehicles, tow trucks, ambulances

By Biola Azeez and Clement Idoko with Agency report

AS Ramadan winds up, the National Moon Sighting Committee of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has advised its PresidentGeneral, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, and Muslim faithful that crescent of Shawwal should be searched for on Monday, July 4, to signal completion of the holy month.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, on Sunday, the Secretary General of NSCIA, Professor Isiaq Oloyede, enjoined Muslims all over the country to be on the look out for the directive of the NSCIA on the completion of this year’s Ramadan.

Professor Oloyede, who was former vice chancellor of University of Ilorin, requested all media houses in the country to publicise the awaited announcement.

He also advised Muslims in the country to pray for peaceful coexistence in Nigeria, while he encouraged them to keep virtues and gains of the month as a spiritual guide for accelerated development of the

nation.

Professor Oloyede, who felicitated with the entire Muslim Ummah in Nigeria and in the world on this year’s Ramadan, said that, “While reminding the Ummah of the necessity of paying Zakatul-Fitri with the intention of lifting the hearts of the indigent members of the community, the council urges all to ensure its delivery to the appropriate recipients (the poor) and guard against diversion by any agent or intermediary.”

Meanwhile, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has deployed over 20,000 personnel including special marshals, along designated routes as part of measures to ensure sanity on the nation’s highways during this year’s Eid-el-Fitri Sallah celebration from July 3 to July 10.

The corps has also deployed 600 patrol vehicles, 50 ambulances, 85 motorbikes, 15 tow trucks in line with its 2016 strategic goals towards improving road safety.

This was contained in a statement on Sunday, in Abuja, by the FRSC Head, Media Relations and Strat-

egy, Mr Bisi Kazeem, saying this year’s nationwide exercise was in partial fulfilment of the Corps’ 2016 strategic goals of reducing road crashes by 15 per cent and fatality by 25 per cent.

He said this was imperative in order to ensure safer road use during the festive period, usually associated with high volume of vehicular traffic.

He disclosed that the Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of FRSC, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, has directed the removal of obstructions from the highways while efforts should be geared

towards improved traffic control, decongestion and public enlightenment campaigns through the distribution of safety handbills.

In a related development, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Kwara State said on Sunday that it had deployed 2,500 personnel across the state to ensure protection of lives and property during the Eid-el-Fitri celebration.

Mr Pedro Ideba, the Kwara Commandant of the corps, disclosed this in llorin during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.

rumours are untrue and a figment of the imagination of those pushing these selfish, shameless and irredeemable lies into public space which only translates to partisanship on the side of its purveyors.

“As far as the AGF is concerned, the constitutional powers for the legal opinion of his office have not been invoked on this issue. So far, nobody has approached him to proffer any legal opinion to it.

“As a strong believer in the rule of law, it is his belief that the law should naturally take its cause. The AGF will not be dragged into this controversy and mind-games being played out by the various legal minds and spin doctors of both camps at this point.

“The parties involved should await the decision of the courts,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the Abia State Chief Judge, Justice Theresa Uzoamaka Uzokwe, has said she is not on the run contrary to the impression created in a section of the media.

She denied allegations that she absconded from her duty post last Thursday, to avoid swearing-in Dr Uche Ogah as governor of the state, following the certificate of return issued him by the INEC, same day.

A statement by the Acting Chief Registrar, Abia State Judiciary, Mrs Vicky Analaba, said contrary to the allegation, the chief judge was in her office throughout work time last Thursday, from 8:30am till 4:30pm.

The statement read: “The attention of the Chief Judge of Abia State, Justice Theresa Uzoamaka Uzokwe, has been drawn to various spurious and mischievous reports alleging that the Honourable Chief Judge absconded from her duty post on Thursday, 30th June, 2016, to avoid swearing in Uche Ogah as governor of Abia State.

We arrest Boko Haram insurgents on daily basis —GOC THE General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major-General Isidore Edet, says the division arrests Boko Haram insurgents on a daily basis.

He made the assertion in Lagos, on Sunday, at the inter-denominational service organised to commemorate the Nigerian Army Celebration Day at Saint Charles Lwanga Catholic Church, Ikeja Cantonment.

“Almost on a daily basis, we arrest Boko Haram

members that flee into Lagos just like they flee to other places.

“They have seen that the war is being won so they are running. The army in conjunction with other security agencies arrest them almost on a daily basis.

“Initially they deny when we ask them questions, but when we probe further, they start revealing where they fought, how they killed soldiers, how they detonated bombs in post office,

Maiduguri and so on,’’ he said.

The GOC said the officers and soldiers in the army should be thankful to God for witnessing another army celebration day, adding that many colleagues had died during the fight against Boko Haram insurgents.

“Many of our colleagues have died in this war against Boko Haram insurgents. Some of them, we have seen their graves and some, we did not see.”

“Contrary to the allegations of cowardice by mischievous politicians, the chief judge was in her office throughout work time on Thursday, 30th June, 2016 from 8:30am till 4:30pm.

“For the avoidance of doubt, on Thursday, 30th June, 2016, the chief judge was in her court room performing her lawful duties, including the delivery of four rulings on that date.

“The particulars of the ruling in question are: HU/35CM/2015 Francis Akor vs The State; HU/ ICM/2016-Johnson Asiegbu vs Commissioner of Police, HU/42CM/2016 Onyekachi Samuel vs Commissioner of Police; HU/34CM/2016-Lucky Sampson vs The State.

“These facts are verifiable and in the records of the court. The various lawyers who appeared in the respective suits listed above are also living witnesses.

“This press release has become necessary in order to avoid further mischief and to set the records straight.”

In a related development, the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff—led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has waded into the governorship seat tussle between the incumbent governor of Abia State, Okeize Ikpeazu and Dr Uchechukwu Ogah with a view to reconciling the duo in the overall interest of the party in the state The Deputy National Chairman of the Party, Dr Cairo Ojougboh, disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja at the weekend Ojougboh stated that the party’s National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, was deeply worried at the turn of events in Abia State and was taking every step to resolve the crisis.

He said that already a powerful reconciliation committee had been put in place by Sheriff to handle the reconciliation process.

According to him, “all hands are on deck now to resolve the Abia crisis.

Very soon, you will hear cheering news from Abia.

We are on course.”

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had sacked the governor of Abia State over alleged invasion of tax and directed INEC to issue Ogah a certificate of return immediately and as well to be sworn in as the authentic governor of the state.

However, the governor appealed the judgment but INEC still went ahead and issued a certificate of return to Ogah.

4 news Account freezing: Fayose’s case comes up today

Monday, 4 July, 2016

As Ozekhome flays Falana on immunity clause Sam Nwaoko -Ado Ekiti

G

O V E R N O R Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State will know today if his personal accounts frozen by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) would be de-frozen as the matter comes up in court.

Justice Taiwo Taiwo had ruled on June 28 that the EFCC and Zenith Bank must appear in court to tell it why it should not grant a relief sought by Governor Fayose through his lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome.

He has put the ruling in abeyance, saying the respondents should be in court to state why he shouldn’t grant the motion praying the court to lift the suspension on the account.

Justice Taiwo had said: “I hereby order the first and second respondents to appear before this honourable court on July 4, 2016 and show cause why the order should be refused. This is not a refusal of the order, I have not refused it. But I only put it in abeyance which I said without prejudice to what will be the position of the respondents.”

Meanwhile, Chief Ozekhome has lambasted Mr Femi Falana for his reported “no absolute immunity” stand.

“Falana was wrong on his position that the Nigerian constitution cannot guarantee absolute immunity against criminal prosecution for governors, deputy-governors, president and vicepresident in the country,” he said.

Chief Ozekhome said, in an interview on Sunday, that “Femi Falana made three points on the matter and I totally disagree with him. He said that you can institute a legal process against governors, because they are also sued during election petitions. And I disagree with him on that because election petitions are too generic, they are generic because they are in a class of their own.

“They are hybrid, neither civil or criminal procedures. That is why it is the constitution itself

that gives the right for a governor to be sued when they are challenging his mandate, it is not the

lower laws like an act of parliament like EFCC. “EFCC is an act of parliament which is

millions of miles lower than the provisions of the constitution. And any provision from the EFCC

Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State (middle), inaugurating the sales of fertilisers to farmers for 2016 cropping season, in Bokkos Local Government Area of the state, on Saturday. With him are the chairman of the local government, Mr Luka Makut (second right) and some farmers. PHOTO: NAN.

I’ll be fair to all, Buhari vows Leon Usigbe -Katsina PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has vowed not to discriminate against or marginalise any section of the country.

He said he would be fair, just and be sure to objectively consider anything brought to his attention before taking decisions.

The president, who is in Daura, his home town in Katsina State, spoke at a breaking of Ramadan fast meeting at the palace of the Emir of Daura, Dr Farouk Umar Farouq, at the weekend.

He assured that he would do whatever was necessary to remain honest, fair and just in administering the country as he sought to guide it to progress and prosperity.

Buhari, who spoke to his audience in Hausa language, was visiting his town for the first time since returning from his about two weeks medical

RAMADAN MESSAGE O you who have believed, do not follow the footsteps of Satan. And whoever follows the footsteps of Satan indeed, he enjoins immorality and wrongdoing. And if not for the favor of Allah upon you and His mercy, not one of you would have been pure, ever, but Allah purifies whom He wills, and Allah is Hearing and Knowing. And let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear not to give [aid] to their relatives and the needy and the emigrants for the cause of Allah , and let them pardon and overlook.

Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

—Surat An-Nur verses 21-22

vacation in the United Kingdom.

He was welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd, as he drove in a motorcade from his Daura personal residence through the town to the emir’s palace.

With him were Katsina State governor, Aminu Bello Masari and his Zamfara State counterpart, Abdulaziz Yari; members of the Katsina State executive council and various traditional rulers in the state.

Buhari told them that he would avoid any form of prejudice and strive to remain trustworthy in dealing with all sections of the country.

Thanking the emir for the honour done to him, the president called for the support and understanding of Nigerians in his administration’s effort to rebuild the country fairly, honestly and responsibly.

Governor Masari and the emir, in their separate remarks, assured the

people of country that with Buhari’s honesty and high integrity, Nigeria was in safe hands and destined for greatness.

They agreed that the fight against corruption and the renewed focus on agriculture and solid minerals were worth initiatives necessary for the survival of the country.

They, therefore, pledged the support of the people and government of Katsina State to the administration’s efforts.

Why 38 senior officers were retired

by Army Council Chris Agbambu -Abuja MORE revelations have emerged on the circumstances surrounding the retirement of 38 senior Army officers two weeks ago by the Army Council.

The Nigerian Tribune can authoritatively report that three issues were said to be considered before the Army Council that approved the retirement of the officers.

The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan Alli, insisted that all the officers were given fair hearing and that anyone that was not satisfied could go to court as they were ready to defend their action.

However, the Nigerian Tribune gathered that

some of the officers who had attained the mandatory age of 56 years and had been informed by the military secretary department (Army) had already indicated their intention to retire voluntarily as stipulated by the terms and conditions of service.

According to military sources, two of such officers were Major General M. O. Koleoso and Major General L Wiwa.

The source added that the two officers were not compulsorily retired, as they had already indicated their intention to go.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the second category of retirees were officers whom large sums

of money were found in their accounts and was not commensurate with their earnings.

The source said the BVN assisted the Army investigators to unearth the officers with such huge amount of money which they could not explain.

The third category, the source revealed, were those involved in one way or the other in the 2014 Ekiti State election and 2015 general election.

The source disclosed that Governors two former petitioned the presidency when the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) won the 2015 election and that such officers should be retired for being partisan.

Act or money laundering act, which is inconsistent with the provision of the constitution, is null and void by nature of Section 1, sub-section 3 of the same 1999 Constitution.”

Arguing further, Ozekhome said: “It is the same constitution in section 308 that says that when it comes to civil or criminal procedure, you can never sue the governor and such should not be entertained in any court of Law. “Contrary to Falana’s argument, that immunity is not absolute, it is totally absolute. In the case of the IGP versus Gani Fawehinmi which he cited, the Supreme court upholds that the governor can be investigated, it, however, said you would have to wait till he vacates his office before you move any court process against him.

That is the decision of that court.”

Falana had, during a paper entitled: “The Limits of Immunity Clause,” he delivered at the 60th birthday of the Secretary to the Edo State Government, Professor Julius Inhonvbere, said the Money Laundering Act and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Act, as well as the international criminal court laws, did not give absolute immunity to Governor Fayose against criminal prosecution, adding that the EFCC was toeing a legitimate path by freezing the governor’s accounts and, thereafter, obtain an court order against his bank.

Ozekhome said Falana goofed on these areas, saying “the third point by Falana that immunity is not total has been debunked, because Section 308 of the constitution overrides all the acts of parliament such as the Money Laundering and EFCC Act.” Falana had also said Nigerian governors were not immuned from the procedures of the international criminal court, but Ozekhome argued that “that is outside the jurisdiction of Nigeria,” saying “International criminal court operates worldwide and even in that court, all the people who are being tried are usually tried for war crimes or crimes against humanity only when they have vacated office not when they are still in office.

And even at that, these international courts operate internationally and we are in Nigeria.”

5

Monday, 4 July, 2016

RETURNS ON SOURCES OF FUND SOLD TO CUSTOMERS FOR THE WEEK ENDED FRIDAY 01-07-2016 RETURNS ON SOURCES OF FUND SOLD TO CUSTOMERS FOR THE WEEK ENDED FRIDAY 01-07-2016 S/NO.

SOURCE 1 UNITED BANK OF AFRICA

DATE OF FUND PURCHASED

EXCHANGE RATE

AMOUNT PURCHASED ($)

27-Jun-16

282.00

1,000,000.00

2 NLNG

27-Jun-16

299.55

2,500,000.00

3 FSDH MERCHANT BANK

28-Jun-16

285.00

4 REPURCHASED UNUTILISED FUND

28-Jun-16

282.50

5,000,000.00 271,594.06

5 TRUSTNET LOGISTICS LTD

28-Jun-16

282.00

20,000.00

6 EXPORT PROCEEDS PURCHASE

29-Jun-16

282.00

501,548.20

7 STANBIC IBTC

29-Jun-16

282.75

2,000,000.00

8 ORDINARY DOM PURCHASE

29-Jun-16

282.00

343.00

9 CITIBANK

30-Jun-16

283.00

2,000,000.00

30-Jun-16

281.23

7,650,000.00

10 MOBIL PRODUCING NIGERIAL LIMITED

20,943,485.26

TOTAL

RETURNS ON UTILIZATION OF FUND SOLD TO CUSTOMERS FOR THE WEEK ENDED FRIDAY, 01-07-2016 S/NO.

CUSTOMER/FXPD/NON-FXPD 1 ADU OLUWAJOMILOJU FEYISOLA 2 ADU KEHINDE ODUNAYO 3 ADU ONAOPEPO AKINSOLA 4 AMAKA ANGELA OMINIABOHS 5 ABUBAKAR AMINAT TEMITOPE 6 TRISA NIG LTD 7 J-O OBIAWARA WEST AFRICA LTD 8 GRAMA NARASIMHAN 9 WPSL LIMITED 10 WPSL LIMITED 11 WPSL LIMITED 12 VISA 13 BOND GLOBAL ENERGY 14 PEUGEOT AUTOMOBILE NIGERIA LTD 15 ETERNA PLC 16 GUPTA MUKESH CHANDRA 17 RELIANCE UNIVERSAL CONCEPT LTD

ITEM OF IMPORT

DATE OF FUND PURCHASED

EXCHANGE RATE

AMOUNT SOLD ($)

PTA

23-Jun-16

283.00

1,300.00

PTA

23-Jun-16

283.00

2,000.00

PTA

23-Jun-16

283.00

2,000.00

PTA

23-Jun-16

283.00

2,000.00

PTA

23-Jun-16

283.00

2,000.00

283.00

2,045.20

AGRICULTURAL MACHINE SPARE PARTS

27-Jun-16

299.95

45,935.00

PHR

RAW MATERIAL FOR PLASTIC IND.

27-Jun-16

299.95

6,500.00

LUBRICATING OIL

27-Jun-16

299.95

105,651.00

LUBRICATING OIL ADDITIVES

23-Jun-16

299.95

107,328.00

LUBRICATING OIL ADDITIVES

27-Jun-16

299.95

107,391.20

INVISIBLE

27-Jun-16

27-Jun-16

317.00

303,624.95

JET A1

27-Jun-16

299.95

311,000.00

15 UNITS OF SKD-11(DKD) 508 ALLURE FOR PEUGEOT VEHICLES 27-Jun-16

299.95

323,734.35

REDEMPTION OF BONDS

27-Jun-16

282.50

1,000,000.00

PTA

27-Jun-16

299.95

4,000.00

KEROSENE STOVE

27-Jun-16

299.95

25,266.00

18 TRANSGLOBE PHARM LTD 19 TRISA NIG LTD

DRUGS AND PHARMACEUTICALS

27-Jun-16

299.95

32,410.00

POLYPROPYLENE HOMOPOLYMER INJECTION

27-Jun-16

299.95

35,870.00

20 TRISA NIG LTD 21 PERFECT PACKAGING LTD

PP COPOLYMER

27-Jun-16

299.95

52,020.00

LABELS PRINTED

27-Jun-16

299.95

55,900.00

22 LOKEL PHARM CO. LTD 23 QUARTZ DIGITAL LTD

DEKLOPEN

27-Jun-16

299.95

73,164.00

POLYCARBONATE RESIN

27-Jun-16

299.95

73,600.00

24 TRUST TIME IND LTD 25 OSECHEM NIGERIA LTD

DRUGS AND PHARMACEUTICALS

27-Jun-16

299.95

81,350.00

ENGINE OIL ADDITIVES

27-Jun-16

299.95

93,732.00

26 JUBAILI AGROTECH 27 GLOBE CHEM 28 ETERNA PLC

TITANIUM DIOXIDE

27-Jun-16

299.95

96,000.00

29 AARTI ROLLING MILLS LTD 30 AARTI ROLLING MILLS LTD 31 AARTI ROLLING MILLS LTD 32 AARTI STEEL NIG 33 ADEGUN ADEGBOYEGA 34 ADIREJE WEST AFRICA 35 AFRO BALA NIG LTD 36 BINANI PRINTING PRESS

POLY VINYL CHLORIDE

27-Jun-16

299.95

135,000.00

REDEMPTION OF BONDS

27-Jun-16

299.95

330,000.00

CAPITAL MACHINERY -VARIOUS COMPONENTS

28-Jun-16

283.00

3,326.58

CAPITAL MACHINERY -VARIOUS COMPONENTS

28-Jun-16

283.00

6,805.80

CNC ROLL GRINDING MACHINE

28-Jun-16

283.00

8,578.70

SPECIAL HIGH GRADE ZINC INGOTS

28-Jun-16

283.00

257.27

SCHOOL FEES

28-Jun-16

283.00

389.18

ENGINE OIL GAZPROMNEFT

28-Jun-16

283.00

669.66

GRANITE TILES/GRANITE SLABS

28-Jun-16

283.00

12,003.00

ELECTRICAL CABINET FOR TRIMMER

28-Jun-16

299.95

47,351.43

37 BOLUKE PHARMACY LTD 38 CONOIL PLC

SCHOOL FEES

28-Jun-16

299.95

12,189.59

TAMPER PROOF BLACK PLASTIC CLOSURE

28-Jun-16

283.00

490.00

39 CONOIL PLC 40 DALIA MOHINDER PAUL 41 EDE GLORIA ALERO

GASOLINE

28-Jun-16

283.00

105,975.15

PHR

28-Jun-16

283.00

2,450.00

UPKEEP ALLOWANCE

28-Jun-16

299.95

4,147.38

42 EMEL ENTERPRISES 43 EMEL ENTERPRISES 44 FSDH

EMEL BRAND COMPLETE ORDINARY STEEL DOOR

28-Jun-16

299.95

SET OF EMEL BRAND COMPLETE AMERICA STEEL DOOR

28-Jun-16

299.95

206,696.00

INTERBANK

28-Jun-16

284.39

5,000,000.00

43,304.00

45 FUEL & BITUMEN MARKETING CO

SCHOOL FEES

46 JHA PRAFULLA KUMAR 47 JOSEPHINE PETERS CHINONYELUM 48 JUBAILI AGROTECH

PHR

28-Jun-16

283.00

6,500.00

SCHOOL FEES

28-Jun-16

283.00

2,962.81

TITANIUM DIOXIDE

28-Jun-16

299.95

96,000.00

49 KAFFO QUAM OLANREWAJU 50 KINGS DAVID PHILLIP

HOSPITAL BILL

28-Jun-16

283.00

9,818.00

COURSE FEES

28-Jun-16

283.00

2,210.00

51 KRYSTAL 12 LTD 52 LOMBARDO GERARD

SCHOOL FEES

28-Jun-16

283.00

4,000.00

PHR

28-Jun-16

283.00

10,000.00

53 MEGA PLASTICS IND LTD 54 MICHEAL NWACHUKWU & CO 55 MICHEAL TOSIN ADEDIRAN

ARTIFICIAL RESIN

28-Jun-16

283.00

1,104.26

UPKEEP ALLOWANCE

28-Jun-16

283.00

1,400.00

28-Jun-16

283.00

7,815.44

PHR

28-Jun-16

283.00

56 MICHEAL TOSIN ADEDIRAN 57 MICHEAL TOSIN ADEDIRAN 58 NJOKU EVANGELINE CHIKA

SCHOOL FEES

28-Jun-16

283.00

8,000.00

SCHOOL FEES

28-Jun-16

283.00

10,000.00

SCHOOL FEES

28-Jun-16

283.00

1,002.78

59 NYCIL LTD 60 PLURAL OIL

TOLUENE

28-Jun-16

283.00

1,059.47

BASE OIL

28-Jun-16

283.00

5,770.50

61 PRIMA CORPORATION 62 QASSIM ABAYOMI TIJANI

PET RESIN CR-8816L

28-Jun-16

283.00

279.18

SCHOOL FEES

28-Jun-16

283.00

3,700.00

63 RITE FOODS 64 RITE FOODS LTD

RF BEEF AND CHILLI BIGI

28-Jun-16

283.00

136.84

CKD KARPANEL COOLING EQUIPMENT

28-Jun-16

283.00

117.65

65 ROBERT OGUNS TECH. SERVICES 66 ROBERTS OLABISI BARRY

SCHOOL FEES

28-Jun-16

ACCOMMODATION FEE

28-Jun-16

283.00

4,949.03

67 STERLING BANK PLC 68 SUNCHEM INDUSTRIES LTD

COURSE FEES

28-Jun-16

299.55

14,500.00

POLYOL KUMHO

28-Jun-16

283.00

1,067.39

283.00

8,000.00

283.00

8,000.00

5,985.89

69 TEJBIR SINGH SAWHNEY 70 TURTON ADEYINKA OLUSOLA

SCHOOL FEES SCHOOL FEES

28-Jun-16

283.00

71 TUYIL PHARM 72 VISA

MULTIVITAMIN AND MINERALS CAPSULES WITH ALOEVERA

28-Jun-16

283.00

426.00

INVISIBLE

28-Jun-16

338.14

89,159.36

20'S COTTON CARDED O.E GREY YARN

28-Jun-16

283.00

11,838.00

73 WOOLLEN AND SYNTHETIC TEXTILE MANUFACTURING 74 YADAV HIRA 75 YADAV HIRA 76 YUSSUF REMMY WAHEED 77 YUSSUF REMMY WAHEED

PHR

28-Jun-16

2,500.00

28-Jun-16

283.00

3,000.00

PHR

28-Jun-16

283.00

3,000.00

SCHOOL FEES

28-Jun-16

283.00

3,018.19

SCHOOL FEES

28-Jun-16

283.00

78 YUSSUF REMMY WAHEED 79 D2H SERVICES LTD

SCHOOL FEES

28-Jun-16

283.00

7,181.71

AGRICULTURAL GRINDING MILLS

29-Jun-16

282.50

114,736.00

4,753.49

80 INTER-SWASTIK NIG LTD 81 INTER-SWASTIK NIG LTD 82 ABIODUN ABISOLA

PP COPOLYMER

29-Jun-16

282.50

79,541.40

PLASTIC RAW MATERIAL

29-Jun-16

282.50

79,641.40

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

83 ALAGA ENI BASSEY 84 GLOBAL HERITAGE HOME SCHOOL LTD 85 NYCIL LIMITED

PTA

29-Jun-16

283.25

4,000.00

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

18,800.00 141,000.00

6,500.00

TITANIUM DIOXIDE

29-Jun-16

283.25

86 OYATOKUN OLUMUYIWA JOHN 87 SABON BIRNI HADIZA SHUAIBU

PTA

29-Jun-16

283.25

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

6,881.36

88 SHIVAKUMAR SUBRAMANI 89 SHUAIBU BASHIR

PHR

29-Jun-16

283.25

12,500.00

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

5,000.00

90 TELETOK NIGERIA LTD 91 EWARAWON MOJISOLA BUSOLA

CABLE DUPLEX

29-Jun-16

283.25

35,299.20

EXAM FEE

29-Jun-16

282.75

189.17

92 STERLING BANK PLC 93 MERCY EGBUBAH

MK INSIGHT ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION

29-Jun-16

282.75

6,734.95

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

94 AGBOOLA FADEKE KUBURA 95 BODE FAPOHUNDA

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

511.00

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

1,122.50

96 OTTUN MUSADEEQ KAYODE 97 JUNAID ANTHONY KAYODE

UPKEEP ALLOWANCE

29-Jun-16

283.25

1,351.20

MORTGAGE PAYMENT

29-Jun-16

283.25

98 BENSON JENNIFER YESIDE 99 SOLA OLAITAN

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

1,500.00

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

2,300.00

UPKEEP ALLOWANCE

29-Jun-16

283.25

2,400.00

100 FEMVIC SHIELD EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

4,000.00

100.00

1,486.32

101 BODUNDE OLUWADAMILOLA 102 STEFANOV STEFAN ZAHOV

UPKEEP ALLOWANCE

29-Jun-16

283.25

2,702.40

PHR

29-Jun-16

283.25

3,423.63

103 JIMOH IDRIS 104 ASSET MATRIX MICROFINANCE BANK 105 BRIDGE CLINIC

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

MEDICAL BIILS

29-Jun-16

283.25

3,550.00

COACHING FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

3,951.80

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

4,053.60

106 ALLOR CHEKWUBE 107 BRIDGE CLINIC 108 Q-OIL AND GAS SERVICES 109 MARK-IBEKILO ADAOBI FRANCES 110 OMINIABOHS AMAKA ANGELA 111 TELETOK NIGERIA LTD 112 POWERVILLE PROPERTIES LTD 113 FADAIRO LASUKANMI FATAI

COACHING FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

3,499.61

4,083.59

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

5,000.00

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

5,117.00

ACCOMMODATION FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

5,666.93

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

6,900.00

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

7,431.60

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

8,000.00

114 SAM PHARM 115 OLUDARA ADEWALE MOBOLAJI 116 FUEL STICK NIGERIA LTD

PIPERAZINE CITRATE BP

29-Jun-16

283.25

9,115.00

FUEL STICK CONDITIONER MODEL

29-Jun-16

283.25

12,300.00

117 AFRO BALA NIG LTD 118 SEA PETRO-CHEM LTD

GRANITE TILES

29-Jun-16

283.25

12,917.00

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

13,018.97

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

10,269.12

119 FINIX NIGERIA LIMITED

PLAIN PAPER

120 ISHOLA ABDULLAHI OMOGBOLAHAN 121 EMEL ENT. LTD 122 JRHZINONE CO LTD

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

15,538.80

EMEL BRAND GYPSUM MASTERBOARD

29-Jun-16

283.25

17,049.87

CHEST FREEZER/NEW REFRIGERATOR

29-Jun-16

283.25

17,060.00

29-Jun-16

283.25

14,000.00

123 RAFIU ADEBAYO IBRAHIM

SCHOOL FEES

124 SAM PHARM 125 PROCEPT ASSOCIATES PROFFESSION 126 CEDON OIL & GAS LTD

ESSENTIAL DRUGS FOR PHARMACEUTICAL IND.

29-Jun-16

283.25

20,840.00

TRAINING FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

23,439.92

ARABOL MOTOR ENGINE OIL

29-Jun-16

283.25

29,460.00

29-Jun-16

283.25

17,862.86

127 UNAOIL LIMITED

BC 80 BIOCIDE

283.25

30,075.00

128 JRHZINONE CO LTD 129 MELVYN NICKSON NIGERIA LTD 130 AVA CHEMICALS LIMITED

BLENDER FAN PARTS

29-Jun-16

283.25

30,681.20

ISO BITUMEN WATERPROOF MEMBRANE

29-Jun-16

283.25

30,964.00

29-Jun-16

RAW MATERIAL FOR TEXTILE MILL

29-Jun-16

283.25

131 CHANCO IMPEX LIMITED 132 RAFIU ADEBAYO IBRAHIM

TALC- CRUSHED RAW MATERIAL

29-Jun-16

283.25

33,326.00

SCHOOL FEES

29-Jun-16

283.25

34,164.71

133 KRISHAT PHARMA IND LTD 134 QPLAS LTD

PHARMACEUTICAL GRADE PVC SHEET

29-Jun-16

283.25

35,350.00

135 UNIGROW IND LTD 136 AMOLI EXIM WEST AFRICA LTD

METHYL ISOBUTYL KETONE

29-Jun-16

283.25

45,012.25

PARACETAMOL BP/USP

29-Jun-16

283.25

49,300.00

137 CELPLAS INDUSTRIES NIG. LTD 138 BROSNA ELECTRICAL PRODUCTS

POLYPROPYLENE HOMOPOLYMER INJECTION

29-Jun-16

283.25

49,980.00

139 SAM PHARM 140 HALLMARK PAPER PRODUCTS PLC 141 BSV INDUSTRIES LIMITED

STABILISER FOR PVC

NON ELECTRICAL FAN PARTS

29-Jun-16

29-Jun-16

283.25

283.25

31,416.00

40,800.00

53,913.60

ESSENTIAL DRUGS FOR PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

29-Jun-16

283.25

54,700.00

TESTLINER/FLUTTING PAPER

29-Jun-16

283.25

57,500.00

CALCIUM CARBONATE

29-Jun-16

283.25

59,360.00

142 STARTREND INDUSTRIES LTD

PRIME ELECTROLYTIC TINPLATE

283.25

69,420.00

143 THE MUSTARDSEED AGRICULTURAL IND 144 ERAVAT ENTERPRISES NIG LTD 145 TRISA NIG LTD

BABY WALKER

29-Jun-16

283.25

79,022.50

WICKS HOLDER FOR STOVE

29-Jun-16

283.25

90,000.00

RAW MATERIAL FOR PLASTIC INDUSTRY

29-Jun-16

29-Jun-16

283.25

96,360.00

146 BOUTON PANACHE LTD 147 ALMIXS INTEGRATED SERVICES LTD

PARAFIN OIL

29-Jun-16

283.25

101,500.00

MIXTURE OF ODORIFEROUS SUBSTANCE FOR INDUSTRY

29-Jun-16

283.25

129,340.00

148 CONOIL PLC 149 CREST AGRO PRODUCTS FARMS LTD

PMS IMPORTATION

30-Jun-16

281.38

7,650,000.00

ONE UNIT OF FULL CASSAVA STARCH PROCESSING PLANT

30-Jun-16

283.50

150 DANMAN PLASTIC 151 ETERNA PLC

INDUSTRIAL PVC

30-Jun-16

283.50

51,000.00

REDEMPTION OF BONDS

30-Jun-16

283.50

500,000.00

152 EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT CENTRE LTD 153 GIMEX INTERNATIONAL LTD

SCHOOL FEES

30-Jun-16

283.50

9,836.33

FIXED LUMINARIES

30-Jun-16

283.50

32,000.00

154 MIGHTYKENS INTERNATIONAL LTD 155 PLENCO INDUSTRIES LTD

INDUSTRIAL BREAD SLICER/BAKERY MACHINE

30-Jun-16

283.50

59,237.60

INDUSTRIAL RAW MATERIAL

30-Jun-16

283.50

167,200.00

100,000.00

156 SANGOKOYA AGRO IND.MERCH. LTD 157 STERLING BANK PLC

AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY PRIME MOVER DIESEL ENGINE WITH 30-Jun-16 CORN GRINDING MILL

283.50

INTEREST PAYMENT

30-Jun-16

283.50

147,250.00

158 STERLING BANK PLC 159 TEMPO PAPER PULP AND PACKAGING LTD 160 UNIGROW IND LTD

INTEREST PAYMENT

30-Jun-16

283.50

600,000.00

POLYPROPYLENE HOMOPOLYMER GRADE

30-Jun-16

283.50

100,000.00

ETHYL ACETATE

30-Jun-16

283.50

123,000.00

161 STERLING BANK PLC

INTEREST PAYMENT

283.50

110,375.00

872,500.00 21,731,141.83

news Avengers strike again, bomb 5 oil pipelines 6

Ebenezer Adurokiya-Warri

J

UST as Nigerians thought peace was gradually returning to the Niger Delta region, members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), at 1:15a.m, on Sunday, resumed onslaught on the nation’s oil economy, blowing up Chevron’s two major oil well 7 and 8 close to Abiteye flow station in Delta State.

The group also reported through its Tweeter handle late Saturday at 11:26p.m that its strike team had successfully blown up two major crude oil trunklines belonging to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) close to Batan flow station in the oil-rich state.

This was just as at about 11:30p,m on Saturday, the avengers also tweeted that it blew up the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Crude Oil Trunk Line to Warri Refinery at 9:15p.m, on Friday.

All the operations, the group boasted, were carried out by its strike team whom it commended for a job well done in another tweet.

“At 9:15p.m, on Friday, the @NDAvengers blow up Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Crude Oil Trunk Line to Warri Refinery,” the group, which has claimed responsibility for previ-

Monday, 4 July, 2016

ous pipelines bombings, tweeted.

Continuing, the group tweeted thus: “At 11:26pm on Saturday @NDAvengers blow up two NPDC major crude trunk lines close to Batan flowstation in Delta state.

“At 1:15a.m, on Sunday @NDAvengers blow up two major Chevron Oil Wells. WELL 7 and WELL 8 close to Abiteye flow station in Delta state.

“All five operations were carried out by @NDAvengers Strike team. Well done soldiers,” it concluded.

The group, however, did not give further details of the sabotages, five of several already accomplished this year alone which have nearly crippled the country’s revenue base.

Meanwhile, the destructions were confirmed by a senior security agent, who declined being identified in print.

According to him, the

bombing at Abiteye flow station was devastating, as it was deafening.

An official of NPDC told the Nigerian Tribune, on Sunday, that no official report had been filed in to the headquarters concerning the bombed facility.

Further confirmation could not be got from the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS DELTA), as well as the Joint Task Force (JTF).

In another development, a senior security officer, on Sunday, confirmed the Sunday morning simultaneous explosions in Warri.

He said he suspected, after early investigations, the use of dynamite to blow up the oil facilities.

Meanwhile, secretary of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Comrade Eric Omare, also confirmed the attack on the NNPC pipeline on Friday.

He said local fishermen confirmed the explosions.

The Friday and Sunday attacks were seen to have

rubbished the peace talks being initiated by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, who was allegedly reaching out to the avengers in the creeks.

The avengers, had, however, denied any peace talks with any government functionary tweeting on June 21 that “the NDA high command never remembers having any agreement on ceasefire with the Nigeria government.”

They also denied vehemently any representation at any peace talks being bandied around by alleged All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwarts in the state, tagging them “criminals and political thugs and jobbers.”

The group, besides its demands for political emancipation and resource control for the region, requested President Muhammadu Buhari to personally visit the region and see things for himself,

as well as conduct a referendum among all ethnic nationalities in the country to ascertain whether the country should remain together or not.

Buhari, instead of reacting to these requests, rather went ahead to appeal to the Avengers in the name of God to stop the economic sabotage.

Within the period of the ceasefire initiated by the Federal Government, sabotage on the oil facilities abated at least on the part of the Avengers, while illegal oil refinery assailed unperturbed in the deep creeks.

The Friday and Sunday attacks on oil installations have shown that the demands of the dreaded group might not after all be a fluke, as more devastations were being meted out on the nation’s depleting economy.

In a related development and in continuation of checkmating criminal activities of the Niger Delta

Hajia Buhari distributes N29m to Chibok parents Bodunrin Kayode-Maiduguri

OVER N29 million has been splashed on the parents of the yet-to-be found Chibok girls of Borno State, by the wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari.

Mrs Buhari, who sent the largesse via her pet project and through the Borno State governor’s wife, Mrs Nana Shettima, to the par-

ents, said the amount was meant to cushion the effects of their pains.

Each of the 215 parents and relations, who assembled at the Government House, at the weekend, went home with N139,000 as cushion for the tumultous lives they have lived after the forceful capture of the their kids from their dormitories in Chibok Local Government headquar-

ters of the state.

The parents, who sat quietly for hours waiting for the arrival of the Abuja delegation, led by the former deputy governor of Plateau State, Pauline Tallen, told the Nigerian Tribune that they still believed some of their children were in Sambisa forest and did hope the successes being made by the military would bring results for

them accordingly.

Responding, one of the parents noted that this was the first time they were receiving such a spontaneous support in cash, but were quick to add that on several occasions, the government had helped them cushion their pains as some of them now lived inside IDP camps, because of fear of being slaughtered by Boko Haram.

INEC shouldn’t recognise Sheriff’s candidate for Edo gov poll —PDP •Says Edo, Ondo gov polls litmus test Dapo Falade-Port Harcourt

THE hope of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming governorship election may be in further jeopardy as the party has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise the Ali Modu Sheriff-led faction’s candidate for the election.

This was as the party further asserted that the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states would be a litmus test for INEC, adding that Nigerians were no longer interested in inconclusive elections.

National Publicity Secretary of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of the party, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, made the assertions while addressing newsmen in Port Harcourt, at the weekend.

Declaring that INEC had no basis to recognise the candidate of the Sheriff group, he said the governorship candidate of the party ahead the Edo election remained Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

He also expressed concern over what he described as the indiscriminate manner the judiciary was churning out orders in respect of the PDP crisis, saying it portended danger for democracy and asserted that Sheriff was removed by the PDP national convention, in line with the party’s constitution.

Adeyeye said Sheriff should not have been made acting chairman of the party in the first instance, as he noted that the PDP Constitution, as amended, only allowed the national deputy chairman of the party to take over in the absence of a substantive chairman.

“In Edo, the Sheriff faction is saying INEC must recognise the candidate submitted by it (Sheriff faction). How would INEC take something from a man that is only a busybody to the party?

“If a court had ruled that Sheriff is not the chairman of PDP, how then would a court say INEC should recognise a candidate recognised by Sheriff,” he fur-

ther queried.

The PDP national publicity secretary wondered why Sheriff would continue to parade himself as the PDP national chairman when a national convention of the party had removed him.

Speaking on the series of indiscriminate court orders issued over the crisis in the party, Adeyeye said, “when has it become the tradition for courts to choose executive members

of a party?

“Sheriff is saying he is the national chairman of PDP by court order, even when the governors and other members of the party have rejected him. Some people are trying to use the judiciary to destroy Nigeria’s democracy.

“An example is what is playing out in Abia State.

But we are not going to allow our nation’s democracy to be destroyed. Nige-

ria has become a laughing stock and we must sensitise people on this, because it (indiscriminate court injunctions) is a new development.

“People are trying to manipulate the judiciary to their own gain and this is dangerous for democracy.

The PDP national convention is supreme and Sheriff has no legal basis to parade himself as the PDP national chairman,” he added.

Avengers (NDA), as well as their allied groups, operatives of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS DELTA), Warri Naval Base, Warri, Delta State, late Saturday, uncovered a vandalised crude oil well head and an expanse of illegal refinery in the creeks of Warri.

6 dead, 12 injured in Kogi accident Yinka Oladoyinbo-Lokoja

AT least six people were killed, while 12 others were injured in a ghastly motor accident that occurred on Anyigba-Ajaokuta Road, Kogi State, on Saturday.

The accident that was said to have happened at about 1. 30 p.m. involved two commercial vehicles plying the route.

Eyewitness accounts stated that the accident, which happened at Ojuwo-Olijo, in Ofu Local Government Area of the state, involved a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number MKD 841 XA and a Golf car with registration number LKJ 335 CV. Speaking further on the accident, an Assistant Corps Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state, Mrs Amobi Stanley, who confirmed the accident, said it occurred Saturday afternoon.

She explained that men of the corps arrived the scene of the accident at about 1.59 p.m. for rescue operations and discovered that six of the passengers died on the spot, while 12 others sustained varying degrees of injuries.

According to her, the dead passengers had been deposited at Rima Hospital, Anyigba, while the injured were receiving treatments in the same hospital.

Mrs Amobi, who attributed the cause of the accident to dangerous overtaking, advised drivers to be patient while driving on the highway, especially this festive season.

Senate condemns murder of Oyo lawmaker, calls for probe Ayodele Adesanmi-Abuja

THE Senate, on Sunday, expressed outrage at the murder of a member of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Gideon Aremu, representing Orelope constituency and called on the police to thoroughly investigate the incident with a view to bringing the culprits to book.

In a statement signed by the chairman of its Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Dr Aliyu Sabi

Abdullahi, the Senate said though the untimely and unfortunate death of any Nigerian should be prevented, condemned and investigated, it stated that legislators by nature of their responsibilities should be free to mingle with people and move about at any point in time in response to calls by their constituents.

It also added that the murder of the lawmaker sends a wrong signal to the local and international communities about the

state of security in the nation, adding that many people would ask the question that if a lawmaker was gruesomely murdered with ease, how safe could a visitor or ordinary people be.

“Legislators across the world are becoming endangered specie. Before the murder of Honourable Aremu in Nigeria, we have seen the gruesome killing of Jo Cox, the British member of Parliament who was murdered while campaigning for retaining

Britain in the European Union. This only shows that legislators like every of their constituents are more vulnerable in an insecure environment.

“That is why we call on the police and other security agencies to intensify their crime prevention and detection activities. If police can foil assassination attempts and unravel cases of murder within reasonable time, it will serve as disincentive and deterrent to those who perpetrate evil deeds.

7

Monday, 4 July, 2016

Lagosmetro

Nigerian Tribune

Edited By

Lanre Adewole

olanreade@yahoo.com

0811 695 4647

Street hawkers on the move. PHOTOS: SYLVESTER OKORUWA.

Street trading ban: Full enforcement begins today

Bola Badmus, Gbemi Solaja and Sylvester Okoruwa

A

S the Lagos State government commences full implementation of the law banning street trading in the state today, a showdown seems inevitable between the Task Force, empowered by law to enforce the ban and the traders.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, last Thursday, ordered the implementation of the law, prescribing jail term of six months or N90,000 fine, or a combination of both, from July 1, which was last Friday.

Despite the pronouncement, street trading went unabated all through the weekend in the state, in almost all the areas with heavy traffic.

Both buyers and sellers are now to be prosecuted.

The Environmental Offences Task Force told Lagos Metro on Sunday, that full implementation would begin today, until the state is rid of street trading.

Lagos Metro’s survey since the order was made showed a resolve on the part of the street traders to call the bluff of the government.

Lagos Metro, on Sunday, saw street traders carrying on with their activities.

A trader in Ketu, Ogbonna, said government was yet to enforce the law and news had been reaching them in the area that total enforcement begins today.

Hawking on the Ketu , Berger axis Sunday afternoon continued as usual. A

few traders were seen displaying goods of different sizes and shapes, with items like gala, soft drinks, air freshners and other goods up for sale.

Commuters plying the Mowe-Ibafo road were also spotted purchasing items from street vendors.

From Iyana Ipaja via Lagos/Abeokuta Expressway en route Ikeja, where there was free flow of vehicles, street trading activities were minimal.

Along the Anthony, Maryland underbridge area, hawkers seemed to have neglected the area and no traffic was observed.

The enforcement of the ban is in line with Section one of the Lagos State Street Trading and Illegal Market Prohibition Law 2003.

Helen, an Igbo girl hawking groundnut at Maryland said she had no chioce but to relocate.

Another hawker said that the ban was a bad one targetted at the downtrodden “like us, who are on the street struggling to make a living. The government should reverse the ban and give us the oportunity to make honest living because this ban will affect hundreds of thousands of young boys and girls, and this will likely lead to increase in crime in the state. The state has no job for us. The companies we sell their products and the buyers will surely be affected.”

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Sanitation (Task Force) said its operatives will be out today to enforce

arrest of traders and hawkers on streets of Lagos, as well as those who patronise them.

According to the agency, the enforcement would be done in collaboration with Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) and the Mobile Courts.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had, while speaking on a TVC programme, directed that as from July 1, the arrest and prosecution of those who engage in street trading and hawking, most especially in the traffic, as well as those who patronise them.

The directive followed the death of a street hawker in Maryland area, who was crushed by a truck, while trying to escape arrest by the operatives of KAI, following which hoodlums destroyed about 49 BRT buses.

Speaking with Lagos Metro, the Public Affairs Officer (PAO) of the Task Force, Mr Taofiq Adebayo, said the agency’s operatives would definitely be out on the streets of Lagos today, to carry out the enforcement of law against street trading as directed by Governor Ambode.

Hawkers selling their wares at Maryland junction on Sunday.

Street trading on Victoria Island

Car stolen at Lagos church recovered at Ogun auto shop Olalekan Olabulo A vehicle, which was stolen at a park in one of the churches at the Ikeja business district in Lagos State and seven others, have been recovered at an auto shop in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

Two persons, including the owner of the auto shop, have been arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), who tracked the stolen vehicle to Abeokuta.

The auto owner confessed to be aware that the vehicles were stolen, but claimed that it was late for him to back out of the illicit business.

The operatives of the RRS, who were working on a reported case of stolen Toyota Corolla, tracked the vehicle, Thursday night, to a compound in Kobape, Abeokuta, belonging to a car dealer.

According to the report, it was gathered that the

grey-coloured Toyota Corolla, 2004 model, with registration number, KRD 759, belonging to Mrs Olaitan Lawal, was removed from the car park during a church programme at Ikeja, at about 6.00 p.m. on Thursday, before it was found around 1.00 a.m. on Friday.

According to the owner of the car, “I took my car to the church and I parked it at the space designated for parking. After the church service, I went back to pick my car to go home, but I couldn’t find the car.

She continued that “immediately, I called Lagos emergency line on 112 and I reported to the representative.

I also went straight to Area F in Ikeja, to equally lodge the complaint. At the station, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) connected me to the Commander of RRS, Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Olatunji Disu, as capa-

ble hand to handle the case.”

The RRS surveillance team moved to Abeokuta that same night, leading to the arrest of two prime suspects, who have confessed their connection to the recovered Corolla and seven other stolen cars currently at the RRS headquarters.

The suspects, Samuel Adebeshin, the arrested auto dealer, who lived at 13 Kobape Road, Abeokuta and an accomplice, Adeyemi Kamoru, 50, repeatedly maintained that the eight vehicles were all stolen from different locations in Lagos.

In his confessional statement, Adebesin said “I have been in auto business for 30 years. I know all these cars brought to me were all stolen cars, but I thought I was safe enough here in my palatial compound.”

He explained that “about two years ago, I met Kamoru Adeyemi. He was the mid-

dleman between me and the car thieves. He was the one who introduced Alhaji Tajudeen and one honourable, both still at large to me as car dealers and crossers from Benin Republic.

“Later on, I discovered they were car snatchers from Lagos. At this point, I could not back out of the deal. Anytime they bring cars to me, it was Adeyemi I gave money to pay to them, because I did not want people to identify me with them,” the suspect added.

The suspect, who is married to two wives with seven children, noted that he had built two houses, two flats and an eight-room bungalow from this shady business.

The imagemaker in charge of the state police command, Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the arrest of the two suspects and added that efforts were on to arrest other members of the gang.

8

Monday, 4 July, 2016

9

Monday, 4 July, 2016

10

Monday, 4 July, 2016

11

news

Monday, 4 July, 2016

EFCC arrests Omisore Saliu Gbadamosi -Abuja

O

PERATIVES of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Sunday, arrested a former deputy governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore.

Omisore, who was declared wanted by the anti-corruption agency, in connection with a case of receiving the sum of over N700 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) between June and November, 2014, the Nigerian Tribune gathered, was arrested Sunday morning by the operatives, who were at his Abuja residence.

Former chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation in the sixth Senate, had been having a running battle with the EFCC over his being declared wanted by the commission, saying that the declaration was illegal.

Omisore, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) standard-bearer in the August 2014 governorship election in Osun State, had approached a Federal High Court in Abuja, to resist being arrested by the anti-graft agency. He also threatened to sue the anti-graft agency for N500 million damages for defamation.

While declaring him wanted in May, EFCC had stated that it had, on April 7, extended an invitation to Omisore, who was in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly between 2003 and 2011, asking him “to come and make clarification on the ongoing investigation.”

It added that the PDP chieftain in Osun State had remained elusive and refused to report to the commission but instead headed for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights.

EFCC further stated that the presiding judge in the suit, Justice Husseini Baba Yusuf, ordered that the former lawmaker should only be arrested through a due and legal process.

The commission then informed that it had obtained a warrant to effect the arrest of the politician.

Efforts to confirm Omisore’s arrest from the Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, as of the time of filing this report failed, but a source in the commission confirmed the arrest.

“It is true our operatives effected his arrest this morning in Abuja. We have a valid court warrant to arrest him after we have had

invited him to come and explain certain things to us,” the source, who pleaded not to be named, told the Nigerian Tribune.

It was, however, not certain if the politician would

be granted an administrative bail, as he was reported to be with the commission in Abuja as of the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, the Osun State chapter of PDP, on Sunday,

said the anti-corruption efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari would continue to be a ruse, inasmuch as many corrupt people within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are not ex-

posed.

The party argued that the ruling APC, at present, have in its fold, some of the most corrupt individuals that other parties, including PDP, found rather too dirty

Former Head of the Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan; United States Ambassador to Nigeria, James F. Entwistle; wife of US Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Pamela G. Schmoll; and the U.S. Consul General, Francis John Bray, during the 240th anniversary of US Independence celebration held in Lagos, on Thursday.

to be accommodated, and yet they were being covered with the party’s blanket.

In a statement in Osogbo, the party’s spokesperson, Diran Odeyemi, stressed that “today, Buhari is keeping Femi Fani-Kayode, Esther Nenadi Usman in prison, Olisa Metuh almost lost his life in detention, Fayose, Omisore, are being trailed and despite huge evidences of graft against many serving governors elected on APC’s platform and many ministers and other political appointees of Buhari, the corruption ‘fighters’ would rather not touch them.

“Many petitions detailing sleaze ongoing in Osun State in the last five and a half years are unattended to at EFCC’s office.

“We implore Mr President to re-examine his anti-corruption fight and make it total, instead of the targeted attacks on PDP members to permanently silence opposition voices in the country.”

We won’t allow Nigeria’s stolen funds to be laundered through our banks —US UNITED States Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, has reaffirmed his country’s commitment to assist Nigeria fight corruption and ensure no stolen funds are laundered through its banking system.

Entwistle stated this at the

240th US Independence anniversary celebration cocktail party in Abuja.

“As you fight corruption, we offer technical assistance, training for investigators and prosecutors and a commitment to ensure that no stolen funds are laundered through our

banking system,” he said.

The envoy, while commending Nigeria for improving its business climate, called for expanded trade and investment, pledging the readiness of the United States to attract investors to develop Nigeria electricity sector.

“As you continue privatisation of the power grid, through President Barack Obama’s Power Africa initiative, we stand ready to help companies invest in building more electricity infrastructure, especially environmental-friendly power generation.

Forgery case: Court has vindicated us on AGF’s role —Senate Ayodele Adesanmi -Abuja THE Senate, on Sunday, said it had been vindicated

by Thursday’s ruling of Federal High Court in Abuja, over the forgery case instituted against its leadership by the Federal Government.

This was as it called on the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to address the issue of his personal interest in the case.

The Senate said Malami was a counsel for the aggrieved senators who decided to externalise the issue of election of the leadership of the upper chamber of the National Assembly, after they failed in their bid to get their preferred candidate elected.

In a statement, the Senate informed that Justice Gabriel Kolawole, in his ruling on the case, described the forgery case filed against its presiding officers as an abuse of court process and a decision taken against public interest.

Spokesman of the Senate, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, who signed the state-

ment, said the ruling by Justice Kolawole further confirmed that Mr Malami was acting personal script in filing the charges, while simply abusing his position as the nation’s chief law officer.

“When the Senate invited the AGF to come and throw light on the forgery case, it was not to challenge his right to file, take over or discontinue any criminal case but for him to explain the issues of conflict of interest, abuse of office, disrespect of a subsisting order of a court and violation of the principle of Separation of Powers which are being raised against him,” the statement read.

It added that “it should be noted that Malami’s name is still on the list of lawyers defending Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi and others in the Federal High Court. We invite all Nigerians, including those shouting over whether it was right for Senate to invite the AGF or not, to read the ruling of Justice Kolawole and conclude whether Malami is still fit to be AGF

in a government which canvasses change and rule of law.

“Our position as a lawmaking chamber is that the Office of AGF is a sensitive and strategic one, being the only other office in the executive arm apart from that of President and Vice-President to which the constitution specifically assigns some roles and powers.

“It must, therefore, be occupied by a sober, law abiding, brilliant, mature, broad-minded and less partisan lawyer. Mr Malami is

yet to convince us with his handling of this case that he possesses these attributes.

We call on him to respect the ruling of the court and to redeem the integrity of his office and admit his error by invoking his power under Section 174 (1) as noted in the ruling of the honourable judge,” the statement said.

It called on all parties to heed the advice of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar that “it is time to move on. Truly, Nigeria needs our collective energy to address the various challenges.”

Yinka Oladoyinbo -Lokoja

aloof and pretend not to be affected by the development in the state.

According to a statement signed by the chairman of ASUP, John Otaru; his secretary, Sunday Boluromi, the NASU chairman, Monica Salifu and the secretary, Matthew Oseya, members of the unions decided to delay the commencement of the strike to allow the students finish their examinations which they had already started.

Kogi poly ASUP, NASU join workers’ strike ACADEMIC and non-academic activities at the Kogi State Polytechnic have been paralysed, as the two unions in the institution, on Friday, joined the ongoing strike called by the organised labour in the state.

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), at a joint press conference, said they could not stand

“As you increase your commitment to healthcare and education, we will support those efforts too,” he said.

Entwistle said he was eager to see a deeper relationship between US and Nigeria that would bring freedom for all Nigerians.

“Not just the political freedom you exercised last year, but freedom from fear, freedom from want, freedom from sickness and freedom from corruption.

“The last election was tremendous democratic success, not only for Nigeria, but the growth of democracy across Africa.

“As you fight Boko Haram and secure and rebuild the North-East, and as you strive for harmony in the Niger Delta and across the land, we will continue to help in every appropriate way.

“Indeed, let us redouble our efforts on the humanitarian front in the NorthEast. Some Nigerians are dying of starvation,” he said.

According to him, the US had worked with the government of Nigeria on a number of issues, like elections, security, fighting infectious disease, and spurring broad based inclusive economic growth.

“The future of Nigeria belongs to the people of Nigeria. More specifically, it belongs to Nigeria’s heroes, to those men and women who are brave enough to believe that they can change the world,” he said.

12

businessnews

Monday, 4 July, 2016

Naira closes slightly stronger at N282.03 to dollar at interbank market Chima Nwokojji-Lagos

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HE Naira on Friday closed slightly stronger against the United States dollar as it traded 0-33 per cent stronger on the spot rate of N282.03 to the dollar.

This is against Thursday’s N282.97, but still lower than N281.23 to a dollar traded on Wednesday.

The Naira gained N4.733 to the British Pounds as it traded for N375.4772 to the Pounds Sterling on Friday against Thursday’s close of N380.2105.

It traded at N314.3983 to the Euro on Friday as against N314.1583 to the Euro which it closed at on Thursday and N42.3672 to the Chinese Yuan on Friday as against Thursday’s close of N42.5692 at the interbank market.

It continued to lose steam against the dollar at the parallel market, in spite of the new forex regime, but gained against the British pound.

Traders at the parallel market said the scarcity of the greenback had forced the naira to depreciate further, as the Nigerian currency lost N4 to exchange at N351, from N347 it traded on Wednesday, representing a depreciation of 1.14 per cent.

The Naira firmed against the pound sterling but weakened against the euro as it traded at N458 and N380, from N470 and N375 it exchanged on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s interbank overnight rate fell to 5 percent on Friday from 15 percent a week ago, as cash from maturing treasury bills and payments by the government to contractors helped boost liquidity.

The increased cash flow left the money market with a N267.10 billion surplus balance on Friday, reversing the N300 billion shortfall of a week ago and pushing down the cost of borrowing among commercial lenders.

“There was repayment of about N115.03 billion in matured treasury bills at the Open Market Opera-

and ease liquidity pressures, traders said.

Stakeholders said the expected release of capital spending by the federal government to re-inflate the economy should inject more cash into the money market in the coming days, which should impact positively on the interbank rate.

Meanwhile, analysts at

Cowry Assets Management Limited said over the weekend that latest data from Central Bank of Nigeria’s Purchasing Managers’ survey pointed to a likely recession for Nigeria as recent economic indicators confirmed pessimism amongst businesses and consumers alike. The Manufacturing sector’s composite PMI contracted to

41.9 index points in June 2016 (faster than 45.8 in the preceding month) as contraction in production level increased to 40.2 in June (from 47.9 in May).

Fortis microfinance bank’s assets hit N20bn Christian Okeke-Abuja

OsunState governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola; flanked by Executive Director, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr Lanre Adesanya (right) and former Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment and Sanitation, Hon. Bola Ilori, at the official presentation of highway managers’ uniforms to the governor at City Hall, Olonkoro, Oshogbo.

Stop selling tickets in dollars, NCAA warns foreign airlines Shola Adekola-Lagos

THE Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has issued out a serious warning to foreign airlines operating in Nigeria to stop selling tickets in ordering currencies.

In a statement issued by the regulatory body yesterday, the foreign carriers are warned to. Desist from the act which it described as a flagrant contravention of Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) prerequisite

IBEDC hosts SARPA workshop AS part of IBEDC’s leading strides in the power sector it hosted the South African Revenue Protection Agency (SARPA) in a knowledge sharing meeting on revenue protection strategies last week.

SARPA was founded in 1997 with the aim to promote exchange of information and finding solutions to the protection of income and assets among utility companies.

This year’s edition focused on some of these emerging issues plaguing the electricity distribution business.

The event which held at Jogor Centre, Ibadan, was attended by a host of dignitaries from the electricity sector and other relevant stakeholders in Nigeria.

In the opening remarks,

tions (OMO) on Thursday, while the release of an unspecified amount of cash payment to government contractors also boosted system liquidity,” one dealer said.

Many banks had approached the central bank’s discount window to borrow short-term cash penultimate week to enable them meet obligations

Mr Abimbola Odubiyi thanked everyone for their continued participation and support of the SARPA initiatives in the region.

Thereafter, he was confirmed as the Ag. Chairman of SARPA, replacing Mr John Abbas.

The Technical Advisor of SARPA, Mr Rens Bindeman, then went ahead to introduce the agenda for this year’s edition of the meeting, while emphasising on the strides SARPA had made in ensuring the growth of the utilities industry.

Presentations were made by Mr Udi Nsisak of PHED, Anton Fourie of AEDC and Mr Ola Ayodeji of IBEDC. These presentations covered key areas in the ongoing strategies at safeguarding the industry against energy theft.

guiding cost of products or services in Nigeria.

The NCAA referred to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) circular issued on 17th April, 2015, which directed that “Pricing of any product shall continue to be in Naira only and it is illegal to price or denominate the cost of any product or service (visible or invisible) in any foreign currency.”

The NCAA expressed worries by reports that some foreign airlines are declining to accept Nigeria’s local currency – the Naira as payment for tickets.

According to the regulatory body : “some foreign airlines have blatantly resorted to selling ticketsonly in foreign currency.

This act is considered insensitive to passengers who have elected on their own volition to choose the airlines for their travel.

“This is also contrary to the provisions of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and other countries as contained in Article 8 (4).

“As a consequence of this action, the regulatory authority has written warning letters to such erring airlines to immediately comply with the provisions of BASA and CBN directive. Sales of tickets and services should henceforth be offered to air travellers in Naira without further delay.

However, the Federal Government of Nigeria has taken measures to

ameliorate the subsisting foreign exchange issues.”

Why Nigerian poultry animal production must be research-driven —PAN DR Olugbenga Ogunwole of the Department of Animal Science, University of Ibadan, during a one-day workshop organised by the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) in Ibadan recently, said for the poultry and animal production sectors to fully boost the economy, create employment and ensure food security, they must be researchdriven.

The poultry sector, he said, is one of the sustainable and decent employers of labour in Nigeria, and has a predictable and high return on investment across the value chain of breeding, production, feeding production and supply chains.

Ogunwole, however, said challenges of the poultry production sector such as vagaries of weather, poor elasticity of production, high cost of poultry feeds and vaccination, poor production efficiency, sub-standard inputs and activities of quacks parading themselves as professionals, among others, had encumbered the growth of the sector and hence the economy.

On how the sector could boost the economy, especially in hard times as now, Ogunwole said affordable labour, high demand for eggs, poults and increasing demand for cheaper sources of protein as the population increases and urban dwellers surges were factors energizing the poultry industry to contribute to the local production, processing and utilization of the products.

As the way forward, he suggested four strategies to make the industry competitive. The sector, he emphasized, had to be effectively linked with research institutes and new technologies as obtainable in between the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Israeli poultry farmers.

Oyo State chairman of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Mr Olabanji Akanji, while talking on the theme, ‘Enhancing Nigerian Economy through Poultry,’ said poultry as an industry had great potential for revamping the Nigeria’s economy if given the needed attention by all stakeholders.

TOTAL assets of the leading financial institution, Fortis Microfinance Bank Plc, has hit N19.94 billion.

The financial institution’s total assets increased by 20 percent in 2015 from the N16.59 billion of 2014.

Also, the gross earnings of the bank increased by nine percent from N3.36 billion in 2014 to N3.65 billion in 2015 while its total deposit also increased by five per cent, crossing from N9.59 billion in 2014 to N10.03 billion in 2015.

This came as the bank became the first Microfinance Bank in the country, second in Africa and 16th in the world to secure the SMART Campaign revered Client Protection Principle (CPP) certification after a rigorous rating exercise by MicroRate, USA. The disclosures were made during the 2015 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the bank in Abuja where the chairman, Mr Felix Achibiri, disclosed that the total loans and advances increased by 19 per cent to N13.92 billion from N11.73 billion in 2014.

He stated that the Board of Directors of the bank approved a bonus share of one share for each ordinary share held by members of the company as at 31st December, 2015 and that the shareholders at the AGM accordingly ratified the resolution.

The chairman further stated that 2015 was a turning point in the corporate history of the bank as it secured the Central Bank of Nigeria’s license to become a National Microfinance Bank.

According to him, the Bank delved more into economic empowerment of women through its partnership with Support Multipurpose Cooperative where it was able to provide soft loans and social empowerment through group lending to over 300,000 women across 19 states of the federation.

Achibiri explained that with the leverage on the Mobile Money License through Fortis Mobile Money Limited, the bank deepened financial inclusion by taking banking to those at the hinterlands that were hitherto excluded.

13

editorial

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Monday, 4 July, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

The N90 billion bailout for states

HE Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, has announced that the Federal Government is initiating a N90 billion bailout fund for the states that are still in dire financial straits. The money is to be disbursed in two tranches. The initial N50 billion is to be released in three months and another N40 billion to be released in nine months.

It is to assist the states to balance their portfolios. In July 2015, the government spent between N250 and N300 billion as soft loans to the states to enable them to pay backlogs of salaries.

The states also enjoyed a debt relief programme designed by the Debt Management Office (DMO), which helped them to restructure their commercial loans of over N660 billion, extending the life span of the loans while reducing the states’ debt-servicing expenditure. Also, the Federal Government deferred up to N10.9 billion obligatory repayments due from states for April this year in respect of their restructured bailout loan obligations. These initiatives have however failed to pull the states out of distress. The current bailout is therefore the second time the Federal Government is intervening to assist debt-ridden states with money.

Unlike the initial bailout fund that was free of conditions or monitoring arrangement, the current bailout has come with some conditions. It is a loan that is fully repayable although it has a secure tie against future dividends, revenues and any amount that government might owe the states. The Federal Government has also barred banks in the country from giving loans to state governments in observance of the Fiscal Sustainability Plan (FSP) of the government. The loan is available but not compulsory.

The conditions that the states must meet in order to access the money include publishing audited annual financial statements within nine months of the financial year end, and complying with the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), including the use of standard IPSAS compliant software by state and local governments. Beneficiary states must also publish budget implementation performance report online quarterly, set realistic and achievable targets to improve independently generated revenue and observe a ratio of capital to recurrent expenditure; implement a centralised Treasury Single Account (TSA) and have quarterly financial reconciliation meetings with the Federal Government to cover VAT, PAYE remittances, refunds on government projects, Paris Club and other accounts.

They are to carry out biometric capture of all state civil servants to eliminate payroll fraud, establish efficiency unit and implement accountability and transparency measures such as system of continuous audit (internal audit), domesticate the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), maintain a credit rating and comply with the FRA and reporting obligations, including: not taking commercial bank loans, and routine submission of updated debt profile report to the DMO. The introduction of the conditions is a welcome development.

This is the case because many state governments did not utilise the first bailout fund for the agreed purpose. It will be recalled that a report by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) indicted most of the states for diverting the fund to other purposes and the governors resisted the attempt by the Federal Government to make an issue out of it. The reasoning behind the conditions is sound and valid. Many governors have failed to realize that the Federal Government, with a domestic debt of N5.53 trillion, is not in a position to bail the states out. They also fail to realize that the solution to the problem does not lie in the Federation Account. The governors must transform the states into centres of productive activities and not mere centres for receiving and distributing federation revenues to public servants. They must be able to raise revenue to provide and deliver quality services to the people.

We reiterate that the issues that have led to the current sorry state of affairs are yet to be appreciated let alone addressed by the governors. A good number of the governors are secondterm governors; they created the problem and are largely responsible for the current situation. They are yet to admit this and come to terms with the people. Until this is addressed, there is no guarantee that they will focus on expanding the revenue base of their states, let alone improving accountability and reducing corruption and waste of public fund in the states.

There is no evidence that the revenue situation will improve in the short run.

The revenue from the excess crude account and other similar funds for sharing can only provide a temporary relief. In the long run, the states will be forced to take drastic steps to deal with the situation but they will not succeed without responsible governance. So far only, five of the 36 states of the federation are reported to have met the conditions for accessing the N90 billion budget support loan facility. This should provoke sober reflections.

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14 LETTERS TO THE

Monday, 4 July, 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.

16 months after: Benefits of TSA

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HE Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy of the Federal Government partially commenced in February 2015 under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. It was, however, the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration that began its full implementation in September 2015, with the presidential directive to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) of the Federal Government.

Sixteen months after kick-off, the nation has derived numerous benefits from its implementation; for example, as at the last count, over N3 trillion of FG’s money has been saved into TSA. According to high-ranking officials of government, especially the Ministry of Finance and the Central

Bank of Nigeria (CBN), more than N3 trillion has been mopped up from the over 17,000 bank accounts formerly maintained by MDAs in commercial banks.

Also, government can now plan well for the people; a government unable to stay atop its finance can do little or nothing towards planning for its citizens as it ought to. Unlike in the past, the government is now aware of how much it has at any period, and can plan better for the citizenry, as it now has more funds to implement such plans.

Civil servants and bankers can no longer “chop” 10per cent and more of interest on government funds; while government earned zero percent interest rate on funds in commercial banks, top government, bank and other key officials were busy collect-

ing a minimum of 10per cent interests on these funds. This made them super-rich civil servants and employees with property sprawling all over the choicest parts of the country. Are you surprised that many of them with pitiable salaries could send four or more children to foreign schools at the same time?

Before TSA, all MDAs collected their budget allocations and stashed in their own names in dif-

ferent commercial banks.

This meant that while one MDA could have funds, another that did not have and needed money urgently had to borrow from commercial banks at ridiculous rates – almost always at over 20per cent interest!

Guess what? The funds lent to the MDA in need is from what another MDA has kept with the same bank. The cycle was endless, with the Federal Government being the only

loser. TSA has, however, brought an end to this sickening evil.

Government now has a single full control of all its funds at any point in time, since TSA is a case of government money in government bank, controlled by government people. Since the CBN cannot, in reality, become bankrupt like the commerical banks, government money is safe and can be monitored and accounted for all the time.

No one can carry out any transaction again behind the government. Now, government money is secure since all funds are kept with the CBN, which is the bankers’ bank, and also, government can earn more income owing to the increase in the channels through which payments can be made into the TSA. •Jubril Gawat, Jag_Bros@yahoo. com

As the new IGP takes over I want to congratulate the new Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, on his appointment to head the police force. With the appointment, comes many expectations from Nigerians.

The new police boss is coming at a time when the country is facing serious security challenges, particularly as a result of the economic situation the citizens are experiencing.

Today, we have issues like kidnapping, ritual killings, oil bunkering, rape of minors, among others.

The immediate past IGP, Mr Solomon Arase, gave his best, particularly by uniting officers and men of the Force. I hope the new IGP can learn from his predecessor.

I want Mr Idris to take the welfare of policemen as his priority. It is only when policemen are well motivated that they will give their best in the discharge of their duties.

Mr Idris should look at the promotion of deserving officers; Mr Arase tried his best by promoting many officers, and the new boss should not relent in promoting those who deserve to be promoted.

It is also important that police officers who trample upon the rights of citizens are punished with immediately. Mr Arase is just so good in this area, as he monitored the activities of his men through the newspapers. The former IGP learnt about the case of a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) who assaulted a female traffic warden in Ogun State through the newspapers, and he immediately called the state Commissioner of Police to probe the incident, and in the end, the DPO got demoted. There are also many other human rights abuses by the police, and Mr Arase wasted no time in dealing with such. I hope the new IGP can be as responsive as Mr Arase was.

There are policemen across the country who feel they are above the law, and they assault innocent citizens; I hope Mr Idris can give a stern warning to such policemen. Also, the police should be neutral as much as possible when it comes to politics.

Once again, I want to wish the new IGP a successful tenure in office.

•Imole Adeyemi, lighty2001@yahoo.com

N90billion bailout: In support of civil servants, retirees I want to reiterate what many Nigerians already know — things are tough for ordinary citizens in this country. Just last week, I saw a teacher in my son’s public school by the side of the road, and I suspected he was trekking home, so I beckoned on him to join me; I was on a commercial motorcycle, popularly called Okada, but he declined, saying he

wanted to see someone.

Later, I got to where I was going, and had to wait a while to see the person I had gone to see, and after some minutes, the teacher walked past; he was obviously walking home, and I instantly looked the other way so that he won’t be embarrassed.

Civil servants who have not been paid for several months are suffering, and

despite not being in support of state governors obtaining loan every now and then from the Federal Government, I hope the new N90billion loan will be used to offset the arrears of civil servants and retirees.

It is not a secret that many of our state governors are bad managers of financial resources, and it is as a result of this that I

want the Federal Government to monitor how the bailout fund will be disbursed.

The Federal Government should ensure that the fund is not used to pay contractors, but to settle the arrears of civil servants and retirees, and any government that diverts the fund should be punished.

•Idayat Kassim, id_kassim@gmail.com

15

opinion

Monday, 4 July, 2016

Lasisi Olagunju

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Lasgunju@yahoo.com (08111813053)

hings have really changed. Now, everywhere is quiet. We no longer have to worry about our neighbours’ noisy generators. They are no longer on. The roads are also fairly decongested. My neighbours have a roster of days their cars go out. In the month of Ramadan, you would think the machines are fasting too. And, it is not as if anything has changed in the way we used to live. It is just that the price of fuel has gone far beyond our reasonable reach. We are now a changed people, lovers of quietness. The overused generators now rest, day and night. We have now gotten used to finding our mouths in the dark, biting our fingers.

It is almost as it was in the stone-age village.

The village is in darkness too. But it is not always in darkness. It appreciates the Moon and the shame it casts on city life. The village used to be deserted, housing only the aged — male and female. Now, it is a beehive. The youths are everywhere, in clusters, from morning till sun down. They went to school in the city and are back, jobless. And, you would think they are farming, no. They are too fine to till the land. They are in the village because, at least, there is food there, grown by grandpa, prepared by grandma. They are there, sleeping, waking, sagging trousers, wearing long Afghanistan beards, bushy heads.

Daddy and Mummy are in the city — working without pay. Things have really changed.

Change is sweet, or, rather, bitter-sweet, like Madam Oluremi Obasanjo’s book of that title. You now work in government in the day and pray very hard at night. You need that prayer for God to enter the head of your governor to have mercy on you and agree to pay your salary at the end of the month. You need that prayer as you work and join cooperative societies to raise funds to pay school fees. You need that prayer so much as you put so much into the monthly contributions which you know is the only legitimate way your kids’ school fees can come. Now, you wake every morning with fears and trepidation. You wake up in the middle of the night invoking the Holy Spirit to intervene and make your governor agree to remit that thrifty contribution to the cooperative society so that your kids can continue schooling.

Again, you need that prayer so that universities here would

If I were you, I would go join the president’s party

accept that child you are withdrawing from school abroad because things have changed.

Things have really changed. There is no dull moment here. When and where there is no problem, we consciously create at least one. We used to read of warped women with two husbands. Now, it is possible for a state to have two governors. We saw it in Abia State last week.

And it is part of the change we see that both have judges queuing behind them. We may likely see more of this as we advance in our mastering of political engineering.

Too many new things happening in our public life. You would sit down and marvel at how ingenious we are as a people. Even when the law clearly tells us we are wrong, we remind the law that we created it to serve us and our whims. We whip the law into line - and it has, so far, been very obedient to our orders.

Some people are dreaming of changing the change. How is that possible? There are governorship elections coming up in Edo and Ondo states this year. I told a colleague in the PDP in February to wake up and stop daydreaming of his party contesting in both states. My friend won’t see what I have seen. The high priests that offered the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the All Peoples Party (APP) to the gods of destruction have finished eating the heart of the PDP. I wondered why my friend won’t see the very striking similarity in the fate befalling the PDP and what befell the AD and the APP. I advised him to go join President Muhammadu Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). Not APC. Not PDP. Not any of the other miserable contraptions disturbing the political space. My friend won’t listen. He wondered why I was so unnatural in thinking. And when the president spoke last

week that he would pay particular attention to the primaries coming up in Ondo State, I asked my friend to listen to the president very well. I reminded my friend that this president’s words are always few, very few — but deliberate. I told him, if I were in APC, I would, that moment, step back and use the president’s eyes to look at happenings in both states because this is not 2015 when Buhari was a follower. Roles have changed.

When a man is dazed or going blind, he starts seeing double, seeing things in twos. PDP has two national chairmen, two sets of state chairmen, two governorship candidates in Edo State, two governors in Abia State. Can you see the Nigeria of tomorrow in this PDP? Will there be two everything everywhere soon as things change and get unchanged to the people’s sorrow?

My PDP friend is actually a pastor. He believes so much that prayers can save his unpraying party. And, so he still won’t see that a lot has changed in his party, enough to convince anyone that only a miracle would put the party on the ballot in both states. His party is like Abia State; a woman with two brutal, obstinate husbands, tugging at her bosom. They have raped her finish. My friend won’t believe that his PDP is disfigured so much that its owners can barely recognise it in INEC’s archive.

Where is the way to go then? Fiery Sango may be crushing all reeds and trees on its line of fire, but it knows the scent of its favourite and nurtures it. So, if I were my friend, I would go join the president’s party. Members of the president’s party don’t have their calls entering voicemail. They don’t have mailer-daemon as replies to their emails. They are in government. They are also in power.

If I were you, I would, today, join the president’s party.

That is what reasonable people do because, again, this is not 2015, roles have changed, parties have changed too.

But my friend is a pastor, he won’t listen; he is still hopeful for a miracle that will raise his party from the morgue.

Towards enhancing security in Nigeria

By Gbade Ojo Nigeria is at a cross-road in terms of insecurity of lives and properties. The citizenry, both low and high, now live in perpetual fear of the unknown. Much as night movements bear high risks, daylight attacks and mass killings seem to be bringing Nigeria’s post-colonial state to its knees. More than anything else, the greatest obstacle to the nascent democracy is the pervasive insecurity of lives and properties as evidenced by the spate of armed robbery attacks, assassinations – both political and criminal homicide – ethnic and religious conflicts with the latest addition of the Fulani herdsmen spreading like bush fire coupled with the seemingly helplessness of the security agencies to handle irredentist claims by the ‘Biafrans’.

However, the increasing number of unemployed Nigerians, as a result of the financial crunch, seems to have made our youths ready recruits for criminal activities.

It is apposite to emphasise the fact that insecurity is not restricted to a region or clime of the world. Keen observers will agree with me that insecurity has assumed global dimension.

The world is gradually getting to the point of being at a crossroad too in terms of new waves of insecurity. Global citizens, both high and low, live in perpetual fear of the unknown. More than anything else, the greatest obstacle to global peace and tranquility is the pervasive insecurity of lives and properties as evidenced by the onslaughts of terrorists.

The focus here is a perception of Nigeria as an actor in the international system; more so that reasons for insecurity along with the magnitude may differ from one country to another.

One of the challenges faced by the security sector in the country is brazen corruption. While the primary responsibility of any government at whatever level and in all regions and climes of the world is security of lives and properties, it is sad to note that the Nigerian system is encumbered by corruption in all

ramifications and virtually all strata of the concerned agencies.

It is sad that insecurity borne out of corruption has become a cankerworm in Nigeria. Police officers and personnel could not be trained regularly while they lack operational vehicles. The irony of it all is that annually fat portion of the budget is allocated to both the military and the police. But such allocations are drained away almost immediately they are appropriated.

It is, however, imperative to cooperate with and commend the present Federal Government for being bold enough to take on corruption war head long. Undoubtedly, the levels of both technological and economic developments of the society have a kind of inverse relationship with security. Developed societies of the world fight insecurity with technology in contemporary times. If a society is backward, it becomes pretty difficult to fight crime and corruption. Insurgents, freedom fighters and miscreants have gone hi-tech to the extent that without technology the state may be incapacitated confronting them.

Also, contemporary Nigeria is a plural and deeply divided society with well over 300 ethnic groups. Some of the ethnic conglomerates are far larger than some West African countries.

The snag, however, is that the ethnic matrix in Nigeria is so unique that it has created unique problems unknown to the experience of other people in the world. A scholar, Onwujeogwu noted that ‘no Western or Eastern civilisation has ever evolved a political system that has ever coped with these gigantic problems of hyper-ethnic instability syndrome!

It is ludicrous to note that hate speeches by politicians are no doubt an incitement to the citizenry against one another. This is another veritable source of security challenge. If we are not our brothers’ keepers, we shall be compounding the challenge of insecurity in the country. Hate speeches are capable of inciting members of the public to violence and ethnic disharmony the emergence of social media is not helping matters too as it is

so abused to the detriment of national integration.

It is not sufficient to identify the challenges of security without as a matter of duty proffering a number of panaceas to the problem. To start with, the current number of policemen vis-à-vis national population is nothing to write home about.

Though, Federal Government is making efforts to recruit additional 10,000 men and officers into the Nigeria Police, but this is tokenism as the total figure after recruitment may still be infinitesimal!

The UN recommendation of the ratio of the number of citizens to a policeman is attainable. Federal Government should perhaps double the number of new recruits so that the stress on the Police as it is now may be reduced. Be that as it may, the police are in need of motivation for the organisation to be effective. The current situation of police stations and military barracks across the country should be improved upon while something positive should happen to their condition of service such as: life assurance policy, timely payment of death gratuity and pensions.

Furthermore, the media too, both print and electronic, are required to play positive roles by engaging in developmental journalism. How? In a plural and deeply divided society like Nigeria, the media should downplay centrifugal tendencies to hasten the process of national integration.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is a veritable avenue to enlighten the youth on the imperatives of national security. Security agencies may have to develop tips for the young graduates on personal and community safety. This may be coupled with social welfare programmes by all tiers of government. An idle hand is the devil’s workshop so they say. Keeping able bodied people busy could dissuade them from becoming security risks.

•Dr Ojo is the Chief of Staff to the Oyo State Governor.

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politicscommentary

Monday, 4 July, 2016

Buhari and a template for real change

By Femi Mimiko

I

closed my more recent intervention on the Nigerian situation in the media a little above one year ago on the note that the omens were bad. It doesn’t require expertise of any kind to know that the situation today is much more challenging than it was then, and arguably more than it had ever been in the history of the country. The economic stress that a preponderance of Nigerians are going through today is much more than we had seen in several years. The country is much more divided now than at any other time in its recent history. Desires for secession, always conveyed in hushed tones since the end of the Civil War, are now proclaimed from the rooftops, with all manner of makeshift currency designs circulating on the Internet. Human lives have suddenly come so cheaply in the hands of marauding gangs operating with impunity across the land. Most of the state governments are locked up in a salary logjam that is nothing if not a clarion call on us to rethink the future of our State and society. The attendant desperation on the part of folks across the country that are owed salaries for months is unspeakable.

A good percentage of the population believe, either correctly or otherwise, that it has been left out by the incumbent government – essentially by the nature of the latter’s rhetoric or posturing, but also, in not a few instances, by its acts and policies. The huge political capital with which President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) breezed into office about a year ago is greatly eroded. Its most advertised programme of corruption-fight is greatly diminished by what increasingly has become a circus show, seen by many as a veritable platform for vendetta.

Ever factitious, the political elite, including those in the ruling coalition, are either at each other’s throat or seething with anger and angling for an opportunity to do each other in. In the context of the ‘fantastically corrupt’ faux pas of David Cameron, I do not really know if the global profile of Nigeria is any better than what it had been. If anything, the country’s characterisation in more scholarly narratives as a fragile state is

Buhari now settled. The unraveling of such a state, at any time, does not come as a surprise to anybody. Most importantly, the youth of the country that should ordinarily be its most important resource base, is completely disoriented and knocked down. The mediocrity that most of them spew on social media platforms is a roaring testimonial to the disaster that lies ahead for the nation if some focused intervention to improve on their overall capacity for critical thinking and great visioning is not quickly undertaken.

Yet, all is not lost. On a professional trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, several years ago, I was awed by how great hotels lined up the Waikiki beach, and the attendant swinging tourist economy that goes with all of that. l also noticed that there is nothing in the natural landscape of Waikiki that we could not get from our own countless beaches, emblematising the fact that what basic raw ingredients we need to build a modern economy of happy and motivated people exist here in abundance. There is nothing that is required to turn around the hand of Nigeria’s clock that is not readily available within Nigeria. What we lack, evidently, is the will and right attitude to get things done. The big question is, where do we go from here? I propose that if we agree to take at least three critical steps, Nigeria would witness a turnaround that could make it the basis of pride for all Nigerians, all

Africans and indeed, the African Diaspora too. It would rapidly become a reference as to how a uniquely dynamic, but largely misgoverned people could pull back from the precipice, and give a new meaning to national development possibilities.

I opt to be charitable that warts and all, if this government is willing to move as appropriate, it could call up the requisite elements to make it the driver of this change process. I talk here of real change, not change in the context of what was latched onto to win election in 2015, the type that we are also now seeing in motion in the Brexit disaster that an inattentive electorate has carelessly imposed on the global political economy. It is apposite to

Extant voyage of campaign-after-election is quite distracting.

So also damaging of national unity is what I call the ‘Buhari Doctrine of Justifiable Exclusion

understand the dynamics playing out here for proper context vis a vis the first critical step that Nigeria must take.

If the truth must be told, and without any attempt to diminish the main contradictions underpinning such subnational agitations as are currently wracking the country, the President has not done enough to bring the country together after the very divisive 2015 election. I pointed this out before. There was an appropriate route to take after his victory and the graceful manner in which his predecessor conceded defeat.

It was for Mr President to put a lid on all politicking, call to order his key aides adept at permanent campaign, rally the entire nation, and set at the task of national integration. That would not have stopped him from prosecuting those who committed infractions under the previous regimes. Extant voyage of campaignafter-election is quite distracting. So also damaging of national unity is what I call the ‘Buhari Doctrine of Justifiable Exclusion.’ This is the Doctrine under which the President, rather curiously, tried to provide a philosophical basis in his 95% vs 5% electorate rule, for putting together a kitchen cabinet that is as noninclusive as they come. This has created a strong basis for alienation, particularly of the Igbo that were completely left Continues on pg30

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Monday, 4 July, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

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

analysis

entrepreneuership

markets

leadership & management

After a period of trial and error, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) finally settled for the option of currency floatation in view of fast dwindling foreign reserves.

While this holds no guarantee of succour, analysts and businesses are taking a wait-and-see stance.

However, persistent opposition to any policy likely to weaken the value of naira by President Muhammadu Buhari may further erode any hope of early gains.

SANYA ADEJOKUN looks at the issues at stake.

I

N February 2016, a basket of tomatoes sold for N1,000 at the Deidei Market in Abuja. Just two months later, the same basket was selling for N45,000 at the same market, leading to a huge outcry in the land. What happened was that by late February, a disease known as Tuta absoluta ravaged farms in Kano, Kaduna and Lagos, destroying tomato crop. Incidentally, those three states supply tomatoes during that season of the year in Nigeria. Few months after, it was the turn of other states to supply the commodity and since there was no hindrance such calamity in the states, harvest was plentiful and prices fell. It is a simple rule of demand and supply. Emotions hardly have any useful role to play except to hike anxiety and push prices further up when supply is scarce because of panic buying that will result.

Largely, this is the same scenario with currency exchange or foreign exchange market. The simple rule of demand and supply applies. Terms of trade and balance of trade are essential principles determining how a currency fares in relation with other international currencies. When a country produces abundant goods for export and prices of those goods and services are attractive internationally, there is bound to be generous repatriation of foreign currency within the central bank as foreign reserves and generally in the economy. And if within that economy, there is less demand for foreign currency relative to supply, the local currency consequently appreciates in value.

Simple as that.

Currencies rise and fall based upon the performance of the local economy and the sentiment of investors. If a currency is in vogue, speculators can push its value to excessively high levels. If it goes out of fashion, it could fall to extremely low levels.

However, sharp movements in a currency can have significant consequences for the economy.

Other factors determining exchange rate include: differentials in inflation between economies; differentials in interest rates (interest rates, inflation and exchange rates are all highly correlated. Central banks exert influence over both inflation and exchange rates by manipulating interest rates, while changing interest rates impact inflation and currency values); current-account deficits; public debt political stability and economic performance.

Nonetheless, when they can get away with it, governments are tempted to inflate the currency because it provides a short-term

Naira floatation gains recede with Buhari’s scepticism economic boost as companies charge more for their products and it also reduces the value of the government bonds issued in the inflated currency and owned by investors.

On the flip side, while inflated money feels good for a while, especially for investors who see corporate profits and share prices shooting up, long-term impact is an erosion of value across the board. Savings become worthless by punishing savers and bond buyers although it is good news for debtors, because they now have to pay less value to retire their debts. This thus makes borrowing more attractive, but interest rates soon shoot up to take away that attraction. These were all signs that Nigeria’s economy have been witnessing for some time.

In real terms, Nigeria has never been bold enough to allow the naira to freely compete among its peers in the market place and find its level (not that there is a country that ever fully does that anyway). Naira value has always been fixed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) supposedly based on a metallic standard requiring International Monetary Fund to look over current account imbalances. However, huge foreign exchange

shortfalls and fast deeply depleting reserves left CBN with no option than to introduce floatation, which is ultimately hoped, will moderate forex demands, reduce appetite for foreign goods and force a re-orientation towards exports.

To be sure, the jury is still sitting on whether currency flotation regime is more desirous than the fixed regime. What a country will adopt depends largely on prevailing circumstances.

Among ordinary citizens, there is a sentimental or nationalistic attachment to currencies and its values. Many see currency valuation as a direct correlation to the wellbeing of the economy. Incidentally, modern nations deliberately undervalue their currencies in what is described as currency war as a way of promoting export. Thus, an exporting nation will desire weak currency while it will be in the interest of an importing country to have a strong currency.

In the case of Nigeria, although it is an importing nation, the fact that there is economic crisis coupled with determination of government to discourage importation make weakening the currency a desirable option.

President Muhammau Buhari, like most ordinary Nigerians, desires a strong naira. In 1984 when he was a military Head of State, he refused to allow a devaluation of the naira even though the currency had considerably depreciated. The result was that central bank was subsidising importers at the expense of majority of Nigerians. Again after he was elected President, Buhari has not hidden his abhorrence for a weak currency, arguing that it pauperises the citizens. O numerous occasions, he declared that he was yet to be convinced by proponents of devaluation.

Despite his non-conviction however, common sense forced CBN to introduce a floating currency regime and so, both CBN and Aso Rock can claim the naira was not devalued but depreciated by market forces.

What remains now is then to enjoy the benefits accruing therefrom.

To be sure, many still believe that at N282 per dollar, naira actually has gained appreciation in the market. This is because while CBN pegged the currency value at N199 per dollar, majority of Nigerians got it at N370 per dollar at the parallel market from where majority made their transactions. Even banks were selling far above this threshold.

The case of Nigeria’s economy became particularly worrisome as foreign investors- both real and portfolio- took a flight with the country, which was number one investment destination in Africa receded to number four within two years. Investors continued to lose billions daily on the floor of Nigerian Stock Exchange without hope of recovery. Businesses were laying off workers thus compounding already intolerably high unemployment rate. Poverty indices also continued to rise and there was general despondency among citizens.

Upon all these, there were indications that plans by government to float international bonds needed to service inherent budget deficit may not be successful given the downgrade of the economy by rating agencies.

Introduction of the floating regime was thus widely acclaimed by businesses internationally because of its transparency and guarantee but most investors are still taking the cautious wait and see attitude.

However, President Buhari still seem angry at the situation of the naira. Speaking at the Ramadan breaking of fast with members of the business community on Monday, June 27 in Abuja, Buhari expressed indignation at the current rate of the naira to the dollar.

He lamented what he called “the ruthless devaluation of naira”, saying that he was yet to be convinced about the economic benefits of the exercise.

“How much benefits have we derived from naira devaluation in the past? I don’t like the returns I get from the CBN because that coupled with the demand that let us devalue the naira. In August 1985, the naira was N1.3k to a dollar, now you need N300 or N350 to a dollar. What do we derive from that, how much benefit can we derive from this ruthless devaluation of the naira? I’m not an economist neither a businessman, I fail to appreciate the economic explanation. What has happened to us now is that we have maneuvered ourselves into a mono-economy which led to the collapse we are seeing now.

The President gave the assurance that Nigeria would soon become self-sufficient in rice production within 18 months, adding that 13 states of the federation had been identified for the production of the crop.

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Monday, 4 July, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

with Kehinde Akinseyinde-Jayeoba m: 08057336640 e: kehinde_07@yahoo.com

Govt policy drives stocks market to 3.3% in 6 months Stories by Kehinde Akinseinde-Jayeoba -Lagos

T

RADING on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) for the first half of the year 2016 closed on a slight gain of 3.3 per cent as the market capitalisation gained N314 billion within the six-month period, as analyst predicted that the Nigerian Bourse would experience a lift from the lull associated with it in the year 2015.

Last year, against projections, the Nigerian stock market closed with a negative full-year average return of -17.36 per cent, this implied a loss of N1.63 trillion in 2015, a trajectory loss of N3.38 trillion in the past two years, nearly a quarter of their market value of N13.226 trillion recorded at the beginning of the period, while ASI closed at 28,642.25 points as against its opening index of 34,657.15 points.

The All Share Index (ASI), the benchmark index that tracks prices of all quoted equities, indicated a negative full-year average return of -17.36 per cent. The ASI is a value-based common index that tracks prices of all quoted companies on the NSE. It is also Nigeria’s sovereign equity index as the barometer to measure the performance of the Nigerian investment market within a given period.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) AllShare Index (ASI) closed at 29,597.79 on the last day of June, up from 28,642.25 at which it opened 2016. Market capitalisation added N314 billion, rising from N9.851 billion to close at N10.165 trillion. Last two weeks gain drove the market northward despite the flips that had been associated with stocks trading from the beginning of the year, attributed to different economic stances ranging from uncertainty in the economic direction as regards to delay in the 2016 budget, policy flip flops, exchange rate uncertainty, to accounts of profit taking by quoted companies on the exchange.

The market rebounded two weeks back following the new forex, policy bringing the year-to-date (YTD) growth to the positive territory. Analysts said but for the rebound the market recorded recently following positive reactions to the new flexible foreign exchange policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the market would have ended the first half on negative note just last like last year. A six-month analysis of the first half showed that the market benefited from the newly introduced market determined foreign rate policy which was a boots to investor confidence.

This lift in the market was adjudged the most rise stocks in the world by Bloomberg.

“Volumes in the equity market have gone from about $8 million a day last week to more than $20 million. It’s a big increase, but it’s not all new foreign money coming in.

A lot of the rally is down to local money being switched from the bond market to stocks,” Bloomberg had quoted Chris Becker, an analyst at Investec from Johannesburg.

Analysts, while reacting to the development in the Nigerian Capital market, how-

ever, noted that the future holds brighter prospects. “In the immediate, while we expect the ongoing optimism regarding a possible shift to a market-determined

exchange rate regime to support market performance. We see the impacts of these events on market performance. However, in the medium to longer term, we see im-

President Muhammadu Buhari with Oscar Onyema, Chief Executive Officer, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) at breaking of fast with the President at Presidential Villa, recently.

proved performance on the back of efficiency gains from an expansionary fiscal policy leading to improvement in aggregate demand,” analyst at InvestmentOne said.

Market operators, however remained optimistic that while the recent efforts of the government to salvage the economy may not translate into a sharp swing in the tide of things in the short-term due to huge confidence deficit impeding in the system, analysts anticipate that the overall impact of policy actions would be positive for the economy in the medium to long term.

According to analysts at Afrinvest Securities Limited, the second half of the year 2016 would be positive with the quantum of reforms that have been introduced over the last six months. “The economy is gradually shifting towards market based system in the allocation of scarce resources given the liberalisation of the downstream oil and gas sector and the introduction of flexibility in the foreign exchange market.

In addition, the implementation of the 2016 budget, which is meant to reflate the economy and set it on a growth path, is one of the recovery catalysts we envision for H2:2016.”

Oando bounces back from loss with N4.1bn PAT

OANDO Plc, Nigeria’s leading indigenous energy group listed on both the Nigerian and Johannesburg Stock Exchange, today announced unaudited results for the three months period ended 31 March, 2016.

The results were delayed due to an exhaustive audit process overseen by external auditors, Ernst & Young, and extension approvals were sought and received by Oando from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Reporting Council (FRC).

Investors will be buoyed by a Profit-AfterTax increase of N4.1 billion, a 120 per cent increase compared to Q1 2015 figures. The company’s financial highlights also indicate that turnover decreased by 34 per cent, with N64.0 billion realised compared to N97.1 billion for the same period last year.

Global crude pricing fluctuation has changed the corporate landscape for oil companies, and has had far-reaching economic implications on Oando and many other indigenous firms in the industry.

The company’s Q1 results are a welcome contrast for investors and shareholders alike following Oando’s dismal 2015 financial performance which was significantly impacted by impairments and foreign exchange pressures.

Commenting in a statement issued by the company, Mr Wale Tinubu, Group Chief Executive, Oando PLC highlighted the company’s drive to ensure profitability going forward: “This first quarter of 2016 demonstrates our dedication to return our business to profitability by the end of the 2016. We have implemented constructive corporate initiatives which are driving forces for our business in this new global reality of economic restraint and lower oil prices in our industry. The successful and ongoing imple-

mentation of these initiatives reiterates our strategy of Growth, Deleverage and a return to Profitability by the end of 2016.

As a group we have placed our focus on growing our upstream higher margined business while still holding fundamental interests in the midstream and downstream sectors. We look forward to a rewarding year, where we solidify our aspirations and return to profitability.”

As oil prices gradually increased, Oando commenced 2016 with a reinvigorated strategy hinged on key corporate initiatives to drive the company back to profitability and ensure fiscal efficacy. To optimise its balance sheet the company focused on aggressive debt reduction and recapitalisation.

The Group successfully restructured its existing debt through a N94.6 billion Medium Term Note with a local consortium with lower interest rates and a renewed five year tenor. Its upstream subsidiary, Oando Energy Resources (OER), completed its 2015 year-end summary of reserves recording a 6 percent growth in 2P net reserves from 420.3 mmboe to 445.3 mmboe. The increase is attributed to the recognition of reserves related with producible oil and gas volumes 2C Resources also increased by 70 per cent from 122mmboe to 208mmboe.

In the midstream, Oando Gas & Power (OGP) maintained its legacy of building successful pipeline businesses, generating returns and transferring on operatorship. The company successfully concluded the divestment of the Akute Independent Power Plant, a 12.15MW power station servicing the Lagos State Water Corporation.

OGP also signed a development agreement with TVER/ Micro LNG to develop a 20 mmscf/d Mini LNG plant in Ajaokuta, Kogi

State, which will service a 1,000km radius in the Northern and Central regions of Nigeria.

The facility is expected to commence operations in Q2 2017.

Oando Downstream agreed on the terms for the sale of a N70.5 billion partial divestment to Vitol, the world’s largest commodities trader and Helios Investments Partners, a premier West African focused private equity firm. This alliance serves as a testament of Oando’s legacy of building a successful downstream giant and a rejuvenation of Nigeria’s downstream sector through operational efficiencies and economies of scale.

Oando PLC GCE, Mr Tinubu, said “2015 remained a turbulent year for the global oil and gas industry as traditional energy business operations had to be altered to enable industry players survive this new reality, utilising cost optimisation systems, increased operational efficiency as well as downscaled capex budgets.

This re-evaluation of our business has resulted in the execution of strategic initiatives, which we are confident will return our business to profitability in the short-term in 2016. As the global economy returns to normalcy we remain committed in our drive to building platforms for long term sustained value creating businesses”.

In spite of the numerous challenges, Oando made significant achievements across the value chain in 2015. OER increased its total production to 20 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe) in the period compared with 9.1 mmboe in 2014.

The increase between the annual periods was primarily from the acquisition of OMLs 60 – 63 in H2 2014, as well as the commencement of production from the QuaIboe field in Q1 2015.

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Monday, 4 July, 2016

DR Femi Oyetunji, CEO/GMD, Continental-Re

The 60-second

Quote

business

LEADERSHIP

“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.

The last is to say thank you.

In between, the leader is a servant.”

— Max DePree

coach PAGE 24

PAGE 24

Leaders’

forum PAGE 24

How leaders thrive in trying times

By Sulaimon Olanrewaju

L

IFE is in seasons and stages; sometimes life seems to be on a rollercoaster, at other times it is topsy-turvy. Individuals, families, organizations and

nations undergo trying times at different phases of their existence. The difference between those who are overwhelmed by difficult times and those who ride on the waves of the difficulties to greater heights is the handling of the times. Tough times

are not designed to kill or destroy neither are they supposed to cripple or impair; they are intended to bring out the best in the individual, the organization or the nation. Difficult times should serve as a springboard to make the creative leader soar to

a new realm. Rudy Giuliani, Mayor of New York when fundamentalists bombed the city on September 11, 2001, knew this and deployed it to become a hero.

Continues on pg20

20

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Monday, 4 July, 2016

leadership&management The powerful and the forceful

THE 60-SECOND business coach

Guidance into great leadership that the task ahead is not beyond their capacity. This is all the stimulus that is needed for the people to change the tide in favour of the organization.

A good leader does not lead from the rear; he stays in front of the people to give direction. By rolling up his sleeves to lead the effort to right what is wrong, he instills confidence in his people and synergy is developed. With synergy, little becomes much and the seemingly insurmountable becomes achievable.

Continues from pg19

Giuliani and September 11 crisis Before the September 11, 2001, Giuliani’s popularity had sagged because his seven years as Mayor of New York City had been largely uneventful. He was in his last year in office when terrorists attacked the World Trade Centre in the city.

While the president was tottering and largely undecided about what to immediately do, Giuliani wasted no time springing into action and taking charge of the situation. He coordinated the response of various departments, while also organizing the support of state and federal governments for the affected site.

He gave direction and provided leadership when the city was in crisis and turmoil. His handling of the disaster became the defining moment of his public service career as it revived his waning rating among the city’s residents.

Giuliani had arrived the scene a few minutes after the second plane crash and he immediately took charge of the rescue operations which resulted in saving no fewer than 20,000 lives. Rather than leaving the people despondent, the Mayor gave them hope. He had said, as his response to the debilitating attack on the city, “Tomorrow, New York is going to be here.

And we’re going to rebuild, and we’re going to be stronger than we were before... I want the people of New York to be an example to the rest of the country, and the rest of the world, that terrorism can’t stop us.”

He was hailed by many for the way he handled the crisis. Six weeks after the attacks, Giuliani’s approval rating among New York City voters stood at 79 per cent, a great leap over the 36 per cent received a year earlier. This was later reinforced as he was named Time Person of the Year 2001 on December 24 of that year by the Time Magazine Giuliani’s decision to stand firm and strong in tough times and his refusal to be cowed by difficulties was the turning point of his career in public service. From a lackluster and unpopular city mayor in 2001, he became a national figure who attempted to run for the office of the president.

For a leader who does not get bowed by the bad times, the sky is the limit.

What to do in trying times Leaders adopt several strategies to weather tough times. These are some of them.

Define the problem

Have a clearly defined mission The leader must not allow the current crisis and the exigencies of the moment to take his eyes off the mission. He must consistently go back to the mission and match up every action with the mission. He must not cease to ask himself if the steps being taken are leading the organization towards the actualization of its mission or steering it away from this. The mission must not be sacrificed on the altar of momentary succour. The leader should realize that there will always be emergencies but emergencies are transient, while the mission, the organization’s driving force, is perpetual. To jettison the mission for an emergency is to destroy the future of the organization. What is the worth of an organization without a future?

Dr Anthony Anuforom, Director General CEO of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) The first and most critical step to take when the situation runs contrary to expectation is to define the problem. What exactly is the problem? What challenges is the organization facing? Is it a cash flow issue? Is it a reduction in market share? Is it a leakage in the system? Is it a production problem?

Is it a marketing challenge? Is it an unfavourable government policy?

Is it a personnel problem? Until the problem is properly defined, solution will remain elusive. Operating under the umbrella of “Things are bad” does not give specificity to the problem and until the problem is pinpointed, the energy and inspiration to seek the appropriate

Leadership is about modeling, that is why leaders who exemplify what is right get the commitment of the people than those who do not.

Dr Enase Okonedo, Dean, Lagos Business School solution will hang in the air.

Analyse the problem For a leader who is determined to get his people out of a rut, the next thing to do after defining and identifying the problem is to analyze the situation. How did we get into this state? Is it something we could have avoided? How do we prevent a repeat of this? What effect would this have on our operations? How does it affect our cash flow? How does it affect our relationships with our publics? How do we move on from here? Has this happened to similar organizations in the past?

How did they get out of it? What strategy do we deploy? Is it something we can sort out immediately?

Do we need outside help or do we rely on our personnel to solve this problem?

Asking the right questions will lead the organization in the right direction. Without asking the right questions and answering them sincerely, the organization would just be going in circles.

Take responsibility The leader should also take responsibility. He should come to the understanding that whether or not the situation would change is a function of what he does and what he chooses not to do. The

Nike Akande, President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry

leader should say to himself, “If things would change, it is up to me.” He should refrain from apportioning blames unless it is very critical to getting out of the situation. Even at that, he should do so sparingly so that he does not send a wrong signal to the team. According to

Jim Ovia, Chairman, Zenith Bank John Maxwell, a good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit.

A leader should demonstrate readiness to lead the effort to tackle the problem. By so doing, he communicates to the rest of the team

Keep hope alive In times of crisis, people need hope; they are hungry for something to believe. They want an assurance that things would get better.

They want to know that their problems would be solved. They want to be assured that their future is secure. So, they look up to their leaders because they believe that they are the source of hope. As a matter of fact, leaders are merchants of hope. One of their basic responsibilities is to dispense hope to their people.

Hope provides the energy that keeps the

BOOK

The Fred Factor: How passion in your work and life can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary IN his powerful book The Fred Factor, motivational speaker Mark Sanborn recounts the true story of Fred, the mail carrier who passionately loves his job and who genuinely cares about the people he serves.

Because of that, he is constantly going the extra mile handling the mail - and sometimes watching over the houses - of the people on his route, treating everyone he meets as a friend. Where others might see delivering mail as monotonous or drudgery, Fred sees an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those he serves.

We’ve all encountered people like Fred in our lives. In The Fred Factor, Mark Sanborn illuminates the simple steps each of us can take to transform our own lives from the ordinary - into the extraordinary.

Sanborn, through stories about Fred and others like him, reveals the four basic prin-

ciples that will help us bring fresh energy and creativity to our life and work: how to make a real difference every day, how to become more successful by building strong relationships, how to create real value for others without spending a penny, and how to constantly reinvent yourself.

By following these principles, and by learning from and teaching other “Freds,” you, too, can excel in your career and make your life extraordinary.

As Mark Sanborn makes clear, each of us has the potential be a Fred. The Fred Factor shows you how.

Who has made the biggest difference in your life? Whose words and actions have uplifted and motivated you to excel?

Chances are it was someone like Fred the postman -- so outstanding in his

service that Mark Sanborn realized this mail carrier could be an example for any person wanting to be extraordinary.

The “Fred factor” is summarized by four principles that will release fresh energy, enthusiasm, and creativity in your career and life: Make a Difference, Build Relationships, Create Value and Reinvent Yourself.

You, too, can apply The Fred Factor to enrich the lives of customers, co-workers, friends, and family members, as well as reach new levels of personal success yourself. Sanborn also shows how to discover and develop other “Freds.

Why not become a “Fred” yourself? You will turn the ordinary moments of life into extraordinary opportunities to make a difference in the world.

people on the go; it builds self-confidence in them and enhances their self-esteem. When hope is lost, all is gone.

So, a leader must never fail to dish out hope to the people and this becomes quite important when things turn awry.

Communicate effectively During a crisis, great leaders communicate with the people. Communication is essential because the people would want to know what is going on so that they can be sure of what steps to take.

But during crises a leader does not just communicate to inform, he communicates to transform. Therefore, the message to the people should be couched in such a way that those affected can take positive actions based on it. Without taking actions, nothing changes. So, a leader should communicate in a way to provoke the right action that would take the organization out of the woods.

Make hard decisions but be humane For things to change a leader must make the right decisions. That things have gone out of kilter is an indication that at a point, either the organization made a wrong decision or failed to make the appropriate decision.

Therefore, for the trend to be reversed, the right decisions have to be made. This may mean that some people would be adversely affected by such decisions but what has to be done should be done so that the company can get better.

However, a leader should never cease to be humane. Courage in leadership should be balanced by care for the people. A leader should always be caring. So, decisions should not be taken in a way that would subject the people to unnecessary hardship. Without people, leadership loses its heart.

By Jeff Boss 1. Invest in others and invest in yourself.

Professional development is critical to developing as a professional, and there are two pain points that leaders face when it comes to managing talent: engagement and retention. A recent study by Better Buys showed that employees are 15 per cent more engaged at work when there are professional development programmes available, and with higher engagement rates come higher productivity rates. If that little fun fact isn’t fun about professional development and employee engagement isn’t enough, here are three more: • There’s an 87 per cent higher retention rate when professional development opportunities exist and low engagement is a factor.

• When disengagement is a concern but people still have access to professional development opportunities, 28 per cent say they’ll stay another five years.

• When employees are disengaged and don’t have access to such opportunities, only 15 per cent claim they will stay another five years.

Why is this important? Because turnover prevents knowledge from being institutionalized and without a shared awareness about historical successes and failures there will be duplicative efforts and wasted costs.

The takeaway: When engagement is lacking, professional development opportunities make a significant impact on retention.

2. People drive culture, culture drives performance.

The single greatest challenge for CEOs in 2016, according to the Conference Board, is talent.

Specifically, attaining, training and retaining top talent that keeps their company at the top of its game. After all, human capital is the fuel that drives organizations, and without the capacity to get ahead, your company falls behind— at best.

It’s no secret that when people have room to grow they’re more likely to keep growing. Momentum has a funny way of continuing to evolve, and professional development is no different.

3. Focus on yourself.

There’s a difference between being alone and being lonely. Having a little “me” time doesn’t make you selfish. In fact, giving your brain time and space to think is exactly what keeps you at the innovative edge. The human brain is a muscle, and just like every other muscle in the body, it needs time to rest and recover.

Sleep is one way, yes, but, just as you wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) eat all your fats (or carbs or proteins) for the day in one sitting, you shouldn’t rely on sleep as the only time to give your brain a chance to recharge. Take five to 10 minutes during the day to sit back and think. All the research on meditation and mindfulness can’t be wrong.

4. Focus on others.

Get away from ‘me’ and get into ‘we’. This means sharing knowledge so people have the opportunity to make decisions and act for themselves, thereby freeing up your time.

I’ve said before that nothing gets accomplished in this world without relationships, and you build relationships by focusing on how to help others.

5. Hold yourself accountable.

Ever noticed how it’s easier to keep promises to other people but harder to keep them to yourself? It’s much more tempting to hit the snooze button another seven or eight times despite telling yourself you wouldn’t the night before. However, the best thing you can do to build character and personal integrity is to keep the promises you make to yourself.

When you do this, others see it and they see you for who you are: a person of promise–who delivers.

And holding yourself accountable is the precursor to holding others accountable.

6. Hold others accountable.

People admire others whom they trust and respect, and when they see you holding yourself accountable then they’re much more inclined to listen to you when you hold them accountable. Why? Because they know you wouldn’t ask anything of them that you wouldn’t ask of yourself.

At the same time, when you hold others accountable they know where they stand with you. They know they need to either deliver or not deliver and be held accountable. Which one produces the results you want?

Furthermore, accountability stems from clarity.

7. Over communicate, or under deliver.

Nobody has ever suffered from too much clarity. The inverse, however, is not true: a lack of clarity in the form of roles, responsibilities or expectations, for instance, creates unexpected change—chaos—which adds unnecessary gray hairs that we can all do without. Be precise in your language when you communicate. The who, what, when, where, why and how of the message are important, but equally critical is the language in which they’re conveyed.

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leadership&management

Monday, 4 July, 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

Of choir robes and Hijabs: The stupidity of religionism

RELIGIONISM is stupid. And I mean that for any religion.

Yes you heard me. Stupid. Dumb. In fact daft! Did you say you thought I was a Pastor. Don’t think. I am one. But that does not change my assertion. Karl Max was right. Religion can be like opium, transporting people to cloud nine heights of fantasy and transmogrifying esoteric. Mind-numbing. Illusory. Nerve soothing. But deadly.

I am miffed at the trending controversy on hijabs and choir robes masquerading as school uniforms in schools in Osun State. The matter and its attendant raging polemics have distracted our attention from more serious issues in our polity.

As a growing child, I learnt the aphorism that the hood does not make the monk. That did not make sense to me until I grew up seeing “padres” in mind-boggling sexcapades and scandals, including pedophilia!

Whoever said that a hijab makes a true ‘Muslima’? Or that a choir robe is the hallmark of chastity and God’s brand on a true Christian? A hijab can be a good cover for the most heinous intents and devious conduct. Many “ulamaas” probing fingers are ambidextrous in their versatility when it comes to removing hijabs in the manifestation of their dysfunctionality as unrepentant teenager defilers and pedophilic vampires!

Conversely, many babes in choir robes with their voluptuous lobes continue to have endless romps of countless orgies in choirmasters’ beds. If the uniform were the brand, then anyone who ever wore a ‘jalamia’ or ‘babanriga’ automatically became a ‘muslim ulamaa’. And anyone who ever donned a suit or shirt and trousers became a baptized Christian.

But then it wouldn’t be religion if it didn’t glorify externals above internal transformation. In the Greek there are two different words for “transformation”. One is “metamorphoo” from where you get “metamorphosis”. This entails a change from within that gradually produces an outward manifestation like the story of a butterfly. It is the type spoken of in Romans 12:2. The other is “metaschimatizo” which is a cosmetic external make-believe that masks the rot within and deceives all who see it into believing something other than

the reality. This is implied in 2Cor.11:13-15. Another word for it is disguise.

I know no better disguise than robes. The Pharisees’ trademark. Hear what Jesus said about them, “Beware of the scribes who walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogue…who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers”.

Did you notice that the pious robes didn’t stop them from preying on vulnerable widows? Jesus’ pronouncement is clearly unambiguous, “They will receive greater condemnation”.

A hijab doesn’t make you a true representative of Prophet Mohammed any more than a choir robe makes anyone an ambassador of Christ. And to those of my faith who are carried away by this shenanigan, hear this ‘gospel’ from me.

You are DISTRACTED. I love you enough to let you know.

That you have ventilated so much angst on this matter is a demonstration of the fact that you have departed from your first love.

REPENT and BELIEVE the gospel. Jesus Christ and the liberating work of Calvary constitute the kernel of the gospel. His righteousness is the believer’s robe! Any other is a disguise! Entering heaven has never been predicated on the wearing of choir robes! The required uniform, my Bible tells me, is the righteousness of God in Christ!

Hear Apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 2:2 “for I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified”. Even as important as baptism is to the believer, Paul didn’t rate it at par with the gospel of Christ. 1 Cor. 1:17 states “For Christ didn’t send me to baptize but to preach the gospel…”. In Colossians 2:18-19, he counsels, “Let no one deceive you, insisting on asceticism…visions, puffed up…by his sensuous mind and NOT HOLDING FAST TO THE HEAD (Christ) from whom the whole body…grows with a growth that is from Christ”. On the issues of legalism- don’t touch this, don’t eat that, don’t wear this, etc, he had this to say, “These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body but they are

of NO VALUE IN STOPPING THE INDULGENCE OF THE FLESH!” Daniel in Babylon didn’t speak Hebrew. He came in as a young captive boy into the palace of Nebuchadnezzar. The system changed his name, his language, the diet, the literature, but they couldn’t change his CONTENT. Joseph was given an Egyptian name by Pharaoh. He spoke in Egyptian to his brothers! Yet his CONTENT was intact.

You should be more concerned with the GOD-CONTENT of your children than you are with donning them in the disguise of your RELIGION - Islam or Christianity! Yes, the forte of Christianity is CHRIST. When you take your eyes of that and focus on inanities, you downgrade it to a religion; man’s contrived manner of making God in his own image.

The God of the Bible is neither confused nor confusing.

His message is “Christ in you, the hope of glory”. Stick to that and you can never be wrong. For this reason, Paul counsels, “Preach the gospel, be instant in season and out of season…”

Put the school uniforms back on your children. Unless the choir robes make them more like Christ or makes them ‘A’ students!

And to the Muslim, unless that hijab guarantees that your daughters remain virgins until marriage or intend to be some of the seventy virgins promised to a man in Al-janna or the Muslim’s understanding of paradise. And unless it means that they have mastered the Hadith and walk in its precepts, please put their uniforms back on them.

And by the way, is it every Christian girl that is in the choir or a member of Girls Guide? So what happens to those who are in neither? Yeyenatu!

Using your prejudices to contaminate the lives of these children and teach them intolerance and hate is one thing you will give account for before your Maker. Teach your wards the WAYS of GOD and they would not need a disguise!

And if you continue on this wayward path, you are exactly what I said religionism is.

Did I hear you repeat STUPID? Thou sayest!!!

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

How African leaders can become successful

Several years ago, I was doing a corporate program on risk taking for a major company in Nigeria. The news did fly out as a bird that merger talks were under way and this was generating “downsizing” rumors amongst the employees.

The company needed me to facilitate an in-depthtraining for them on how to change the culture of their organization from—maintenance thinking to risk taking and innovation.

It was a defining moment in the life of that company!

It behooves me to quickly and nippily say to you that until you transit from maintenance thinking to risk taking and innovation, it shall be impossible for you to become success in life, career, business and leadership. Those who do have maintenance thinking don’t make waves on earth. And remember, on the condition that you do not make waves, you hall get drowned in the water of life.

Prior to the corporate training I was talking about while opening today’s piece, the CEO and general manager, aware of downsizing rumors amongst employees, as an effect of the merger talks that were under way, had discussed with me the importance of changing his organization’s culture from one of “ maintenance thinking” to one of risk taking and innovation. This was non-negotiable if they wanted to stay afloat in the river of business.

“With the industry fast changing and becoming more competitive every day, we will not survive unless we think more like entrepreneurs,” the CEO said. “It is essential that everyone understands and acts on that. We want, no, we need, risk takers in this organization. Even if the risks do not work out, at least we will know these are the kinds of people that we need if this organization is to succeed. Those are just putting in time and going through the motions are holding us back. We have got to weed them out.” If you are a maintenance thinking employee in this century, you shall be weeded out.

Over the years, I have met with many people who do have maintenance thinking. They are always afraid of tak-

ing risks. As an effect of this kind of thinking, no one knows that they are existing in their communities, companies and nations. To lead the pack in this day and time in any field of life, you shall need to kick out of your life—maintenance thinking. Also, to trade with your gifts and talents, you cannot afford to have maintenance thinking. You shall need to embrace risk taking culture and innovation.

Like many other large companies experiencing radical changes, the company I am talking about had many employees still clinging to the “do not make waves” philosophy.

They viewed risk taking as a threat. One middle manager said to me, “Take risks? Are you crazy? I am not taking any chances. They will be cutting like crazy after this merger.

You do one thing wrong and you lose your head. I am keeping my head down so no one notices me.”

But those who kept a low profile became invisible— unknown and easy to cut. Indeed, nobody did notice the guy who kept his head down. That was his problem and hiding with his chin on his chest, he was laid off. He did not understand that taking risks is not only a success strategy, but a survival strategy as well.

To succeed and survive on earth today, you shall need to start taking well prepared risks. Stop keeping your head down. Stop being afraid of failure. Raise your head up above water and care less about what people would say. Either you do nothing or something, people will talk about you. Why don’t you stand-out and do something meaningful with your life and let those who are having maintenance mindset continue to talk about you? Do you know why people talk about you? It is because you are leading a productive life.

Nobody talks about a nonentity.

Please understand that there is an enormous amount of negative “loading” around the term risk. I often ask people for synonyms and they suggest: “dangerous,” “scary,” “failure,” “foolish.” It is no wonder that C.J. Silas, chairman and CEO of Phillips Petroleum, recently gave a speech to the Fo-

rum Club of Houston asking, “Where have all the risk takers gone?”

In Nigeria and Africa as a whole, where have all the risk takers gone? Where are those who shall look at the giants of their day and take themon? Where are the risk takers, likeDavid of this world, who shall boldly step out of the crowd and stand out to be counted when others are afraid, refusing to stick their neck out of water? And if you do not stick your neck out of the water of life, you shall get drowned.

Most successful people I have met in business and leadership are risk takers. They take risks and make unconventional moves, but they do not do stupid things. They do their homework before acting. In fact, the most successful risk takers are usually precise, sober, and realistic people.

The truth is, risk takers live—or die—by three cardinal rules: Rule 1: Prepare. Rule 2: Prepare. Rule 3: Prepare!

On the inside of your place of work today, do people know that you are existing? Are you keeping your head down, drowning or you are making waves as an employee?

Are you a risk taker or maintenance thinking employee? For the umpteenth time, you cannot afford to have maintenance mindset. If you do, the little you do have shall be given to those whom have more than you—who are risk takers and innovators. Do you want to have more than you are having now, then you shall need to embrace risk taking as a young man would embrace his new wedded wife.

Lastly, you cannot lead successfully in this day and time with maintenance thinking. This is not the mindset of the 21st century leaders. The 21st century leaders are risk takers and are given over to innovation consistently. They either birth new things or look at things that have being created and do them differently. This is what helps them to make waves in their varied fields of life. My advice to you today is to do away with maintenance thinking and start embracing risk taking mindset. See you where great leaders are found!

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Monday, 4 July 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Since you’re investing in the movie industry, who do you see as emerging competitors in the industry?

I have a strategic partnership with Lord Tanner & Company in that Tolu is the only film maker that I will be investing in as far as movie making is concerned.

On that front, I have no competition. On the other hand, the movie making industry is growing in leaps and bounds; everyone playing in that space is our competition particularly the innovative ones. I have seen a lot of young independent film makers that are maximizing their resources.

You would be amazed at what some persons have been able to create with just one camera and a lot of animation expertise. I admire Kunle Afolayan for his achievements and discipline and consider him to be the industry’s flag bearer.

‘To attract funding, RUTH OLUROUNBI engaes with Ayo Orunmuyi, a Venture Capitalist, media entrepreneur and a Group Manager with Procter & Gamble Nigeria, who was recently in the news for his movie, Couple of Days, on which he was the executive producer, on how entrepreneurs can attract investor, his business principles and good business practices for entrepreneurs looking to go far in business.

founders’ ideas must address needs’ Y

OU’RE a media entrepreneur, a consultant, as well as a venture capitalist.

I’d like to know, what projects excite you?

Any project that is a solution to a problem tickles my fancy instantly. For example, I am currently involved in a “Tomato” project in response to the Tomato Ebola – tuta absoluta. I also gravitate toward projects that influence and improve the society. All projects must of course have a reasonable ROI. I recognize

that sometimes, the return on investment could be valuable knowledge and/ or associations. It may not necessarily be financial.

One of such projects that I am actively involved in is JumpStart Academy, an NGO that provides free education to under-privileged teenagers. I am also working on a project that will be launched soon. Kith & Origin seeks to engage persons aged 14-25 on their historical pedigree, values and rights in a creative and engaging way.

From your perspective, what sector of the business do you think is being (unwittingly) ignored by entrepreneurs in Nigeria?

I would say film making and distribution. One would readily understand myposition when one considers in comparison, the success of the “musical” and “comedian” segments of the entertainment industry. In spite of having an established and large consumer base, investors/entrepreneurs have ignored film making

and distribution because of the relatively high entry costs and complex route to market, which all increase the risk of making losses on investments. Comedian and Musical acts have also managed to relegate their foreign competition to the background by significantly improving on quality and demonstrating a good understanding of what their audience wants. Film makers are gradually getting to do that too; but distribution is where a lot of untapped potential really exists.

What are the four things start-up founders need to do to attract you as a Venture Capitalist?

The founders must have an idea that addresses a need; they founders must have a simple to understand execution plan that is “scale able”; they must have an open mind and reasonable expectations and they must have (or be) a hardworking/committed team.

As a business person, would you rather be respected or feared?

Respect always draws loyalty, admiration and trust.

Those traits are the best in any working relationship. I would rather be respected than feared.

How does the company plan to raise capital in order to fund future growth?

It is all about making an irresistible value proposition for investors. Once the project is viable, future funds can be easily sourced from investors, or from the bank.

Having said that, in more developed climes, funding is readily available to film makers in form of grants.

Continues on p25

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Monday, 4 July 2016

Ruth Olurounbi

Nigerian Tribune

3 books Bill Gates recomme you a better entrepreneur

0811 695 4637 (sms only) e:ruth.olurounbi@tribune.com.ng t:@Olurounbi

Selling solutions, not commodities:

The Care Strategy Before we go forward, ask yourself this: Am I selling a solution or am I selling a commodity? We’ll get back to this later.

SOMETIMES last year, I placed an order on Jumia. The order was to come in at a specific time and it delayed by seven days. I called the customer care line to lodge a complaint and the person on the end of the line spoke rudely to me. Suffice it to say, I have never placed on orders on Jumia again.

On other side of the coin is a hotel booking portal, Hotelsng, I use whenever I travel out of my base.

Whenever I make a transaction on the portal, I am treated nicely. But beyond being treated nicely is the fact that I am able to make transactions with ease, I am helped out whenever I am stuck. Although I am not the only customer on that hotel booking portal, the personalised attention I am given makes me feel good about continued business when them.

Although Jumia’s products are relatively cheaper in comparison to other e-commerce portals that I know of for me, the competitive

price point was not enough to keep me on as a customer.

In today’s world, when there are millions and millions of divergent options and information out there, customers’ expectations are becoming more diverse and it is only smart that an entrepreneur evolves with these expectations.

In a world where an entrepreneur thinks his ideas, products are what the customers want, a rude shock awaits such a person because, believe it or not, customers want their needs met in an important way, they are not out to cater to your own needs. Customers want to connect with your brand/products/service in an important way and if your will, desires and wants align with your customers’, your products, services and/or brand become invincible, almost.

There are a few ways to make this happen: Personalisation & pricing Pricing is important to customers.

In fact, a BT study shows that 85 per cent of consumers always shop around to get the best prices. In a world where disposable incomes

Ownership investment explained AN investment is something that is purchased with the expectation it will produce income or a profit. There are three main types: ownership, lending, and cash equivalents.

Ownership investments are the most volatile and profitable. All

traded securities, from stocks to currency swaps, are ownership investments. Profits depend on how the market values them.

Money put into starting and running a business is an ownership investment. Selling a product that people want can result in

are dropping really fast, pricing has more than ever become a significant factor in consumers’ purchase decision-making. But before that, they want value for their purchases and if the only thing you have to offer is price, chances are that a competition with a lower price will take your customer’s business from you. This is where personalisation comes in.

Customers want to have a relationship with you or if you will, your brand. By proactively contacting customers and by reaching out to them to inform about relevant promotions, follow-up calls to ensure satisfaction, etc, you being to foster relationships with your customers.

Thus significantly increases the likelihood of you meeting their needs and most likely exceeding their expectations; thus, turning them in to your brand advocates or ambassadors.

In other words, if your solution is created along with a competitive price, your chances of maintaining your customer base on the long term is a lot higher than when the only price point is the only thing going for you.

To be continued

massive returns.

Real estate, artwork, gold and diamonds are other examples of ownership investments, when purchased for eventual resale rather than personal enjoyment.

Source: investopedia.com

BILL Gates estimates that he reads about 50 books a year, and the best of these are profiled on his blog, gatesnotes.com. Even if his Microsoft days are over, Gates is not losing interest in business anytime soon, and he reviewed many books that can help entrepreneurs and business leaders achieve success.

While most books on his website would provide value to the inquisitive mind, these nine books provide the most direct, actionable advice for starting, growing, and running a world-class business.

tating.

This book helps to dispel the belief that you can’t achieve success unless you are born “special,” unless you have some magical inborn ability to be great. It is a great motivator, and helps put the rest of this list in context.

In Gates’s opinion, “the greatest virtue of the book is that you can’t help but ask yourself things like, ‘Which areas have I always looked at through a fixed-mindset lens?’” Once you know, you can change your way of thinking to become more productive.

1. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (Carol Dweck) Mindset explores the concept of nature versus nurture as it applies to intelligence, and challenges the idea that the talents and qualities we are born with cannot be altered. Instead, she argues that intelligence can be grown like a muscle, and cautions that the belief of static intelligence can be debili-

2. Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation (Steven Johnson) Johnson’s book provides a much -needed perspective on innovation and entrepreneurship, acknowledging a more realistic view of how even the largest breakthroughs come to be. Gates praises the book’s focus on incremental development, and

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nds to make

Monday, 4 July 2016

A lot of failures can be prevented by proper pre-planning should use their movies to promote right values.

admits that Microsoft wasn’t the result of “a momentous flash of insight.” Innovation takes time, but all too often, the story demands entertainment, drama, larger-thanlife characters. But contrary to popular representation, most big companies are not the result of a Houselike moment, where one sentence triggers a brilliant revelation.

Where Good Ideas Come From is a great book for the entrepreneur, not only because it brings the story of innovation down to earth, but also because it examines the kind of conditions that foster development. With this book in hand, you can help shape the conditions that are conducive to success.

3. Business Adventures (John Brooks) If Bill Gates recommends a business book, there’s a pretty good chance it’s worth checking out. If Bill Gates and Warren Buffett lavish praise on a book, the real question is why you don’t already have your credit card out.

Business Adventures consists of a series of case studies, examining troubles and triumphs at companies such as General Electric, Ford, and Xerox.

It provides a great view on the human factor of successful companies: Do you have the right people?

Do they have the right roles?

“Business Adventures is as much about the strengths and weaknesses of leaders in challenging circumstances as it is about the particulars of one business or another.

In that sense, it is still relevant not despite its age but because of it. John Brooks’s work is really about human nature, which is why it has stood the test of time.”

Culled from inc.com

Nigerian Tribune

To digress, aside your business operations, you are also a Group Manager at P&G. Tell me the about journey that has brought you here today.

I studied Electrical Engineering from the University of Ilorin and joined P&G just after completing my NYSC. Over the years, as I grew in knowledge and experience, I began to think of how I could positively impact the society around me and decided to start offering pro-bono advice to startups. In due course, I began to financially invest in start-ups that I was advising. I don’t run businesses per se. My role is mostly advisory. I help out in developing strategy, and in planning and execution. For example, Tolu Awobiyi, the co-producer and director “Couple of Days” is the one who runs the day to day affairs of Lord Tanner and Company as CEO. Before we agreed to join forces, I was basically offering pro-bono advice to Tolu. My knowledge on business development and being part of the team enables Tolu to focus solely on the creative aspect of film making.

Continued from p23

we will like to help develop the Nigerian industry by creating investor confidence in process.

Business is something you are passionate about – from Venture Capitalism to investments in real estate/ construction and recent in media (specifically movie) industry. I’d like to know, why is business something that interests you?

Anyone that provides good and/or services to others in exchange for money or something else is doing business. From that perspective, one may argue that business is life and life is business. I am merely living my life. I think everyone invests time/money into something as a way of life. I just happen to invest in things that can grow and

make a positive impact on the society. I recently heard a wise man say – “make all you can, save all you can, and give all you can”. I am interested to make all I can, save all I can, and give all I can. That is my lifelong business objective.

What values do your investments give to you, your consumers and the society you operate in?

I am not a business man like it sounds. I am just someone who over time has become very knowledgeable about the needs of others, knows how to meet them, and has the will to do something about it. The more I do, the better I become.

That is value creation for myself. The consumers who part with their cash for the goods & services that I help deliver are also getting value for their money. I strongly believe that movie makers

What was the motivating force behind the decisions that brought you to this point?

I like to help other people especially when the goal is to achieve something significant.

I also enjoy solving complex problems and have spent my entire career doing that with remarkable success. I saw an opportunity to develop a repeatable and sustainable process for achieving success in Nollywood and decided to embrace the challenge. Sincerely, I see many opportunities for solutions where the average person sees barriers.

If you were to look back, how proud of your achievements are you?

The recipients of my advice appreciate it, seek it and are better off for it. That makes me feel a sense of achievement. The outcomes of my engagement also speak for themselves. Take for instance, the movie “Couple of Days”. It was nominated for “best cinematography” at the AMVCA 2016.

It also got several GMAA 2016 nominations including again “best cinematography”. I am proud of what Tolu and I were able to achieve together in our first production. I am also proud that the message of the movie was clear and based on several testimonials, very impactful.

What are you working on right now, in terms of the media industry?

We took our time to explore the whole spectrum of the movie industry including distribution. This was our work for a while and we are pleased to say that “Couple Of

Days” is being shown in-flight on Emirates, KLM, Air France, South African airlines, and Air Namibia. We are currently working on completing three to four more productions before the year runs out. The sequel to our first movie which we have titled “Couple of Days later” is also in the pipeline. We should have something for our audiences soon.

What more should we expect from you in relation to the media industry?

The media industry has a lot of potential in terms of patronage, distribution and commercialisation. You can expect that we will continue to build on our areas of strength while also reaching out to outsiders who are interested in playing in the industry but do not know how to go about it. We see several synergistic opportunities and we want to expose and exploit these with other stakeholders who have a common goal as ours.

What are you mostly passionate about?

I am passionate about leaving a legacy and helping others succeed. I am also passionate about nation building and doing things properly and with integrity. I want Nigeria to take its rightful place as the biggest, brightest and most prosperous black nation on earth. I am passionate about family and want to be a responsible father and husband.

And how has your passion influenced your life as a manager?

It makes me push the people that I work with to become the best version of themselves. It helps me to empathise with them when they face obstacles and barriers. It also helps me to objectively separate the “boys” from the “men”. I am only as good as my team so I make sure I am surrounded by the best.

What are your views about failure do you see it as a necessary evil...?

Failure is basically when one sets goals and doesn’t achieve them. A lot of failures can be prevented by proper pre-planning, I dare say up to 80 per cent. In the light of that, I would say that failure is not a necessary evil. Nonetheless, sometimes, even the best laid plans fail. In such situations, one should learn the lesson, put things in place so that the failure doesn’t repeat itself, and move on.

Have you had a personal encounter with failure before? What was it and what did you learn from it?

Many times. As a venture capitalist, I have invested funds in others that got mismanaged and in some cases, eventually lost. My lesson from that encounter was simple. If something sounds too good to be true, it is probably is too good so it is not true. Avoid it.

3 tips on running a start-up LOOKING to start and run a business? Peter Economy suggests the following:

lose if you never give up.

2. Be a problem solver, never a complainer

1. Keep it moving Never expect things to stay the same or always be perfect.

The worst thing you can do is sit around and sulk. You can’t

The difference between success and failure is working through challenges and obstacles. There will always be ups and down but continuing to

do the same thing and not solving the root of the issue is like running with a weight vest and shackles.

3. Automate and replicate Whatever basic functions it takes to make your revenue stream try to automate as

much as you can. Try to take it out of individual hands to determine success or failure.

While some functions and decisions require a human mind, others don’t, so identify which is which.

Source: entrepreneur.com

26

Nigerian Tribune

Monday, 4 July, 2016 CBN Exchange Rates

Currency US DOLLAR POUNDS STERLING EURO SWISS FRANC YEN CFA WAUA YUAN/RENMINBI RIYAL DANISH KRONA SDR

Buying 281.25 374.1469 313.2844 289.0545 2.738 0.4581 393.7722 42.2162 74.96 42.1102 392.5969

Selling (NGN) 282.25 375.4772 314.3983 290.0822 2.7478 0.4781 395.1723 42.3672 75.2265 42.26 393.9928

Date of Auction Security Type Tenor Maturing On 11/13/2003 2/20/2003 11/21/2002 9/19/2002 Amount Offered (N mn) Subscriptions (N mn) Tot. Successful (N mn)

5/15/2003 CBN Certificate CBN Certificate 91 180 180 180 180 82227 37767

Net Sales (N mn) Range of Bid Rates

17019

2/25/2002 CBN Certificate CBN Certificate 15000 4161

15000 4161

4161

Successful Bid Rates

m:08032637535 e:chimatitus@yahoo.com

NeFF warns against threat of ‘Deep Web’ Launches 2015 Annual Report

T

From left: Managing Director, Connected Thinking, Matt Dooley; Chief Inspiration Officer, XL Family and Founding Partner, Ventures, Jaspar Roos; Deputy Managing Director, FirstBank, Gbenga Shobo and Chairman, The Asian Banker, Emmanuel Daniel, during the presentation of the Mobile Payment Product of the Year award to First Bank at the third West Africa International Banking Convention 2016. glad to report back to you the outcomes.”

At NeFF’s last meeting it was announced that a Sub-Committee of NeFF had commenced the compilation of a draft Policy Framework for the proposed dedicated e-Payment and Card Crime Unit (DePCCU). This draft framework has now been completed and approval from the Committee of Governors received for the following: The Operational Framework for the Unit; Provision of temporary office accommodation for the Unit in a location in Lagos for two years.

“Our topic today is centered to answer the questions posed above as can be seen from the theme of our July meeting; ‘The Deep Web and Its Impact on the Global Financial Industry.”

The success of the forum to date he said, has been as a result of the hard work, dedication and commitment of all our stakeholders.

The Managing Director, Fidelity Bank, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo, represented by an Executive Director of the bank, C. Ugochukwu who described another term, DUMPs as a term used to indicate raw data stored on the magnetic strip of a smart card also said financial institutions should be awake to the threat of deep web.

Okonkwo said DUMPS are usually obtained by physical skimming the card or by using a pointof-sale malware that is able to scrape the memory of the payment systems to siphon card data. The DUMPs he said are used by criminal crews to clone

11/26/2001 CBN Certificate CBN Certificate 5000 2740

9/24/2001 CBN Certificate CBN Certificate 1155 1155

2740

with Chima Nwokoji

HE Nigeria electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF), has warned financial institutions against a cyber-security threat called ‘Deep Weep,’ even as it launched its 2015 annual report themed: ‘Improving and securing the Cyber-Environment.’

While declaring the forum’s meeting open on Friday in Lagos, Director, banking and payment system department of the CBN, Mr Dipo Fatokun said NeFF wants stakeholders and the public to know that what happens in the ‘Deep Web’ can also affect financial services providers in Nigeria.

The ‘Deep Web,’ invisible web, or hidden web is a part of the World Wide Web whose contents are not indexed by standard search engines for any reason, but facilitates a lot of underground transactions.

The deep web is opposite to thesurface web.

According to Fatokun, the forum presented its first annual report in 2012, which was a compendium of papers shared at the Forum and after an interval it presented the second report titled e-fraud: ‘Fighting the battle, winning the war in 2015.’

“As we unveil another literary contribution to the annals of e-fraud fighting in Nigeria, we thank all our stakeholders who found time to contribute to the scholarly papers that make up the report being unveiled today,” he stated.

Fatokun said the forum has been very busy between March, 2016 when it had its last meeting and now, adding that a lot of items deliberated during the 2015 retreat have occupied activities “and we are

NITTY as @June 30, 2016

CBN Bills as at 29/4/2016 Central (NGN) 281.75 374.812 313.8413 289.5683 2.7429 0.4681 394.4723 42.2917 75.0933 42.1851 393.2948

legitimate credit cards; their prices depend on multiple factors, including the nation of the cardholder and the card expiration date.

FULLZ is a term that refers to the full financial information of the victim, including name, address, credit card information, social security number, date of birth, and more.

The information could be used by crooks to commit more complex frauds.

The availability of FULLZ allows hackers to steal the identity of cardholders. This means that they could open temporary bank accounts to use in the cash-out phase. A common abuse of FULLZ data consists in performing bank transactions that request users to provide 3nancial information as an authentication mechanism.

5000 2740

2740

1155 1155

Tenor

Rate (%)

Change (%)

1M

7.2727

0.35

2M

9.8717

-0.28

3M

10.2195

-0.22

6M

10.8310

-0.35

9M

11.0829

-3.32

12M

13.9978

-1.25

NIBOR as @ June 30, 2016 Tenor

Rate (%)

Change (%)

O/N

5.1667

-9.30

1M

11.4625

-2.10

3M

14.1241

-1.56

6M

16.1319

-1.88

9M

13.5112

-0.22

12M

15.6226

1.57

Money Market Review

LAST week, dealers from Afrinvest (West) Africa Limited said financial system liquidity opened at N168.1billion.

OBB and O/N rose 8.8 per cent and 10.8per cent to close at 28.0per cent and 32.0per cent respectively at the end of Monday’s trading session. The expected Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) inflow of about N146.7billion also hit the system on Monday and this impacted opening system liquidity levels on Tuesday.

Consequently, OBB and O/N declined 10.8 per cent and 13.0 per cent to close at 17.2 per cent and 19.0 per cent. By midweek, OBB and O/N rates moderated to 12.2 per cent and 13.4 per cent as liquidity levels improved especially as the weekly FX intervention which used to be a major drag on liquidity had been terminated. OBB and O/N lending rates dropped to single digits at the end of Thursday’s trading session with OBB closing at 4.4 per cent whilst O/N closed at 4.8 per cent on the back of an OMO maturity of N115.0billion. OBB and O/N rates rose 0.1 per cent and 0.2 per cent to close the week at 4.5 per cent and 5.0 per cent, down 14.7 per cent and 16.2 per cent week on week (W-o-W) respectively.

The Treasury Bills market saw renewed buying interest last week and as a result, the average T-bills rate declined on all the trading days of the week. On Monday, average T-bills rate declined 0.4 per cent to 10.7 per cent (from 11.0% on Friday) on the back of renewed buying interest on all the ends of the T-bills curve. Average rate inched even lower on Tuesday to 10.2 per cent as system liquidity improved owing to inflow of FAAC allocation. By midweek, average T-bills rate declined 0.5 per cent to close at 9.7 per cent as buying interest continued, dropping to 9.5 per cent on Thursday as liquidity levels rose as a result of the N115.0billion Open Market Operation (OMO) maturity inflow into the system.

Average T-bills rate closed the week at 9.4 per cent on Friday, down 1.7 per cent W-o-W. Foreign Exchange Review During the month of June, the Apex Bank released the guidelines for the new FX framework, surpassing consensus expectations. The much awaited guidelines included the adoption of a single FX market structure and the introduction of derivatives products. On the first trading day of the new interbank market, the Apex Bank cleared $4.02billion of pent-up demand accumulated over months at N280/$1.

Subsequently, interbank rate tumbled from the pegged N197/$1 to over N280/$1. As it stands, the CBN remains the major supplier of FX even in the new FX market structure as the inflow of foreign capital has not been as swift as expected amidst global & local macroeconomic challenges. In the parallel market, the naira appreciated to a month high of N335/$1 after the announcement of the new FX framework.

However, the continued exclusion of 41 items in the accessibility of FX at the interbank market ensured that the parallel market continued to thrive. Consequently, the exchange rate appreciation witnessed in the parallel market relapsed as the naira fell to N345/$1 during the last week in June.

The CBN launched the naira settled Over-The-Counter (OTC) FX futures contract last week by creating US$1.00billion each of 1 to12 month’s contracts. Citi Bank Nigeria Limited executed the first naira settled OTC FX Futures on the FMDQ OTC platform during the week after buying US$20 million worth of naira-dollar April 2017 at N210/$1. The interbank’s spot rate hovered between N281.23/US$1.00 and N281.49/$1. Whilst one-year forward quote rate closed at N317.82/$1 suggesting bearish sentiments in the medium term, one-year futures quote rate issued by the CBN closed bullish at N225/$1. At the parallel market, the naira traded at N347.00/$1 on Monday, depreciated to N355/$1 by midweek and closed the week at N352.00/$1.

Bond Market Review Activities in the bonds market last week was broadly bullish as average yield across benchmark bonds declined on all trading days amidst buying interest save for Tuesday when yields trended 0.1 per cent northwards. Average yield across benchmark bonds declined 0.1 per cent on Monday to close at 14.4per cent (from 14.5% on Friday) with increased activity observed on the FGN JAN2019 instrument. By midweek, average yield moderated 3bps from Tuesday’s closing levels to close at 14.4per cent.

Nigerian Tribune Monday, 4 July, 2016 27 moneymarket Heritage Bank CEO highlights success factor for CBN youth fund beneficiaries

M

ANAGING Director/Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Bank Plc, Mr Ifie Sekibo has identified “character” as the success factor for the 1,500 youths participating in the Central Bank of Nigeria

(CBN) N3 billion Youth Innovative Entrepreneurship Development Programme (YIEDP).

Speaking at the official flag off of the training programme of the first batch of beneficiaries of the youth empowerment programme

initiated by the CBN with Heritage Bank Plc and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as partners, Sekibo advised the youths to adopt a strong positive character to enable them take advantage of the platform being presented to them.

The event, which took place at the NYSC Orientation Village, Kubwa, Abuja, marks the beginning of an experiment in reducing graduate unemployment in the country by extending single-digit interest loans to enable qualified NYSC

From left: Director, Policy Africa Department, International Division, US Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Leila Ndiaye; President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Chief (Mrs) Nike Akande and Director General, LCCI, Mr Muda Yusuf, during the signing of memorandum of understanding between LCCI and US Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Bilateral trade relations in Lagos on Thursday.

CIBN, experts warn FG over impending danger of BREXIT FOLLOWING the United Kingdom (UK’s) surprise vote to leave the European Union (EU), the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and other financial experts in Nigeria have said that the decision to leave the European Union (EU) could have negative consequences on Nigerian economy considering its strong economic ties with Britain, as a member of the British Commonwealth.

Top rated experts, who spoke at the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria Centre for Financial Studies (CIBNCFS), a subsidiary of the CIBN over the weekend noted that Brexit will no doubt create anxiety for Nigeria’s policy makers.

One of the experts, Dr Biodun Adedipe, Chief Consultant, Adedipe Associate Limited, said that the bilateral trade between Nigeria and the UK, currently valued at six billion pounds and projected to reach about 20 billion pounds by 2020 could be affected.

He said a decelerating British economy could impact a drop in investment, trade, and also remittances from the Nigerian diaspora who sent home over 20 billion dollars in 2015.

Adedipe further noted that the shrinking of UK economy could affect the source of Federal Government of Nigeria’s foreign earning with the recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics showing that the UK was Nigeria’s largest source of foreign investment in 2015.

He also mentioned that with oil prices falling today, there are fears that Brexit’s ripple effects may halt what has been a march towards higher prices for the commodity in recent weeks.

“It is, however, not certain that Nigeria’s hopes of getting more from its oil revenues have been put to bed by this,” he added.

Mr Femi Awoyemi, Chief Executive Officer, Proshare Nigeria Limited, however, said that Nigerians who own property in the UK are going to find that their rental income will be lower in naira terms.

But the representative of the deputy CBN Governor, Mr Moses Tule, Director Monetary Policy Depart-

ment, said that there is nothing to be worried about.

He said that Brexit will not lead to global economic crisis and that Nigerian investors should not be afraid.

Tule noted that financial institutions are more regulated now, banks more capitalised and the system more equipped to deal with the situation.

Osun State gov commends Sterling Bank’s contribution to environmental sustainability THE Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has commended Sterling Bank Plc for its contribution to clean environment through the provision of necessary incentives to checkmate environmental challenges.

The governor who made the commendation while receiving reflective coveralls donated by the bank for use by members of the Osun Waste Management Authority (OWMA) in Oshogbo noted that the coverall would protect the highway managers against occupational hazards which they face in the discharge of their responsibilities on a daily basis.

“By this donation, Sterling Bank has demonstrated its commitment to environmental sustainability.

These coveralls without any doubt will make the highway managers visible from afar and prevent the incidents of motorists running into them. It will provide safety against occupational hazards and also give them a sense of dignity as

opposed to appearing improperly dressed and unkempt and elevate their status as they see themselves as very relevant to the society through the service they provide.”

While reaffirming his administration’s readiness to maintain a top position among its peers at championing good environmental sanitation, the governor identified environmental challenges as part of the reasons his administration took aggressive steps towards waste management and sanitation in the state.

To kick start the process, he said his government came up with a 90-day emergency declaration on sanitation and zero tolerance for filth culminating in the launch of the O’Clean plus initiatives which had contributed significantly in the reduction of sanitation related diseases, adding that other corporate organisations should emulate the bank in ensuring a clean environment.

Earlier, the Executive Director, Sterling Bank Plc,

Mr Lanre Adesanya, said the presentation of coveralls was in line with the bank’s strategic focus on the environment as one of its corporate’s social responsibility priorities. He added that the bank was already in partnership with other states such as Enugu, Kaduna, Rivers, Delta, Abia, Ogun and Lagos States.

“At Sterling Bank, environmental cleanliness is one of the cardinal points of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) thrust that informs the bank’s continued commitment of enormous resources towards ensuring that the environment where we live is habitable.

“As we embark on this mission, we consider it of utmost importance to protect those whose job it is to manage and clean the environment. That is why we came up with the idea of producing coveralls for highway managers to ensure their safety, make them more relevant in the society and as well as dignify them while discharging their duties,” he said.

members and young graduates fulfill their dreams of becoming entrepreneurs.

Mr Sekibo tasked the young beneficiaries, who through initial tests were selected from nearly 10,000 applicants, to remain focused and tenacious so as to be able to succeed.

“Today, you represent the first step into an experiment that if we succeed, we would be on a part of turning the economic tide of our great nation. But you have to bring your character to the table. If you do not bring your character to the table, this experiment will not succeed.

“As I wish you well, I beg you in the name of God to bring your character to the table. You must develop a tenacious spirit, a can do spirit, a never say die spirit that can surmount all challenges. The effort we have undertaken today will amount to nothing if your character is not on the table. Every man, every leader worries about the character of the people he works with. If you are tenacious we will do the best we can to sponsor you to your highest dreams. Give us the opportunity to sponsor you to your highest dreams,” he said.

The CBN had selected Heritage Bank as its pilot

partner bank to unveil, administer and manage the laudable project, which will focus on dependable job-creating sectors, such as agricultural value chain (fish farming, poultry, snail farming), cottage industry, mining and solid minerals, creative industry (tourism, arts and crafts), and Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

Following the inauguration of the initiative by the CBN and the subsequent launch of a business application portal by Heritage Bank in March this year, not less than 10,000 applications have been received.

Out of this number, 1,547 candidates, representing the first batch of possible beneficiaries of soft loans for their business ideas, have been shortlisted to report for a three-day business development training workshop, which will be conducted across CBN Enterprise Development Centres in the six geopolitical zones.

To be eligible for the YIEDP funding, youths must be within the age bracket of 18 and 35 year old, serving National Youth Corps members or nonNYSC members with not more than five years postservice.

Rates to rise on N94bn worth treasury bills auction MONEY market rates are expected to rise this week as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) auctions N94 billion worth of treasury bills even though there is going to be a treasury-bills maturity of N44 billion scheduled to hit the system.

Dealers from an Investment Banking and Research Company, Afrinvest (West) Africa Limited, said the auction will reduce effect of the auction on system liquidity.

“In the week ahead, we expect money market rates to rise as the apex bank is scheduled to auction N94 billion worth of treasury bills. There is also a T-bills maturity of N44 billion scheduled to hit the system next week but the T-bills auction will taper its effect on system liquidity,” the company stated in a note to investors.

The bank said the country will raise N94 billion ($330 million) in short-dated Treasury bills with threemonth to one-year maturities on July 6. It will raise N19 billion of the threemonth debt, N25 billion of the six-month and N50 billion of the one-year.

Meanwhile, during the month of June, activities in the bonds market were mixed but largely bearish.

The Federal Government

through the Debt Management Office (DMO) borrowed a total of N112 billion via the sale of N22 billion, N40 billion and N50 billion of the FEB2020, JAN2026 and MAR2036 bonds respectively.

Average marginal rate at the auction cleared at 14.5 per cent, 90 basis points (bps) higher than the average rate at the May auction as investors priced in macroeconomic realities into their valuation of the offered instruments.

The Nigerian Sovereign Eurobonds also saw renewed buying interest as the announcement of FX market reforms stoked positive investor sentiment in the Nigerian Sovereign Eurobond instruments. By the second week in June, the Nigerian sovereign bonds year-to-date (YTD) return had outperformed all the other sovereign bonds instruments in the sub-Saharan African region. However, the decision by Fitch Ratings to downgrade Nigeria’s credit rating to B+ triggered a sell sentiment across the Nigerian sovereign bonds instruments.

The bearish sentiment however lasted for a week as the impact of the FX reforms continued to strengthen investor sentiment.

28 Etisalat launches children’s educational plan TELECOMS service provider, Etisalat has announced the launch of a new offering, Cliqlite, an educational plan, put in place by the company to support the learning and development of children between the ages of eight and 15.

Speaking at the product unveil in Lagos, the company’s Chief Executive Of-

ficer, Mr Matthew Willsher, described the latest offering as an innovative service portal for parents and children, that will enhance the Nigerian Child’s education, by making learning accessible to more Nigerians.

“Education is very important and it epitomises what we stand for as a company.

BRANDS &

Monday, 4 July, 2016

The offering we are launching into the market is to further reinforce our commitment to developing the nation’s educational sector,” he said.

The portal, which is designed in a way that enables parents monitor the activities of their children and wards, also has some fun games in it.

Nigerian Tribune

“We used what the children want to give them what they need. Children love gadget and we give them the Cliqlite tab,” he stated.

With the new offering, he assured, children can have access to lots of text books and other fun packages at very reasonable cost.

with Akin Adewakun

MARK TING m:08054683584 e:akadewakun@yahoo.co.uk

Unending issues in OOH and the M&Q option

W

ITH a crippling debt, running into billions of naira, on its shoulders, and very ‘hostile’ regulatory environment to cope with, the out of home (OOH) advertising practice cannot be said to be having a swell time in Nigeria.

Not too long ago, operators had protested the refusal of a state outdoor regulatory agency, the Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA) to pay some funds, running into billions of naira, being owed by the agency for jobs executed for the agency during the last electioneering campaign in the state.

While the debt issue still lingers, the latest threat, which, many believe, constitutes the most potent, is that which the convergence of digital and technology have continued to pose to this once vibrant sub-sector of the nation’s advertising industry.

Not a few have argued that with the convergence of digital and technology, the outdoor advertising practice is being left with no other option than to re-invent itself or go into extinction.

Interestingly, the recently-held Summit of the Outdoor Advertisers’ Association of Nigeria (OAAN), again provided the platform for stakeholders to discuss this clear and present danger, while also proffering solutions to some of these challenges, threatening to send the practice the way of the dinosaurs in Nigeria.

For instance, in his keynote address, delivered at the summit, held to mark this year’s Poster Award of the outdoor Association, the Chairman of Troyka Group, Mr Biodun Shobanjo identified the myriad of odds stacked against the growth of outdoor practice in the country, noting that the inability of stakeholders to urgently address some of those odds in the past had been responsible for the steady decline in fortunes of the practice in Nigeria in recent times.

Shobanjo argued that while the convergence of digital and technology had made it imperative for operators to re-invent themselves and, by extension, re-engineer the

practice, he however queried the wisdom behind the proliferation of outdoor advertising firms, as being presently witnessed.

“I believe one of the reasons the industry seems not to be growing, of late, is that the number of outdoor advertising companies in Nigeria is rather huge. You are just too many for this type of business.

“Outdoor advertising is a serious business that requires huge capital, knowledge and skills. That is why in most countries, such as the United Kingdom, the number of outdoor firms practising there is about five. In those countries, you cannot see the type of crazy charges that are being given to

Babatunde Adedoyin, President, Outdoor Advertisers’ Association of Nigeria (OAAN)

practitioners here because governments in these countries know that outdoor advertising business is a serious business and the players are worth listening to,” he argued.

While calling for merger and acquisition among the existing numerous outdoor advertising firms in the country, Shobanjo believed such collaboration would enable the companies shore up their capital base and reduce their overhead costs,” he argued.

Throwing his weight behind the Troyka Group boss, former Managing Director of the LASAA, Mr Makanjuola Alabi stated that outdoor advertising firms must collaborate to enable them add value to their clients’ businesses.

The former LASAA boss argued that, if practitioners are ready to collaborate, some of the problems currently facing the industry would be addressed.

According to him, “the present rate regime of the agency, roundly criticised by operators, remains one of the ways of curbing in the industry.

“It is a way of raising the entry barrier to ensure that people just don’t wake up one day and begin to practice outdoor,’ he stated.

Interestingly, the President of OAAN, Mr Tunde Adedoyin believes that despite the myriad of issues facing the sector, the nation’s outdoor advertising practitioners have what it takes to compete effectively with any of his peers anywhere around the globe.

“All we request from the gov-

Our duty is to regulate, not strangulate businesses —CPC CONSUMER Protection Council (CPC) has stated that its statutory role is to ensure that the rights of the Nigerian consumers are not trampled upon by brand owners, and not to strangulate businesses.

The Director-General of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Mrs Dupe Atoki, made this declaration in Lagos, recently, at a joint press conference, organised by the CPCl and Multichoice to announce the successful im-

plementation of the customerfocused initiatives prescribed by the CPC to Multichoice Nigeria, early in the year, The CPC boss argued that the mandate of the council was to ensure that consumer’s rights and interests were protected, noting that the agency had been working with businesses, especially MultiChoice Nigeria, of late, in achieving this.

She expressed confidence that the council’s grouse with the

company had, eventually been addressed, since the basis of the disagreement had been rectified by the company.

The Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr John Ugbe, stated that in the past one year, the company had worked closely with the regulatory body to identify its customers’ areas of need, with the aim of implementing solutions that would resonate with such customers and lead to improved customer service.

He explained that the company had resolved its issue with CPC, by addressing some of those key customer-focused initiatives such as the introduction of tollfree lines for the public to reach the call centres, which now operate longer hours during weekends and public holidays, as well as allowing customers to place their accounts on hold while they are away on holiday for a maximum of 14 days.

ernment is to create that enabling environment for the business to thrive; since it is obvious that the present policies of the state remain totally unfriendly to the business,’ he stated.

But as glaring as the issues facing the industry are, how receptive are the practitioners to the M&Q option? How ready and willing are chief executives of the not-sothriving outdoor ad firms in the country, to relinquish their exalted positions and retire into oblivion?

“The fact remains that the idea remains alien here, especially in our advertising industry, but it is the way to go. This is the only way the sector can get the required recognition from the government, and it is in the best interest of operators in the business to give it a try,’ argued an outdoor ad practitioner, who would not want his name in print.

Curiously, Shobanjo and other proponents of M&A seem to be in the minority. Many practitioners still prefer to either sink or swim with the business alone. Perhaps, more adversities might change this line of thought in future, but for now the M&A question continues to linger.

UAC unscripted debuts IN a bid to continually deliver fun, entertainment and mirth to its target markets, UACN Plc has announced the unveiling of a new TV game show, UAC Unscripted, a 30-minute reality show, aimed at celebrating family values in Nigeria.

Speaking at the unveiling held in Lagos, over the weekend, the company’s Executive Director, Corporate Services, Mr Joe Dada, described the reality TV game show as part of the company’s plans to come up with strategies, broad enough to meet the varying communication needs of its business units, despite the diversified nature of their target audience.

29 BRANDS & MARK

TING

Monday, 4 July, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Goldberg Fuji t’o Bam, testament of a brand’s commitment to growing the local music front

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O every Yoruba from the western part of Nigeria, Fuji music needs no introduction. It is so engrained in the socio-cultural life of the people such that the genre easily appeals to their feelings and admiration.

The support Goldberg Lager Beer, a product from the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc, is giving to Fuji, is another impetus that lubricates the genre to the admiration and enjoyment of Yorubas and others.

Goldberg had in 2012 inaugurated what it called Fuji t’o Bam, a talent hunt initiative that is meant to discover promising Fuji artistes. The initiative has, over the years, produced young Fuji musicians with bright future. Goldberg took a step further this year towards taking Fuji to the next level by organising the maiden intellectual forum on the genre, called Fuji Roundtable.

The forum deepened discussions about the origin and role of Fuji music in the socio-cultural development of Yorubas, wherever they live.

Were, the traditional origin of Fuji, laid a solid foundation for the music. That was an instrument used to wake up Muslim faithful before dawn during the Ramadan fasting season to observe sari, that mandatory meal taken before dawn, during the month. As the words of Ajiwere, the enthusiasts of Were pierced through the night, with an insistent enthusiasm and unmistakable clarity, so were the Muslim faithful roused from their deep slumber,

back in the day, to observe the Sari.

Expectedly, there were different groups of the itinerant Ajiwere, all over Ibadan and the Lagos metropolis, specifically, from Isale Eko (downtown Lagos) to such parts of the Mainland like Mushin, Odi-Olowo and Oyingbo. These groups, largely, deployed such local instruments as Agogo, Sekere, Bembe and Sakara to boost their songs. Some of the prominent Were singers of the time were Baba Ralia, Saka Layigbade, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, Captain Muniru, Kawu Aminu, Basiru Abinuwaye, Gani Agboluaje, Muniru Maiyegun (Baba Wasiu) who was from the Isale Eko end, Ajadi Ganiyu, who represented the Oluwole area, Kasali Alani (Jolly L’awa) from Ita Alaga, Wester Layeye and Dauda Epo Akara from Ibadan.

Curiously, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister was the toast of Were music, among his peers then. Such was the size of his musical stature and talent that many Were groups, in Lagos, invited him to lead them in singing. Indeed, around 1953, when he was only five years old, Barrister began to exhibit the sparkles of an early start by singing to entertain his friends and neighbours in Mushin, Lagos.

Little wonder, at the age of 10, in the year 1958, ‘Alhaji Agba’ won a cup at one of the Were competitions. That was, to all intents and purposes, how his steady rise to fame began.

Truthfully, Barrister was in clear contention above his peers, at the time, because he was always infusing Quranic recita-

tions in his own Were lyrics.

While Barrister and his group continued with the trend of introducing new innovations into their craft, a variant of Were music called Fuji was thus created.

One may be tempted to ask who was behind the epochal and ground-breaking accomplishment. It was no other person, but Sikiru Ayinde Barrister. Since then, Fuji music has grown in leaps and bounds.

The brand, which started in the western Nigeria, has successfully carved out a niche for itself, even in different parts of the nation. The music, which is a fusion of musical elements like Sakara, Apala, Juju and to an extent, Highlife is now savoured even by people from other parts of Nigeria.

In order to deepen intellectual discussions on it, Goldberg organised the Fuji Roundtable in Lagos, recently, with Patrick Olowokere, Corporate Media & Brand PR Manager, Nigerian Breweries, stating that the development of the company’s host communities remains an utmost priority in the policy schedule of the company. He said Nigerian Breweries does not play with the socio-cultural life of its host communities anywhere it operates.

“As part of our efforts towards community development anywhere we operate, Goldberg, in 2012, inaugurated its initiative of Fuji t’o Bam. We respect people’s cultures and values. Our gathering here today is a testament of our resolute determination to contribute to the

Chairman/CEO, HS Media Group, Mr Taye Ige; EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, Corporate Services, UACN Plc, Mr Joe Dada; ace comedian, Okey Bakasi and Corporate Marketing Services Manager, UACN Plc, Mr Seyi Fawehinmi, at the unveiling of ‘UAC Unscripted’ a Family TV Game show, over the weekend, in Lagos

Six lucky consumers win N1.5m in Indomie Belle Full competition BUILDING on its successful launch of its Hungry Man’s noodles pack, Dufil Prima Foods, makers of Indomie Noodles has rewarded six lucky consumers of Indomie Belle full Comedy Challenge, as it unveiled 305 gram pack, Indomie Belle Full, into the market.

The company’s Marketing Director, Mr. Girish Sharma, explained that the Belle Full Pack had become imperative, to enable the brand take care of the nation’s growing youth population.

According to him, the Belle Full Pack, the biggest of all its packs, was introduced to cater for the needs of adults, whose appetite must have gone higher for the existing smaller packs of the brand.

‘It is our way of refuting that erroneous notion that the Indomie brand is only meant for kids. We realize that those kids of yesterday are growing, and as a result might find the existing packs too small to satisfy their hunger; hence our decision to introduce this 305gram,’ he stated.

He described the new offering as a product of huge consumer insight and research, conducted to find out what the consumers of the brand really wanted.

Meanwhile, Miss Atueyi Ada and Master Abiola Olorunyomi, emerged the grand prize winner of the sum of N1 million at the Indomie Belle Full Comedy Challenge, while five others were rewarded with the sum of N100,000 each at the brand’s online comedy drama, designed to Showcase and support creativity among the nation’s youths.

socio-cultural development of the people in the western part of our nation.”

In his keynote address, Olawale Obadeyi, a Fuji analyst traced the origin of this genre of music to the period when Were, the local brand of music was in vogue among the Muslim faithful.

He acknowledged that the music has grown astronomically over the years featuring different artistes who have contributed in different dimensions to its development. He said the innovations brought into Fuji by those artistes have deepened ties across boundaries in the region.

Obadeyi identified Fuji music as a unifying force that easily bonds Yorubas together.

“Goldberg had appropriated Fuji music as a veritable platform through which cultural values could be used to validate the essence of Yorubas living in the region and beyond.”

Sikiru Ayinde Agboola (a.k.a SK Sensation), Chairman, National Project Committee of the Fuji Musicians Association of Nigeria, who corroborated him, advised Fuji musicians and other stakeholders in the country to take the music to the next level.

According to him, it is the only surviving genre of music that has its origin in Nigeria and deserves concerted efforts from stakeholders to proffer possible ways through which it could be developed. “It is the duty of all stakeholders to take the music to the next level.”

He therefore, commended Goldberg Lager Beer for the support it gives to the music. Agboola said the support by Goldberg is second to none and should be emulated by other companies in the country.

In his opening remarks at the programme, Emmanuel Agu, Portfolio Manager, Mainstream Lager and Stout brands, Nigerian Breweries Plc; said the importance of music to any country cannot, be over-emphasised. According to him, the role of music in nation building is monumental, as it fuels the minds and the creativities of listeners.

Agu said that Fuji music exerts a strong influence on the social life of the Yorubas.

He stated that through the music, foreigners can easily feel and connect with the culture of the Yoruba people. “The influence that Fuji music exerts on the social life of the Yorubas is therefore very strong irrespective of their locations.”

Giving the rationale for the event, Agu said the company always strives to champion, promote and associate with the culture of its host communities. “This is what Goldberg has been doing with its initiative of Fuji t’o Bam since 2012, when it inaugurated the concept. We respect people’s cultures and values.”

He stated that the Goldberg Fuji t’o Bam initiative has successfully brought to life the twin tradition of companionship and celebration. “The initiative readily identifies and celebrates the rich musical tradition of sustaining the cultural values of the people in the region.

The indigenous musical platform, which is currently in its fourth edition, had in the last three editions led to the discovery of budding Fuji talents and artists.

“I have strong conviction that our gathering here today would in no small way help in contributing ideas to the development of the Fuji music and the culture of the Yoruba people,” he stated.

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politicscommentary

Monday, 4 July, 2016

The war on corruption Continued from pg16

out, providing the trigger factor for the resurgence of Biafra. Significantly, rather than abate, this trend would seem to have been entrenched. Nigerians are doing the counting.

The President has a duty to manage these intense divisive forces very carefully. This, certainly not by any precipitate deployment of force as some hawkish elements with doubtful national commitment would seem to be canvassing.

The fact that the military is still bogged down in the Northeast should advise a more pacific approach to handling of the newly emergent flashpoints across the landscape. So, the first critical step is for the Federal Government to rebrand into a truly national and wholly inclusive enterprise.

The second critical step must be based on the realisation that it is impossible both in theory and praxis, to make a highly heterogeneous polity like Nigeria function effectively on the basis of a unitary constitution the type that we have.

I am persuaded, after more than 30 years of focused intellectual engagement on this issue, that for as long as we employ this highly suffocating constitutional arrangement, for so long would the country continue to ramble. It does not matter for how long we manage to keep Nigeria together in its present spatial definition, the truth is that the present structure has no capacity to engender or promote development. It does not make for genuine national unity. It cannot be the basis of a renascent Nigeria. It is arrant shortsightedness on the part of our past governments to have either assumed these fundamental realities away, or moved too slowly in the direction of the imperative. Whosoever is of the view that all we need is to be a little more patient for the situation to get better, should take a look at Haiti, independent since the dawn of the 19th century, still yet, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. If we do not summon the courage to do the needful, my hunch, informed by deep introspection, is that in a hundred years time, Nigerians would still be faced with the same challenges we whine over today!

For nations, longevity does not necessarily translate to development. The implication of all these is that we must restructure to grow.

Now, I was a delegate to the National Conference in 2014, and I feel proud of the work we did there, which work is not in any way diminished by the attempts of several people today, including most recently the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), to pooh-pooh the whole idea. The intensity of engagement at that Conference, and the profundity of its Report, certainly would not support the type of assessment I understand the SGF made. Let us accept without conceding that the SGF’s (and I assume, his government’s) narrative on the nature of the Conference is correct; I do not believe that detracts from the quality of its Report. At any event, nothing suggests that the 2014 Confab Report alone must be the blueprint for the type of restructuring of governance structure the nation needs.

If it chooses, the present government could assemble its own team, but not just of people with the right type of education and exposure, but also the appropriate vision, to do for it its own restructuring manual. If what the team comes up with is inclusive and far-reaching enough, with reasonable timelines, Government itself would find out that it could have used the

Confab Report, given its thoroughness, breadth and depth. The important thing is that the business of restructuring be done with, in the remaining three years of the Buhari government. I am certain that such demonstration of selflessness contingent upon restructuring Nigeria along the lines of the National Confab Report would cast PMB in the image of President F. W. de Klerk of South Africa.

Realising that apartheid was going to shipwreck his country, de Klerk refused to be carried away by the allure of office. He retooled South Africa to snatch victory for a nation that was already in the throes of a calamitous crash. He got the Nobel Peace Prize for his heroic effort.

I was stunned when Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s latest intervention on the restructuring debate was met with strident attacks from his party and the presidency. Such haste at throwing away what objectively is the only way out of permanent crisis and economic nonperformance for our nation is rather unfortunate. It was clearly ill-advised.

I recall that at the National Confab in 2014, Atiku got a paper circulated that pushed the argument for restructuring so persuasively and became a useful compass for several delegates. Inviting such a person to preside over a committee to advise Mr President on the direction of restructuring that the nation needs, I do not think would be a completely bad idea.

The point to remember in all of these is that the prevailing structure does not admit of stability and development. It has to be done away with, if not sooner, certainly later. The hope is that further delay would not be at great cost to the nation.

The third leg of my recommended template is on the fight against corruption.

It is trite that corruption has to be fought.

Yet, I do not believe that war on corruption should substitute for governance. The government still has to put in place a holistic and comprehensive economic policy constructed on a clear philosophy that people can relate to, away from what increasingly looks like management on ad-hoc basis. Or what does one make of the President’s own continuing strident criticism of currency devaluation that his government just approved? Governance and corruption-fight are not mutually exclusive. There must be a demonstrated commitment to, and capacity for multitasking – the art of constructively doing several things at the same time – otherwise the war on corruption would seem to be the only page the President is capable of opening in a book of encyclopedic proportions.

What is more, government must demonstrate that it understands that at best, corruption is a symptom of some deeper social malaise that itself must be confronted. The goal is to emplace enduring

I am certain that such demonstration of selflessness contingent upon restructuring Nigeria along the lines of the National Confab Report would cast PMB in the image of President F. W. de Klerk of South Africa.

EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu

structures that would constrict the room for corruption. If you leave the root of a problem and manage only the symptom, no matter how vigorously you try to do this, not much is going to be achieved at the end of the day, as the history of Nigeria itself has demonstrated. To the extent that the current war on corruption does not seem to factor in what lessons of history there are to learn, it is ahistorical. Once upon a time, when President Buhari was military Head of State, a similar war was unleashed on corruption. That war did not end corruption in Nigeria, otherwise there would not have been a basis for the current war. The implication of this is that more enduring methods of prosecuting the war on corruption have to be evolved beyond the dramatisation we have seen thus far. This is by putting in place enduring structures and institutions against corruptive tendencies and opportunities for rent-seeking, an example of which is the concept of Bank Verification Number (BVN).

May I also add that much as stealing of public funds is condemnable, I see the tendency to look at corruption only in this narrow sense as reductionist. I belong to the school of thought that suggests that there are more sublime but no less damaging dimensions of corruption that must be tracked. Perpetrators of such must also be called to account. As it is now, what should ordinarily have been a veritable platform for mobilising all Nigerians behind this Presidency is being made to look increasingly like a war directed only at opposition elements. The virulent media trial and ‘conviction’ of supposedly corrupt elements, and from a section of the political class, is a stain on the war on corruption. Same for the tendency to marginalise the rule of law in the process. Government knows what to do to correct this impression, if indeed it is a wrong one.

I had penned this treatise conscious of

the penchant that is abroad in political circles today at casting aspersion on perspectives that do not seem to go down well with many political practitioners. The advocacy here would also certainly not ingratiate those who are incapable of big dreams for the fatherland. I am, however, persuaded that if Mr President peruses this and gives it a thought, gets some of his trusted aides with broader outlook and courage of their conviction to think through them, and subsequently agrees to work on them, we may be on the path to a new beginning. This would be consistent with his party’s change mantra, and ultimately cast PMB historically as a president who demonstrated courage to take his country by a new route when that on which it had walked seemed headed to nowhere. I do not have any doubt in my mind whatsoever that this is the only platform on which PMB would make himself a permanent fixture of Nigeria’s history, not by extant war on corruption, which by the very way it is being conducted is bound to come to grief soon after his tenure.

To conclude, I take lessons from the story of the Titanic and its most awesome rendition in that classic motion picture of the same name. Therein, the proud captain of the world’s most compelling ship when it was asked of him the possibility of his monstrous machine ever sinking, thundered, ‘Never!’ Similar to the late Obafemi Awolowo’s metaphor of the ship and the rock, rendered years ago, I can feel it that Nigeria is racing on, like the Titanic, headed for the iceberg. It requires of the President to stand up and be Nigeria’s own de-Klerk whose ingenuity and courage delivered a ‘Rainbow Nation’ of great promise from the pangs of death that apartheid represented. Mr. President, the time to act is now!

Professor Mimiko is a former Vice Chancellor of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba in Ondo State.

31 South-west news

Monday, 4 July, 2016 Monday, 4 July, 2016

OAU may re-open soon

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HERE are indications that the two non-academic staff unions in the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, that have been on strike may return to work anytime from Monday.

Members of the local chapters of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) as well as the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) have been on

strike for more than two weeks protesting against the appointment of Professor Ayo Salami as the new vice chancellor of the university.

The strike and vigil kept around the Senate building had prevented salaries of all staff for June from being processed.

But Nigerian Tribune recalls that the OAU branch of NASU headed by Comrade Wole Odewunmi had been dissolved via a

letter from the national body of the association for embarking on the protest without express permission from the National Executive Council.

The letter, dated June 21, 2016 and signed by the General Secretary, Mr Peters Adeyemi JP, pronounced the OAU branch committee dissolved with effect from June 20, “for persistent violation of the content of the constitution” of the association.

It also ordered the local executive to handover the property of the union in their possession to NASU state secretary.

Following the dissolution of the non-academic staff unions that have resisted Salami’s appointment, and indeed a tacit endorsement of the new vice chancellor’s appointment by the Federal Government, normalcy may return to the institution anytime now.

Okada rider abducts teenager in Ondo Hakeem Gbadamosi—Akure

SOME men suspected to be kidnappers, at the weekend, abducted a 19-year-old girl, Moyinoluwa Abdulkareem in Owo, headquarters of Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State.

The young girl, who was kidnapped while returning from a bank within the ancient town, was said to have been kidnapped by a motorcycle rider known as okada.

According to a source, who explained that the incident occurred on Friday evening, after the young girl decided to leave for her home after her transaction at the

bank.

She said “she boarded an okada while returning home and that was the last we heard about her, but the abductors have confirmed that the girl was in their custody and spoken with her parents.”

Speaking on his daughter’s abduction, Mr Bola Abdulkareem, explained that his daughter went to the bank on Friday, but never returned home and said he reported the case at the Owo Police “A” Division in the town.

Abdulkareem said he was surprised to receive a call from the abductors who allowed him to speak with

his daughter but said they never requested for any ransom.

According to him, Moyinoluwa informed him that she was picked at the bank by the okada rider who diverted to another route on the premise that he was avoiding police check point.

He said “she told me that was all she could remember; only to find herself in a dark room where they ordered her to call me and we have not heard from them since then.

“They did not request for any ransom and they never called again, but the police assured me that the hoodlums will be arrested. I want to appeal to the abductors to

Our chairman, Fele, not arrested— Oyo NURTW OYO State council of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has said that its chairman, Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde (Fele), was not the NURTW chief arrested with military and police uniforms contrary to rumour doing the round.

In a statement issued in Ibadan, on Sunday, the union confirmed that the suspended chairman of the NURTW, Saki interstate branch, Alhaji Kazeem Aderibigbe, popularly known as Kazeem Iwo, was arrested but many people mistook him for the state

council chairman.

The statement read in part, “The news item reporting the arrest of Alhaji Aderibigbe was captioned ‘Oyo NURTW chieftain arrested with military, police uniforms, weapons’ and many people went to town saying that Alhaji Fele has been arrested.

“The union wishes to state categorically that Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde (Fele), who has just returned to Nigeria from Saudi Arabia, where he participated in the lesser hajj, was not involved in any illegal activity and, therefore, could not have

been arrested by security agencies.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Alhaji Oyerinde is a peaceloving and law-abiding person which is one of the factors responsible for the peace that has been synonymous with the NURTW since his assumption of office.”

While assuring all the citizens of Oyo State of the determination of the union to maintain the peace, the statement also urged members of the union to be lawabiding and to refrain from anything that could tarnish the image of the union.

Normal activity has returned to FUNNAB—Authority Olayinka Olukoya, Abeokuta

THE authorities of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNNAB), on Sunday, said that normal activities have since resumed in the institution following industrial action embarked on by three nonteaching staff unions of the university.

In a statement by the Head, Directorate of Public Relations, Emi Alawode, stated that the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Education and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the institution’s management entered an agreement

which brought activities back to normal.

The statement read, “The restored normalcy and convivial working atmosphere is as result of the agreement between the University Management and the concerned Staff Unions. Issues bordering on welfare are being resolved.

“Productivity bonus has been granted to staff, as morale boosters to cushion the effects of the austere period the entire nation is facing. Advertisements to fill the existing vacancies for various positions have been published, which underscores the University Management’s passionate belief in staff development.

“Hence, relevant staffs are being encouraged to present

additional qualifications, when such qualifications are acquired, for lateral conversion, subject to approved budgetary provision.

The process for the 2016 conversion exercise which commenced earlier in the year would be concluded within the shortest period of time. Provision for others would be made appropriately within the 2017 budget, since the exercise is a continuous one.

“In furtherance to the Management’s determination to maintain a conducive working environment for its workforce, additional working tools and equipment are being provided for Environmental Officers and other personnel, to enhance productivity.”

free my daughter.”

The Division Police Officer (DPO) of “A” Division in Owo, Mr Oluwole Fabiyi, who confirmed the abduction, said his men have commenced investigation into the matter, assuring that the criminals would soon be arrested.

STREET NAMING

This to notify the general public that Ido Local Government has received an application from Chief Ayodeji Aina to name a street at FORTUNE CITY AGBOPA OLOGUNERU IBADAN as CHIEF AYODEJI AINA STREET. Any objection to the above should be forwarded to the Chairman Street Naming Committee, Ido Local Government within 21 days of this publication.

Signed: Secretary, Street Naming Committee, Ido Local Government

A letter from the Federal Character Commission, addressed to the Registrar and Secretary to the governing council of OAU, signed by the Acting Director, Monitoring and Enforcement, Mr B. S. Samchi, on behalf of the executive chairman, implicitly validated Salami’s appointment by issuing the registrar what it termed a ‘Certificate of Compliance’.

The certificate authorizes

the registrar to issue a letter of appointment to the new vice chancellor.

It reads: “I am pleased to issue this Certificate of Compliance in your favour as authority to issue letter of appointment to Professor Ayobami Taofeek Salami as the substantive vice chancellor of the university.”

Salami has also received handover notes and has been in office for one week.

32

south-westnews

Monday, 4 July, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Labour faults Oyo govt’s N5.2bn wage bill analysis

Ogun assures pensioners of •Pay workers now, Ibadan/Ibarapa PDP stakeholders tell Ajimobi •Women groups seek Olubadan’s intervention prompt payment

By Moses Alao and Wale Akinselure

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HE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Oyo State Chapter, has faulted the analysis by the state government of its finances and inadequacies to pay salaries regularly, especially the claim of having a monthly wage bill of N5.2 billion in the past one year.

Chairman of the labour union, Mr Waheed Olojede, described the analysis of the wage bill released by the state government as misleading.

The state government, through the Commissioner for Finance and Budget, Mr Bimbo Adekanmbi, had last Thursday, reiterated that the inflow to the state in the past one year averaged N3billion monthly as against a wage bill of N5.2billion.

Adekanmbi had explained that the state got a federal allocation of N37.044 billion in the past 12 months but still had a deficit of N29 billion in paying salaries.

Olojede argued that the state government announced the N5.2billion wage bill when the state had commissioners, aides, among other political appointees, and the same wage bill continued to be quoted despite the non-appointment of political office holders for about one year, until recently.

Substantiating the union’s argument, Olojede made reference to the N17.3 billion bailout fund of the Federal Government which the state used to clear four months arrears of salaries in 2015.

“I consider the analysis of the wage bill released by the state government as misleading. And I want to say that government’s claim to N5.2 billion monthly wage bill is not the true position of the workers’ wage bill in the state, especially in recent times.”

Also, stakeholders in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) across the 14 local governments in Ibadan/ Ibarapa zone of Oyo State have declared solidarity with the labour union in the state over their “genuine demands” from the state government, urging the state government to pay “the over six months’ salaries being owed these workers.”

The stakeholders said this in a statement signed

by Honourable Muideen Inakoju and Mr Nurudeen Oke, at the end of a meeting held at the Jogor Events Centre, Ibadan.

Meanwhile, apparently worried by the continued face-off between the Labour and Oyo State government, at least 25 leading women drawn from different walks of life have called on the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, to intervene in the matter.

The women groups, led

by Professor Mrs Adetoun Ogunseye and Chief Bola Doherty, amongst others, lamented the continued face-off and the effects on the society, saying as the father of all, with no af-

filiation towards any political party or ideological persuasion, the 87-year old monarch was in a better position to bring about amicable resolution of the crisis between the duo.

Chief Doherty said, ‘As mothers, we are not comfortable with the on-going labour crisis in Oyo State and its effects on the society. Workers not going to work, school children and teachers not going to school are not pleasant things. As nongovernmental organisa-

tions, comprising women from many organisations such as FIDA, FOMWAN, NCWS, YWCA, AGES and others, we believe that only a monarch of your standing, with no partisan commitment towards any political party could intervene in this matter.

Responding, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji, said that he would not be tired of wading into the Oyo State government/Labour face-off until the conflict was amicably resolved. Ac-

cording to the first class monarch, while no one was out to apportion blame to either of the warring parties, the continued nonattendance of students and teachers in schools was giving everyone a cause for concern.

He expressed the hope that he would contact the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and the Labour leaders as soon as possible with a view to resolving the dispute, that peace might reign supreme in the land again.

THE Ogun State government has re-assured pensioners in the state of prompt payment of their pensions and improved welfare packages henceforth.

The state Commissioner for Finance, Mr Adewale Oshinowo, gave this assurance in an interview with newsmen in Abeokuta, against the backdrop of locking him up in the office by aggrieved pensioners in the state.

Oshinowo, while recalling a recent encounter he had with protesting pensioners, said the pensioners were in his office to protest the delay in the payment of their May pension. He, however, added that payment was already made but was yet to be credited into the accounts of the pensioners when they came to express their grievances.

Nigeria needs urgent intervention —Iya Adinni of Yorubaland

By Gbenga Olumide

Administrative Officer, Ketu Special Children Centre, Mrs Olapeju Adeboye (third right); President of Lagos State Cooperative Federation (LASCOFED), Mr Oriyomi Ayeola (second right) and the Executive Secretary, LASCOFED, Mrs Ebun Akin-Falaiye, during the presentation of gifts to the centre by Lagos State Ministry of Commerce Industry and Cooperatives in conjunction with LASCOFED, on Thursday.

Babcock varsity graduate regains freedom from kidnappers’ den Olayinka Olukoya - Abeokuta

A fresh graduate of Babcock University, IlishanRemo, Justina Anochie, who was recently abducted by kidnappers has regained her freedom.

Nigerian Tribune recalls that Anochie was kidnapped on Sunday, around 9p.m., while she was returning to her off campus residence.

In a statement by Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), said police security operatives attached to Odogbolu Division found the victim after she was released by her abductors.

Adejobi said security measures were put in place upon the report of the incident to Ikenne Division, which thereafter led to the arrest of two suspects.

The two suspects were reported to be “close friends” of the victim and were said to be assisting the Police in its investigation. They were said to be with the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of

the Department of Criminal Investigation and Intelligence.

He explained that the forensic investigation and Information and Communication Technology Skills adopted by the police in

ensuring the release forced the kidnappers to release Anochie unhurt and without payment of any ransom.

Adejobi said that the Commissioner of Police, Abdulmajid Ali, had or-

dered that other members of the gang must be apprehended.

The CP also commended the relations of the victim for their patience and understanding during the rescue operation.

Ibadan youth storm Ansar-UD-Deen LailatulQuadri celebration

By Tunde Busari

YOUTH from different parts of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, joined the elders at the Ansar-UDDeen’s Islamic Centre on Liberty Road, Ibadan on Friday, to celebrate what in Islamic parlance is called the Night of Majesty.

The turnout of the excited youth, comprising male and female, gave the premises a picture of sports stadium hosting an important football match.

The men of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in charge of security and crowd control were on top of the

situation, even though they were unable to effectively control the occasional noise by the youth outside the mosque.

The Guest Lecturer, Sheikh Hamod Tijani Isiak, spoke extensively on Al-Quran: The Ultimate Miracle. He harped on the spiritual significance of Al-Quran to Islamic faithful and insisted that no book is comparable to Al-Quran.

The revered scholar, thus, admonished Muslims to strictly adhere to all God has used Al-Quran to recommend for man.

“We all have a case to answer before God. That is why we must all do

what Allah has recommended. Islam is blessed, Muslims are blessed and Ansar-UD-Deen is a blessed society for its role in propagating Islam and making the religion more appealing to others.

“I am happy for the opportunity the society has given me tonight and I pray we shall be Muslims whose deeds will be acceptable to the Almighty Allah in the day of resurrection,” he stated.

Guest Lecturer on Health issue, Alhaji Dr AbdulMojeed Oladipupo, stressed the health benefits of Fasting to include an antidote to Hypertension and diabetes.

THE Iya Adinni of Yorubaland, Alhaja Sekinat Adekola, has called on Muslim faithful to use the opportunity of this year’s Ramadan to pray to Allah to combat the present socio-economic, political and religious challenges facing some states and the nation at large.

Alhaja Adekola, who made the call in a statement, a copy of which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune, said that more than ever before Nigeria needed urgent divine intervention to overcome her multifarious challenges.

She said that the challenges, which include treasury looting, bribery and corruption, kidnapping, assassination, ritual killing, armed robbery, terrorism, among others, had contributed in no small measure to the deplorable economic situation in the country.

She, however, expressed optimism that the problem would soon be a thing of the past if the people make solemn supplication to Allah and seek forgiveness of their sins, especially during the last days and nights of Ramadan, targeting the night of majesty.

She noted that any prayer offered during the special night was capable of transforming one’s destiny for the better.

Adekola, who is the founder of Sekinat Olapeju Centre for Disabled (SOCED) enjoined all Muslims to utilise the lessons imbibed during Ramadan for the remaining eleven months of the year.

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Monday, 4 July, 2016

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Monday, 4 July, 2016

35 news Edo: We are ready for victory with Onaiwu —APGA Christian Okeke - Abuja

T

HE All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), on Sunday, said the party was ready for the governorship election in Edo State.

The party said it was mobilising all forces to ensure victory for its standard bearer, Earl Osaro Onaiwu.

The party said notwithstanding any gimmick from any quarter, it remains the party to beat in the election.

National Director of Publicity of the party, Ifeanacho Oguejiofor, in a statement, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies to be alive to their constitutional responsibilities, in preparation for the election.

It urged INEC to ensure a level playing field for all political parties and their candidates.

He urged INEC not to allow a repeat of an alleged “manifest sham, total disaster and grave fraud that happened against APGA in the Nasarawa/Toto federal constituency by-election in Nasarawa State on May 28, 2016.”

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Jamila Tukur now JAMILA TUKURADEDOJA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Miss Adegboye Comfort Titilayo now MRS AJIMAH COMFORT TITILAYO. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Adeyemi Adedolapo Anthonia now MRS YINKA-SOKOYA ADEDOLAPO ANTHONIA. All former documents remain valid. Council of Legal Education, Nigerian Law School, Body of Benchers and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly Miss Zainab Oyinlade Adedeji now MRS ZAINAB OYINLADE AKANGBE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, Agboola Odunola Ajibike am the same person as Agboola Ajibike Odunola and Agboola Odunola. Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as AGBOOLA ODUNOLA AJIBIKE. All documents bearing these names remain valid.

Osun State Polytechnic, Iree and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly Titus Osehodion Onojeide now TITUS OSEHODION OKHAIYE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

AND I, formerly Miss Immaculate Ivie Okoduwa now MRS IMMACULATE IVIE OKHAIYE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

Oguejiofor said that the party was in a studious silence, watching and studying the events as they unfold in Abia State as regards the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja and the subsequent issuance of Certificate of Return to Chief Uche Ogah

by INEC. Oguejiofor said that APGA would soon come out with its position and take necessary and appropriate action.

According to him, the party feels the pains of average Nigerians over the present economic difficulties but urged all Nigerians, irrespective of political and other persuasions, to support the Federal Government.

He advised President Muhammad Buhari to take urgent and drastic steps to ameliorate the harsh, precarious and perilous economic situation in the country by adopting indigenous liberal approaches and policies.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, Rasheed Lateefat Omolara am the same person as Adewale Lateefat Omolara.

My correct date of birth is 4/12/1985 not 4/21/1964. Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as ADEWALE LATEEFAT OMOLARA. All documents bearing these names remain valid.

General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, Daniel Mbwa Adiak am the same person as Daniel Adiak. Now, I wish to be known and addressed as DANIEL MBWA ADIAK. All documents bearing these names remain valid. GTBank Plc and general public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME That I Mr. Akhigbe Sunday John am the same person bearing Mr. Akhigbe Sunday Ehinomen.

Henceforth, I wish to be addressed as MR. AKHIGBE SUNDAY EHINOMEN. All documents bearing these names remain valid.

General Public Note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Sola Adeniran now IROKO OLUSOLA. All former documents remain valid. Access Bank Plc, Stanbic Bank Plc and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly Mr Kayode Kolade now MR KAYODE KOLADE ADEBISI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

Monday, 4 July, 2016 CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Miss Ibidunni Oluwaseyi Ogunbiyi now MRS IBIDUNNI OLUWASEYI ADEFEMI. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Faseyitan Bukola Olayemi now BELLO BUKOLA OLAYEMI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Amaobichukwu Uduji now GODWIN AMAOBICHUKWU DELE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Adedeji Rasidat Adewumi now TAJUDEEN RASIDAT ADEWUMI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CORRECTION OF NAME

I hereby declare that the correct spelling of my name are Ridwan Adisa Raufi not Ridwan Adisa Raifu and my correct date of birth is 01/01/1976.All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Miss Ajayi Bukola Esther now MRS OLUNLOYO BUKOLA ESTHER. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Miss Oluwatuyi Temitayo Victoria now MRS MOSADOMI TEMITAYO VICTORIA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly Adeoti Quadri now RASHEED ADEOTI QUADRI. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Miss Nasiru Oluwafunmilola Ololade now MRS SANDA O L U WA F U N M I L O L A OLOLADE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Oluremi Osude now JOHNSON OLUREMI OLUKEMI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly Olanrewaju Kemi now EMMANUEL KEMI ROSELINE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly Adebare Samson Oladipupo now FALEYE SAMSON ADEBARE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, Sunday Adeyemi Makinde hereby declare that my correct date of birth is 10 October, 1970. All former documents remain valid. Access Bank Plc and general public take note.

I formerly Mr Tai Yinka Adeleye now MR JOEL OLAYINKA ADELEYE. All former documents remain valid. GTBank Plc, Stanbic/ IBTC Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc, Union Bank Plc, UBA Plc and general public take note.

I formerly Orumah Sunday Adejerhore now ADEWALE MUMEEN ADEBAYO. All former documents remain valid. First Bank Plc and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Miss Alli Afusat Omotayo now MRS BALOGUN AFUSAT OMOTAYO. All former documents remain valid.

Government Agencies and general public take note.

I formerly Miss Ajiboye Folasade Oyeronke now MRS AKANO FOLASADE OYERONKE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I formerly Wada Jacob Abayomi now WADA ABDULMALIK YUSUF. All former documents remain valid. First Bank Plc and general public take note.

I formerly Moshood Mufuliat Anike now SHITTU MUFULIAT ANIKE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Ogunfowokan Sarafa Taye now OGUNFOWOKAN SARAFADEEN. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I formerly Agbele Folakemi Deborah now MRS ADEBAYO FOLAKEMI DEBORAH. All former documents remain valid. UBA Plc and general public take note.

I formerly Miss Akintayo Temitope Oluwayomi now MRS AKINFENWA TEMITOPE OLUWAYOMI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly Biodun Olusola Olatoye now AZEEZ ABIODUN OLUSOLA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I formerly Miss Rofiah Olateju Animasahun now MRS ROFIAH ANIMASAHUN BADMUS. All former documents remain valid. NTA Ibadan and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

DECLARATION OF DATE OF BIRTH

I formerly Miss Pedro Oluwaseyi Modinat now MRS OGUNLADE OLUWASEYI MODINAT. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I, formerly Miss Ariyo Oluwabunmi Esther now MRS OLUSANJO OLUWABUNMI ESTHER. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

I formerly Daramola Adebimpe Oluwatoyin now MRS DARAMOLA ADEBIMPE OLUWATOYIN. All former documents remain valid. NYSC and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Miss Biola Latifat Bakare now MRS BIOLA LATIFAT OYEWOLE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly Ojo Bisi Grace now OJO GRACE ADUKE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

I formerly Zacheous Segun Emmanuel now SEGUN ZACHEOUS EMMANUEL. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly Miss Joan O. Emetie now MRS JOAN O. EBILABOR. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Miss Ajiboye Rachel Ajibola now MRS ANIMASAHUN RACHEL AJIBOLA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Miss Fanibuyan Modupe Victoria now MRS ADENIYI MODUPE VICTORIA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, Kenneth Onwudiwe am the same person bearing Kenneth Owens. Now, I wish to be known and addressed as MR KENNETH OWENS. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

I, formerly Miss Adelowo Adenike Omolara now MRS BABATUNDE ADENIKE OMOLARA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, Ebun Abiola Odunayo am the same person as Ebun Abiola.

Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as EBUN ABIOLA ODUNAYO. All documents bearing these names remain valid. Osun State Polytechnic, Iree and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly Muhammed Musa now MUHAMMED BAJAGA. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Ashaye Musa Babatunde now ASHAYE MOSES BABATUNDE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CORRECTION OF DATE OF BIRTH I, Raheem Latifat Titilope want to confirmed that my correct date of birth is 14th day of February, 1976 and not 12th day of May 1980 as it appeared on my WAEC May/June 2000 Certificate and other documents. . All documents bearing these names remain valid. Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Lagos and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, Fayoyin Tobi Joshua am the same person bearing Fayoyin Tobiloba Joshua. Now, I wish to be known and addressed as FAYOYIN TOBI JOSHUA. My correct date of birth is 16th August, 1993 and not 25th August, 1994. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

I, Abereoje Olufunke Rebecca am the same person as Abereoje Oluwafunke R and Abereoje Olufunke. Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as ABEREOJE OLUFUNKE REBECCA. All documents bearing these names remain valid. Osun State Polytechnic, Iree and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly Miss Obasi Rebecca now MRS EZINDU REBECCA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Kenneth Edo Ehimhen now KENNETH OSAZE EHIMHEN. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME / CORRECTION OF DATE OF BIRTH

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Olajire Tawakalitu Adenike now ADENIKE TAWA OLAJIRE. All former documents remain valid. First Bank Plc, Diamond Bank Plc, NIPOST and general public take note.

I formerly Miss Aderibigbe Fatimoh Adenike now MRS ABDULMOJEED FATIMOH ADENIKE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly Michael Oluwatobi now ANYAWU MICHAEL OBINNA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly Miss Ijeh Joy Uche now MRS ISERHIENRHIEN JOY UCHE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly Waheed Abudulahi Alafara now WAHEED ABOLAJI ABUDULAHI. My correct date of birth is 21st October, 1969 not 21st October, 1967. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I, Adebiyi Mojeed am the same person as Adebiyi Mogidi.

Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as ADEBIYI MOJEED. All documents bearing these names remain valid. Skye Bank Nigeria Plc and general public take note.

Nigerian Tribune

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly Honour Oviri now ESE OVIRI. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

I, Oluwatoyin Oyeduntan Dorcas am the same person as Dorcas John. Now, I wish to be known and addressed as OLUWATOYIN OYEDUNTAN DORCAS. All documents bearing these names remain valid. Zenith Bank Plc, First Bank Plc, Diamond Bank Plc and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Faleru Olubunmi Atinuke now LAWAL OLUBUNMI ATINUKE. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly Adebayo Ayisatu Iyabo now OLANIYI AYISATU IYABO. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CONFIRMATION OF NAME I Amusan Mathew Adewole am the same person as Amusan Mathew.

Henceforth, I want to be known and addressed as AMUSAN MATHEW ADEWOLE. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Miss Ibrahim Medinat now MRS BARUWA MEDINAT OLAYINKA. All former documents remain valid. WAEC, N.C.E, LASU, Union Bank Plc, First Bank Plc and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Miss Tolulope Adelola Ekundayo now MRS TOLULOPE ADELOLA AKINTUNDE. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly Miss Olaide Daramola now MRS FATAI OLAIDE SEMIAT. All former documents remain valid. Skye Bank Plc and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly Miss Oladiji Modupe Kehinde now MRS OGUNMEFUN MODUPE KEHINDE. All former documents remain valid.

University of Ibadan and general public take note.

CORRECTION OF NAME

I, Adetayo Oluwatobi Falujo my name on some of my documents were Adetayo Gedaliah Falujo and Oluwatobi Gedaliah. Now, I wish to be known and addressed as ADETAYO OLUWATOBI FALUJO. All documents bearing these names remain valid. General public take note.

news I feel your pain, Bello tells govt workers 36

YinkaOladoyinbo-Lokoja

A

S Muslims globally end Ramadan month, the Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, on Sunday, said he felt the pain of the people of the state, particularly, civil servants that had made sacrifices in the last few months.

He, however, said the sacrifices were those that would set the state’s payroll free from the stranglehold of ghost workers who have made it impossible for the state to move forward.

Apart from this, the governor in an Eid-El-Fitri message by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Kingsley Fanwo, also charged Muslims around the world to restore peace in a world that has been challenged by wars and economic instability.

The governor assured the people of the state that he would govern with the fear of Allah ,who has bestowed on him the leadership of the state “My election to the position of governorship at a time like this, is a call to service by Allah to serve the people of Kogi State with the fear of God and dedication to the ideals that will help build an egalitarian society. To this, I am resolutely committed," he said.

“I thank the civil servants in the state for their steadfastness and sacrifice throughout the period of staff verification exercise, which crept into the Ramadan fasting. I feel your pain. I urge you to consider it the sacrifice that will set our payrolls free from the stranglehold of ghost workers, who have made it impossible for our state to move forward.

“Having received the reports of the staff verifica-

tion committee, we shall swing into action to ensure that your sacrifices are not wasted. My government will continue to accord labour its due recognition as partners

A group, Benue Youth Movement for Good Governance, on Sunday, issued a 72- hour ultimatum to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to commence investigation into how N107 billion was stolen from the state.

The is just as the group called on the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation to prevail on EFCC to commence investigation immediately, adding that failure to do so, would attract street march to press for their demands.

At a press briefing on Sunday by its president, Terrence Kuanum, the group noted that Benue State remains one of the poorest states in Nigeria due to the mismanagment of funds by previous gov-

lim faithful to submit to Allah’s will and pray for peace around the world, adding that the economic turmoil and wars ravaging parts of the world were challenges

on the global Muslim community to prove to the world that Islam is a religion of peace by leading global efforts at enshrining peace and stability.

From left, organiser of the event, Pastor Dickson Ibekwe; teacher of the students from winning school, Mr Adelakun Kehinde; student winners, Ayorinde Adetayo and Demilade Oladele and the Managing Director of Rinet Communications, Mr Fillus Osubor, during the presentation of award to the students of Christ the King College, at the end of a school debate on Sickle Cell Awareness in Secondary Schools, at the National College, Gbagada, Lagos, on Saturday.

I’m scared of EFCC —Benue gov JohnsonBabajide-Makurdi BENUE State governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, has said that he is scared of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), hence, his caution in the handling of state resources.

Governor Ortom said this, during the weekend at the banquet hall of the Government House, Makurdi ,while addressing the dissolved caretaker committee chairmen and Directors of General Service and Administration (DGSA) of the 23 local gov-

Group gives EFCC ultimatum to investigate N107bn looted fund in Benue Collins Nnabuife - Abuja

in progress in our effort to broaden our socio-economic frontiers through the new direction blueprint “.

He said Ramadan represents the sacrifice of Mus-

Monday, 4 July, 2016

ernment.

According to him “it is a well known fact that corruption has crippled development in Nigeria, especially in Benue State, where N107 billion was stolen from the state’s account just in eight years He further lamented that the indicted looters are walking freely in the state.

“In Benue State, the looters are currently living their luxurious lives with mansions and fleet of cars," he said.

Kuanum wondered why EFCC has not acted on the submission of the Judicial Commission of Enquiry as it borders on corruption.

“The Benue community is wondering why EFCC could sweep such sensitive petition with facts and figures under the carpet,” he added.

ernment areas of the state.

The governor, who committed his fear of EFCC in prayer said: "After my tenure as a governor, it is my sincere prayer that I will not have cause to be the guest of EFCC in the name of Jesus."

The governor said his fight against corruption prompted him to tell everybody that he would not back any person who mismanaged government funds.

While saying that "one who goes to equity must do so with clean hands," the governor disclosed: "Somebody told me to start making money for 2019 but I told that person that in 2015, I did not win governorship because of

money."

The governor expressed regrets over the inability of the state government to pay the caretaker committee members salaries and other benefits from January till date and ordered that such entitlements be paid to them from the balance of the bailout funds for local governments.

While thanking the caretaker committee members for rendering service during difficult times, Governor Ortom directed the council chairmen to handover vehicles and other property of the local governments to DGSAs on Monday.

He further directed the Bu-

reau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to assist the outgoing chairmen with some money to ease their mobility.

According to him, the chairmen would be handing over the vehicles to DGSAs because they spent one year in office instead of four. He emphasised that security challenge may confront local governments as the chairmen leave office.

The governor directed the outgoing chairman of Guma Local Government Area and chairman of ALGON in the state, Mr Samuel Aga, to ensure that the meeting slated for today (Monday) in the local government takes place.

Minimum wage committee begins deliberations

THE 15-man committee inaugurated by the Federal Government on the implementation of the new minimum wage for workers has started sitting.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), gathered from some members of the committee at the weekend that it had met once.

Mr Chris Onyedika, the acting General Secretary of a faction of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC ) and a member of the 15man committee, also confirmed that it had started deliberations on the agreement reached between the Federal Government and factions of NLC in May, this year.

“The 15-man committee will review the Federal Government’s liberalisation of the downstream sector

of the petroleum industry, leading to the new fuel pump price of N145 per litre.

“The committees will discuss and recommend a new national minimum wage, the N500 billion palliatives being proposed by the Federal Government and the re-constitution of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency Board, among other issues, before presenting their recommendations to government,” Onyedika said.

NAN recalled that the government in May, increased the price of petrol from N97.00 to N145 per litre, which led to some agitation and a warning strike by the organised labour.

The Joint Negotiation Council had also started to

agitate for an increase in national minimum wage for workers, which was last reviewed five years ago.

Meanwhile, at this year’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) conference in Geneva , Switzerland, participants encouraged the ILO to promote the ratification and implementation of the Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970.

The NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the two central labour organisations in the country, have proposed N56, 000 as the new national minimum wage to the Federal Government, as against the current N18, 000.

The current national minimum wage law which prescribed N18, 000 was enacted in 2011.

NSCDC demolishes illegal structures on pipelines in Ogun OlayinkaOlukoya-Abeokuta OGUN State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has commenced the demolition of illegal structures on petroleum pipelines across the state.

The exercise commenced last Friday, at Gas Pipeline around Oju-Ore in AdoOdo/Ota Local Government Area of the state.

The command, in a statement by its Public Relations Officer(PRO), Kareem Olanrewaju, said the effort was to forestall any monumental disaster.

Olanrewaju said the development became necessary following series of warning by the corps to residents of the area, who had built on Right- of- Way of a Shell Gas Pipelines that supplies industries in Sango and Agbara areas in the state.

The PRO said the exercise would cover Oju-Ore Gas pipeline,singer bus stop on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Ota,Oju-Ore,Obasanjo Road,Petedo and OPIC area in Agbara.

He said the command would not tolerate any illegality by members of the public, hence, the need for the people to value their lives.

Shelve planned protest, Dickson tells ex-militants Austin Ebipade - Yenagoa BAYELSA State governor, Seriake Dickson, on Sunday, asked the Federal Government to pay outstanding stipends to exmilitants.

He appealed to the ex-militants under the amnesty programme to shelve the planned protest over non-payment of their stipends.

The governor urged the ex-militants to be calm and exercise patience with the Federal Government over the delay in the payment of their stipends.

The appeal was contained in a statement issued on Sunday, in Yenagoa, the state capital, by the state Commissioner for Information, Jonathan Obuebite.

The statement quoted Dickson as advising all stakeholders in the Niger Delta struggle to "eschew violence and live in peace" as issues concerning their welfare will soon be addressed by the Federal Government.

He also called on the Presidential Amnesty Office to urgently pay whatever was due the ex-militants.

The governor’s call is coming amidst plans by the ex-militants to disrupt peace in the area.

37

features

Monday, 4 July, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Echoes from Dideolu Hospital’s free health screening, enlightenment

We are glad we came —Beneficiaries

By Kehinde Oyetimi

T

HERE was a quiet aura of fulfillment around her. She was generous with her smiles. It had all gone the way she anticipated. She had a warm reception for all who greeted her. As she was called upon to present her speech of gratitude on Saturday, June 2, 2016 which was the end of the four-day free health screening and enlightenment programme, a collaborative effort between Dideolu Specialist Hospital and the Centre for Epidemiology and Health Development (CEHD) with the support of Pathcare Laboratories, Ambassador Dr. Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu who is the Vice Chairman and Medical Director of Dideolu Specialist Hospital, could barely hide her joy.

Hear her: “I don’t know how to begin to thank you all for the dedication and love that you demonstrated while this exercise lasted. I can’t thank both specialists and all who came to support us. This program became a success because of you. There is no single person that I had to dissipate so much energy to convince. It was just a conversation. The people who made this possible are consultants of no mean standing.

I believe that those who are beneficiaries of this outing will forever be grateful. God will reward you abundantly “Members of Dideolu Specialist Hospital, you surprised me. Now that we have started, the sky is not the limit. This dream must not die. The purpose of holding this programme has been achieved substantially.”

The community free health screening and enlightenment held in Ikenne was put together by the Dideolu Specialist Hospital. While the exercise lasted, the turnout was indeed impressive. Both the old and young were beneficiaries of the scheme.

They came in their hundreds; they were sure of qualitative free health care.

13-year-old Adeleye Enoch was brought in by his mother, Mrs Adeleye. According to her, “He would always complain of severe headache. He started feeling the incessant pain in March. We took him to the hospital and he was attended to but the ailment has refused to go. This was why I brought him here. We saw one of the doctors here and we were assured that he would be fine. After the free screening, the doctor has advised us accordingly.”

Kemisola Olojede, aged 32, another beneficiary, told Nigerian Tribune that her uncle told of the free health screening by the hospital. “After my uncle told us, we brought my father here on the first day of the exercise. He currently has a problem with his eyes. He was attended to very well. I decided to come and do a thorough check-up since the screening is free. I am happy that this initiative took place. I am grateful to the hospital,” she said.

There was an infectious smile on the face of 52-year-old Simon Nnadi, after he was attended to by one of the specialists. According to him, “I suffer from high blood pressure. I got to know about this

Ambassador (Dr) Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu (second left), Professor Adefule Ositelu and others during the free community health screening and enlightenment programme,held at the Dideolu Specialist Hospital, Ikenne. PHOTOS: D’TOYIN

programme from my friend who stays in working on ridding Nigeria of infectious be asked to come back to the hospital for Ikenne. I am indeed grateful. The doctor and non infectious conditions such as dia- further care.

“We have specialists on our books, who attended to me was very friendly. betes and stroke.

He cross-examined me thoroughly and I “For many years, we have been cam- who give appointments to see them. But know that everything will be fine.” paigning that all Nigerians should know we have medical officers on ground all Pastor Tejumola Isaiah, another recipi- their number–blood pressure and sugar the time at the hospital. The specialists ent, lauded the initiative of the hospital. levels, weight, height and body mass in- do sessions, that is what happens in all After he was screened, he stated that “I dex. When they know these numbers, they healthcare situations all over the world,” heard of the free health care. I decided to can work to prevent catastrophic events she said.

The high point of the exercise was the visit. I am glad that I came. The check-up like stroke and diabetes. Currently in was total. I am very sure that I will contin- Nigeria, diabetes is the leading cause of presentation of certificates of recognition ue to patronize this place. This is great.” kidney failure and unfortunately, a lot of to those who helped in making the exer28-year-old Love Solomon, another people do not even know that they are dia- cise a reality. While praying for the conveners, the Chairman African Newspabeneficiary, told Nigerian Tribune, betic,” he said. that “the hospital management should be Speaking further, he stated that “What pers of Nigeria Plc, Reverend (Mrs) Tola commended. It is not all the time that you the Dideolu Specialist Hospital has done Oyediran, prayed that what had started find people who give things like this free shows that the management and owners would see fruition. She prayed for more of charge. I came to see one of the doctors are keen on giving back to the society. The concerted efforts to take the hospital to concerning my health and I was attended dream and vision of the whole exercise greater heights.

Specialists who made the event a sucto free of charge.” came from Dr (Mrs) Awolowo Dosumu.

Speaking on the nature and outcome of We came along to help in the realization cess included Professor Akin Osibogun, the event, one of the specialists at the exer- of the dream. The people who came felt Professor Adefule Ositelu, Dr Olalekan Makinde, Dr Oluwatoyin Salawu and Dr cise, Dr Adebowale Adewumi, consultant particularly blessed and happy.” nephrologist, Lagos University Teaching Earlier, Dr (Mrs) Awolowo Dosumu, de- Adenuga Bukola.

Others were Dr Tochi Okwor, Centre for Hospital, Idi-Araba, stated that “There is scribed the programme as “a great way to a legacy here which was started by Chief give back to the community and also cre- Epidemiology and Health Development (CEHD); Dr Olajide Sobande of the Lagos Obafemi Awolowo. The structures are still ate awareness about health.” very strong. The daughter, Dr Awolowo She added that those found to have con- University Teaching Hospital, among othDosumu wants the dream of the Sage to ditions that required specialist care would ers. be realized. Because of that, she has determined to re-awaken all the departments in the hospital. We are partners. All of us are from different medical fields and specialization. The response was massive. The people were so happy to come here especially to see specialists like us who would handle their cases.”

Dr Tolulope Adewole, Executive Director, Pathcare Laboratories, which supported the free medical exercise, argued that it was the tenet of his organisa- Chairman, African Newspapers of Nigeria Plc, Reverend (Mrs) Omotola Oyediran (4th right); Co-chairman African Newspapers of Nigeria Plc, Ambassador tion to support bodies Dr (Mrs) Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu (5th left); Professor Akin Osibogun (4th left); Dr Tolu Adewole (5th right); Professor Adefule Ositelu (third left); Dr Adenuga Bukola (second right) and others at the event.

communitynews Why we empower Ibadan youths –CCII

38

By Tunde Ogunesan

T

HE dream to position youths in Ibadan for greater task in their various choosing careers as the world now tends towards agricultural development is the reason the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) decided to embark on aggressive youth empowernment programme.

These were the words of the chairperson, Youth Empowerment Committee of CCII, Dr (Mrs) Ayoyinka Babatunde, while speaking with Nigerian Tribune during the general assembly of the association, held at the Bode Amoo Hall, Ibadan House, at the weekend.

Dr Babatunde, while releasing cheques to various beneficiaries of the scheme, said “CCII wants to make sure that in the race of progress, Ibadan is not left out. We want to make sure that our youths are not idle.

“Now that the world is tending towards agricultural business, we want to ensure that some of them who are interested in agribusiness can be ready for greater thing that they can get from the government. If they can be able to manage this one very well, it will be easier for CCII to now guarantee them, either in Bank of Industry (BOI) or in any other platforms they are willing to go.”

Dr Babatunde informed that 50 youths were picked at the commencement of the seminar, 10 of which showed

interest and were duly considered for the empowerment scheme.

Three of them, Idowu Olubukunmi, Mustapha AbdulAzeez and Ishola Abdul Ganiyu Olayinka, who deal in

agribusiness and represented the 10 beneficiaries at the programme, received a cheque of N100,000 each.

The trio, in separate interviews, expressed their appreciation to the CCII for provid-

ing the platform to give their businesses a new lease of life.

Olubukunmi, while commending the CCII for the initiative, said the association had demonstrated that “it is really interested in devel-

oping Ibadan, socially, economically and even in terms of security.”

He added that “in no small measure, what CCII has done today clearly demonstrated that they meant well

The people of Offa welcoming their monarch, Oba Muftau Gbadamosi, after Supreme Court judgment. PHOTO: BIOLA AZEEZ

for all the people of Ibadan.

To me, this gesture will go a long way to help our business to grow and encourage us youths from Ibadan.

“On our part, we promise that we will endeavour to justify their investment on all of us and give hope to others who might be looking forward to enjoyin g the same benefit.”

Corroborating Dr Babatunde’s claim, the CCII President-General, Chief Wole Akinwande, said “CCII has always been interested in finding jobs for our people.

Our experience shows that the economy is so bad and there are no jobs. Every day, fresh graduates are coming up, so we thought of teaching them how to create jobs.

“In some other countries, even if you are a graduate of Physics or Chemistry, they train you for other jobs. So, we felt we could train these people and encourage them to be businessmen and entrepreneurs. This is how the idea began.”

Offa welcomes monarch after Supreme Court judgment God behind my success—Olofa biola azeez-ilorin

IT was a grand reception for the traditional ruler of Offa town in Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II, as residents of the an-

cient town trooped out en masse to welcome him back to the town.

It will be recalled that the Supreme Court affirmed Oba Gbadamosi’s kingship last Friday, while he was in Saudi Arabia on

lesser hajj.

Cars also lined the roads in towns and villages leading to Offa such as Osogbo, Ikirun, Okuku and Ira, especially Ira, a distance of not more than five kilo-

Road construction won’t lead to flooding —Fayose EKITI State governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has assured the people of IkereEkiti that the ongoing dualisation of Ado-Ikere Road in the town will not be allowed lead to flooding of their homes.

He gave the assurance at the weekend in Ikere-Ekiti while on inspection visit to the project site.

A statement in Ado-Ekiti, on Sunday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Idowu Adelusi, said the visit of the governor was also to ascertain the complaints by some people that the project could lead to the flooding of their homes.

Fayose, who was accompanied on the visit by the Commissioner for Works, Mrs Funmilayo Oguns and other state officials, said some houses were built without consideration for the mandatory setback and waterways.

The governor, who took time to listen to observations and complaints by residents, said a team from the ministry would visit the area later in the week and see what could be done to

Monday, 4 July, 2016

some houses built close to the river and which are already sinking.

He explained to the people that the contractors handling the project and state officials would ensure that work is done in a way that would not bring hardship to residents.

“I came to assess the situation after I got the report that some residents are complaining that a recent downpour led to the flooding of their houses and blamed it on the ongoing road work. It is obvious that some houses were built close to the nearby stream.

Many of the houses were built decades ago when the area was not as developed as this.

“I want to assure the people that the work is being done with their welfare as top priority. The contractors have also been directed to take further cognisance of how to allow free flow of water without houses and residents being in jeopardy.

From what I have seen so far, everything is on course,” he said.

The Commissioner for Works said the project

would be delivered on time and according to specification.

She commended Governor Fayose for making the

welfare of the people and the development of the state a mandate that must be fulfilled in spite of all odds.

metres to the palace of the Olofa.

Onlookers, who lined the road, shouted “kaaabiyesiii ooo”, hailing and waving to the traditional ruler when he was sighted in the convoy of cars, just as he waved his horse tail in appreciation.

There were vehicles with live musical bands dishing out music to the delight of the people in the convoy and onlookers.

Many people were seen with their phones recording the movement of the mon-

Royal father laments poor health facilities, commends Ilajes in US Hakeem Gbadamosi-Akure

THE traditional ruler of Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, has lamented the neglect of health facilities in riverine communities in the state.

The royal father, who stated this in Igbokoda during the donation of medical equipment and other facilities to the community by Ilaje community in Houston, United States of America, decried the decay of health facilities in the area.

He, however, commended the association for the donation which included: medical boat, ambulance, school ma-

terials and public toilet.

Odidiomo said the gesture would go a long way in providing quality healthcare for the people of the coastal community.

He said: “ The general hospital in this local government area is empty.

We have a local government area that has six health centres, may be only one is functioning among them. That is the situation we find ourselves in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.”

Also speaking, the president of the group, Mr. Kayode Enigbokan, said the group made the donation as a way of contributing to the development of the community where they grew

up, saying that the gesture was not influenced by political affliation. “ We are Ilaje sons and daughters living in Houston, United States.

We levied ourselves in order to carry out this project so as to make our own contribution to the development of our town,” he said.

The group leader disclosed that the items were worth over N50 million.

The chairman of the local government area, Mr. Agunla Omomowo, in his remarks, described the gesture as a challenge to his administration, pledging to consolidate and complement it by providing necessary amenities in communities in the council area.

arch’s convoy. The traditional ruler stopped at a point to address and pray for the joyous crowd.

The Olofa’s convoy which gained entry into Offa town at about 2:00 p.m. did not get to the palace untill after 4:00 p.m. as the crowd made up of young men and women, the aged and children became uncontrollable.

Meanwhile, Oba Gbadamosi has attributed his success at the Supreme Court to God. Addressing the people of the town at his palace, on Sunday, when he returned the town, the traditional ruler said he was overwhelmed by the rousing welcome and support he received from general public, Kwara state government and the Offa people.

The monarch, who sued for peace among the people of Offa, said, “let us unite and shun any form of violence. Let’s believe it has been destined by God. “I want to implore everyone of us not to deny anybody access to the palace.

The palace is for all sons and daughters of Offa town”.

Oba Gbadamosi also said that the support and contribution of every one was necessary for the progress and development of the town.

Also speaking, the National President of Offa Descendants Union, Alhaji Najim Yasin, thanked everyone for their support in the last six years since the emergence of Oba Gbadamosi and when the case was in the court.

39

Monday, 4 July, 2016

Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060

Eagles’ Coach:

Why Edo decentralised Olympic Day Run —Commissioner

NFF to release shortlist on Friday T HE Nigeria Football Federation will on Friday, 8th July release a short-list of candidates for the vacant position of Super Eagles’ Head Coach.

However, the Federation’s Technical and Development Committee has set a deadline of Wednesday, 6th July 2016 for interested candidates to apply for the position.

Chairman of the committee, Barrister Chris Green, told thenff.com that applications are invited from all persons who feel they are qualified for the position, as the three –time African champions get set to begin preparations for an interesting 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying race against Algeria, Cameroon and Zambia.

“We encourage applications from all highly – qualified persons, whether they be Nigerians or expatriates. Applications are welcome until Wednesday, and the Technical and Development Committee will meet on Friday to look through all applications and release a short-list,” Green stated.

The Super Eagles are away to Zambia’s Chipolopolo on Matchday 1 (October 3) and will then host the Fennecs of Algeria onNovember 7. They will then host Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions on August 28, 2017 and visit the Lions five days later, before hosting Zambia a month after and then rounding off the series by visiting Algeria on November 7, 2017.

Algeria beat Nigeria home and away in the qualifying series for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, but Nigeria

returned the compliment in the qualifying series for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Nigeria threw Cameroon out of the race for the 1970 World Cup finals, but then lost to the Lions in the race to the 1990 World Cup finals. Cameroon also beat Nigeria in three Africa Cup of Nations final matches

Abiodun Jimoh-Benin-City

Pinnick

(1984, 1988, 2000), but the Super Eagles eliminated then holders Cameroon in the Cup of Nations quarter finals in 2004, beat the Lions to the LG Cup title and whiplashed the neighbours 3-0 in a friendly in Belgium in October last year.

Zambia pipped Nigeria over two legs in the last hurdle to the 1986 Africa

Cup of Nations finals, but the Super Eagles stopped the Zambians at the semi final stage of the 1990 finals in Algeria, edged the Chipolopolo in the final of the 1994 championship in Tunisia, and also pipped the Southern Africans in the quarter –finals of the 1992 and 2010 championships.

EDO State Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Mobilisation, Honourable Presely Ediagbonya has said the state decentralised this year’s Olympic Day Run in order to encourage more people to participate in the annual event.

Ediagbonya noted that the government arrived at the decision having considered the burning desire of people of the state to participate in the event as well as the distance and cost of travelling from other towns and cities outside Benin City.

He added that centres were created in Ekpoma (Edo Central), Auchi (Edo North) and at Okada Town whereby the Vice Chancellor of the Igbinedion University coordinated the event from the school gate to the expressway and terminated at Usen.

Ediagbonya acknowledged that the Olympic Day Run is an annual global celebration of the birth of Olympic

AN explosion has rocked football plans outside the Stade de France hours before a Euro 2016 quarterfinal.

Fans arriving for Sunday’s match between France and Iceland heard the bang at around 5.30pm (local time).

It was learnt that the police carried out a controlled explosion.

Those who heard the boom have said it was ‘loud enough’ to sound like it was not under the control of law enforcement, sparking fear throughout the area.

Tensions are already running high in the country after warnings from terror chiefs Islamic State militants said they want to attack the tournament.

Around 100,000 police, security guards and soldiers are expected to be used across the country to ensure fans’ safety amid terror fears.

An extra 3,000 army troops were drafted into the capital for the tourna-

Foreign-based athletes arrive for All-Nigeria Championships

By Niyi Alebiosu

OVER 50 foreign-based athletes mostly from Europe and the United States of America have arrived in the ment to add to the 10,000 But thousands of defi- country ahead of this week’s already deployed following ant fans refused to let fear All-Nigeria Championships last year’s attacks, which ruin the sport and followed billed for Sapele, Delta State.

This year’s All-Nigeria included a suicide bomb- the national team to their Championships which will ing at the Stade de France games. serve as the Olympic tristadium while France were The Paris attacks in Noals to select the athletes to playing an international vember began at the Stade represent Nigeria in Rio football match. de France. is expected to be keenly-contested as athletes across the world have paid their way through to get a chance to fight for as an essential component of a

By Nurudeen Alimi places in the compact complete educational process squad being planned THE Speaker, Oyo State House of charged other private investors Assembly RT Hon. Michael Adey- in the state’s education sector to by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria. emo, has commended the man- imbibe the spirit and high sense “Yes, the athletes agement of Lead City Univer- of responsibility of the proprietor have started arrivsity, Ibadan for putting in place a of Lead City University by putting ing; to show the zeal standard sports facilities which he a standard facilities in place for posited will aid a complete learn- sports development. ing process for the students.

“Lead City University is a partFC IfeanyiUbah 0 The lawmaker made the com- ner in progress in the developmendation after a friendly foot- ment of sports in Oyo state; the MFM 3 ball match between members of institution has demonstrated it the House and Inspiriration FM with this high standard of sports Enyimba 2 Ibadan which ended 2-1 in favour facilities. And we are going to look Lobi 2 of the former as part of activities into how we can work together marking the 8th anniversary of with the management in fashAkwa Utd 2 the Oyo State legislature at the ioning out a reasonable sports mainbowl of the Lead City Uni- programmes that will benefit our Wikki 0 versity Sports Complex. teeming youths in the state,” AdAdeyemo, who described sports eyemo noted.

Tornadoes 2

Euro 2016: Bomb scare at Stade de France

Oyo Speaker hails Lead City University over sports facilities

movement that encouraged everyone around the world to play active part in sports and experience Olympics values in their countries.

“It is also an instrument to cement national unity and grassroots sports development, and that National Olympic Committees (NOC) across the five continents share the Olympics spirit with the people of all ages and all walks of life.”

Meanwhile, Brigade Commander of the Nigerian Army, 4th Brigade Division, Brigadier General Benbella Ahmed Raji has reiterated his commitment to ensure that the divisionexcels in sports in line with the vision of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) on sports development among soldiers.

He stated this during an interactive session with sports writers after the 2016 Olympic Day Run held at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium, Benin City where he led his men from the division to feature in the yearly event.

they have to represent this country, over 50 of them paid for their flight tickets to be part of this year’s All-Nigeria Championships,” AFN Head of Media and Communication Olukayode Thomas said.

Mr Thomas further confirmed that the cream of Nigerian athletics will be present in Sapele including Queen of tracks and one of Nigeria’s medal hopeful in Rio, Blessing Okagbare as well as the likes of Gloria Asumnu, Seye Ogunlewe among others.

As earlier announced, the All-Nigeria Championships will hold on Thursday and Friday July 7-8 at the Sapele Township stadium while it will be closely followed by the Confederation of Africa Athletics (CAA) Grand Prix, Warri Relays on Saturday July 9 at the same venue.

NPFL Results

Sunshine stars

0

Ikorodu Utd

1

El-Kanemi

0

Heartland

0

Pillars

1

Rangers

0

Warri Wolves

0

SIDELINES

NO 16,537

MONDAY, 4 JULY, 2016

T

HIS is a season of frustration, anguish and heart-brokenness everywhere around and about us. On this score we cherish the thought that man everywhere experiences the same sensations.

Those in particular who are faithful to the theoretical notion and idea that our huge, expansive world of diverse peoples is nothing but a singular globalized village or collection of diverse persons and places in a united mosaic, will salivate the saliva of ecstasy in their salivary glands. To them, indeed, persons everywhere are spectacularly the same despite several thoughts in several quarters that may dispute it – rightly or wrongly.

I don’t wish to enter here any debate on this even though I am aware – as you are aware – that our world is a singular collection of human beings of different cultural, political, spiritual, geographical, scientific, technological, educational, medical and literary advancement, development or undevelopment. But that man, wherever he is, knows what pain is, what disappointment is, what agony is, what heart-ache is, is indisputably correct.

This or that experience that runs through us every day corroborates this.

Let us transport ourselves to Europe and North/Latin America where sports fans, specifically football fans, and participants have excited our compassion by entreaties, prayers and tears. Let us cite in particular the examples of England, Spain and Argentina, three mighty football countries that have just witnessed immeasurable football surprise and grief.

In the on-going European Cup of Nations Football Competition holding in France, England and Spain met surprise exits. England of the “Three Lions” had what soccer pundits called soft opponents to devour: Wales, Iceland and some other “inconsequential” teams. At the end of the day, and when it mattered most, England of the universally famed premier league and of the one and only national team called “Three Lions” became the mincemeat of Iceland. Earlier, the “Three Lions” were taught a fabulous lesson of the game by Gareth Bale and his fellow Argonauts from Wales. But England

N150

Aaron Chervenak travelled from Los Angeles to Las Vegas to marry his smartphone at a chapel.

He even put a ring on his new ‘bride’. What a weird world! Anyway, that is just another proof that love is blind.

in&out with Tony Afejuku 08055213059

Frustration, anguish, heart-brokenness in England, Spain and Argentina survived courtesy of sheer motherluck. But when they eventually met the tiny minions from Iceland at the prequarters round of sixteen they were truly made mincemeat of. No motherluck to the rescue this time. What a sorry sight for Wayne Rooney and company!

I could see the tears, frustration, and anguish in the insides of the England skipper and of his fellow “Three Lions” who were absolutely heart-broken.

Their manager, Mr. Hodgson, who has honourably resigned, immediately after England failed, was a pitiable bundle of a truly heart-broken English man. The premature exit of his fangless lions was no less anguishing than Britain’s exit from the European Union.

And the miniatory Spain, what can we say about their sad defeat and knock-out from the competition? How miniatoryless were Sergio Ramos, Iniesta, David De Gea, Cesc Fabrigas and other menacing Spaniards of yore!

Of course, Italy their conquerors, are a hugely mighty force in European and world football. But with their football pedigree and current form as defending champions of the European competition, La Roja of Spain were mathematically expected to defeat Italy and go on to capture the European cup for an unprecedented three times in a row. But expectations are no horses as the Spaniards, without the luckily amazing Fernando Torres, painfully

The European football competition is still on; more surprises will come. learnt after ninety minutes plus additional time of merry football by the merry-making attackers from Italy who did away with their widely known defence tactic called “catenaccio.” This time, against Spain, the Azzurris, ably led by the ageless goal-keeper Buffon made a hard defensive wall as well as a merry-go-round attacking forwardline that ended Spain’s supremacy in Europe. And the Spanish players and fans cried openly and in their heart.

They could not reenact the spectacle of the 2012 final they won when they walloped the Azzurris by four goals to nothing. La Roja and their teeming fans this time bled and bled with anguish and broken hearts.

Perhaps the defeat of Argentina at the final of the recently ended centenary of the Copa America in New Jersey, USA elicited the most passionate stream of frustration, anguish and grief from soccer

lovers within and outside Argentina. In four different finals of soccer competitions including the 2014 world cup final in Brazil, Argentina that paraded Messy and other master-class players were turned into a train and flock of eunuchs. In anguish Messy gave himself an exit visa from the national team he captained for several years. Clearly, the terribly heartbroken super-maestro has diminished his own greatness even if he decides to cancel his exit visa tomorrow or any other day and time. Any thought of attempting a comparison between him and Maradona or with the greatest player ever, the one and only King Pele of Brazil, must now be seen as a puerile exercise. Such a thought must forever remain in a waste-basket.

The lesson: we all know frustration, anguish and heart-brokenness at the appointed time. How we respond and how we carry on thereafter with our duties will make all the difference.

The European football competition is still on. More surprises will come; more frustrations will come; more heartaches will come. We wait for how the losers will take their losses, and hope to turn them into victories in future.

Will France rise to the occasion as host?

Or will they follow England and Spain to gnash their teeth? And will any of their leading players do a messy exit as Argentina’s Leo the Mess-exit?

Post Script: This column shall go on break soon for a short while.

Rio 2016:Dalung, Olopade differs on Team Nigeria preparation

By Niyi Alebiosu

AS the date for the Rio Olympics draw nearer, there seems to be sharp disagreement between the minister of sport Solomon Dalung and the president, Wheelchair Basketball Federation of Nigeria (WBFN)Bukola Olopade over preparation of Team Nigeria to the games holding between 5th-25th August in Brazil.

The minister had recently said that the country’s contingent to the games had good training programmes and preparations for the game and as such they are expected to perform well at the

games.

But, while reacting to the statement credited to the minister, Olopade, former commissioner for youth and sport in Ogun State disagreed with the submission of the minister saying, “this is the worst preparation for Team Nigeria in recent past to any major championship. With what is on ground, he does not see the country perform wonder at the games except if the minister sees our participation as medals “, he said.

Olopade continued, “ask any federation president what support they got from the ministry towards preparing their athletes, none, and yet the minister was saying the

athletes have received adequate training, if we cannot get good training for able bodied ahead of the main Olympics, what do you expect at Paralympics? So, I think the minister should be bold enough to tell Nigerians the truth about the country’s preparation for the games instead of giving us false information “, he said.

The vice president of the Africa Wheelchair Basketball Federation further informed during the media parley heralding the 5th Victor Ochei International Wheelchair Basketball that the Athletics Federation of Nigeria’s recent participation at the Senior Africa Athletics championship in South Africa

did not get any financial support from the ministry but through the effort if the AFN president Solomon Igba.

“Now, if the federation did not any support from the ministry to participate at such major event, how come the minister is claiming adequate training for our athletes, the ministry should compliment the efforts of various asdociation presidents with funds so that they can execute their various programmes and help in preparing the athletes for major events. By and large, Nigerians should not expect any wonders from Team Nigeria at RIO 2016 Olympics with this poor preparations”, Olopade said.

Printed and Published by the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, Imalefalafia Street, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. Telephone: 08165728976; 08073598322. 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. 04/07/2016.